Protective effects induced by the food supplement Fluxonorm® in the lower urinary tract.

OBJECTIVE: Fluxonorm® is a dietary supplement that includes water-soluble extracts of Solidago virga-aurea, Phyllantus niruri, Epilobium angustifolium, Peumus boldus and Ononis spinosa. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the tolerability and efficacy of Fluxonorm® in improving lower urinary tract symptoms in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in combination with standard of care. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Lower urinary tract symptoms can be improved by a marked anti-inflammatory action on the lower urinary tract (irritative symptoms) and/or by an anti-proliferative action (obstructive symptoms) on the prostate. Thirty patients were enrolled to evaluate the effect of Fluxonorm® on improving lower urinary tract symptoms. All patients complained of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), such as hesitancy, poor flow, intermittent flow, incomplete voiding (obstructive symptoms), as well as increased frequency, nocturia and urgency (storage symptoms). All patients were treated with one tablet of Fluxonorm® (1200 mg) daily for 30 days to corroborate the results of our observation in which the food supplement (800 µg/mL) was also studied on the human prostate cancer PC3 cell line (antiproliferative activity) and on prostaglandin (PG)E2 production (anti-inflammatory activity). In addition, the effect of this compound on cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene expression was investigated. Finally, a bioinformatic analysis was conducted with the aim of unravelling the mechanism of action underlying the observed bio-pharmacological effects. RESULTS: As hypothesized in our preclinical research, adding Fluxonorm® to the therapy of enrolled patients improved all studied clinical parameters, including maximum flow (Qmax), after one month of treatment. In the preclinical evaluation, this formulation reduced PC3 cell viability and PGE2 production. The effects were also paralleled by reduced COX-2 gene expression and Fluxonorm®'s partly related content of catechin. While docking studies pointed out to the putative inhibition of matrix metalloproteinse-2 by gallic acid, as a further mechanism underlying the observed anti-proliferative effects, in PC3 cells exposed to Fluxonorm®. CONCLUSIONS: Fluxonorm® improved the efficacy of standard therapy, in terms of antioxidant/anti-inflammatory effects, for the management of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). This could be related, albeit partially, to the blunting effect of this compound on PGE2 production.

Ginger and its active compounds in cancer therapy: From folk uses to nano-therapeutic applications.

Ginger is a spice that is renowned for its characteristic aromatic fragrance and pungent taste, with documented healing properties. Field studies conducted in several Asian and African countries revealed that ginger is used traditionally in the management of cancer. The scientific community has probed into the biological validation of its extracts and isolated compounds including the gingerols, shogaols, zingiberene, and zingerone, through in-vitro and in-vivo studies. Nonetheless, an updated compilation of these data together with a deep mechanistic approach is yet to be provided. Accordingly, this review highlights the mechanisms and therapeutics of ginger and its bioactive compounds focused on a cancer context and these evidence are based on the (i) cytotoxic effect against cancer cell lines, (ii) enzyme inhibitory action, (iii) combination therapy with chemotherapeutic and phenolic compounds, (iv) possible links to the microbiome and (v) the use of nano-formulations of ginger bioactive compounds as a more effective drug delivery strategy in cancer therapy.

Crocus sativus, Serenoa repens and Pinus massoniana extracts modulate inflammatory response in isolated rat prostate challenged with LPS.

Prostatitis is a common prostate disease that could be promoted by bacterial or non-bacterial infectious agents. In addition, inflammatory pathways involved in prostatitis have been increasingly studied, and herbal extracts endowed with anti-inflammatory effects are under investigation, individually or in combination, for their efficacy in alleviating the burden of inflammation, with possible improvements in symptoms. Serenoa repens (Serenoa), in combination with Crocus sativus (Crocus) and Pinus massoniana (Pinus), has previously shown to improve sexual function and limit urinary symptoms in patients suffering from concomitant erectile dysfunction and lower urinary tract symptoms. In this context, the aim of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy of Serenoa, Crocus and Pinus extracts, either alone or in combination, on immortalized prostate cells (PC3) and in an experimental model of bacterial prostatitis constituted by ex vivo prostate specimens challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We found that the tested extracts were able to reduce ROS production by PC3 cells and NFkB and PGE2 activity in prostate specimens challenged with LPS. In addition, the pharmacological association of the extracts displayed synergistic effects indicating a rational use of the mixture of the tested extracts as a novel anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory formulation in bacterial prostatitis. Finally, we performed analytical and in vitro evaluation to better characterize the phytochemical profile and the mechanism of action of selected secondary metabolites.

Evaluation of antioxidant potential, enzyme inhibition activity and phenolic profile of Lathyrus cicera and Lathyrus digitatus: Potential sources of bioactive compounds for the food industry.

The genus Lathyrus has great importance in terms of food and agricultural areas. In this study, the in vitro antioxidant activity (phosphomolybdenum, DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, CUPRAC and metal chelating) and enzyme inhibitory activity evaluation (acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, α-amylase and α-glucosidase) of L. cicera and L. digitatus were investigated, as well as their phytochemical profiles. The screening of the main phytochemical compounds in aerial parts of L. cicera and L. digitatus was carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization mass spectrometric detection (HPLC-ESI-MSn), observing that flavonoids represent the highest percentage of identified compounds, with abundance of tri- and tetra-glycosilated flavonoids, including acylated ones, especially in L. cicera. Generally, L. digitatus exhibited stronger antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities in correlation with its higher level of phenolics. The high number of phenolic compounds and the results of the antioxidant and enzyme assays suggest that these plants may be further used as sources of bioactive compounds, and for the preparation of new nutraceuticals.

Length, thickness, and elasticity of the patellar tendon after closed wedge high tibial osteotomy: a shear wave elastographic study.

PURPOSE: To compare the length, thickness, and elasticity of the patellar tendon between operated and non-operated knees following closed wedge high tibial osteotomy (CWHTO). METHODS: Three men and 17 women aged 52 to 75 (mean, 64.8) years who underwent unilateral CWHTO by a single surgeon and were followed up for a mean of 11 (range, 5-22) years were included, as were 3 male and 17 female healthy controls aged 35 to 61 (mean, 47.9) years. The length, thickness, and elasticity of the bilateral patellar tendons in the patients and healthy controls were measured using shear wave elastography. RESULTS: In the CWHTO patients, the patellar tendon on the operated side was thicker (4.4 vs. 3.3 mm, p=0.001) and stiffer (74.1 vs. 47.7 kPa, p<0.001) than on the non-operated side. CONCLUSION: Patellar tendon contracture (thickening and stiffening) is associated with CWHTO.

Directional Light Extinction and Emission in a Metasurface of Tilted Plasmonic Nanopillars.

Plasmonic optical antennas and metamaterials with an ability to boost light-matter interactions for particular incidence or emission angles could find widespread use in solar harvesting, biophotonics, and in improving photon source performance at optical frequencies. However, directional plasmonic structures have generally large footprints or require complicated geometries and costly nanofabrication technologies. Here, we present a directional metasurface realized by breaking the out-of-plane symmetry of its individual elements: tilted subwavelength plasmonic gold nanopillars. Directionality is caused by the complex charge oscillation induced in each individual nanopillar, which essentially acts as a tilted dipole above a dielectric interface. The metasurface is homogeneous over a macroscopic area and it is fabricated by a combination of facile colloidal lithography and off-normal metal deposition. Fluorescence excitation and emission from dye molecules deposited on the metasurface is enhanced in specific directions determined by the tilt angle of the nanopillars. We envisage that these directional metasurfaces can be used as cost-effective substrates for surface-enhanced spectroscopies and a variety of nanophotonic applications.

Evaluation of antioxidant, enzyme inhibition, and cytotoxic activity of three anthraquinones (alizarin, purpurin, and quinizarin).

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this work was to investigate the cytotoxic, antioxidative, and enzyme inhibition effects of alizarin, quinizarin, and purpurin, which are anthraquinones (AQ). METHODS: Cytotoxic effects were evaluated with cell inhibition rate by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol- 2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Different chemical assays, including free radical scavenging activity (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazloine-6-sulfonic acid)), phosphomolybdenum and reducing power (ferric reducing antioxidant power and cupric ion reducing activity), were used to evaluate the antioxidant properties. Moreover, enzyme inhibitory activities were analyzed against acetylcholinesterase, butrylcholinesterase, tyrosinase, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase. RESULTS: These components have antioxidant and enzyme inhibition activity. Especially, purpurin showed the strongest antioxidant and good enzyme inhibitory effects. According to our cytotoxicity results, alizarin, purpurin, and quinizarin induced dose- and time-dependent cell proliferation. Furthermore, when we applied AQs with mitomycin C (MC) on L929 cell line, we demonstrated that cell proliferation in MC-AQ groups compared with MC group was increased. The most effective component was alizarin at 100 µM concentration. These AQs showed positive effects on L929 cell lines with high half-maximal inhibitory concentration values. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that AQs may be used as antioxidative compounds in food and medicinal applications.

Effect of season on fatty acid composition and n-3/n-6 ratios of zander and carp muscle lipids in Altinapa Dam Lake.

In this study, seasonal variations on total fatty acid composition of carp, Cyprinus carpio, and zander, Sander lucioperca, muscle lipids in Altinapa Dam Lake were determined. Fish samples in 2 seasons (summer and winter) were obtained from Altinapa Dam Lake in Konya, Turkey. Polyunsaturated fatty acids were found to be higher during the cold season than in the hot both in zander and carp. Whereas the Docosahexaenoic acid was high in zander both in summer and winter, in carp it was high only during wintertime. Zander contained more n-3 fatty acids during the cold season compared to carp. Especially, the n-3:n-6 ratios in zander were 3.89 and 3.84 in summer and winter, respectively. In conclusion, seasonal variations affected fatty acid composition of zander and carp in Altinapa Dam Lake.

Effect of primary sludge fermentation products on mass balance for biological treatment.

Laboratory batch experiments were conducted at 20 degrees C to investigate the potential of primary sludge fermentation for the generation of readily biodegradable substrate and to evaluate the effect of fermentation products on mass balance for organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, emphasizing COD fractionation. Fermentation converted between 18 to 30% of the initial volatile suspended solids in the sludge into soluble biodegradable COD. The volatile fatty fraction of the soluble COD was approximately 85% after the fermentation process. The average volatile fatty acid composition in fermentation involved 50% acetic acid, 33% propionic acid, 9% butyric acid and 8% valeric acid, indicating that the most important volatile fatty acid obtained during the biological fermentation process was acetate with more than half of total VFA concentration, which is one of the most important carbon sources for denitrification and biological nutrient removal processes. The recoverable fraction of the fermented sludge supernatant could potentially increase the readily biodegradable COD content of the primary effluent by 5%, together with a potential increase of the soluble nitrogen and phosphorus content by 2%.

Assessment of source-based nitrogen removal alternatives in leather tanning industry wastewater.

Nitrogen is an important parameter of leather tanning wastewaters. Magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP) precipitation is a chemical treatment alternative for ammonia removal. In this study, a detailed source-based wastewater characterisation of a bovine leather tannery was made and nitrogen speciation as well as other basic pollutant parameter values was evaluated. This evaluation has led to definition of alternatives for source-based MAP treatment. MAP precipitation experiments conducted on these alternatives have yielded over 90% ammonia removal at pH 9.5 and using stoichiometric doses. Among the alternatives tested liming-deliming and bating-washing was found to be the most advantageous providing 71% ammonia removal.