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The use of lichens as food, medicine in dyes and perfumes and crude drugs is very common all over the world. It is so important to determine whether their use is safe or not and which doses should be used. In the present study, the genotoxic and antigenotoxic effects of methanol extracts of Umbilicaria cylindirica and Umbilicaria nylanderiana were investigated by using sister chromatid exchange in human lymphocytes against Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and the bacterial reverse mutation assay in Salmonella typhimurium TA1535 and TA1537 strains and in Escherichia coli WP2 uvrA strain against Sodium azide (NaN3), 9-Aminoacridine (9-AA) and N-Methyl-N’-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), respectively. Furthermore, in order to evaluate antioxidant effect of the tested materials, the main antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and malondialdehyde (MDA) level were determined. At the end of the study, it was observed that Umbilicaria cylindirica and Umbilicaria nylanderiana exhibit no mutagenic activity, but significantly antimutagenic activity against all the different doses of mutagens and antioxidative activity against oxidative stress caused by AFB1.

Background: Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide and each year tens of millions of people are lost their lives due to different types of cancer. Despite all efforts in the treatment of cancer, the mortality and morbidity rates are still in high levels. Multidrug resistance (MDR) is one of the main impediments in the cancer treatment. MDR might result in tumor metastasis and recurrence, which is responsible for 90% of cancer-related deaths. Many intrinsic and extrinsic factors such as genetic and epigenetic modifications, drug efflux systems, DNA repair mechanisms, apoptotic and autophagic processes contribute drug resistance in cancer cells. To date, various types of molecules have been tested in vitro and in vivo, for MDR modulating activity but there is still no effective anticancer drug to completely overcome MDR. Phytochemicals, in alone or in combination with other chemotherapeutics, are potentially able to sensitize the cancer cells to conventional anticancer drugs in cancer patients with fewer side effects. In this review, we aimed to provide a general perspective about MDR-related mechanisms and novel therapeutic approaches including RNA interference (RNAi) therapy, nanotherapy and cancer stem cell treatments to combat MDR and to highlight the latest MDR reversing agents of plant origin based on their modulating effects on various proteins, enzymes, transcription factors, cell cycle regulators and survival and oncogenic pathways.Conclusion: Plant-derived secondary metabolites may improve the therapeutic efficacy of anticancer drugs through targeting different MDR-related mechanisms and they serve as lead compounds to elicit better pharmacological results in the development of novel anticancer agents.

Oregano species, especially members of Origanum genus, have drawn attentions owing to their various biological activities for the last decades besides their traditional uses as flavoring herb in many cuisines throughout ages in human history. These activities are mainly dependent on type and content of the extract as well as oregano species. Essential oils extracted from oreganos are well-known bioactive agents characterized by a broad spectrum of activities ranged from antimicrobial to insecticidal. Phytochemical studies revealed that oregano essential oil is composed of mainly these bioactive compounds: terpenoids, phenolic acids, triterpene acids, hydroquinones, flavonoids, hydrocarbons, sterols, pigments, fatty acids, tocopherols, and inorganic compounds, which are responsible for the bioactivities. The monoterpene carvacrol constitutes around 50% of the oregano essential oil. In this context, present chapter was conducted to review oregano essential oil and its major active component carvacrol.

The broad applications of titanium dioxide (TiO2) in various fields have drawn attention for the synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles. In line with this requirement, there are various studies on the synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles. Many chemical and physical methods have been applied to prepare nanoparticles, but synthesis methods utilizing biological materials (e.g., bacteria, fungi, enzymes, and plant extracts) can be considered as eco-friendly alternatives when compared to chemical and physical techniques. The present study was designated to biotechnologically synthesize TiO2 nanoparticles from titanium(IV) oxide by Aspergillus sp. TK4. TiO2 nanoparticles were successfully synthesized extracellularly from the precursor and characterized by using SEM and EDX techniques. According to the results of SEM and EDX, the nanoparticles obtained are generally distributed between 50-100 nanometers and are composed of titanium and oxygen elements. Besides, it has been observed that the dimensions of some formations can reach 200 nanometers. In conclusion, taking into account the industrial uses as well as the uses in medical fields, the production of TiO2 nanoparticles with biotechnological means using natural sources is a more advantageous option. Moreover, the results of this study contribute to the development of new biological methods that can be used in the synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles.

Background: Neuroblastoma is the most common cranial solid tumor in children. In recent years, scientists have begun to investigate the effect of drugs used to treat other diseases on various types of cancer. Metformin is a popular antihyperglycemic drug. Metformin inhibits glucose uptake by affecting the AMPK metabolism of tumor cells that use glucose for energy. Amlodipine, on the other hand, is a calcium channel blocker and governs Ca2+, which have important role of the cell cycle and metabolism. The purpose of this study; success of amlodipine to increase the effect of metformin against neuroblastoma cell line. Methodology/Main findings: In this study, we prepare the cancer cell line in the proper cell culture medium. Drug doses of metformin (10, 20 and 40 ug), Amlodipine (10 mM), Metformin (10, 20 and 40 ug) + Amlodipine (10 Mm) were administered to NBL cancer cell lines for 24 hours. MTT cell viability test, flow cytometry, total oxidant status, and total antioxidant capacity test were performed 24 hours after the application. Conclusion: The study showed that the combination of high doses of Metformin and amlodipine significantly reduced cell proliferation and antioxidant status compared to control and other groups. Apoptosis levels in combination group are higher than the pure MET and AML groups. When amlodipine was administered alone, there was no antitumor activity in the neuroblastoma cell line, however, metformin was determined to increase antitumor activity.

Epigenetics mostly focuses on heritable changes in gene expression that does not contain changes to the underlying primary DNA sequences; an alteration in phenotype without an alteration in genotype. Among various cellular mechanisms, especially DNA methylation plays a central role in many epigenetic processes. Therefore, it has been the most studied epigenetic mechanism and many special techniques for assessment of changes in DNA methylation patterns have been developed. Combined bisulfite restriction analysis (COBRA) is one of these commonly used techniques. Although many studies have been conducted to get information about epigenetic regulation mechanisms in mammalian cell by using COBRA, there is still limited information on the the epigenetic programs and related pathways in other organisms. In the present study; we aimed to detect in silico applications for recognition sites of Hinf I and Taq I restriction enzyme and methylation profiles of specific gene region of HXT10 and SUC2 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae depending on sucrose, glucose and sucrose and glucose conditions with COBRA analysis. According to results; methylation status of selected CpG islands in the HXT10 and SUC2 gene regions were not altered by the presence of the sucrose, glucose and glucose+sucrose media.

Propolis (arı tutkalı) yüzyıllardır terapötik bir ajan olarak yaygın bir şekilde kullanılmaktadır. Farmakolojik ve biyolojik özelliklerinden dolayı bu konu üzerindeki bilimsel ilgi son yıllarda giderek artmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, propolisin ethanol ekstraktının (EEP) kimyasal komposizyonunu belirlemek ve ayrıca Ames/Salmonella ve E. coli WP2 test sistemlerini kullanarak propolisin genotoksik ve antigenotoksik etkilerini değerlendirmektir. Canlılık testlerinden elde edilen sonuçlar, EEP’nin 1mg/plate ve daha yüksek konsantrasyonlarının oldukça toksik olduğunu, daha düşük konsantrasyonların ise toksik etkisinin olmadığını göstermiştir. Genotoksisite test sonuçları ise, EEP’nin 1 mg/plate ve daha düşük konsantrasyonlarda, S. typhimurium TA1535, 1537 ve E. coli WP2uvrA test suşları için genotoksik etkisinin olmadığını göstermiştir. Ayrıca, aynı test suşları için mutajen etkiye sahip NaN3 , 9-AA and MNNG gibi mutajenlere karşı EEP’nin, belirgin bir şekilde antigenotoksik etkiye sahip olduğu gözlemlenmiştir., Propolis (bee glue) has been widely used as a therapeutic agent for centuries. Because of its pharmacological and biological properties, scientific interest in this issue has increased during the last years. The aims of the study were to determine chemical composition of ethanol extract of propolis (EEP) and evaluate its genotoxicity and antigenotoxicity by using Ames/Salmonella and E. coli WP2 short term test systems. Results that obtained from the viability assay for the tester strains, EEP at concentrations of greater than 1 mg/plate was highly toxic however lower concentration doesn’t have any toxicity. According to genotoxicity test results, any concentration of EEP up to 1 mg/plate did not show genotoxic effect on S. typhimurium TA1535, 1537 and E. coli WP2uvrA tester strains. On the other hand, antigenotoxicity assay results showed that EEP has significantly antigenotoxic activity against NaN3 , 9-AA and MNNG induced mutagenicity on the same tester strains.

Ekstraselüler pektin liyaz enzimi (EC 4.2.2.10) Agrobacterium radiobacter'den katı ortam fermantasyonu ile üretilmiş ve DEAE-selüloz iyon değişim kromatografisi kullanılarak 21 kat saflaştırılıp karakterize edilmiştir. Enzimin molekül ağırlığı Sephadex G-100 jel filtrasyon kromatografisi ile 67 kDa olarak bulunmuş ve enzimin saflığı SDS-PAGE ile kontrol edilmiştir. Enzimin optimum pH'sı ve sıcaklığı sırasıyla 8 ve 60°C olarak belirlenmiştir. Enzim aktivitesinin 24 saat boyunca kararlı olduğu en yüksek sıcaklığın 40°C'de olduğu gözlenmiştir. 50°C'de yaklaşık 4 saat boyunca, 60°C'de ise 1 saat boyunca %50 aktivitesini koruduğu bulunmuştur. Saflaştırılan enzimin Vmax ve KM'si Lineweaver-Burk grafiği kullanılarak 4.36 mg/mL and 303 µmol/L.dakika olarak hesaplanmıştır. Pektin liyaz enziminin aktivitesi üzerine metal iyonlarının etkisi incelenmiş ve Mg2+ ve Ca2+ iyonlarının enzimi kısmen, Fe3+, Zn2+, Cu2+ ve Hg2+ iyonlarının enzimi tamamen inhibe ettiği anlaşılmıştır. Co2+ (0,1 mM, 1 mM ve 10 mM) iyonunun ise enzimin az da olsa aktivitesini arttırdığı gözlenmiştir. Saflaştırılıp karakterize edilen enzim meyve suyu üretiminde kullanıldığında kontrole göre meyve suyu veriminde önemli artış görülmüştür. Extracellular pectin lyase (EC 4.2.2.10) was produced by Agrobacterium radiobacter in solid state fermentation. Pectin lyase enzyme was purified 21 fold by using DEAE-cellulose anion exchange column chromatography and characterized. Molecular weight of the enzyme was determined as 67 kDa by using Sephadex G-100 gel filtration chromatography. Purification of enzyme was checked by SDS-PAGE. The optimum pH and temperature of enzyme was determined as pH 8.0 and 60° C, respectively. Pectin lyase was mostly stable at 40° C. Its activity deceased by 50% for 1h at 60° C and 40% for 4 h at 50° C. Vmax and KM were calculated as 4.36 mg/mL and 303 µ mol/L.min, respectively. Purified pectin lyase was partly inhibited by Mg2+ and Ca2+ and completely inhibited by 10 mM of Fe3+, Zn2+, Cu2+ and Hg2+. A slight activation effect was observed in the presence of Co2+ (10, 0.1 and 0.001 mM) on the purified pectin lyase. The purified pectin lyaseenzyme was used for the production of fruits juices and significant improvement was found in juice yields in comparison to the juice yield of control.

The methanol extract of Verbascum georgicum Bentham (Scrophulariaceae) was investigated for its in-vitro antimicrobial properties. A total of 143 microorganisms belonging to 56 bacteria and 4 fungi and a yeast species were studied using the disk-diffusion method and microdilution assays. The results indicated that the methanol extract of V. geopgicum had an inhibitory effect on the growth of all Candida albicans isolates and 17 strains in 10 different species of bacteria, namely Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, B. subtilis, B. cereus, B. pumilus, B. megaterium, B. lentimorbus, B. licheniformis, Pseudomonas putida, P. syringae and Escherichia coli, at different concentrations ranging from 37.5 to 300 µg/ml. However, it did not show antifungal activity against the isolates of the 4 fungal species tested. Thus, the results suggest that V. georgicum extract possesses compounds with antimicrobial properties that might be utilized for developing new drugs.

The present work examined the in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the essential oil and methanol extract from Achillea biebersteinii Afan. (Asteraceae). The essential oil exhibited antimicrobial activity against 8 bacteria, 14 fungi and the yeast C. albicans, whereas methanolic extract remained inactive. The antioxidative capacity of the samples was evaluated by using DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and b-carotene/linoleic acid assays. In both assays, the extract showed better antioxidative capacity than the oil. The extract reduced the stable free radical DPPH with lower IC50 value (89.90 µg/ml) than the oil (8900 µg/ml). In the b-carotene/linoleic acid assay, the samples were not effectively able to inhibit the linoleic acid oxidation, exhibiting only 22.7% (the extract) and 16% (the essential oil) inhibitions at 2 mg/ml, far below than that of BHT (97.0%). Total phenolic constituent of the extract was 51 µg/mg (5.1%, w/w) as gallic acid equivalent. GC-MS analysis of the essential oil resulted in the identification of 64 components representing 92.24% of the oil. Piperitone, camphor and 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol) were the main constituents.

The present study was conducted to determine the phenotypic and genotypic characterization of thermophilic bacteria isolated from Pasinler hot spring, Erzurum, Turkey. Fatty acid profiles, BOX PCR fingerprints, and 16S rDNA sequence data were used for the phenotypic and genotypic characterization of thermophilic bacteria. Totally 9 different bacterial strains were selected based on morphological, physiological, and biochemical tests. These strains were characterized by molecular tests including fatty acid and BOX profiles, and 16S rDNA sequence. The data of fatty acid analysis showed the presence of 14 different fatty acids in the 9 bacterial strains examined. Additionally, 5 of these fatty acids, 15:0 iso, 15:0 anteiso, 16:0 iso, 17:0 iso, and 17:0 anteiso fatty acids, were found in all isolates. Based on fatty acid profiles, it was determined that the bacterial strains were classified into 2 phenotypic groups, and these data were confirmed by BOX PCR genomic fingerprint profiles and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The first group, identified as Bacillus licheniformis, was represented by 4 strains, and the second group, identified as Aeribacillus pallidus, was represented by 5 strains.

Bu çalışma, Salvia limbata C.A.Mey. ve Salvia sclarea L. bitkilerinin çeşitli özütleri ve uçucu yağının in vitro antimikrobiyal, antioksidan, antiviral aktivitelerinin ve uçucu yağ içeriğinin araştırılması için tasarlanmıştır. Uçucu yağ aktivitesi, insan, bitki ve gıda kaynaklı geniş bir mikroorganizma grubuna karşı test edilmiştir. 35 bakteri, 19 mantar ve maya türlerinden oluşan toplam 55 mikroorganizma disk difüzyon metodu, mikro-dilüsyon ve mikro-well dilüsyon yöntemleri kullanılarak test edilmiştir. Uçucu yağlar test edilen mantarlardan bazılarına karşı antimikrobiyal aktiviteye sahip iken bakterilerden hiçbirine karşı aktivite gözlenmemiştir. Hidrodistilasyon ile elde edilen uçucu yağların kimyasal bileşenleri GC-MS ile analiz edilmiştir. Salvia türlerinin yağının temel bileşenleri spathulenol (% 29,30) ve germacrene D (% 24,72) olarak belirlenmiştir. Diğer önemli bileşenler ise sırası ile sclareoloxide (% 14,08) ve ?-caryophyllene (% 16,24) olarak belirlenmiştir. Sonuçlar bu Salvia türlerinin bitkisel yağ bileşenlerinde önemli derecede farklılıklar olduğunu göstermiştir. Antioksidan aktivite, serbest radikal giderici DPPH ve linoleik asit oksidasyonu olmak üzere iki metot kullanılarak çalışılmıştır. Kontrol olarak kullanılan sentetik antioksidan BHT (% 96 1)’e karşı, ?-karoten/linoleik asit sistem seviyeleri sırası ile % 85,1 1 ve % 76,6 1, olarak tespit edilmiştir. Antiviral aktivite çalışmalarında Salvia türlerinin MeOH özütleri önemli anti-influenza virus etkisi ve sınırlı antiherpetik etki göstermiştir. The present study evaluated the in vitro antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antiviral activities of the essential oil and various extracts of Salvia limbata C.A.Mey. and Salvia sclarea L., as well as the content of its essential oil. The activities of essential oils were tested against a wide range of human-, plant-, and food-borne microorganisms. A total of 55 microbial organisms belonging to 35 bacteria and 19 fungi and yeast species were tested using disk diffusion, micro dilution, and micro-well dilution. The essential oils were found to possess antimicrobial activity against some of the tested fungi, while no activity was observed against the bacteria. The chemical compositions of the plant hydrodistilled essential oils were analyzed by means of GC-MS. The main compounds of Salvia species oils were spathulenol (29.30%) and germacrene D (24.72%). Other important components were sclareoloxide (14.08%) and β-caryophyllene (16.24%). The results showed that the compositions of the essential oils of these Salvia species varied significantly. Antioxidant activity was measured by 2 methods, namely scavenging of free radical DPPH and the inhibition of linoleic acid oxidation. In the β-carotene/linoleic acid system, values were 85.1% ± 1 and 76.6% ± 1, respectively, being comparable with that of the synthetic antioxidant BHT (96% ± 1). In antiviral activity assays, the MeOH extracts from Salvia species had a significant anti-influenza virus effect and limited antiherpetic activity.