Hepatoprotective effect of Raspberry ketone and white tea against acrylamide-induced toxicity in rats.

The current investigation was accomplished to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of White tea and Raspberry Ketone against toxicity induced by acrylamide in rats. Sixty adult male rats were divided randomly into group (I) control; group (II) rats received RK with dose (6 mg/kg/day); Group III: rats received 5 ml of WT extract/kg/day; Group IV rats received AA (5 mg/kg/day); Group V: rats administrated with both AA (5 mg/kg/day) and RK (6 mg/kg/day) and Group VI: rats administrated AA (5 mg/kg/day) and 5 ml of WT extract/kg/day. The biochemical assays exhibited a significant increase in serum levels of Adiponectin, AST, ALT, ALP of the group treated with acrylamide if compared to the control group and an improvement in their levels of groups V and VI. The histopathological and immunohistochemical findings confirm the biochemical observations. In conclusion, the present investigation proved that the supplementation of WT and RK enhanced the liver histology, immunohistochemistry and biochemistry against the oxidative stress induced by acrylamide.

Stability Study and Clinical Evaluation of Lipid Injectable Emulsion in Parenteral Nutrition Admixtures Used for Preterm Neonates.

BACKGROUND: Intravenous administration of parenteral nutrition (PN) admixtures containing 4-oil lipid injectable emulsion (ILE) in preterm neonates is usually prohibited because of limited clinical data. The authors evaluated the stability, safety, and efficacy of PN admixtures containing 4-oil ILE, for the first time, in preterm neonates. METHODS: A series of PN admixtures were prepared for consecutive administration in preterm neonates over a period of 15 days. Admixture stability was assessed after 24 hours of storage at 25 and 37 °C via visual inspection and measurement of mean droplet size (MDS). Safety and efficacy of the admixtures in preterm neonates were assessed via serum triglyceride levels and body weight increase measurements, respectively. RESULTS: PN admixtures were stable at 25 °C and had MDS ˂500 nm. After 15 days, there was a significant increase in body weight (P ≤ .0001) and level of serum triglycerides (P ≤ .0001), compared with the level before PN administration. CONCLUSIONS: PN admixtures containing 4-oil ILE were stable at 25 °C and showed instability at 37 °C. Therefore, it is recommended to keep the temperature during administration of PN admixtures at 25 °C. PN admixtures were well tolerated and safe over a period of 8 days while providing a balanced fatty acid supply. Tight monitoring of serum triglyceride level is essential, particularly in neonates of low birth weight and/or young gestational age, to avoid hypertriglyceridemia. Hence, the use of these PN admixtures is expected to be beneficial in terms of being cost-effective and reducing the contamination risks.

MONOCYTE CHEMOTACTIC PROTEIN AND RESPONSE TO PEGYLATED INTERFERON-ALPHA-2A TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS C (CHC) GENOTYPE 4.

The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection varies across the world, with the highest number of infections reported in Egypt. Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) is a potent chemokine, and its hepatic expression is up-regulated during chronic HCV infection. Fifty naive patients with chronic hepatitis C in National Hepatology & Tropical Medicine Research Institute and 20 healthy volunteers as controls were enrolled in a prospective study designed with strict inclusion criteria to nullify the effect of confounding variables and further minimize selection bias. Fifty naive patients were treated with PEG-IFN-a2b, at a dose of 1801 g/kg subcutaneously every week plus ribavirin at a dose of 1000- 1200 mg/day, according to the patient's body weight, for 48 weeks. Quantification of HCV-RNA by real-time PCR and MCP-1 by ELISA were performed for every patient and controls. There was a sta- tistically significant difference between patients and control group as regards the quantity of MCP-1 (P < 0.05) (Mann-Whitney test) (P = 0.004). There was a significant difference between responders and nonresponses regarding MCP-1 (P < 0.05), responders showed a higher percentage of cases with initial MCP-1 < 306 (P < 0.05). We conclude the importance of the detection of MCP-1 expression at the start of therapy as a factor for assessing the likelihood of HCV genotype 4 patients to achieving a sustained virological response to treatment with IFN-a2 in combination with ribavirin.

Hesperidin and tiger nut reduced carcinogenicity of DMBA in female rats.

Nutritional studies recommend the regular consumption of fruits and vegetables to favor a healthy quality of life. This study was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of hesperidin and tiger nut against the carcinogenic activity of DMBA in female rats. 72 adult Sprague Dawley female rats were divided equally into six groups: control group (I); Hesperidin treated group (II); Tiger Nut treated group (III); DMBA treated group (IV); HES-DMBA treated group (V); and TN-DMBA treated group (VI). There was a significant increase in serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen, total sialic acid, progesterone, estradiol, ALT, AST, LDH, urea and creatinine, and significant decrease in reduced glutathione level, superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities of DMBA treated group compared to control. In conclusion, our results suggested that supplementation of diets with hesperidin provided antioxidant and chemoprotective activities more significant than tiger nut against the toxicity of DMBA in breast, liver and kidney tissues.

Diagnostic evaluation of urinary angiogenin (ANG) and clusterin (CLU) as biomarker for bladder cancer.

Bladder carcinoma is an important worldwide health problem. Both cystoscopy and urine cytology used in detecting bladder cancer suffer from drawbacks where cystoscopy is an invasive method and urine cytology shows low sensitivity in low grade tumors. This study validates easier and less time-consuming techniques to evaluate the value of combined use of angiogenin and clusterin in comparison and combination with voided urine cytology in the detection of bladder cancer patients. This study includes malignant (bladder cancer patients, n = 50), benign (n = 20) and healthy (n = 20) groups. The studied groups were subjected to cystoscopic examination, detection of bilharzial antibodies, urine cytology, and estimation of urinary angiogenin and clusterin by ELISA. The overall sensitivity and specificity were 66 and 75 % for angiogenin, 70 and 82.5 % for clusterin and 46 and 80 % for voided urine cytology. Combined sensitivity of voided urine cytology with the two studied biomarkers was 88 % which is higher than the combined sensitivity of both markers alone (82 %) and that of the cytology with each marker (76 and 80 %) for angiogenin and clusterin respectively. In conclusion, combined use of the cytology with the studied biomarkers can improve the sensitivity for detecting bladder cancer, and may be very useful in monitoring the effectiveness of antiangiogenic and apoptotic therapies in bladder cancer.

Apparent mineralocorticoid excess (AME) syndrome.

Apparent mineralocorticoid excess (AME) syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder due to the deficiency of 11b hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 enzyme (11beta-HSD2). Mutations in this gene affect the enzymatic activity resulting to an excess of cortisol, which causes its inappropriate access to mineralocorticoid receptor leading to inherited hypertension.This is a potentially fatal but treatable disorder. We present clinical and molecular studies on two sisters diagnosed as AME.

Dopamine receptor ligands. Part 18: (1) modification of the structural skeleton of indolobenzazecine-type dopamine receptor antagonists.

On the basis of the D(1/5)-selective dopamine antagonist LE 300 (1), an indolo[3,2-f]benzazecine derivative, we changed the annulation pattern of the heterocycles. The target compounds represent novel heterocyclic ring systems. The most constrained indolo[4,3a,3-ef]benzazecine 2 was inactive, but the indolo[4,3a,3-fg]benzazacycloundecene 3 showed antagonistic properties (functional Ca(2+) assay) with nanomolar affinities (radioligand binding) for all dopamine receptor subtypes, whereas the indolo[2,3-f]benzazecine 4 displayed a selectivity profile similar to 3 but with decreased affinities.

Inhibition of growth of Leishmania donovani promastigotes by newly synthesized 1,3,4-thiadiazole analogs.

Leishmania donovani, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis, is transmitted by sand flies and replicates intracellularly in their mammalian host cells. The emergence of drug-resistant strains has hampered efforts to control the spread of the disease worldwide. Forty-four 1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives and related compounds were tested in vitro for possible anti-leishmanial activity against the promastigotes of L. donovani. Micromolar concentrations of these agents were used to study the inhibition of multiplication of L. donovani promastigotes. Seven compounds were identified with potential antigrowth agents of the parasite. Compound 4a was the most active at 50 µM followed by compound 3a. These compounds could prove useful as a future alternative for the control of visceral leishmaniasis.

Evaluation of cytotoxic potential of newly synthesized antiviral aminopyrazoloquinoline derivatives.

In the present study, we screened newly synthesized antiviral aminopyrazoloquinoline derivatives for cytotoxic potential in human normal and breast cancer cell lines using apoptosis as biomarker. These derivatives and the well known antiviral drug, acyclovir, were incubated with the normal (MCF-10A, MCF-12A) and cancer (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231) cell lines at 10, 50 and 100 µM for 72 h at 37°C. Both the parent compounds and their sugar derivatives were found to be differentially cytotoxic in various cell lines. MCF-7 cells were more or less completely resistant to all these compounds while MDA-MB-231 cells were significantly killed by apoptosis. The methoxy derivative of aminopyrazoloquinoline (compound 3) was found to be the most cytotoxic in the normal breast epithelial cell lines (MCF-10A and MCF-12A) and MDA-MB-231 cell lines at 100 µM killing over 90% of the cells with up to 80% apoptosis. Interestingly MCF-7 cells showed only up to 50% killing at 100 µM dose with less than 20% apoptosis. Acyclovir did not cause any cytotoxicity, apoptosis or cell cycle arrest in any of the cells lines at the doses tested. Our results suggest that the newly synthesized antiviral compounds have an associated risk of being cytotoxic compared to the acyclovir.

Effect of pyrazoloquinoline derivatives on the growth of Leishmania donovani promastigotes.

A screening study was conducted to examine the effect of a series of synthesized pyrazoloquinoline derivatives on the growth of Leishmania donovani promastigotes. Sixteen compounds were tested, ten of which showed an inhibitory effect on the growth of promastigotes. Compound 1 demonstrated potent antileishmanial activity, followed by compounds 3 and 7. Some compounds showed less significant activities, while others exhibited little or no activity. Some of these compounds may be potential candidates for future treatment of leishmaniasis.

Evaluation of some pyrazoloquinolines as inhibitors of herpes simplex virus type 1 replication.

Three structurally related aminopyrazoloquinoline derivatives were evaluated for their antiviral activity against Herpes Simplex virus type 1. These compounds were examined for their in vitro antiviral activity by two different bioassays, namely; crystal violet staining and tetrazolium dye (MTS) measurement. The antiviral role of these compounds was confirmed by enumerating the infectious particles with plaque assay. The acute toxicity values of the biologically active compounds were determined prior to their screening as antiviral agents.

Synthesis of aldehydo-sugar derivatives of pyrazoloquinoline as inhibitors of herpes simplex virus type 1 replication.

Synthesis of a novel series of structurally related pyrazoloquinoline nucleosides is described. All the newly synthesized compounds were examined for their in vitro antiviral activity against herpes simplex type-1 as shown by two different bioassays, namely; crystal violet staining or the MTS tetrazolium dye measurement. The acute toxicity (LD50) values of the biologically active compounds were determined.

Synthesis, characterization and cytotoxicity evaluation of some new platinum(II) complexes of tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinolines.

Several new platinum(II) complexes of the general formulae cis-[PtCl(2)(DMSO)L], where L is a Schiff base or hydrazone derived from tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoline-4-carboxaldehyde as carrier ligands, have been synthesized and characterized physicochemically and spectroscopically. These platinum complexes which are structurally analogues to what so called cisplatin [cis-[PtCl2(NH3)2]; the first generation anticancer agent] were evaluated for their cytotoxicity on HL-60 (human promyelocytic leukemia) cells. Two of the platinum complexes were almost similar in their activity to cisplatin, while the remaining three complexes have demonstrated higher efficacy than that of cisplatin. Based on our findings, these novel platinum complexes appear to be valuable leading compounds with high efficacy.

Tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoline as a potential promising new scaffold for the synthesis of novel anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agents.

Three series of tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoline derivatives have been synthesized. The first series was synthesized starting by the condensation of tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoline-4-carboxaldehyde 2 with substituted thiosemicarbazides, followed by cyclization of the resulting thiosemicarbazones 3 with malonic acid in the presence of acetyl chloride to give pyrimidyl derivatives 4a-c. The second series was prepared by the condensation of the latter compounds 4a-c with the selected aromatic aldehydes to afford the arylidene derivatives 5a-f. The third series 7a-c was synthesized by condensation of tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoline-4-carboxaldehyde 2 with the appropriate acetophenone, followed by cyclocondensation of the formed alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones with thiourea. The newly synthesized compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities. Four compounds were proved to be as active as indomethacin in animal models of inflammation.

Tetrazolo[1,5-a] quinoline derivatives as anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agents [1].

Tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoline derivatives bearing in the 4-position various thiazolidinone 3a-c, 5a-c and 7a-c, thiazinone 8a,b, thiazoline 9a-d and thiadiazoline 10a,b moieties have been synthesized and evaluated for anti-inflammatory activity and antimicrobial properties. The synthetic routes involved the reaction of tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoline-4-carboxaldehyde 1 with amines and hydrazines to give the corresponding aniles 2a-c and hydrazones 4a-c respectively The latter compounds when treated with thioglycolic acid, furnished the corresponding thiazolidinone derivatives 3a-c and 5a-c. Moreover; thiosemicarbazone 6a-c derivatives were subsequently cyclized by various reagents giving rise the title compounds. Some of the products proved to possess potent anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.

Synthesis of some novel quinoline-3-carboxylic acids and pyrimidoquinoline derivatives as potential antimicrobial agents.

The synthesis and in vitro antimicrobial evaluation of several quinoline and pyrimidoquinoline derivatives are described. Treatment of 7-substituted quinolin-2(1H)-one-3-carboxylic acids 2a-c with phosphoryl chloride or thionyl chloride gave rise to the 7-substituted 2-chloroquinoline-3-carboxylic acids 3a-c and 7-substituted 2-chloro-3-chlorocarbonylquinolines 5a-c respectively. The 2-chloro function in compounds 3a-c was replaced by 2-aminothiazole or 2-aminopyridine to give 2-(thiazol-2-yl)aminoquinoline-3-carboxylic acids 4a-c or 2-(pyrid-2-yl)aminoquinoline-3-carboxylic acids 4d-f. Treatment of 5a-c with the same heterocyclic amines at room temperature furnished the corresponding 7-substituted 2-chloro-3-heteryl-aminocarbonylquinolines 6a-f. The tetracyclic 9-substituted thiazolo[3', 2':1, 2]-pyrimido[4, 5-b]quinolin-5-ones 7a-c and 10-substituted pyrido[1', 2':1, 2]-pyrimido[4, 5-b]quinolin-6-ones 7d-f were synthesized by heating 5a-c with the heterocyclic amines in toluene or by heating 6a-f under reflux in dimethylformamide. The products were evaluated in vitro for potential antimicrobial activity.

Synthesis and benzodiazepine receptor binding activity of 2, 9-disubstituted quinolino[2', 3'-5, 4](3-pyrazolino)[3, 2-b]purin-4-ones.

2, 9-Disubstituted quinolino[2', 3'-5, 4](3-pyrazolino)pyrimidin-2-ones and purin-4-ones were synthesized and their benzodiazepine receptor activity was evaluated for their ability to displace [(3)H]R015-1788 from its specific binding in bovine brain membranes. Compound 5c caused 83 +/- 8 %inhibition in [(3)H]R015-1788 specific benzodiazepine receptor binding followed by compounds 5f, 5h, and 5i while other analogs were inactive at 10 microM concentration.

Novel 4-aminopyrimido[4,5-b]quinoline derivatives as potential antimicrobial agents.

Two series of 4-aminopyrimido[4,5-b]quinoline derivatives substituted in the 2-position 6a-c and/or in 1-position 9a-e have been prepared by facile routes starting from 2-amino-3-cyanoquinoline 2,2-chloro-3-cyanoquinoline 4 and 2-arylamino-3-cyanoquinolines 8a-d. The reactions involved simple fusion with thiourea or urea and, in some cases, with guanidine. The prepared compounds were in vitro tested for antimicrobial activities against some selected Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. The products containing the thio-function were the most active followed by those containing the imino-function while the carbonyl containing derivatives were without significant antimicrobial effect.