Nurdan Sarac

Disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT) (Na2O.4B2O3.4H2O) is an inorganic salt form of boron, used in agriculture, insecticides, and antifungal in wood protection. As an important fine boride, DOT is non-toxic for humans. The antimicrobial and wound-healing properties, as well as the cytotoxicity of DOT against glioblastoma cells, were investigated in other studies. Although there are no studies about the cytotoxic potential of other cancer types of this compound. This is the first study to investigate the cytotoxic and wound closure inhibition effects of DOT on A549 lung and DU145 prostate cancer cell lines. Cytotoxicity was assessed using the MTT assay, and the IC₅₀ values for A549 and DU145 cells were calculated as 58.78 mM and 109.33 mM, respectively, indicating a dose-dependent reduction in cell viability. The effect on wound closure was evaluated using an in vitro scratch assay. At IC₅₀ concentrations, DOT significantly inhibited wound closure in both cell lines after 24 hours compared to controls. Although the relatively high IC₅₀ values limit direct therapeutic applicability, these preliminary findings demonstrate, for the first time, that DOT possesses biological activity against lung and prostate cancer cells. Further studies are warranted to explore its potential applications.

The rising global burden of cancer has intensified the search for novel anticancer agents derived from natural sources, with mushrooms emerging as a rich source of bioactive metabolites. This study provides the first comparative evaluation of the toxic A. bresadolanus and the edible A. hortensis in terms of their fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles and antiproliferative effects against human lung (A549) and colon (HT-29) carcinoma cell lines, alongside cytotoxicity toward normal 3T3 fibroblasts. GC–MS analysis revealed distinct lipid compositions between the two species, with A. hortensis exhibiting higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids (linoleic and oleic acids), whereas A. bresadolanus was enriched in sterol derivatives such as Δ7,22-ergostadienol. Both extracts inhibited cancer cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner; however, A. hortensis demonstrated greater selectivity, preserving higher fibroblast viability relative to A. bresadolanus . The observed correlation between unsaturated fatty acid content and selective cytotoxicity suggests that lipid composition may contribute to the antitumor potential of mushroom extracts, though further studies are needed to establish causality. These findings identify A. hortensis as a candidate for further investigation as a source of lipid-derived bioactive compounds in future in vivo studies and provide a biochemical basis for the rational selection of Agaricus species in nutraceutical and pharmacological applications.

The present study evaluated the antimicrobial, anti-quorum-sensing, antibiofilm, and antioxidant activities of Silybum marianum, Scolymus hispanicus, Centaurea urvillei subsp. stepposa, Cirsium arvense subsp. vestitum and Onopordum illyricum. Antimicrobial activity was tested by disc diffusion and microdilution methods, while quorum-sensing inhibition was assessed through violacein inhibition, swarming motility, and anti-quorum-sensing assays. Antioxidant potential was determined by DPPH and FTC methods. S. hispanicus and O. illyricum showed the highest inhibition zones (17 mm) against Staphylococcus aureus MU 47, and O. illyricum had the lowest MIC (5 mg/mL) against Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633. The highest antibiofilm effect was recorded for S. marianum (41.83%) against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. S. marianum showed 31.19% violacein inhibition, and C. urvillei subsp. stepposa inhibited swarming motility by 42.9%. O. illyricum extracts displayed the strongest antioxidant activity (IC50 = 5.76 mg/mL for DPPH; 67.79% inhibition by FTC). These findings suggest the studied plants hold promise as natural antimicrobial and antioxidant agents.

Epidemiological evidence confirms that plants are primary sources of drugs used to reduce the incidence of cancer and prevent cancer-related deaths. Sternbergia species are used for therapeutic purposes due to the amaryllidaceae alkaloids, lectins, phenolic acids, pigments, and volatile components they contain. In this study, the anticancer properties of S. lutea extracts were tested on the A375 malignant melonoma cell line. In addition, in the study, the transcriptional expression of BCL-XL and Cas9 genes, which function in cell proliferation and apoptotic pathways, in cells treated with plant extracts were determined by qRT-PCR. According to the cytotoxicity results made by the MTT test, the highest inhibition percentage was determined at the plant's concentration of 500 μg/𝑚L. At this concentration, A375 cells were inhibited by 83.63%, and the IC50 value of the extract was calculated as 194.64 μg/𝑚L. In addition, in qRT-PCR analyses, a statistically significant increase was observed in the mRNA expression levels of Cas9 genes, which are positively correlated with the apoptotic pathway, in the extract and cisplatin-applied groups compared to the control group.

In this study, antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-quorum sensing activities of S. oleraceus, T. scaturiginosum, T. bithynicum and L. tuberosus were investigated. T. scaturiginosum and T. bithynicum were effective in terms of antimicrobial activity. The highest antibiofilm inhibition was shown by 33.30% aqueous extract of S. oleraceus on P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853. While S. oleraceus aqueous extract showed 35.32% violacein inhibition, T. bithynicum had a zone diameter of 13 mm for quorum sensing inhibition. L. tuberosus ethanol extract was found remarkable with its 52.5% anti-swarming activity. The most effective plant in terms of antioxidant activity was determined as L. tuberosus. This value is IC50 4.36 mg/mL for DPPH and 67.64% for FTC activity. It has been shown that these edible plants may be suitable candidates for reducing microorganismal resistance and using them in the treatment of diseases.

This study aims to determine the anti-aging effects of Achillea phrygia, an endemic plant, by evaluating its sun protection factor (SPF) level, antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, extracellular matrix-degrading enzymes (ECM) inhibition, genotoxic/anti-genotoxic, and cytotoxic activities. The SPF level was assessed using an in vitro quantitative method, while antioxidant capacity was determined through DPPH, β-carotene, and hydroxyl-radical (H2O2) scavenging assays. The total phenolic content was quantitatively conducted using the Folin Ciocalteu reagent. The inhibition of ECM-degrading enzymes was determined using matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), hyaluronidase, and elastase enzymes. Genotoxic/anti-genotoxic properties were assessed using the AMES Salmonella/microsome assay, and cytotoxicity effects were assessed through the MTT assay. The results indicated that A. phrygia showed moderate SPF activity (SPF = 4.013) and exhibited IC50 values of 0.183 ± 0.03, 0.079 ± 0.51, and 1.18 ± 0.35 mg/mL for DPPH, β-carotene, and hydroxyl-radicals, respectively. The total phenolic content was measured to be 23.56 ± 1.42 mg GAE/g dry extract. Furthermore, the extract demonstrated inhibition of MMP-1 (47.98%) and elastase (39.2%) activities. Importantly, it did not induce DNA damage and showed antigenotoxic activity ranging from 10% to 65.6%. The cytotoxicity assay revealed an IC50 value of 42.41±4.05 µg/mL. These findings suggest that A. phrygia could be utilized as a cosmetic ingredient in skincare products due to its ability to protect against UV radiation, exhibit antioxidant properties, prevent extracellular matrix degradation, and inhibit DNA damage.

Suture-associated infections on surgical sites are known to be related to the surface characteristics of the sutures. The present study aimed to fabricate a novel functional suture for surgical procedures and characterize its antioxidative, antimicrobial, and in vitro wound healing properties. St John's wort, Hypericum perforatum, extract (eHp), and biogenic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been combined and used for coating the silk sutures. Antioxidant, antimicrobial capacity, and in vitro wound healing potential of the coated sutures have been examined. The morphological and microanalytical examination of the coated sutures was also performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). According to the antioxidant activity tests, free radical scavenging and β-carotene linoleic acid tests revealed that the antioxidative potential of H. perforatum extract-AgNP combination (eHp-AgNP) at 10 mg/mL concentration was higher than those of positive controls, ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol. Coating the sutures with eHp-AgNP resulted in a remarkable inhibition activity of the sutures against Staphylococcus aureus, which is a pathogenic member of human microbiota. When compared with the control groups, it was investigated that coating the sutures with eHp-AgNP stimulated the cell migration of the fibroblasts to heal the artificial wound. Due to their beneficial effects, the eHp-AgNP-coated silk sutures might be a potential antibacterial and wound healing accelerator for surgical approaches.