Evaluation of the Anticancer Potential of Morus nigra and Ocimum basilicum Mixture against Different Cancer Cell Lines: An In Vitro Evaluation.

Morus nigra (M) and Ocimum basilicum (O) mixture (MO2) extract was extracted using hexane (MO2H), chloroform (MO2C), ethyl acetate (MO2E), and methanol (MO2M) in a Soxhlet apparatus. The cytotoxicity was evaluated using MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay. The IC50 values of the MO2C-treated cancer cells were 11.31 µg/mL (MDA-MB-231), 15.45 µg/mL (MCF-7), 18.9 µg/mL (HepG2), 26.33 µg/mL (Huh-7), 30.17 µg/mL (LoVo), and 36.76 µg/mL (HCT116). MO2C-treated cells showed cellular and nuclear morphological alterations like chromatin condensation and formation of apoptotic bodies as observed using light and fluorescent microscopy. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties were investigated in vitro using 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and egg albumin denaturation assays. It was evident that the MO2M extract exhibited the highest antioxidant activity (18.13%), followed by the MO2E extract (12.25%), MO2C extract (9.380%), and MO2H extract (6.31%). The highest inhibition percentage of albumin denaturation was observed in MO2H (28.54%), followed by MO2M (4.32%) at 0.2 and 0.1 mg/mL concentrations, respectively. The compounds identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis for MO2C extract were α-trans-bergamotene, germacrene D, selin-4,7(11)-diene, 2 tridecen-1-ol, and 2-decen-1-ol. The present study reveals that MO2C has promising anticancer activity and may serve as a potent polyherbal extract in cancer treatment.

Corrigendum to "Target and Non-target effects of Foeniculum vulgare and Matricaria chamomilla combined extract on Culex pipiens mosquitoes" [Saudi J. Biol. Sci. 28(10) (2021) 5773-5780].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.06.024.].

Evaluating the efficacy of an innovative herbal formulation (HF6) on different human cancer cell lines.

Cancer is reported to be the leading cause of death and illness worldwide. This research aims to evaluate the phytochemicals, antioxidant, cytotoxic, and apoptotic activities of the polyherbal formulation HF6. HF6 was prepared by blending equal quantities of plants powder, namely, Curcuma longa, Salvia officinalis, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Capsicum annuum, Zingiber officinale, and Syzygium aromaticum, and later extracted using hexane (HF6H), chloroform (HF6C), ethyl acetate (HF6E), and methanol (HF6M) in Soxhlet apparatus. Among the four different extracts, only the hexane extract (HF6H) was significantly effective. The HF6H extract showed antioxidant and anticancer potentials against different cancer cell lines, and moderate cytotoxicity against non-cancer cells, rendering it a promising remedy. In addition, it exerted tremendous cytotoxic effects on MCF-7, Huh-7, HCT116, MDA-MB-231, LoVo, and HepG2 cells with IC50 values of 2.02, 4.5, 6.9, 11.4, 23.5, and 34.7 µg/mL, respectively. The morphological hallmarks of apoptosis such as the rounding of cells, loss of contact with neighboring cells, formation of cell membrane blebbing, and microspike protrusion were detected using several different techniques. DAPI staining revealed apoptotic nuclear morphology such as condensation and DNA fragmentation. The morphological changes of MCF7 cells were also analyzed by AO/EB fluorescence staining. MCF7-stained green cells were viable cells, whereas the treated cells showed fragmented green nuclei representing early apoptosis. The phytochemical screening of HF6H showed positive results regarding the presence of alkaloids, polyphenols, flavonoids, and sterols. The GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) analysis of the HF6H extract indicated the presence of 12 compounds, mainly trans-caryophyllene (21.55%), cis-isoeugenol (18.42%), acetyleugenol (17.53%), alpha farnesene (10.0%), and zingiberene (8.55%). However, further investigation could be carried out to examine the toxicity of the extract on animal models.

Target and non-target effects of Foeniculum vulgare and Matricaria chamomilla combined extract on Culex pipiens mosquitoes.

The present study focused on extracting green larvicides from extracts of the combination of Foeniculum vulgare and Matricaria chamomilla using different solvents of increasing polarity in a Soxhlet extractor and evaluating their ovicidal, larvicidal, and cytotoxic activities. The most promising among all tested extracts was hexane extract. The ovicidal activity of the hexane PH2 extract resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in egg hatchability from 95.00 ± 6.16% to 15 ± 9.04% at doses ranging from 62.5 to 500 µg/mL. The larval mortality with the hexane extract ranged from 13.33 ± 3.3% to 93.33 ± 3.3% at doses ranging from 31.25 to 250 µg/mL, respectively. The LC50 and LC90 values of the larvicidal activity of the hexane extract were estimated to be 148.3 and 242.17 µg/mL, respectively, after 24 h of exposure. Similarly, the LC50 values after 48 and 72 h of exposure were 124.93 and 100.3 µg/mL, respectively, against the third instar of Cx. pipiens. PH2 treatment of larvae resulted in histopathological changes such as degenerated epithelial cells and destruction of microvilli on the epithelial cells. The PH2 extract achieved a dose-dependent decrease in the rate of cell survival. The IC50 value of PH2-treated HUVECs was 192.07 µg/mL after 24 h of incubation. The cells showed changes in cellular and nuclear morphology. In conclusion, the hexane extract of PH2 could be used in mosquito management programs.