Aim The increasing prevalence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli is one of the intrac... more Aim The increasing prevalence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli is one of the intractable, economic veterinary and public health obstacle of the 21st century. As a component of the gut microbiota (GM), it is aimed in this study to establish a rat model to examine the role of E. coli in contributing to the increasing antimicrobial resistance of GM. Methods and Results Ten rats were divided into two equal groups (RG–1 and RG–2), and their GM was characterized before and after an amoxicillin treatment. The first treatment was applied on all rats, administering to each an equal count of Multiple Drug Resistant E. coli (MDR E. coli). The second treatment was restricted to rats of the RG-2 group, treating them with amoxicillin, effective 48 hrs following the MDR E. coli administration, to examine the persistence of MDR E. coli and the posttreatment profile of the GM resistome. Stool samples, collected at different times, were aerobically cultured at 37°C, and the bacterial cu...
The aim of this research is to appraise a newly patented method for control of chicken coccidiosi... more The aim of this research is to appraise a newly patented method for control of chicken coccidiosis in comparison to a classical approach. The new method implements an invented Disinfectant (WSD) for decontamination of rearing surfaces, and a developed drinking water-herbal coccidiostat (EOBWE) supplement. The experimental design has 8 treatments (TRTs), with four pens/TRT, and 25 broiler chicks/pen. The floors of TRT1 to TRT7 are contaminated with 4.0 × 10 5 sporulated oocysts/m 2 of each of E. acervulina, E. maxima, and E. tenella, while TRT8-floor is left uncontaminated. The floors of TRTs 1 and 2 are disinfected with chlorine, while that of TRTs 3-6 are disinfected by WSD. Floors of TRTs 7 and 8 are deprived of disinfection. Birds in TRTs 1, 6, 7, and 8 are deprived of coccidiostat, while birds in TRTs 2 and 3 are fed salinomycin in their feed; birds of TRT 4 are administered EOBWE in drinking water, while birds of TRT 5 are administered simultameously both, the salinomycin and EOBWE. Birds in TRT 4 (WSD/EOBWE treated) and TRT 5 (WSD/salinomycin + EOBWE) had improved protection (lowest oocyst output and intestinal lesions) and enhanced production (lowest mortality, lowest feed conversion ratio, and highest live body weight) compared to the other five challenged treatments, associated with significant improvements compared to positive controls (TRT 7) (P < 0.05).
Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International, 2018
Background: Nowadays, alternative medicinal therapy is recommended for protection and management ... more Background: Nowadays, alternative medicinal therapy is recommended for protection and management liver diseases. Cinnamon is popular flavoring ingredient, widely used in as additive worldwide. Objective: The mechanism of hepato-protective activity of water (WE) or ethanolic extracts (EE) of Original Research Article
Natural polyamines such as putrescine, spermidine, and spermine are crucial in the cell prolifera... more Natural polyamines such as putrescine, spermidine, and spermine are crucial in the cell proliferation and maintenance in all the eukaryotes. However, the requirement of polyamines in tumor cells is stepped up to maintain tumorigenicity. Many synthetic polyamine analogues have been designed recently to target the polyamine metabolism in tumors to induce apoptosis. N4-Erucoyl spermidine (designed as N4-Eru), a novel acylspermidine derivative, has been shown to exert selective inhibitory effects on both hematological and solid tumors, but its mechanisms of action are unknown. In this study, RNA sequencing was performed to investigate the anticancer mechanisms of N4-Eru-treated T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cell line (Jurkat cells), and gene expression was examined through different tools. We could show that many key oncogenes including NDRG1, CACNA1G, TGFBR2, NOTCH1,2,3, UHRF1, DNMT1,3, HDAC1,3, KDM3A, KDM4B, KDM4C, FOS, and SATB1 were downregulated, whereas several tumor s...
Studies have shown that Na-K ATPase activity was altered in disrupted red blood cell membranes an... more Studies have shown that Na-K ATPase activity was altered in disrupted red blood cell membranes and this enzyme is believed to be the site of active transport of Na and K in intact red blood cells. The enzyme is often referred to as Na-K pump because it pumps Na out and K into the cell against gradients with the concomitant hydrolysis of intracellular ATP. The aim of this study was to find out the possibility of using Na-K-ATPase activity as a biomarker for the diagnosis of individuals with different physiological conditions. The activity of Na-K ATPase was determined in blood samples collected from different pathological and physiological conditions such as pregnancy, smoking, diabetes and renal dysfunction compared with healthy subjects matched for age and sex. The Na-K ATPase activity in pregnancy (0.094 ± 0.0051 µM Pi/min. mg protein), smoking (0.064 ± 0.0011 µM), diabetes (0.047 µM 0.002 µM) and kidney disease (0.069 ± 0.0014 µM) was higher compared to the measurements in health...
In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of -coumaric acid on the glycosylation of p... more In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of -coumaric acid on the glycosylation of proteins in the retinas of diabetic rats. Male rats were divided into two main groups, Group I (normal control) and Group II (diabetic); Group II was further divided into four subgroups: Group IIa (diabetic control), Group IIb (diabetic rats were given -coumaric acid orally [150 mg/kg, body weight (bw)/day]), Group IIc (diabetic rats were given HCA -coumaric acid orally [300 mg/kg bw/day]), and Group IId (diabetic rats were given insulin [10 units/kg bw/day]) as a positive control). The treatment lasted for six weeks, and the data obtained suggested that -coumaric acid reduced glucose and glycated hemoglobin levels, which further decreased the formation of glucose-derived advanced glycation end products. Hence, it protected the tissues from the detrimental effects of hyperglycemia and enhanced antioxidant activity. In conclusion, -coumaric acid could be a potential candidate to prevent th...
Chemotherapy shows some promising results in the inhibition of cancer, but resistance to chemothe... more Chemotherapy shows some promising results in the inhibition of cancer, but resistance to chemotherapy and its severe side effects may occur in due course, resulting in only restricted and narrow benefits. Therefore, there is a pressing need to find alternative chemotherapeutic drugs for combating cancers. Plants have been used since ages in medicine, and by the dawn of 19th century, various potent and promising anti-cancer products have been derived from plants. Strigolactones (SLs) are a novel class of phytohormones involved in regulating the branching of shoots. Recently, many novel synthesized SL analogues have been found to be effective against solid and non-solid tumours. These hormones have been reported to have a unique mechanism of inhibiting cancer cells by lowering their viability and promoting apoptosis and cell death at micromolar concentrations. Therefore, synthetic SL analogues could be future potent anti-cancer drug candidates. Further research is needed to identify a...
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The complex ... more Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The complex etiology is attributed to many factors like heredity, cirrhosis, hepatitis infections or the dysregulation of the different molecular pathways. Nevertheless, the current treatment regimens have either severe side effects or tumors gradually acquire resistance upon prolonged use. Thus, developing a new selective treatment for HCC is the need of the hour. Many anticancer agents derived from plants have been evaluated for their cytotoxicity towards many human cancer cell lines. Strigolactones (SLs)-a newly discovered class of phytohormones, play a crucial role in the development of plant-root and shoot. Recently, many synthetic analogues of SLs have demonstrated pro-apoptotic effects on different cancer cell lines like prostate, breast, colon and lung. In this study, we tested synthetic SLs analogues on HCC cell line-HepG2 and evaluated their capability to induce cell proliferation inhibiti...
BMC complementary and alternative medicine, Jan 22, 2017
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for major cancer-related deaths despite current advanced ... more Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for major cancer-related deaths despite current advanced therapies. Treatment and prognosis of HCC is better in patients with preserved liver function. Many natural products including ajwa dates (Phoenix dactylifera L.), are claimed to have hepatoprotective and HCC inhibitory effects, but most lack scientific validation. To prove our hypothesis, we attempted to evaluate the HCC inhibitory effects, and other beneficial properties of the aqueous extract of ajwa dates (ADE) in a rat model of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) induced liver cancer. Thirty-two male rats were divided into four groups of eight each as follows, Group A: untreated control; Group B: DEN control (180 mg/kg bw), Group C: DEN + ADE 0.5 g/kg bw; and Group D: DEN +1.0 g/kg bw. Rats from all groups were assessed for liver cancer progression or inhibition by evaluating histological, biochemical, antioxidant enzyme status, cytokines and gene expression profiles. DEN treatment Groups (B, ...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2016
Escherichia coli-derived L-asparaginases have been used in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic l... more Escherichia coli-derived L-asparaginases have been used in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), however, clinical hypersensitivity reactions and silent inactivation due to antibodies against E. coli-asparaginase, lead to inactivation of these preparations in most cases.Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the cytotoxicity and antitumor effects ofa novel L-asparaginaseenzyme, isolated from Phaseolus vulgaris seeds (P-Asp) on the ALL cell line (Jurkat). The immunogenicity of the enzyme was also evaluated in-vivo and results were compared to commercially available enzymes of microbial sources. The data demonstrated that P-Asp has an enhanced anti-proliferative effect on ALL cells as detected by the WST-8 cell viability assay kit. Cells treated with P-Asp also exhibited a higher degree of early apoptosis compared with asparaginase from Escherichia coli (L-Asp) or its pegylated form Pegasparagas (PEG-ASP) that induced higher rates of late apoptosis and necrosis as detected by an Annexin V/Propidium iodide binding assay. In-vivo experiments indicated that mice treated with P-Asp had less distinct allergenic responses than other bacterial enzyme preparations as indicated by lower serum concentrations of IgG, IgE, IgM and mMCP-1 compared with other treated groups. In conclusion, P-Asp can be considered as a promising candidate for use in the treatment of ALL.
Phoenix dactylifera L (Date palm) is a native plant of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and othe... more Phoenix dactylifera L (Date palm) is a native plant of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and other Middle Eastern countries. Ajwa date has been described in the traditional and alternative medicine to provide several health benefits including anticholesteremic, antioxidant, hepatoprotective and anticancer effects, but most remains to be scientifically validated. Herein, we evaluated the anticancer effects of the Methanolic Extract of Ajwa Date (MEAD) on human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7) cells in vitro. MCF7 cells were treated with various concentrations (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 mg/ml) of MEAD for 24, 48 and 72 h and changes in cell morphology, cell cycle, apoptosis related protein and gene expression were studied. Phase contrast microscopy showed various morphological changes such as cell shrinkage, vacuolation, blebbing and fragmentation. MTT (2-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay demonstrated statistically significant dose-dependent inhibitions of MCF7 ...
Journal of King Abdulaziz University-Science, 2012
Nosocomial infections are infections that develop as a result of a stay in hospital or are produc... more Nosocomial infections are infections that develop as a result of a stay in hospital or are produced by microorganisms and viruses acquired during hospitalization. Nasal carriage of S. aureus is very common and may be due to hand to nose transmission. The objective of the present study was to screen individuals from various sectors as carriers of MRSA. The study group included hospital staff such as nurses, doctors and visitors. Nasal swabs were taken from the volunteers and cultured on media selective for Staphylococcus aureus. Pathogenecity was confirmed using PCR for the coagulase gene. Coagulase positive strains were subjected to PCR for the mec gene. A comparison was done with a student population to serve as a group non exposed to MRSA.
Nanoemulsion-based delivery systems are finding increasing use in food, pharmaceutical, agrochemi... more Nanoemulsion-based delivery systems are finding increasing use in food, pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and personal care applications due to their ability to increase the stability and/or activity of lipophilic functional components. In this study, a low-energy homogenization method (spontaneous emulsification) was used to encapsulate β-carotene in nanoemulsions. The main objective was to optimize lipid phase composition to form stable nanoemulsions that would effectively enhance β-carotene bioavailability. Lipid phase composition was varied by mixing long chain triglycerides (LCT) with medium chain triglycerides (MCT) or flavor oil (orange oil). LCT was added to promote bioaccessibility, whereas MCT or orange oil was added to facilitate nanoemulsion formation. Our hypothesis was that an optimum level of LCT is required to form stable nanoemulsions with good bioaccessibility characteristics. Stable nanoemulsions could be formed at LCT-to-orange oil ratios of 1:1 (d32 = 109 nm) and at LCT-to-MCT ratios of 1:2 (d32 = 145 nm). Thus, higher LCT loading capacities and smaller droplet sizes could be obtained using orange oil. The influence of oil composition on the potential gastrointestinal fate of the nanoemulsions was studied using a simulated gastrointestinal tract (GIT) consisting of mouth, stomach, and small intestine phases. The transformation and bioaccessibility of β-carotene in the GIT was highly dependent on lipid phase composition. In particular, β-carotene bioaccessibility increased with increasing LCT level due to greater solubilization in mixed micelles. These results are useful for optimizing the design of nanoemulsion-based delivery systems for encapsulation and release of lipophilic nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals.
orrigendum to “Evaluation of a Salmonella Enteritidis vaccine and elated ELISA for respective ind... more orrigendum to “Evaluation of a Salmonella Enteritidis vaccine and elated ELISA for respective induction and assessment of acquired mmunity to the vaccine and/or Echinacea purpurea in Awassi Ewes” Vaccine 33 (2015) 2228–2231] lie K. Barboura,b,∗, Chibli A. Abou Assia, Houssam Shaiba, Shadi Hamadeha, uhammad Murtadaa, Ghassan Mahmouda, Soonham Yaghmoorc, Archana Iyerc, teve Harakehd,e, Taha Kumosani f
The present study has two aims: to optimize the antiviral activity of oseltamivir in chicken embr... more The present study has two aims: to optimize the antiviral activity of oseltamivir in chicken embryos against an avian influenza-H9N2 strain (P0) and to apply the optimized protocol for studying the drug susceptibility of 4 H9N2 mutants (M1, M2, M3, and M4). As for the first aim, oseltamivir antiviral activity was monitored upon its delivery into 9-day-old chicken embryo at a concentration of 0.27 mg/100 μl, against 7 doses of the P0 strain, ranging between 1.2 x 10(-5) and 2.0 Hemagglutination (HA) units. Oseltamivir showed its highest efficacy in reduction of viral propagation (95% reduction in HA titer) (P 〈0.05), when the inoculum level contained a minimum HA units of 1.2 x 10(-5). For the second aim of this study, the application of the 1.2 x 10-(5) HA units of the virus in inocula for the evaluation of oseltamivir-antiviral effect against the 4 H9N2 mutants revealed an emergence of a resistant mutant (M1), associated with 2 adjacent point mutations in its neuraminidase (N) amin...
Journal of Applied Research in Veterinary Medicine, The
The applicability of developed RT-PCR protocols at OIE/FAO World Reference Laboratory in diagnost... more The applicability of developed RT-PCR protocols at OIE/FAO World Reference Laboratory in diagnostic of FMD is challenged by the continuous emergence of new lineage of isolates around the world, and specifically in the Eastern Mediterranean region where the genetic studies are very limited. The purpose of RT-PCR standardization is to amplify the conserved 5' UTR gene of FMD virus, using an application of variable RNA concentrations and cycling conditions on two tongue-epithelial tissue samples, collected from cows (FMD1 and FMD2) provided by the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture, to optimize the FMD typing, and to apply the established protocols on other suspected cases of FMD. The RNA amount was set in a volume of 4 mu L, at 20 ng/mu L and the optimal RT-PCR cycling condition was established at 50 degrees C for 45 minutes, followed by 15 minutes at 95 degrees C, then by 30 cycles of 94 degrees C for I minute, a lower temperature of 55 degrees C for I minute, then a higher tempera...
The aim of this study was to evaluate an experimental Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) bacterin and an... more The aim of this study was to evaluate an experimental Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) bacterin and an indirect ELISA system to assess quantitatively the acquired immunity in Awassi ewes to the vaccine and/or Echinacea purpurea (EP) dried roots. Four treatments of the ewes were included in the experimental design, with 6 ewes/treatment. The first treatment (T1) had the controls that were non-vaccinated and non-treated with EP. The T2 ewes were only treated with EP. The T3 and T4 ewes were vaccinated at D1 (initiation of trial) and D10, while the T4 ewes were additionally administered the EP dried roots. Blood was collected from the jugular vein of all ewes at D1, D10, D21 and D45. The construction of the vaccine and the ELISA are detailed within the manuscript. The ELISA was able to detect quantitatively the significant acquired primary and secondary immunity to the vaccine in T3 and T4 ewes, compared to their low level of background immunities at initiation the experiment (p<0.05). I...
Journal of King Abdulaziz University-Science, 2010
Recent reports announced by the Saudi Ministry of Agriculture indicate the death of more than 3,0... more Recent reports announced by the Saudi Ministry of Agriculture indicate the death of more than 3,000 camels, cows and goats in different parts of the Kingdom over the past months. Laboratories examinations both inside and outside Saudi Arabia suggested that the samples contained poisonous and toxic materials to camels which may affect the physiological processes that may render animals vulnerable to pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. So, we aimed to investigate blood and plasma chemistry including analysis of oxidants and antioxidants parameters as well as heavy metal determination in blood and tissue samples from diseased animals and compare it to normal animals to elucidate the possible cause(s) of the intoxication. Although we could not obtain any samples from diseased animals, results showed that there were non significant changes in biochemical, heavy metals and blood picture in specimens from the normal animals from Jeddah and Taif areas. However, there was a significant elevation in the level of malondialdhyde (lipid peroxidation marker) in brain, liver and serum associated with a significant decrease in total antioxidant activity in specimens from Jeddah area. This imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants as a marker of abnormal changes may lead to disturbances in some physiological processes in the brain and the liver that could render these animals susceptible to infectious diseases and ultimately to death if not treated.
Aim The increasing prevalence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli is one of the intrac... more Aim The increasing prevalence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli is one of the intractable, economic veterinary and public health obstacle of the 21st century. As a component of the gut microbiota (GM), it is aimed in this study to establish a rat model to examine the role of E. coli in contributing to the increasing antimicrobial resistance of GM. Methods and Results Ten rats were divided into two equal groups (RG–1 and RG–2), and their GM was characterized before and after an amoxicillin treatment. The first treatment was applied on all rats, administering to each an equal count of Multiple Drug Resistant E. coli (MDR E. coli). The second treatment was restricted to rats of the RG-2 group, treating them with amoxicillin, effective 48 hrs following the MDR E. coli administration, to examine the persistence of MDR E. coli and the posttreatment profile of the GM resistome. Stool samples, collected at different times, were aerobically cultured at 37°C, and the bacterial cu...
The aim of this research is to appraise a newly patented method for control of chicken coccidiosi... more The aim of this research is to appraise a newly patented method for control of chicken coccidiosis in comparison to a classical approach. The new method implements an invented Disinfectant (WSD) for decontamination of rearing surfaces, and a developed drinking water-herbal coccidiostat (EOBWE) supplement. The experimental design has 8 treatments (TRTs), with four pens/TRT, and 25 broiler chicks/pen. The floors of TRT1 to TRT7 are contaminated with 4.0 × 10 5 sporulated oocysts/m 2 of each of E. acervulina, E. maxima, and E. tenella, while TRT8-floor is left uncontaminated. The floors of TRTs 1 and 2 are disinfected with chlorine, while that of TRTs 3-6 are disinfected by WSD. Floors of TRTs 7 and 8 are deprived of disinfection. Birds in TRTs 1, 6, 7, and 8 are deprived of coccidiostat, while birds in TRTs 2 and 3 are fed salinomycin in their feed; birds of TRT 4 are administered EOBWE in drinking water, while birds of TRT 5 are administered simultameously both, the salinomycin and EOBWE. Birds in TRT 4 (WSD/EOBWE treated) and TRT 5 (WSD/salinomycin + EOBWE) had improved protection (lowest oocyst output and intestinal lesions) and enhanced production (lowest mortality, lowest feed conversion ratio, and highest live body weight) compared to the other five challenged treatments, associated with significant improvements compared to positive controls (TRT 7) (P < 0.05).
Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International, 2018
Background: Nowadays, alternative medicinal therapy is recommended for protection and management ... more Background: Nowadays, alternative medicinal therapy is recommended for protection and management liver diseases. Cinnamon is popular flavoring ingredient, widely used in as additive worldwide. Objective: The mechanism of hepato-protective activity of water (WE) or ethanolic extracts (EE) of Original Research Article
Natural polyamines such as putrescine, spermidine, and spermine are crucial in the cell prolifera... more Natural polyamines such as putrescine, spermidine, and spermine are crucial in the cell proliferation and maintenance in all the eukaryotes. However, the requirement of polyamines in tumor cells is stepped up to maintain tumorigenicity. Many synthetic polyamine analogues have been designed recently to target the polyamine metabolism in tumors to induce apoptosis. N4-Erucoyl spermidine (designed as N4-Eru), a novel acylspermidine derivative, has been shown to exert selective inhibitory effects on both hematological and solid tumors, but its mechanisms of action are unknown. In this study, RNA sequencing was performed to investigate the anticancer mechanisms of N4-Eru-treated T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cell line (Jurkat cells), and gene expression was examined through different tools. We could show that many key oncogenes including NDRG1, CACNA1G, TGFBR2, NOTCH1,2,3, UHRF1, DNMT1,3, HDAC1,3, KDM3A, KDM4B, KDM4C, FOS, and SATB1 were downregulated, whereas several tumor s...
Studies have shown that Na-K ATPase activity was altered in disrupted red blood cell membranes an... more Studies have shown that Na-K ATPase activity was altered in disrupted red blood cell membranes and this enzyme is believed to be the site of active transport of Na and K in intact red blood cells. The enzyme is often referred to as Na-K pump because it pumps Na out and K into the cell against gradients with the concomitant hydrolysis of intracellular ATP. The aim of this study was to find out the possibility of using Na-K-ATPase activity as a biomarker for the diagnosis of individuals with different physiological conditions. The activity of Na-K ATPase was determined in blood samples collected from different pathological and physiological conditions such as pregnancy, smoking, diabetes and renal dysfunction compared with healthy subjects matched for age and sex. The Na-K ATPase activity in pregnancy (0.094 ± 0.0051 µM Pi/min. mg protein), smoking (0.064 ± 0.0011 µM), diabetes (0.047 µM 0.002 µM) and kidney disease (0.069 ± 0.0014 µM) was higher compared to the measurements in health...
In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of -coumaric acid on the glycosylation of p... more In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of -coumaric acid on the glycosylation of proteins in the retinas of diabetic rats. Male rats were divided into two main groups, Group I (normal control) and Group II (diabetic); Group II was further divided into four subgroups: Group IIa (diabetic control), Group IIb (diabetic rats were given -coumaric acid orally [150 mg/kg, body weight (bw)/day]), Group IIc (diabetic rats were given HCA -coumaric acid orally [300 mg/kg bw/day]), and Group IId (diabetic rats were given insulin [10 units/kg bw/day]) as a positive control). The treatment lasted for six weeks, and the data obtained suggested that -coumaric acid reduced glucose and glycated hemoglobin levels, which further decreased the formation of glucose-derived advanced glycation end products. Hence, it protected the tissues from the detrimental effects of hyperglycemia and enhanced antioxidant activity. In conclusion, -coumaric acid could be a potential candidate to prevent th...
Chemotherapy shows some promising results in the inhibition of cancer, but resistance to chemothe... more Chemotherapy shows some promising results in the inhibition of cancer, but resistance to chemotherapy and its severe side effects may occur in due course, resulting in only restricted and narrow benefits. Therefore, there is a pressing need to find alternative chemotherapeutic drugs for combating cancers. Plants have been used since ages in medicine, and by the dawn of 19th century, various potent and promising anti-cancer products have been derived from plants. Strigolactones (SLs) are a novel class of phytohormones involved in regulating the branching of shoots. Recently, many novel synthesized SL analogues have been found to be effective against solid and non-solid tumours. These hormones have been reported to have a unique mechanism of inhibiting cancer cells by lowering their viability and promoting apoptosis and cell death at micromolar concentrations. Therefore, synthetic SL analogues could be future potent anti-cancer drug candidates. Further research is needed to identify a...
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The complex ... more Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The complex etiology is attributed to many factors like heredity, cirrhosis, hepatitis infections or the dysregulation of the different molecular pathways. Nevertheless, the current treatment regimens have either severe side effects or tumors gradually acquire resistance upon prolonged use. Thus, developing a new selective treatment for HCC is the need of the hour. Many anticancer agents derived from plants have been evaluated for their cytotoxicity towards many human cancer cell lines. Strigolactones (SLs)-a newly discovered class of phytohormones, play a crucial role in the development of plant-root and shoot. Recently, many synthetic analogues of SLs have demonstrated pro-apoptotic effects on different cancer cell lines like prostate, breast, colon and lung. In this study, we tested synthetic SLs analogues on HCC cell line-HepG2 and evaluated their capability to induce cell proliferation inhibiti...
BMC complementary and alternative medicine, Jan 22, 2017
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for major cancer-related deaths despite current advanced ... more Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for major cancer-related deaths despite current advanced therapies. Treatment and prognosis of HCC is better in patients with preserved liver function. Many natural products including ajwa dates (Phoenix dactylifera L.), are claimed to have hepatoprotective and HCC inhibitory effects, but most lack scientific validation. To prove our hypothesis, we attempted to evaluate the HCC inhibitory effects, and other beneficial properties of the aqueous extract of ajwa dates (ADE) in a rat model of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) induced liver cancer. Thirty-two male rats were divided into four groups of eight each as follows, Group A: untreated control; Group B: DEN control (180 mg/kg bw), Group C: DEN + ADE 0.5 g/kg bw; and Group D: DEN +1.0 g/kg bw. Rats from all groups were assessed for liver cancer progression or inhibition by evaluating histological, biochemical, antioxidant enzyme status, cytokines and gene expression profiles. DEN treatment Groups (B, ...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2016
Escherichia coli-derived L-asparaginases have been used in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic l... more Escherichia coli-derived L-asparaginases have been used in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), however, clinical hypersensitivity reactions and silent inactivation due to antibodies against E. coli-asparaginase, lead to inactivation of these preparations in most cases.Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the cytotoxicity and antitumor effects ofa novel L-asparaginaseenzyme, isolated from Phaseolus vulgaris seeds (P-Asp) on the ALL cell line (Jurkat). The immunogenicity of the enzyme was also evaluated in-vivo and results were compared to commercially available enzymes of microbial sources. The data demonstrated that P-Asp has an enhanced anti-proliferative effect on ALL cells as detected by the WST-8 cell viability assay kit. Cells treated with P-Asp also exhibited a higher degree of early apoptosis compared with asparaginase from Escherichia coli (L-Asp) or its pegylated form Pegasparagas (PEG-ASP) that induced higher rates of late apoptosis and necrosis as detected by an Annexin V/Propidium iodide binding assay. In-vivo experiments indicated that mice treated with P-Asp had less distinct allergenic responses than other bacterial enzyme preparations as indicated by lower serum concentrations of IgG, IgE, IgM and mMCP-1 compared with other treated groups. In conclusion, P-Asp can be considered as a promising candidate for use in the treatment of ALL.
Phoenix dactylifera L (Date palm) is a native plant of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and othe... more Phoenix dactylifera L (Date palm) is a native plant of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and other Middle Eastern countries. Ajwa date has been described in the traditional and alternative medicine to provide several health benefits including anticholesteremic, antioxidant, hepatoprotective and anticancer effects, but most remains to be scientifically validated. Herein, we evaluated the anticancer effects of the Methanolic Extract of Ajwa Date (MEAD) on human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7) cells in vitro. MCF7 cells were treated with various concentrations (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 mg/ml) of MEAD for 24, 48 and 72 h and changes in cell morphology, cell cycle, apoptosis related protein and gene expression were studied. Phase contrast microscopy showed various morphological changes such as cell shrinkage, vacuolation, blebbing and fragmentation. MTT (2-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay demonstrated statistically significant dose-dependent inhibitions of MCF7 ...
Journal of King Abdulaziz University-Science, 2012
Nosocomial infections are infections that develop as a result of a stay in hospital or are produc... more Nosocomial infections are infections that develop as a result of a stay in hospital or are produced by microorganisms and viruses acquired during hospitalization. Nasal carriage of S. aureus is very common and may be due to hand to nose transmission. The objective of the present study was to screen individuals from various sectors as carriers of MRSA. The study group included hospital staff such as nurses, doctors and visitors. Nasal swabs were taken from the volunteers and cultured on media selective for Staphylococcus aureus. Pathogenecity was confirmed using PCR for the coagulase gene. Coagulase positive strains were subjected to PCR for the mec gene. A comparison was done with a student population to serve as a group non exposed to MRSA.
Nanoemulsion-based delivery systems are finding increasing use in food, pharmaceutical, agrochemi... more Nanoemulsion-based delivery systems are finding increasing use in food, pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and personal care applications due to their ability to increase the stability and/or activity of lipophilic functional components. In this study, a low-energy homogenization method (spontaneous emulsification) was used to encapsulate β-carotene in nanoemulsions. The main objective was to optimize lipid phase composition to form stable nanoemulsions that would effectively enhance β-carotene bioavailability. Lipid phase composition was varied by mixing long chain triglycerides (LCT) with medium chain triglycerides (MCT) or flavor oil (orange oil). LCT was added to promote bioaccessibility, whereas MCT or orange oil was added to facilitate nanoemulsion formation. Our hypothesis was that an optimum level of LCT is required to form stable nanoemulsions with good bioaccessibility characteristics. Stable nanoemulsions could be formed at LCT-to-orange oil ratios of 1:1 (d32 = 109 nm) and at LCT-to-MCT ratios of 1:2 (d32 = 145 nm). Thus, higher LCT loading capacities and smaller droplet sizes could be obtained using orange oil. The influence of oil composition on the potential gastrointestinal fate of the nanoemulsions was studied using a simulated gastrointestinal tract (GIT) consisting of mouth, stomach, and small intestine phases. The transformation and bioaccessibility of β-carotene in the GIT was highly dependent on lipid phase composition. In particular, β-carotene bioaccessibility increased with increasing LCT level due to greater solubilization in mixed micelles. These results are useful for optimizing the design of nanoemulsion-based delivery systems for encapsulation and release of lipophilic nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals.
orrigendum to “Evaluation of a Salmonella Enteritidis vaccine and elated ELISA for respective ind... more orrigendum to “Evaluation of a Salmonella Enteritidis vaccine and elated ELISA for respective induction and assessment of acquired mmunity to the vaccine and/or Echinacea purpurea in Awassi Ewes” Vaccine 33 (2015) 2228–2231] lie K. Barboura,b,∗, Chibli A. Abou Assia, Houssam Shaiba, Shadi Hamadeha, uhammad Murtadaa, Ghassan Mahmouda, Soonham Yaghmoorc, Archana Iyerc, teve Harakehd,e, Taha Kumosani f
The present study has two aims: to optimize the antiviral activity of oseltamivir in chicken embr... more The present study has two aims: to optimize the antiviral activity of oseltamivir in chicken embryos against an avian influenza-H9N2 strain (P0) and to apply the optimized protocol for studying the drug susceptibility of 4 H9N2 mutants (M1, M2, M3, and M4). As for the first aim, oseltamivir antiviral activity was monitored upon its delivery into 9-day-old chicken embryo at a concentration of 0.27 mg/100 μl, against 7 doses of the P0 strain, ranging between 1.2 x 10(-5) and 2.0 Hemagglutination (HA) units. Oseltamivir showed its highest efficacy in reduction of viral propagation (95% reduction in HA titer) (P 〈0.05), when the inoculum level contained a minimum HA units of 1.2 x 10(-5). For the second aim of this study, the application of the 1.2 x 10-(5) HA units of the virus in inocula for the evaluation of oseltamivir-antiviral effect against the 4 H9N2 mutants revealed an emergence of a resistant mutant (M1), associated with 2 adjacent point mutations in its neuraminidase (N) amin...
Journal of Applied Research in Veterinary Medicine, The
The applicability of developed RT-PCR protocols at OIE/FAO World Reference Laboratory in diagnost... more The applicability of developed RT-PCR protocols at OIE/FAO World Reference Laboratory in diagnostic of FMD is challenged by the continuous emergence of new lineage of isolates around the world, and specifically in the Eastern Mediterranean region where the genetic studies are very limited. The purpose of RT-PCR standardization is to amplify the conserved 5' UTR gene of FMD virus, using an application of variable RNA concentrations and cycling conditions on two tongue-epithelial tissue samples, collected from cows (FMD1 and FMD2) provided by the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture, to optimize the FMD typing, and to apply the established protocols on other suspected cases of FMD. The RNA amount was set in a volume of 4 mu L, at 20 ng/mu L and the optimal RT-PCR cycling condition was established at 50 degrees C for 45 minutes, followed by 15 minutes at 95 degrees C, then by 30 cycles of 94 degrees C for I minute, a lower temperature of 55 degrees C for I minute, then a higher tempera...
The aim of this study was to evaluate an experimental Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) bacterin and an... more The aim of this study was to evaluate an experimental Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) bacterin and an indirect ELISA system to assess quantitatively the acquired immunity in Awassi ewes to the vaccine and/or Echinacea purpurea (EP) dried roots. Four treatments of the ewes were included in the experimental design, with 6 ewes/treatment. The first treatment (T1) had the controls that were non-vaccinated and non-treated with EP. The T2 ewes were only treated with EP. The T3 and T4 ewes were vaccinated at D1 (initiation of trial) and D10, while the T4 ewes were additionally administered the EP dried roots. Blood was collected from the jugular vein of all ewes at D1, D10, D21 and D45. The construction of the vaccine and the ELISA are detailed within the manuscript. The ELISA was able to detect quantitatively the significant acquired primary and secondary immunity to the vaccine in T3 and T4 ewes, compared to their low level of background immunities at initiation the experiment (p<0.05). I...
Journal of King Abdulaziz University-Science, 2010
Recent reports announced by the Saudi Ministry of Agriculture indicate the death of more than 3,0... more Recent reports announced by the Saudi Ministry of Agriculture indicate the death of more than 3,000 camels, cows and goats in different parts of the Kingdom over the past months. Laboratories examinations both inside and outside Saudi Arabia suggested that the samples contained poisonous and toxic materials to camels which may affect the physiological processes that may render animals vulnerable to pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. So, we aimed to investigate blood and plasma chemistry including analysis of oxidants and antioxidants parameters as well as heavy metal determination in blood and tissue samples from diseased animals and compare it to normal animals to elucidate the possible cause(s) of the intoxication. Although we could not obtain any samples from diseased animals, results showed that there were non significant changes in biochemical, heavy metals and blood picture in specimens from the normal animals from Jeddah and Taif areas. However, there was a significant elevation in the level of malondialdhyde (lipid peroxidation marker) in brain, liver and serum associated with a significant decrease in total antioxidant activity in specimens from Jeddah area. This imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants as a marker of abnormal changes may lead to disturbances in some physiological processes in the brain and the liver that could render these animals susceptible to infectious diseases and ultimately to death if not treated.
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Papers by Taha Kumosani