Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression is facilitated by gene-silencing chromatin histone hypoacetylation due to histone deacetylase (HDAC) activation. However, inhibiting HDACs-an effective treatment for lymphomas-has shown limited success in solid tumors. We report the discovery of a class of HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) that demonstrates exquisite selective cytotoxicity against human HCC cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe describe the discovery and structure of an undecapeptide natural product from a marine sponge, termed halichondamide A, that is morphed into a fused bicyclic ring topology via two disulfide bonds. Molecular dynamics simulations allow us to posit that the installation of one disulfide bond biases the intermediate peptide conformation and predisposes the formation of the second disulfide bond. The natural product was found to be mildly cytotoxic against liver and breast cancer cell lines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Diethylnitrosamine (DEN) is found in workplaces, processed meats, tobacco smoke, whiskey, etc. It is capable of forming DNA-adducts. Fluted pumpkin ( []) is a medicinal plant, and its herbal preparations have been employed variously in ethnomedicine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2 pathogen, has led to waves of global pandemic claiming lives and posing a serious threat to public health and social cum physical interactions. To evaluate the mutational landscape and conserved regions in the genome of the causative pathogen, we analysed 7213 complete SARS-CoV-2 protein sequences mined from the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) repository from infected patients across all regions on the EpiCov web interface. Regions of origin and the corresponding number of sequences mined are as follows: Asia - 2487; Oceania - 2027; Europe - 1240; Africa - 717; South America - 391; and North America - 351.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToxicities due to exposure to arsenic-contaminated water and the occurrence of diabetes mellitus are major health concerns. Treatment of these concerns using therapeutic measures have recorded limited success. Traditionally, (LA) has been used in managing various diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: This study examined the levels of selected micronutrients and associated biochemical changes in rats exposed to Baygon® insecticide. Arsenic is a toxic metalloid commonly used in insecticides manufacture but unheralded.
Methods: Fifteen rats, divided into three equal groups: Group I (control); group II (administered 2.
Background Concomitant exposure to environmental/occupational toxicants such as aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and arsenic in some regions of the world has been well reported. Therefore, this calls for the assessment of the efficacy of agents such as phytochemicals, which are already known for their ethno-medicinal uses in prophylaxis/remediation. We investigated the possible cytotoxic bio-interactions between AFB1 and sodium arsenite (SA) in urinary bladder cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Complement Altern Med
August 2017
Background: Epidemiological and experimental evidences have shown cancer as a leading cause of death worldwide. Although the folklore use of plants as a reliable source of health-restoring principles is well-documented, the search for more of such plants that are active against diseases, such as cancer, continues. We report here a laboratory-based evidence of the relevance of an ethanol leaf extract of Anogeissus leiocarpus (A2L) in comparison with resveratrol, a natural polyphenol, in cancer therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The fatality of cancer is mostly dependent on the possibility of occurrence of metastasis. Thus, if the development of metastasis can be prevented through novel therapeutic strategies targeted against this process, then the success of cancer treatment will drastically increase. In this study, therefore, we evaluated the antimetastatic potentials of an extract of Khaya senegalensis and curcumin on the metastatic liver cell line HepG2, and also assessed the anticancer property of the extract.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF