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Oxidative profile in patients with colon cancer: Effects of Ruta chalepensis L.
Abstract
To verify the involvement of free radicals in tumor progression and to investigate the effects of an ethanolic extract of Ruta Chalepensis L. and of rutin in blood of patients with colon cancer.
Leaves of Ruta Chalepensis L. were collected in the area around Catania (Italy). For the preparation of the ethanol extract of leaves, an exhaustive extraction of 100 g of the drug was carried out in Soxhlet with 800 ml of 95% ethanol. Fifty-six patients with colorectal cancer were randomly selected for this study; among these, 34 were affected by an early stage (T1 N0 M0 according to scale), while 22 were affected by an advanced stage (T4, N1-2, M0) of cancer. Data obtained from these patients were compared with those of a control group consisting of 20 healthy subjects. Plasma of each sample was used for determining non-proteic antioxidant capacity, thiol groups, lipid hydroperoxides and nitrite/nitrate levels, evaluated by spectrophotometric tests. In addition, percentage of haemolysis was evaluated incubating (for 2 hours at 37 degrees C) erythrocyte suspension with a free radical donor (50 mM 2,2'-azobis-amidino propane chloridrate), in the presence or absence of ethanolic extract of Ruta Chalepensis L. (250 microg/ml) or rutin (1 mM).
Non-proteic antioxidant capacity was significantly lower in cancerous patients than in healthy subjects (p < 0.001). This decrease was stage-related. In fact, non-proteic antioxidant capacity resulted lower in advanced than in early colorectal cancer (p < 0.001). The same significant stage-related decrease was observed in plasma thiol groups (p < 0.001). Coherently with the decrease in non-proteic antioxidant capacity and thiol groups, higher levels of lipid hydroperoxides and nitrite/nitrate were observed in patients with colorectal cancer with respect to healthy subjects (p < 0.001) and the increase in these markers of oxidative stress was related to the cancer stadiation. Neoplastic patients also showed an increased percentage of oxidative hemolysis respect to controls and the haemolytic damage was correlated with the stage of colon cancer. Both the extract of Ruta Chalepensis L. and rutin were able to protect erythrocytes from oxidative stress induced by the free radical donor, but the extract of Ruta Chalepensis L. was more effective than rutin. This protective effect was significant only in erythrocytes from patients with early colorectal group, whereas no significant modification was induced by Ruta Chalepensis L. or rutin in red blood cells from advanced colorectal cancer patients exposed to the same experimental conditions.
Oxidative stress correlates with colon cancer stadiation and both the extract of Ruta chalepensis and rutin are able to protect red blood cells from radical-induced damage. However, their effects are significant in early stages of cancer. So these natural antioxidants might be usefull to prevent carcinogenesis and/or tumor progression.
... In Lebanon is from March to May; in Algeria is at June; in Tunisia is at April Acquaviva et al. (2011); Bouabidi et al., (2015); Günaydin and Savci, 2005;; Iauk et al. (2004) ;Khoury et al. (2014); Pollio et al. (2008);De Sa et al., 2000;Soudani et al. (2018) R. graveolens ...
... In Algeria is at June; in Chine is from March to June Farzaei et al. (2017); Gentile et al. (2018); ; Table 3 Uses of Ruta species in folk medicine. R. chalepensis Dropsy, neuralgia, rheumatism and menstrual and other bleeding disorders India Acquaviva et al. (2011); Iauk et al. (2004); Laxative, analgesic, antispasmodic, abortifacient, antiepileptic, emmenagogue, for dermatopathy treatment, fever, anti-inflammatory, to treatment of gastric, diuretic, headache, rheumatism disorders, snake bites, and wounds Whole plant ND Many countries Bouajaj et al. (2014); Soudani et al. (2018); Alotaibi et al. (2018); Emam et al., 2009 Asthma, renal colic, arthritis, rheumatism, backache, skin bacterial and fungal diseases, eye inflammation and ear infection, as antitussive, antispasmodic, antiinflammatory, anti-lice, sedative, and bronchodilator and also for treatment of snake bites ...
... Whole plant ND Palestine Jaradat et al., 2017 Analgesic and antipyretic and for the treatment of rheumatism and mental disorders Aerial parts Decoction Saudi Arabia Acquaviva et al. (2011); Iauk et al. (2004); Khoury et al. (2014) Hysteria, epilepsy, vertigo, colic, intestinal worms, poisonings, anxiety and eye problems, antispasmodic, analgesic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, sedative, menstrual problems, rheumatism, mental disorders Whole plant/leaves Decoction ND Acquaviva et al. (2011); Iauk et al. (2004); Khadhri et al. (2017); Khoury et al. (2014) Treatment of convulsion and other nervous disorders in children sepsis. These results strongly suggest that most of the abortions happen in the context of herbal intoxication, most frequently following the ingestion of Ruta plants. ...
Ethnopharmacological relevance
Ruta genus is constituted by ten species, of which the most commonly described are R. chalepensis and R. graveolens. Ruta plants are perennial shrubs belonging to the family Rutaceae, which are traditionally used in folk medicine, since ancient times mostly for the treatment of various ailments of the womb.
Aim of the study
To provide a review of the different uses of Ruta species in traditional medicine, as well as, on their multifactorial biological and pharmacological properties.
Material and methods
A search of the literature on genus Ruta and Ruta species was performed using various scientific databases and search engines and the information of articles were reviewed and compiled.
Results
Different parts of the plants belonging to Ruta genus are used in folk medicine to treat a wide range of different diseases. The principal use of these is in gynaecological field, but the treatment of pain, fever, nausea, inflammation, infections, nervous disorders, among others, are also described. These plants have been used to fertility regulation, as anti-fertility agent, to control menstrual flux and bleedings, as abortifacient and as contraceptive. The phytochemical composition of these plants consists mainly in essential oil (EO), but phenolic compounds were also reported, like coumarins and flavonoids, as well as alkaloids. Ruta species products like extracts and EOs have shown broad pharmacological activities, such as antimicrobial and antifungal activities, as well as, antiviral and antiparasitic. Moreover, Ruta plants products present antioxidant, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and anti-diabetic activities and demonstrated contraceptive and abortifacient effects. These plants were also tested to be used for non-therapeutic approaches, as bio-insecticides in the control of different insect pests showing to be able to reduce infestation.
Conclusions
Ruta species could be a potential source of natural products with biological activities. Ruta extracts, essential oils and isolated compounds have shown a diverse potential for use in the treatment of different diseases, as well as, for pests control, contributing to the valorisation of these plants. Nonetheless, this review indicates that more studies are needed to demonstrate the full potential of Ruta species, and to further explore the toxicology and safety of these plants.
... There are several studies on Ruta species that describe the pharmaceutical properties associated with their bioactive compounds [12]. The ethanol extract of R. chalepensis and the flavonoid rutin present in R. chalepensis protect red blood cells from oxidative stress induced by radicals, such as 2,2′-azobis (2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (AAPH), in patients with colon cancer [13]. In an in vivo mouse model, R. chalepensis ethanol extract was shown to possess potent immunopharmacological properties that counteracted the lethal effects of high doses of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) [14]. ...
Ruta chalepensis is an herb used to treat various ailments, and its potential cytotoxic effects on different tumor cell lines have been extensively studied. The present study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic activity of R. chalepensis methanol extract (RCME), sub-partitions obtained from solvents of increasing polarity, and major compounds, as well as their hemolytic, anti-hemolytic, and antioxidant potential. The in vitro cytotoxic activity against the human hepatocarcinoma (HEP-G2) and the murine lymphoma cell line (L5178Y-R) was evaluated using the colorimetric 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) reduction assay, whereas selectivity indices (SIs) were determined by comparing cytotoxicity against normal African green monkey kidney cells (VERO) and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Hemolytic and anti-hemolytic activities were evaluated on human erythrocytes. The most effective cytotoxic treatment was evaluated for nitric oxide release by J774A.1 macrophages. Antioxidant activity of R. chalepensis material was also determined. Results showed that RCME produced significant (p < 0.05) cytotoxicity in HEP-G2 (IC50 = 1.79 µg/mL) and L5178Y-R (IC50 = 1.60 µg/mL) cells and exhibited high SIs (291.50 and 114.80, respectively). In addition, the n-hexane fraction (RCHF) showed an IC50 of 18.31 µg/mL in HEP-G2 cells and an SI of 9.48 in VERO cells, whereas the chloroform fraction (RCCF) evidenced an IC50 of 1.60 µg/mL in L5178Y-R cells and an SI of 34.27 in PBMC cells. Chalepensin (CHL), rutamarin (RTM), and graveolin (GRV), which are major components of R. chalepensis, showed high activity against L5178Y-R cells, with IC50 of 9.15, 15.13 and SI of 45.08 µg/mL, respectively. In addition, CHL, RTM, and GRV showed SIs of 24.76, 9.98, and 3.52, respectively, when compared with PBMC cells. RCME at concentrations of 125 µg/mL and 250 µg/mL, significantly (p < 0.05) decreased nitrite production in J774A.1 cells, when exposed to lipopolysaccharide. This study demonstrated that RCME showed significant cytotoxic activity against HEP-G2 and L5178Y-R cells, without affecting normal VERO, PBMC, and J774A.1 cells.
... Histopathology of paw tissue showed decreased oedema formation and cellular infiltration on supplementation with MER. Thus, the results demonstrated the potential beneficiary effect of methanolic extract of Ruta graveolens on adjuvant induced arthritis in rats 9,10 . studied 56 patients with colorectal cancer )34 with early stage and 22 with advanced stage( where R. chalepensis was found to protect erythrocytes from oxidative stress caused by radicals. ...
Potassium bromate (KBrO3) is an oxidizing agent that has been used as a food additive, mainly in the bread-making process. Ruta chalepensis L. (Family-Rutaceae) is a small shrub, native to the Mediterranean Basin. The present study aimed to investigate the protective and curative effects of R. chalepensis oil extract against KBrO3 toxicity on liver of male rats. Fifty male albino rats were divided into five groups. The first group served as a control group. The second group was administered Rue at an oral daily dose of 0.5 g/Animal for four weeks. The third group received KBrO3 100 mg/kg/b. w. for four weeks. The fourth group (protective group) was initially administered Rue alone for 2 weeks and followed by KBrO3 in association with Rue for 2 weeks. The fifth group (therapeutic group) was first given KBrO3 alone for 2 weeks and was then administered Rue in association with KBrO3 for 2 weeks. At the end of 2 nd and 4 th weeks of treatment, the liver tissues were dissected out for histopathological studies. Histopathological sections of rats administered with Rue showed the same histological observations as in the liver of control animals. KBrO3 treated rats exhibited marked congestion and dilatation of the blood vessels, the central veins and the portal veins. Additionally, marked infiltrative inflammatory cells were revealed. The occurrence of the cellular necrobiotic lesions and nuclei in these necrotic cells showed pyknosis. They also, showed cellular atrophied and hyaline degeneration of the cytoplasm. Vacuoles of different shapes and sizes were developed in the hepatocytes. Blood vessels being thick walled and fibrotic encircled by an inflammatory area rich in leucocytes. The protective and therapeutic groups showed marked hepatoprotective activity and better improvement than that noticed in the group which was given KBrO3 only. It may be concluded from the results that the hepatotoxic effect of KBrO3 and the ameliorative effect of Rue an effective when administrated as protective and therapeutic measures.
... Numerous studies have shown that the species of this family have anticancer properties against several cancerous lines. In particular, the two most abundant species of this family, such as R. chalepensis and R. graveolens, have shown positive effects in vitro, hence the results are promising for the treatment and prevention of cancer [28][29][30]. ...
Ruta chalepensis L. (Rutaceae) is a tropical medicinal plant traditionally used in the Republic
of Djibouti to treat several diseases, including tumors. In this study, the anticancer activities of this
plant from Djibouti were investigated according to an in vitro evaluation method and statistical modeling.
The results obtained will make it possible to complete the previous work already published on
this genus of plant, in particular by using untested cancer cell lines, such as U87-MG, U2OS, RT4, PC3,
NCI-N87, MRC-5, MIA-Paca2, K562, JIMT-T1, HEK293, HCT116, A549, and A2780. The main volatile
compound turned out to be 2-undecanone (51.3%). Correlation modeling was performed from the
principal component analysis (PCA) of IC50 of the essential oil and four active substances (vinblastine,
doxorubicin, combrestatin A4, and monomethyl auristatin E) versus the cancer cell lines tested, which
confirmed the effectiveness of the oil against 6 lines: U2OS, NCI-N87, MRC-5, MIA-Paca2, JIMT-T1,
and HEK293. These data reveal promising prospects for good biomass management through the
future exploitation of the R. chalepensis L. essential oil as a potential source of natural anticancer
agents for targeted investigations.
Keywords: R. chalepensis L.; essential oil; chemical composition; cytotoxic activity; cancer; modeling
... The aromatic herb R. chalepensis has been traditionally used all over the world for curing a variety of diseases (3,4). This plant extract has been a long history of use in curing epilepsy, convulsions, psoriasis, gastric disorders, headache, rheumatism, inflammation, poisonings, mental disorders, dropsy and cancer (5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12). ...
Ruta chalepensis, a medicinal plant, produces biologically active coumarins (CRs) and furanocoumarins (FCRs). However, their yield is quite low in cultivated plants. In this work, the influence of light emitting diodes (LEDs) was investigated on the accumulation of CRs and FCRs in the callus cultures and field‐grown plants of R. chalepensis. Among the various tested wavelengths of LED lights, maximum accumulation of CR and FCRs was recorded under blue LED treatment in both the callus cultures as well as field‐grown plants as compared to respective controls treated with white LED. Metabolite analyses of LED‐treated field‐grown plants showed that highest concentrations of CR (umbelliferone, 2.8‐fold), and FCRs (psoralen, 2.3‐fold; xanthotoxin, 3.8‐fold; bergapten, 1.16‐fold) were accumulated upon blue LED‐treatment for six days. CR and FCRs contents were also analyzed in the blue‐ and red‐LED‐treated in vitro callus tissue. Upon blue LED‐treatment, callus accumulated significantly high levels of umbelliferone (48.6 ± 1.2 µg/g DW), psoralen (370.12 ± 10.6 µg/g DW) and xanthotoxin (10.16 ± 0.48 µg/g DW). These findings imply that blue LED‐treatment is a viable option as a non‐invasive and low‐cost elicitation technology for the enhanced production of biologically active CR and FCRs in field‐grown plants and callus cultures of R. chalepensis.
... Nowadays, it is cultivated in many regions of the world, especially in temperate and equatorial countries [2], and usually growing on rocky slopes [3,4]. R. Chalepensis has various pharmacological properties, attributed to its high contents of phytochemicals such as alkaloids, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, coumarins, tannins, saponins, anthraquinones, volatile oil, cynagenic glycosides, glucosinolates, triterpenes, sterols, amino acids, phenols, and furocoumarins [2,[4][5][6][7]. In many countries, including Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Algeria, China, and India, R. Chalepensis is used in traditional medicine because of its biological activities, which include antioxidant, anti-bacterial [8], anti-fungal [9], anti-inflammatory [1,10], and anthelmintic [11] properties. ...
Ruta chalepensis L., an evergreen shrub in the citrus family, is well-known around the world for its essential oils and variety of bioactivities, indicating its potential medicinal applications. In this study, we investigated the effect of different culture conditions, including plant growth regulators, media types, pH of the medium, and carbon sources, on in vitro regeneration from nodal explants of R. chalepensis. Following 8 weeks of culture, the highest percentage of regeneration (96.3%) and maximum number of shoots (40.3 shoot/explant) with a length of 4.8 cm were obtained with Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium at pH 5.8, supplemented with 3.0% sucrose and 5.0 µM 6-Benzyladenine (BA) in combination with 1.0 µM 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). For rooting, individually harvested shootlets were transferred on ½ MS (half-strength) supplemented with IAA (indole-3-acetic acid), IBA (indole 3-butyric acid), or NAA, and the best response in terms of root induction (91.6%), number of roots (5.3), and root mean length (4.9 cm) was achieved with 0.5 µM IBA after 6 weeks. An average of 95.2 percent of healthy, in vitro regenerated plantlets survived after being transplanted into potting soil, indicating that they were effectively hardened. DNA assays (PCR-based markers) such as random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and directed amplification of minisatellite-region (DAMD) were employed to assess in vitro cultivated R. chalepensis plantlets that produced a monomorphic banding pattern confirming the genetic stability. Additionally, no changes in the flow cytometric profile of ploidy between regenerated plantlets and donor plants were detected. Regeneration of this valuable medicinal plant in vitro will open up new avenues in pharmaceutical biotechnology by providing an unconventional steadfast system for mass multiplication and might be effectively used in genetic manipulation for enhanced bioactive constituents.
The green leaves of medicinal plants have immense potential for therapeutic applications, which have been used as traditional medicines to treat diseases, and where their secondary metabolites are usually responsible for their biological activities. The aim of this work was to review some healthy green leaves of medicinal plants located in Latin America, together with their pharmacological properties and secondary metabolites, which were described and classified by multivariate analysis. Terpenoids, phenolic compounds, alkaloids, and essential oils were the reviewed secondary metabolites in Latin American countries, such as Honduras, Guatemala, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and Argentina. The search strategy was based on the use of search operators (and, or, not, near, same) to combine terms and expand or refine the bibliographic review in electronic databases. The results were tabulated and evaluated using multivariate analysis. The secondary metabolites were classified in three (terpenoids, phenolic compounds and alkaloids) or even two (terpenoids and phenolic compounds) groups. Essential oils and terpenoids showed an opposition in the Cartesian plane, suggesting a negative correlation; this means that as the values of either of the two variables increase, the values of the other variables would be expected to decrease. In summary, the study allowed to describe and classify the secondary metabolites found in green leaves based on their pharmacological properties.
Ruta chalepensis, known as Fringed Rue, is a small shrub of the Rutaceae family. To date, there is no record of its natural distribution across Jordan, a country located in the eastern part of the Mediterranean basin, and there are no previous studies on its genetic diversity in the region. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the genetic diversity of R. chalepensis in the northern parts of Jordan using morphological trait and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analyses. For the morphological traits, the analysis of variance indicated that there were significant differences between the identified populations. The Shannon diversity indices showed relatively high values, indicating the existence of a high variability among the identified populations. The principal component analysis explained 82% of the variation between the collected plants, and a clear separation of the collected individuals from the Jarash-A, Jarash-B and Ajloun-B populations from the rest of the populations was observed. The heatmap clustering was in general agreement with the results of the principal component analysis, with the plant height, rachis length and plant width considered as the discriminative traits. The AFLP analysis using eight different primer combinations generated 59 polymorphic bands, with an average polymorphism information content value of 0.32. The phylogenetic analysis identified three main clusters, with the first cluster including 65% of the individuals collected from the Jarash and Ajloun provinces, with a clear separation of the Jarash-B population. The AMOVA revealed that the genetic variation between the populations contributed 30% of the total genetic variation, while the variation within the populations explained 70%. In conclusion, morphological traits and molecular markers were used successfully to assess the genetic diversity among wild R. chalepensis from the north of Jordan, and such data can be used for future conservation plans and utilization purposes.
Objectives:The alginate microspheres were prepared
with methanol extract of rue and essential oil of
clove with metronidazole evaluating their biological
and physicochemical activities. Materials and
methods: Microspheres were evaluated with their
sphericity, encapsulation efficiency, degradation,
and release kinetics with mathematical models.
Also, their hemocompatibility and antiamebic
activity were studied on hemolytic, proteolytic, and
erythrophagocytic activities of Entamoeba histolytica.
Results: Microspheres were obtained with sphericity
equal to one, with encapsulation efficiency greater
than 50 % (except CEO in 220 nm). Their degradation
was recorded between 8 %-12 % in acidic and
basic pH. In addition, its release kinetics had a
burst constant in almost all the treatments, with the
behavior of Korsmeyer-Peppas and Peppas-Sahlin
being of pseudofickian behavior. The microspheres
were hemocompatible according to the regulations
(<10 %) and additionally decreased virulence
factors of the amoeba such as hemolytic, proteolytic,
erythrophagocytic activities. Conclusions: The
microspheres obtained could be a possible treatment
against E. histolytica. Still, other toxicity
parameters have to be determined (i.e., cytotoxicity,
cytocompatibility, biosafety, body weight, survival
rate, weight index of main organs, histopathology
of main organs, serum biochemical, etc.), as well
as physicochemical parameters such as differential
scanning calorimetry, Fourier-transform infrared
spectroscopy and viscosity.
Rutin, a plant flavonol characterized by a wide range of biological effects, has limited application in foods because of its low water solubility and scarce bioavailability. This work aimed to investigate the encapsulation of a rutin-rich extract (200.6±1.5 mg/g of rutin) from Ruta chalepensis in zein nanoparticles (hydrodynamic diameter of 80-170 nm) prepared by antisolvent precipitation and stabilized by gum arabic (GA). The addition of GA (1:1 mass ratio with zein) significantly reduced the instability phenomena of zein nanoparticles through the deposition of a negatively charged layer. It also contributed to enhancing the encapsulation efficiency of rutin and enabled a more sustained release during simulated digestion, likely because of the formation of hydrogen bonds between zein and GA, in addition to those observed between zein and the extracts. These findings show that zein/GA nanoparticles represent a promising delivery system for natural extracts, fabricated through a facile and versatile process.
Anthocyanins, colored flavonoids, are water-soluble pigments present in the plant kingdom; in fact they are secondary plant metabolites responsible for the blue, purple, and red color of many plant tissues. Present in beans, fruits, vegetables and red wines, considerable amounts of anthocyanins are ingested as constituents of the human diet (180–215 mg daily). There is now increasing interest in thein vivo protective function of natural antioxidants contained in dietary plants against oxidative damage caused by free radical species. Recently, the antioxidant activity of phenolic phytochemicals, has been investigated. Since the antioxidant mechanism of anthocyanin pigments is still controversial, in the present study we evaluated the effects of cyanidin and cyanidin 3-O--D-glucoside on DNA cleavage, on their free radical scavenging capacity and on xanthine oxidase activity. Cyanidin and cyanidin 3-O--D-glucoside showed a protective effect on DNA cleavage, a dose-dependent free radical scavenging activity and significant inhibition of XO activity. These effects suggest that anthocyanins exhibit interesting antioxidant properties, and could therefore represent a promising class of compounds useful in the treatment of pathologies where free radical production plays a key role.
The aerial parts of Ruta graveolens cultivated in Bulgaria afforded four new 2-alkyl-4-(1H)-quinolone alkaloids together with thirteen known components. The new alkaloids were obtained as a mixture of homologues.
The structures of all compounds were determined by spectroscopic methods.
Aus den oberirdischen Teilen von in Bulgarien gezogener Ruta graveolens konnten neben dreizehn bereits bekannten Substanzen vier neue 2-Alkyl-4(1H)-chinolonalkaloide als Gemisch homologer Verbindungen isoliert werden. Die Strukturen der neuen Komponenten wurden mit spektroskopischen
Methoden aufgeklärt.
A survey of medicinal plants used in Brazilian Amazon has been caried out through interviews with urban population of the Humaitá city and shaman of Tenharins tribe. One hundred seventeen plant species recorded an the following information is reported: batanical name, family, english name (when possible), plant part used, traditional preparation, and traditional medicinal of food uses.
The aerial parts of Ruta chalepensis yielded the alkaloids kokusaginine, skimmianine, arborinine, γ-fagarine, graveoline and the new alkaloid 3′-hydroxygraveoline, as well as the coumarins chalepensin, chalepin, rutamarin, bergapten, isopimpinellin and xanthotoxin. The structures were established by spectral methods and by TLC comparison with authentic samples where possible. Some alkaloids were tested for their effects on the prevention of early pregnancy in rats, but none was found to be active.
The inflammatory process has long been known to be a risk factor for human cancers, particularly of the lung, bladder, colon, stomach, and female breast. Earlier hypothesis cited production of oxygen radicals, release of cytokines, and synthesis of prostaglandins and leukotrienes as biochemical modulators of the carcinogenic process. The discovery of NO . as a product of cells in the immune system has implicated this chemical in the mechanism of carcinogenesis, particularly when NO · is overproduced over a long period of time. After briefly reviewing the important chemical reactions of NO · under physiological conditions, we examine how the chemistry of its key reactants toward biologically important molecules relate to DNA damage and cytotoxicity. In these two processes, NO· may play an important role in currently accepted models of multistage carcinogenesis.
The absorption spectra of a cyanidin derivative showed a 15–20 nm bathochromic shift when mixed with calf thymus DNA (ctDNA), indicating formation of a cyanidin-DNA copigmentation complex. Exposure of either cyanidin or ctDNA individually to hydroxyl radicals (OH) obtained in the Fenton reaction between ferrous ions and hydrogen peroxide caused severe oxidative damage. However, formation of cyanidin-DNA complex prior to exposure to OH• protected both the cyanidin and ctDNA from the oxidative damage. These results suggest that cyanidin-DNA copigmentation might be a possible defense mechanism against oxidative damage of DNA and may have in vivo physiological function attributable to the antioxidant ability of anthocyanins.
The increased incidence of malignancies in elderly patients living in industrialized countries has led to both identify the causes that alter the normal homeostatic balance in elderly and designate the specific treatments. The progressive decline of the immune system (immunosenescence) involving cellular and molecular alterations impact both innate and adaptive immunity. The immunosenescence leads to increased incidence of infectious diseases morbidity and mortality as well as heightened rates of other immune disorders such as autoimmunity, cancer, and inflammatory conditions. Here, we summarize the knowledge on the major changes in the immune system associated with aging in primary lymphoid organs as well as a description of molecular mechanisms, and the impact on cancer development.