Quantification of biochemical compounds in Bauhinia Variegata Linn flower extract and its hepatoprotective effect

Liver disorders may occur as a result of exposure to chemical compounds capable of inducing the oxidative stress and hepatic injuries. The aim of present study was to investigate the effects of flower extracts of B. Variegata for the treatment of liver injury induced by the CCl₄. About 1 ml/kg body weight (b.w) of CCl4 was induced to experimental mice by intraperitoneal way for 14 days. The methanol and chloroform extracts (100, 200 and 300 mg/kg b.w) were administered to experimental animals for 14 days along with standard drug Silymarine (100 mg/kg b.w). The extracts alone showed no evidence of hepatic toxicity but animals exposed to CCl₄ without the treatment with B. Variegata presented variations in levels of liver enzymes, antioxidant enzymes, proteins and blood cells as well as injuries in liver cells were also observed during histopathological study. However, after the treatments especially with 300 mg/kg b.w of methanol flower extracts levels of liver markers (ALT, AST and ALP), antioxidant enzymes and blood cells decreases and turned towards normal levels. Whereas level of total proteins and bilirubin was improved and damaged liver cells were repaired. The curative activity of flower extracts can be correlated to the higher potential of antioxidants and occurrence of Quercetin and some other organic compounds those were investigated from flower extracts of B. Variegata during HPLC and GC-MS analysis. The finding of this study supports the use of B. Variegata flower formulation in folk medicines.     

Effects of Probiotic Yogurt on Serum Omentin-1, Adropin,and Nesfatin-1 Concentrations in Overweight and Obese Participants Under Low-Calorie Diet

Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins - Data on the effects of probiotics on adipokines such as omentin-1, nesfatin-1, and adropin are limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of...     

Effect of Pre‐ and Post–Combined Multidoses of Epigallocatechin Gallate and Coenzyme Q10 on Cisplatin‐Induced Oxidative Stress in Rat Kidney

The nephroprotective effect of coenzyme Q10 and epigallocatechin gallate was investigated in rats with acute renal injury induced by a single nephrotoxic dose of cisplatin. Two days prior to cisplatin administration, epigallocatechin gallate and coenzyme Q10 alone and in four different combinations were given for 6 days. The treatment with antioxidants significantly protected the cisplatin‐induced increase in the levels of blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine. Both the antioxidants alone or in different combinations significantly compensated the increased malondialdehyde and reduced glutathione levels. Moreover, the decrease in the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase and the concentration of selenium, zinc, and copper ions were significantly attenuated in renal tissue. In conclusion, epigallocatechin gallate and coenzyme Q10 are equally effective against cisplatin‐induced nephrotoxicity, whereas the intervention by combining these two antioxidants was found to be highly effective at low doses in attenuating oxidative stress in rat kidney.     

Effect of protease and helicase mutations on HCV NS3 activity

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes serious infections in the liver which may lead to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Non structural 3 (NS3) protein is one of the most important proteins of the virus which has protease and helicase activities. Protease activity has a crucial role in the replication and persistence of the virus. Site directed mutation was carried out in the protease region of one NS3 and another site directed mutation in the helicase region of another NS3. The expression of both mutated NS3 was compared with wild NS3. Expression of the three different NS3 types was confirmed by in situ staining and western blotting using an anti-NS3 antibody and correlated with a reduced antiviral response after treatment with interferon-α. Mutation analysis showed that the NS3 protease activity andnot the NS3 helicase was essential for the inhibition of the interferon-α response.     

Subgenomic HCV RNA replication and its localization in the nucleus of the infected cells

Cell culture systems have been established, where a hepatitis C virus (HCV) subgenomic replicon was efficiently replicated and maintained for a long period. It is known that HCV contains proteins which interact with host cell proteins.To see whether a HCV RNA replicon can interact in the same way with host cell proteins, HCV RNA replicon was transfected in Huh7 cells. In most infected cells, HCV replicon is present in the cytoplasm; however, in a minority of HCV-infected cells, both the cytoplasm and the nucleus or the nucleus on its own is positive for NS3. The presence of NS3 in the nuclei of Huh7 cells indicates that the protein may play a role other than in virus replication, such as in persistence of HCV infection.Keyword: Hepatitis C Virus     

SLIT/ROBO1 signaling suppresses mammary branching morphogenesis by limiting basal cell number

In the field of breast biology, there is a growing appreciation for the "gatekeeping function" of basal cells during development and disease processes yet mechanisms regulating the generation of these cells are poorly understood. Here, we report that the proliferation of basal cells is controlled by SLIT/ROBO1 signaling and that production of these cells regulates outgrowth of mammary branches. We identify the negative regulator TGF-β1 upstream of Robo1 and show that it induces Robo1 expression specifically in the basal layer, functioning together with SLIT2 to restrict branch formation. Loss of SLIT/ROBO1 signaling in this layer alone results in precocious branching due to a surplus of basal cells. SLIT2 limits basal cell proliferation by inhibiting canonical WNT signaling, increasing the cytoplasmic and membrane pools of β-catenin at the expense of its nuclear pool. Together, our studies provide mechanistic insight into how specification of basal cell number influences branching morphogenesis.     

ABCA1 C69T gene polymorphism and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in a Saudi population

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a disease induced by complex interactions between environmental factors and certain genetic factors. Genetic variants in the Adenosine Binding Cassette Transporter Proteins 1 (ABCA1) have been associated with abnormalities of serum lipid levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C). Decreased serum levels of HDL-C have often been observed in T2DM cases, and this condition has been considered to be involved in the mechanism of insulin resistance (IR). Therefore, we investigated possible association between ABCA1 C69T gene polymorphism and T2DM in a Saudi population. This study was carried out with 380 healthy control subjects and 376 T2DM patients. Genotyping of ABCA1 C69T polymorphism was carried out by Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism technique. We observed that the frequency of the T allele of the ABCA1 C69T gene was significantly higher in healthy subjects compared to T2DM patients (0.28 vs 0.45; p<0.0001; OR (95% CI) = 0.4624 (0.3732–0.5729), and therefore the T allele may be a protective factor against T2DM in the Saudi population.     

Exploration of larger central ring linkers in furamidine analogues: synthesis and evaluation of their DNA binding, antiparasitic and fluorescence properties

The effects of replacing the central furan ring of furamidine with indole and benzimidazole on their DNA binding affinity, antiparasitic activity and fluorescence are reported. The bis-cyanophenylindoles required to make the corresponding amidines were prepared by sequential Stille and/or Suzuki coupling reactions. The bis-cyanophenylbenzimidazoles were obtained by coupling 4-cyanobenzaldehydes with the appropriate cyano substituted phenylenediamine. The bis-nitriles were converted to the diamidines by reaction with LiN[Si(CH(3))(3)](2) or by Pinner methodology. Specifically, we have prepared new series of 2,6- and 2,5-diaryl indoles (6a,b, 12 and 17a-d) and the related benzimidazoles (24, 30 and 35). The new compounds bind in the DNA minor groove in DNA AT base pair sequences and eight of the ten new analogues exhibit ΔT(m) values comparable to or higher than that of furamidine. Six of ten of the new compounds exhibit lower IC(50) values against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (T. b. r.) and eight of ten exhibit lower IC(50) values against Plasmodium falciparum (P. f.) than furamidine. Four of the ten show greater efficacy than furamidine in the rigorous T. b. r. STIB900 mouse model for African trypanosomiasis. Generally, the fluorescence properties of the new analogues are similar to that of DAPI.