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Objective: Ovarian cancer has the highest mortality rate in women and it has a poor response rate to treatment due to its late diagnosis and is frequently resistant to currently used cisplatin-based treatment methods. Astragaloside IV (As-IV), a bioactive compound and natural tripeptide glycoside known as an antioxidant, has drawn attention in Chinese medicine for its healing properties. Many studies have shown that it has anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antitumoral, and anti-angiogenic properties. Materials and Methods: In our study, we first rendered ovarian cancer cells (OVCAR-3) resistant to cisplatin and then applied determined doses of As-IV (40 µg/mL) and (70 µg/mL) to OVCAR-3 cells and cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells (OVCAR-3-CisR). The cell viability capacity, variation of BAX/BCL-2 gene expression, and regulation of the SDF-1/CXCR4 chemokine axis protein and their gene expressions were investigated. Results: According to the findings, As-IV administration suppressed metastasis by lowering the colony formation potential of cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer and down-regulating the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis, and increasing the ratio of BAX/BCL-2 mRNA and protein levels due to BAX up-regulation and BCL-2 down-regulation. Conclusion: As a result, we showed that As-IV, used as an antioxidant, can be used as an effective anticancer agent to improve response to the currently used cisplatin-based treatment in cases of drug resistance in ovarian cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) is one pathway that controls the expression of genes involved in many cancer events such as proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, and invasion. Usnic acid is a molecule with many biological effects such as being anticholinergic, gastroprotective, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancerous, and especially antioxidant. This study aims to mechanistically examine the apoptotic behaviors of usnic acid in DU145 prostate cancer cells and the molecules it acts on in the NF-κB pathway. Materials and Methods: This study investigates the apoptotic changes in DU145 cells after usnic acid administration through JC-1 staining and caspase-3 activity measurements. In addition, it tests the effects of usnic acid on subunit p50 and p65 protein and gene expressions in the NF-κB pathway through the respective Western blot and qPCR measurements. Results: The IC50 values of usnic acid at 24 and 48 h in DU145 cells were calculated as 167.06±12.35 μM and 42.15±3.76 μM, respectively. In addition, JC-1 staining showed usnic acid-treated DU145 cells to trigger apoptosis by increasing the membrane permeability of their mitochondria. NF-κB p50 protein expression was also found to be suppressed after usnic acid administration. Conclusion: The results of this study show usnic acid administration to suppress proliferation and to induce mitochondrial apoptosis by suppressing the NF-κB pathway in DU145 cells. This effect of usnic acid indicates it to be combinable with chemotherapeutic agents and evaluable as an alternative in cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effect of applying wharton jelly mesenchymal stromal cells (WJ-MSC) isolated from the human umbilical cord tissue on the neonatal mouse model caused experimental asphyxia in mice was investigated. WJ-MSC surface markers (CD44, CD90, CD105) were characterised by immunofluorescence staining, and pluripotency genes (Nanog, Oct-4, Sox-2) were characterised by qPCR. Blood, prefrontal cortex, cerebellum, hippocampus, lung, heart, kidney, and liver tissues were analysed twenty days after subcutaneously administered WJ-MSC. WJ-MSC administration significantly decreased serum TNF-α, NSE, GFAP, and IL-6 levels in the asphyxia mice. It was determined that WJ-MSC application in tissues accelerated cell regeneration and decreased oxidative stress. In conclusion, this study showed that multiorgan damage in asphyxia could be prevented by applying WJ-MSC at an early stage. Therefore, WJ-MSC application in infants with neonatal asphyxia in the clinic may be an innovative method in the future. What is already known on this subject? Perinatal asphyxia is a serious condition that generates progressive neurological defects and systemic multi-organ failure because of the absence of blood flow or gas exchange in the fetusfoetus during birth. There is no clinical application to reduce damage except for hypothermia treatment in asphyxia. What do the results of this study add? This study showed that WJ-derived mesenchymal stromal cell administration could be used to treat hypoxia-induced asphyxia in newborns. In addition, it can be effective against multi-organ damage caused by asphyxia by evaluating the rich content of the UC tissue expelled during birth. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? In treating asphyxia, the need to develop new strategies emerges as these are not effective in reducing the damage adequately. This WJ-MSC will be new hope for treating asphyxia and guide clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]