Vicenin-2 inhibits Wnt/ß-catenin signaling and induces apoptosis in HT-29 human colon cancer cell line.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is among highest prevailing cancers in the whole world, especially in western countries. For a diverse of reasons, patients prefer naturally occurring dietary substances over synthetic agents to prevent cancer. Vicenin-2 is largely available in a medicinal plant Ocimum sanctum and is an apigenin form, 6,8-di-C-glucoside, which has been reported to have a range of pharmacological values which includes antioxidant, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer. This study was aimed to analyze the anti-proliferative effect of Vicenin-2 on human colon cancer cells via the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling inhibition. METHODS: MTT assay was used to assess the cell viability at different concentrations and time point. Vicenin-2 at a concentration of 50 µM (IC50) decreased the phosphorylated (inactive) glycogen synthase kinase-3ß, cyclin D1, and non-p-ß-catenin expressions in HT-29 cells, which were evidenced through western blot analysis. RESULTS: Further, Vincenin-2 reduced the T-cell factor (TCF) / Leukocyte erythroid factor (LEF) reporter activity in HT-29 cells. Vicenin-2 also promoted substantial cell cycle arrest at the G2M phase of HT-29 cells, as well induced apoptosis in HT-29 cells, as revealed through flow cytometric analysis. Furthermore, immunoblot analysis showed that Vicenin-2 treatment enhanced the expression of Cytochrome C, Bax and caspase-3 whereas suppressed the Bcl-2 expression. CONCLUSION: Together, these results revealed that Vicenin-2 can act as a potent inhibitor of HT-29 cell proliferation and can be used as an agent against CRC.

Degradation of aniline in Weihe riverbed sediments under denitrification conditions.

Three groups of microcosm tests were conducted to study the possibility of aniline degradation and the effects of organic matter and hydrous metal oxides on the degradation in Weihe riverbed sediments under denitrification conditions. After the riverbed sediments (20 g) and groundwater (800 ml) were put into bottles, aniline, nitrate and other reagents were added, and then the bottles were flushed with N2 for 30 minutes to create microcosms. Samples from the microcosms were employed for the analysis of aniline, nitrate, and chemical oxygen demand (COD). In the first test group, the concentration of aniline remained unchanged when NaN3 (500 mg/L) was added. When there was no nitrate or NaN3, the concentration of aniline also remained unchanged, although COD declined. However, the concentration decreased when nitrate (50 mg/L) was added. Therefore, aniline can be biodegraded under denitrification conditions. In the second test group, when the concentration of nitrate reached 50 mg/L, 300 mg/L or 400 mg/L, either the external or internal organic matter or both of them in Weihe raw sediments inhibited aniline degradation. In the sediments where organic matter alone or organic matter plus hydrous metal oxides were removed, the organic matter still inhibited the degradation when the concentration of nitrate reached 300 mg/L or 400 mg/L, but the external organic matter could accelerate the degradation when the concentration of nitrate was 50 mg/L. The result of the third test group showed that hydrous metal oxides can accelerate degradation. By analyzing the mechanism of the aniline degradation, we conclude that aniline is degradable by microbes in their growth metabolism, in which deamination is involved.