Evaluation of antifungal activity of cinnamaldehyde against Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii

Cinnamaldehyde Ameliorates Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Colitis in Mice by Modulating TLR4/NF-κB Signaling Pathway and NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory gastrointestinal disease mainly associated with immune dysfunction and microbiota disturbance. Cinnamaldehyde (CIN) is an active ingredient of Cinnamomum cassia with immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the therapeutic effect and detailed mechanism of CIN on UC remains unclear, and warrant further dissection. In this study, network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses were introduced to predict the potential targets and mechanism of CIN against UC. The therapeutic effect and the predicted targets of CIN on UC were further validated by in vivo and in vitro experiments. Seven intersection targets shared by CIN and UC were obtained, and four hub targets, i. e., toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), transcription factor p65 (NF-κB), NF-kappa-B inhibitor alpha (IκBα), prostaglandin G/H synthase 2 (COX2) were acquired, which were mainly involved in NF-κB, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), Toll-like receptor and NOD-like receptor signaling pathways. CIN alleviated the symptoms of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis by decreasing the disease active index (DAI), restoring colon length, and relieving colonic pathology. CIN attenuated systemic inflammation by reducing serum myeloperoxidase (MPO), TNF-α, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), down-regulating TLR4, phosphorylated-NF-κB (p-NF-κB), phosphorylated-IκBα (p-IκBα), and COX2 expression in colonic tissues, and decreasing NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), Caspase-1, and IL-1β protein expression in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. These results indicate that CIN alleviates DSS-induced colitis inflammation by modulating TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway and NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Evaluation of prophylactic efficacy of cinnamaldehyde in murine model against Paradendryphiella arenariae mycotoxin tenuazonic acid-induced oxidative stress and organ toxicity

Cinnamaldehyde (Cin) is a natural product obtained from cinnamon and is reported to have a potential anti-fungal, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer effect. The present study investigated the possible protective role of Cin against tenuazonic acid-induced mycotoxicity in the murine model. Tenuazonic acid (TeA), a toxin produced by Alternaria is a common contaminant in tomato and tomato-based products. Here, Swiss male mice were administered with TeA isolated from Paradendryphiella arenariae (MW504999) (source-tomato) through injection (238 µg/kg BW) and ingestion (475 µg/kg BW) routes for 2 weeks. Thereafter, the prophylaxis groups were treated with Cin (210 mg/kg BW). The experiment was carried out for 8 weeks. The treated groups were compared to the oral and intra-peritoneal experimental groups that received the toxin solely for 8 weeks. Haematological, histopathological and biochemical aspects of the experimental and the control mice were analysed. Sub-chronic intoxication of mice with TeA showed elevated malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) production; abnormal levels of aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT). Treatment with Cin reversed TeA-induced alterations of antioxidant defense enzyme activities and significantly prevented TeA-induced organ damage. Thus, cinnamaldehyde showed therapeutic effects and toxicity reduction in TeA induced mycotoxicosis.

Systematic evaluation of the antitumor activity of three ruthenium polypyridyl complexes

Ruthenium-containing complexes have emerged as good alternative to the currently used platinum-containing drugs for malignant tumor therapy. In this work, cytotoxic effects of recently synthesized ruthenium polypyridyl complexes [Ru(bpy)₂(CFPIP)](ClO₄)₂ (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, CFPIP = (E)-2-(4-fluorostyryl)-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline, Ru(II)-1), [Ru(phen)₂(CFPIP)](ClO₄)₂ (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline, Ru(II)-2) and [Ru(dmb)₂(CFPIP)](ClO₄)₂ (dmb = 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine, Ru(II)-3) toward different tumor cells were investigated in vitro and compared with cisplatin, the most widely used chemotherapeutic drug against hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG-2). The results demonstrate that target complexes show excellent cytotoxicity against HepG-2 cells with low IC₅₀ value of 21.4 ± 1.5, 18.0 ± 2.1 and 22.3 ± 1.7 μM, respectively. It was important noting that target Ru(II) complexes exhibited better antitumor activity than cisplatin (IC50 = 28.5 ± 2.4 μM) against HepG-2 cells, and has no obvious toxicity to normal cell LO2. DNA binding results suggest that Ru(II)-1, Ru(II)-2 and Ru(II)-3 interact with CT DNA (calf thymus DNA) through intercalative mode. Complexes exerted its antitumor activity through increasing anti-migration and inducing cell cycle arrest at the S phase. In addition, the apoptosis was tested by AO (acridine orange)/EB (ethidium bromide) staining and flow cytometry. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and colocalization tests were also evaluated by ImageXpress Micro XLS system. Overall, the results show that the ruthenium polypyridyl complexes induce apoptosis in HepG-2 cells through ROS-mediated mitochondria dysfunction pathway.