Background: Punicic Acid (PA) is a polyunsaturated fatty acid that accounts for approximately 70%- 80% of Pomegranate Seed Oil (PSO). PA possesses strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherogenic effects, and anti-tumorigenic properties. Pomegranate extracts have been shown to have anticancer activity in many studies. However, there is no evidence for the effect of PSO on T98 glioblastoma cells. Therefore, the present study was the first to investigate the mechanisms induced by PA on T98 cells, which is one of the major compounds extracted from PSO. Methods: The effects of PA on cell viability; oxidative stress; and migration, proliferation, and apoptosis at the IC50 dose were studied. Results: The proliferation and migration were inhibited in the treated group compared to the non-treated group by 9.85µl/ml PA. The difference was statistically significant (***p<0.001). Furthermore, PA-induced apoptosis in the T98 glioblastoma cells compared to non-treated group and the difference was statistically significant (***p<0.001). Apoptosis was determined via immunocytochemistry staining of caspase-3, caspase-9 and TUNEL methods. Apoptosis was checked by flow cytometry (using caspase 3 methods) and Scanning Electron Microscopy Analysis. We also investigated the potential signaling pathway underlying this apoptotic effect. The immunocytochemical stainings of PI3K/ Akt-1/ mTOR-1 demonstrated that Akt-1 staining was increased with PA treatment similar to mTOR-1 and PI3K staining (***p<0.001). These increases were statistically significant compared to the non-treated group. Conclusion: PA exhibited exceptional abilities as an anticancer agent against GBM cells. The use of punicic acid in combination with other drugs used in the treatment of glioblastoma may increase the efficacy of the treatment. This study provided a basis for future investigation of its use in preclinical and clinical studies.

The integrity of healthy skin plays a crucial role in maintaining physiological homeostasis of the human body. Chronic conditions such as diabetes mellitus or peripheral vascular diseases can lead to impaired wound healing. Skin wound healing purposes focusing on the main phases of wound healing, i.e., inflammation, proliferation, epithelialization, angiogenesis, remodeling, and scarring. This is a complex process, which is dependent on many cell types and mediators interacting in a highly sophisticated temporal sequence. Although some interactions during the healing process are crucial, redundancy is high and other cells or mediators can adopt functions or signaling without major complications. Mesenchymal stem cells have an alternative role due to special properties such as the capacity for self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation, immunomodulatory effect, alleviation of inflammatory response, induction of angiogenesis, regulation of extracellular matrix remodeling, excellent migration and secretion of growth factors and cytokines in wound healing. We summarized current research on the mechanisms of mesenchymal stem cells with their isolation, specific markers, differentiation capacity, and the functional activities to evaluate wound healing application.

The aim of the current study was to determine whether the MWCNT-based scaffold has a suitable structure for cell growth and provides a biocompatible environment for human MDA-MB-231 cell lines. MWCNT-based nanostructured scaffolds were produced by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technique. MDA-MB-231 cells were seeded on MWCNTs-textured silicon scaffolds and on pristine silicon surfaces. After 1 week of culturing, the scaffolds were prepared for SEM analysis and immunocytochemical staining was performed for the two groups (MWCNT scaffold and pristine silicon surface), using MMP-2, MMP-9, PI3K, AKT and NF-κB primary antibodies. SEM analyses showed that the MDA-MB-231 cells better adhered to the MWCNT-based nanostructured scaffold than the pristine silicon surface. Immunohistochemical activity of the MDA-MB-231 cells on both materials has similar staining with anti-AKT MMP-2, MMP-9 and NF-κB primary antibodies. Therefore, the results of the present study suggest that the MWCNT-based scaffolds enhanced cell adhesion to the scaffold and exhibited more biomimetic properties and physiological adaptation with the potential to be used for in vitro metastasis studies of BrCa cell lines.

We investigated the effects of stem cell therapy as an alternative to surgical methods and medical treatments in endometrial injuries in Asherman syndrome (AS). Materials and Methods: In this study, AS model was created chemically in rats. The bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells isolated from the tibia and femoral bone of male individuals of the same species (BMDSC) were given to female rats with asherman syndrome and the changes in the endometrium were evaluated by histopathological parameters. Asherman + medium, Asherman + niche, Asherman + BMDSCs, Asherman + BMDSCs + niche were formed in four groups. Results: It was observed that increased endometrial thickness, gland count and vascularization and decreased fibrous areas and apoptotic cell death with regeneration in epithelium and lamina propria in treatment groups. No histopathologic changes were observed in the right uterine horns, which were evaluated as control group. . Conclusion: BMDSCs and Niche applications can contribute to the clinic by reducing the formation of adhesion within the mechanisms causing infertility. These positive results are promising in terms of transporting Asherman studies to the clinic.It has been shown that BMDSCs and Niche may contribute to the clinic by treatment with adhesion molecules in mechanisms that cause infertility. Amaç: Bu çalışmada Asherman sendromundaki (AS) endometriyal hasarlarda cerrahi yöntemlere ve medikal tedavilere alternatif olarak kök hücre tedavisinin etkileri araştırılmıştır. Gereç ve Yöntem: Bu çalışmada sıçanlarda AS modeli kimyasal olarak oluşturuldu. Aynı türün erkek bireylerinin tibia ve femur kemiğinden izole edilen kemik iliği kaynaklı mezenkimal kök hücreler (KİMKH) AS oluşturulan dişi sıçanlara verilerek endometriyumda meydana gelen değişiklikler histopatolojik parametrelerle değerlendirildi. Asherman+ besiyeri, Asherman+ niş, Asherman+ KİMKH, Asherman+ KİMKH+ niş olmak üzere toplam dört grup oluşturuldu. Bulgular: Tedavi gruplarında epitel ve lamina propriyadaki rejenerasyonla birilkte endometriyal kalınlığın, bez sayısının ve vaskülarizasyonun arttığı, fibröz alanların ve apoptotik hücre ölümünün azaldığı gözlenmiştir. Kontrol grubu olarak değerlendirilen sağ uterin hornlarda ise her hangi bir histopatolojik değişiklik görülmemiştir. Sonuç: KİMKH ve Niş uygulamalarının, infertiliteye neden olan mekanizmaların içerisinde yer alan adezyon oluşumunu azaltarakedavi ile kliniğe katkı sağlayabileceği gösterildi. Bu olumlu sonuçlar Asherman çalışmalarının kliniğe taşınabilmesi açısından ümit vericidir.

Phytotherapy has been used for many years due to anticancer and anti-proliferative effects. In this study our purpose was to show the anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects of oleocanthal and pinus pinaster on MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, 67NR and 4T1 breast cancer cell lines. Biological effects of these plants were researched via morphology, MTT assay for cytotoxicity (IC50), immunocytochemical procedure for oxidative stress (eNOS), angiogenesis (VEGF) and TUNEL method for apoptosis. Statistical analysis was performed with the H-score. Oleocanthal and Pinus pinaster extracts showed significant dose and time-dependent inhibition of growth of breast cancer cells. A significant increase in iNOS staining was observed while a decrease in VEGF staining was observed after extract application at IC50 dose. The results showed a significant increase in apoptosis in extract-treated breast cancer cell lines. We showed that the toxic effect of Oleocanthal and Pinus pinaster extracts created by oxidative stress mechanisms. The increase of oxidative stress in breast cancer cells caused the inhibition of cell proliferation and apoptosis. Our results indicated that these plants suggest potential agents in breast cancer treatment. Future studies will focus on the identification of the molecules responsible for anti-cancer activity of these substances in order to improve the quality of life of the patients.