Regenerative Medicine for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Stem Cell-Based Therapies and Brown Adipose Tissue Activation.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a pathological condition prevalent among women of reproductive age: it is associated with varied etiological factors (lifestyle, genetic, environmental…) and characterized by an increased polycystic morphology of the ovaries leading to disturbances in the menstrual cycle and its correlated infertility. Interconnections between PCOS, obesity, and insulin resistance have been recently investigated thoroughly in the scientific community; these findings directed PCOS therapies into unraveling possibilities to target insulin resistance and central adiposity as efficient treatment. On the other hand, brown adipose tissue is known to possess a thermogenic activity that increases lipolysis and directly attenuates fat deposition.

Saffron Extract Attenuates Anxiogenic Effect and Improves Cognitive Behavior in an Adult Zebrafish Model of Traumatic Brain Injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has the highest mortality rates worldwide, yet effective treatment remains unavailable. TBI causes inflammatory responses, endoplasmic reticulum stress, disruption of the blood-brain barrier and neurodegeneration that lead to loss of cognition, memory and motor skills. Saffron ( L.

Addressing the Importance of Stem Cell-Based Therapy: A Perspective in the Treatment of COVID-19.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an extremely pathogenic virus belonging to the family of Coronaviridae. First identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019 after an epidemiological investigation of an emerging cluster of pneumonia of unknown etiology, SARS-CoV-2 was declared the cause of a pandemic on March 11 by the World Health Organization (WHO), pointing to the over 118000 cases of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in over 110 countries. Despite the promising results of drug repositioning studies in the treatment of COVID-19, the evidence of their safety and efficacy remains inconclusive.

Zebrafish toxicity assessment of the photocatalysis-biodegradation of diclofenac using composites of TiO and activated carbon from Argania spinosa tree nutshells and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The occurrence and persistence of pharmaceutical products (PPs) in the environment have recently been well-documented and are a major concern for public health. Their incidence in aquatic ecosystems is the result of their direct release without any prior treatment or insufficient wastewater treatment. Therefore, an efficient and safe posttreatment process for removing PPs must be developed.

P-glycoprotein modulates oleanolic acid effects in hepatocytes cancer cells and zebrafish embryos.

Oleanolic acid (OA) is a triterpenoid, widely found in plants and possesses antitumor activity in many cancer lines. However, cancer cells develop multidrug resistance (mdr) hindering the effect of anticancer drugs. P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is a major cause of mdr.

Ferula hermonis: A Review of Current Use and Pharmacological Studies of its Sesquiterpene Ester Ferutinin.

Ferula hermonis Boiss, is an endemic plant of Lebanon, locally known as "shilsh Elzallouh". It has been extensively used in the traditional medicine as an aphrodisiac and for the treatment of sexual impotence. Crude extracts and isolated compounds of ferula hermonis contain phytoestrogenic substances having a wide spectrum of in vitro and in vivo pharmacological properties including anti-osteoporosis, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-fungal, anti-cancer and as sexual activity enhancer.

Chemical Composition, Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Activity Evaluation of the Lebanese Propolis Extract.

Background: Propolis is a resinous substance produced by bees and known to possess antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory activities.

Objective: This study is aimed at evaluating the in vivo and in vitro anti-inflammatory potential of the Crude Ethanolic Extract (CE) of Lebanese propolis and its Ethyl Acetate Fraction (EAF).

Method: Chemical content of propolis was characterized using high-performance liquid chromatography and LC-MS/MS.

A ferutinin analogue with enhanced potency and selectivity against ER-positive breast cancer cells in vitro.

Estrogen is considered a risk factor for breast cancer since it promotes breast-cell proliferation. The jaesckeanadiol-3-p-hydroxyphenylpropanoate, a hemi-synthetic analogue of the natural phytoestrogen ferutinin (jaesckeanadiol-p-hydroxybenzoate), is designed to be devoid of estrogenic activity. This analogue induces a cytotoxic effect 30 times higher than that of ferutinin towards MCF-7 breast cancer cell line.

Protective effect of fruit extracts against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in muscle progenitors and zebrafish embryos.

Background And Purpose: Oxidative stress is involved in normal and pathological functioning of skeletal muscle. Protection of myoblasts from oxidative stress may improve muscle contraction and delay aging. Here we studied the effect of sumac fruit extract on human myoblasts and zebrafish embryos in conditions of hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress.

HIV-1 Tat protein induces DNA damage in human peripheral blood B-lymphocytes via mitochondrial ROS production.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with B-cell malignancies in patients though HIV-1 is not able to infect B-cells. The rate of B-cell lymphomas in HIV-infected individuals remains high even under the combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) that reconstitutes the immune function. Thus, the contribution of HIV-1 to B-cell oncogenesis remains enigmatic.

Hemisynthesis, Antitumoral Effect, and Molecular Docking Studies of Ferutinin and Its Analogues.

The natural product ferutinin was shown to act as an agonist to estrogen receptor ERα and agonist/antagonist to ERβ featuring a weak antiproliferative activity toward breast cancer cells. To enhance this activity, ferutinin analogues were synthesized by esterification of jaeschkenadiol with different acids. These compounds were assayed for their in vitro antiproliferative activity against estrogen-dependent (MCF-7) and estrogen-independent (MDA-MB-231) breast cancer cell lines.

Berberis libanotica Ehrenb extract shows anti-neoplastic effects on prostate cancer stem/progenitor cells.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs), including those of advanced prostate cancer, are a suggested reason for tumor resistance toward conventional tumor therapy. Therefore, new therapeutic agents are urgently needed for targeting CSCs. Despite the minimal understanding of their modes of action, natural products and herbal therapies have been commonly used in the prevention and treatment of many cancers.

First computational evidence of a competitive stepwise and concerted mechanism for the reduction of antimalarial endoperoxides.

We study structural analogues of endoperoxides belonging to the family of G factors which present moderate to good antimalarial activity. Their biological activity is related to the reduction and cleavage of the O-O bond. Generally, the O-O bond reduction of model endoperoxides, as well as artemisinin, occurs by a concerted dissociative electron transfer (ET) mechanism.

Electrochemical reduction of G3-factor endoperoxide and its methyl ether: evidence for a competition between concerted and stepwise dissociative electron transfer.

The reduction of the bicyclic G-factor endoperoxides G3 and G3Me was studied in N,N-dimethylformamide using cyclic voltammetry and convolution analysis. Electron transfer leads to irreversible cleavage of the O--O bond. Detailed analysis of the voltammetry curves reveals a non-linear dependence on the transfer coefficient indicating a mechanistic transition from a stepwise mechanism to one with more concerted character with increasing potential.

Fe(II)-induced reduction of labelled endoperoxides. NMR degradation studies on G3 factor and its methyl ether.

The behavior of G3 factor and of its methylated or fluorinated analogues G3Me and G3F, was studied under Fe(II) conditions. Degradation products were isolated and characterized in each case. The use of labelled compounds allowed us to propose mechanisms in which a tertiary radical is involved.

Alkylation of natural endoperoxide G3-factor. Synthesis and antimalarial activity studies.

Alkylation of the peroxyhemiketal function is described and all synthesised endoperoxides show good antimalarial activity. New rearrangement reactions in the presence of CsCO3, and preliminary results on Fe(II) chemical reduction of the O-O bond are presented.

Crucial role of the peroxyketal function for antimalarial activity in the G-factor series.

New endoperoxides, related to the natural phytohormones known as G factors (G1, G2, G3), were modified on the side chain and the ketalic position. An unexpected rearrangement, specific to one diastereoisomer was observed in the deprotection step of O-silylated compounds and attributed to a hexacoordinated fluorosilicon intermediate. The reduction potential of these new peroxides was determined.