Brucellosis: Pathophysiology and new promising treatments with medicinal plants and natural antioxidants

Brucellosis is an old, infectious and common zoonosis whose causative agents are Gramnegative bacteria from the Brucella genus. Brucellosis is transmitted through direct contactwith infected animals or using unpasteurized dairy products of goats, pigs, camels, sheep,buffalo and cows. Brucellosis is still the most common zoonosis in the world, with mostof cases occurring in developing countries. Today, an approach to traditional medicine andmedicinal plants, especially with regards to the repeated recommendations of the World HealthOrganization, is a necessity. One-third of chemical drugs are produced by using plants andthere is a high potential to produce more drugs from plants. Medicinal plants are helpful inthe management of various conditions, especially bacterial diseases. Although there is notenough scientific evidence regarding the clinical effectiveness of herbal drugs for the treatmentof brucellosis, there is strong evidence on the antimicrobial effects of herbal drugs to preventinfection. Therefore, this article seeks to describe the antibacterial effects of some plantderived essential oils or extracts, so that they can serve as promising choices to develop newanti-Brucella medications, as suitable alternatives to conventional antibiotics for brucellosis, asmuch as possible, taking into account the benefits of these herbal drugs.

Biosynthesis of titanium dioxide nanoparticles using Hypericum perforatum and Origanum vulgare extracts and their main components,hypericin and carvacrol as promising antibacterial agents

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the anti-bacterial activities of titanium dioxide(Ti O;)nanoparticles of Origanum(O.)vulgare and Hypericum(H.)perforatum extracts,carvacrol and hypericin against Staphylococcus(S.)aureus.METHODS:In this study,Ti O;nanoparticles of O.vulgare and H.perforatum extracts,carvacrol and hypericin,were prepared and their antibacterial effects were evaluated against Staphylococcus(S.)aureus.In this study,scanning electron microscope,fourier transform infrared spectrometer,atomic force microscopy,dynamic light scattering and zeta potential were used to investigate the structure of synthesized drugs.RESULTS:Anti-bacterial activity of synthesized NPs was tested by minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC),minimum bactericidal concentration and disc diffusion method.MICs of Ti O;-NPs synthesized using O.vulgare,H.perforatum,carvacrol and hypericin and Ti O;were obtained 250,62.5,250,and 250,and 500μg/m L,respectively.The MBCs for all of these were obtained 1000μg/m L.CONCLUSION:Green-synthesized of Ti O;nanoparticles provides a promising approach to the use of O.vulgare and H.perforatum,carvacrol and hypericin as novel agents and safer antibacterial compounds,especially anti-S.aureus compounds.

Synthesis of a copolymer carrier for anticancer drug luteolin for targeting human breast cancer cells

OBJECTIVE: To focus a new chemoprevention approach that uses nanotechnology to deliver luteolin to human breast cancer cells(MCF-7), and its underlying mechanism.METHODS: Water-soluble copolymer-encapsulated nanoparticle-luteolin(CENL) was formulated using the hydrophobic drug luteolin. The ability to load and release he anticancer drug into/from the synthesized hyperbranched polyester was evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography.The successful synthesis of CENL was supported by analytical techniques including fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography,and dynamic light scattering. Cell viability was measured using the 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide color method. Reactive oxygen species(ROS) were measured using a dichlorofluorescein probe and intracellular calcium(Cai2+) was evaluated with a flu3-AM probe.RESULTS: The results showed that the drug delivery system is stable and that the loading capacity is high. Treatment with nanoparticles containing luteolin and free luteolin resulted in cell death in breast cancer cells at high concentrations (IC50(33 ± 4) and(48 ± 6) μM, respectively)At high concentrations,CENL reduced cell viability and increased ROS and Cai2+ production.CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that CENL has potential for human breast cancer treatment.