Publications by authors named "Myra O Villareal"

Many ovarian cancers initially respond well to chemotherapy, but often become drug-resistant after several years. Therefore, analysis of drug resistance mechanisms and overcoming resistance are urgently needed. Paclitaxel is one of the first-choice and widely-used drugs for ovarian cancer, but like most drugs, drug resistance is observed in subsequent use.

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Plant saponins are abundant and diverse natural products with a great potential for use in drug-discovery research. Here, we evaluated extracts of saponins-rich fractions of argan leaves and argan oil extraction byproducts (shell, pulp, press cake) for their effect on melanogenesis. Results show that from among the samples tested, only the saponins-rich fraction from leaves (ALS) inhibited melanin production in B16 murine melanoma (B16) cells.

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The beneficial effect on health of argan oil is recognized worldwide. We have previously reported that the cake that remains after argan oil extraction (argan press-cake or APC) inhibits melanogenesis in B16 melanoma cells in a time-dependent manner without cytotoxicity. In this study, the global gene expression profile of B16 melanoma cells treated with APC extract was determined in order to gain an understanding of the possible mechanisms of action of APC.

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This study identified anserine and anserine/carnosine in chicken breast of Thai native chicken (TNC; 100% Thai native), Thai synthetic chicken (TSC; 50% Thai native), and Thai native crossbred chicken (TNC crossbred; 25% Thai native) compared with commercial broiler chicken (BR; 0% Thai native) using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and the effect on antioxidant activity using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay (DPPH). We conducted experiments with a completely randomized design and explored principal components analysis (PCA) and orthogonal projection to latent structure-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) to identify the distinguishing metabolites and relative concentrations from H NMR spectra among the groups. The relative concentrations and antioxidant properties among the groups were analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the general linear model (GLM).

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The use of natural products for the regulation of skin pigmentation is gaining popularity. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of argan leaves extract (ALE) on melanogenesis in B16 melanoma cells, determined its antioxidant activity, then quantified and identified its phenolic components. B16 cells were treated with various concentrations of ALE, then the cell viability and proliferation were assessed using MTT assay while the melanin content was determined using spectrophotometric methods.

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The hair follicle undergoes a regular cycle composed of three phases: anagen, catagen, and telogen. The life of follicular melanocytes is totally linked to the hair cycle; and during anagen or the growth phase, the melanocytes are active and produce the melanin responsible of hair shaft pigmentation. Various signaling pathways regulate the hair growth cycle and, therefore, the pigmentation; we distinguish the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway as it plays a major role in the development, growth, and proliferation of the melanocytes and the activation of melanogenesis enzymes and the related transcription factor.

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We have previously reported that argan oil and argan press-cake from the kernels of have an anti-melanogenesis effect. Here, the effect of argan fruit shell ethanol extract (AFSEE) on melanogenesis in B16F10 cells was determined, and the mechanism underlying its effect was elucidated. The proliferation of AFSEE-treated B16F10 cells was evaluated using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, while the melanin content was quantified using a spectrophotometric method.

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Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer with a very poor prognosis. Melanoma develops when unrepaired DNA damage causes to skin cells to multiply and form malignant tumors. The current therapy is limited by the highly ability of this disease to metastasize rapidly.

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The hair follicle is a complex structure that goes through a cyclic period of growth (anagen), regression (catagen), and rest (telogen) under the regulation of several signaling pathways, including Wnt/ β-catenin, FGF, Shh, and Notch. The Wnt/β-catenin signaling is specifically involved in hair follicle morphogenesis, regeneration, and growth. β-catenin is expressed in the dermal papilla and promotes anagen induction and duration, as well as keratinocyte regulation and differentiation.

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Background: Melanoma is one of the most invasive and aggressive types of cancer with a very poor prognosis. Surgery remains the most efficient treatment prior melanoma invasion and metastasis formation. However, therapy becomes a challenge once the cancer cells colonized other tissues.

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Oil extraction from the kernels of Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels (Sapotaceae), an endemic tree of Morocco, produces argan press-cake (APC) used as a shampoo and to treat sprains, scabies, and for healing wounds. We have previously reported that argan oil has antimelanogenesis effect.

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Scope: l-citrulline has recently been reported as a more effective supplement for promoting intracellular nitric oxide (NO) production compared to l-arginine. Here, the effect of l-citrulline on skeletal muscle and its influence on exercise performance were investigated. The underlying mechanism of its effect, specifically on the expression of skeletal muscle peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), was also elucidated.

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Melanin provides inherent protection against skin cancer by absorbing broad-spectrum radiant energy of UV radiation. Cutaneous malignant melanoma incidence has recently been observed to increase and the frequency is closely associated with the skin color, highlighting the importance of skin pigmentation. Here, we showed how melanin biosynthesis is enhanced by treatment with phenolic compounds-rich (CYM) in B16 murine melanoma cells and human epidermal melanocytes (HEM).

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Background: Mood disorder accounts for 13 % of global disease burden. And while therapeutic agents are available, usually orally administered, most have unwanted side effects, and thus making the inhalation of essential oils (EOs) an attractive alternative therapy. Rosmarinus officinalis EO (ROEO), Mediterranean ROEO reported to improve cognition, mood, and memory, the effect on stress of which has not yet been determined.

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Terpinen-4-ol (TP4O) is the main component of the essential oil extracted from , known as the tea tree, of the botanical family Myrtaceae. The anticancer effects of TP4O have been reported in several cancer cell lines. Previous reports have demonstrated that TP4O exerts anticancer effects by inducing apoptotic cell death in several cell lines; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms of these effects remain unclear.

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Chronic knee joint pain is common in the elderly and associated with poor quality of life. This study, an open-label clinical trial, aimed to examine how the intake on a daily basis of maslinic acid-containing product (30 mg maslinic acid) on 29 elderly residents (mean 70.7 ± 10.

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Regular exercise and physical training enhance physiological capacity and improve metabolic diseases. Skeletal muscles require peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) in the process of their adaptation to exercise owing to PGC-1α's ability to regulate mitochondrial biogenesis, angiogenesis, and oxidative metabolism. Cyanidin-3-glucoside (Cy3G) is a natural polyphenol and a nutraceutical factor, which has several beneficial effects on human health.

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Aim: To investigate the anticancer mechanisms of the monoterpenoid alcohol linalool in human colon cancer cells.

Methods: The cytotoxic effect of linalool on the human colon cancer cell lines and a human fibroblast cell line was examined using the WST-8 assay. The apoptosis-inducing effect of linalool was measured using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling assay and flow cytometry with Annexin V.

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Consumption of olives ( L.) is associated with a low incidence of inflammation-related diseases. Olive fruit is rich in bioactive pentacyclic triterpenoids, mainly maslinic acid.

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Obesity is a serious health problem and a major risk factor for the onset of several diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer. The conversion of white adipocytes to brown-like adipocytes, also called beige or brite adipocytes, by pharmacological and dietary compounds has gained attention as an effective treatment for obesity. Cyanidin-3-glucoside (Cy3G), a polyphenolic compound contained in black soybean, blueberry and grape, has several antiobesity effects.

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The health benefits of Mediterranean diet has long been reported and attributed to the consumption of virgin olive oil (VOO). Here, we evaluated the neuroprotective effect of VOO against Alzheimer's disease by determining its effect on β-amyloid (Aβ)-induced cytotoxicity and oxidative stress, and explored the possibility that its hydroxycinnamic acids (Hc acids) content contribute significantly to this effect. SH-SY5Y cells treated with or without Aβ and with VOO or Hc acids (mixture of p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, vanillic acid, and caffeic acid) were subjected to MTT assay and the results showed that both samples alleviated Aβ-induced cytotoxicity.

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Scope: Consumption of olives (Olea europaea L.), including table olives and oil, is associated with low incidence of inflammation-related diseases. In this study, the effects of maslinic acid (MA), the main constituent of olive pomace, on the expression of genes and proteins involved in inflammatory activity in RAW 264.

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The generation of blood cellular components from hematopoietic stem cells is important for the therapy of a broad spectrum of hematological disorders. In recent years, several lines of evidence suggested that certain nutrients, vitamins and flavonoids may have important roles in controlling the stem cell fate decision by maintaining their self-renewal or stimulating the lineage-specific differentiation. In this study, main olive leaf phytochemicals oleuropein (Olp), apigenin 7-glucoside (Api7G) and luteolin 7-glucoside (Lut7G) were investigated for their potential effects on hematopoietic stem cell differentiation using both phenotypic and molecular analysis.

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Black soybean is a health food has been reported to have antidiabetes effect. The onset of diabetes is closely associated with adipocyte differentiation, and at present, the effect of black soybean on adipocyte differentiation is unknown. Here, we investigated the antidiabetes effect of black soybean, and its anthocyanin cyanidin-3-glucoside (Cy3G), on adipocyte differentiation.

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