In this study, the chemical constituents and antioxidant property of holy basil (Ocimum sanctum Linn.) field-grown plant parts (leaves, stems, and inflorescence) were compared with those of respective callus cultures induced from each explant in in vitro. The callus cultures were successfully initiated on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) (1 mg/L) combined with different concentrations (0.1-0.5 mg/L) of kinetin as plant growth regulators. The distribution of phenolic compounds in these extracts was analyzed using reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography with reference standards. Interestingly, rosmarinic acid (RA) was found to be the predominant phenolic acid in all callus extracts in comparison with field-grown plant parts. In this study, the antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated with six different in vitro antioxidant-testing systems. Their activities of scavenging superoxide anion radicals, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals (DPPH), hydroxyl radicals, hydrogen peroxide, chelating ferrous iron, and ferric ion reducing potential were assessed. The antioxidant activity was increased in all testing systems with increasing amounts of extract. However, at the same concentration, the callus extracts exhibited higher antioxidant activity in all of the testing systems than the extract obtained from field-grown plant parts. The data obtained from this study suggested the possibility of the isolation of a high content of RA from in vitro callus cultures rather than field-grown plant organs of holy basil.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder of early childhood, and an enumeration about its etiology and consequences is still limited. Oxidative stress-induced mechanisms are believed to be the major cause for ASD. In this study 19 autistic and 19 age-matched normal Omani children were recruited to analyze their degree of redox status and a prewritten consent was obtained. Blood was withdrawn from subjects in heparin-coated tube, and plasma was separated. Plasma oxidative stress indicators such as nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl, and lactate to pyruvate ratio were quantified using commercially available kits. A significant elevation was observed in the levels of NO, MDA, protein carbonyl, and lactate to pyruvate ratio in the plasma of Omani autistic children as compared to their age-matched controls. These oxidative stress markers are strongly associated with major cellular injury and manifest severe mitochondrial dysfunction in autistic pathology. Our results also suggest that oxidative stress might be involved in the pathogenesis of ASD, and these parameters could be considered as diagnostic markers to ensure the prevalence of ASD in Omani children. However, the oxidative stress-induced molecular mechanisms in ASD should be studied in detail.

Piceatannol (PIC) is known to have anticancer activity, which has been attributed to its ability to block the proliferation of cancer cells via suppression of the NF-kB signaling pathway. However, its effect on hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is not well known in cancer. In this study, PIC was loaded into bovine serum albumin (BSA) by desolvation method as PIC–BSA nanoparticles (NPs). These PIC–BSA nanoparticles were assessed for in vitro cytotoxicity, migration, invasion, and colony formation studies and levels of p65 and HIF-1α. Our results indicate that PIC–BSA NPs were more effective in downregulating the expression of nuclear p65 and HIF-1α in colon cancer cells as compared to free PIC. We also observed a significant reduction in inflammation induced by chemical colitis in mice by PIC–BSA NPs. Furthermore, a significant reduction in tumor size and number of colon tumors was also observed in the murine model of colitis-associated colorectal cancer, when treated with PIC–BSA NPs as compared to free PIC. The overall results indicate that PIC, when formulated as PIC–BSA NPs, enhances its therapeutic potential. Our work could prompt further research in using natural anticancer agents as nanoparticels with possible human clinical trails. This could lead to the development of a new line of safe and effective therapeutics for cancer patients.

Introduction: Oleanane-type pentacyclic triterpenes named glycyrrhetinic acids (GAs) featuring a C-30 carboxylic acid group, are extracted from the licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis). Numerous biological properties of GA have been reported and have attracted researchers from all over the world in recent years due to the peculiar GA scaffold-based semisynthetic cytotoxic effects. Areas Covered: This review represents the applications of semisynthetic derivatives of GA for the development of future cancer treatments. Included in the review are important structural features of the semisynthetic GAs crucial for cytotoxic effects. Expert opinion: Numerous semisynthetic GA derivatives illustrated excellent cytotoxic effects toward various cancer cells. Notably the C-3 (OH) at ring A along with C 30-CO 2 H at ring E as vital structural features, make GA very appealing as a lead scaffold for medicinal chemistry, since these two groups permit the creation of further chemical diversity geared toward improved cytotoxic effects. Furthermore, numerous GA derivatives have been synthesized and indicate that compounds featuring cyanoenone moieties in ring A, or compounds having the amino group or nitrogen comprising heterocycles and hybrids thereof, illustrate more potent cytotoxicity. Furthermore, GA has a great capability to be conjugated with other anticancer molecules to synergistically enhance their combined cytotoxicity.