Evaluation of AISI Type 304 stainless steel as a suitable surface material for evaluating the efficacy of peracetic acid-based disinfectants against Clostridium difficile spores.

Disinfectants play an important role in controlling microbial contamination on hard surfaces in hospitals. The effectiveness of disinfectants in real life can be predicted by laboratory tests that measure killing of microbes on carriers. The modified Quantitative Disk Carrier Test (QCT-2) is a standard laboratory method that employs American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Type 430 stainless steel carriers to measure hospital disinfectant efficacy against Clostridium difficile spores.

Bezielle selectively targets mitochondria of cancer cells to inhibit glycolysis and OXPHOS.

Bezielle (BZL101) is a candidate oral drug that has shown promising efficacy and excellent safety in the early phase clinical trials for advanced breast cancer. Bezielle is an aqueous extract from the herb Scutellaria barbata. We have reported previously that Bezielle was selectively cytotoxic to cancer cells while sparing non-transformed cells.

Identification and analysis of the active phytochemicals from the anti-cancer botanical extract Bezielle.

Bezielle is a botanical extract that has selective anti-tumor activity, and has shown a promising efficacy in the early phases of clinical testing. Bezielle inhibits mitochondrial respiration and induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mitochondria of tumor cells but not in non-transformed cells. The generation of high ROS in tumor cells leads to heavy DNA damage and hyper-activation of PARP, followed by the inhibition of glycolysis.

Estrogenic plant extracts reverse weight gain and fat accumulation without causing mammary gland or uterine proliferation.

Long-term estrogen deficiency increases the risk of obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women. Menopausal hormone therapy containing estrogens might prevent these conditions, but its prolonged use increases the risk of breast cancer, as wells as endometrial cancer if used without progestins. Animal studies indicate that beneficial effects of estrogens in adipose tissue and adverse effects on mammary gland and uterus are mediated by estrogen receptor alpha (ERα).

1-Benzyl-indole-3-carbinol is a novel indole-3-carbinol derivative with significantly enhanced potency of anti-proliferative and anti-estrogenic properties in human breast cancer cells.

Indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a natural autolysis product of a gluccosinolate present in Brassica vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage, has anti-proliferative and anti-estrogenic activities in human breast cancer cells. A new and significantly more potent I3C analogue, 1-benzyl-I3C was synthesized, and in comparison to I3C, this novel derivative displayed an approximate 1000-fold enhanced potency in suppressing the growth of both estrogen responsive (MCF-7) and estrogen-independent (MDA-MB-231) human breast cancer cells (I3C IC(50) of 52 microM, and 1-benzyl-I3C IC(50) of 0.05 microM).

Selective concomitant inhibition of mTORC1 and mTORC2 activity in estrogen receptor negative breast cancer cells by BN107 and oleanolic acid.

Hormonal, targeted and chemotherapeutic strategies largely depend on the expression of their cognate receptors and are often accompanied by intolerable toxicities. Effective and less toxic therapies for estrogen receptor negative (ER-) breast cancers are urgently needed. Here, we present the potential molecular mechanisms mediating the selective pro-apoptotic effect induced by BN107 and its principle terpene, oleanolic acid (OA), on ER- breast cancer cells.

Drug and cell type-specific regulation of genes with different classes of estrogen receptor beta-selective agonists.

Estrogens produce biological effects by interacting with two estrogen receptors, ERalpha and ERbeta. Drugs that selectively target ERalpha or ERbeta might be safer for conditions that have been traditionally treated with non-selective estrogens. Several synthetic and natural ERbeta-selective compounds have been identified.

Oxidative in vitro metabolism of liquiritigenin, a bioactive compound isolated from the Chinese herbal selective estrogen beta-receptor agonist MF101.

Liquiritigenin [2,3-dihydro-7-hydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-(S)-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one] is one of the major active compounds of MF101, an herbal extract currently in clinical trials for the treatment of hot flashes and night sweats in postmenopausal women. MF101 is a selective estrogen receptor beta agonist but does not activate the estrogen receptor alpha. Incubation with pooled human liver microsomes yielded a single metabolite.

Modifications to the AOAC use-dilution test for quaternary ammonium compound-based disinfectants that significantly improve method reliability.

The AOAC use-dilution test (UDT) for bactericidal disinfectant efficacy (Method 964.02) has often been criticized for its extreme variability in test results, particularly for quaternary ammonium compound (QAC)-based disinfectants against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. While efforts are under way to develop a new and better test method for hospital disinfectant products that is globally acceptable, U.

Liquiritigenin is a plant-derived highly selective estrogen receptor beta agonist.

After the Women's Health Initiative found that the risks of hormone therapy outweighed the benefits, a need for alternative drugs to treat menopausal symptoms has emerged. We explored the possibility that botanical agents used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for menopausal symptoms contain ERbeta-selective estrogens. We previously reported that an extract containing 22 herbs, MF101 has ERbeta-selective properties.

N-Alkoxy derivatization of indole-3-carbinol increases the efficacy of the G1 cell cycle arrest and of I3C-specific regulation of cell cycle gene transcription and activity in human breast cancer cells.

Indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a naturally occurring component of Brassica vegetables, such as cabbage, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts, induces a G1 cell cycle arrest of human breast cancer cells. Structure-activity relationships of I3C that mediate this anti-proliferative response were investigated using synthetic and natural I3C derivatives that contain substitutions at the indole nitrogen. Nitrogen substitutions included N-alkoxy substituents of one to four carbons in length, which inhibit dehydration and the formation of the reactive indolenine.

Fate of 3,3'-diindolylmethane in cultured MCF-7 human breast cancer cells.

3,3'-Diindolylmethane (DIM) is a major in vivo product of the cancer preventative agent indole-3-carbinol that is found in vegetables of the genus Brassica. Here, we report on the metabolic fate of radiolabeled DIM in MCF-7 cells. DIM was slowly metabolized to several sulfate conjugates of oxidized DIM products that were primarily detected in the medium.

Convenient synthesis of 5,6,11,12,17,18- hexahydrocyclononal[1,2-b:4,5-b':7,8-b'']triindole, a novel phytoestrogen.

An efficient one-pot synthesis is described of 5,6,11,12,17,18-hexahydrocyclononal[1,2-b:4,5-b':7,8-b'']triindole (CTr), a potent estrogen agonist from food plants. For the procedure, gramine is treated with dimethyl sulfate and sodium in ethanol at room temperature. Quenching of the reaction with water and workup of the product provides CTr in approximately 75% yield.

Fate of indole-3-carbinol in cultured human breast tumor cells.

Indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a natural component of Brassica vegetables, is a promising cancer preventive agent that can reduce the incidence of tumors in reproductive organs when administered in the diet. Here we report on the metabolic fate of radiolabeled I3C in MCF-7 cells. I3C was surprisingly inert to metabolism by these cells with a half-life in medium of approximately 40 h.