A flavone from the ethyl acetate extract of Leea rubra leaves with DNA damage protection and antineoplastic activity

Among the major constituents of Leea rubra (Family Vitaceae) leaves, phenolic and flavonoind compounds are most important for therapeutic purposes and the plant parts have been used in traditional medicine to treat several diseases for long. Thus, in order to scientifically confirm the traditional uses of the L. rubra leaves, the present study was designed to investigate the efficacy of the isolated flavones against AAPH induced oxidative damage to pUC19 DNA by gel electrophoresis and antineoplastic activity was evaluated on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) bearing Swiss albino mice by evaluating percentage inhibition of cell growth, morphological changes of EAC cells and hematological parameters of the mice. The isolation was carried out by column chromatography and structure was revealed by ¹H-NMR and ¹³C NMR. The result shows that, the isolated compound was identified as myricetin 4'-methoxy-3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside based on previously reported data. The isolated flavone effectively inhibited AAPH-induced oxidative damage to DNA; because it could inhibit the formation of circular and linear forms of the DNA. In anti-proliferative assay, 76% growth inhibition of EAC cells was observed as compare to the control mice (p<0.05) at a dose 100 mg/kg body weight. Thus the isolated flavone showed great importance as a possible therapeutic agent in preventing oxidative damage to DNA and the chronic diseases caused by such DNA damage, and can also become important in cancer chemotherapy.     

An Eye-Shaped Ultra-Sensitive Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance–Based Biochemical Sensor

Plasmonics - This research illustrates a parametric study based on surface plasmon resonance of a slightly gold-coated photonic crystal fiber (PCF). In verifying sensing accuracy, the proposed...     

Romina: A powerful strawberry with in vitro efficacy against uterine leiomyoma cells

Uterine leiom yomas are benign tumors highly prevalent in reproductive women. In thecurrent study, initially, we aimed to screen five different strawberry cultivars (Alba, Clery, Portola, Tecla, and Romina) to identify efficient cultivars in terms of phytochemical characterization and biological properties by measuring phenolic and anthocyanin content as well as antioxidant capacity, and by measuring apoptotic rate and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in uterine leiomyoma cells. Next, we focused on the most efficient ones, cultivar Alba (A) and Romina (R) as well as Romina anthocyanin (RA) fraction for their ability to regulate oxidative phosphorylation (oxygen consumption rate [OCR]) glycolysis (extracellular acidification rate [ECAR]), and also fibrosis. Leiomyoma and myometrial cells were treated with a methanolic extract of A and R (250 μg/ml) or with RA (50 μg/ml) for 48 hr to measure OCR and ECAR, as well as gene expression associated with fibrosis. In the leiomyoma cells, RA was more effective in inducing apoptosis and increasing intracellular ROS levels, followed by R and A. In myometrial cells, all strawberry treatments increased the cellular viability and decreased ROS concentrations. Leiomyoma cells showed also a significant decrease in ECAR, especially after RA treatment, while OCR was slightly increased in both myometrial and leiomyoma cells. R and RA treatment significantly decreased collagen 1A1, fibronectin, versican, and activin A messenger RNA expression in leiomyoma cells. In conclusion, this study suggests that Romina, or its anthocyanin fraction, can be developed as a therapeutic and/or preventive agent for uterine leiomyomas, confirming the healthy effects exerted by these fruits and their bioactive compounds.     

Confirmation of House Crows Corvus splendens laying immaculate blue eggs

House Crows Corvus splendens lay eggs with bluish-green ground colour and black or brown blotches and only one egg morph was believed to exist. Here, we confirm the existence of an immaculate, spotless blue egg morph that is clearly different from the regular egg morph.     

Molecular dynamics and combined docking studies for the identification of Zaire ebola virus inhibitors

Ebola virus (EBOV) is a lethal human pathogen with a risk of global spread of its zoonotic infections, and Ebolavirus Zaire specifically has the highest fatality rate amongst other species. There is a need for continuous effort towards having therapies, as a single licensed treatment to neutralize the EBOV is yet to come into reality. This present study virtually screened the MCULE database containing almost 36 million compounds against the structure of a Zaire Ebola viral protein (VP) 35 and a consensus scoring of both MCULE and CLCDDW docking programs remarked five compounds as potential hits. These compounds, with binding energies ranging from –7.9 to –8.9?kcal/mol, were assessed for predictions of their physicochemical and bioactivity properties, as well as absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) criteria. The results of the 50?ns molecular dynamics simulations showed the presence of dynamic stability between ligand and protein complexes, and the structures remained significantly unchanged at the ligand-binding site throughout the simulation period. Both docking analysis and molecular dynamics simulation studies suggested strong binding affinity towards the receptor cavity and these selected compounds as potential inhibitors against the Zaire Ebola VP 35. With respect to inhibition constant values, bioavailability radar and other physicochemical properties, compound A (MCULE-1018045960-0-1) appeared to be the most promising hit compound. However, the ligand efficiency and ligand efficiency scale need improvement during optimization, and also validation via in vitro and in vivo studies are necessary to finally make a lead compound in treating Ebola virus diseases.

Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma     

Cover Image,Volume 120, Number 8, August 2019

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are novel noncoding RNAs and play crucial roles in various biological processes. However, little is known about the functions of circRNAs in osteogenic differentiation. The current study aimed to investigate the differential expression of circRNAs in rat dental follicle cells (rDFCs) during osteogenic differentiation, identified by RNA high-throughput sequencing and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were performed to further explore the biofunctions of circRNA biofunctions. Two hundred sixty-six differentially-expressed circRNAs that are involved in several important signaling pathways, including mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling pathways were revealed. Among these, circFgfr2 and its predicted downstream targets, miR-133 and BMP6 (bone morphogenetic protein-6), were identified both in vivo and in vitro. For further validation, circFgfr2 was overexpressed in rDFCs, the results showed that the expression of miR-133 was downregulated and the expression of BMP6 was upregulated. Taken together, the results revealed the circRNA expression profiles and indicated the importance of circRNAs of rDFCs. In addition, circFgfr2 might promote osteogenesis by controlling miR-133/BMP6, which is a potential new target for the manipulation of tooth regeneration and bone formation.