Colistin-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (COLR-Ab) is an opportunistic pathogen commonly associated with nosocomial infections, and it is difficult to treat with current antibiotics. Therefore, new antimicrobial agents need to be developed for treatment. Based on this information, we investigated the antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and combination activities of p-coumaric acid (p-CA), ferulic acid (FA), and p-methoxycinnamic acid (p-MCA) against five COLR-Ab isolates. p-CA, FA, and p-MCA exhibited antimicrobial activity against COLR-Ab isolates, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values in the range of 256–128 µg/mL, 1024–512 µg/mL, and 512–128 µg/mL, respectively. The combination effects of the compounds with colistin (COL) were evaluated using a checkerboard synergy test. The combinations exhibited a synergistic effect and caused a 128- to 16-fold decrease in COL MIC values. In addition, the biofilm production capacities of the COLR-Ab isolates and the antibiofilm activities of the compounds were determined using the microtitre plate-based crystal violet (CV) technique. The compounds showed effective antibiofilm activity against strong and moderate biofilm-producing isolates, inhibiting biofilm formation by 77.5% and 19.7%. Spectrometric measurements were used to examine the effect of compounds on membrane permeability; 1.9-, 1.66-, and 1.34-fold increases in absorbance values were observed at MIC concentrations of p-CA, FA, and p-MCA, respectively. Furthermore, morphological changes caused by the compounds in the isolate were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs. According to the WST assay, the compounds did not show any statistically significant cytotoxic effect on the cells (p > 0.05). These findings indicate that p-CA, FA, and p-MCA may be potential new alternative candidates against resistant A. baumannii.

Since Astragalus is a genus with many important medicinal plant species, the present work aimed to investigate the phytochemical composition and some biological activities of Astragalus gymnolobus. The methanolic fractions of four organs (stems, flowers, leaves, root and whole plant) were quantified and identified by Liquid Chromatography Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC–ESI–MS/MS) analysis. Hesperidin, hyperoside, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, protocatechuic acid and p-coumaric acid were identified as main compounds among the extracts. Among all cells, leaf methanol (Lm) extract had the highest cytotoxic effect on HeLa cells (IC₅₀ = 0.069 μg/mL). Hesperidin, the most abundant compound in A. gymnolobus extract, was found to show a strong negative correlation with the cytotoxic effect observed in HeLa cells according to Pearson correlation test results and to have the best binding affinity to targeted proteins by docking studies. The antimicrobial activity results indicated that the most susceptible bacterium against all extracts was identified as Streptococcus pyogenes with 9–11 mm inhibition zone and 8192 mg/mL MIC value. As a result of the research, it was suggested that A. gymnolobus could be considered as a promising source that contributes to the fight against cancer.

Background: Depression is a common mood disorder that manifests itself simultaneously with chronic diseases. It is especially common in patients diagnosed with cancer, and when neglected, it reduces the success of cancer treatment. The fact that breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women shows that the treatment of depression in women with cancer is very important. As a result, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in oncology units also use antidepressants simultaneously. It is critical to correctly understand the interactions between drugs used in combination. Method: In this study, doses were prepared for MCF7 and MDAMB-231 cell lines by serial dilution from 1000 ng/mL to 1.95 ng/mL. Cell viability was calculated with the WST-1 kit by applying the prepared doses of capecitabine and sertraline alone. In the sertraline/capecitabine combination study, cell viability was examined in MDAMB-231 and MCF-7 cells by applying doses of 300, 100, 50, 25, 10 ng/mL. Combinations that showed selective cytotoxicity after the combination were analyzed with the CompuSyn program and the combination index (CI<1 = synergism) was calculated. Studies on caspase 3-8-9, DNA fragmentation and mTOR were continued using a combination that showed a synergistic effect. Result: It was determined that compared to drug use alone, the sertraline/capecitabine combination decreased cell viability. There is no significant difference in caspase-3,-8,-9 and DNA fragmentation in cancer cells, but there is a reduction in the level of mTOR. This suggests that the death mechanism may be autophagy. Docking studies with autophagy pathway-related proteins further support our results. It is noteworthy that the AKT1-sertraline complex had the best binding affinity among the target proteins (−9.1 kcal/mol).

Background/Objectives: Astragalus L. is a genus of the Fabaceae family, encompassing over 3000 species globally, with 380 species found in Turkey. This is the inaugural examination of the phytochemical, antioxidant, antibacterial, and cytotoxic properties of Astragalus pisidicus. Methods: The water and methanolic fractions of four parts (stems, flowers, leaves, root) as well as the whole plant were quantified and identified by Liquid Chromatography Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC–ESI–MS/MS) analysis. Cell death was assessed using the WST-1 assay, while apoptosis was identified by colorimetric protease assay for caspase 2, -3, -6, -8, and -9, as well as cellular DNA fragmentation assay. Antioxidant activity of A. pisidicus water and methanolic extracts was investigated with eight different assays. Antimicrobial activities of the extracts were evaluated against 16 bacterial strains by disc diffusion and broth microdilution methods. Results: A total of 13 phytochemicals were detected in the extracts at various concentrations. Hesperidin (147–40,174 µg/g extract) and hyperoside (363–2677 µg/g extract) comprised the principal constituents among the extracts. Fm (IC₅₀ = 9.57 µg/mL), Rm (IC₅₀ = 14.89 µg/mL), and Sm (IC₅₀ = 9.57 µg/mL) were evaluated as active crude extracts on H1299, HT-29, and Panc-1 cells, while Rm (IC₅₀ = 32.057 µg/mL) and Fm (IC₅₀ = 64.25 µg/mL) were assessed as moderately active on MCF-7 and 22RV1 cells, respectively. The elevation of caspase 2, 3, 6, 8, and 9 enzyme activities, along with DNA fragmentation, signifies that the mode of cell death is apoptosis. According to the disc diffusion test results, Fm, Lm, Sm, and WPm extracts exhibited antimicrobial activity against gram (+) bacteria. Conclusions: A. pisidicus elicited apoptotic cell death in cancer cells selectively by the activation of caspases and subsequent DNA fragmentation and may serve as a novel source of an apoptosis-inducing anticancer drug.