scholarly journals Antioxidant Activity of Areca Nut to Human Health: Effect on Oral Cancer Cell Lines and Immunomodulatory Activity

Author(s):  
Liza Meutia Sari

Many herbs have been discovered to be potential sources of the antitumor and immunomodulatory drug. Areca nut (Areca catechu L.) has a high content of phenols and flavonoids and is highly related to antioxidant activity. Areca nut is a traditional herbal medicine that is popular around Indonesia, India, Thailand, and Taiwan. However, data on its effect on human health showed various results. This chapter’s aim to review the phytochemical and polyphenolic content, the molecular structure of bioactive compounds, the side effect of the crude extract, the role of catechin in cancer mechanism, the antioxidant activity, the cytotoxicity, and immunomodulatory activity of the areca nut. Areca nuts from Aceh province in Indonesia, contain flavonoids, phenolics, catechin, quercetin, and a small percentage of tannins which contribute to antioxidant activity. The areca nut has anticancer potential activity so it can be used in combination with chemotherapeutic agents to enhance the effect at lower doses and thus minimize chemotherapy-induced toxicity. Areca nuts also show immunomodulatory activity which can increase the body’s immune system.

Author(s):  
Ajitha Sharma

The chewing of Areca catechu nut, more popularly known as betel nut, is one of the ancient traditions in India and other South-east Asian countries. Other than its role played in religious practices and cultural rituals, areca nut has also been described to have various health benefits, particularly antihelminthic and antiviral properties, in the traditional systems of medicine like Ayurveda. It was observed to produce an antidepressant-like effect by elevating the serotonin and norepinephrine levels in hippocampus of rats. It also exhibited analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities in mice, and displayed in vitro antioxidant activity. Furthermore, it was found to improve spatial memory and learning behaviour in rats.


Author(s):  
Liza Meutia Sari ◽  
Gus Permana Subita ◽  
Elza Ibrahim Auerkari

  Objectives: Areca (betel, Areca catechu) nuts have been reported to show high contents of phenolic and flavonoid compounds with associated antioxidant activity. This study was undertaken to assess the anticancer potential of areca nut extract on human squamous carcinoma (HSC)-3, HSC-2, and human keratinocyte (HaCat) cancer cell lines, and to elucidate the mechanism of its action.Methods: In this study, the areca nut extract was prepared in 96% ethanol and analyzed for the total phenolic and flavonoid content, 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, and 5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4,5-dimenthylthiazoly)-3-(4-sulfophenyl)tetrazolium inner salt assay.Results: The indicated total phenolic content of the areca nut extract was 80.3 mg tannic acid equivalent/g and total flavonoid content 238.5 mg catechin equivalent/g. The extract showed good scavenging activity against DPPH radical (efficient concentration 15.95±0.84 μg/ml). The extract showed higher toxicity on HSC-3 than HSC-2 cells, IC50 was 164.06 μg/ml in HSC-3 versus 629.50 μg/ml in HSC-2. The extract had no cytotoxic effect on HaCat cells.Conclusions: The antioxidant activity of the areca nut extract might be associated with the presence of high content of phenolic and flavonoid compounds. The extract showed selective cytotoxicity against HSC-3 and HSC-2 cells but not on HaCat cells. Instead, the extract induced high rate of proliferation in HaCat cells.


2004 ◽  
Vol 71 ◽  
pp. 97-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Burkitt ◽  
Clare Jones ◽  
Andrew Lawrence ◽  
Peter Wardman

The release of cytochrome c from mitochondria during apoptosis results in the enhanced production of superoxide radicals, which are converted to H2O2 by Mn-superoxide dismutase. We have been concerned with the role of cytochrome c/H2O2 in the induction of oxidative stress during apoptosis. Our initial studies showed that cytochrome c is a potent catalyst of 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescin oxidation, thereby explaining the increased rate of production of the fluorophore 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein in apoptotic cells. Although it has been speculated that the oxidizing species may be a ferryl-haem intermediate, no definitive evidence for the formation of such a species has been reported. Alternatively, it is possible that the hydroxyl radical may be generated, as seen in the reaction of certain iron chelates with H2O2. By examining the effects of radical scavengers on 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescin oxidation by cytochrome c/H2O2, together with complementary EPR studies, we have demonstrated that the hydroxyl radical is not generated. Our findings point, instead, to the formation of a peroxidase compound I species, with one oxidizing equivalent present as an oxo-ferryl haem intermediate and the other as the tyrosyl radical identified by Barr and colleagues [Barr, Gunther, Deterding, Tomer and Mason (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 15498-15503]. Studies with spin traps indicated that the oxo-ferryl haem is the active oxidant. These findings provide a physico-chemical basis for the redox changes that occur during apoptosis. Excessive changes (possibly catalysed by cytochrome c) may have implications for the redox regulation of cell death, including the sensitivity of tumour cells to chemotherapeutic agents.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-145
Author(s):  
Sheena Chhabra ◽  
Apurva Bakshi ◽  
Ravineet Kaur

Nutraceuticals have been around for quite some time. As the nomenclature suggests, they are placed somewhere between food (nutra-) and medicine (-ceuticals) in terms of their impact on human health. Researches have focused on the impact of various types of nutraceuticals on health, their efficacy in health promotion and disease prevention, and often on suitable uses of certain categories of nutraceuticals for specific health issues. However, we are still far from utilizing the immense potential of nutraceuticals for benefiting human health in a substantial manner. We review the available scholarly literature regarding the role of nutraceuticals in health promotion, their efficacy in disease prevention and the perception of nutraceuticals' health benefits by consumers. Thereafter we analyze the need for regulation of nutraceuticals and various provisions regarding the same.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 1054-1063 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ning Ding ◽  
Hong Zhang ◽  
Shan Su ◽  
Yumei Ding ◽  
Xiaohui Yu ◽  
...  

Background: Endometrial cancer is a common cause of death in gynecological malignancies. Cisplatin is a clinically chemotherapeutic agent. However, drug-resistance is the primary cause of treatment failure. Objective: Emodin is commonly used clinically to increase the sensitivity of chemotherapeutic agents, yet whether Emodin promotes the role of Cisplatin in the treatment of endometrial cancer has not been studied. Method: CCK-8 kit was utilized to determine the growth of two endometrial cancer cell lines, Ishikawa and HEC-IB. The apoptosis level of Ishikawa and HEC-IB cells was detected by Annexin V / propidium iodide double-staining assay. ROS level was detected by DCFH-DA and NADPH oxidase expression. Expressions of drug-resistant genes were examined by real-time PCR and Western blotting. Results: Emodin combined with Cisplatin reduced cell growth and increased the apoptosis of endometrial cancer cells. Co-treatment of Emodin and Cisplatin increased chemosensitivity by inhibiting the expression of drugresistant genes through reducing the ROS levels in endometrial cancer cells. In an endometrial cancer xenograft murine model, the tumor size was reduced and animal survival time was increased by co-treatment of Emodin and Cisplatin. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that Emodin enhances the chemosensitivity of Cisplatin on endometrial cancer by inhibiting ROS-mediated expression of drug-resistance genes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 985-992 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aysegul Hanikoglu ◽  
Ertan Kucuksayan ◽  
Rana Cagla Akduman ◽  
Tomris Ozben

This systematic review aims to elucidate the role of melatonin (N-acetyl-5-metoxy-tryptamine) (MLT) in the prevention and treatment of cancer. MLT is a pineal gland secretory product, an evolutionarily highly conserved molecule; it is also an antioxidant and an impressive protector of mitochondrial bioenergetic activity. MLT is characterized by an ample range of activities, modulating the physiology and molecular biology of the cell. Its physiological functions relate principally to the interaction of G Protein-Coupled MT1 and MT2 trans-membrane receptors (GPCRs), a family of guanidine triphosphate binding proteins. MLT has been demonstrated to suppress the growth of various tumours both, in vivo and in vitro. In this review, we analyze in depth, the antioxidant activity of melatonin, aiming to illustrate the cancer treatment potential of the molecule, by limiting or reversing the changes occurring during cancer development and growth.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guojun Wu ◽  
Naisi Zhao ◽  
Chenhong Zhang ◽  
Yan Y. Lam ◽  
Liping Zhao

AbstractTo demonstrate the causative role of gut microbiome in human health and diseases, we first need to identify, via next-generation sequencing, potentially important functional members associated with specific health outcomes and disease phenotypes. However, due to the strain-level genetic complexity of the gut microbiota, microbiome datasets are highly dimensional and highly sparse in nature, making it challenging to identify putative causative agents of a particular disease phenotype. Members of an ecosystem seldomly live independently from each other. Instead, they develop local interactions and form inter-member organizations to influence the ecosystem’s higher-level patterns and functions. In the ecological study of macro-organisms, members are defined as belonging to the same “guild” if they exploit the same class of resources in a similar way or work together as a coherent functional group. Translating the concept of “guild” to the study of gut microbiota, we redefine guild as a group of bacteria that show consistent co-abundant behavior and likely to work together to contribute to the same ecological function. In this opinion article, we discuss how to use guilds as the aggregation unit to reduce dimensionality and sparsity in microbiome-wide association studies for identifying candidate gut bacteria that may causatively contribute to human health and diseases.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bin Wang ◽  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Tong Dai ◽  
Ziran Qin ◽  
Huasong Lu ◽  
...  

AbstractEmerging evidence suggests that liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) represents a vital and ubiquitous phenomenon underlying the formation of membraneless organelles in eukaryotic cells (also known as biomolecular condensates or droplets). Recent studies have revealed evidences that indicate that LLPS plays a vital role in human health and diseases. In this review, we describe our current understanding of LLPS and summarize its physiological functions. We further describe the role of LLPS in the development of human diseases. Additionally, we review the recently developed methods for studying LLPS. Although LLPS research is in its infancy—but is fast-growing—it is clear that LLPS plays an essential role in the development of pathophysiological conditions. This highlights the need for an overview of the recent advances in the field to translate our current knowledge regarding LLPS into therapeutic discoveries.


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