Biological and Biomedical Journal

Therapeutic, chemo-sensitizing, protective effects of natural products against cancerous cells: Preclinical and clinical studies

Karim S. El-Said, Seham M. El-Feki — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

There are times when it is challenging to stop chemotherapy side effects from happening when the patient is receiving treatment. Nowadays, the treatment with chemotherapy combinations is frequently utilized to treat different forms of cancer. The key benefit of utilizing numerous medications was thought to be the ability to lower dosages, which may result in decrease resistance and the maintenance of the same efficacy or, with a higher efficacy, or a synergistic impact. It has been suggested that pharmacological combinations consisting of natural products (NPs) and dietary supplements can have benefits comparable to those of traditional chemotherapy treatments, but with fewer side effects. Pre-clinical and clinical studies were carried out to evaluate how NPs worked against malignant cells. Thus, the optimal balance between potential side effects and anticancer activity is desperately needed. The therapeutic, chemosensitizing, and protective activities of NPs against malignant cells are covered in this review.

Circulating DiGeorge syndrome critical region (5) as a tumor suppressor gene in hepatocellular carcinoma

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was reported to have down-regulated DiGeorge syndrome critical region (5) (DGCR5). In HCC, it may function as a tumor-suppressive gene. To study DGCR5 relative expression level in HCC, a hundred and sixty participants were involved in this study. They were split up into two categories: Group I consisted of 70 patients with HCC identified by imaging (dynamic MRI or triphasic CT) or biopsy; Group II consisted of 90 healthy individuals acting as the control group. A complete history, a general clinical examination, the analysis of clinic pathological data for patients with HCC, and laboratory investigations were performed on all patients and controls. These procedures included the following: 1- Liver function tests, such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), aspartate and alanine transaminases (AST and ALT), total bilirubin and serum albumin, detection of HBsAg and HCV Ab. 2- Serum Creatinine. 3- Using real-time PCR, quantify the relative expression levels of (DGCR5). Serum creatinine, albumin, ALT, AST, and AFP levels were considerably higher in HCC patients than in controls, and DGCR5 relative expression level was down regulated. With total bilirubin, serum albumin, AST, and AFP, there was a statistically significant decline in the relative expression level of DGCR5 with TNM staging.

Conclusion: DGCR5 acts as a tumor suppressor gene in HCC.

Effect of Eremina desertorum eggs on hepato-renal toxicity induced by cisplatin drug

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Cisplatin (Cis) is a chemotherapeutic drug that has been used in the treatment of various types of cancers. However, the drug showed various toxic side effects on vital organs. This study aims to investigate the hepato-renal protective effect of Eremnia desertorum eggs powder (EDEP) in Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma (EAC) bearing mice treated with Cis. Five groups of female Swiss albino mice were allotted as follows: Group (Gp1) served as a negative control, Gp2-Gp5 had inoculated intraperitoneally (i.p) with 1×10⁶ EAC cells/mouse. Then, Gp2 was left without treatment as a positive control (EAC-bearing mice). After 24 hours, Gp3, and Gp4 had injected i.p. with Cis (2 mg/kg) EDEP (500 mg/kg) daily for 7 consecutive days, respectively. Gp5 was injected with a combination of Cis/EDEP as in Gp3 and Gp4. All treated groups were sacrificed at day 12, and the percentage of the body weight changes (%b.wt), tumor indices, haematological and biochemical parameters, and antioxidant /oxidant biomarkers as well as histological alterations of liver and kidney tissues were investigated. The results showed that the % b.wt changes were increased in EAC-bearing mice and EAC-bearing mice that were treated with EDEP. While, the treatment of EAC-bearing mice with Cis decreased the % b.wt changes. The treatment of EAC-bearing mice with a combination of Cis/EDEP led to an improvement in AST, ALT, urea, creatinine, antioxidant enzyme activities, and ameliorated the histopathological toxicities in the liver and kidneys in EAC-bearing mice.

Anti-microbial and cytotoxic activities of green and ripe banana peels

Amal M. Kawila, Ahmed F. Hasan, Haneen M. Hameed, Hadeer M. Atia — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Banana peels (BPs) have an excellent nutrient content due to presence of many bioactive compounds. However, an enormous amount of them is wasted daily, leading to environmental pollution. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-microbial and in vitro cytotoxic activities of green and ripe peel extracts (GPE and RPE, respectively) of banana. Total phenolic (TPC), total flavonoid (TFC), saponin contents, DPPH, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total protein (T.P), lipid (T.L), carbohydrate (T.C), were detected in GPE and RPE. Gas- chromatography mass spectrophotometry (GC-MS) analysis was determined in BPs extracts. Anti-fungal, antibacterial and cytotoxic activities were determined. The results showed that the TPC, TFC, saponin, T.P, T.L T.C and TAC contents in GPE were much higher than those in RPE. According to the results, only hexadecanoic acid was found in both extracts. Both GPE and RPE did not show anti-fungal activity, however, the GPE showed superior anti-bacterial and cytotoxic activities than RPE. Overall, the GPE had higher potential anti- microbial and cytotoxic effects than RPE.

Antitumor efficacy of atorvastatin in lung cancer mice model

Karim S. El-Said , Merna S. Attia, Elsayed I. Salim — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

One of the most prevalent cancers in the world is lung cancer. Various factors, multiple inherited, and acquired mechanisms contribute to lung carcinogenesis. The cholesterol-lowering medication atorvastatin (ATOR) has been demonstrated to have additional intriguing biological uses, such as anticancer effects. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of ATOR treatment against lung cancer in mice model. Forty-five male CD-1 mice were divided into 3 groups (n = 15) as the follows: Group 1 (G1) was used as a normal control. Gps 2 and 3 were administered with urethane (Ure) (1mg/g) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) (200 mg/kg) for lung cancer initiation and promotion, respectively. G2 was left as a cancer-bearing group. G3 was post-treated with 10 mg/kg ATOR. The results showed that the treatment of Ure/BHT-administered mice with ATOR led to a significant decreased in the tumour incidences, multiplicities, and sizes as compared with each treatment alone. Further, the treatment with ATOR has significantly induced apoptosis in lung tumour cells without adverse side effects.

In vitro antitumor efficacy of atorvastatin against acute monocytic leukemia cells

Karim S. El-Said, Bassant E. Abdelmoaty, Elsayed I. Salim — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Chemotherapy is a potential setting for the treatment of acute monocytic leukaemia (AML). It has recently been demonstrated that statins (hydroxymethyl glutaryl CoA reductase inhibitors) are involved in some antitumor pathways against tumour cells to overcome side effects and increase the efficacy of chemotherapy. The present study was designed to address the molecular and biochemical effects of atorvastatin (ATOR) therapy against the human leukaemia monocytic THP-1 cell line. By in vitro studies, MTT assay was performed to determine the IC₅₀ levels of ATOR against the THP-1 cell line. Also, apoptosis and cell cycle were determined after exposure of THP-1 cells to an IC₅₀ dose of ATOR versus the non-treated THP-1 cells. Flow cytometry analysis showed apoptotic-inducing capacity and arrested the cell cycle in the G2/M phase after the treatment with ATOR. In conclusion, ATOR increases the percentages of apoptotic leukemic THP-1 cells and arrested their cell cycle.

Psychiatric disorders: diagnosis and treatment using Artificial Intelligence techniques

Seed Awad M. Atya, Mohamed O. Abd Elfatah, Shaymaa S. Kater — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The surge in artificial intelligence (AI) applications within psychiatric research and diagnosis has witnessed significant growth in recent years. This study investigates the use of AI to facilitate early medical condition diagnosis and enhance our understanding of disease progression, particularly in the realm of psychiatric disorders. The primary objective is to explore and employ various AI algorithms for the identification of biomarkers associated with psychiatric conditions. Data and methods involve the application of diverse algorithms for classifying psychiatric disorders, with a meticulous comparison of their accuracy. Additionally, a model is developed based on these algorithms, aiming to optimize diagnostic precision. Results indicate a notable 70% accuracy in the dataset, highlighting the efficacy of deep learning approaches in handling extensive data sets. The findings underscore the potential of deep learning in clinical datasets and its application in the future detection of mental health issues. Despite the commendable performance of deep learning, criticisms persist regarding its accountability during development and assessment phases. While AI has made significant strides in detecting psychiatric diseases, this study identifies areas for improvement in AI-based applications. Notably, the current model's limited generalizability due to its analysis of homogeneous datasets prompts the consideration of future approaches, including migration learning, multi-view learning, and ensemble learning, to handle diverse and extensive psychiatric disease data sets.