In the title tri-substituted thio-urea derivative, C13H18N2O3S, the thione-S and carbonyl-O atoms lie, to a first approximation, to the same side of the mol-ecule [the S-C-N-C torsion angle is -49.3 (2)°]. The CN2S plane is almost planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.018 Å) with the hy-droxy-ethyl groups lying to either side of this plane. One hy-droxy-ethyl group is orientated towards the thio-amide functionality enabling the formation of an intra-molecular N-H⋯O hydrogen bond leading to an S(7) loop. The dihedral angle [72.12 (9)°] between the planes through the CN2S atoms and the 4-tolyl ring indicates the mol-ecule is twisted. The experimental mol-ecular structure is close to the gas-phase, geometry-optimized structure calculated by DFT methods. In the mol-ecular packing, hydroxyl-O-H⋯O(hydrox-yl) and hydroxyl-O-H⋯S(thione) hydrogen bonds lead to the formation of a supra-molecular layer in the ab plane; no directional inter-actions are found between layers. The influence of the specified supra-molecular inter-actions is apparent in the calculated Hirshfeld surfaces and these are shown to be attractive in non-covalent inter-action plots; the inter-action energies point to the important stabilization provided by directional O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds.
We have determined the protective effects of Thymus serpyllum (TS) extract and nanoparticle-loaded TS on hydrogen peroxide-induced cell death of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in vitro. Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy confirmed the spectrum of active components in the extract. Out of the three different extracts, the hexane extract showed significant free radical scavenging activity. Treatment of MSCs with H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) significantly increased intracellular cell death; however, pretreatment with TS extract and nanoparticle-loaded TS (200 μg/ml) suppressed H2O2-induced elevation of Cyt-c and MMP13 and increased the survival rates of MSCs. H2O2-induced (0.1 mM) changes in cytokines were attenuated in the extract and nanoparticles by pretreatment and cotreatment at two time points (p < 0.05). H2O2 increased cell apoptosis. In contrast, treatment with nanoparticle-loaded TS suppressed the percentage of apoptosis considerably (p < 0.05). Therefore, TS may be considered as a potential candidate for enhancing the effectiveness of MSC transplantation in cell therapy.
Actinodaphne sesquipedalis Hook. F. Var. Glabra (Kochummen), also known as "Medang payung" by the Malay people, belongs to the Lauraceae family. In this study, methanol leaf extract ofA. sesquipedaliswas investigated for their acute toxicity and gastroprotective effects to reduce ulcers in rat stomachs induced by ethanol. The rats were assigned to one of five groups: normal group (group 1), ulcer group (group 2), control positive drug group (group 3) and two experimental groups treated with 150 mg/kg (group 4) and 300 mg/kg (group 5) of leaf extract. The rats were sacrificed an hour after pretreatment with extracts, and their stomach homogenates and tissues were collected for further evaluation. Macroscopic and histological analyses showed that gastric ulcers in rats pretreated with the extract were significantly reduced to an extent that it allowed leukocytes penetration of the gastric walls compared with the ulcer group. In addition, an ulcer inhibition rate of >70% was detected in rats treated with both doses ofA. sesquipedalisextract, showing a notable protection of gastric layer. Severe destruction of gastric mucosa was prevented with a high production of mucus and pH gastric contents in both omeprazole-treated and extract-treated groups. Meanwhile, an increase in glycoprotein uptake was observed in pretreated rats through accumulation of magenta color in Periodic Acid Schiff staining assay. Analysis of gastric homogenate from pretreated rats showed a reduction of malondialdehyde and elevation of nitric oxide, glutathione, prostaglandin E2, superoxide dismutase and protein concentration levels in comparison with group 2. Suppression of apoptosis in gastric tissues by upregulation of Hsp70 protein and downregulation of Bax protein was also observed in rats pretreated with extract. Consistent results of a reduction of gastric ulcer and the protection of gastric wall were obtained for rats pretreated withA. sesquipedalisextract, which showed its prominent gastroprotective potential in rats' stomach against ethanol-induced ulcer.