Mohammad Lalmoddin Mollah

Antiobesity effects of wild ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) mediated by PPAR-γ, GLUT4 and LPL in ob/ob mice

The antiobesity effect of wild ginseng (WG; Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) in male obese leptin‐deficient (B6.V‐Lepob, ‘ob/ob’) mice was evaluated. WG was administered orally to mice at doses of 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg daily for 4 weeks. The WG‐treated ob/ob mice showed a loss of body weight and a decrease in blood glucose levels compared with control mice. WG regulated the mRNA expression level especially, it increased peroxisome proliferators‐activated receptors‐γ (PPAR‐γ) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in adipose tissue, as well as glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) and insulin receptor (IR) in the skeletal muscle and liver. Taken together, these results suggest that WG may play a vital role in the antiobesity effect in ob/ob mice; this has importance in insulin sensitivity. This may prove to be of clinical importance in improving the management of obesity and related metabolic syndromes. Copyright

Bulnesia Sarmienti Aqueous Extract Inhibits Inflammation in LPS-Stimulated RAW 264.7 Cells

Bulnesia sarmienti (BS), a traditional South American herbal medicine native to Gran Chaco, has been used to treat various human ailments. We investigated the cytotoxic activities and the inhibitory effects of BS bark extract(0, 50, 100 and ) on the production of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin (), cyclooxygenase (COX) and proinflammatory cytokines (, IL-6 and ) in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (100 ng/ml)-stimulated murine macrophage cell line RAW264.7. The levels of NO, COX, PGE2 production and proinflammatory cytokines (, IL-6 and ) were measured by ELISA kit. Cell viability, as measured by the MTT assay, showed that BS extract had no significant cytotoxicity in RAW264.7 cells. BS extract significantly inhibited the LPS-induced NO, and COX production accompanied by an attenuation of , IL-6 and formation in macrophages. These results suggest that BS extract has potential as an herbal medicine for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Anticancer Activity and Apoptotic Effects of Bulnesia sarmienti against Human Lung Cancer H460 Cells

Bulnesia sarmienti (BS), a traditional South American herbal medicine native to Gran Chaco, has been used to treat various human ailments. The effects of BS aqueous extract (100, 200, and 400 microg/ml) on H460 cell lines were investigated. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) confirmed that BS contains catechins as major compound. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, cell cycle analysis, DNA fragmentation, apoptosis, and immunoblot analysis on cells were carried out. BS has strong cytotoxic activity on the H460 cell lines (IC50; less than 100 microg/ml) in MTT assay. Flow cytometry indicated that BS arrested the cell cycle in the sub-G1 phase. When BS was treated on H460 cells, DNA fragmentation was increased, and early apoptotic cells were shown to be positive by annexin V staining. Also, the expressions of the p53 and Bax were increased and Bcl-2 protein was downregulated with BS treatment. These results indicated that the BS has anticancer activity on H460 cells and BS may be useful in future therapeutic applications for developing anticancer agents.

Growth-inhibitory effects of a Bulnesia sarmienti aqueous extract on A549 Cells in vitro and S180 cells in vivo

The effects of Bulnesia sarmienti (BS) aqueous extract on the cell growth of A549 cell lines were investigated. BS has strong cytotoxic activity on the A549 cell lines (IC50; less than 100 μ g/mL) in MTT assay. HPLC confirmed that BS contains catechins as major compound. Cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry indicated that BS arrested the cell cycle in the sub-G1 phase. BS induced DNA fragmentation, and increased the expression of the p53 protein in immunoblot analysis. These results indicated that the anticancer effect of BS was mediated via the process of apoptosis and growth-inhibition.