Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Research
Volume:9 Issue: 2, Apr 2023

Extensive application of zinc oxide nanoparticles has increased the likelihood of its release into the environment and subsequent human exposure and toxicity. The toxicity is thought to be a combined effect of intracellular particles and the release of dissolved zinc ions. 

This review outlines the possible mechanisms of zinc oxide toxicity in biological organs through in vitro and in vivo experiments. 

We reviewed articles published between 2001 and 2021. In this way, we did a manual search of Google Scholar and scientific databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase, with keywords such as “zinc oxide nanoparticles”, “toxicity mechanism”, and “in vivo and in vitro studies”. The other qualified papers contained the history of identifying zinc oxide nanoparticles, the toxicity of metallic nanoparticles, and physical, chemical, and biological side effects with topical and systematic approaches.

The main mechanism suggested for zinc-based nanoparticles-induced cell damage is via the induction of increased levels of reactive oxygen species, which are oxidative stress markers. This mechanism has also been found to be a key mechanism for the cytotoxicity of other metal nanomaterials. Zinc-based nanoparticles were found to induce oxidative DNA damage, inflammation, progressive degenerative cell changes, cell cycle arrest, cytogenetic alterations, and ROS-triggered mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in human organs.

This review sheds light on the full understanding of in vitro and in vivo toxicity assessment of zinc oxide nanoparticles, highlighting the health concerns from the perspective of ZnO nanoparticles release to the ecosystem after their increasing application.

Plantago species contain aucubin and catalpol iridoid glycosides used in traditional medicine for many purposes.

To accelerate the utilization of aucubin and catalpol in Plantago species, research should be focused on introducing advanced purification and detection methods. In this regard, the therapeutic activities of aucubin and catalpol compounds are mentioned to confirm their effectiveness in medicinal uses.

An extensive literature search was conducted using the keywords “Aucubin and Catalpol + Plantago” in the public domains of Google scholar.

The iridoid patterns exhibited a significant correlation with morphological and other chemical specifications of the representatives of the genus Plantago. Commonly, iridoid glycosides are detected with gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, thin-layer chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), and capillary electrophoresis techniques. The most common methods are HPLC and HPTLC. Aucubin and catalpol are active compounds possessing biological activities, including anti-cancer, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, hepatoprotective, osteoprotective, and neuroprotective properties.

This review article comprehensively summarizes cytotoxic activities and detection methods of aucubin and catalpol in Plantago species. The results suggest that Plantago species and their metabolites may benefit human health beyond their traditional uses.

Cancer is one of the most prominent causes of death worldwide. Ocimum gratissimum Linn. (Lamiaceae) leaves are used in many countries as a spice or medicine. 

This study investigated the essential oil of the O. gratissimum leaves and its major constituent, thymol, for cytotoxic activity against breast (AU565) and cervical (HeLa) cancer cell lines. 

Preliminary screening was carried out using bench-top assay methods for cytotoxicity involving the use of tadpoles of Raniceps raninus (10-40 μg/mL) and brine shrimp of Artemia salina (10-1000 μg/mL) and growth inhibition using radicle of Sorghum bicolor seeds (1-30 mg/mL). Antiproliferation was verified by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Chromatographic separation of the oil resulted in fractions and sub-fractions, which were also subjected to biological testing. The components of the oil and active subfraction were further identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). 

Remarkable cytotoxic activities were seen against R. raninus tadpoles and A. salina nauplii. Growth inhibitory activity on S. bicolor seed radicles was produced concentration-dependent. The subfraction possessed greater cytotoxic activity on the cell lines than the oil, with inhibitory action of +85.07% and +29.20% against AU565 and HeLa cells, respectively. Thymol was the major constituent of the oil (22.49%) and increased to 94.31% in the subfraction. 

O. gratissimum volatile oil showed little inhibitory activity against AU565 and no inhibition on HeLa cells. However, its major component, thymol, demonstrated high potency, especially on the AU565 cell line, making it a good candidate for further studies.

Depression is an important psychological disorder because it is a common mental illness that leads to morbidity and suicide. Although appropriate antidepressant drugs exist, they usually have unpleasant side effects and delayed onset. 

Introducing new compounds such as medicinal plants and oceanic living organisms such as alga is appropriate. Here the depressive-like effects of Padina australis Hauck total extract (PAE) were evaluated following depression induced by Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) in mice.

Male NMRI mice (average weight: 27±2 g) were used. A single BCG 0.2 mL/mouse was inoculated. PAE effective dose (40 mg/kg) and imipramine (10 mg/kg) were administered as the reference drug for 14 days. The control animals received normal saline. All treatments were administered intraperitoneally. After evaluating the locomotor activity, different depression criteria were assessed by forced swimming test (FST), sucrose preference (SP) test, and novelty-suppressed feeding test (NSFT).

Depression was induced by BCG. The selected PAE dose did not cause a significant change in the locomotor activity compared with the control (139±16.9 count), while the immobility time in FST reduced (45.1±11.4 s vs BCG, P<0.001). During the NSFT, the latency decreased (94.7±18.5 s vs BCG, P=0.0365), food intake increased (17.4±2.11 mg/g body weight vs BCG, P=0.023), and SP up to 79.3±4.7%. These changes were similar to imipramine. 

PAE showed antidepressant-like effects as despair behavior reduced during FST. Based on NSFT, the stress declined, and animal appetite increased, while SP revealed remission of anhedonia. Further studies are suggested regarding the antidepressant effects of PAE different partitions.

Cassia absus L. and Citrus medica L. plants are sources of different phytochemicals with pharmaceutical significance. They are biochemically distinctive and used in producing various herbal products with exclusive bioactivity. Also, the extraction of these phytonutrients with medicinal characteristics has recently increased. 

We determined to evaluate the plant-derived compounds such as polyphenols and antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the methanolic extract of Cassia absus L. and Citrus medica L. 

Antioxidant activity was calculated through linoleic acid inhibition, determination of reducing power, and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay. The disk diffusion method was used for assessing antimicrobial activity. Various solvents such as acetic acid, ethanol, acetone, n-hexane, and ethyl acetate were used to perform partition fractionation of the methanolic extract of plants. 

Three major components were analyzed through high-performance liquid chromatography in C. absus and C. medica. Total phenolic contents varied from 5.58-17.1 to 2.66-7.41 per 100 g examined through Folin-Ciocalteu reagent, pointed as gallic acid equivalents (GAE), and total flavonoid contents lined from 11.50-32.4 to 24.91-36.36 per 100 g specified as catechin equivalents. Inhibition rate and reducing potential were greater in C. medica fractions of 49.6% and 1.14, respectively. The C. medica solvent fractions exhibited greater radical scavenging activity in the DPPH assay at 80%. C. absus and C. medica extract significantly inhibit different gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pasteurella multocida, and Fusarium) and gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, and Fusarium Solani) bacteria. 

Both leaf extracts of C. absus and C. medica could have potential applications in agriculture, pharmaceutics, and medicine.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging disease that has affected the world and requires extensive studies. Studies have shown that high procalcitonin (PCT) level is associated with the severity of many diseases, such as bacterial endocarditis, pancreatitis, pyelonephritis, enterocolitis, and even appendicitis. This study aimed to evaluate the serum PCT levels in COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals in northern Iran.

This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted in Boo-Ali Sina and Imam Khomeini hospitals, Mazandaran Province, the north of Iran. A questionnaire consisting of demographic characterization was filled out for every patient. Results of some laboratories and clinical manifestations of the disorder were extracted from their clinical records.

A total of 103 COVID-19 patients (53 male and 50 female) were included in the study. Our patients’ mean serum PCT level was 0.18±0.024 ng/mL. Significant relationships existed between patients’ age and serum PCT level (P=0.025) and short-term prognosis (P=0.044).

The short-term prognosis of the disease was significantly associated with the serum PCT level, which indicates that increasing the serum PCT levels worsen the short-term prognosis. Therefore, serum PCT level may help determine disease severity and predict the prognosis of the disease in COVID-19 patients.

Cyclophosphamide is widely prescribed as an anti-cancer drug and used as an immunosuppressant. Hemorrhagic cystitis is one of the common complications of cyclophosphamide intake. We hypothesized that endoplasmic reticulum stress-related proteins could be altered in urothelium treated with cyclophosphamide. 

We checked the effect of cyclophosphamide on the expression of various endoplasmic reticulum stress-related proteins in Vero cells. 

We treated Vero cells with varying doses of cyclophosphamide and observed its viability in flow cytometry using propidium iodide staining. We looked for changes in the expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress-related proteins in Vero cells treated with cyclophosphamide by western blot technique. 

Cyclophosphamide at higher doses caused more death in Vero cells that could be attributed to an increase in apoptosis as evidenced by the changes in the morphology of cells and increased expression of endoplasmic reticulum specific caspase-12 proteins. Growth arrest/DNA damage 153 (GADD 153), one of the key transcription factors involved in the mediation of endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis, was upregulated in Vero cells treated with cyclophosphamide. The protective effect of glucose-regulated protein GRP 78 against apoptosis was lost in Vero cells treated with a higher dose of cyclophosphamide, which is corroborated by decreased expression of GRP 78 in Vero cells treated with higher doses compared to Vero cells treated with lower doses of cyclophosphamide. Expression of disulfide isomerase protein, which guides misfolded proteins to fold properly, was downregulated in Vero cells treated with cyclophosphamide. 

To summarize, our study showed an alteration in the expression of key endoplasmic reticulum stress-related proteins in Vero cells treated with cyclophosphamide.

The effects of vitamin D on the skeletal system, biological metabolism, and immune system function are well shown. Cholecalciferol (vitamin D2) and ergocalciferol (vitamin) are 2 major types of vitamin D. Vitamin D3 deficiency is worldwide and the intoxication induced by it is very rare.

Vitamin D3 is involved in calcium hemostasis. The effects of acute hypercalcemia on blood pressure were established. Hypercalcemia can elevate the blood pressure, and renal failure may predispose the individual to a hypertensive response. The clinical symptoms often associated with vitamin D3 intoxication are related to acute renal failure. Hypertension without acute renal failure symptoms can emphasize the relationship between acute hypercalcemia and hypertension.