Soumaya Menadi

Colorectal cancer (CRC) continues to be one of the deadliest cancers worldwide, mainly due to late diagnosis, chemoresistance, and the complex interactions within the tumor microenvironment. Recent studies suggest that the gut bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila plays a key role in maintaining intestinal health and may influence the effectiveness of cancer therapies. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to explore whether a lyophilized form of A. muciniphila could support CRC treatment. First, we analyzed A. muciniphila abundance in healthy, adenoma, and CRC tissues using public datasets. Next, CRC cell lines (HT29, HCT116, and SW620) and normal stromal cells (Hs738 St/Int) were treated with increasing doses of the bacterial extract, alone and with 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU). Then, cell viability measured by MTT assay, apoptosis by BAX/BCL2 expression via RT‐qPCR, and physicochemical properties by zeta potential analysis. The results showed a marked reduction of A. muciniphila abundance in CRC samples, with an early decline from healthy to adenoma tissues and a slight recovery in advanced tumors. In vitro, the extract demonstrated dose‐dependent cytotoxicity toward cancer cells, with HT29 showing strong sensitivity at low doses, HCT116 responding at higher concentrations, and SW620 exhibiting greater resistance. Importantly, the extract was well tolerated by normal cells, unlike 5‐FU. Combining the extract with 5‐FU resulted in a synergistic effect, indicating the possibility of reducing 5‐FU dosage to limit its toxicity. The extract significantly upregulated BAX, downregulated BCL2, and displayed strong negative zeta potential, supporting enhanced apoptotic activation and selective interaction with cancer cell membranes. These findings suggest that A. muciniphila and its derived products may serve as promising adjuncts in personalized microbiome‐based CRC therapy.

Seaweeds are widely recognized as valuable sources of bioactive secondary metabolites with significant medicinal and industrial potential. The biological properties of the brown seaweed Stypocaulon scoparium crude extract were investigated. An algal sample was collected from the coastal region of Tipaza, Algeria, and the extract was evaluated for total polyphenol and flavonoid contents, and antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities. The extract is rich in polyphenols and flavonoids, exhibiting strong antioxidant capacity. It showed notable antimicrobial activity was observed against various pathogens, with pronounced strong antifungal efficacy, and significantly reduced MCF7 breast cancer cell viability, indicating anticancer potential. Anti-inflammatory activity was demonstrated by inhibition of protein denaturation, with the extract exhibiting a distinct concentration-dependent effect. In summary, Stypocaulon scoparium was identified as a promising source of bioactive compounds. However, further investigations are required to elucidate their mechanisms of action and to validate their pharmaceutical applications.

Peganum harmala has been extensively employed in Algerian traditional medicine practices. This study aimed to explore the impact of n-butanol (n-BuOH) extract sourced from Peganum harmala seeds on cell proliferation, cell migration, and angiogenesis inhibition. Cytotoxic potential of n-BuOH extract was evaluated using MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) 2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay against human breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cells, cell migration was determined using scratch assay, and anti-angiogenic effect was evaluated through macroscopic and histological examinations conducted on chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane. Additionally, this research estimated the phytochemical profile of n-BuOH extract. Fifteen phenolic compounds were identified using Ultra-performance liquid chromatography UPLC-ESI-MS-MS analysis. In addition, the n-BuOH extract of P. harmala exhibited potent antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties. The n-BuOH extract showed potent cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cell with an IC₅₀ value of 8.68 ± 1.58 μg/mL. Furthermore, n-BuOH extract significantly reduced migration. A strong anti-angiogenic activity was observed in the groups treated with n-BuOH extract in comparison to the negative control. Histological analysis confirmed the anti-angiogenic effect of the n-BuOH extract. This activity is probably a result of the synergistic effects produced by different polyphenolic classes.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the world’s most aggressive and deadly cancers, owing to non-specific early clinical symptoms, late-stage diagnosis, and poor survival. Therefore, it is critical to identify specific biomarkers for its early diagnosis. Annexin A2 (ANXA2) is a calcium-dependent phospholipid-binding protein that has been reported to be upregulated in several cancer types, making it an emerging biomarker and potential cancer therapeutic target. However, the mechanism underlying the regulation of ANXA2 overexpression is still unclear. It is well established that genetic and epigenetic alterations may lead to widespread dysregulation of gene expression. Hence, in this study, we focused on exploring the regulatory mechanism of ANXA2 by investigating the transcriptional profile, methylation pattern, somatic mutation, and prognostic value of ANXA2 in PC using several bioinformatics databases. Our results revealed that the expression levels of ANXA2 were remarkably increased in PC tissues comparing to normal tissues. Furthermore, the high expression of ANXA2 was significantly related to the poor prognosis of PC patients. More importantly, we demonstrated for the first time that the ANXA2 promoter is hypomethylated in PC tissues compared to normal tissues which may result in ANXA2 overexpression in PC. However, more experimental research is required to corroborate our findings.

Punica granatum L. (pomegranate) is known popularly by its nutritional values and healthy benefits. The current study is aimed the evaluation of antibacterial effects of Punica granatum fruit extracts that cultivated in Algeria against environmental and clinical isolates of ss-lactamase producing methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae by using agar diffusion methods and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)-determination. Moreover, the extracts were investigated for their phenolic content by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. The quantitative assays of total polyphenols revealed a richness of the different pomegranate extract in polyphenols, peel and seed ethanol extracts contain the highest values (880.06 +/- 11.2 mg GAE/100 g and 1160.1 +/- 45.20 mg GAE/100 g, respectively). Flavonoid contents were high in both of acetone, ethanol extracts of peel, followed by ethanol, and acetone extracts of juice. According to the disc diffusion data, all phenolic extracts had a bacterial inhibitory effect against all extended-spectrum beta-lactamase ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae with a strong inhibitor with MIC 512 g/mL strength. The pericarp extract is particularly effective against Escherichia coli, Citrobacter freundii, and Klebseilla pneumoniae. However, the extract Punica granatum (pericarp and juice) revealed broad-spectrum antibacterial activity with an inhibitory diameter zone size of 11 0.9 mm to 29 1.12 mm against ss-lactamase generating methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) species.These results were similar in both of agar diffusion and MIC methods. From the above study, it can be concluded that Algerian pomegranate extracts possess remarkable antibacterial activity. This result could be related to the presence of bioactive metabolites in this fruit. Therefore, intensive future studies should be performed to characterize the antibacterial components that are behind for this biological property.