Polyphenolics with Strong Antioxidant Activity from Acacia nilotica Ameliorate Some Biochemical Signs of Arsenic-Induced Neurotoxicity and Oxidative Stress in Mice

Neurotoxicity is a serious health problem of patients chronically exposed to arsenic. There is no specific treatment of this problem. Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathological process of neurotoxicity. Polyphenolics have proven antioxidant activity, thereby offering protection against oxidative stress. In this study, we have isolated the polyphenolics from Acacia nilotica and investigated its effect against arsenic-induced neurotoxicity and oxidative stress in mice. Acacia nilotica polyphenolics prepared from column chromatography of the crude methanol extract using diaion resin contained a phenolic content of 452.185 ± 7.879 mg gallic acid equivalent/gm of sample and flavonoid content of 200.075 ± 0.755 mg catechin equivalent/gm of sample. The polyphenolics exhibited potent antioxidant activity with respect to free radical scavenging ability, total antioxidant activity and inhibition of lipid peroxidation. Administration of arsenic in mice showed a reduction of acetylcholinesterase activity in the brain which was counteracted by Acacia nilotica polyphenolics. Similarly, elevation of lipid peroxidation and depletion of glutathione in the brain of mice was effectively restored to normal level by Acacia nilotica polyphenolics. Gallic acid methyl ester, catechin and catechin-7-gallate were identified in the polyphenolics as the major active compounds. These results suggest that Acacia nilotica polyphenolics due to its strong antioxidant potential might be effective in the management of arsenic induced neurotoxicity.     

In Vitro and In Silico Study of Analogs of Plant Product Plastoquinone to Be Effective in Colorectal Cancer Treatment

Plants have paved the way for the attainment of molecules with a wide-range of biological activities. However, plant products occasionally show low biological activities and/or poor pharmacokinetic properties. In that case, development of their derivatives as drugs from the plant world has been actively performed. As plant products, plastoquinones (PQs) have been of high importance in anticancer drug design and discovery; we have previously evaluated and reported the potential cytotoxic effects of a series of PQ analogs. Among these analogs, PQ2, PQ3 and PQ10 were selected for National Cancer Institute (NCI) for in vitro screening of anticancer activity against a wide range of cancer cell lines. The apparent superior anticancer potency of PQ2 on the HCT-116 colorectal cancer cell line than that of PQ3 and PQ10 compared to other tested cell lines has encouraged us to perform further mechanistic studies to enlighten the mode of anti-colorectal cancer action of PQ2. For this purpose, its apoptotic effects on the HCT-116 cell line, DNA binding capacity and several crucial pharmacokinetic properties were investigated. Initially, MTT assay was conducted for PQ2 at different concentrations against HCT-116 cells. Results indicated that PQ2 exhibited significant cytotoxicity in HCT-116 cells with an IC₅₀ value of 4.97 ± 1.93 μM compared to cisplatin (IC₅₀ = 26.65 ± 7.85 μM). Moreover, apoptotic effects of PQ2 on HCT-116 cells were investigated by the annexin V/ethidium homodimer III staining method and PQ2 significantly induced apoptosis in HCT-116 cells compared to cisplatin. Based on the potent DNA cleavage capacity of PQ2, molecular docking studies were conducted in the minor groove of the double helix of DNA and PQ2 presented a key hydrogen bonding through its methoxy moiety. Overall, both in vitro and in silico studies indicated that effective, orally bioavailable drug-like PQ2 attracted attention for colorectal cancer treatment. The most important point to emerge from this study is that appropriate derivatization of a plant product leads to unique biologically active compounds.     

Dosimetric characteristics of aqueous solution of crystal violet for applications in food irradiation

Aqueous solution of crystal violet has been evaluated spectrophotometrically as a gamma-ray chemical dosimeter. The response of the chemical dosimetric system has also been investigated under different environmental conditions, such as light and temperature. In the present study the response has been measured at two wavelengths; 588 nm (λ_max of the irradiated solution) and 500 nm. The response of the crystal violet dosimeter was linear in the dose range of 50–550 Gy at pH 5.6 when absorption measurements were made at 588 and 500 nm. The response of the crystal violet dosimeter during post-irradiation storage at room temperature in dark showed slight decrease in absorbance at 588 and 510 nm but the response was almost stable at 460 nm. For higher doses, the change in the response was greater as compared to the low doses. Post-irradiation stability during diffused sunlight showed significant decrease in the response for higher dose at 588 and 510 nm and slower decrease in the response for lower dose at the above mentioned wavelengths. However the response was almost stable up to 97 days at 460 nm for higher and lower doses. At 4 °C, the decrease in the absorbance was slower at 588 and 510 nm while the response was almost constant at 460 nm. At higher temperatures, such as 40 °C, the decrease in the absorbance was greater at 588 and 510 nm while at 460 nm the absorbance was almost constant for about 3 months.     

Structural conformation of biomolecules released from temperature-sensitive composite polymer particles – a study by circular dichroism

A conformational study of the biomolecules released from submicron- and micron-sized temperature-sensitive composite polymer particles by decreasing the temperature from 40 to 25 °C was done with circular dichroism and the results were compared with those of the native biomolecules. In almost all cases the biomolecules released retained their native conformational states. Received: 10 April 2001 Accepted: 13 June 2001     

Hermite‐Hadamard‐type inequalities for interval‐valued coordinated convex functions involving generalized fractional integrals

In this paper, we define interval‐valued left‐sided and right‐sided generalized fractional double integrals. We establish inequalities of Hermite‐Hadamard like for coordinated interval‐valued convex functions by applying our newly defined integrals.     

Nuclear forward scattering vs. conventional Mössbauer studies of atomically tailored Eu-based materials

With the decrease in size of devices, rapid characterization of nano-devices is an inevitable necessity. It is shown that Mössbauer spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation from the advanced photon source provides such a tool of investigation. Results are presented and compared for conventional Mössbauer and Nuclear Forward Scattering for ¹⁵¹Eu-doped magnesium sulfide as an example, especially at low concentrations.     

Vortex Shedding: A Review on Flat Plate

Flat plates, both single and in tandem or side by side arrangement, are widely used in many engineering applications. Despite vast investigations of the flow structures and wakes downstream of these bluff bodies, this unsteady phenomenon yet remains a fundamental issue in many industrial applications. This paper reviews the state of the art concerning the flow over flat plates in different arrangements focusing on plates normal to the flow. Turbulent wake regions are discussed for the flat plates in side by side or tandem arrangement. Numerical studies are reviewed with emphasis on the realized turbulent models. The effect of the chosen turbulence model on the prediction of the wake region is discussed.     

Preparation of tin oxide (IV) nanoparticles by a green chemistry method and investigation of its role in the removal of organic dyes in water purification

Research on Chemical Intermediates - In this research, tin oxide nanoparticles (SnO2-nanoparticles) are synthesized using sol–gel method in polymeric bed and considering the principals of...     

Preparation,structure elucidation,and antioxidant activity of new bis(thiosemicarbazone) derivatives

Schiff-base–bearing new bis(thiosemicarbazone) derivatives were prepared from terephthalaldehyde and various thiosemicarbazides. FT–IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and UV–Vis spectroscopic methods and elemental analysis were used to elucidate the identification of the synthesized molecules. The in vitro antioxidant activity of the synthesized compounds was analysed with the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl free-radical–trapping process. The synthesized compounds exhibited lower antioxidant activity than the standard ascorbic acid. IC₅₀ values of the synthesized molecules measured from 3.81 ± 0.01 to 29.05 ± 0.11 μM. Among the synthesized compounds, compound 3 had the best antioxidant activity. Moreover, this study explained the structure–activity relationship of the synthesized molecules with different substituents in radical trapping reactions.