Anticancer potential of Ferula assa-foetida and its constituents,a powerful plant for cancer therapy

Cancer is one of the main challenges of the health system around the world. This disease is increasing in developing countries and imposes heavy costs on patients and governments. On the other hand, despite various drugs, the death rate among cancer patients is still high and the current treatments have many harmful effects. In the traditional medicine of different countries, there are many medicinal plants that can be effective in the treatment of cancer. Ferula plants are traditionally used as spices and food or for medicinal purposes. Ferula assa-foetida is one of the famous plants of this genus, which has been used for the treatment of various diseases since ancient times. Among the main compounds of this plant, we can mention monoterpenes, sulfide compounds and polyphenols, which can show different therapeutic effects. This article has been compiled with the aim of collecting evidence and articles related to the anti-cancer effects of extracts, derived compounds, essential oils and nanoparticles containing Ferula assa-foetida. This review article was prepared by searching the terms Ferula assa-foetida and cancer, and relevant information was collected through searching electronic databases such as ISI Web of Knowledge, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Fortunately, the results of this review showed that relatively comprehensive studies have been conducted in this field and shown that Ferula assa-foetida can be very promising in the treatment of cancer.     

Four millennia of vegetation and environmental history above the Hyrcanian forest,northern Iran

Vegetation History and Archaeobotany - Past vegetation, fire, and climate dynamics, as well as human impact, have been reconstructed for the first time in the highlands of the Gilan province in the...     

Peptides with Dual Antimicrobial-Anticancer Activity Derived from the N-terminal Region of H. pylori Ribosomal Protein L1 (RpL1)

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - Whereas the traditional approaches of cancer therapy including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy have failed to properly...     

Large-scale purification of recombinant hepatitis B surface antigen from Pichia pastoris with non-affinity chromatographic methods as a substitute to immunoaffinity chromatography

Abstract

The costly media, inconsistent ligand density, ligand leakage, and possible destabilization of recombinant hepatitis B surface antigen (rHBsAg) particles are main drawbacks of using immunoaffinity chromatography (IAF) in the large-scale downstream processing. In this study, we aimed to use an efficient large-scale purification system as an alternative purification method for immunoaffinity chromatography. For this purpose, we suggested integrating non-affinity chromatographic methods of hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) and size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) for cost-effective purification of rHBsAg expressed in P. pastoris. The optimization of such process is not trivial and straightforward since diverse molecular characteristics of expressed rHBsAg in each type of host cell cause different interactions in non-affinity chromatography processes. The working buffer composition and chromatography parameters are the most influential factors in hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The best result for lab-scale HIC was achieved by using ammonium sulfate buffer in 10% of saturation concentration in pH 7.0 with Butyl-S Sepharose 6 Fast Flow medium and with subsequent Tween-100 and urea elution. In this process, the recovery, purity, and total yield were about 84%, 82%, and 69%, respectively. By scaling-up the HIC and integrating it with Sephacryl S-400?SEC, we obtained highly pure, i.e.,?>?90%, rHBsAg virus-like particles (VLP).     

The survivin molecule as a double-edged sword in cellular physiologic and pathologic conditions and its role as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in cancer

Survivin is a member of the family of apoptosis inhibitory proteins with increased expression level in most cancerous tissues. Evidence shows that survivin plays regulatory roles in proliferation or survival of normal adult cells, principally vascular endothelial cells, T lymphocytes, primitive hematopoietic cells, and polymorphonuclear neutrophils. Survivin antiapoptotic role is, directly and indirectly, related to caspase proteins and shows its role in cell division through the chromosomal passenger complex. Survivin contains many genetic polymorphisms that the role of some variations has been proven in several cancers. The −31G/C polymorphism is one of the most important survivin mutations which is located in the promoter region on a CDE/CHR motif. This polymorphism can upregulate the survivin messenger RNA. In addition, its allele C can increase the risk of cancers in 1.27-fold than allele G. Considering the fundamental role of survivin in different cancers, this protein could be considered as a new therapeutic target in cancer treatment. For this purpose, various strategies have been designed including the prevention of survivin expression through inhibition of mRNA translation using antagonistic molecules, inhibition of survivin gene function through small inhibitory molecules, gene therapy, and immunotherapy. In this study, we describe the structure, played roles in physiological and pathological states and genetic polymorphisms of survivin. Finally, the role of survivin as a potential target in cancer therapy given challenges ahead has been discussed.     

Antioxidant and Neuroprotective Effects of Scrophularia striata Extract Against Oxidative Stress-Induced Neurotoxicity

In this study, the neuroprotective effect of Scrophularia striata Boiss (Scrophulariaceae) extract, a plant growing in northeastern of Iran, against oxidative stress-induced neurocytotoxicity in PC12 was evaluated. The PC12 cell line pretreated with different concentrations (10, 50, 100, and 200 μg/ml) of the extract and then treated with H₂O₂ to induce oxidative stress and neurotoxicity. Survival of the cells, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and apoptosis were measured using MTT assay, fluorescent probe 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein diacetate, and annexin V/propidium iodide, respectively. Moreover, the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) was used to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of the plant extract. Phytochemical assay by thin layer chromatography showed that the main components, including phenolic compounds, phenyl propanoids and flavonoids, were presented in the S. striata extract. The extract in concentrations of 50–200 μg/ml protected PC12 cells from H₂O₂-induced toxicity. The survival of the cells at concentration of 200 μg/ml was 64 % compared to that of H₂O₂ alone-treated cells (48 %) (p < 0.001). The extract also dose-dependently reduced intracellular ROS production (p < 0.001). Moreover, the extract showed antioxidative effects and decreased apoptotic cells. Collectively, these findings indicated the ability of S. striata to decrease ROS generation and cell apoptosis and also suggest the presence of the neuroprotective agents in this plant.