Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are a group of heterocyclic phytotoxins present in a wide range of plants. The consumption of PA-containing medicinal herbs or PA-contaminated foodstuffs has long been reported to cause human hepatotoxicity. However, the degrees of hepatotoxicity of different PAs are unknown, which makes it difficult to determine a universal threshold of toxic dose of individual PAs for safe regulation of PA-containing natural products. The aim of the present study is to develop a simple and convenient in vitro model to assess the hepatotoxicity of different PAs.
Material And Methods: Six common cytotoxicity assays were used to evaluate the hepatotoxicity of different PAs in human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells.
Results: The combination of MTT and bromodeoxyuridine incorporation (BrdU) assays demonstrated to be a suitable method to evaluate the toxic potencies of various PAs in HepG2 cells, and the results indicated that otonecine-type PA (clivorine: IC₂₀=0.013 ± 0.004 mM (MTT), 0.066 ± 0.031 mM (BrdU)) exhibited significantly higher cytotoxic and anti-proliferative effects than retronecine-type PA (retrorsine: IC₂₀=0.27 ± 0.07 mM (MTT), 0.19 ± 0.03 mM (BrdU)). While as expected, the known less toxic platyphylline-type PA (platyphylline: IC₂₀=0.85 ± 0.11 mM (MTT), 1.01 ± 0.40 mM (BrdU)) exhibited significantly less toxicity. The different cytotoxic and anti-proliferative potencies of various PAs in the same retronecine-type could also be discriminated by using the combined MTT and BrdU assays. In addition, the developed assays were further utilized to test alkaloid extract of Gynura segetum, a senecionine and seneciphylline-containing herb, the overall cytotoxicity of two PAs in the extract was comparable to that of these two PAs tested individually.
Conclusion: Using the developed in vitro model, the cytotoxicity of different PAs and the extract of a PA-containing herb were investigated in parallel in one system, and their different hepatotoxic potencies were determined and directly compared for the first time. The results suggested that the developed model has a great potential to be applied for the quick screening of the toxicity of PAs and PA-containing natural products.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2013.09.010 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Evaluation of the Value of Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology and Cell Morphology in Determining the Histogenesis of Pancreatic Lesions With Review of Literature, Overview and Cytological Experience of 25 Years: Original Research.
Health Sci Rep
January 2025
Gerhard-Domagk Institute of Pathology University Hospital Muenster (UKM) Muenster Germany.
Background And Aims: Benign lesions, inflammation, cysts and pseudocysts, as well as neoplasms of the exocrine and endocrine parts of the pancreas can be easily identified using cytological methods. The sensitivity and specificity can be increased with the help of additional examination methods. The sensitivity of intraoperative rapid cytology reaches about 99%.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSignificance of Diagnostic Findings of Placenta Percreta by Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Pathological Correlation.
Cureus
December 2024
Radiology Department, Hospital Regional Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado Monterrey, Universidad de Monterrey, Monterrey, MEX.
Placenta percreta is a rare form of disorder found in the spectrum of placenta accreta and represents a considerable cause of maternal complications with an increase in mortality. The radiologist's role is essential due to the support of images acquired by magnetic resonance imaging, given their high sensitivity and specificity to predict the degree of placental invasion in substitution or accompaniment of the ultrasound study between 28 and 32 weeks of gestation. We present the case of a 29-year-old patient who was in her third pregnancy with a history of two cesarean sections at the ISSSTE Regional Hospital in Monterrey, Nuevo León.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCentral nervous system involvement in Whipple's disease: Report of a rare pathological entity and comparative review of treatment strategies and outcomes.
Radiol Case Rep
March 2025
Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Whipple's disease, caused by the gram-positive actinomycete , is a rare chronic systemic illness with significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges, particularly when the CNS is involved. This case report details a 46-year-old man presenting with a constellation of symptoms including fatigue, hypersomnia, weight loss, bifrontal headaches, abdominal pain, treatment-unresponsive diarrhea, and skin hyperpigmentation. Neurological examination revealed oculomasticatory myorhythmia, and imaging studies showed nodular enhancement of the hypothalamus and basal ganglia, along with retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAutism spectrum disorder, social anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders: beyond the comorbidity.
BMC Psychiatry
January 2025
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, 67 Via Roma, 56126, Pisa, Italy.
Objective: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by high rates of comorbidity with other mental disorders, including anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Beyond a mere concept of comorbidity, recent literature is speculating the existence of a neurodevelopmental nature of such mental disorders. The aim of the study is to investigate the distribution of social-phobic, obsessive-compulsive and panic-agoraphobic traits within a sample of individuals with ASD, social anxiety disorder (SAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and panic disorder (PD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe effect of mandibular advancement on pharyngeal airway space in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma: A monocentric prospective study with computed tomography.
Clin Oral Investig
January 2025
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Klinikum Rechts Der Isar, School of Medicine and Health, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Str. 22, Munich, D-81679, Germany.
Objectives: The presented study aimed to evaluate the effect of mandibular protrusion with a temporarily applied mandibular advancement device (MAD) on the posterior airway space and to determine a reliable metric constant based on a three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) evaluation.
Materials And Methods: The study population consisted of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma who were treated at least six months prior to the follow-up CT in supine position. Each patient received an individually adjusted MAD that was temporarily applied with three different protrusion distances (P = 0 mm, P = 4 mm, and P = 8 mm) during follow-up CT.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!