tannins and thymoquinone

Obesity has become a worldwide health problem. It triggers additional co-morbidities like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, depression, sleep disorders, gastrointestinal problems and many more. Excess accumulation of fat in obesity could be caused by many factors like sedentary lifestyle, consumption of high-fat diet, genetic predisposition, etc. Imbalanced energy metabolism i.e., greater energy consumption than utilisation, invariably underlies obesity. Considering the high prevalence and continuous, uncontrolled increase of this major public health issue, there is an urgent need to find appropriate therapeutic agents with minimal or no side effects. The high prevalence of obesity in recent years has led to a surge in the number of drugs available in the market that claim to control obesity. Although there is a long list of medicines and management strategies that are available, selecting the right therapeutic intervention and feasible management of obesity is a challenge. Several phytochemicals like hydroxycitric acid, flavonoids, tannins, anthocyanins, phytohaemagglutinin, thymoquinone and epigallocatechin gallate have been shown to possess promising anti-obesity properties. However, studies providing information on how various phytochemicals exert their anti-obesity effects are inadequate. This calls for more experimentation in this less explored area of research. Additionally, the complication of obesity arises when it is a result of multiple factors and associated with a number of co-morbidities. In order to handle such complexities, combinatorial therapeutic interventions become effective. In this review, we have described the medicinal chemistry of different highly effective phytochemicals which can be used in the effective treatment and management of obesity.

Topics: Adipokines; Animals; Anthocyanins; Anti-Obesity Agents; Benzoquinones; Catechin; Citrates; Drug Discovery; Drug Therapy, Combination; Energy Metabolism; Enzyme Inhibitors; Flavonoids; Humans; Lipids; Obesity; Phytochemicals; Phytohemagglutinins; Plant Extracts; Plants; Signal Transduction; Tannins

Antioxidants are entities that play a vital role in protecting cells from free radical damage, which is implicated in cancer development. A detailed literature review on nutritional supplementation and cancer has demonstrated that antioxidants may be beneficial in preventing prostate cancer development. A reduced incidence of prostate cancer has been associated with high consumptions of antioxidants. The goal of this study was to utilize the ceramic drug delivery system to evaluate the behavior and response of LNCaP prostate cells upon treatment with epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), thymoquinone (TQ), and tannic acid (TA). After treatment with the various antioxidants, the groups were evaluated after 24, 48, and 72 hours of incubation. After all phases of incubation, groups treated with EGCG +TCP demonstrated the greatest reduction in cell count as well as the most cell membrane damage according to malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. In comparison to the control group, all groups demonstrated reductions in cell growth and decreased PSA levels that were significant according to one way analysis of variance (P < 0.001). Findings from this study revealed that sustained delivery with antioxidants may be a means of treating prostate cancer both safely as well as effectively. Future studies are needed to test the mechanisms behind these reactions.

Topics: Anticarcinogenic Agents; Antioxidants; Benzoquinones; Catechin; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation; Cell Survival; Ceramics; Delayed-Action Preparations; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Combinations; Humans; Male; Neoplasm Proteins; Prostatic Neoplasms; Tannins

Antioxidants are substances that function to protect cells from damage caused by unstable free radicals, which are responsible for damage that may lead to cancer. (Blot et al., 1993). Several antioxidants have been discussed for use in prevention and treatment of prostate carcinoma. Epidemiological evidence has indicated that these antioxidants may reduce the risk of prostate cancer by underlying mechanisms that remain unclear. The LNCaP cell line was introduced by inoculation from a supraclavicular lymph node metastasis of human prostate cancer (Horoszewicz et al., 1983). The aim of this study was to use the androgen-dependent LNCaP human prostate cancer cell line as a cell model to evaluate the physiological effects to conventional treatments with both low (LD) and high doses (HD) of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), thymoquinone (TQ), and tannic acid (TA). Following treatment, cells were incubated and the various groups were evaluated at 24, 48, and 72 hours. After 24, 48, and 72 hours of incubation, all treated cells caused a reduction in cell growth, but the TQHD treated group seemed to be the most potent. The TQHD group also demonstrated the greatest decrease in total protein levels in comparison to the control. According to one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), significant differences were observed (P < 0.001). Upon observation of the prostatic specific antigen (PSA) values, all groups showed decreased levels; however, the TQHD treated group showed an initial suppression after 24 hours and then finally adapted to treatment after 48 and 72 hours. Malondialdehyde (MDA) values were also assessed at the same three time periods (24, 48, and 72 hours) as an indicator of membrane integrity. After 24 hours of incubation, the TAHD group demonstrated the greatest increase in MDA levels. Morphologically, the cells demonstrated significant changes, such as swelling and irregularity in appearance upon antioxidant exposure. These findings reveal that antioxidants may serve as agents for prostate cancer prevention by providing safer and effective treatments for prostate cancer; however, further experiments are needed to understand the interactions involved.

Topics: Antineoplastic Agents; Antioxidants; Benzoquinones; Catechin; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation; Cell Survival; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Humans; Male; Prostatic Neoplasms; Tannins; Treatment Outcome