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Several novel copper (II) complexes of reduced Schiff bases containing fluoride substituents were prepared and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The complexes exhibited diverse structures, with the central atom in distorted tetrahedral geometry. The biological effects of the products were evaluated, specifically their cytotoxicity, antimicrobial, and antiurease activities, as well as affinity for albumin (BSA) and DNA (ct-DNA). The complexes showed marked cytotoxic activities in the HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, considerably higher than the standard cisplatin. The cytotoxicity depended significantly on the substitution pattern. The best activity was observed in the complex with a trifluoromethyl group in position 4 of the benzene ring—the dichloro[(±)-trans-N,N′-bis-(4-trifluoromethylbenzyl)-cyclohexane-1,2-diamine]copper (II) complex, whose activity (IC50 28.7 μM) was higher than that of the free ligand and markedly better than the activity of the standard cisplatin (IC50 336.8 μM). The same complex also showed the highest antimicrobial effect in vitro. The affinity of the complexes towards bovine serum albumin (BSA) and calf thymus DNA (ct-DNA) was established as well, indicating only marginal differences between the complexes. In addition, all complexes were shown to be excellent inhibitors of the enzyme urease, with the IC50 values in the lower micromolar region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This in vivo study performed in rat adjuvant arthritis aims to advance the understanding of astaxanthin's therapeutic properties for the possible treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in monotherapy and along with the standard RA treatment, methotrexate (MTX), in combination therapy. The main goal was to elucidate astaxanthin's full therapeutic potential, evaluate its dose dependency, and compare its effects in monotherapy with other carotenoids such as β-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin (KXAN). Moreover, potential differences in therapeutic activity caused by using different sources of astaxanthin, synthetic (ASYN) versus isolated from Blakeslea trispora (ASTAP), were evaluated using one-way ANOVA (Tukey-Kramer post hoc test). KXAN was the most effective in reducing plasma MMP-9 levels in monotherapy, significantly better than MTX, and in reducing hind paw swelling. The differences in the action of ASTAP and ASYN have been observed across various biometric, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidative parameters. In combined therapy with MTX, the ASYN + MTX combination proved to be better. These findings, especially the significant anti-arthritic effect of KXAN and ASYN + MTX, could be the basis for further preclinical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, an increasing number of studies have investigated the mechanism of action of lactobacilli in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Using four computational tools (NormFinder, geNorm, Delta Ct, and BestKeeper), six potential reference genes (RGs) were analyzed in the human liver cell line HepG2 cultivated 24 h in the presence of two strains of heat-killed lactobacilli, Limosilactobacillus reuteri E and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KG4, respectively, in different cultivation media [Dulbecco´s Modified Eagle´s Medium (DMEM) high glucose or Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI)]. The analysis revealed that the suitability of RG was similar between the two lactobacilli but quite different between the two media. The commonly used RGs, 18S rRNA and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase were the most unstable in DMEM high glucose. Normalization of the mRNA expression of the target gene encoding sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (SREBP-1c) to different RGs resulted in different expression profiles. This demonstrates that validation of candidate RGs under specific experimental conditions is crucial for the correct interpretation of quantitative polymerase chain reaction data. In addition, the choice of media has a profound impact on the effect of lactobacilli on lipogenesis at the gene expression level, as shown by the transcription factor SREBP-1c. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research focused on a three-step synthesis, analytical, physicochemical, and biological evaluation of hybrid molecules 6a–g, containing a lipophilic 3-trifluoromethylphenyl moiety, polar carbamoyloxy bridge, 2-hydroxypropan-1,3-diyl chain and 4-(substituted phenyl)-/4-diphenylmethylpiperazin-1-ium-1-yl fragment. The estimation of analytical and physicochemical descriptors (m/zmeasured via HPLC-UV/HR-MS, log ε2 (Ch–T) from UV/Vis spectrophotometry and log kw via RP-HPLC) as well as in vitro antimycobacterial and cytotoxic screening of given compounds were carried out (i.e., determination of MIC and IC50 values). These highly lipophilic molecules (log kw = 4.1170–5.2184) were tested against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra ATCC 25177 (Mtb H37Ra), M. kansasii DSM 44162 (MK), M. smegmatis ATCC 700084 (MS), and M. marinum CAMP 5644 (MM). The impact of the 6a–g set on the viability of human liver hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells was also investigated. 1-[2-Hydroxypropyl-{(3-trifluoromethyl)- phenyl}carbamoyloxy]-4-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)piperazin-1-ium chloride (6e) and 1-[2-hydroxy- propyl-{(3-trifluoromethyl)phenyl}carbamoyloxy]-4-(4-diphenylmethyl)piperazin-1-ium chloride (6g) most effectively inhibited the growth of Mtb H37Ra (MIC < 3.80 μM). The substance 6g also showed interesting activity against MM (MIC = 8.09 μM). All obtained data served as input values for structure-activity relationship evaluations using statistical principal component analysis. In fact, the toxicity of both 6e (IC50 = 29.39 μM) and 6g (IC50 = 22.18 μM) in HepG2 cells as well as selectivity index (SI) values (SI < 10.00) prevented to consider these promising antimycobacterials safe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease, leading to progressive destruction of joints and extra-articular tissues, including organs such as liver and spleen. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a potential immunomodulator, natural polyphenol N-feruloylserotonin (N-f-5HT), with methotrexate (MTX), the standard in RA therapy, in the chronic phase of adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) in male Lewis rats. The experiment included healthy controls (CO), arthritic animals (AA), AA given N-f-5HT (AA-N-f-5HT), and AA given MTX (AA-MTX). N-f-5HT did not affect the body weight change and clinical parameters until the 14th experimental day. Its positive effect was rising during the 28-day experiment, indicating a delayed onset of N-f-5HT action. Administration of either N-f-5HT or MTX caused reduction of inflammation measured as the level of CRP in plasma and the activity of LOX in the liver. mRNA transcription of TNF-α and iNOS in the liver was significantly attenuated in both MTX and N-f-5HT treated groups of arthritic rats. Interestingly, in contrast to MTX, N-f-5HT significantly lowered the level of IL-1β in plasma and IL-1β mRNA expression in the liver and spleen of arthritic rats. This speaks for future investigations of N-f-5HT as an agent in the treatment of RA in combination therapy with MTX. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we investigated the potential antioxidant effect of carnosic acid and its combination with methotrexate (MTX) on mRNA expression of catalase (CAT) and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) in the liver as key parameters of oxidative stress in rat adjuvant arthritis (AA). We also examined arthritic score (AS) as representative clinical parameter monitored in this animal model. MTX was administrated in a subtherapeutic dose twice a week of 0.3 mg/kg b.w. The carnosic acid (CA) was administered daily in a dose of 100 mg/kg b.w., alone and in combination with MTX (CA+MTX). CA and MTX were administrated orally by gastric gavage. Plasma samples were collected on the 28th experimental day and used for PCR determination. The 28th experimental day was also used for AS analysis. We observed a significant decrease of CAT expression in the liver in the nontreated AA animal group, which indicated successful induction of AA. In MTX and CA groups, we did not observe any significant increment of CAT, but in the group with combination therapy, there was a significant increase of CAT expression compared to the AA group and to the MTX group itself. Expression of HO-1 was significantly increased in the AA group compared to the control group. MTX and CA groups did not significantly improve the levels of HO-1, but in CA+MTX we observed a significant decrease compared to the AA group. In the clinical parameter AS, we observed a very similar result as with markers of oxidative stress, meaning that CA+MTX was the only group that significantly lowered AS compared to the AA group. Monotherapy with CA as well as with MTX had no significant effect in our experiment on all evaluated parameters. Combination of CA and MTX has been proven to be more efficient than MTX in monotherapy, which might have promising effects in reducing side effects of MTX treatment by lowering the dose of MTX. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]