Antiproliferative effects of triterpenoidal derivatives, obtained from the marine sponge Siphonochalina sp., on human hepatic and colorectal cancer cells.

Three triterpenoidal derivatives [Sipholenol A (1), sipholenol L (2) and sipholenone A (3)] were isolated from the Red Sea sponge Siphonochalina sp. The structures were determined based on spectroscopic measurements (NMR, UV, IR and MS). The isolated compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against three cancer cell lines; HepG2, Caco-2 and HT-29. Moreover, the effects of these metabolites on cell cycle progression as well as cell cycle regulating proteins were assessed. Compounds 1, 2 and 3 showed moderate activity against HepG2 cells with IC(50) values of 17.18 ± 1.18, 24.01 ± 0.59 and 35.06 ± 1.10 µM, respectively. Compounds 1 and 2 exerted a considerable antiproliferative effect with IC(50) values of 4.80 ± 0.18 and 26.64 ± 0.30 µM, respectively, against Caco-2 cells. Finally, 1 and 2 exhibited antiproliferative activity against colorectal cancer cells (HT-29) with IC(50) values of 24.65 ± 0.80 and 4.48 ± 0.1 µM, respectively. Cell cycle analysis indicated that these compounds induced cell cycle arrest particularly in G0/G1 and S phases. Furthermore, the triterpenoids increased the expression of cyclin-B1, cyclin-D1 and cleaved caspase-3, as determined by immunofluorescence, indicating an important role of apoptosis in cell death induced by these compounds.

Effect of simvastatin and atorvastatin on serum vitamin d and bone mineral density in hypercholesterolemic patients: a cross-sectional study.

Background. Besides lipid-lowering effect of statins, they have been shown to have nonlipid lowering effects, such as improving bone health. An improvement in bone mineral density (BMD) has been indicated in some studies after the use of statins, in addition to an increase in 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) level. The aim of this study is to explore the association between statins and bone health taking into consideration 25OHD level and BMD. Methods. This is a randomized, cross-sectional comparative study. Subjects were divided into two groups, hypercholesterolemic participants taking simvastatin or atorvastatin as the study group and a matched control group not taking statins. All participants were assessed for serum 25OHD and BMD at lumbar spine and femoral neck. Results. A total of 114 participants were included in the study, 57 participants in each group. Results of serum 25OHD showed no significant difference between study and control groups (P = 0.47), while BMD results of lumbar spine and femoral neck showed significant difference (P = 0.05 and 0.03, resp.). Conclusion. Simvastatin and atorvastatin, at any dose for duration of more than one year, have no additive effect on 25OHD level but have a positive effect on the BMD.