Murat Erturk

The in vitro antibacterial activity of Turkish medicinal plants

A total of 76 extracts from 35 plants available in the Turkish flora were assayed for their in vitro antibacterial activities against five pathogenic bacteria and a yeast. Sixteen crude extracts from eight plant species were found to possess an activity against at least one or more test microorganisms. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the most active crude extracts was also carried out with the most active extracts. Activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Branhamella catarrhalis, Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens and Candida albicans (yeast) is discussed.

Antimicrobial activity of extracts from the cell cultures of some Turkish medicinal plants.

Twenty‐four callus, and eleven cell suspension, cultures were established from Turkish medicinal plants, and crude extracts prepared from them tested against microorganisms to assess their antimicrobial activities in vitro. Of the extracts tested, those belonging to the cell cultures of five of the plant species showed antibacterial activity against mainly three bacteria and a yeast. No activity was observed against herpes simplex viruses, HSV‐I and II, but an extract from Hypericum capitatum showed a slight antiretroviral activity against HIV‐I. Copyright

The relation of lymphoma and hepatitis B virus/hepatitis C virus infections in the region of East Black Sea, Turkey.

Aim and background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are not only hepatotropic, but also lymphotropic viruses. Infections with these viruses induce chronic antigenicity and may stimulate clonal expansion of malignant B-cell neoplasms. Moreover, these viruses can proliferate in lymphatic structures and bone marrow. However, the relationship between lymphomas and HBV/HCV infections is not clear. In our region of the East Black Sea, Turkey (the city of Trabzon), we intended to demonstrate a relation of lymphoma and HBV/HCV infections with a case-controlled study. Methods A total of 109 patients diagnosed with lymphoma between 2002–2005 in the Black Sea Technical University Hospital was investigated. Seventy-one patients had a high-grade and 38 patients a low-grade lymphoma. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and anti-HCV antibodies (anti-HCV Ab) were screened. The control group consisted of patients (n = 551) from other departments with diagnoses other than lymphoma. Results HBsAg was 3.7% and anti-HCV Ab positivity was 2.8% in lymphoma patients, compared with control of 5.3%, 5.1%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between two groups (P = 0.7, OR = 0.69, 95% CI, 0.20–2.10; P = 0.4, OR = 0.53, 95% CI, 0.13–1.86, respectively). Conclusion Our findings suggest that the incidence of HBV and HCV infections in lymphoma patients is no different than that of nonlymphoma patients. Therefore, no direct correlation can be deduced between lymphoma and HBV-HCV infections in our East Black Sea region of Turkey.

Induction of potent protection against acute and latent herpes simplex virus infection in mice vaccinated with dendritic cells

BACKGROUND AIMS Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent antigen presenting cells of the immune system and have been under intense study with regard to their use in immunotherapy against cancer and infectious disease agents. In the present study, DCs were employed to assess their value in protection against live virus challenge in an experimental model using lethal and latent herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection in Balb/c mice. METHODS DCs obtained ex vivo in the presence of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and interleukin-4 were loaded with HSV-1 proteins (DC/HSV-1 vaccine). Groups of mice were vaccinated twice, 7 days apart, via subcutaneous, intraperitoneal or intramuscular routes with DC/HSV-1 and with mock (DC without virus protein) and positive (alum adjuvanted HSV-1 proteins [HSV-1/ALH]) control vaccines. After measuring anti-HSV-1 antibody levels in blood samples, mice were given live HSV-1 intraperitoneally or via ear pinna to assess the protection level of the vaccines with respect to lethal or latent infection challenge. RESULTS Intramuscular, but not subcutaneous or intraperitoneal, administration of DC/HSV-1 vaccine provided complete protection against lethal challenge and establishment of latent infection as assessed by death and virus recovery from the trigeminal ganglia. It was also shown that the immunity was not associated with antibody production because DC/HSV-1 vaccine, as opposed to HSV-1/ALH vaccine, produced very little, if any, HSV-1-specific antibody. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our results may have some impact on the design of vaccines against genital HSV as well as chronic viral infections such as hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus.

Induction of secretory aspartyl proteinase of Candida albicans by HIV-1 but not HSV-2 or some other microorganisms associated with vaginal environment

The most common type of candidiasis involves mucosal sites such as the oral cavity, the gastrointestinal tract and the vagina. Among many of virulence factors, the production of secretory aspartyl proteinase (Sap) by Candida albicans (C. albicans) has gained much attention, and factors leading to Sap induction are thus under intense study. The aim of this study was to examine whether some microorganisms such as Lactobacillus, Gardnerella vaginalis (G. vaginalis), human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) and human herpes simplex virus type-2 (HSV-2) had any Sap inducing effect on C. albicans. Here we showed that among the microorganisms tested in vitro only HIV-1 induced Sap production from C. albicans.

Significance of cagA status and vacA subtypes of Helicobacter pylori in determining gastric histopathology: Virulence markers of H. pylori and histopathology

Background:  It has been suggested that Helicobacter pylori strains containing the cytotoxin‐associated gene A (cagA), and s1m1 genotype of vacuolating cytotoxin gene A (vacA) may have been associated with peptic ulcer disease. The aim of the present study was to analyze such an association of cagA presence and vacA subtypes of H. pylori with histopathological findings in patients with gastritis.

Effect of plasma from patients with Behçet's disease on the production of nitric oxide in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Objective: To determine the effect of plasma from patients with Behçet’s disease (BD) on the production of nitric oxide (NO) in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Subjects and Methods: NO levels were measured in cell culture media after 24-hour incubation of the cells with plasma obtained from 22 BD patients and 16 age/sex-matched healthy control subjects. After treatment of the patients with colchicine and/or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, 12 of the patients were considered to be in the inactive phase of the disease. Levels of NO production were also measured in these 12 patients. In addition to the in vitro experiments, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, α1-antitrypsin, α2-macroglobulin and neutrophil counts were measured in the patients and controls. Results: Levels of NO in active state BD patients (15.9 µmol/106 cells) were significantly lower than values obtained from both patients in the inactive period (19.2 µmol/106 cells) and the control group (19.7 µmol/106 cells). No significant differences were observed in induced NO products between the patients in the inactive stage and control subjects. Conclusion: Plasma from BD patients decreased the level of NO production in the HUVECs, and therefore may cause dysfunction in the endothelial NO synthase activity.