An Organoselenium Drug with Antioxidant Activity and Free Radical Scavenging Capacity In Vitro

Organoselenum compounds have been reported to have a wide range of pharmacological properties. Amine-based diselenide, (Z)-N-(4-methylbenzylidene)-1-(2-((2-(1-((E)-4-methyl benzylideneamino)ethyl)phenyl)diselanyl)phenyl)ethanamine ethyl)phenyl) diselanyl) phenyl) ethylimino) methyl)phenol (compound A), and diphenyl diselenide (PhSe)2 were screened for in vitro antioxidant activity. Compound A and (PhSe)2 were tested against sodium nitroprusside (SNP)- and Fe(II)-induced thiobarbituric acid-reactive species (TBARS) in rat brain homogenates. The radical scavenging activity was measured by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay. Both compounds A and (PhSe)2 decreased Fe(II)- and SNP-stimulated TBARS production in rat brain homogenates. Compound A exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity in the radical scavenging assay, although (PhSe)2, the simplest of the diaryl diselenide, presented no activity. In conclusion, the results of the present investigation indicated that compound A and (PhSe)2 had preventive effects against SNP- and Fe(II)-induced oxidative stress in rat brain homogenates. The amine group in the organic moiety dramatically changed the potency of amine-based diselenide.     

Peroxyl Radical Scavenging Activity of Caffeic Acid and Its Related Phenolic Compounds in Solution

The esterase gene (est) of Pseudomonas putida MR-2068 was cloned into Escherichia coli JM109. An 8-kb inserted DNA directed synthesis of an esterase in E. coli. The esterase gene was in a 1.1-kb PstI-ClaI fragment within the insert DNA. The complete nucleotides of the DNA fragment containing the esterase gene were sequenced and found to include a single open reading frame of 828 bp coding for a protein of 276 amino acid residues. The open reading frame was confirmed by N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis of the purified esterase. A potential Shine-Dalgarno sequence is followed by the open reading frame. The esterase activity of the recombinant E. coli was more than 200 times higher than that of parental strain, P. putida MR-2068.     

Peroxyl Radical Scavenging by a Series of Coumarins

Sixteen plant-derived or synthetic coumarins with various hydroxyl and other substitutions were tested for their ability to scavenge alkylperoxyl radicals generated in the aqueous phase by the controlled thermolysis of 2,2'-azo-bis-(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (ABAP). Protection by coumarins against inactivation of lysozyme by the radicals was assayed by measuring the loss of turbidity of suspensions of M. lysodeikticus. Ten of the coumarins were potent scavengers of aqueous peroxyl radicals with activities comparable to n-propyl gallate, desferrioxamine, ferrioxamine and trolox c, yielding IC50 values in the range 21 to 92 micromolar. The presence of 6,7-ortho-dihydroxy functions gave compounds of the greatest potency. Scavenging activity was unrelated to ability to chelate iron ions. The active coumarins are attractive candidates for evaluation as protective agents against disorders in which oxidative stress is implicated.     

Free Radical Scavenging Activity and Comparative Metabolic Profiling of In Vitro Cultured and Field Grown Withania somnifera Roots

Free radical scavenging activity (FRSA), total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC) of in vitro cultured and field grown Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) roots were investigated. Withanolides analysis and comprehensive metabolic profiling between 100% methanol extracts of in vitro and field grown root tissues was performed using high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), respectively. Significantly higher levels of FRSA, TPC, and TFC were observed in in-vitro cultured roots compared with field grown samples. In addition, 30 day-cultured in vitro root samples (1MIR) exhibited a significantly higher FRSA (IC₅₀ 81.01 μg/mL), TPC (118.91 mg GAE/g), and TFC (32.68 mg CE/g) compared with those in 45 day-cultured samples (1.5MIR). Total of 29 metabolites were identified in in vitro cultured and field grown roots by GC-MS analysis. The metabolites included alcohols, organic acids, purine, pyrimidine, sugars, and putrescine. Vanillic acid was only observed in the in vitro cultured root samples, and higher level of the vanillic acid was observed in 1MIR when compared to 1.5MIR. Therefore, it is suggested that 1MIR might serve as an alternative to field grown roots for the development of medicinal and functional food products.     

儿茶素及茶黄素单体间清除羟自由基能力研究

本文通过二次通用旋转回归设计考察儿茶素体系和酯型儿茶素-茶黄素体系中各成分间的抗氧化能力强弱及相互间协同清除羟自由基能力。结果表明:儿茶素与茶黄素中的各成分随含量增加,清除能力亦随之增加,其中TF-D-G增加至一定浓度后,其效率有降低的趋势。儿茶素体系中各成分清除羟自由基能力为:ECG>EC>EGCG,其中ECG的贡献率达到了43%以上,而EGC在该体系中贡献不明显;酯型儿茶素-茶黄素体系中的羟自由基清除能力主要表现为:TF-D-G>TF-M-G>ECG>EGCG>TF,其中TF-D-G占对优势(贡献率为51.91%),而儿茶素清除自由基能力却未能有效发挥,每组中各成分之间的协同作用微弱。     

灵芝抗氧化清除自由基作用的研究

文中综述了灵芝的抗氧化清除自由基作用。灵芝对各种因素引起的脑、心脏、胰腺、肝脏、胃肠道、肾脏和其他重要脏器的脂质过氧化损伤具有明显的保护作用。灵芝可显著减少脂质过氧化产物丙二醛(MDA)的含量,增强抗氧化酶如超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(GSH-PX)以及其他抗氧化酶的活性。稹灵芝对体外培养的巨噬细胞(小鼠)、胰岛细胞(小鼠)、大脑皮层细胞(大鼠)、嗜铬细胞瘤细胞(大鼠)、血管内皮细胞(大鼠、人)和皮肤角质细胞(人)的氧化损伤具有明显保护作用。灵芝在体内外对不同动物模型和细胞模型的抗氧化清除自由基作用可能与其免疫调节、抗肿瘤、降血压、降血糖、保肝、心血管保护和抗衰老作用的机制有关。     

芦丁-锗配合物及其自由基清除活性研究

芦丁是存在于多种植物中的天然多羟基黄酮苷,能与多种金属离子形成配合物。本文采用紫外分光度法考察了芦丁与锗离子的配位作用,并研究了芦丁-锗配合物清除超氧自由基和DPPH自由基的作用。结果显示在KH2PO4-NaOH(pH6．70)的缓冲液中,芦丁与锗离子能形成1：1的配合物,其K稳=10^7.46,同时配合物显示有较好的自由基清除活性。     

Anti-Prion Activity of a Panel of Aromatic Chemical Compounds: In Vitro and In Silico Approaches

The prion protein (PrP) is implicated in the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs), which comprise a group of fatal neurodegenerative diseases affecting humans and other mammals. Conversion of cellular PrP (PrP^C) into the scrapie form (PrP^Sc) is the hallmark of TSEs. Once formed, PrP^Sc aggregates and catalyzes PrP^C misfolding into new PrP^Sc molecules. Although many compounds have been shown to inhibit the conversion process, so far there is no effective therapy for TSEs. Besides, most of the previously evaluated compounds failed in vivo due to poor pharmacokinetic profiles. In this work we propose a combined in vitro/in silico approach to screen for active anti-prion compounds presenting acceptable drugability and pharmacokinetic parameters. A diverse panel of aromatic compounds was screened in neuroblastoma cells persistently infected with PrP^Sc (ScN2a) for their ability to inhibit PK-resistant PrP (PrP^Res) accumulation. From ∼200 compounds, 47 were effective in decreasing the accumulation of PrP^Res in ScN2a cells. Pharmacokinetic and physicochemical properties were predicted in silico, allowing us to obtain estimates of relative blood brain barrier permeation and mutagenicity. MTT reduction assays showed that most of the active compounds were non cytotoxic. Compounds that cleared PrP^Res from ScN2a cells, were non-toxic in the MTT assay, and presented a good pharmacokinetic profile were investigated for their ability to inhibit aggregation of an amyloidogenic PrP peptide fragment (PrP^109–149). Molecular docking results provided structural models and binding affinities for the interaction between PrP and the most promising compounds. In summary, using this combined in vitro/in silico approach we have identified new small organic anti-scrapie compounds that decrease the accumulation of PrP^Res in ScN2a cells, inhibit the aggregation of a PrP peptide, and possess pharmacokinetic characteristics that support their drugability. These compounds are attractive candidates for prion disease therapy.     

杨桃提取物体外清除氧自由基作用

从杨桃果中提取得到三种提取物为匀浆提取物、蛋白提取物和多糖提取物。采用化学发光法测定这三种提取物清除氧自由基的活性,实验结果:匀浆提取物清除羟自由基(·OH)和H2O2的活性大小相近,而清除超氧阴离子自由基(O2–·)的活性较小,其IC50约为前两者的4倍。蛋白提取物清除O2–·和·OH的活性大小相近,而清除H2O2的活性明显小于前两者,IC50约为前两者的9倍。多糖提取物清除.OH的活性明显大于清除O2–·和H2O2的活性,其IC50约为O2–·的1/22,约为H2O2的1/65。结果表明,杨桃果具有清除O2–·、·OH和H2O2的作用,不同提取物对这些活性氧自由基的清除能力有所不同。     

荸荠皮提取物对DPPH自由基清除活性

采用70%丙酮溶液对荸荠皮中抗氧化物质进行提取,得到红棕色浸膏。通过定性及定量方法分析了荸荠皮提取物中可能存在的具有抗氧化活性的物质;采用DPPH自由基法测定了荸荠皮提取物对DPPH自由基的清除能力。结果显示,荸荠皮提取物中含有多酚类和黄酮类等化合物,其多酚含量为3.31%(w/w,以干物质计)。DPPH自由基法显示,荸荠皮提取物具有一定的清除DPPH自由基能力,其清除能力与提取物浓度之间显示出良好的剂量-效应关系。该提取物(IC50值为130.37 ppm)对DPPH自由基清除能力略低于BHT(IC50值为94.16 ppm)。     

In Vitro Antiviral Activity of Mycophenolic Acid and Its Reversal by Guanine-Type Compounds

With the agar diffusion test and BS-C-1 cells, mycophenolic acid was found to give a straight-line dose-response activity in inhibiting the cytopathic effects of vaccinia, herpes simplex, and measles viruses. Plaque tests have shown 100% reduction of virus plaques by mycophenolic acid over drug ranges of 10 to 50 mug/ml and virus input as high as 6,000 plaque-forming units (PFU) per flask. Back titration studies with measles virus inhibited by mycophenolic acid have indicated that extracellular virus titers were reduced by approximately 3 logs(10) and total virus was reduced by 1 log(10). The agar diffusion test system lends itself readily to drug reversal studies. Mycophenolic acid incorporated into agar at 10 mug/ml gave 100% protection to virus-infected cells. Filter paper discs impregnated with selected chemical agents at concentrations of 1,000 mug/ml (20 mug per filter paper disc) were placed on the agar surface. Reversal of the antiviral activity of mycophenolic acid was indicated by virus breakthrough in those cells in close proximity to the filter paper disc. Chemicals showing the best reversal of the antiviral activity of mycophenolic acid were guanine, guanosine, guanylic acid, deoxyguanylic acid, and 2,6-diaminopurine. The reversal of antiviral activity was confirmed by titrations of virus produced with various amounts of both mycophenolic acid and guanine present and by isotope tracer methods with uptakes of labeled uridine, guanine, leucine, and thymidine in treated and nontreated, infected and noninfected cells as parameters. All antiviral effects of mycophenolic acid at 10 mug/ml could be reversed to the range shown by untreated controls by the addition of 10 mug/ml of those chemicals exhibiting reversal activity.     

染料木素、槲皮素及其化学修饰物清除自由基能力研究

分别采用Fenton反应.邻菲罗啉显色法、邻苯三酚自氧化法和紫外可见分光光度法,考察染料木素、槲皮素及其化学修饰物清除·OH、·O2-和DPPH自由基能力.结果显示,槲皮素铬配合物清除·OH、·O2-和DPPH自由基能力大大高于其母体槲皮素,同时,其稳定性和抗自氧化的能力亦得到提高;染料木素铬配合物清除·OH和·O2-自由基的能力高于其母体染料木素,其清除·OH自由基的能力提高最为显著;染料木素糖苷修饰物清除三种自由基能力与其母体相比无显著提高.因此,染料木素铬和槲皮素铬配合物是一类高活性、高稳定性自由基清除剂或与自由基相关疾病新药的候选物,值得进一步研究.     

咪唑类氮氧自由基的合成及其DPPH清除能力的研究

目的:合成8种新型咪唑类氮氧自由基(4a~4h),并探讨其对1,1-二苯基-2-三硝基苯肼自由基(DPPH)的清除作用。方法:本文以2-硝基丙烷为原料,经烷基化、还原、缩合及氧化反应等步骤,合成8种新型咪唑类氮氧自由基(4a~4h)。将4a~4h分别与DPPH作用,使用紫外-可见分光光度法测定其中DPPH的浓度,考察4a~4h对DPPH自由基的清除作用,以四甲基哌啶氮氧自由基(Tempol)作为阳性对照。结果:合成中间体及终产物经~1H NMR、HRMS、EPR等光谱数据确证了结构。通过DPPH自由基清除实验,结果显示所合成的8种新型咪唑类氮氧自由基对DPPH均有清除作用。结论:合成了新型咪唑类氮氧自由基,并对其合成方法进行了重要改进。在对DPPH自由基清除能力方面,8种化合物在一定浓度范围(0.01μmol/mL-2.4μmol/mL)内,清除作用与浓度成依赖性增长关系。其中,4b与Tempol相当,4a优于阳性对照Tempol,具有进一步开发研究的潜在价值。     

The Effect of Bioactive Compounds on In Vitro and In Vivo Antioxidant Activity of Different Berry Juices

Background

Berry fruit is known for its high contents of various bioactive compounds. The latter constitute of anthocyanins, flavonols and flavanols and posses high antioxidative activity. The highly dynamic antioxidant system can be evaluated in vitro and in vivo in several model organisms. These measurements represent a good approximation of the real potential of bioactive compounds in the cells of higher eucarions. The aim of the study was thus to determine in vitro and in vivo antioxidant activity of different berry juices, which reportedly contain high amounts of phenolics.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Five different berry species were collected from several locations in central Slovenia and juice was extracted from each species separately. Juice was assessed for their in vitro and in vivo antioxidant activity. Phenolic profiles of berries were determined with the use of a HPLC/MS system, in vitro antioxidant activity with the DPPH radical scavenging method and in vivo antioxidative activity using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The highest diversity of individual phenols was detected for bilberry juice. The highest in vitro antioxidant capacity was determined for blackcurrant juice. A decrease in intracellular oxidation compared to control was observed in the following order: blackcurrant < chokeberry = blueberry < bilberry. The results indicate important differences in antioxidant activity of berry juices between in vitro and in vivo studies.

Conclusion/Significance

In addition to the total content of phenolic compounds entering the cells, a key factor determining antioxidative activity of berry juices is also the ratio between the compounds. Where high content levels of anthocyanins and very low content levels of flavonols and hydroxycinnamic acids were measured a lower intracellular oxidation has been detected. Specifically, intracellular oxidation increased with higher consumption of hydroxycinnamic acids and lower consumption of anthocyanins in the cells. Antioxidative activity also increased when the consumption of analyzed phenols was rather low.     

Scavenging Activity of Azelaic Acid on Hydroxyl Radicals in Vitro

Azelaic acid is an aliphatic dicarboxylic acid (HOOC-(CH₂)₇-COOH) which has recently been shown to have some practical therapeutic applications in skin diseases of different etiologies. It possesses diverse biological activities and its mechanisms of action are still under investigation. Azelaic acid, as disodium salt (C₉2Na), at concentrations from 0.05 mM to 1.0 mM is capable of inhibiting significantly the hydroxylation of l-tyrosine to l-DOPA due to hydroxylradicals (HO) produced by Fenton reaction. Similarly C₉,2Na significantly inhibits the heterogeneous photocatalytic oxidation of toluene to cresols, and the peroxidation of arachidonic acid (C20: 4, n6), due to HO formed by dissolved oxygen in the presence of UV-irradiated semiconductor TiO₂ (photo-Fenton type reaction). C₉2Na decomposition and its by-products formation are quantifiable only at high HO concentrations. On the contrary, C₉2Na is not a scavenger of O₂ generated by xanthine-xanthine oxidase system. Under the same experimental conditions, mannitol behaves like C₉2Na. These data indicate that HO scavenging capacity of C₉2Na in vitro and represent a useful tool for further investigations on the mechanisms of action of azelaic acid in biological systems.     

牡丹种皮黄酮提取及对ABTS自由基清除作用

以丹凤牡丹（Paeonia ostii）种皮为原料,采用正交实验法对影响牡丹种皮总黄酮匀浆提取含量的主要因素进行研究分析,考察了乙醇浓度、料液比、匀浆时间、匀浆次数4个因素的影响,筛选出最佳工艺条件,乙醇浓度80%,液料比20∶1,匀浆时间4 min,匀浆次数2次。并在最佳工艺条件下进行验证实验,得牡丹种皮黄酮提取物含量为52.19 mg·g^-1。测定了牡丹种皮黄酮对2,2-联氨-双（3-乙基苯并噻唑啉-6-磺酸）二胺盐(ABTS)自由基的清除效果,结果表明牡丹种皮黄酮的抗氧化能力强于2,6-二叔丁基-4-甲基苯酚(BHT),为牡丹种皮变废为宝提供了科学依据。     

Evaluation of Selected Flavonoids as Antiangiogenic,Anticancer, and Radical Scavenging Agents: An Experimental and In Silico Analysis

Developing antiangiogenic agents using natural products has remained a significant hope in the mainstream of anticancer research. In the present investigation series of flavonoids possessing di-, tri-, tetra-, and penta-hydroxy substitutions were evaluated as antiangiogenic agents using in vivo choriallantoic membrane model. The MTT-based cytotoxicity against selected cancer cell lines was carried out to determine the anticancer potential. The kinetics of free radical scavenging activities of these compounds was demonstrated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazine (DPPH) and superoxide anion radicals (SORs). To understand the possible antiangiogenic mechanism, the selected flavonoids were docked in silico onto the proangiogenic peptides such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hypoxia inducible factor (HIF-1α), and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR2) from human origin. The results of the study shows that amongst the tested flavonoids, genistein (87.1%), kaempferol, (86.3%), and quercetin (84.7%) were found to be effective inhibitors of angiogenesis in CAM model. The antiangiogenic, cytotoxic, and antioxidant activities are discussed in light of structure–activity relationship using in silico approach and other drug-related properties were also calculated using BioMed CAChe V. 6.1.10. The results of the present study focus the isoflavone genistein, kaempferol, and quercetin as lead molecules for designing novel anti-tumor/antioxidant agents targeting angiogenesis.     

Entropic Imaging of Cataract Lens: An In Vitro Study

Phacoemulsification is a common surgical method for treating advanced cataracts. Determining the optimal phacoemulsification energy depends on the hardness of the lens involved. Previous studies have shown that it is possible to evaluate lens hardness via ultrasound parametric imaging based on statistical models that require data to follow a specific distribution. To make the method more system-adaptive, nonmodel-based imaging approach may be necessary in the visualization of lens hardness. This study investigated the feasibility of applying an information theory derived parameter – Shannon entropy from ultrasound backscatter to quantify lens hardness. To determine the physical significance of entropy, we performed computer simulations to investigate the relationship between the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) based on the Rayleigh distribution and Shannon entropy. Young''s modulus was measured in porcine lenses, in which cataracts had been artificially induced by the immersion in formalin solution in vitro. A 35-MHz ultrasound transducer was used to scan the cataract lenses for entropy imaging. The results showed that the entropy is 4.8 when the backscatter data form a Rayleigh distribution corresponding to an SNR of 1.91. The Young''s modulus of the lens increased from approximately 8 to 100 kPa when we increased the immersion time from 40 to 160 min (correlation coefficient r = 0.99). Furthermore, the results indicated that entropy imaging seemed to facilitate visualizing different degrees of lens hardening. The mean entropy value increased from 2.7 to 4.0 as the Young''s modulus increased from 8 to 100 kPa (r = 0.85), suggesting that entropy imaging may have greater potential than that of conventional statistical parametric imaging in determining the optimal energy to apply during phacoemulsification.     

Production and Characterization of Single Chain Nimotuzumab: An In Vitro Study

Recombinant expression and EGFR-binding activity assay of single chain nimotuzumab (nimotuzumab scFv) is reported in this study. The scFv was produced in VH-linker-VL format in Origami^? 2(DE3)pLysS bacterial cells and purified using Ni-TNA resin column. 3-D structure prediction using I-TASSER (Iterative Threading Assembly Refinement) server and analyzing the predicted models using YASARA (Yet Another Scientific Artificial Reality Application) viewer revealed that VH and VL domains assemble into a correctly-folded single chain antibody that is able to bind EGFR. The scFv was evaluated in ELISA and western blot tests and proven to be able to bind EGFR-overexpressing cancer cells (A-431 cells in an efficient manner but unable to recognize cancer cells expressing low levels of EGFR (MCF-7 breast cancer cells).