Amaranthus viridis L. belongs to the Amaranthaceae family. It is a rich source of numerous phytochemicals and amino acids. The objective of this work was to optimize Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction (UAE) based on the extraction yield and Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC) profile under different conditions, to compare the optimized UAE to the Soxhlet extraction method and evaluate the cytotoxic effects of the ethyl acetate fraction of the 80 % ethanolic extract on the SKGT-4 (human esophageal adenocarcinoma), AGS (human gastric adenocarcinoma) and A431 (human epidermoid carcinoma). A one-factor at a time experiment was carefully designed to assess the influence of the following factors on the extraction: time, frequency, solid-to-solvent ratio and aqueous ethanol concentration. Soxhlet extraction using 80 % aqueous ethanol was done for defatted plant material, then fractionation using chloroform, ethyl acetate and n-butanol. Cytotoxicity of ethyl acetate fraction was evaluated using the MTT assay on AGS, A431 and SKGT-4 cell lines. The results indicated that in the UAE, the solid-to-solvent ratio has the most significant effect on yield. Soxhlet extraction proved to be more efficient than UAE in terms of TLC profiles. The cytotoxicity of the ethyl acetate fraction exhibited cytotoxic activity against the tested cell lines in a concentration-dependent manner. Thus, selecting a particular extraction method depends on the target compounds. Soxhlet is preferred for gaining certain compounds that require heat for their extraction. The ethyl acetate fraction showed a cytotoxic effect on various cell lines related to cell components and their interactions with phytochemicals present in this fraction.
Quantitative real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) has become a valuable molecular technique in biomedical research. The selection of suitable endogenous reference genes is necessary for normalization of target gene expression in RT-qPCR experiments. The aim of this study was to determine the suitability of each 18S rRNA and ACTB as internal control genes for normalization of RT-qPCR data in some human cell lines transfected with small interfering RNA (siRNA). Four cancer cell lines including MCF-7, T47D, MDA-MB-231 and Hela cells along with HEK293 representing an embryonic cell line were depleted of E2F6 using siRNA specific for E2F6 compared to negative control cells, which were transfected with siRNA not specific for any gene. Us
... Show MoreBentonite is widely used in industrial applications. The present study reports the effect of adding different weights of ZnO to the Iraqi bentonite, on surface area, pore volume and real density. These surface properties were evaluated for pure and modified bentonite. The modification was made by adding different ZnO weights such as; ( 0.5%, 1%, 5%, 10% ). The effect of heat exposing for all modified clay samples at 500 ?C have been also evaluated. The results show that the addition of 0.5% ZnO leads to increase the surface area percentage about 36%, increase pore volume percentage about 5.48% and increase the real density percentage about 27.116%. When the samples exposed to 500 ?C, their surface area and pore volumes have been decreased a
... Show MoreTwo new organotin(IV) complexes Me2Snesc (C1) and Bu2Snesc (C2) have been synthesised from the reaction of the corresponding organotin(IV) chloride with the Schiff base ligand 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde-4-ethylsemicarbazone (H2esc). The ligand was prepared in two steps. The first step includes the formation of 4-ethylsemicarbazide, which then reacted with 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde to give the title ligand. Complex formation between the organotin(IV) moiety and the anionic form of 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehy-4-ethylsemicarbazone occurred through the o-dihydroxy positions. The ligand and its complexes were characterised by elemental analysis, FT-IR and NMR (1H, 13C and 119Sn) spectroscopy. Accordingly, the complexes were proposed to have tetrahedr
... Show MoreObjective: Dental caries is a chronic infectious disease that is prevalent worldwide in all age groups. Numerous attempts have been made to develop conservative approaches to halt caries progression and restore enamel defects. This study aimed to investigate the effect of applying grape seed extract and chicken eggshell extract on the microhardness of demineralized enamel in permanent teeth. Methods: Forty-eight sound upper first premolars were used. Following demineralization with the demineralizing solution for 96 hours, they were distributed into four groups consistent with the treatment agent used: group A was treated with casein phosphopeptide amorphous calcium phosphate (as a control group), group B was treated with grape se
... Show MoreABSTRACT This study presents an efficient approach for the separation and preconcentration of norepinephrine (NOR) from pharmaceutical formulations, environmental water, and human urine samples using a dispersive micro – solid phase extraction (DμSPE) technique employing magnetic nanoadsorbents. Two adsorbents, Fe3O4@TTAB and Fe3 O4@SiO2@TTAB, were prepared by functionalising iron oxide and silicacoated iron oxide nanoparticles with the cationic surfactant tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB). NOR was first converted into a sensitive diazonium dye via reaction with diazotised sulphamethazine and then extracted using mixed ademicelle – hemimicelle magnetic solid-phase extraction, followed by spectrophotometric quantification. Key
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