Analysis of select esthetic nasal parameters in virtually planned orthognathic patients

PURPOSE

Bony changes after orthognathic surgery are always followed by changes of the overlying soft tissues. Therefore, morphologic changes of the nose may be expected after procedures involving the maxilla. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in the nasal region due to orthognathic surgery using computed tomography (CT) images of virtually planned patients.

METHODS

35 patients who underwent Le Fort I osteotomy, with or without bilateral sagittal split osteotomy, were included. 3D measurements on preoperative and postoperative images were performed and analyzed.

RESULTS

The results revealed that aesthetically acceptable results can be achieved by orthognathic surgery alone.

CONCLUSIONS

According to the results of this study, it can be concluded that it is best to reserve decisions on rhinoplasty to the post-orthognathic period.

In Vitro and in Silico Investigation of DNA Interaction, Topoisomerase I and II Inhibitory Properties of Polydatin

Polydatin or piceid, is the 3-O-glucoside of resveratrol and is found abundantly in grapes, peanuts, wine, beer, and cacao products. Although anticancer activity of polydatin was reported before, and potential antiproliferative mechanisms of polydatin have been proposed, its direct effects on DNA and inhibitory potential against topoisomerase enzymes have remained unknown. In this study we aimed to reveal the link between polydatin's effects on DNA and DNA-topoisomerases and its antiproliferative promise. For this purpose, we evaluated the effects of polydatin on DNA and DNA topoisomerase using in vitro and in silico techniques. Polydatin was found to protect DNA against Fenton reaction-induced damage while not showing any hydrolytic nuclease effect. Further, polydatin inhibited topoisomerase II but not topoisomerase I. According to molecular docking studies, polydatin preferably showed minor groove binding to DNA where the stilbene moiety was important for binding to the DNA-topoisomerase II complex. As a result, topoisomerase II inhibition might be another anticancer mechanism of polydatin.

Potential of nafimidone derivatives against co-morbidities of epilepsy: In vitro, in vivo, and in silico investigations

Nafimidone is known for its clinical antiepileptic effects and alcohol derivatives of nafimidone were reported be potent anticonvulsants. These compounds are structurally similar to miconazole, which is known to inhibit cholinesterases, protect neurons, and ameliorate cognitive decline. Herein, we aimed to reveal the potential of three nafimidone alcohol esters (5 g, 5i, and 5 k), which were previously reported for their anticonvulsant effects, against co-morbidities of epilepsy such as inflammatory and neuropathic pain, cognitive and behavioral deficits, and neuron death, and understand their roles in related pathways such as γ-butyric acid type A (GABA_A ) receptor and cholinesterases using in vitro, in vivo and in silico methods. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) test was used for cytotoxicity evaluation, hippocampal slice culture assay for neuroprotection, formalin test for acute and inflammatory pain, sciatic ligation for neuropathic pain, Morris water maze and open field locomotor tasks for cognitive and behavioral deficits, radioligand binding for GABA_A receptor affinity, spectrophotometric methods for cholinesterase inhibition in vitro, and molecular docking in silico. The compounds were non-toxic to fibroblast cells. 5 k was neuroprotective against kainic acid-induced neuron death. 5i reduced pain response of mice in both the acute and the inflammatory phases. 5i improved survival upon status epilepticus. The compounds showed no affinity to GABA_A receptor but inhibited acetylcholinesterase, 5 k also inhibited butyrylcholinesterase. The compounds were predicted to interact mainly with the peripheric anionic site of cholinesterase enzymes. The title compounds showed neuroprotective, analgesic, and cholinesterase inhibitory effects, thus they bear promise against certain co-morbidities of epilepsy with neurological insults.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of water soluble and non-aggregated silicon phthalocyanines, naphthalocyanines against A549, SNU-398, SK-MEL128, DU-145, BT-20 and HFC cell lines as potential anticancer agents

Cancer has become an important public problem in worldwide since cancer incidence and mortality are growing rapidly. In this study, water soluble and non-aggregated silicon (IV) phthalocyanines and naphthalocyanines containing (3,5-bis{3-[3-(diethylamino)phenoxy]propoxy}phenyl)methoxy groups have been synthesized and characterized to investigate their anticancer potential. Their DNA binding/nuclease, topoisomerases inhibition were investigated using UV-Vis absorption, thermal denaturation and agarose gel electrophoresis. The in vitro cytotoxic properties of the compounds on human lung (A549), breast (BT-20), liver (SNU-398), prostate (DU-145), melanoma (SK-Mel 128) carcinoma and human fibroblast (HFC) normal cell lines were evaluated by using MTT assay. In order to determine the mechanism of cancer cell growth suppression, cell cycle analysis was carried out using flow cytometer on A549 cell line. The K_b values of SiPc1a and SiNc2a were 6.85 ± (0.35) × 10⁶ and 1.72 ± (0.16) × 10⁴ M^-1 and T_m values of ct-DNA were calculated as 82.02 °C and 78.07 °C, respectively in the presence of both compounds. The Δ_Tm values of SiPc1a and SiNc2a were calculated as 6.45 and 2.50 °C, respectively. The nuclease effects of SiPc1a and SiNc2a with supercoiled plasmid pBR322 DNA demonstrated that both compounds did not trigger any DNA nuclease effects at the lowest concentrations without irradiation whereas both compounds in the presence of activating agent (H₂O₂) showed significant plasmid DNA nuclease actions under irradiation (22.5 J/cm²). SiPc1a and SiNc2a inhibited to topoisomerase I on increasing concentrations whilst they had lower inhibition action toward topoisomerase II that of topoisomerase I. The in vitro cytotoxicity studies displayed that SiPc1a had the highest cytotoxic effects among the tested compounds against A549, SNU-398, SK-MEL128, DU-145, BT-20 and HFC cell lines with CC₅₀ values ranged from 0.49 to 2.99 µM. Furthermore, SiPc1a inhibited cell proliferation by cell cycle arrest in G₀/G₁ phase. All of these results suggested that SiPc1a is a promising candidate as an anticancer agent.

Synthesis of axially disubstituted quaternized silicon phthalocyanines as a promising photosensitizer for the photodynamic treatment of HCT-116, A549 and SH-SY5Y cancer cell lines

In this study, novel silicon(iv) phthalocyanines axially disubstituted with bis[(4-{3-[3-(dimethylamino)phenoxy]propoxy}phenyl)methoxy] and bis[(4-{3-[3-(diethylamino)phenoxy]propoxy}phenyl)methoxy] groups and their quaternized derivatives were synthesized and characterized. Then, their supercoiled pBR322 plasmid DNA cleavage properties were investigated using agarose gel electrophoresis. The in vitro PDT effects of Si-3a and Si-4a were investigated using the MTT cell viability assay against HCT-116, A549 and SH-SY5Y cell lines. Si-3a and Si-4a did not show cleavage effects upon increasing concentrations in the dark but both compounds showed cleavage activities upon irradiation for 30 and 60 min, respectively. The MTT cell viability assay indicated that Si-4a had a cytotoxic effect in a concentration-dependent manner on the HCT-116 cell line but it did not show any statistical difference with regard to phototoxicity. Otherwise, Si-3a and Si-4a had significant phototoxic effects when compared to cytotoxic effects against A549 and SH-SY5Y. The results suggested that Si-3a and Si-4a showed better cell death against SH-SY5Y than other cell lines with irradiation.

In vitro and in silico assessment of DNA interaction, topoisomerase I and II inhibition properties of chrysosplenetin

Chrysosplenetin is a methoxyflavone with reported anti-cancer effect. We tested its cytotoxic effect on the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line, and determined its effect on DNA intercalation and on the activity of topoisomerases I and II. The compound inhibited proliferation MCF-7 with an IC₅₀ value of 0.29 μM. Chrysosplenetin did not initiate plasmid DNA cleavage but, in a concentration-dependent manner, protected plasmid DNA against damage induced by Fenton reagents. Furthermore, it possessed dual Topoisomerase I and II inhibitory properties. Especially, it inhibited topoisomerase II by 83-96% between the range 12.5-100 μM. In the light of these experimental findings, molecular docking studies were performed to understand binding mode, interactions and affinity of chrysosplenetin with DNA, and with topoisomerases I and II. These studies showed that of 4-chromone core and the hydroxyl and methoxy groups important for both intercalation with DNA and topoisomerase I and II inhibition.

Discovery of potent α-glucosidase inhibitors through structure-based virtual screening of an in-house azole collection

Diabetes mellitus, a chronic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia, is considered a pandemic of modern times. α-Glucosidase inhibitors emerged as a promising class of antidiabetic drugs with better tolerability compared with its alternatives. Azoles, although widely preferred in drug design, have scarcely been investigated for their potential against α-glucosidase. In this study, we evaluated α-glucosidase inhibitory effects 20 azole derivatives selected out of an in-house collection via structure-based virtual screening (VS) with consensus scoring approach. Seven compounds were identified with better IC₅₀ values than acarbose (IC₅₀  = 68.18 ± 1.01 µM), a well-known α-glucosidase inhibitor drug, which meant 35% success for our VS methodology. Compound 52, 54, 56, 59, and 81 proved highly potent with IC₅₀ values in the range of 40-60 µM. According to the enzyme kinetics study, four of them were competitive, 56 was non-competitive inhibitor. Structure-activity relationships, quantum mechanical, and docking analyses showed that azole rings at ionized state may be key to the potency observed for the active compounds and modifications to shift the balance between the neutral and ionized states further to the latter could yield more potent derivatives.

Modified high-level Le Fort I advancement without malar augmentation: assessment of effect on midfacial aesthetics

The 'beauty arch', an aesthetic feature of the midface, is a double-S-shaped curve that extends downward from the lateral canthus. This retrospective study evaluated whether modified high Le Fort I advancement (combined with impaction or down-grafting) without malar augmentation can approximate a patient's 'ideal' beauty arch (IBA). Pre- and postoperative profile (natural head position) photographs for 36 patients with midfacial hypoplasia were aligned digitally. For each individual, standardized methods were used to identify landmarks and draw the preoperative real beauty arch (RBA), postoperative RBA, and IBA. Distances from a defined landmark to each arch were measured and means were compared. The mean advancement range was 4.2 ± 2.2 mm, and the mean pre- and postoperative RBA distances were significantly different (138.7 ± 24.1 vs 145.0 ± 25.8 pixels, respectively; P = 0.0001). In the impaction and down-grafting subgroups, there was no significant correlation between amount of maxillary movement and the difference between pre- and postoperative RBA distances (P > 0.05 for both). The postoperative RBA was satisfactorily close to the IBA in 35 cases (97.2%); one patient required later augmentation. The findings suggest that modified high Le Fort I advancement surgery without malar augmentation provides satisfactory malar projection for most patients with maxillary hypoplasia.

Flavones as tyrosinase inhibitors: kinetic studies in vitro and in silico

INTRODUCTION

Tyrosinase is a multifunctional copper-containing oxidase enzyme that catalyses the first steps in the formation of melanin pigments. Identification of tyrosinase inhibitors is of value for applications in cosmetics, medicine and agriculture.

OBJECTIVE

To develop an analytical method that allows identification of drug-like natural products that can be further developed as tyrosinase inhibitors. Results of in vitro and in silico studies will be compared in order to gain a deeper insight into the mechanism of action of enzyme inhibition.

METHOD

Using an in vitro assay we tested tyrosinase inhibitor effects of five structurally related flavones, i.e. luteolin (1), eupafolin (2), genkwanin (3), nobiletin (4), and chrysosplenetin (5). The strongest inhibitors were further investigated in silico, using enzyme docking simulations.

RESULTS

All compounds tested showed modest tyrosinase inhibitory effect compared to the positive control, kojic acid. The polymethoxy flavones 4 and 5 exhibited the strongest tyrosinase inhibitory effect with the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀ ) values of 131.92 ± 1.75 μM and 99.87 ± 2.38 μM respectively. According to kinetic analysis 2, 4 and 5 were competitive inhibitors, whereas 1 and 3 were non-competitive inhibitors of tyrosinase. Docking studies indicated that methoxy groups on 4 and 5 caused steric hindrance which prevented alternative binding modes in the tyrosinase; the methoxy groups on the B-ring of these flavones faced the catalytic site in the enzyme.

CONCLUSIONS

The docking simulations nicely complemented the in vitro kinetic studies, opening the way for the development of predictive models for use in drug design.

Investigation of the Antioxidant, α-Glucosidase Inhibitory, Anti-inflammatory, and DNA Protective Properties of Vaccinium arctostaphylos L

Objectives

The scope of this study was to investigate the total phenolic, anthocyanin, and flavonoid contents and the biological properties of ethanol extract (EE), methanol extract (ME), and aqueous extract (AE) from Vaccinium arctostaphylos L.

Materials and Methods

EE, ME, and AE of V. arctostaphylos were prepared. Various biological activities such as total phenolic, anthocyanin, and flavonoid contents, and antioxidant (2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl ferrous ion-chelating, and ferric reducing antioxidant power assays), α-glucosidase inhibitory, anti-inflammatory, and DNA protective properties of these extracts were studied.

Results

EE exhibited the highest total phenolic, anthocyanin, and flavonoid contents with 44.42±1.22 mg gallic acid equivalents/g dry weight, 8.46±0.49 mg/Cyaniding-3-glucoside equivalents/g dry weight, and 9.22±0.92 mg quercetin equivalents/g dry weight, respectively. The antioxidant activities of the extracts followed the order: EE>ME>AE. EE and ME inhibited α-glucosidase enzyme and their IC₅₀ values were 0.301±0.002 mg/mL and 0.477±0.003 mg/mL, respectively. In addition, EE and ME were determined as noncompetitive inhibitors with inhibitory constant (K_i ) values of 0.48±0.02 mg/mL and 0.46±0.01 mg/mL, respectively. EE in 100 and 300 mg/kg doses caused a significant reduction in formalin-induced edema in mice, demonstrating the anti-inflammatory effect of EE. In DNA protective studies, all of the extracts protected supercoiled plasmid pBR322 DNA against damage caused by Fenton's reagents due to their radical scavenging activities.

Conclusion

Our results demonstrated that EE of V. arctostaphylos L. had strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, α-glucosidase inhibitory, and DNA protective effects, suggesting that it might be an effective medical plant to prevent or treat diseases associated with oxidative damage and inflammation.

Tyrosinase inhibition by a rare neolignan: Inhibition kinetics and mechanistic insights through in vitro and in silico studies

Neolignans are a large group of polyphenols found in plants and exhibit a wide range of bioactivities including cytotoxicity, apoptosis inducer, antimalarial and antifungal effects, acetylcholinesterase, tyrosinase, and α-glucosidase inhibition. In this study we tested acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), tyrosinase, and α-glucosidase inhibitory effects of a rare neolignan, (-)-4-O-methyldehydrodiconiferyl alcohol 9'-O-β-glucopyranoside (1) in search for its new pharmaceutical effects. This compound exhibited good tyrosinase inhibition with an IC₅₀ value of 44.62 ± 3.99 μg/mL. Enzyme kinetics and molecular modelling studies were performed to provide insights into its tyrosinase inhibition mechanism.

In Vitro Protection by Crataegus microphylla Extracts Against Oxidative Damage and Enzyme Inhibition Effects

Objectives

Crataegus species have been used as food and also in folk medicine for the treatment of various diseases. The present study aimed to make investigations on the biologic properties of different extracts prepared from Crataegus microphylla C. Koch, which was collected from Turkey.

Materials and Methods

Dried leaf, stem bark, and fresh fruit samples of C. microphylla were separated and ethanol extract, acidified (0.5% HCl, pH: 2.5) ethanol extract, ethanol:water (1:1) extract, methanol extract, acidified (0.5% HCl, pH: 2.5) methanol extract, methanol:water (1:1) extract, water extract, and acidified (0.5% HCl, pH: 2.5) water extract were prepared for each. Various biologic effects such as the prevention of oxidative DNA damage, acetylcholinesterase, tyrosinase, α-glucosidase inhibition, and antioxidant effects with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, PRAP, and FRAP assays of these extracts at different concentrations were studied.

Results

Acidified methanol extract of stem barks exhibited the highest acetylcholinesterase and tyrosinase inhibitions among the other extracts with IC₅₀ values of 204.02±0.95 μg/mL and 37.30±0.27 μg/mL, respectively. Acidified ethanol extract of leaves was the most efficient extract against α-glucosidase, giving an IC₅₀ of 15.78±0.14 μg/mL. The IC₅₀ value of the acidified ethanol extract for DPPH was 9.89±0.09 µg/mL. Methanol extracts of leaves and stem barks at the dose of 125 µg/mL exhibited significant protective activity against DNA strand scission by hydroxyl radicals (.OH) on supercoiled pBR322 DNA.

Conclusion

Acidified methanol or ethanol extracts prepared with stem bark and leaf from C. microphylla have potential antioxidant, hypoglycemic, and neuroprotective effects.

Potential of Potentilla inclinata and its polyphenolic compounds in α-glucosidase inhibition: Kinetics and interaction mechanism merged with docking simulations

In the present study we aimed to identify the α-glucosidase enzyme inhibitory potential of Potentilla inclinata Vill. MeOH and n-BuOH extracts which possessed remarkable α-glucosidase enzyme inhibitory effects with IC₅₀ values of 1.06±0.02 and 0.93±0.01μg/ml respectively, compared to that of acarbose (IC₅₀ 31.92±0.17). Thus, BuOH extract was chosen for further phytochemical investigations. A phenolic acid, six flavonol glycosides, and two hydrolysable tannins were isolated from the most active n-BuOH extract of the title plant. Structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by 1D- and 2D-NMR experiments. All the compounds exhibited remarkable α-glucosidase inhibitory activity compared to the positive control, acarbose. Rutin (2) showed the highest activity with an IC₅₀ value of 26.31±0.02μg/ml. An enzyme kinetics analysis revealed that compounds 5 and 7 were competitive, 4 and 6 noncompetitive, and 3 was uncompetitive inhibitors of α-glucosidase enzyme. Molecular docking studies were performed to get insights into inhibition mechanisms of the isolates considering their inhibition type using various binding sites of the enzyme model we previously reported.

Antioxidant capacity, anti-acetylcholinesterase activity and inhibitory effect on lipid peroxidation in mice brain homogenate of Achillea millefolium

Objective:

(

Methods:

Methanol extracts (ME) and ethanol extracts (EE) of

Results:

ME had higher antioxidant activities compared to EE. Both extracts displayed a competitive inhibition of acetylcholinesterase; however, the inhibitory activity of ME was higher than EE. The inhibitory constant (K

Conclusions:

Our results showed that

Synthesis of Novel Symmetrical 1,4-Disubstituted 1,2,3-Bistriazole Derivatives via 'Click Chemistry' and Their Biological Evaluation

A series of symmetric bis-1,2,3-triazole compounds 2-5(a-f) were synthesized as potential antioxidant agents via click chemistry. Their structures were confirmed by ¹H-NMR and (13)C-NMR. All of the synthesized compounds were subjected to antioxidant and antimicrobial assays. The antioxidant activity of these compounds (AChE inhibition, DPPH and SOD activities) was evaluated. Compound 2f was found to show the highest AChE inhibition activity of all compounds, while compound 3b showed a strong inhibitory effect on DPPH radical and compound 2a was the most effective of all compounds for SOD activity. All synthesized compounds were found to possess moderate antibacterial activity against the bacteria E. coli and Y.pseudotuberculosis.

The water soluble peripherally tetra-substituted zinc(ii), manganese(iii) and copper(ii) phthalocyanines as new potential anticancer agents

In this study, [2-(2-morpholin-4-ylethoxy)ethoxy] group substituted zinc(ii), manganese(iii) and copper(ii) phthalocyanines 2–4 and their water soluble derivatives 2a, 3a and 4a were synthesized and the interactions of compounds 2a, 3a and 4a with CT-DNA and supercoiled pBR322 plasmid DNA were investigated.