Anticancer effects of Annona glabra plant extracts in human leukemia cell lines.
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Annona glabra (pond apple), a tropical tree growing wild in the Americas and Asia, is used in traditional medicine against several human ailments, including cancer. To validate the ethnopharmacological claims against cancer, the anticancer effects of alcoholic extracts prepared from pond apple leaves, pulp and seed, were investigated in human leukemia cell lines. The alcoholic extracts were not cytotoxic to normal human lymphocytes. However, extracts were highly cytotoxic to drug sensitive (CEM) and multidrug-resistant leukemia (CEM/VLB) cell lines. The seed extract was more potent than leaf and pulp extracts, and the cytotoxicity values were significantly lower than that for adriamycin. The seed extract caused a concentration-dependent increase in the percentage of the sub G0/G1, as well as G0/G1 cell population, contributing to the cytotoxicity. The sub G0/G1 population increased from 2.2 to 7.0% in CEM and from 1.0 to 10.7% in CEM/VLB cell lines, when the cells were treated with 0-10 Bg/ml seed extract. Treatment of CEM and CEM/VLB cells with seed extract induced apoptosis and necrosis in both sensitive and resistant leukemia cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The seed extract at 2 and 5 Bg/ml enhanced cellular daunorubicin accumulation, indicating the competitive P-glycoprotein binding ability and drug-resistance reversal effect. Treatment of CEM and CEM/VLB cells with seed extracts also up-regulated the expression of cyclin kinase inhibitor (WAF1/p21) contributing to the arrest of cells at the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle. These results support the traditional use of A. glabra and the alcoholic seed extract is a potent source of anticancer compounds that could be utilized pharmaceutically. (+info)
Beneficial effects of Annona squamosa extract in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.
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INTRODUCTION: The present study investigated the possible therapeutic effects of Annona squamosa (A. squamosa) extract on certain biochemical markers in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes mellitus in rats. METHODS: The effects of an aqueous extract of A. squamosa leaves on blood glucose, insulin, C-peptide, albumin, albumin/globulin ratio, urea, uric acid and creatinine and the activities of diagnostic marker enzymes aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase were examined in the plasma, liver and kidney tissues of control and experimental groups. RESULTS: Oral administration of A. squamosa (300 mg/kg) aqueous extract to diabetic rats for 30 days significantly reduced blood glucose, urea, uric acid and creatinine, but increased the activities of insulin, C-peptide, albumin, albumin/globulin ratio and restored all marker enzymes to near control levels. CONCLUSION: The present results shown that A. squamosa extract has an antihyperglycaemic effect and consequently may alleviate liver and renal damage associated with STZ-induced diabetes mellitus in rats. (+info)
Genotoxic and cytotoxic effects produced by acetogenins obtained from Annona cherimolia Mill.
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In the present study we extracted three isomeric acetogenins (Ace) from the seeds of Annona cherimolia Mill. (Annonaceae) and determined their genotoxic and cytotoxic potential in mice. Our results showed a significant increase in the rate of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes induced by Ace with respect to the value for the control group; the effect was less pronounced than that observed with daunorubicin (Dau). To evaluate cytotoxicity, we determined the proportion of polychromatic erythrocytes with respect to the number of normochromatic erythrocytes, and we found an inhibitory effect induced by Ace that was quite similar to that observed with Dau. Besides, by means of the 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide test, we also determined the cytotoxicity of Ace in both a normal fibroblast mouse cell line and in a line derived from human colon cancer. In this assay, the strongest decrease in viability corresponded to the malignant cell line. Our results established for the first time the genotoxic capacity of these compounds in vivo, and confirmed their cytotoxic potential in cultured cells. (+info)
Larvicidal and IGR activity of extract of Tanzanian plants against malaria vector mosquitoes.
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BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: This paper reports the larvicidal activity of seventeen Tanzanian plant species against the malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae s.s. Giles larvae. Some of the plants are used traditionally as sources of insecticidal materials. METHODS: The crude extracts from the leaves, stem and root barks of the investigated plants were obtained by solvent extraction and then bio-assayed following WHO protocols showed LC50 values 10 to 400 ppm after 24 h exposure. The structures were determined on interpretation of spectroscopic data. RESULTS: The most active extracts were those from the stem and root barks of Annona squamosa, Uvaria faulknerae, U. kirkii and Uvariodendron pycnophyllum, all of which had LC50 values between 10 and 100 ppm. Long-term exposure beyond 24 h also showed more susceptibility of the larvae to the extracts. Larvae deformities by forming tail-like structures were observed for the methanol extracts of Tessmannia martiniana var pauloi. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the investigated plant extracts are promising as larvicides against An. gambiae s.s. Giles mosquitoes and could be useful leads in the search for new and biodegradable plant derived larvicide products. (+info)
Control of silverleaf whitefly, cotton aphid and kanzawa spider mite with oil and extracts from seeds of sugar apple.
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