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Owing to inefficiency of chemotherapy towards cancer treatment, formulation and application of herbal drug compounds will open new avenues with this regard. In this study, the anticancer effects of itexin, cinobufacini, and Physalis alkekengi (P. alkekengi) were assessed. Herein, synergistic effects of vitexin, cinobufacini, and P. alkekengi hydroalcoholic extract were assessed against estrogen-receptor (EGFR2)-positive breast cancer mouse model. Sixty ER + breast cancer BALB/c mice (six groups each including ten members) were included. The anticancer effects of P. alkekengi hydroalcoholic extract, vitexin, and cinobufacini were administered against EGFR2 cancerous cells for 14 days. The tumor size, cytotoxic effects, and expression of Beclin-1, LC3-II, and ATG5 autophagy-related genes were investigated using RT-qPCR technique. The data was analyzed using chi-square, ANOVA, and multinomial logistic regression tests. The 50% lethal dose (LD50) of P. alkekengi and vitexin against the breast cancer cells included 12 mg/kg, respectively, while cinobufacini LD50 was 24 mg/kg but had no toxicity against CRL7242 breast normal cells. Furthermore, 24 mg/kg of the P. alkekengi, vitexin, and cinobufacini significantly increased the ATG5, Beclin-1, and LC3-II gene expression. Considering anticancer effects of P. alkekengi, vitexin, and cinobufacini against breast cancer through induction of the autophagy pathway, the compound formulations can be applied as anticancer therapies.

Nefopam is a non-opioid, centrally acting, non-steroidal analgesic drug. It is used to treat mild to moderate painful conditions. Although developed about five decades ago, its use has gained resurgence in recent years. This study was designed to investigate the effects of different analgesic doses of nefopam on the liver and kidneys of mice. Forty albino mice were divided into four groups of 10 mice for each group. Group 1, 2 &3 received a daily intraperitoneal injection of Nefopam at 10, 20, and 30 mg/kg doses, respectively. The fourth group (control group) received injections of normal saline. After two weeks of treatment, the animals were weighed and sacrificed, and then blood was collected for liver enzymes analysis and renal function test as well as histological assessment. The results revealed that the bodyweight increase ratio was significantly lower in group 3 (P-value 0.05) of Nefopam on the kidneys. Nefopam is well tolerable by the liver at low analgesic doses but may have detrimental effects at higher analgesic doses and prolonged duration of intake.

The development of drug delivery systems minimizing the side effects of conventional chemotherapy is one of the major challenges in the field of biomaterials for cancer treatment. This work reports the formulation and characterization of oil-in-water Pluronic F127 microemulsions to enhance the bioavailability of doxorubicin (DOX). The density functional theory (DFT) calculations at the M06-2X level of theory were done to study the interaction details of DOX with ethyl butyrate, sodium caprylate, and one unit of the polymeric chain of surfactant Pluronic F127 in water solution, which are used in the synthesis process. Specifically, the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) analysis was performed to determine the nature of interactions. The highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energies were calculated to show the direction of charge transfer within each complex. Furthermore, the natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis was performed on the studied systems. The size of F127/DOX microemulsion was about 7.0 nm by dynamic light scattering analysis. In vitro toxicity of standard DOX and DOX-loaded microemulsions were assessed against MCF-7 and C152 (malignant) and HUVEC (non-malignant) cell lines. Intracellular lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage was evaluated as an indicator of membrane integrity. In vitro assessments revealed that Pluronic F127/DOX microemulsions caused substantial morphological changes and greater cytotoxic effects than standard DOX. Pluronic F127/DOX microemulsions were injected intraperitoneally at 12 and 24 mg/kg into rats. The free (bulk) DOX group induced severe histopathological changes and significant increases in serum kidney markers and serum liver enzymes. The 24 mg/kg dose of Pluronic F127/DOX microemulsions also induced fatty changes and elevation of serum liver enzymes and creatinine. Overall, this new drug delivery system formulation shows promise for cancer treatment and deserves to be further studied in the future.

Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in the world, with enhancing morbidity and mortality each year. Due to the drug resistance against CRC, the use of novel compounds besides chemotherapy is required. Natural seafood contains large amounts of biologically active substances with new chemical structures and new medicinal activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of hydroalcoholic extract of Sargassum oligocystom algae on SW742, HT-29, WiDr and CT-26 CRC cell lines and to evaluate the expression of P53 and APC genes using quantitative real time PCR (RT-qPCR). Methods The cytotoxicity of S. oligocystom hydroalcoholic extract was determined by MTT and trypan blue methods in six different concentrations including 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 mg / mL on various CRC cell lines and a control group. The expression of P53 and APC genes in exposure to 2mg/mL of the extract was also evaluated using RT-qPCR. Results The LD50 and LD90 of S. oligocystom included 0.5-1 and > 2mg/mL, respectively mostly affecting SW742 and CT-26 cells. In the trypan blue test, 90% viability and death of cells was observed at 0.1 and 4mg/mL of extract, respectively. The 2mg/mL was a safe cytotoxic concentration. A significant viability decrease was observed at concentrations ≥ 1mg/mL (p S. oligocystom extract at 2 mg/mL significantly increased the expression of APC being 2.2 fold (p S. oligocystom extract had significant antitumor effects against the SW742, HT-29, WiDr and CT-26 CRC cell lines and especially CT-26, suggesting that it may be a potential candidate for further studies and therefore designing drugs of natural anti-cancer origin. The S. oligocystom had anticancer effect via increase in the APC gene expression.

Cancer is a class of ‎disease in which group of cells show out of control growth, invasions ‎and ‎sometimes metastasis to different parts of the body. Few side effects of cancer treatment are ‎more feared by the patient than nausea and vomiting. Although nausea and emesis (vomiting ‎and retching) can result from surgery or radiation therapy, chemotherapy-induced nausea ‎and vomiting (CINV) are potentially the most severe and most distressing. A randomized, single-blind controlled clinical trial conducted in Hiwa ‎Center for Cancer in Sulaimani city for the period ‎from January to December 2015. A total of 70 Hodgkin lymphoma patients presented to ‎Hiwa ‎Center for Cancer and treated with ABVD chemotherapy regimen ‎were selected. The patient's ‎received either the treatment (Aprepitant, ‎Odansitron and Dexamethasone) or the standard ‎regimen (Odansitron, ‎Dexamethasone) in a 1:1 ratio, ‎computer-generated, random allocation ‎schedule. A total of sixty-three Hodgkin lymphoma patients were included in ‎the present study ‎with a mean age was 47.8±14.4 years; 34.9 % of them were ‎ageing 60 years and more. Nausea and vomiting score was significantly higher in the treatment group from 2nd day to 4th days; the number of rescue therapy was significantly higher in the standard therapy group. In conclusion, the use of Aprepitant, Odansitron and Dexamethasone regimen ‎showed superior and valuable results in the prevention of cancer ‎induced nausea and vomiting by patients on chemotherapy.