محمد ارجمند

Colorectal cancer is a clinically heterogeneous disease resulting from metabolome pattern alterations of many metabolites and their genetic factor interactions in man. Chemotherapy in colorectal cancer is generally followed by multiple side effects, including drug resistance; It is well established that herbal medicines are gaining worldwide interest in treating many cancers. Vitexin is an apigenin flavone glycoside present in hawthorn has exhibited therapeutic properties. This study was performed to assess the antitumor properties of Vitexin on the expression of p53, KRAS, and APC genes and the metabolome profile alterations associated with these genetic modifications.

Experimental: 

Cells were treated with different concentrations of Vitexin, and toxicity and cell growth inhibition were ascertained in vitro using the MTT assay method. Cells were treated with Vitexin, and gene expression was determined. Following metabolome 1HNMR spectroscopy with 1D NOESY protocol and the resulting spectra scrutinized to classify differentiated metabolites and their biochemical pathways. Integrative systems biology analysis software examined the metabolites and the genes, and the main pathways modulated by gene expression were identified.

Our finding revealed that a 50% inhibitory concentration for Vitexin was 16.32 μM, while the relative expression of tumor suppressor genes APC and p53 in treated cells enhanced and the expression of the KRAS oncogene gene decreased significantly compared to the control group. The crucial changes in convergent metabolic phenotype with genes were identified in this investigation.

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Our findings revealed that Vitexin exhibits antitumor properties by targeting a specific biochemical pathway in the cell's metabolome profile due to changes in genes involved in colon cancer.

Notwithstanding the indefatigable endeavor to explore antibacterial drugs and agents, achieving improved antibacterial properties and minimizing hazardous matters has always been challenging. Garlic extract was utilized to reduce and dope graphene oxide simultaneously, considering the astonishing antibacterial characteristics of garlic extract instead of using dangerous reducing agents. A hydrothermal method was used to reduce/ dope graphene oxide. Copper cations were also loaded on the graphene oxide nanosheets doped with garlic extract. The successful synthesis of the products was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to affirm the doping of graphene oxide using garlic extract. Furthermore, according to the results obtained from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the atomic percentage of S and N elements was 1.4 % and 1 %, respectively. The result revealed that double-doped graphene oxide in water base acrylic coating on PVC panels showed a 100 percent decrease in the growth of bacteria after 6 hours.

The protozoan Neospora caninum is known worldwide as one of the most important causes of abortion storms in cattles, especially when dogs living in the cattle farms. Currently, the most consideration is on live attenuated vaccines. The main goal of this research is to evaluated live-attenuated Neuspora caninum (NC-a) strain as an effective vaccine to prevent oocyst shedding in dogs. Sixteen dogs were randomly divided into four equal groups including live attenuated strain without adjuvant, acute strains, live attenuated strain with Montanide adjuvant and control group. All the groups were immunized twice, two weeks apart. One month after the second injection, all dogs were challenged orally by acute NC-1 strain. Immune responses were assay by agglutination test and molecular test was used to assess oocyte shedding. The results showed that the immunized group with live attenuated strain with adjuvant produces the highest immune response. Molecular test also showed that the immune response in immunized dogs prevented oocyst shedding after challenge and the best result is in the group of dogs immunized by live attenuated strain with adjuvant. Overall, the results of this study showed that research on the live attenuated Neospora caninum vaccine with oily adjuvants in dogs is secure and effective in creating an immune response and controlling oocyte shedding. In conclusion, this experimental vaccine can be used as a promosing vaccine in towards researches to obtain a succesful vaccine to control neosprosis in dogs.

In traditional medicine, Zizyphus jujuba (jujube) has been used due to its medicinal properties and various physiological functions such as antioxidant, anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. This study was conducted to study anti-cancer and apoptotic effects of essential oil from Zizyphus jujuba seeds and to evaluate the effect of essential oils on p53, APC and KRAS genes expression in HT-29 colorectal cell line.

In this study, the essential oil of jujube seeds collected from orchards in Isfahan was prepared by Clevenger apparatus and then analyzed by GC-MS. The effects of toxicity and cell viability were determined using Trypan Blue, MTT and clonogenic methods. DNA fragmentation and apoptosis techniques were used to evaluate the mechanism of the effects of essential oil on cell death by flow cytometry. Finally, Real-time PCR was used to evaluate the expression of p53, APC and KRAS genes and their role in induction of apoptosis.

Essential oil of Zizyphus jujuba seeds reduced the viability of cells by concentration and time-dependent manner as compared to the control group. The essential oil also induced apoptosis by increasing gene expression p53 and suppressing gene expression KRAS.

The present results indicated that essential oil of Zizyphus jujuba seeds induces apoptosis by targeting genes involved in colon carcinogenesis. However, further investigations on signaling pathways are needed to fully confirm the results of this study.

 Malaria is one of the most life-threatening infectious diseases worldwide. Transmission of the parasite from human to vector mosquitoes is carried out by the gametocyte of the Plasmodium parasite, while these cells are not involved in the symptoms of the disease. The control of the human to mosquito  transmission stage of the parasite life cycle by antigametocyte drugs is currently under increasing scrutiny in an effort to eradicate the disease globally. In this study the gametocytocidal activity of eosin B on asexual blood stages and gametocytes of Plasmodium falciparum has been probed.

The parasite Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 was first cultured and then  gametocytogenesis was induced to obtain gametocyte cells. After microscopically studying the developmental stages of the parasite during the culture of the parasite, eosin B was tested on blood and sexual parasites and the viability was assessed by lactate dehydrogenase assay and the results were compared for the two groups.

Mature gametocytes were produced during 12 days. The blood parasites in culture were increased until day 4 and then gradually diminished. The results of lactate dehydrogenase assay showed a stronger effect of eosin B on gametocytes (IC50 = 23 nM) than asexual blood stages (IC50 = 133 nM).

Due to the rarity of anti-gametocyte drugs and importance of these intervention on malaria elimination, eosin B appears to be a suitable candidate for combination therapy against Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes.

 Diabetes mellitus type 1 is an autoimmune disease in which the B-cells of the pancreas are damaged, leading to insulin deficiency and finally hyperglycemia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of resveratrol consumption on cellular metabolic pathways in type 1 diabetic patients using proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. 

 Thirteen individuals with type 1 diabetes participated in this clinical trial designed as before and after exploratory investigation. All the participants received 500mg capsules of resveratrol twice daily for 60 days. Blood collection was done before resveratrol supplementation, after 30 days, and at the end of 60 days. The data were obtained at three different timings, compared with applying the HNMR spectroscopy. Spectra were processed, and PLS-DA analysis methods were applied to data. Outliers were taken, and the HMDB metabolites databank specified the metabolites and its pathways. 

The main variations identified in this investigation were as follows: short and long-chain fatty acid metabolism, the metabolic pathway of triacylglycerol, 1-propanol, and ethanoic acid, leading to an increase in butyraldehyde and 1-butanol metabolites.

 The results of this research showed a reduction in palmitic acid biosynthesis. This finding suggests that resveratrol may cause significant changes in adipocyte metabolism by inducing adipogenesis and apoptosis in the adipocyte. It may also play a role in improving the production of insulin, leading to low blood glucose levels.

So far, non-invasive diagnostic approaches such as ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, or blood tests do not have sufficient diagnostic power for endometriosis disease. Lack of a non-invasive diagnostic test contributes to the long delay between onset of symptoms and diagnosis of endometriosis.

The present study focuses on the identification of predictive biomarkers in serum by pattern recognition techniques and uses partial least square discriminant analysis, multi-layer feed forward artificial neural networks (ANNs) and quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA) modeling tools for the early diagnosis of endometriosis in a minimally invasive manner by 1H- NMR based metabolomics.

This prospective cohort study was done in Pasteur Institute, Iran in June 2013. Serum samples of 31 infertile women with endometriosis (stage II and III) who confirmed by diagnostic laparoscopy and 15 normal women were collected and analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The model was built by using partial least square discriminant analysis, QDA, and ANNs to determine classifier metabolites for early prediction risk of disease.

The levels of 2- methoxyestron, 2-methoxy estradiol, dehydroepiandrostion androstendione, aldosterone, and deoxy corticosterone were enhanced significantly in infertile group. While cholesterol and primary bile acids levels were decreased. QDA model showed significant difference between two study groups. Positive and negative predict value levels obtained about 71% and 78%, respectively. ANNs provided also criteria for detection of endometriosis.

The QDA and ANNs modeling can be used as computational tools in noninvasive diagnose of endometriosis. However, the model designed by QDA methods is more efficient compared to ANNs in diagnosis of endometriosis patients.