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Prunus lycioides (Spach) C.K. Schneid. (= Amygdalus lycioides Spach.), popularly recognized as "Badam Talkh kuhi", is an endemic species of Iran. It is widely distributed in Central and West Asia, where it plays a role in preventing and controlling soil erosion. Although domestic species of Prunus genus are well known and widely used in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries, inadequate information about wild species is available so far. As far as Prunus lycioides, it is commonly used by native people in traditional medicine for treating diabetes, inflammatory diseases, and microbial infections. The wild almonds are traditionally exploited for oil extraction due to their antioxidant properties. This review summarizes advances in the studies regarding Prunus lycioides and its pharmacological properties. The aim of the review is to renew the interest in this promising plant, thus stimulating researchers to go further with the study for discovering new bioactive compounds., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Among several potential applications, sigma receptors (σRs) can be used as neuroprotective agents, antiamnesic, antipsychotics and against other neurodegenerative disorders. On the other hands, antagonists of the GluN2b-subunit-containing-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are of major interest for the same purpose, being this subunit expressed in specific areas of the central nervous system and responsible for the excitatory regulation of nerve cells. Under these premises, we have synthesized and biologically tested novel hybrid derivatives obtained from the combination of phenyloxadiazolone and dihydroquinolinone scaffolds with different amine moieties, peculiar of σ2R ligands. Most of the new ligands exhibited a pan-affinity towards both σR subtypes and high affinity against GluN2b subunit. The most promising compounds belong to the dihydroquinolinone series, with the best affinity profile for the cyclohexylpiperazine derivative 28. Investigation on their biological activity showed that the new compounds were able to protect SH-SY5Y cells against oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide treatment. These results proved that our dual σR/GluN2b ligands have beneficial effects in a model of neuronal oxidative stress and can represent strong candidate pharmacotherapeutic agents for minimizing oxidative stress-induced neuronal injuries., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

The aim of the present work was to load a Hibiscus sabdariffa (HS) hydroalcoholic extract into in situ gelling formulations for the treatment of oral mucositis and esophagitis. Such formulations, selected as the most promising options in a previous work of ours, were composed by κ-carrageenan (κ-CG), a sulfated marine polymer able to gelify in presence of saliva ions, hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), used as mucoadhesive agent, and CaCl₂, salt able to enhance the interaction κ-CG/saliva ions. HS extract, which is rich in phytochemicals such as polyphenols, polysaccharides and organic acids, was selected due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. For HS extraction, three different methodologies (maceration, Ultrasound Assisted Extraction (UAE) and Microwave Assisted Extraction (MAE)) were compared in terms of extraction yield and extract antioxidant activity, revealing that MAE was the best procedure. Rheological and mucoadhesive properties of HS-loaded formulations were investigated. Such formulations were characterized by a low viscosity at 25 °C, guaranteeing an easy administration, a proper in situ gelation behavior and marked elastic and mucoadhesive properties at 37 °C, functional to a protective action towards the damaged mucosa. Finally, the biocompatibility and the proliferative effect of HS-loaded formulations, as well as their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, were proved in vitro on human dermal fibroblasts.

In this manuscript we report on the design, synthesis and evaluation of dual Sigma 1 Receptor (S1R) modulators/Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors endowed with antioxidant and neurotrophic properties, potentially able to counteract neurodegeneration. The compounds based on arylalkylaminoketone scaffold integrate the pharmacophoric elements of RRC-33, a S1R modulator developed by us, donepezil, a well-known AChE inhibitor, and curcumin, a natural antioxidant compound with neuroprotective properties. A small library of compounds was synthesized and preliminary in vitro screening performed. Some compounds showed good S1R binding affinity, selectivity towards S2R and N-Methyl-d-Aspartate (NMDA) receptor, AChE relevant inhibiting activity and are potentially able to bypass the BBB, as predicted by the in silico study. For the hits 10 and 20, the antioxidant profile was assessed in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cell lines by evaluating their protective effect against H 2 O 2 cytotoxicity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Tested compounds resulted effective in decreasing ROS production, thus ameliorating the cellular survival. Moreover, compounds 10 and 20 showed to be effective in promoting the neurite elongation of Dorsal Root Ganglia (DRG), thus demonstrating a promising neurotrophic activity. Of note, the tested compounds did not show any cytotoxic effect at the concentration assayed. Relying on these encouraging results, both compounds will undergo a structure optimization program for the development of therapeutic candidates for neurodegenerative diseases treatment., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Some aquaporins (AQPs) have been recently demonstrated to facilitate the diffusion of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) from the producing cells to the extracellular fluid, and their reactive oxygen species scavenging properties have been defined. Nevertheless, the identification of different AQPs acting as peroxiporins, their functional role in eustress and distress, and the identification of antioxidant compounds able to regulate AQP gating, remain unsolved. This study aims to investigate, in HeLa cells: (1) the expression of different AQPs; (2) the evaluation of naringenin, quercetin, ( R )-aloesaponol III 8-methyl ether, marrubiin, and curcumin antioxidant profiles, via α,α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl assay; (3) the effect of the compounds on the water permeability in the presence and in the absence of oxidative stress; and (4) the effect of pre- and post-treatment with the compounds on the H₂O₂ content in heat-stressed cells. Results showed that HeLa cells expressed AQP1, 3, 8, and 11 proteins. The oxidative stress reduced the water transport, and both pre- and post-treatment with the natural compounds recovering the water permeability, with the exception of curcumin. Moreover, the pre- and post-treatment with all the compounds reduced the H₂O₂ content of heat-stressed cells. This study confirms that oxidative stress reduced water AQP-mediated permeability, reversed by some chemical antioxidant compounds. Moreover, curcumin was shown to regulate AQP gating. This suggests a novel mechanism to regulate cell signaling and survival during stress, and to manipulate key signaling pathways in cancer and degenerative diseases., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Several factors contribute in wound generation, e.g., accidental traumas or surgery, and in certain cases, this dermal injury may have a devastating outcome. When skin damage occurs, the human body puts in place a sophisticated choreography, which involves numerous repairing processes to restore physiological conditions. Nevertheless, natural healing mechanisms are ineffective towards chronic or non-healing wounds and thus, therapeutic strategies may represent the only beneficial alternative to counteract these tissue insults. Over the years, numerous studies showed the great potential of plants in promoting wound healing, by virtue of their high contents in antioxidant species. These compounds trigger a molecular cascade that collimate into the promotion of reparative processes. In this article, we report on the potential effect on wound healing of Marrubium vulgare L., a medicinal plant well known for several pharmaceutical activities. To this aim, the methanolic extract was prepared and subjected to a phytochemical investigation, quantifying the amount of marrubiin via NMR and drawing the phytochemical fingerprint via high performance liquid chromatography-ultra violet/photodiode-array detection-electrospray/mass (HPLC-UV/PAD-ESI/MS) analysis. Lastly, the antioxidant properties and wound healing potential have been evaluated., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Naringenin is a flavanone present in citrus fruit as a mixture of chiral isomers. The numerous biological properties attributed to this compound include antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, even though the molecular mechanisms of these remain unknown. This study aims to evaluate the effects of racemic and enantiomeric naringenin on the expression levels of miR-17-3p, miR-25-5p and relative mRNA targets, to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Caco-2 cells, a well characterized in vitro model which mimics the intestinal barrier, were treated with subtoxic concentrations of racemate and enantiomers. The expression levels of miR-17-3p and miR-25-5p were determined by Real-Time PCR and were found to be decreased for both miRNAs. miR-17-3p behavior was in agreement with the increased levels of target mRNAs coding for two antioxidant enzymes, manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and glutathione peroxidase 2 (GPx2), while expression levels of miR-25-5p were not in agreement with its target mRNAs, coding for two pro-inflammatory cytokines, Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6). These results lead to the conclusion that naringenin could exert its antioxidant activity through epigenetic regulation operated by miRNAs, while anti-inflammatory activity is regulated by other miRNAs and/or mechanisms.