Chemopreventive effects of a Tamarindus indica fruit extract against colon carcinogenesis depends on the dietary cholesterol levels in hamsters

Effect of silkworm pupae (Bombyx mori) protein on colon cancer in nude mice: inhibition of tumor growth, oxidative stress and inflammatory response

Silkworm pupa (bombyx mori) protein (SPP) is a potential therapeutic bioactive substance that has anti-tumor activity against breast, liver, and gastric cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the antitumor effect of SPP on colon cancer nude mice. Using a subcutaneous tumor formation method, we validated the therapeutic effect of SPP on colon cancer nude mice in vivo. Results showed that SPP was cytotoxic to tumor cells. SPP could protect the liver of the nude mice by lowering hepatic oxidative stress and regulating serum inflammation levels by decreasing TNF-α and IL-2 levels while in-creasing INF-γ levels. In addition, diminished Ki-67 protein, enhanced cleaved caspase-3 protein, di-minished Vimentin, enhanced E-cadherin. These findings suggested that SPP's antitumor activity may be achieved by reducing inflammation, inhibiting tumor proliferation and metastasis, and inducing apoptosis in cancer cells. In the future, SPP could be used as an anticancer drug, potentially providing a new source of drugs for the treatment of colon cancer.

Soxhlet Extraction versus Hydrodistillation Using the Clevenger Apparatus: A Comparative Study on the Extraction of a Volatile Compound from Tamarindus indica Seeds

The present study aims to compare two traditional extraction techniques. A volatile compound from Tamarindus indica seed was obtained with Soxhlet extraction (SE) and hydrodistillation using the Clevenger apparatus (HDC). The extraction yield and chemical composition of the essential oil samples were compared. Both oils extracted were analyzed with GC-MS, and forty-one chemical compounds were identified in essential oil components from SE while forty chemical compounds were found in the HDC-extracted oil sample. The major essential oil components present in both the SE and HDC method are cis-vaccenic acid, 2-methyltetracosane, beta-sitosterol, 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (Z, Z)-, and n-hexadecanoic acid in varying concentrations. Moreover, the essential oils obtained by both methods look similar quantitatively but differ qualitatively. The HDC method produced more oxygenated compounds that contribute to the fragrance of the oil. The major constituents observed in the essential oil extracted by SE methods include cis-vaccenic acid (17.6%), beta-sitosterol (12.71%), 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (Z, Z)- (11.82%), n-hexadecanoic acid (8.16%), 9,12-octadecadienoic acid, methyl ester (5.84%), oleic acid (4.54%), and 11-octadecenoic acid and methyl ester (3.94%). However, in the hydrodistillation technique, the oil was mostly composed of 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (Z, Z)- (23.72%), cis-vaccenic acid (17.16%), n-hexadecanoic acid (11.53%), beta-sitosterol (4.53%), and octadecanoic acid (3.8%). From the data obtained, HDC seems to be a better method for extraction of Tamarindus indica essential oil compared to the Soxhlet extraction apparatus.

Tropical Fruits and Their Co-Products as Bioactive Compounds and Their Health Effects: A Review

Tropical and subtropical fruits are recognized as a source of a high content of bioactive compounds and health promoting properties due to their nutritional composition. These beneficial health effects are related to the content of several of these bioactive compounds, mainly flavonoids and non-flavonoid phenolics. Many of these compounds are common in different tropical fruits, such as epicatechin in mango, pineapple, and banana, or catechin in pineapple, cocoa or avocado. Many studies of tropical fruits had been carried out, but in this work an examination is made in the current literature of the flavonoids and non-flavonoid phenolics content of some tropical fruits and their coproducts, comparing the content in the same units, as well as examining the role that these compounds play in health benefits.

Countrywide Survey of Plants Used for Liver Disease Management by Traditional Healers in Burkina Faso

Liver disease is highly prevalent in Africa, especially in the western African country Burkina Faso, due to the presence of multiple biological and chemical aggressors of the liver. Furthermore, diagnosis and appropriate care for liver disease are uneven and usually insufficient. This drives local communities to turn to folk medicine based on medicinal plants from healers. Small scale, ethnopharmacological studies on reputed hepatoprotective plants have been carried out in defined regions worldwide, but so far, no study has been carried out on a countrywide scale. Therefore, we have explored traditional healers’ practices in all thirteen regions of Burkina Faso. We interviewed 575 healers and we compiled a database with 2,006 plant entries. Here, we report results on liver nosology, liver pathologies, medicinal plants used for liver disease, and traditional practices through the lens of Burkinabe healers. Our goal was to give a full inventory of medicinal plants used to treat liver disease and to determine if there was consensus on the use of specific plants for specific symptoms. Analysis of the medicinal plants in use across the whole country provides local communities with a wider evidence base to determine which plants may be more effective in treating liver disease and could provide the scientific community, with a shortlist of plants suitable for chemical and pharmacological investigation to validate the plants’ therapeutic role.

Biochemical and molecular aspects of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-induced colon carcinogenesis: a review

1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) is a member in the class of hydrazines, strong DNA alkylating agent, naturally present in cycads. DMH is widely used as a carcinogen to induce colon cancer in animal models. Exploration of DMH-induced colon carcinogenesis in rodent models provides the knowledge to perceive the biochemical, molecular, and histological mechanisms of different stages of colon carcinogenesis. The procarcinogen DMH, after a series of metabolic reactions, finally reaches the colon, there produces the ultimate carcinogen and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which further alkylate the DNA and initiate the development of colon carcinogenesis. The preneolpastic lesions and histopathological observations of DMH-induced colon tumors may provide typical understanding about the disease in rodents and humans. In addition, this review discusses about the action of biotransformation and antioxidant enzymes involved in DMH intoxication. This understanding is essential to accurately identify and interpret alterations that occur in the colonic mucosa when evaluating natural or pharmacological compounds in DMH-induced animal colon carcinogenesis.