Three new tetradentate NNNS Schiff bases (L1–L3) derived from 2-(piperidin-4-yl)ethanamine were prepared in high yields. UV–Visible and FTIR spectroscopy were used to monitor the dehydration reaction between 2-(piperidin-4-yl)ethanamine and the corresponding aldehydes. Structures of the derived Schiff bases were deduced by ¹H and ¹³C NMR, FTIR, UV–Vis, MS, EA, EDS, and TG-derived physical measurements. DFT/B3LYP theoretical calculations for optimization, TD-DFT, frequency, Molecular Electrostatic Potential (MEP), and highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) / were performed for L2. The in vitro antimicrobial activities of the three Schiff bases were evaluated against several types of bacteria by disk diffusion test using Gentamicin as the standard antibiotic. Schiff bases revealed good antioxidant activity by the DPPH method, and the IC₅₀ values were compared to the Trolox standard. Pancreatic porcine lipase inhibition assay of the synthesized compounds revealed promising activity as compared to the Orlistat reference.

The concern for finding natural and curative agents without adverse side effects has prompted the interest in discovering hemostatic agents from plants. Therefore, in vitro activity of Aizoon hispanicum L. (Aizoaceae), Centaurea hyalolepis Boiss. (Asteraceae), Heliotropium maris-mortui Zohary. (Boraginaceae), Parietaria judaica L. (Urticaceae), Polygonum arenarium Waldst. & Kit. (Polygonaceae), and Verbascum sinuatum L. (Scrophulariaceae) on blood coagulation was estimated by two common tests, which are the prothrombin time test (PT) and the activated partial thromboplastin time test (aPTT). The extracted powders from the plants under this study were adjusted to be 50 mg/mL. Then, in vitro effect of these extracts on the platelet poor plasma samples was measured by an automated coagulation analyzer using PT and aPTT tests. Based on the obtained results, all plant extracts affected the coagulation cascade by rising either PT or aPTT or both, except for V. sinuatum extract, which reduced only aPTT value. Moreover, the recorded PT values showed that A. hispanicum, H. maris-mortui, and P. arenarium significantly prolonged the PT (p<0.05). Additionally, the results clearly showed that V. sinuatum acted as a coagulant agent based on aPTT values, while all other plants, in contrast, acted as strong anticoagulants. Among the plant species under study, A. hispanicum, H. maris-mortui, and P. arenarium extracts prolonged both PT and aPTT significantly (p<0.05). This could be referred to their additional effect on the common pathway. However, C. hyalolepis, P. judaica, and V. sinuatum showed no significant effect on PT values (p>0.05). The positive recorded data from this research could serve as identification of new hemostatic remedies that could be used for the commercial economic purposes and for managing several cardiovascular diseases.

The haemostatic efficacy of different extract types of Satureja thymbra L., Thymbra spicata L. (Lamiaceae) and Verbascum fruticulosum Post. (Scrophulariaceae) was evaluated in this study via the Prothrombin time (PT) and Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) analysis. Aqueous, methanol and ethanol extracts of the examined plant species leaves were prepared to a final concentration 50 mg/mL. In vitro PT and aPTT assays were conducted on normal platelet poor plasma blood samples by a digital coagulation analyzer. The obtained results revealed anticoagulation activity of all investigated plant species with observed variations among them. The aqueous and ethanol extracts of T. spicata as well as the aqueous extract of S. thymbra prolonged PT values significantly (p < 0.05). While, all V. fruticulosum extract types have had no significant effect on the PT values. The recorded aPTT data showed that all aqueous extracts have had a significant effect on the blood haemostasis as they increased aPTT values in all plant species under study. Out of which, both the ethanol and methanol extracts of T. spicata and methanol extract of S. thymbra showed similar effect. Of great concern, it was clearly noticed that the aqueous and ethanol extract of T. spicata and the aqueous extract of S. thymbra possess the strongest anticoagulation effect as they increased both PT and aPTT values significantly relative to the control (p < 0.05). The variable anticoagulation bioactivity among the studied plant species could be referred to the various solvents degrees of solubility of different phyto-constituents. Thus, the efficacy of the plant species extracts evaluation as anticoagulants or coagulants were related to the plant species and to the solvent of extraction.

Camel milk is an important nutritional source that historically been used in the treatment of cancer. Therefore, the main aim of the present study is to determine the in vitro anticancer effect of both camel milk and whey against cervix cancer (HeLa) cells. To perform that, skimmed milk as well as whey immunoglobulins concentrate samples were prepared at different concentrations (0, 1, 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 mg/ml). Then, the in vitro effect of the prepared concentrations on HeLa cells morphology and growth was investigated by tissue culture technique. Moreover, the anticancer activity of camel milk and whey against HeLa cells was estimated by the 3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The obtained results displayed that both camel milk and whey reduced the viability of HeLa cells specially at 7.5 and 10 mg/ml. In addition, the viability of treated HeLa cells reduced after addition of both camel milk and whey to approximately 15% in a concentration dependent manner. In conclusion, this study showed the in vitro cytotoxic effect of camel milk and whey as they inhibited the growth of HeLa cells. Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. June 2019, 5(3): 231-236

The anticancer potential of Pulicaria incisa aqueous extract was estimated by measuring its cytotoxic and cytostatic effect on human cervical cancer (Hela), human colorectal adenocarcinoma (HT-29), and skin melanoma cancer (B16–F1) cell lines. This effect was investigated by the exposure of cancer cell lines to the aqueous extract of P. incisa at different concentrations (5, 2.5, 1.25, 0.625, 0.3215 mg/mL) for 24 and 72 hours. The results showed that the studied extract inhibited the growth of the various cell lines, eventually leading to cell death, as shown by both MTT and LDH assays. The extract of P. incisa displayed the strongest cytotoxic effect against HT-29 cells at high concentrations at which viability was nearly zero %, while the strongest cytostatic effect of the prepared extract was on the B16–F1 cells at high concentrations. Nonetheless, P. incisa extract gave exciting results on Hela cells with a cytotoxic effect at high concentrations and a cytostatic effect at low concentrations. In conclusion, the cytotoxic and cytostatic effect of P. incisa aqueous extract against the three cell lines is due to the presence of several phytochemicals. So, using this plant species as a source for antitumor agents alone or in combination with other agents for cancer treatment is proposed.

Glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs) play an important role in the detoxification of chemi-cals that may lead to mutagenic or cytotoxic effects. In this study, we aimed to find the effect of aqueous, methanol and ethanol extracts of both Ephedra aphylla and Ephedra foeminea on the activity of the purified sheep liver GST at the following different concentrations (0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1 mg/ml) spectrophotometrically using 1-chloro- 2, 4- dinitrobenzene (CDNB) as substrate. The obtained results revealed that all examined extracts types of Ephedra species under study manifested inhibitory effect on GSTs activity at all screened concentrations. The inhibitory effect on GST activity by the alcoholic extracts of the two species under investigation at all tested concentrations was more than the extracts when com-pared to controls. Nevertheless, this was more pronounced in E. aphylla rather than in E. foeminea. It is worth mentioning that all the GSTs inhibitory effects displayed dose depend-ent manner under all studied extracts. On that account, the obtained results in this research confirms the medicinal importance of both Ephedra species under study, which provides the possibility of their use in whatever benefit human health in general and combat GST-induced resistance in drug resistant tumors in particular.