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Cancer is a universal health issue, and many anticancer therapeutic drugs have been isolated from natural products. This study analyzed the cytotoxic and apoptotic activity of Plectranthus amboinicus leaf hexane (PALH) extract in MDA-MB-231 (median inhibitory concentration [IC50] = 39.26 μg/mL) and MCF7 (IC50 = 89.05 μg/mL) breast cancer cell lines. Cells appeared rounded and shrunken, indicating morphological changes due to apoptosis induction. The primary constituent of PALH was phenol, 5-methyl-2-(1-methylethyl) (44%). PALH extract treatment increased the percentage of late apoptotic cells in the MDA-MB231 cell line (58% ± 1.5% at 200 μg/mL) compared to the control group, as evidenced by the activated caspase-3 and caspase-7 identified and captured by fluorescence microscopy. The relative migration rate in MDA-MB-231 cells treated with 10 μg/mL of PALH extract for 48 h was significantly lower compared to the control group. Analysis of acute (2000 mg/kg/BW) and subacute (250 and 500 mg/kg/BW) toxicity of PALH extract in mice showed no mortality or adverse effects in the kidney and liver histology compared to the control group. PALH extract can be considered nontoxic as it does not cause any adverse changes and so can be proposed as a potential breast anticancer agent.

Entomotoxicology is an emerging science in the forensic investigation of death; it now influences judicial activities. Briefly, carrion flies ingest various chemicals as they feed on a cadaver. In entomotoxicology, such toxicological compounds are qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed in insects recovered from carrion. Some of these chemicals can disrupt flies’ cellular physiology, leading to acceleration or delay in their developmental rate. In this study, the effect of zolpidem-contaminated tissue on the dipteran flies Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius 1794) and Chrysomya saffranea (Bigot 1877) was assessed. Zolpidem tartrate is a sedative-hypnotic compound commonly used to treat anxiety and sleeping disorders, but it is associated with death from suicide. The effects were tested by providing the flies with liver tissue treated with various concentrations of zolpidem tartrate. The morphological parameters and development rate for all life cycle stages of treated insects were determined and used to estimate postmortem intervals. Results showed that the morphological parameters, i.e., weight, width, and length and rate of development of C. megacephala and C. saffranea was negatively associated with zolpidem tartrate concentration of C. saffranea, were negatively associated with the concentration of zolpidem tartrate, indicating that arthropod evidence evaluation can help establish the cause and time of death.

Plant secondary metabolites have been recently used for the synthesis of different nanoparticles. The present investigation aimed at evaluating the effect of gold (AuNPs) and silver (AgNPs) nanoparticles synthesized using Acalypha fruticosa leaf extracts to control the mosquito Culex pipiens. The A. fruticosa AuNPs and AgNPs spectra displayed their maximum absorption at 550 nm and 440 nm, respectively. The infrared spectra revealed different functional groups related to different chemical compounds. The larval mortality of aqueous leaf extract of A. fruticosa was 499.54 ppm (LC50) and 1734.06 ppm (LC90) after 24 h of treatment. This study revealed that AuNP (LC50, 30.2 and LC90, 104.83 ppm) and AgNP (LC50, 52.86 and LC90, 157.227 ppm) preparations were highly effective compared to the A. fruticosa extract alone and also more affordable, as a smaller amount was required. The present findings show the potential larvicidal effect of the synthesized AuNPs and AgNPs for the control of mosquito-mediated disease transmission.

Purpose: This study assessed the in vitro cell migration inhibitory and cell apoptotic effects of P. punctulata stem (PPS (and leaf hexane) PPL (extracts on breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 andMCF-7 cells).Methods: Cytotoxicity was quantified using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LD) release test after 48 h exposure of MDA-MB-231 cells to 0 – 200 μg/mL of PPS and PPL hexane extract. Cell apoptosis was determined using Muse™ cell cytometry, while the phytoconstituents of PPS and PPL hexane extracts were identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry.Results: The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) for PPS and PPL hexane extracts against MDA-MB-231 cells was 44.33 and 52.16 μg/mL, respectively. T, whereas the IC50 of PPS and PPL hexane extracts was 102.22 and 59.53 μg/mL against MCF-7 cells, sequentially. Treatment with 100 and 200 μg/mL of PPS and PPL hexane extract increased late apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells to 16.005 ± 1.155 and 52.58 ± 3.02 %, respectively, for PPS hexane extract and 77.34 ± 0 % and 95.21 ± 1.61 %, respectively, for PPL hexane extract, when compared to control cells (3.81% ± 0.79%). PPL hexane extract decreased cell migration and filled ~15.5 % of the wound gap on MDA-MB-231 cells after 24 h, while PPS hexane extract decreased cell migration by ~35 and ~42.5 % at 24 and 48 h, respectively. PPS and PPL hexane extracts contained several phytocompounds. Stem and leaf extracts of P. punctulata showed significant (p < 0.05) cell apoptotic and migration inhibition activities.Conclusion: The extracts P. punctulata exhibit potent cytotoxic activity against the tested breast cancer cells. Further research is required to assess the acute and subacute toxicity of the extracts.

Recently, essential oils from moringa seeds have been evaluated for their different biological potentials. However, their effect in embryonic development, either in human or animals, is not largely known. The current work was designed to investigate the developmental toxicity and in vivo anti-angiogenic effects of essential oils from Moringa oleifera and M. peregrina seeds on zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos. Fatty acid composition of both oils revealed higher levels of unsaturated ω-9 oleic acid (67.1 and 73.57% for M. oleifera and M. peregrina, respectively). On the other hand, major saturated fatty acids (palmitic, stearic and arachidic) recorded comparable combined levels (15.42 and 14.81% for M. oleifera and M. peregrina, respectively). Seed oils from M. oleifera and M. peregrina were toxic to zebrafish embryos at LD50 values of 21.24 ± 0.44 and 25.11 ± 0.547 μg/mL, respectively. However, sub-lethal doses of oils (10–20 μg/mL) showed stacking of blood cells around yolk area of treated embryos. Further investigation to this phenotype in zebrafish transgenic line Tg(fli1:EGFP) has confirmed malformed blood vessels in 100% treated embryos. In conclusion, essentials oils from M. oleifera and M. peregrina seeds represent an anti-angiogenic potential for combating cancer development.

Zinc (Zn) and, alternatively, nickel (Ni) substituted cobalt ferrite (CF) nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the formation of cubic structure of cobalt ferrite. FTIR analysis confirmed the vibrational band located at 550-580 cm

Breast cancer is one of the major causes of cancer deaths worldwide, and survival rate remains low even with the advancement of screening and treatment methods. Polyherbal medicines have been widely used for cancer treatment. CBBh and SNH are two new polyherbal formulations that showed anticancer effects. MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells were used for in vitro investigation. After treatments with CBBh and SNH, the proliferation and apoptosis of cells were detected by MTT assay, fluorescent microscopy, and Muse cell analyzer. The acute and subacute toxicities were studied following Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guidelines. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was applied for analysis of chemical constituents of the extract. CBBh extract inhibited proliferation of MCF-7 (IC50: 109.7 μg/mL) and MDA-MB-231 (IC50: 71.1 μg/mL) cancer cells, whereas the IC50 value for SNH was higher than 400 μg/mL against both cancer cell lines. The percentages of apoptotic cells following treatment with 200 and 300 μg/mL for 24 h were 38.9 ± 2.8% and 76.2 ± 2.1% MDA-MB231 cells respectively, versus 0.07% and 5.21% respectively in vehicle-treated cells. No acute or subacute oral toxicity was observed. CBBh extract was tolerated in concentrations up to 2000 mg/kg. Acute and subacute histopathological examination of the liver and kidneys revealed no abnormalities in their architecture. The new polyherbal formula CBBh could suppress breast cancer through apoptosis. Therefore, our findings could provide a novel herbal formula for the treatment of breast cancer.

The removal of various highly toxic heavy metals from wastewater environment is an important task to improve environment. The biosorption potential of cadmium, cobalt and zinc was evaluated using Ulva flexuosa biomass. The impacts of adsorbent dosage, pH of the medium, contact time, and agitation speed were analyzed. The maximum biosorption potential was reached at pH 4.0, 0.4 g initial biosorbent dosage, contact time 40 min and 30 mg/L initial metal concentration for cadmium, while the other factors were similar to zinc, except 35 min contact time (p 0.01). The optimum absorption was pH 4, 0.6% adsorbent dosage, after 30 min contact time with the heavy metals and 40 mg/L cobalt concentration. Heavy metal removal efficiency was 94.8 ± 3.3%, 87.5 ± 2.3%, and 90.8 ± 1.4%, for cadmium, cobalt, and zinc, respectively (p 0.01). The Langmuir constant (R

Semiconductor nanoparticles and nanocrystals have a great impact due to its contribution in the diverse fields including electronics, solar energy, biological imaging, and photonics. Among these semiconductor nanoparticles, cadmium selenide of II-VI group binary semiconductor nanoparticles were synthesized using solvothermal process for the different reaction temperatures. The XRD pattern of the synthesized samples confirms the crystalline nature of the samples and showed increase in its crystallite size with rise in temperature. The morphology of the samples was analysed with TEM images and found that the nanoparticles synthesized at different temperatures were varied in size and shape indicating the increase in the size of the particles with the raise in temperature. The optical properties of the samples pointed out that they exhibit a blue shift owing to quantum confinement. Photocatalytic activity was carried out for the synthesized samples under visible light radiation using methylene blue (MB) as a model pollutant and it proved to be a good photocatalyst achieving the efficiency of 75% which is promising for future application with good optimization. The efficiency could be increased when these semiconductor CdSe nanoparticles are doped with metal particles due to an increase in the absorption edge wavelength and a decrease in bandgap energy were reported in detail.

The flesh fly Sarcophaga ruficornis (Fabricius) is one of the fly species of significant medical and forensic importance since it is one of the most common flesh flies used in forensic investigations. Zolpidem tartrate is a sedative-hypnotic drug used for the short-term treatment of insomnia in adults and its use has been implicated in many suicide cases worldwide. Fresh chopped liver of buffalo Bubalus bubalis (Artiodactyla: Bovidae) containing different concentrations of Zolpidem tartrate was given to S. ruficornis larvae to evaluate the effect of Zolpidem tartrate on the developmental rate of the different stages, life cycle duration, and the morphological parameters. The findings have shown significant variation in the time required for the different developmental stages and total life cycle duration, which correlated positively with the Zolpidem tartrate concentration in different cultures. Compared to the control, the morphological parameters were negatively correlated with the concentration of Zolpidem tartrate in the treated cultures. The obtained results indicate that the Zolpidem tartrate retards larval development and alters the estimation of the total developmental duration. Thus, when Zolpidem tartrate may be the cause of death, the entomological evidence needs to be analyzed so it takes zolpidem-related changes to the mPMI into account.

Breast and colon cancers are leading causes of cancer-related deaths globally. Plants are a potential source of natural products that may be used for the treatment of cancer.Ferula hermonis(FH) is reported to have diverse therapeutic effects. However, there are few reports on thein vitroanticancer potential of FH extract. Our results showed that theFerula hermonisroot hexane extract (FHRH) can induce dose-dependent cytotoxic effects in breast and colon cancer cells with MTT IC50values of 18.2 and 25μg/ml, respectively. The FHRH extract induced apoptosis in both breast and colon cancer cells; this was confirmed by light and nuclear staining, q-PCR, and caspase 3/7 activation. This study also demonstrated the antitumor activity of FHRH in 9,10-dimethylbenz[α]anthracene DMBA-induced rodent mammary tumor model. The GC/MS analysis revealed the presence of 3,5-Dimethylbenzenemethanol, Alpha-Bisabolol, Alpha-pinene, Beta-pinene, and Baccatin III that have various pharmacological potentials. Overall, the present study suggests that FHRH extract possesses anticancer potential which is mediated through apoptotic effects in MDA-MB-231 and LoVo cells. The present study also considered a basis for further investigations into the potential use of FHRH extract as an anticancer therapy for breast and colon cancers.

Cancer is a universal health issue, and many anticancer therapeutic drugs have been isolated from natural products. This study analyzed the cytotoxic and apoptotic activity of Plectranthus amboinicus leaf hexane (PALH) extract in MDA-MB-231 (median inhibitory concentration [IC

In forensic investigations many types of evidence are collected, such as urine, blood, and gastric contents. Carrion insects may also be recovered. Entomotoxicology is an approach to detecting, identifying, and quantifying chemicals in an investigation involving a death. Entomotoxicology involves the toxicological analysis of the tissues of insects recovered from a corpse. Cadaveric flies ingest chemicals contaminating the tissue and fluid on which they feed, affecting their physiology, growth, and development. We evaluated the effect of Zolfresh (zolpidem tartrate) on the development rate and growth parameters of two Calliphorid flies, Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart, 1842) and Chrysomya indiana (Abd Algalil & Zambare, 2016). The two species of Calliphoridae were fed with fresh chopped liver treated with various concentrations of Zolfresh. We evaluated the way in which the chemical affected the morphological parameters and developmental rates of C. indiana and C. rufifacies. The rate of development in the flies was negatively correlated with the concentration of Zolfresh. The results of the study concurred with those of several studies on the same and different species of Calliphoridae. The experimental data were used to estimate insect-based postmortem interval values. In real forensic examination, this estimation can be compromised by prior use of drugs.

Plants have been used in the treatment of many diseases. The aim of the present investigation was to assess the cytotoxic potential of Echium arabicum extracts against liver and colon cancer cells. The plant was extracted using Soxhlet apparats and ultrasound-assisted hydrolysis. The phenol and antioxidant activity was assessed using Folin–Ciocalteu and DPPH method respectively. The cytotoxicity was determined using MTT and lactate dehydrogenase release assay. The apoptosis study was conducted using DAPI, and Acridine orange/ethidium bromide and confirmed by Caspase 3/7 Fluorescence reagent, and the Cell cycle analysis was carried out using Muse Cell Analyzer. E. arabicum had cytotoxic properties with half inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 61.6± 0.6, 66.4 ± 0.9, 71.9 ± 0.8, and 38.3 ± 0.3 μg/mL against LoVo, HCT116, HuH-7 and HepG2 respectively using MTT assay. Interestingly, the phenolic fraction showed less cytotoxicity at the highest concentration tested on normal human liver (Chang) cells. Staining of HepG2 cells with DAPI and AO/EB post treatment with phenolic fraction (40 and 60µg/mL) decreased the number of viable cells and exhibited typical features of apoptosis like blebbing of plasma membrane with an increase in the Caspase-3/7 activity. Furthermore, cell cycle study revealed that E. arabicum induced a S-phase arrest in HepG2 cells. The coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.997) and the Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r = 0.998) between DPPH activity and total phenolic content was highly correlated. These results demonstrate that phenolic fraction from E. arabicum might have a strong potential as chemopreventive agent in liver cancer.

Of the various plant extracts from 10 plant species tested against larvae of Culex pipiens in the laboratory, only extracts from Solenostemma argel exhibited larvicidal activity. A chloroform leaf extract of S. argel exhibited relatively high activity with a lethal concentration causing 50% mortality (LC50) of 15.89 ppm, while chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts of S. argel fruits were 19.70 and 19.52 ppm, respectively. The chloroform fruit extract at 10 ppm reduced the hatchability of Cx. pipiens eggs by 20%, whereas the chloroform leaf extract was found to be less effective (5% reduction). At 10 ppm, adult emergence was reduced by 84% and 75% for chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts of fruits, respectively. Metamorphosis of larvae exposed to chloroform fruit extract (10 ppm) was extended to 15 days, as compared to 10 days for control larvae. It took 12 days at 1 ppm, and 15 days at 6 and 10 ppm for chloroform fruit extract–treated embryos to develop into adult mosquito while it took 10 days in the control treatment. However, 100% toxicity was observed in the embryos of zebrafish, Danio rerio, treated with the ethyl acetate fruit extracts (LC50 of 20 ppm and LC100 of 40 ppm) and chloroform leaf extract (LC50 of 30 ppm and LC100 of 60 ppm). These findings emphasize the need to further isolate the bioactive molecules in S. argel crude extracts that may still be mosquitocidal but produce no, or minimal, adverse effects on nontarget organisms such as zebrafish.

A new Schiff base derived from the antihypertensive hydralazine (LH) and its Co(III) complexes [CoL2]X*4H2O, where X = NO3− (1) or Cl− (2), were synthesized and characterized using FTIR, UV–Vis, 1H NMR spectroscopy as well as thermal analysis. The crystal structures of the three compounds have been determined using single crystal X-ray diffraction technique. The two complexes structure is strictly divided in a highly ordered part of the [CoL2]+ units and a disordered section containing the anions and sixteen crystal water molecules per unit cell. In the complexes, the two ligand anions (L−) chelate to the Co(III) through the nitrogen atoms in a tridentate meridional manner. The pyridine and phthalazine rings showed deviations from co-planarity in all compounds which attributed to the crystal packing effects as revealed by analysis of their molecular packing using Hirshfeld analysis and further supported by DFT calculations. The optimized structure of the [CoL2]NO3 as a model showed no co-planarity of the two rings while perfectly planar ligand units were predicted in the [CoL2]+ cation indicating that the intermolecular interactions with the nitrate counter anion have a major role in the deviations of the two ring moieties from planarity. The ligand anion (L−) optimized structure using B97D function which include dispersion model showed similar results while the functions (B3LYP and mPW1PW91) which include no dispersion model predicted perfectly planar arrangement. Atoms in molecules (AIM) studies predicted the strength of the Co-N interactions is in the order, Co-N(azomethine) > Co-N(phthalazine) > Co-N(pyridine) which are generally stronger in 2 than 1. The developmental toxicity of LH and its complexes were tested in zebrafish embryos. The ligand itself was very toxic with LC50 of just 2 µM as compared to its metal complexes, whereas, at sub-lethal concentration the ligand perturbed the neurogenesis in zebrafish embryos.

Of the various plant extracts from 10 plant species tested against larvae of

Natural sources have been and will remain an inspiration source for modern chemistry. The current study investigates the antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory action of the ethyl acetate fraction of Penicillium crustosum from Phoenix dactylifera. This paper reports the isolation of P. crustosum from leaves of P. dactylifera and the antiproliferative activities of ethyl acetate fraction on cancer cells. To reach this goal, the anti-proliferation and cytotoxicity effects were evaluated by MTT and LDH assay respectively. The quantitative real time PCR technique was used to investigate IL-6 and IL-8 gene expression. Our results revealed higher anti-proliferative activity against HepG2 (82μg/ml) than MCF7 (126μg/ml) and inhibited the migration of the cell lines. The ethyl acetate fraction significantly altered LDH levels and reduced IL-6 transcript expression on MCF7 cell line but not in HepG2 cell line which could be specific anti-inflammatory drug in breast cancer cell line. These results suggest that Phoenix dactylifera extract has a potent anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory action. Further investigation to isolate the active compounds and mode of action is required.

Endophytic microorganisms are fungi or bacteria which live inside plant tissues or organs, without causing them any harmful symptoms. Indeed, since many are also able to produce substances of biotechnological interest, they may protect the plant from insect attacks and diseases. The date palm, Phoenix dactylifera (Linnaeus) is a tree which has been known in Saudi Arabia for thousands of years as a staple food. The aim of the present work was to investigate the inhibitory activity of crude extracts of the fungal endophyte Cochliobolus spicifer (Nelson), isolated from the date palm, against Aedes caspius (Pallas) and Culex pipiens (Linnaeus) larvae. In addition, histological changes were determined in the digestive system of treated third instar larvae. The data showed that C. spicifer interfered with the developmental cycle of the mosquito, and had its strongest toxic effect (with 100 % mortality in third instar larvae) at concentrations of 300 ppm. This compound did not show toxicity to zebrafish. The third instar larvae treated with the active fraction showed cellular destruction and disorganization, cell spacing, and vacuolization of epithelial cells in small regions of the midgut. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to report the isolation of endophytic fungi C. spicifer from date palm trees (P. dactylifera). The endophytic fungal extract of C. spicifer proved to be a strong candidate for a natural, safe, and stable phytolarvicidal to be used in population control of Ae. caspius and Cx. pipiens.

Lithium is commonly used in treating mental disorders and bipolar diseases. As physicians frequently keep the patients on long-term lithium therapy, awareness of the numerous side effects and pathogenesis of this lightest alkali metal is needed for such treatments. The present study was designed to evaluate the toxic effect of small doses of lithium chloride in male Wistar rats. The oral administration of lithium chloride (15, 30 mg/kg body wt) for 7 weeks through their drinking water elicited a significant alteration in their body weight and blood serum chemistry. The serum enzyme levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), high density lipoprotein (HDLP), and creatinine kinase (CK) were diminished, whereas the level of serum urea and glucose were elevated in the lithium treated animals, depicting the disturbed general physiological status. Furthermore, a marked inhibition in the levels of serum alanine and aspartate transaminases (ALT and AST) reflected a stimulating transamination reaction in hepatic and renal tissues. Lithium exposure also reduced the glutathione (GSH) level and stimulated the lipid peroxidation (LPO) level in the rat blood cells, indicating oxidative stress in the red blood cells due to lithium exposures. The histopathological observations of the liver and kidney tissues revealed many deformities and histological alterations due to lithium treatment. The results of present study suggest that small doses of lithium induce toxicity in rat blood as well as in liver and kidney tissues. However, the precise mechanism of lithium toxicity is still incompletely understood.

Purpose : To investigate the anti-proliferative and apoptotic activity of crude and dichloromethane fraction of A. sieberi against seven cancer cell lines (Colo20, HCT116, DLD, MCF7, Jurkat, HepG2 and L929). Methods : A. sieberi was extracted with methanol and further purification was carried out using liquidliquid extraction with hexane, dichloromethane and ethyl acetate. Each extract was assayed for cytotoxic potential against cancer cell lines using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (MTT) assay. The morphology of the HepG2 cell nucleus was investigated by Hoechst 33342, DNA-binding dye. A Tali™ image-based cytometer was used to assess cell viability, death and apoptosis using annexin-v /pi (propidium iodide). A chromatographic fingerprint was constructed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results : The most effective anticancer activity of the unrefined methanol extract was against HepG2 cell lines (LC 50 = 161.5 μg/mL). The hexane and ethyl acetate fractions showed no antiproliferative activity. The dichloromethane fraction displayed higher cytotoxic activity (LC 50 = 61.75 μg/mL) and also repressed the migration of the cells. About 50 % of HepG2 cells were apoptotic when treated for 24 h with the dichloromethane fraction at the concentration of 120 μg/mL Conclusion : A. sieberi possesses apoptotic activity and inhibited the migration of the HepG2 cell lines. Keywords : Artemsia Sieberia, Apoptosiss, Cytotoxicity, Hoescht staining, HepG2 cell lines