Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine

60-69

Authors: Youssef Elouafy, Adil El Yadini, Salma Mortada, Mohamed Hnini, Hicham Harhar, Asaad Khalid, Ashraf N Abdalla, Abdelhakim Bouyahya, Khang Wen Goh, Long Chiau Ming, My El Abbes Faouzi, Mohamed Tabyaoui

Objective: To investigate the relationship between triterpenoid saponin content and antioxidant, antimicrobial, and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of 70% ethanolic, butanolic, aqueous, supernate and precipitate extracts of Juglans regia leaves. Methods: Triterpenoid saponins of different Juglans regia leaf extracts were measured by the vanillin method. Antioxidant activity was evaluated against DPPH and ABTS free radicals. We also assessed α-glucosidase inhibitory and antimicrobial activities of the leaf extracts. Pearson's correlation coefficient was evaluated to determine the correlation between the saponin content and biological activities. Results: The butanolic extract was most effective against DPPH with an IC50 of 6.63 μg/mL, while the aqueous extract showed the highest scavenging activity against ABTS free radical with an IC50 of 42.27 μg/mL. Pearson's correlation analysis indicated a strong negative correlation (r = -0.956) between DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC50) and the saponin content in the samples examined. In addition, the aqueous extract showed the best α-glucosidase inhibitory activity compared with other extracts. All the extracts had fair antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae except for the aqueous extract. Conclusions: Juglans regia extracts show potent antioxidant, antimicrobial, and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. There is a correlation between saponin levels in Juglans regia leaf extracts and the studied activities. However, additional research is required to establish these relationships by identifying the specific saponin molecules responsible for these activities and elucidating their mechanisms of action.

80-92

Authors: Srivarshini Sankar, Gothandam Kodiveri Muthukaliannan

Objective: To investigate the potential synergistic activity of diclofenac with piperine and D-limonene in inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in breast cancer MCF-7 cells. Methods: Molecular docking study was conducted to evaluate the binding affinity of diclofenac with piperine and D-limonene against p53, Bax, and Bcl-2. The MTT assay was used to determine IC50, and the Chou-Talay method was used to determine the synergistic concentration of the combination treatment of diclofenac plus piperine and diclofenac plus D-limonene. Apoptosis detection, cell cycle arrest, reactive oxygen species production, and mitochondrial membrane potential were also investigated. Results: Diclofenac, piperine, and D-limonene showed potent binding affinity for p53, Bax, and Bcl-2. Diclofenac plus piperine and diclofenac plus D-limonene enhanced the formation of reactive oxygen species, which also had an effect on the mitochondrial membrane's integrity and caused DNA fragmentation. Diclofenac plus piperine and diclofenac plus D-limonene arrested the cells in the sub-G0 phase while drastically lowering the percentage of cells in the G2/M phase. Furthermore, the elevated apoptosis in the combined therapy was confirmed by annexin V/propidium iodide staining. Conclusions: The combined therapy prominently enhanced the anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects on MCF-7 cells compared with treatment with diclofenac, piperine, and D-limonene alone.