Morinda citrifolia L. has been used for the treatment of a wide variety of diseases, including cancer. This study was undertaken to evaluate the anti-angiogenic effect of M. citrifolia fruits and leaves. Anti-angiogenic activity was evaluated in vivo using the chick chorioallantoic membrane assay. Bioactivity-guided fractionation and isolation were performed to identify the active constituent, and high-performance liquid chromatography analysis was then used to quantify the amount of this active constituent in the active extracts and fraction. The methanol extracts of fruits and leaves of M. citrifolia and the subsequent chloroform fraction of the fruit methanolic extract were found to have potential anti-angiogenic activity and were more potent compared to suramin. Scopoletin was identified as one of the chemical constituents that may be partly responsible for the anti-angiogenic activity of M. citrifolia fruits. The present findings further support the use of M. citrifolia in cancer or other pathological conditions related to angiogenesis.
Gynura segetum is a popular medicinal plant in Indonesia and Malaysia, known to possess various medicinal properties especially for treatment of cancer, diabetes and hypertension.
Gynura segetum, family Compositae, is a cultivated species and can be found growing in the tropical regions of Indonesia and Malaysia. The plant is known for its use for the treatment of cancer, inflammation, diabetes, hypertension and skin afflictions. In the current study, in vivo anti-inflammatory effect of the methanol extract G. segetum leaf and its antioxidant effect in vitro have been investigated for the first time. The in vitro antioxidant activities of the methanol extract were measured using common methods including total phenolic content; total flavonoid content; scavenging of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and β-carotene bleaching assays. The in vivo anti-inflammatory activities were tested using the cotton pellet implanted animal model. The measurement of pro-inflammatory cytokine (TNF-α and IL-1) levels in the blood samples of the rats was carried out by using ELISA kits. The inhibitory activity on cyclooxygenase (COX) enzyme of methanol extract was also evaluated. The methanol extract exhibited good antioxidant activity which is associated with their total phenolic and flavonoid contents. Methanol extract strongly inhibited the granuloma tissue formation in rats and the anti-inflammatory potential was mediated through the inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines and COX-2 enzyme activities. Taken together, the present study suggests that G. segetum's leaf is a natural source of antioxidants and has potential therapeutic benefits against chronic inflammation.
Globally, breast cancer is the most common cancer type and is one of the most significant causes of deaths in women. To date, multiple clinical interventions have been applied, including surgical resection, radiotherapy, endocrine therapy, targeted therapy and chemotherapy. However, 1) the lack of therapeutic options for metastatic breast cancer, 2) resistance to drug therapy and 3) the lack of more selective therapy for triple-negative breast cancer are some of the major challenges in tackling breast cancer. Given the safe nature of natural products, numerous studies have focused on their anti-cancer potentials. Mangifera indica, commonly known as mango, represents one of the most extensively investigated natural sources. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of M. indica extracts (bark, kernel, leaves, peel and pulp) and phytochemicals (mangiferin, norathyriol, gallotannins, gallic acid, pyrogallol, methyl gallate and quercetin) reported for in vitro and in vivo anti-breast cancer activities and their underlying mechanisms based on relevant literature from several scientific databases, including PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar till date. Overall, the in vitro findings suggest that M. indica extracts and/or phytochemicals inhibit breast cancer cell growth, proliferation, migration and invasion as well as trigger apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. In vivo results demonstrated that there was a reduction in breast tumor xenograft growth. Several potential mechanisms underlying the anti-breast cancer activities have been reported, which include modulation of oxidative status, receptors, signalling pathways, miRNA expression, enzymes and cell cycle regulators. To further explore this medicinal plant against breast cancer, future research directions are addressed. The outcomes of the review revealed that M. indica extracts and their phytochemicals may have potential benefits in the management of breast cancer in women. However, to validate its utility in the creation of innovative and potent therapeutic agents to treat breast cancer, more dedicated research, especially clinical studies are needed to explore the anti-breast cancer potentials of M. indica extracts and their phytochemicals.
Breast cancer (BC) has high incidence and mortality rates, making it a major global health issue. BC treatment has been challenging due to the presence of drug resistance and the limited availability of therapeutic options for triple-negative and metastatic BC, thereby urging the exploration of more effective anti-cancer agents. Hesperidin and its aglycone hesperetin, two flavonoids from citrus species, have been extensively evaluated for their anti-cancer potentials. In this review, available literatures on the chemotherapeutic and chemosensitising activities of hesperidin and hesperetin in preclinical BC models are reported. The safety and bioavailability of hesperidin and hesperetin as well as the strategies to enhance their bioavailability are also discussed. Overall, hesperidin and hesperetin can inhibit cell proliferation, migration and BC stem cells as well as induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in vitro. They can also inhibit tumour growth, metastasis and neoplastic changes in tissue architecture in vivo. Moreover, the co-administration of hesperidin or hesperetin with doxorubicin, letrozole or tamoxifen can enhance the efficacies of these clinically available agents. These chemotherapeutic and chemosensitising activities of hesperidin and hesperetin have been linked to several mechanisms, including the modulation of signalling pathways, glucose uptake, enzymes, miRNA expression, oxidative status, cell cycle regulatory proteins, tumour suppressor p53, plasma and liver lipid profiles as well as DNA repair mechanisms. However, poor water solubility, extensive phase II metabolism and apical efflux have posed limitations to the bioavailability of hesperidin and hesperetin. Various strategies for bioavailability enhancement have been studied, including the utilisation of nano-based drug delivery systems and the co-administration of hesperetin with other flavonoids. In particular, nanoformulated hesperidin and hesperetin possess greater chemotherapeutic and chemosensitising activities than free compounds. Despite promising preclinical results, further safety and efficacy evaluation of hesperidin and hesperetin as well as their nanoformulations in clinical trials is required to ascertain their potentials to be developed as clinically useful agents for BC treatment.
Huntington's disease (HD), a neurodegenerative disease, normally starts in the prime of adult life, followed by a gradual occurrence of psychiatric disturbances, cognitive and motor dysfunction. The daily performances and life quality of HD patients have been severely interfered by these clinical signs and symptoms until the last stage of neuronal cell death. To the best of our knowledge, no treatment is available to completely mitigate the progression of HD. Mangiferin, a naturally occurring potent glucoxilxanthone, is mainly isolated from the Mangifera indica plant. Considerable studies have confirmed the medicinal benefits of mangiferin against memory and cognitive impairment in neurodegenerative experimental models such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the neuroprotective effect of mangiferin against 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP) induced HD in rat models. Adult Wistar rats (n = 32) were randomly allocated equally into four groups of eight rats each: normal control (Group I), disease control (Group II) and two treatment groups (Group III and Group IV). Treatment with mangiferin (10 and 20 mg/kg, p. o.) was given for 14 days, whereas 3-NP (15 mg/kg, i. p.) was given for 7 days to induce HD-like symptoms in rats. Rats were assessed for cognitive functions and motor coordination using open field test (OFT), novel object recognition (NOR) test, neurological assessment, rotarod and grip strength tests. Biochemical parameters such as oxidative stress markers and pro-inflammatory markers in brain hippocampus, striatum and cortex regions were evaluated. Histopathological study on brain tissue was also conducted using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. 3-NP triggered anxiety, decreased recognition memory, reduced locomotor activity, lower neurological scoring, declined rotarod performance and grip strength were alleviated by mangiferin treatment. Further, a significant depletion in brain malondialdehyde (MDA) level, an increase in reduced glutathione (GSH) level, succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities, and a decrease in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were observed in mangiferin treated groups. Mangiferin also mitigated 3-NP induced histopathological alteration in the brain hippocampus, striatum and cortex sections. It could be inferred that mangiferin protects the brain against oxidative damage and neuroinflammation, notably via antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Mangiferin, which has a good safety profile, may be an alternate treatment option for treating HD and other neurodegenerative disorders. The results of the current research of mangiferin will open up new avenues for the development of safe and effective therapeutic agents in diminishing HD.