CK2 and PIM-1 are serine/threonine kinases involved in the regulation of many essential processes, such as proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Inhibition of CK2 and PIM-1 kinase activity has been shown to significantly reduce the viability of cancer cells by inducing apoptosis. A series of novel amino alcohol derivatives of parental DMAT were designed and synthesized as potent dual CK2/PIM-1 inhibitors. Concomitantly with the inhibition studies toward recombinant CK2 and PIM-1, the influence of the obtained compounds on the viability of three human carcinoma cell lines, i.e., acute lymphoblastic leukemia (CCRF-CEM), human chronic myelogenous leukemia (K-562), and breast cancer (MCF-7), as well as non-cancerous cells (Vero), was evaluated using an MTT assay. Induction of apoptosis and cell cycle progression after treatment with the most active compound and a lead compound were studied by flow-cytometry-based assay. Additionally, autophagy induction in K-562 cells and intracellular inhibition of CK2 and PIM-1 in all the tested cell lines were evaluated by qualitative/quantitative fluorescence-based assay and Western blot method, respectively. Among the newly developed inhibitors, 1,1,1-trifluoro-3-[(4,5,6,7-tetrabromo-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)amino]propan-2-ol demonstrates the highest selectivity and the most prominent proapoptotic properties towards the studied cancer cells, especially towards acute lymphoblastic leukemia, in addition to inducing autophagy in K-562 cells.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women worldwide. The associated morbidity and mortality have been on the increase while available therapies for its treatment have not been totally effective. The most common treatment, chemotherapy, sometimes has dangerous side effects because of non-specific targeting, in addition to poor therapeutic indices, and high dose requirements. Consequently, agents with anticancer effects are being sought that can reduce the side effects induced by chemotherapy while increasing its cytotoxicity to cancer cells. This is possible using natural compounds that are safe and biologically active. There are many reports on plant polysaccharides due to their bioactive and anticancer properties. The use of plant polysaccharide together with a conventional cytotoxic drug may offer wide benefits in cancer therapy, producing synergistic effects, thereby reducing drug dose and, so, its associated side effects. In this review, we highlight an overview of the use of plant polysaccharides and chemotherapeutic drugs in breast cancer preclinical studies, including their mechanisms of anticancer activities. The findings emphasize the potential of plant polysaccharides to improve chemotherapeutic outcomes in breast cancer, paving the way for more effective and safer treatment strategies.

The treatment of chronic wounds is one of the most complex therapeutic problems of modern medicine. It leads to patients’ protracted recovery, generating high treatment costs. Herbal products may be useful in the treatment of chronic wounds via a wide range of pharmacological properties and multidirectional effects on the wound healing phases. The study aims to determine the ability of selected plant extracts to modulate the processes involved in wound healing. The antimicrobial (MIC, MBC, MFC) and antioxidant (ABTS, DPPH) activities, cytotoxicity (MTT test), scratch wound test, and collagen assay were tested. R. canina (MBC 0.39 mg/mL) and V. venifera (MBC 3.13 mg/mL) extracts had bactericidal activities against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus, respectively. The V. vinifera extract showed the highest antioxidant activity in both ABTS (EC50 0.078 mg/mL) and DPPH (EC50 0.005 mg/mL) methods. The percentage of wound closure observed for C. cardunculus, R. rosea, and R. canina extracts with HaCaT, and V. vinifera extract with Hs27 cells was set as 100%. V. vinifera extract (50 μg/mL) stimulated collagen synthesis 5.16 times more strongly than ascorbic acid. Our preliminary study showed that some plant extracts may be promising modulators of the wound healing process, although further in-depth studies are necessary to determine their effectiveness in the in vivo model.

Plant polysaccharides have gained interest in medical research for their ability to suppress various diseases, including cancer. However, information on some plant polysaccharides is yet to be uncovered. In this study, we screened crude polysaccharides extracted from six different plants for their antioxidative and antiproliferative activities. Crude polysaccharides were isolated from different parts of some plants using the established extraction protocol. The crude polysaccharides were evaluated for their chemical composition (protein, total sugar, and phenolics), free radical-scavenging activities, and antiproliferative activities against breast cancer MCF-7 cells as well as non-cancerous cells, i.e., human fibroblast MRC-5 cells and Cercopithecus aethiops kidney Vero cells, via an MTT assay and CM20 Incubation Monitoring System (Olympus) for MCF-7. The investigated crude polysaccharides showed significant variations in their chemical constituents and antioxidative properties. Only Moringa seed crude polysaccharide extracts showed significant antiproliferative activities at various concentrations, with an IC₅₀ value of 0.061 mg/mL, which was about 2.6 folds higher on MRC-5 and Vero cell lines. The antiproliferative activities toward cancer cell lines and lack of significant toxicity in the case of normal cells indicate that this extract may be promising as a valuable source for novel cancer therapy.

In recent years, snail mucus (SM) has become popular as an active ingredient in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. In turn, snail eggs (SEs) also seem to be a promising active compound, but the biological activities of SEs are significantly less known. Therefore, our preliminary study aimed to compare the biological activities of the SEs and SM of Helix aspersa Müller. The metabolomic analysis (LC–MS technique), determination of the antimicrobial activity (agar diffusion test, broth microdilution methods), antioxidant activity (ABTS assay), cytotoxicity assay (MTT), and proapoptotic properties (flow cytometry) of the SEs and SM were evaluated. It was found that the SEs and SM contain 8005 and 7837 compounds, respectively. The SEs showed antibacterial activity against S. aureus (MIC 12.5 mg/mL) and P. aeruginosa (MIC 3.12 mg/mL). The EC50 estimation of the antioxidant activity is 89.64 mg/mL and above 100 mg/mL for the SEs and SM, respectively. The SEs also inhibited the cell proliferation of cancer cell lines (HCT-116, MCF-7, HT-29) more strongly compared to the SM. The highest proportion of apoptotic cells in HCT-116 was observed. The reach composition of the compounds in the SEs and SM may be crucial for the creation of new cosmetic and pharmaceutical raw materials with different biological activities. However, further extended studies on the biological activities of H. aspersa-delivered materials are still necessary.

Inhibition of CK2 and/or PIM-1 kinases has been shown to induce apoptosis in a variety of cancer cell lines, underscoring their potential as valuable targets in anti-cancer drug development. In this study, a series of N-substituted derivatives of 4,5,6,7-tetrabromo-1H-benzimidazole, including 2-oxopropyl/2-oxobutyl substituents and their respective hydroxyl analogues, were synthesized and evaluated for anti-cancer activity. The compounds’ ability to inhibit CK2α and PIM-1 kinases was assessed through enzymatic assays, complemented by comprehensive in silico enzyme–substrate docking analyses. Cytotoxicity was evaluated using the MTT assay in human cancer cell lines—including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (CCRF-CEM) and breast cancer (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231)—as well as in normal Vero cells. Apoptosis induction in the two most responsive cell lines (CCRF-CEM and MCF-7) was further examined using flow cytometry-based assays, including annexin V binding, mitochondrial membrane potential disruption, caspase-3 activation, and cell cycle analysis. Intracellular inhibition of CK2 and PIM-1 kinases was confirmed in CCRF-CEM and MCF-7 cells using Western blot and phospho-flow cytometry. Among the synthesized compounds, we identified a novel TBBi derivative exhibiting pronounced pro-apoptotic activity and the ability to inhibit PIM-1 kinase intracellularly. These findings support the hypothesis that PIM-1 kinase represents a promising molecular target for the treatment of leukemia.