Anticancer activity of Salvia officinalis essential oil and its principal constituents against hormone-dependent tumour cells

Objective: To investigate the in vitro antiproliferative action of essential oil from Salvia officinalis L.(S. officinalis) grown in Sicily(Italy), and its main components on hormone-dependent cancer cell lines. Methods: S. officinalis essential oil was prepared by hydrodistillation. The actions of the S. officinalis essential oil and its three principal components(毩-thujone, 1,8-cineole and camphor) were evaluated in LNCaP cells(prostate carcinoma), MCF7 cells(breast carcinoma) and He La cells(cervical carcinoma) at various dosages and diverse time points. Cell viability and proliferation were estimated using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Results: S. officinalis essential oil at doses of 100 μg/m L and 200 μg/m L induced a significant reduction of cell viability in MCF7, LNCa P and He La cell lines after a 48-hour incubation. The same cell lines also showed decreased cell viability when they were treated with a mixture of three major components of the essential oil, at doses of 100 μg/mL and 200 μg/mL, after a 48-hour incubation. Conclusions: These preliminary results could shed light on the formulation of new therapeutic agents with antiproliferative activity. Thus supplementary investigations are fundamental to examine the molecular mechanisms of the anticancer effects of this species of Salvia in cancer cells and to achieve confirmation of its in vivo anticancer activity.

Epidemiology of antibiotic resistance in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso(West Africa) is a tropical country with a high incidence of infectious diseases.The uncontrolled use of antibiotics against bacterial pathogens has given rise to the emergence of antibiotic resistance in this country.The aims of this study were;i) to determine the prevalences of the most important pathogenic bacteria isolated in the town of Ouagadougou;ii) to identify the bacterial species which have acquired resistance as a result of antibiotic selection;iii) to compare antibiotic-resistances of Escherichia coli isolated from stool culture in the present study with results obtained in 2002 from strains collected in the same structure in Burkina Faso;iv) to determine the trend of antibiotic resistance in Burkina Faso in order to give local advice on the most appropriate empiric antibiotic therapy.Six thousand two hundred and sixty four samples of blood,stools, urine,sputum,pus and vaginal secretion were collected and analyzed in Saint Camille Medical Center(SCMC) laboratory from May 2001 to May 2006.Out of the 6264 samples tested no pathogen was identified in 1583(25.31%),whilst 4681(74.73%) were positive with the incidence of the microrganisms isolated being as follows;Escherichia coli 1291(27.6%),Staphylococcus aureus 922(19.7%),Salmonella spp 561(12. 0%),Streptococcus spp 499(10.7%),Klebsiella spp 359(7.7%),Shigella spp(6.3%),Acinetobacter spp 266(5.7%) and others 783(16.7%).Among the isolated pathogens,the highest resistance was found to amoxicillin:Proteus spp 95,6%,Escherichia coli 78,2%,Salmonella spp 62,2%,Shigella spp 73,4% and Klebsiella spp 89,9%,followed by resistance to ampicillin and cotrimoxazole.Comparing the prevalence of antibiotic resistance of Escherichia cob’from stool cultures isolated during 1999-2000 to that of 2001-2006, a significant reduction was found which could be due to the improved use of antibiotics in recent years.The reduced antibiotic-resistance observed in pathogens isolated in Burkina Faso during this study as compared to previous data,could be the result of setting up microbiological epidemiological monitoring centres,in tropical countries,to better control the emergence of bacterial antibiotic-resistance.

Antiproliferative Activity of “<i>Lycopersicon esculentum</i>” Leaves (Var. Paul Robenson): Preliminary Study

Among plants, the Lycopersicon esculentum (Solanaceae) is the most important for its beneficial effects on health. Several epidemiological studies have shown the benefits of tomato consumption in the cancer and cardiovascular disease prevention. Tomato products constitute the major source of lycopene, the most potent antioxidant among carotenoids in vitro. In tomatoes leaves are also present many secondary metabolites including phenolic compounds, phytoalexins, protease inhibitors and glycoalkaloids who protect against adverse effects of hosts including fungi, bacteria, viruses, and insects and are involved in host-plant resistance. In this work we evaluated the antiproliferative activity of tomato leaves extract (var. Paul Robenson) in vitro.

Marine natural product lepadin A as a novel inducer of immunogenic cell death via CD91-dependent pathway

Immunogenic Cell Death(ICD)represents a mechanism of enhancing T cell-driven response against tumor cells.The process is enabled by release of damage-associated molecular patterns(DAMPs)and cytokines by dying cells.Based on molecular studies and clinical marker assessment,ICD can be a new target for cancer chemotherapy hitherto restricted to a few conventional anticancer drugs.In view of the development of small molecules in targeted cancer therapy,we reported the preliminary evidence on the role of the natural product lepadin A(1)as a novel ICD inducer.Here we describe the ICD mechanism of lepadin A(1)by proving the translocation of the protein calreticulin(CRT)to the plasma membrane of human A2058 melanoma cells.CRT exposure is an ICD marker in clinical studies and was associated with the activation of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway in A2058 cells with lepadin A(1).After the treatment,the tumour cells acquired the ability to activate dendritic cells(DCs)with cytokine release and costimulatory molecule expression that is consistent with a phenotypic profile committed to priming T lymphocytes via a CD91-dependent mechanism.The effect of lepadin A(1)was dose-dependent and comparable to the response of the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin(2),a well-established ICD inducer.

5-Alkylpyrrole-2-carboxaldehyde derivatives from the Chinese sponge Mycale lissochela and their PTP1B inhibitory activities

Two new 5-alkylpyrrole-2-carboxaldehyde derivatives,mycalenitrile-15（1） and mycalenitrile-16（2）,along with five known related ones（3-7）,were isolated from the South China Sea sponge Mycale lissochela.The structures of the new compounds were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis and by comparison of their NMR data with those reported in the literature.In bioassay,compounds 1 and 7 exhibited significant PTPIB（Protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B,a recognized target for diabetes and obesity） inhibitory activities with IC（50） values of 8.6 and 3.1 μmoI/L,respectively.A preliminary SAR analysis of the isolated compounds with their PTP1 B inhibitory effects was described.