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Abstract: The prevalence of depression has increased dramatically over the past few decades. Alt-hough depression is categorized as a brain disorder, its symptomatology includes some behaviors that also occur during chronic inflammatory stress. According to research, cytokine production and immune system activation may have a role in depression, so this relationship has received much at-tention. Moreover, there is a bidirectional relationship between oxidative stress and inflammation. Oxidative stress plays a pathogenic role in chronic inflammatory diseases; depressive disorder is be-ing suggested as one of them. Recent research using several oxidative stress indicators demonstrates that antioxidant defenses are diminished and oxidative stress is elevated in depression. Another cy-tokine-related mechanism widely known for its association with inflammatory illnesses is the kynurenine pathway (KP). KP is responsible for maintaining the balance between neuroprotective and neurogenerative processes in the brain. Therefore, KP plays a role in the pathophysiology of depression. It is thought to impact neurological processes that stem the depression, making it one of the mainstays in explaining oxidative stress-depression-inflammation interrelation. The mechanism is thought to be driven by increasing the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, IDO, and thus the KYN/TRP ratio. This review aims to evaluate the relationship between oxidative stress, depres-sion, and inflammation through the kynurenine pathway through the current studies in the literature.

Amalgam has been widely used as a restorative dental material for over 150 years. Most standard dental amalgam formulations contain approximately 50% elemental mercury in a mixture of copper, tin, silver, and zinc. Mercury is a highly volatile metal, which can easily vaporize to a colorless and odorless gas. It has been demonstrated that mercury is released from dental amalgam, which is increased by chewing, eating, brushing, and drinking hot liquids. Besides this, amalgam is the main occupational exposure source of mercury for dental workers. It is known that mercury exposure causes immune modulation in humans. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the changes in neopterin levels and tryptophan (Trp) degradation in dental technicians. It was observed that low levels of occupational mercury exposure resulted in decreased neopterin, kynurenine (Kyn), and Kyn/Trp levels. Moreover, mercury and neopterin levels had a significant positive correlation in workers. The lower neopterin levels and Kyn/Trp in dental technicians compared to an unexposed group indicates a possible immune suppression with low level of occupational mercury exposure during amalgam preparation. The relationship between urinary mercury levels as an indicator of occupational mercury exposure and neopterin reminded an effect on T-cell-mediated immune response.

The purpose of this work was the development of an alternative ocular tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride (THZ) microemulsion for the management of allergic conjunctivitis. Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were used to produce the microemulsions. For the formulation of the microemulsions, isopropyl myristate was selected as oil. Furthermore, various surfactants were applied for the determination of their suitability; ME-1 and ME-4 were developed using Sorbitan monolaurate 80 and Polysorbate 80, for ME-2 and ME-5 Sorbitan monolaurate 80 and macrogolglycerol ricinoleate while for ME-3 and ME-6 Sorbitan monolaurate 80 and Polysorbate 20. For ME-1, ME-2, and ME-3 propylene glycol and ethanol, for ME-4, ME-5, and ME-6 ethanol and polyethylene glycol were used as co-surfactants. Various characterization parameters of microemulsions were evaluated such as droplet size, conductivity, zeta potential, viscosity, and pH. In addition, the drug release, stability, sterility, safety, ex vivo, and in vivo experiments were studied. The characterization showed that the formulations can act as suitable carriers for eye application. In addition, it was revealed that microemulsions were found stable and sterile. The formulations released the drug in a sustained manner. Ex vivo diffusion studies exhibited that the microemulsions can be used for topical delivery to the eye. Assessment of in vitro ocular irritation was conducted by an in vivo prediction model, EpiOcular™ eye irritation test. Based on the in vivo studies, the chosen ideal microemulsion showed longer contact time to the cornea than the commercial product. Moreover, the developed ocular carrier was found to be safe from the viewpoint of in vitro ocular irritancy and mutagenicity. In conclusion, according to characterization results, the THZ microemulsions can act as a hopeful approach for topical eye application.

A previously unreported secoiridoid glycoside, cruciatoside (

In this study, microemulsions containing etofenamate were prepared and evaluated as dermal delivery carriers. The developed microemulsions consist of oleic acid, Span 80, Tween 20, Cremophor EL, Transcutol and ethanol. The percentage of etofenamate loading in the microemulsions was 5% (w/w). The characterization of formulations included droplet size, zeta potential, pH, conductivity, PDI, refractive index and viscosity. Moreover, ex vivo penetration study was carried out using mice abdominal skin. The developed formulations were analyzed for their cytotoxicity via MTT assay and tested for their anti-inflammatory properties opposed to LPS-stimulated nitrite prοduction in RAW 264.7 cells. As ideal formulation, M2ETF, was chosen due to its greater permeation, lower penetration as well as higher anti-inflammatory activity compared to other microemulsions.

In this study, new carboxamides derived from the imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole skeleton which are carrying the biologically active benzoxazole group and are terminated with polar group such as chloro/bromo/cyano as well as imidazothiazole-based methyl carboxylate derivative were synthesized in order to investigate anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities. The new molecules were characterized by FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and ESI–MS spectrometry. New chloro-terminated imidazothiazole-based carboxamide (7a) and imidazothiazole-based methyl carboxylate derivative (8) showed, respectively, 75.88% and 77.05% cell viability on RAW 264.7 cell line at dose of 1.5 μM and 50 μM whereas trifluoroacetylamino-substituted thiazole carboxylate (1), trifluoroacetylamino-substituted thiazole carboxamides (2) and amino-substituted thiazole carboxamides (3) exhibited non-cytotoxicity by the cell viability value which is higher than 80% at dose of 100 μM except for their brominated derivatives 2b and 3b with highest cytotoxicity. Anti-inflammatory assay of the compounds on RAW 267.7 cells revealed that the compounds N-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-[(trifluoroacetyl)amino]-1,3-thiazole-5-carboxamide (2a) and 2-amino-N-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,3-thiazole-5-carboxamide (3a) which are starting materials in the synthetic route of 7a significantly have similar nitrite reducing effect with indomethacin which is positive control compound. As regarding to analgesic activity, compound 3a showed the highest reducing activity on PGE2 level induced by LPS than trifluoroacetylamino-substituted carboxamides 2a and 2b as compared with control group.

Tevarud designates two poets coincidently writing a same verse in the Ottoman Divan literature. This study aims to analyze the structural similarity of molecules independently designed for inflammation and depression to determine if coincidentally we are building similar molecules for comorbid diseases. For this purpose, a molecule library was first constituted with structures that were developed as anti-inflammatory (AI) and antidepressant (AD) agents these last decades. Then, the similarity of the structures was determined by calculating the Tanimoto and Cosine similarity coefficients for each AD/AI pair. The highest scores were obtained for two theophylline derivatives: AD17 (for which some AI activity was found to be mentioned) and AI42. The study also pointed out the similarity of some AD coumarins with some AI flavonoids interestingly found to be highly similar to some AI coumarins and AD flavonoids, respectively. Thus, our investigation demonstrated that structures independently developed as AD and AI derivatives can present extremely high structural similarity, a finding that can suggest mechanistic interconnection for these comorbid diseases and also guide for the design of novel bioactive compounds.

Chronic Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is still one of the major reasons for liver related mortality and morbidity all around the world. This study aimed to investigate the possible relationship between the immune system activation and presence, as well as progression, of hepatitis B infection by monitoring the tryptophan degradation and serum neopterin levels in patients with HBV. 110 patients with HBV and 23 healthy subjects were included in the study. The patients had significantly higher neopterin levels and increased kynurenine to tryptophan ratios, which were most probably due to enhanced indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) activity compared to healthy control. A strong positive correlation was found between neopterin levels and IDO activity in patient group. Neopterin levels and IDO activity were markedly increased in patients with histological activity index (HAI) ≥4 compared to HAI

In Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), it is important to evaluate disease activity and investigate possible biomarkers. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the relationship between disease activity and serum levels of possible immune activation marker neopterin in patients with COVID-19. The study enrolled 45 patients (23 females, 51.1%) treated for COVID-19. The patients were divided into two groups according to their clinical presentation: those who recovered quickly (Group 1) and those who worsened progressively (Group 2). The neopterin and C-reactive protein levels were high in all patients on admission. In Group 1, neopterin concentrations and serum neopterin/creatinine ratios were significantly higher on admission compared to Day 14 of the disease, whereas in Group 2, levels were significantly higher at Day 14 of the disease than on admission. Neopterin levels at admission were significantly higher in Group 1. The serum neopterin concentrations at admission were markedly higher in patients with a derived neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (dNLR) > 2.8 compared to those with a dNLR ≤ 2.8 (p< 0.05). Serum neopterin levels can be used as a prognostic biomarker in predicting disease activity in COVID-19.

Drug development efforts that focused on single targets failed to provide effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Therefore, we designed cholinesterase inhibition (ChEI)-based multi-target-directed ligands (MTDLs) to simultaneously target AD-related receptors. We built a library of 70 compounds, sequentially screened for ChEI, and determined σ1R, σ2R, NMDAR-GluN2B binding affinities, and P2X7R antagonistic activities. Nine fulfilled in silico drug-likeness criteria and did not display toxicity in three cell lines. Seven displayed cytoprotective activity in two stress-induced cellular models. Compared to donepezil, six showed equal/better synaptic protection in a zebrafish model of acute amyloidosis-induced synaptic degeneration. Two P2X7R antagonists alleviated the activation state of microglia in vivo. Permeability studies were performed, and four did not inhibit CYP450 3A4, 2D6, and 2C9. Therefore, four ChEI-based lead MTDLs are promising drug candidates for synaptic integrity protection and could serve as disease-modifying AD treatment. Our study also proposes zebrafish as a useful preclinical tool for drug discovery and development.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent kind of joint disease, affecting millions of individuals worldwide. Allium sativum L. was used as a therapeutic agent in the microemulsion system against osteoarthritis due to allicin's high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. HPLC was used to evaluate the chemical components of the Allium sativum methanol extract. Water-in-oil (w/o) type of microemulsions loaded with Allium sativum extract was produced. To create the microemulsions, a titration approach was employed. The microemulsions were prepared using isopropyl myristate (IPM) as oil, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan monolaurate 80 as surfactants, and Polyethylene glycol 400, ethanol as cosurfactants. The pH, droplet size, viscosity, polydispersity index values were measured to characterize of microemulsions. In addition, L929 healthy mouse fibroblasts and CHON-001 healthy human cartilage fibroblast cells were tested for cytocompatibility in vitro. The therapeutic potential of Allium sativum microemulsion was investigated in rats that had osteoarthritis surgically simulated. HPLC analysis revealed a significant concentration of allicin in the extract. The titration approach was used to create an A. sativum microemulsion (AS) with a narrow droplet size and PDI range. In L929 and CHON-001 cells, cytocompatibility experiments revealed that the maximum dosages of AS microemulsion 5% (v/v) exerted 93.41 +/- 3.11% and 75.59 +/- 2.69% cell viabilities, respectively. Different concentrations of AS (1.25%, 2.5%, and 5% v/v) demonstrated cytoprotective efficacy against H2O2-induced oxidative damage. When compared to the control group, in vivo investigations revealed fewer irregularities on the articular surface and typically arranged chondrocytes in the positive control and treated groups. Health Sciences University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit

Amaç: Bu çalışmada, Phlomis pungens Willd. topraküstü kısımlarından elde edilen ekstrelerin in vitro yara iyileşmesi, antiinflamatuar, antimikrobiyal ve antioksidan aktivitesinin araştırılması amaçlanmıştır. Gereç ve Yöntem: Biyoaktif hekzan ekstresinin uçucu bileşenlerini belirlemek için fitokimyasal analiz GC-MS kullanılarak yapılmıştır. P. pungens ekstresinin yara iyileştirme aktivitesi, in vitro antimikrobiyal, antioksidan, antiinflamatuar etkinlikleri değerlendirilmiş ve ek olarak ekstrenin in vitro sitotoksisitesi de değerlendirilmiştir. Sonuç ve Tartışma: P. pungens metanol ekstresi, 78,2 µg/mL'de (IC50) 5-LOX inhibe edici aktivite gösterirken, DPPH yöntemi ile antioksidan aktivitesi IC50=2.41mg/mL ve ABTS IC50=3.32 mg/mL olarak bulunmuştur. Ekstre, doza bağlı olarak anti-inflamatuar aktivite gösterirken, L-NAME ve P. pungens metanol ekstresi, LPS ile uyarılan PGE2 üretimini önemli ölçüde azaltmıştır. Strach metodu sonuçlarına göre doza bağlı etki ile hücre göç hızında bir artış gözlemlenmiştir. Bulgularımız, starch testine göre P. pungens metanol ekstresinin yara iyileşmesinde rol oynayabileceğini ve antioksidan ve antiinflamatuar aktivitesinin de katkıda bulunduğu düşündürmüştür. İn vivo koşullar altında in vitro aktiviteyi doğrulamak için başka değerlendirmeler devam etmektedir., Objective: This study aimed to investigate the in vitro wound healing, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of Phlomis pungens Willd. extract derived from the aerial parts. Material and Method: The phytochemical analysis was performed using GC-MS in order to identify the volatile components of the bioactive Hex extract. The wound healing activity of P. pungens extract was evaluated based on in vitro antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and, scratch activity was studied. In addition, the in vitro cytotoxicity of the extract was also evaluated. Result and Discussion: P. pungens methanol extract depicted a 5-LOX inhibitory activity at 78.2µg/mL (IC50), while the antioxidant activity by DPPH radical provided an IC50=2.41mg/mL, and the ABTS radical showed IC50=3.32mg/mL, respectively. The extract showed dose-dependently anti-inflammatory activity while L-NAME and P. pungens methanol extract significantly decreased LPS stimulated PGE2 production. According to the scratch assay results, all treatments led to an increase in cell migration rate with a dose-dependent effect. Our findings suggested that P. pungens methanol extract may have a role in wound healing according to the scratch test, and it is thought that its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity also contributed. Further evaluations are ongoing to confirm the in vitro activity under in vivo conditions.

Novel benzofurane-pyrazolone hybrids have been synthesized for evaluating their anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic properties. 4-(2-chloroacetyl)-1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-3H-pyrazol-3-one were reacted with α-hydroxy aldehyde or α-hydroxy ketone derivatives to obtain nine novel pyrazolone derivatives. Structures were successfully elucidated by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, IR and HRMS. Enzyme inhibitory activity was measured on cyclooxygenases (COXs) as considered to address anti-inflammatory activity. Compound 2 showed the highest activity on both COX-1 and COX-2 subtypes with 12.0 μM and 8.0 μM IC50, respectively. This activity was found close to indomethacin COX-2 inhibition measured as 7.4 μM IC50. Rest of the compounds (1, 3–9) showed 10.4–28.1 μM IC50 on COX-2 and 17.0–35.6 μM IC50 on COX-1 (Compound 1 has no activity on COX-1). Tested compounds (1–9) showed activity on NO production. Only compound was the 4, which showed a low inhibition on IL-6 levels. Cell viability was up to 60% at 100 μM for all compounds (1–9) on RAW 264.7 and NIH3T3 cell lines, thus compounds were reported to be noncytotoxic.

The fruits of Olea europaea L. is widely consumed as food, and olive pits are utilized in folk medicine to relieve gastric disturbances. In the present study, the possible anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antioxidant activities of aqueous extracts of black (BP) and green olive (GP) pit prepared at gastric fed state pH were evaluated in vitro. Moreover, the bioactive compound, hydroxytyrosol (HT), was isolated from the extracts for the first time. According to results, GP extract (62.5 to 1000 μg/mL) showed significant anti-inflammatory activity in a dose-dependent manner and HT displayed significant nitrite inhibition at 100 μM with slight analgesic activity. Extracts and HT showed a significant antioxidant activity according to Total Antioxidant Capacity (TOAC), cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assays. As a conclusion, a proper formulation containing HT might be a potential remedy to relieve gastric disturbances and olive pits, can be utilized as a valuable industrial tool for the low-cost production of HT. How to cite this article: Reis R, Sipahi H, Zeybekoglu G, Celik N, Kirmizibekmez H, Kaklikkaya N, Aydin A. Hydroxytyrosol: The Factor Responsible for Bioactivity of Traditionally used Olive Pits. Euroasian J Hepatogastroenterol, 2018;8(2):126-132.

In recent years, the hydrophobic active substances have led researchers to develop new formulations to enhance bioavailability and dissolution rate; brinzolamide, a lipophilic drug belongs to carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, which cause reduction of intraocular pressure in patients suffering from glaucoma. Currently, the marketed product of brinzolamide is in the form of ocular drops; nonetheless, the conventional drops provide decreased therapeutic efficacy owing to their low bioavailability and pulsed drug release. Thus, the development of novel ocular formulations such as topical microemulsions is of high importance. In this work, the preparation of new microemulsions containing brinzolamide (0.2, 0.5 and 1% w/w) and comprised from isopropyl myristate, tween 80 and span 20 and Cremophor EL was performed. The obtained microemulsions were further characterized for their physicochemical properties. In addition, Fourier Transformed-Infrared spectroscopy was used touate the compatibility of active ingredients and components. In vitro release studies along with kinetic modeling were performed using the dialysis membrane method in simulated tear fluid. Bioadhesion studies were performed using Texture analysis. Finally, in vitro ocular irritation based on EpiOcular™ Eye Irritation Test and cytocompatibility studies was performed to examine any possible harm on ocular cells and predict in vivo safety profile.

To obtain new anti-inflammatory agents, recent studies have aimed to replace the carboxylate functionality of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with less acidic heterocyclic bioisosteres like 1,3,4-oxadiazole to protect the gastric mucosa from free carboxylate moieties. In view of these observations, we designed and synthesized a series of 3,5-disubstituted-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives as inhibitors of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2 ) and NO production with an improved activity profile. As initial screening, and to examine the anti-inflammatory activities of the compounds, the inhibitions of the productions of lipopolysaccharide-induced NO and PGE2 in RAW 264.7 macrophages were evaluated. The biological assays showed that, compared with indomethacin, compounds 5a, 5g, and 5h significantly inhibited NO production with 12.61 ± 1.16, 12.61 ± 1.16, and 18.95 ± 3.57 µM, respectively. Consequently, the three compounds were evaluated for their in vivo anti-inflammatory activities. Compounds 5a, 5g, and 5h showed a potent anti-inflammatory activity profile almost equivalent to indomethacin at the same dose in the carrageenan-induced paw edema test. Moreover, the treatment with 40 mg/kg of 5h produced significant anti-inflammatory activity data. Furthermore, docking studies were performed to reveal possible interactions with the inducible nitric oxide synthase enzyme. Docking results were able to rationalize the biological activity data of the studied inhibitors. In summary, our data suggest that compound 5h is identified as a promising candidate for further anti-inflammatory drug development with an extended safety profile.

Propolis shows a great variation in its chemical content depending on the vegetation around the beehive. Determination of its botanical origin and the chemical characterization are the most important issues for the standardization and the quality evaluation for propolis samples that are intended to be used in the pharmaceutical industry. This study has focused on the identification of the botanical origin of 47 propolis samples collected from different locations in the Black Sea Region of Turkey. Firstly, palynolog-ical and chromatographic analyses were carried out. Then, the major distinguishing components were identified by high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), or by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry (MS) after isolation of the components. Based on the results, the samples were categorized into three main groups as black poplar-type, Euroasian aspen-type, and non-phenolic-type. Key markers of black poplar-type were assigned as phenolic acids and flavonoids, whereas lasiocarpin B and C (phenolic glycerides) were determined as markers for Euroasian aspen-type propolis. The total phenolics and flavonoid contents (TPC and TFC) and antioxidant capacities of the sam-ples were comparatively assessed by free radical-scavenging activity (DPPH) and metal-reducing activity (CUPRAC and FRAP) methods. Additionally, HPTLC-direct bioautography was applied to determine the contribution of components to antioxidant activity. Hierarchical clustering analysis revealed similarities in TFC, TPC values, and antioxidant activity related to the sample origins' geographic proximity. The anti-inflammatory activities of the black poplar sub-type and Euroasian aspen-type propolis samples were comparatively investigated on RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. The black poplar-type propolis extract dom-inated by caffeic acid, caffeic acid phenethyl ester, apigenin, quercetin, kaempferol, pinocembrin, and galangin exhibited the highest anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Therefore, chemically char-acterized black poplar-type propolis may be suggested as a good candidate to develop pharmaceutical products. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Okra fruit (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) has been extensively used for the treatment of skin damage and subcutaneous tissue abscess for many years in Turkish folk medicine. Aim of study In this study, we aimed to investigate the wound healing potential of okra fruit by in vitro and in vivo experimental models in detail. Furthermore, based on the results of experiments, a wound healing formulation was developed and its activity profile was studied. Materials and methods For this purpose, the phenolic, flavonoid and proanthocyanidin contents and chemical profile of aqueous and ethanolic extracts prepared from okra fruits cultivated in two different locations of Turkey, i.e. Aegean and Kilis regions, were comparatively determined and the tryptophan levels, which is known to be an influential factor in wound healing, were measured. Antioxidant activity of the okra fruit extracts was determined by DPPH test, ABTS radical scavenger activity, iron-binding capacity, total antioxidant capacity and copper reduction capacity assays. Moreover, antibacterial activity potentials of the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of okra fruits were determined. The protective effect of the extracts against H2O2-induced oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory activity were assessed in HDF (human dermal fibroblast) cells and in RAW 264.7 murine macrophages, respectively. The biocompatibility of the gel formulations prepared with the best performing extract were evaluated by human Epiderm™ reconstituted skin irritation test model. Wound-healing activity was investigated in rats by in vivo excision model and, histopathological examination of tissues and gene expression levels of inflammation markers were also determined. Results According to our findings, the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of okra fruits were found to possess a rich in phenolic content. Besides, isoquercitrin was found to be a marker component in ethanolic extracts of okra fruits. Both extracts exhibited antioxidant activity with significant protective effect against H2O2-induced damage in HDF cells by diminishing the MDA level. Also, the highest dose of ethanolic extracts has displayed a potent anti-inflammatory activity on LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells. Besides, both water and ethanolic extracts were shown to possess antimicrobial activity. On the other hand, the formulations prepared from the extracts were found non-irritant on in vitro Epiderm™ -SIT. In vivo excision assay showed that tissue TGF-β and IL-1β levels were significantly decreased by the 5% okra ethanolic gel formulation. The histopathological analysis also demonstrated that collagenisation and granulation tissue maturation were found higher in 5% (w/v) okra ethanolic extract-treated group. Conclusion 5% of okra ethanolic extract might be suggested as a potent wound healing agent based on the antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory tests. The proposed activity was also confirmed by the histopathological findings and gene expression analysis.

Breastfeeding is considered a gold standard for infant development. However, several complications such as nipple fissure, infection and ulceration might be accomplished during nursing, which may lead to early cessation of breastfeeding. For this purpose, silver-made nipple cap SilverNurse (R) (SN) has been designed to control symptoms of nipple fissure in lactating women by aiming to eliminate antimicrobial resistance compared to the alternative treatment methods. Therefore, aim of the present study is to assess antimicrobial efficacy and dermal safety of silver-made SN in context of biocompatibility with cytotoxicity assay, in vitro EpiDetin skin irritation and in vivo skin irritation tests. According to the represented results, SN exhibited potent antimicrobial activity on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia soli, Enterococcus hirae, and Pseudonionas aeruginosa bacteria as well as Candida albicans fungi. Cytotoxicity by MTT assay showed that prepared extract of SN has a lack of cytotoxicity in tested concentrations. In addition, in vitro EpiDerm skin irritation model and in vivo skin test demonstrated that SN can be classified as biocompatible and non-irritant for dermal use without any sign of erythema and edema. Therefore, in the present study, it was evaluated that SN can be applied safely in daily comfort fields for lactating women without dermal complications related to infection and skin irritation.

Ethnopharmacological relevance The preparations of Phlomis aerial parts are used traditionally in Anatolia for wound healing and in inflammatory disorders. Methods For the identification of the active fraction, the air dried aerial parts of Phlomis rigida Labill. were extracted by methanol and fractionated successively by n-hexane, dichloromethane and ethyl acetate, respectively. The phenolic constituents were characterized by the Folin-Ciocaltheu method; the antioxidant activity was performed by ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging assays. In vitro anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by LOX enzyme inhibition, spectrophotometrically as well as cell cultures. The wound healing properties of P. rigida extract gels were studied via in vitro cell culture methods and in vivo by excisional wound model using Balb-c mice. The P. rigida extract was analyzed and characterized by GC-FID, GC-MS, and LC-MS. Results The P. rigida methanol extract showed moderate LOX inhibitory at IC50 = 19.5 ± 2.8 μg/mL whereas the antioxidant activity was by DPPH• IC50 = 0.89 mg/mL, and by ABTS• IC50 = 0.99 mg/mL, respectively. In addition, a remarkable P. rigida extracts anti-inflammatory activity was observed in the cell culture assay, which was then confirmed by the in vitro wound healing activity applied at 0.125–0.5 mg/mL concentrations, resulting in a dose-dependent increase in wound closure at the final stage. The P. rigida gel formulation was prepared to evaluate the extract in vivo, whereas the experimental results of the new gel formulation supported the findings of the in vitro wound healing activity. Conclusion The findings of this in vitro and in vivo study suggest that the wound healing and anti-inflammatory properties provide a scientific evidence of the ethnopharmacological application of Phlomis species.

Over the last decade, electrolyzed water (EW) produced by salt and tap water has gained importance due to its antimicrobial effects. Regarding to chlorine-based compounds, EW also used in post-harvest safety of food processing and sterilization of surfaces. The latest studies suggested that EW might act as wound healing agent due to anti-infective and cell proliferative properties. In this study, we evaluated acute contact cytotoxicity in L929 mice fibroblast cells and wound healing activity of EWsin vitro.In addition, mutagenic activity was evaluated by Ames test with and without metabolic activation by S9 fraction and the stability profile of freshly prepared EWs has been followed up. According to the results, strong acid (StAEW) and mixed EW (MEW) showed dose-dependent cytotoxicity due to possible high HOCl concentration, while slightly acidic and catholyte EW (CEW) were not cytotoxic even applied directly for 30 sec. Further, StAEW and CEW showed a significant increase in L929 cell migration in scratch assay. Likewise, with/ without metabolic activation, neither of EWs had shown mutagenic profile in TA 98 and TA100 strains ofSalmonella typhimurium.Follow-up of ORP (oxidation-reduction potential), pH and FCC (free chlorine concentration) showed that temperature and light were important storage conditions to maintain a stable profile particularly for ORP and FCC, which are the most important indicators for biological activity of EW. According to the present findings, it can be suggested that particularly StAEW, may represent a valuable wound healing agent with an achievable, economical and easy production system when stored under proper conditions. TUBITAK (Turkish Research and Scientific Council)Turkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [116Z169] The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This project was financially supported by TUBITAK (Turkish Research and Scientific Council) 1002 program with a Grant No. 116Z169. The authors also thank to Gulenay Alyurt for her considerate effort on EW project. WOS:000568535700001 2-s2.0-85090558478 PubMed: 32909829

From the MeOH extract of the aerial parts of Scutellaria brevibracteata subsp. subvelutina 12 secondary metabolites including eight iridoid glycosides (1-8), three flavonoids (9-11) and one phenylethanoid glycoside (12) were isolated. Their structures were elucidated as catalpol (1), globularin (2), scutellarioside II (3), picroside III (4), pensteminoside (5), 8-epiloganic acid (6), albidoside (7), agnucastoside B (8), hispidulin (9), luteolin 7-O-glucuronide (10), hispidulin 7-O-glucuronide (11) and martynoside (12) by using extensive NMR and HR-MS analysis. All compounds are being reported for the first time from S. brevibracteata subsp. subvelutina while compound 5 is new for Lamiaceae family. The chemotaxonomic importance of the isolates was discussed in the detail. All the isolates were evaluated for their in vitro anti-inflammatory activities via their inhibitory actions on the release of nitrite oxide and IL-6 from LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. Compounds 9 and 11 exhibited significant NO reducing capacity at 100 μM concentration comparable to the positive controls, indomethacin and L-NAME. Moreover, 2, 9 and 10 significantly suppressed the release of IL-6 at the same concentration better than the positive controls.

The goal of the work is to determine the bioactive pharmaceutical metabolites produced by the Fusarium oxysporum YP9B isolate. Ten new natural compounds were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of the F. oxysporum YP9B strain. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods using 1D and 2D NMR, UV, FT-IR, and mass spectra (LC-QTOF MS and GC-FID/MS). Identified compounds were named as; (1-benzyl-2-methoxy-2-oxoethyl)-2-hydroxy-3-methylbutanoate (1), 2-oxo-8-azatricyclo[9.3.1.13,7]-hexadeca-1(15),3(16),4,6,11,13-hexaen-10-one (2), 2,3-dihydroxypropanoic, hexadecanoic anhydride (3a), 2,3-dihydroxypropanoic (9Z)-octadecenoic anhydride (3b), 2,3-dihydroxy-propanoic (9Z,12Z)-octadecadienoic anhydride (3c), 2,3-dihydroxypropanoic (11Z)-octadecenoic anhydride (4a), 2,3-dihydroxypropanoic, (9E,12E)-octadecadienoic anhydride (4b), 3-hydroxy-1,2,6,10-tetramethylundecyl hexzadecanoate (5a), 3-hydroxy-1,2,6,10-tetramethylundecyl (9E)-octadecaenoate (5b), and 3-hydroxy-1,2,6,10-tetramethylundecyl octadecanoate (5c). Antimicrobial activities of the isolates obtained from the YP9B strain were determined. Cytotoxic and antiviral activities were tested for the isolates against VERO, MCF-7, PC-3, and A549. Compounds 5a-c, 1, and 3a-c showed bacteriostatic activity at low concentrations, and 4a-b and 2 were found to be bactericides. MIC and MBC values against Mycobacterium smegmatis for the compounds 5a-c and 1 were determined to be ​​

Thiouracil and thiocytosine are important heterocyclic pharmacophores having pharmacological diversity. Antitumor and antiviral activity is commonly associated with thiouracil and thiocytosine derivatives, which are well known fragments for adenosine receptor affinity with many associated pharmacological properties. In this respect, 33 novel compounds have been synthesized in two groups: 24 thiouracil derivatives (4a-x) and 9 thiocytosine derivatives (5a-i). Antitumor activity of all the compounds was determined in the U87 MG glioblastoma cell line. Compound 5e showed an anti-proliferative IC50 of 1.56 μM, which is slightly higher activity than cisplatin (1.67 μM). The 11 most active compounds showed no signficant binding to adenosine A1, A2A or A2B receptors at 1 μM. Brain tumors express high amounts of phosphodiesterases. Compounds were tested for PDE4 inhibition, and 5e and 5f showed the best potency (5e: 3.42 μM; 5f: 0.97 μM). Remakably, those compounds were also the most active against U87MG. However, the compounds lacked a cytotoxic effect on the HEK293 healthy cell line, which encourages further investigation. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases United States Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA

The objective of the present research was to examine the possible usage of terbinafine loaded hydrogels for vaginal application as part of vaginal candidiasis treatment. Vaginal candidiasis belongs to the most frequent gynecological disorders. Various antifungal drugs are used for its treatment, with Terbinafine being one of them. In this study, new gel formulations were prepared for Terbinafine vaginal delivery. Natural polymers such as chitosan, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, and Carbopol were used for the development of Terbinafine vaginal gels. The developed gels were examined for their viscosity and spreadability, pH and mechanical properties. The most optimal formulations were further evaluated for their

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), and ochratoxin A (OTA) that may lead to severe problems in children's health were evaluated in commonly consumed various types of baby foods. In the present study, 63 infant formulae, follow on formulae and baby foods were randomly collected from pharmacies and supermarkets in Ankara, Turkey. AFB1, AFM1, and OTA levels were assessed by commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. AFB1, AFM1 and OTA levels were found in 87, 36.5 and 40% of the samples between 0.10-6.04 ppb, 0.06-0.32 ppb and 0.27-4.50 ppb, respectively. We suggest that mycotoxin contamination should be routinely monitored in foods for babies in order to reduce food-borne hazards in infants and young children.

Psoriasis is a chronic autoinflammatory disorder characterized by patches of abnormal skin. For psoriasis management, the application of topical retinoids as Tazarotene is recommended. However, Tazarotene could induce skin irritation limiting its use. Herein, it is evaluated the possible usage of

A series of novel ibuprofen and salicylic acid-based 3,5-disubstituted-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2(3H)-thione derivatives was synthesized, and they were evaluated as potential anti-inflammatory agents. Following the structure identification studies employing IR, 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), 13 C NMR, and elemental analysis, the title compounds were tested by cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and COX-2 inhibition assays concomitant to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide and prostaglandin production prevention experiments. The results indicated that the majority of the compounds displayed either a superior or comparable activity in preventing both LPS-induced NO production and COX-1 activity in comparison to the activities of the reference molecules. Furthermore, docking studies were also performed to reveal possible interactions with the COX enzymes.

okur, mehmet evren/0000-0001-7706-6452; Aksu, Buket/0000-0001-7555-0603; Orak, Duygu/0000-0003-4203-6135; Sipahi, Hande/0000-0001-6482-3143; Ayla, Sule/0000-0003-2143-5268; Ustundag Okur, Neslihan/0000-0002-3210-3747 WOS:000520023600014 PubMed: 32194336 The objective of the present research was to examine the possible usage of microemulsion based gel for fusidic acid (FA) dermal application as burn wound treatment. During the preparation of microemulsion, ethyl oleate as oil phase, tween 80 as a surfactant, ethanol as co-surfactant, water as aqueous phase were used. The prepared microemulsions were evaluated for clarity, pH, viscosity and FA content. Moreover, stability, sterility, antibacterial activity, in vitro release of the formulations were also evaluated. The results showed that the FA loaded microemulsion and microemulsion based gel formation and characteristics were related to many parameters of the components. The performed optimized microemulsion-based gel showed good stability over a period of 3 months. The antibacterial activity of microemulsion-based gel was found to be comparable with marketed cream. RAW 264.7 macrophages were used to determine cell viability (MIT assay) and nitric oxide production. MBG and FA-MBG significantly inhibit the production of the inflammatory mediator NO in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The wound healing property was evaluated by histopathological examination and by measuring the wound contraction. The % of wound area in rats treated with FA (2%) loaded microemulsion based gel ranged from 69.30% to 41.39% in the period from 3 to 10 days. In conclusion, FA loaded microemulsion based gel could be offered as encouraging strategy as dermal systems for the burn wound treatment. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University.

Psoriasis is a chronic autoinflammatory disorder characterized by patches of abnormal skin. For psoriasis management, the application of topical retinoids as Tazarotene is recommended. However, Tazarotene could induce skin irritation limiting its use. Herein, it is evaluated the possible usage of in situ gels for tazarotene skin delivery. the topical in situ gels were developed using thermosensitive poloxamers via cold method. They were examined for their appearance, sol-gel temperature, clarity, pH, viscosity, in vitro release, and stability. Their biocompatibility was evaluated by investigating their cytotoxicity and irritation inducing capacity. the possible anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities were determined by measuring the nitric oxide and prostaglandin E-2 levels production in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 murine macrophage cells. It was revealed that the in situ gels had no cytotoxic effect (similar to 95-100% cell viability) and nor irritation potential (similar to 97% cell viability), according to the in vitro EpiDerm (TM) reconstituted skin irritation test. Additionally, the 10% tazarotene-in situ gels showed possible analgesic activity since the production of prostaglandin E-2 (PGE(2)) was decreased. in further, both concentrations of 5% and 10% tazarotene-in situ gels inhibited significantly the nitrite oxide production at 16% and 19%, respectively. Finally, the prepared in situ gels can act as a potential non-irritant alternative option for tazarotene topical skin delivery., Ege University Scientific Research Projects Coordination UnitEge University [16/ECZ/010], This study was supported by Ege University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit [project number 16/ECZ/010].