The objective of this work is to isolate, characterize, and quantify two bioactive substances from Basella alba (Malabar spinach), a plant of nutritional and therapeutic value. Vitexin and p-coumaric acid were isolated and quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and Their characterization was carried out using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and the spiking method, where the isolated compound was compared with the standard for confirmation. confirmationThe concentrations of p-coumaric acid and vitexin in Basella alba were found to be 144 µg/g and 220 µg/g, respectively, which are higher than those identified in previous studies. This suggests that environmental factors, particularly light exposure and geographical conditions, may play a significant role in enhancing the production of these secondary metabolites. Soxhlet extraction was employed to isolate and quantify the compounds, demonstrating high recovery rates consistent with previous findings.. These results highlight the potential of Basella alba as a valuable plant for further research into its health benefits. Future studies should explore its applications in nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals.
Obesity is complex and chronic disease . it had negative impact on general health , quality of life and elevation in mortality rate . The liver is the most affected organs by obesity. The use of plants different active constituents which had different pharmacological effects. One of these constituents are the polyphenols which had antioxidants and anti-inflammatory effects. Accordingly, polyphenols nowadays have become one of the most important therapeutic protocols today. Acai berry extract's had different pharmacological benefits due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity The aim of the present study is to assess the hepatoprotective impact of acai berry extract in rats fed a diet rich in fat and carbohydrates. To achieve this aim, 48 albino rats were divided into Group I. rats receive normal diets, group II: rats on high fats and carbohydrate diets, groups III , IV: rats on high carbohydrate and fat diets with Acai berry extract ( 250, 500mg/kg per day) respectively, groups V, VI; rats feed with high carbohydrate and fat diets with 10 mg/kg/day of orlistat and ( 250, 500mg/kg per day) respectively of acai berry extract. All the groups received their treatments for 12 weeks. At the end of study, serum was collected, and liver tissue were obtained to determine anti-oxidative, inflammatory, and liver function. In the present study, it have been found that, there was a significant elevation in the level of (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase) in tissue homogenate (p <0.05) and a significant reduction in the levels of liver function enzymes and (malondialdehyde, tumor necrosis factor alpha, tumour growth factors,interleukin-B1)( p < 0.05) when compared between groups III ,IV and the induction group. The present study showed that the extract of acai berries had hepatoprotective effects
Oxidative stress arises when the host defensive mechanisms of anti-oxidants cannot withstand the fierce attack launched by numerous reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. This prooxidant-antioxidant imbalance can cause endocrine, cardiovascular, pulmonary, and neurological disorders. In sepsis, this imbalance promotes organ failure, including bone marrow. The aim is to evaluate the anti-oxidant effect of montelukast compared with dexamethasone against LPS-induced oxidative stress in bone marrow. For this purpose, twenty-eight male Albino mice were randomly assigned to four groups of seven per each. Group I (control) received distilled water by oral gavage once a day for a week and euthanised on the 8th day; Group II (induction) received a single intraperitoneal injection of LPS 10 mg/kg and euthanised on the 2nd day. Group III received oral gavage dexamethasone 2.5 mg/kg once a day for a week, then two hours after the final dose, LPS was given and euthanised on the 8th day. Group IV received oral gavage montelukast 20 mg/kg once a day for a week, then two hours after the final dose, LPS was given and euthanised on the 8th day. Results showed that the LPS-model group had significantly higher malondialdehyde and myeloperoxidase levels than the control group. Pretreatment with dexamethasone (group III) and montelukast (group IV) significantly lowers both values. In bone marrow histopathology, montelukast reduced inflammatory cells without affecting red blood cells. In conclusion, Montelukast may be a promising anti-oxidant and a medication to prevent terrible oxidative stress results in humans.
Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignancy among women worldwide. Regarding the androgen receptor's existence as a likely prognostic indicator, there has been interest in its relationship with various molecular markers such as estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2/neu), as well as its association with clinicopathological features and therapeutic targets. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of AR and its association with clinicopathological features in Iraqi women who were newly diagnosed with breast cancer. We retrospectively analyzed AR expression using immunohistochemistry from 96 tissue samples of breast cancer patients between February 2024 and January 2025. The association of AR with clinicopathological parameters, including age, tumor size, lymph node involvement, distant metastases, TNM stage, histological grade, molecular subtype, ER status, PR status, and HER2 status, was assessed. Tumors with at least 10% nuclear-stained cells were classified as positive for AR. The association between AR expression and other factors was determined using a chi-square test in SPSS. Approximately 63 (65.6%) of the 96 individuals were AR-positive. No significant association was found between AR expression and clinicopathological factors (P >0.05). In conclusion, while AR is expressed in 65.6% of breast cancer patients, there is no significant association with conventional clinicopathological characteristics. This indicates that AR has limited prognostic value in this population. However, its high expression necessitates additional research into its biological significance and potential as a therapeutic target in some breast cancer subtypes.
Sungkai (Peronema canescens Jack) is known to have various bioactive compounds as anticancer agents. This study aims to evaluate the anticancer potential of the active compound from the ethyl acetate fraction of sungkai leaves through an experimental and computational approach. The cytotoxic activity of the ethyl acetate fraction was carried out using the MTT assay method on A549 lung cancer cells. The computational study carried out using the molecular docking method and continued with pharmacokinetic analysis of the five main compounds in the ethyl acetate fraction of sungkai leaves. The MTT assay revealed that the ethyl acetate fraction exhibited moderate cytotoxic activity against A549 lung cancer cells, with an IC50 value of 33.41 µg/mL. The LC-MS/MS analysis identified five main compounds in this fraction: isorhamnetin, physcion, pilosin, (3R)-sophorol, and takakin. Molecular docking simulations of these compounds with the EGFR protein (PDB ID: 5UG9) showed bond energies ranging from -7.7 to -8.9 kcal/mol. Physcion has a more negative bond energy value compared to the positive control (quercetin) and four other compounds. The compounds interacted with the protein through hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions, predominantly involving amino acid residues ALA A:743, VAL A:726, LEU A:718, LEU A:844, and GLN A:791. Pharmacokinetic analysis revealed that all the compounds met Lipinski's rule of five, indicating good oral absorption and membrane permeation. However, toxicity predictions showed that isorhamnetin, takakin, and pilosin had a high risk of gene mutations, whereas physcion had a moderate risk. Despite potential toxicity concerns, the compounds had drug scores greater than 0, suggesting their potential as drug candidates. Therefore, experimental and computational approaches can be an efficient early screening method to identify potential bioactive compounds as drugs. However, further analysis must be carried out regarding the risk of toxicity and a good dose of the drug.
