An in vitro study reveals the anti-obesity effects of 7- methoxy-3-methyl-5-((E)-prop-1-enyl)-2-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran from Myristica fragrans.

Adipogenesis, the maturation process of preadipocytes, is closely associated with the development of obesity and other complex metabolic syndromes. Herein, we investigated the effect of 7- methoxy-3-methyl-5-((E)- prop-1-enyl)-2-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran (TM), a benzofuran, isolated from the mace of Myristica fragrans Houtt on adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes to extrapolate whether this compound has any anti-obesity potential. For this, 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were induced to differentiate in the presence of various concentrations of TM (1, 5, 10 μM) and analyzed for triglyceride (TG) accumulation and the expression of proteins and genes involved in lipogenesis and lipolysis associated with adipogenesis.

Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks in 188 countries, 1990-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013.

Background: The Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor study 2013 (GBD 2013) is the first of a series of annual updates of the GBD. Risk factor quantification, particularly of modifiable risk factors, can help to identify emerging threats to population health and opportunities for prevention. The GBD 2013 provides a timely opportunity to update the comparative risk assessment with new data for exposure, relative risks, and evidence on the appropriate counterfactual risk distribution.

Anti-metastatic effect of deoxyelephantopin from Elephantopus scaber in A549 lung cancer cells in vitro.

In this study, we focused on the in vitro anti-metastatic effects of deoxyelephantopin (DOE), a sesquiterpene lactone from Elephantopus scaber on lung cancer A549 cells. DOE significantly decreased the metastatic potential of A549 cells as demonstrated by transwell invasion and migration assay. DOE inhibited the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), MMP-9, urokinase-type plasminogen activator and urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor at transcript level.