Anti-inflammatory activity of 2-((3-(chloromethyl)benzoyl)oxy)benzoic acid in LPS-induced rat model

Hypothesizing mechanistic links between microbes and disease using knowledge graphs

Knowledge graphs have been a useful tool for many biomedical applications because of their effective representation of biological concepts. Plentiful evidence exists linking the gut microbiome to disease in a correlative context, but uncovering the mechanistic explanation for those associations remains a challenge. Here we demonstrate the potential of knowledge graphs to hypothesize plausible mechanistic accounts of host-microbe interactions in disease. We have constructed a knowledge graph of linked microbes, genes and metabolites called MGMLink, and, using a shortest path or template-based search through the graph and a novel path-prioritization methodology based on the structure of the knowledge graph, we show that this knowledge supports inference of mechanistic hypotheses that explain observed relationships between microbes and disease phenotypes. We discuss specific applications of this methodology in inflammatory bowel disease and Parkinson's disease. This approach enables mechanistic hypotheses surrounding the complex interactions between gut microbes and disease to be generated in a scalable and comprehensive manner.

Characterization of 2-((4-(chloromethyl)benzoyl)oxy)benzoate acid for analgesic tablet dosage form formulation

The 2-((4-(chloromethyl)benzoyl)oxy)benzoic acid (4CH2Cl) is a potential analgesic compound derived from salicylic acid and 4-chloromethyl benzoyl chloride. Characterization required 4CH2Cl for the formulation of tablet dosage forms. This study aims investigate the effect of SSG, PVP-K30, and the combination of SSG*PVP K-30 on the formulation of 4CH2Cl tablets. Additionally, this study aimed to obtain the optimum 4CH2Cl tablet composition. The experiment followed the two-factor simplex lattice design and direct compression method. The analgesic activity of 4CH2Cl in the optimal tablet was investigated using the hot-plate methods. The ANOVA of linear models is acceptable and the polynomial coefficients of quadratic models are similar to those of linear models. The coefficient of the linear model shows that SSG and PVP K-30 increase the Carr index (16.26; 20.61), Hausner ratio (1.19; 1.29), hardness (4.19; 9.39), friability (0.48; 0.67), disintegration time (0.34; 7.50), and drug release (85.29; 97.69). The coefficient of the quadratic model shows that SSG*PVP K-30 increased the Carr index (1.90), Hausner ratio (0.04), hardness (1.88), friability (0.06), and drug release (4.56), and decreased disintegration time (-0.30). SSG and PVP K-30 increased Carr index, Hausner ratio, hardness, friability, disintegration time, and drug release. The combination of SSG*PVP K-30 has the same effect, except that the disintegration time decreased. The optimum tablet formula is 4CH2Cl (300 mg), Ne (75 mg), SSG (33.60 mg), PVP K-30 (22.40 mg), MCC (40 mg), and SDL (up to 800 mg). 4CH2Cl tablets can be a candidate and choice for new analgesic drugs in the future.

Hypothesizing mechanistic links between microbes and disease using knowledge graphs

Knowledge graphs have found broad biomedical applications, providing useful representations of complex knowledge. Although plentiful evidence exists linking the gut microbiome to disease, mechanistic understanding of those relationships remains generally elusive. Here we demonstrate the potential of knowledge graphs to hypothesize plausible mechanistic accounts of host-microbe interactions in disease. To do so, we constructed a knowledge graph of linked microbes, genes and metabolites called MGMLink. Using a semantically constrained shortest path search through the graph and a novel path prioritization methodology based on cosine similarity, we show that this knowledge supports inference of mechanistic hypotheses that explain observed relationships between microbes and disease phenotypes. We discuss specific applications of this methodology in inflammatory bowel disease and Parkinson's disease. This approach enables mechanistic hypotheses surrounding the complex interactions between gut microbes and disease to be generated in a scalable and comprehensive manner.

Determination of Chemical Composition and Investigation of Biological Activities of Ocimum basilicum L

This study aimed to determine the chemical composition of the essential oils (EOs) of Ocimum basilicum L., as well as to evaluate the antibacterial, antidiabetic, dermatoprotective, and anti-inflammatory properties, and the EOs and aqueous extracts of O. basilicum. The antibacterial activity was evaluated against bacterial strains, Gram-positive and Gram-negative, using the well diffusion and microdilution methods, whereas the antidiabetic activity was assessed in vitro using two enzymes involved in carbohydrate digestion, α-amylase and α-glucosidase. On the other hand, the dermatoprotective and anti-inflammatory activities were studied by testing tyrosinase and lipoxygenase inhibition activity, respectively. The results showed that the chemical composition of O. basilicum EO (OBEO) is dominated by methyl chavicol (86%) and trans-anethol (8%). OBEO exhibited significant antibacterial effects against Gram-negative and Gram-positive strains, demonstrated by considerable diameters of the inhibition zones and lower MIC and MBC values. In addition, OBEO exhibited significant inhibition of α-amylase (IC50 = 50.51 ± 0.32 μg/mL) and α-glucosidase (IC50 = 39.84 ± 1.2 μg/mL). Concerning the anti-inflammatory activity, OBEO significantly inhibited lipoxygenase activity (IC50 = 18.28 ± 0.03 μg/mL) compared to the aqueous extract (IC50 = 24.8 ± 0.01 μg/mL). Moreover, tyrosinase was considerably inhibited by OBEO (IC50 = 68.58 ± 0.03 μg/mL) compared to the aqueous extract (IC50 = 118.37 ± 0.05 μg/mL). The toxicological investigations revealed the safety of O. basilicum in acute and chronic toxicity. The finding of in silico analysis showed that methyl chavicol and trans-anethole (main compounds of OBEO) validate the pharmacokinetics of these compounds and decipher some antibacterial targets.

Tablet Formulation of 2-((3-(Chloromethyl)benzoyl)oxy)benzoic Acid by Linear and Quadratic Models

PURPOSE

This research determines the effect of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) as a surfactant, croscarmellose sodium (CS) as a disintegrating agent, and SLS-CS combinations on 2-((3-(chloromethyl)benzoyl)oxy)benzoic acid (3CH2Cl) (log P = 3.73) tablet formulations. In addition, this study aims to determine the optimum of the 3CH2Cl tablet formula.

METHODS

The tablets are manufactured through direct compression according to the simplex lattice design. The optimal SLS and CS concentration was determined in vitro using linear and quadratic models to achieve better tablet disintegration and dissolution.

RESULTS

The same linear and quadratic coefficient profiles of SLS and CS indicate that the combined coefficient of SLS-CS with a quadratic model can be used to predict the effect of the SLS-CS combination. Based on the linear model coefficients, SLS and CS increase the value of flow time (9.35; 7.65), Carr index (26.17; 21.17), hardness (9.84; 7.44), friability (0.38; 0.31), disintegrating time (5.74; 2.62), and drug release (84.28; 58.65). The quadratic model coefficient shows that SLS-CS combinations increase flow time (0.60), Carr index (2.00), hardness (1.00), and disintegrating time (1.04). Meanwhile, they decrease friability (-0.02) and drug release (-9.10).

CONCLUSIONS

SLS, CS, and SLS-CS combinations affect the quality of tablet mass and tablets. The optimum tablet formula was 3CH2Cl (300 mg), Ne (9.38%), SLS (0.92%), CS (2.33%), MCC (5%), and SDL (ad 800 mg). 3CH2Cl has analgesic activity despite the presence of tablet excipients. The 3CH2Cl tablet is an innovative formulation and a new alternative for future analgesic drugs.

Partial Replacement of Dietary Fat with Krill Oil or Coconut Oil Alleviates Dyslipidemia by Partly Modulating Lipid Metabolism in Lipopolysaccharide-Injected Rats on a High-Fat Diet

This study investigated the effects of partial replacement of dietary fat with krill oil (KO) or coconut oil (CO) on dyslipidemia and lipid metabolism in rats fed with a high-fat diet (HFD). Sprague Dawley rats were divided into three groups as follows: HFD, HFD + KO, and HFD + CO. The rats were fed each diet for 10 weeks and then intraperitoneally injected with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (1 mg/kg). The KO- and CO-fed rats exhibited lower levels of serum lipids and aspartate aminotransferases than those of the HFD-fed rats. Rats fed with HFD + KO displayed significantly lower hepatic histological scores and hepatic triglyceride (TG) content than rats fed with HFD. The KO supplementation also downregulated the adipogenic gene expression in the liver. When treated with LPS, the HFD + KO and HFD + CO groups reduced the adipocyte size in the epididymal white adipose tissues (EAT) relative to the HFD group. These results suggest that KO and CO could improve lipid metabolism dysfunction.