Uzma Faridi

Antimicrobial potential of Glycyrrhiza glabra roots.

The present study was aimed to investigate antimicrobial potential of Glycyrrhiza glabra roots. Antimycobacterial activity of Glycyrrhiza glabra was found at 500 microg/mL concentration. Bioactivity guided phytochemical analysis identified glabridin as potentially active against both Mycobacterium tuberculosis H(37)Ra and H(37)Rv strains at 29.16 microg/mL concentration. It exhibited antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Our results indicate potential use of licorice as antitubercular agent through systemic experiments and sophisticated anti-TB assay.

Gallic acid-based indanone derivatives as anticancer agents.

Gallic acid-based indanone derivatives have been synthesised. Some of the indanones showed very good anticancer activity in MTT assay. Compounds 10, 11, 12 and 14 possessed potent anticancer activity against various human cancer cell lines. The most potent indanone (10, IC(50)=2.2 microM), against MCF-7, that is, hormone-dependent breast cancer cell line, showed no toxicity to human erythrocytes even at higher concentrations (100 microg/ml, 258 microM). While, indanones 11, 12 and 14 showed toxicities to erythrocytes at higher concentrations.

Synthesis of chalcone derivatives on steroidal framework and their anticancer activities

Chalcone derivatives on estradiol framework have been synthesized. Some of the derivatives showed potent anticancer activity against some human cancer cell lines. Compounds 9 and 19 showed potent activity against MCF-7, a hormone dependent breast cancer cell line. Chalcone 7 was further modified to the corresponding indanone derivative (19) using the Nazarov reaction, which showed better activity than the parent compound against the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. Active anticancer derivatives were also evaluated for osmotic hemolysis using the erythrocyte as a model system. It was observed that chalcone derivatives showing cytotoxicity against cancer cell lines did not affect the fragility of erythrocytes and hence may be considered as non-toxic to normal cells.

A promising anticancer and antimalarial component from the leaves of Bidens pilosa.

Bidens pilosa is used in folk medicine for various applications due to the presence of polyacetylenes, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenylpropanoids and others. Bioactivity-guided fractionation of different extracts of B. pilosa leaf showed potential in vitro anticancer and antimalarial activity and led to the identification of a potential marker compound, phenyl-1,3,5-heptatriyne. Erythrocyte osmotic fragility experiments revealed the various extracts as well as the marker components toxicity profiles on normal blood cells.

Proteomics indicates modulation of tubulin polymerization by L-menthol inhibiting human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma cell proliferation†

Menthol is a naturally occurring cyclic monoterpene used in oral hygiene products, confectionary, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, pesticides, and as a flavoring agent. In the present study, we analyzed the differentially expressing proteome in L‐menthol‐treated Caco‐2 cell line as it was found to inhibit cell proliferation. Interestingly, free tubulin proteins were observed to be limited after menthol treatment. Semiquantitative RT‐PCR with α‐tubulin primers showed no change in the level of RNA expression in menthol‐treated cell line. However, tubulin polymerization assay with menthol indicated a trend similar to taxol in promoting microtubule assembly. Further, physical counting of apoptotic nuclei and active caspase‐3 assays confirmed onset of apoptosis though the rate was slower as compared with that of taxol treatment. This study is the first report of a monoterpene L‐menthol modulating tubulin polymerization and apoptosis to inhibit cancer cell proliferation.

Effect of treatment with vitamin D plus calcium on oxidative stress in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Background In diabetes mellitus, uncontrolled hyperglycemia has been reported to induce oxidative stress, which may lead to health complications. Vitamin D, however, acts as a non-enzymatic antioxidant to protect cells against oxidative stress and damage. Objective To investigate the antioxidative effect of vitamin D combined with calcium in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Methods Rats were divided into four groups (ten rats in each group). The first group (control) received a normal diet and water. The second group, including STZ-induced diabetic rats (diabetic controls), received a normal diet and water. The third group, also including STZ-induced diabetic rats, received vitamin D (2000 IU/day) with calcium (500 mg/kg/day) orally for 28 consecutive days. The fourth group consisted of STZ-induced diabetic rats that received insulin treatment for 28 consecutive days. Activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPO) and catalase were measured in the liver tissues. The level of malonaldehyde (MDA) was measured in the plasma. Results Diabetic rats showed a significant decrease in the activities of SOD, GPO and catalase compared to normal rats. Oral administration of vitamin D with calcium to diabetic rats caused a significant increase in the activities of SOD, GPO and catalase compared with the untreated group. Furthermore, the plasma level of MDA was significantly elevated in diabetic rats compared to normal rats. Diabetic rats treated with vitamin D and calcium had a significantly reduced level of MDA, suggesting that vitamin D with calcium played a vital role in the protection of tissues from damage by free radicals. Conclusion Oral supplementation with vitamin D and calcium may be a useful treatment for diabetic patients to reduce/prevent the pathological complications of diabetes.

Protective role of tocopherol and ascorbic acid in taxol-treated human erythrocytes in vitro

Taxol is a well-known anticancer agent. It is used for the treatment of several kinds of cancer, including breast cancer, lung cancer and ovarian cancer. In spite of being a good chemotherapeutic agent, taxol has several side effects. Drug-induced haemolytic anaemia is one of the most common side effects of taxol. This study investigated the haemolytic effect of taxol on normal erythrocytes and the protective effect of natural antioxidants ascorbic acid and tocopherol in the presence of taxol. We evaluated the osmotic fragility and the activity of enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase of erythrocytes in the presence of taxol alone and taxol in combination with tocopherol and ascorbic acid. Taxol-induced haematological perturbation significantly caused haemolysis and reduced the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase in erythrocytes. The antioxidants tocopherol and ascorbic acid demonstrated a protective effect when added to taxol. The combination of tocopherol with taxol significantly protected the osmotic lysis of erythrocytes and increased the activities of superoxide dismutase but had less effect on catalase. Ascorbic acid showed significant protection of erythrocytes from osmotic lysis but didn’t show any significant effect on superoxide and catalase. The results suggest that both antioxidants, especially tocopherol, could exhibit a protective effect against taxol-induced haematological toxicity.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV): Impact on Saudi Arabia, 2015

Abstract Middle East respiratory syndrome is the acute respiratory syndrome caused by betacoronavirus MERS-CoV. The first case of this disease was reported from Saudi Arabia in 2012. This virus is lethal and is a close relative of a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which is responsible for more than 3000 deaths in 2002–2003. According to Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia. The number of new cases is 457 in 2015. Riyadh has the highest number of reports in comparison to the other cities. According to this report, males are more susceptible than female, especially after the age of 40. Because of the awareness and early diagnosis the incidence is falling gradually. The pre-existence of another disease like cancer or diabetic etc. boosts the infection. MERS is a zoonotic disease and human to human transmission is low. The MERS-CoV is a RNA virus with protein envelope. On the outer surface, virus has spike like glycoprotein which is responsible for the attachment and entrance inside host cells. There is no specific treatment for the MERS-CoV till now, but drugs are in pipeline which bind with the spike glycoprotein and inhibit its entrance host cells. MERS-CoV and SAR-CoV are from the same genus, so it was thought that the drugs which inhibit the growth of SARS-CoV can also inhibit the growth of MERS-CoV but those drugs are not completely inhibiting virus activity. Until we don’t have proper structure and the treatment of MERS-CoV, We should take precautions, especially the health care workers, Camel owners and Pilgrims during Hajj and Umrah, because they are at a higher risk of getting infected.