Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) are characterized by loss of neurons. NDs are associated with development of inflammation. Existing drugs against NDs only delay the progression; however, they do not provide a cure. The studies for the treatment of NDs focused on to discover natural products that have the potential of anti-inhibition and anti-radical properties. The Papaveraceae family members are important for the synthesis of pharmaceutically compounds such as flavonoids which act like anti-inflammatory drugs. In this study, methanol and water extracts of Glaucium corniculatum , a member of the Papaveraceae family, were analysed for flavonoid compounds. The effects of extracts on neuronal PC12 cells viability was determined. The anti-inflammatory effects of extracts were assessed by measuring the levels of IL-6 and IL-10 cytokines on hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 )-stimulated PC12 cells. As a result of our studies, Rutin and Quercetin flavonoids have been found to be as major. The amount of Rutin was higher in methanol (45 μg/ml) than water (41 μg/ml). Quercetin was better extracted with methanol (12 μg/ml) than water (10 μg/ml). None of the tested extracts were cytotoxic even to PC12 cells. Both extracts showed an anti-inflammatory effect in a dose dependent manner. The water extract showed the maximum anti-inflammatory effect, with IL-6 secretion decreased 79 fold according to the H 2 O 2 treated group and IL-10 secretion increased to 87 fold according to the control group. This study is an evidence that the Rutin and Quercetin flavonoids detected in G. corniculatum methanol and water extracts have a neuroprotective effect through anti-inflammation.

Alkaloids, plant secondary metabolites, have a wide variety of biological effects. For this reason, the extraction of alkaloids from plants is of strategic importance. Different extraction protocols for the extraction of alkaloids from plants have been described by many authors. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of three different protocols for the extraction of alkaloids from Glaucium corniculatum. This article compares the Soxhlet and ultrasonication protocol, used in previous studies, to a modified Soxhlet protocol. While the alkaloid amount in the extract was determined by the spectrophotometric method, the qualitative estimation of the compounds in the extract was determined by Gas chromatograph-Mass spectrometer (GC-MS). The alkaloid amount and diversity in the extract, obtained through the recommended modified Soxhlet protocol, were higher than that of any extract obtained through other protocols. Thus, a new modified alkaloid extraction protocol was established, which is better than the other protocol.

A common pathological hallmark of neurodegenerative disorders is neuronal cell death, accompanied by neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. The vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is a pleiotropic peptide that combines neuroprotective and immunomodulatory actions. The gene therapy field shows long‐term promise for treating a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases (ND). In this study, we aimed to investigate the in vitro efficacy of transduction of microglia using lentiviral gene therapy vectors encoding VIP (LentiVIP). Additionally, we tested the protective effects of the secretome derived from LentiVIP‐infected “immortalized human” microglia HMC3 cells, and cells treated with Synthetic VIP (SynVIP), against toxin‐induced neurodegeneration. First, LentiVIP, which stably expresses VIP, was generated and purified. VIP secretion in microglial conditioned media (MG CM) for LentiVIP‐infected HMC3 microglia cells was confirmed. Microglia cells were activated with lipopolysaccharide, and groups were formed as follows: 1) Control, 2) SynVIP‐treated, or 3) LentiVIP‐transduced. These MG CM were applied on an in vitro neurodegenerative model formed by differentiated (d)‐SH‐SY5Y cells. Then, cell survival analysis and apoptotic nuclear staining, besides measurement of oxidative/inflammatory parameters in CM of cells were performed. Activated MG CM reduced survival rates of both control and toxin‐applied (d)‐SH‐SY5Y cells, whereas LentiVIP‐infected MG CM and SynVIP‐treated ones exhibited better survival rates. These findings were supported by apoptotic nuclear evaluations of (d)‐SH‐SY5Y cells, alongside oxidative/inflammatory parameters in their CM. LentiVIP seems worthy of further studies for the treatment of ND because of the potential of gene therapy to treat diseases effectively with a single injection.