ABSTRACT
Chronic myeloid leukemia [CML] is a malignant clonal disorder of hematopoietic stem cells which results in increase of myeloid cells, erythroid cells and platelets in the peripheral blood and hyperplasia in bone marrow. Pterocarya fraxinifolia; [Juglandaceae] is widely distributed in northern area of Iran. The research evaluates the cytotoxic effect of n-butanol fraction, aqueous, methanolic and ethanolic extracts of P. fraxinifolia leaves on K562 cell line as a model of chronic myeloid leukemia. Leaves of P. fraxinifolia collected from Astara city and extraction using soxhlet method. K562 cells were cultured and treated with concentrations of extracts [12.5-400 micro g/ml]. Cytotoxicity of P. fraxinifolia extracts against K562 leukemia cells was estimated by the MTT test method. The absorbance was measured using an ELISA plate reader at 540 nm. Ethanolic extract showed the highest cytotoxic effect [IC[50]=148.66 +/- 11.64 micro g/ml] whereas n-butanol fraction extract were least cytotoxic effect [IC[50]=248.97 +/- 6.71 micro g/ml] among the extracts. Aqueous and methanol extracts showed the cytotoxic effect with the IC[50]=183.14 +/- 4.71 and 226.02 +/- 6.08 micro g/ml on K562 cell line. Both ethanolic and n-butanol fraction extracts exhibited a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect on K562 cell line. Considering the cytotoxic effects aqueous and alcoholic extracts of P. fraxinifolia leaves on K562 cells, the plant can be considered as a potential candidate for further studies on CML treatment
ABSTRACT
Quinine is used for treatment of many disorders, such as malaria and rheumatoid arthritis. Besides good therapeutic effects, it may have multiple adverse effects. In this study, the effects of quinine on latency and amplitude in visual evoked potential [VEP] were evaluated. In this experimental study, 50 male Syrian mice were used as control. Five groups of ten mice received doses of 2.5, 12.5, 25, 50, and 62.5 mg of quinine and one group of ten mice was given 70 mg acetone extract of Cinchona plant intraperitoneally for 14 days. The latency and amplitude of different groups in VEP were recorded. The latency was significantly increased, as parallel as dosage, in 14 days [P<0.05], while the amplitude was significantly decreased, as parallel as dosage, in 14 days [P<0.05]. Quinine resulted in significant increase of latency and decrease of amplitude and leaded to visual loss, possibly due to deposition of quinine on nerve fibers and cone-shaped and cylindrical cells leading to increase in latency phase of transmission from retina to fovea
ABSTRACT
There have been efforts to overcome the problem in treatment of cancer using medicinal plants. It has been shown that Citrus essential oil of contains different terpens with antitumor activities. In this study we sought to determine the cytotoxicity of essential oils of Iranian Citrus limon [L.], C. medica [L.], C. sinsensis [L.] peels on cancer cell lines. Essential oils were prepared by hydrodistilation and characterized by GC-MS. The effects of C. limon [5-40 micro g/ml], C. medica and C. sinensis [0.25-10 micro g/ml] on two human tumor cell lines [MCF-7 and Hela] were determined. Different concentrations of essential oils were added to cultured cells and incubated for 72 h. Cell survival was evaluated using the MTT-based cytotoxicity assay. While limonene comprise about 98.4% and 98.8% of content of C. limon and C. sinensis essential oils respectively, its' percentage in C. medica was only 56.6%. In C. medica there was a considerable amount of beta-pinene, gamma-terpinene, alpha-terpinolene and trans-alpha-bergamotene. IC[50] of essential oil for MCF-7 cell line was: C. limon almost equal to 10 micro g/ml, C. medica almost equal to 1 micro g/ml and C. sinensis almost equal to 0.5 micro g/ml. For Hela cell line IC50 was: C. limon almost equal to 17 micro g/ml, C. medica almost equal to 1 micro g/ml and C. sinensis almost equal to 3 micro g/ml. Our findings revealed that C. limon and C. sinensis had a greater cytotoxic effect on MCF-7 than that on Hela cells. Also, comparing IC50, our findings indicated that C. medica and C. sinensis were more cytotoxic than C. limon. Comparison of the essential oil component of C. limon with C. medica, shows the presence of beta-pinene [16.3%], alpha-terpineol [11.3%], gamma-terpinene [4.4%], and trans- alpha-bergamotene [3.4%], which were not found in C. limon. Hence, it could be concluded that these components may have greater cytotoxic effects or they may also have synergistic effects with limonene