Addition of citral controls ROS and reduces toxicity in 5-fluo rouracil treated Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells.

In systemic therapy, chemotherapeutic drugs, often, cause considerable side effects; and combination of natural compounds lessen the extent of such effects. In the present study, combined effect of citral and 5-fluorouracil was studied in Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells. The antagonistic combination index found was at 0.01 and 0.025 mM of citral with 40 µg or higher concentration of 5-fluorouracil. The combined treatment was so effective that higher number of cells underwent apoptosis compared to individual treatment of 5-fluorouracil. Citral controlled ROS levels and increased survival of normal cells. Several differentially expressed proteins observed in the citral treatment could further help understanding its mechanism of action.

Cellular Effect of Curcumin and Citral Combination on Breast Cancer Cells: Induction of Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest / 한국유방암학회지

PURPOSE: The unmanageable side effects caused by current chemotherapy regimens to treat cancer are an unresolved problem. Although many phytonutrients are useful as chemoprevention without side effects, their effects are slower and smaller than conventional chemotherapy. In the present work, we examined the cumulative effect of two phytonutrients, curcumin and citral, on breast cancer cell lines and compared their effect with the known chemotherapy regimen of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil. METHODS: Using cultured breast cancer and normal epithelial cells, the cytotoxic and apoptotic effect of curcumin and citral was evaluated in vitro. The synergistic effect of curcumin and citral was calculated by a combination index study using the method by Chou and Talalay. Cell death pathways and mechanisms were analyzed by measuring intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptotic protein levels. RESULTS: Curcumin and citral caused dose and time dependent cell death and showed a synergistic effect at effective concentration EC50 and above concentrations in breast cancer cells without disturbing normal breast epithelial cells. With combination curcumin and citral treatment, apoptosis induction and cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase in breast cancer cells were observed. Curcumin and citral generated ROS and activated p53 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 mediated apoptotic pathways. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that curcumin and citral in combination may be a useful therapeutic intervention for breast cancer.

Induction of systemic resistance in different varieties of Solanum tuberosum by pure and crude elicitor treatment.

A 10 kD elicitor protein (infestin) produced by Phytopthora infestans was purified and its efficacy for induction of systemic resistance in resistant and susceptible varieties of Solanum tuberosum was studied. Culture filtrates from P. infestans with and without purified elicitor (infestin) were used as elicitors to understand the effect of purified elicitor (infestin) on development of systemic resistance. Culture filtrate and purified elicitor (infestin) were found to induce hypersensitive reaction on the leaves of resistant varieties, but not on susceptible varieties after 48 h. Culture filtrate devoid of purified elicitor (infestin) did not induce any necrotic spots even on resistant variety. Purified elicitor (infestin) was found to induce glucose oxidase, NADPH oxidase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase, catalase and peroxidase enzymes in resistant S. tuberosum plants, however the induction of these enzymes was low in susceptible varieties. The oxidative enzymes were found to induce earlier than antioxidative enzymes and there was negative correlation between these two groups of enzymes. Levels of salicylic acid, phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), -1, 3 glucanase and chitinase activities were also found higher in resistant than in susceptible varieties. It was observed that purified elicitor (infestin) was superior to crude culture filtrate, but was not capable of inducing systemic resistance in susceptible varieties.

Culture filtrate of Lasiodiplodia theobromae restricts the development of natural resistance in Brassica nigra plants.

Culture filtrate of Lasiodiplodia theobromae increased respiration rate, phenylalanine ammonia lyase activity, and levels of hydrogen peroxide, lipid peroxides and salicylic acid in B. nigra plants. Salicylic acid (SA) level increased for 1 hr of interaction and reduced later. Development of systemic acquired resistance (SAR) was found restricted in plants infected with L. theobromae due to deficiency of SA, which is a major signal for development of SAR. Exogenously supplied SA did develop resistance and plant death was delayed. It was hypothesized that deficiency of SA could be due to jasmonic acid produced by fungus that inhibits SA biosynthesis.

Alteration of preference of food substances in terms of taste & nutritional value following the lesion of two subdistricts of nucleus accumbens.

Adult albino rats of Wistar strain (200 to 250 g) were lesioned at the nucleus accumbens (Acb) either in the shell area (Acbsh) or in the core area (Acbc). The rats were offered a choice of water and 0.2 per cent saccharine or water and 12 per cent sucrose solution. During the prelesion period, the rats preferred water to the sweet tasting fluids. The Acbc lesion shifted the preference to saccharine from water, but rats with the same lesion consumed equal quantities of sucrose and water. On the other hand, lesion of the Acbsh increased the water intake when paired with either sucrose or saccharine. Food intake was also increased in this lesioned group. The results suggest that the Acbc area appears to participate in the mediation of taste of food while the Acbsh area probably regulates feeding behaviour based on the nutritional value of food substances.

Regulatory role of nucleus accumbens in the ingestion of sucrose and saccharine.

Adult albino rats of Wistar strain of 200 to 250 g body weight were lesioned at nucleus accumbens either in the shell area or in core area. The rats were offered 0.2% saccharine solution or 12% sucrose solution or water for drinking. During the prelesion period, rats consumed more of saccharine followed by sucrose and water. The lesion of core area increased the consumption of both the sweet taste solutions but did not affect the water intake. Lesioning of shell area caused an increase in water and sucrose intake whereas saccharine intake remained unaffected. The results suggest that the core area of nucleus accumbens subserves taste induced ingestion and the shell area mediates the effect of nutritional value of food.

Anorexigenic effect of fecal extract from ventromedial hypothalamic (VMH) lesioned rats on normal rats.

Feces of ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) lesioned obese and sham operated (SL) rats were separately pooled and subjected to column chromatography using sephadex G-150. Fractions showing peak absorption at 280 nm, obtained from respective group of rats were separately pooled and divided into 9 equal aliquots and injected ip in two groups of overnight fasted normal rats (OFN rats). Rats injected with fecal extract from VMH lesioned rats showed decreased food and water intake which was not seen in rats treated with the fecal extract from SL rats suggesting the possible presence of an anorexigenic substance in the feces of VMH lesioned rats but absent in SL rats.