- Email: [email protected]
P27 Minimising the toxic effects of beta-Amyloid 42 on oxidative stress
Abstracts / Biochemical Pharmacology 139 (2017) 105–141
21 days after Ab injection, the concentrations of ROS, IL-1b and TNFa as well as the expression of NADPH oxidase subunits in hippocampal tissue were also assessed. Iba-1 and Neu-N immunohistochemistry were also performed. Results from the Morris water maze test and the NOR test revealed that Ab injection could remarkably impair learning and memory function in AD mice, and matrine administration could significantly ameliorate the impairment. ROS, IL-1b and TNF-a levels were all increased after Ab injection, while matrine significantly reduced their concentrations. Ab induced protein expression of NADPH oxidase subunits gp91phox and p47phox were also significantly reduced by matrine. Iba-1 and Neu-N immunohistochemistry indicated less activated microglia and neuronal death in matrine-treated mouse brain. These results demonstrate that matrine ameliorated the learning and memory impairment and neuroinflammation induced by Ab injection and that these beneficial effects were mediated through inhibition of microglial activation and NADPH oxidase expression. The results suggest that matrine may be a valuable natural product with therapeutic potential against AD. doi:10.1016/j.bcp.2017.06.025
P25 Trichodimerol induces apoptosis in A375-S2 human melanoma cells through modulation of ERK and p38 activities mediated by reactive oxygen species Yao Yao a, Zhou Hong a, Yang Niu a, Wei-Qi Li b, Jiang Li a, Qian-Shun Yan a, Mei-Lin Zhu a, Juan Li a,c a Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China, b China National Center for Biotechnology Development, Beijing, China, c Key Laboratory of Hui Medicine Modernization, Ministry of Education, Yinchuan, China Marine microorganisms are prolific resources of novel antitumor compounds. Inducing cancer cell apoptosis has become a new possibility for tumor treatment. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important mediators in apoptosis induced by various antitumor agents. Trichodimerol, a secondary metabolite compound isolated from the marine fungus Trichothecium sp., has been proven to exhibit strong cytotoxic activity on several cancer cell lines. In this study, the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of trichodimerol on A375-S2 human melanoma cells were investigated, and related mechanisms also examined. It was found that trichodimerol significantly decreased cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner in the MTT assay. Furthermore, trichodimerol increased the percentage of apoptotic cells in DAPI staining assays, the levels of activated caspase-3/7, and sub-G1 fraction in the cell cycle as assessed by flow cytometry, which indicates that trichodimerol has a potent pro-apoptotic effect in A375-S2 cells. Trichodimerol induced ROS levels also showed dose-dependent increases as measured by DCFH-DA, while trichodimerol induced apoptosis was effectively blocked by the ROS inhibitor N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC). Western blot results showed that trichodimerol could increase phosphorylated p38 level and decrease extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and phosphorylated ERK level. In conclusion, our findings reveal that the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of trichodimerol were mediated by ROS, while activation of p38 and inhibition of ERK may also be involved in these effects. The results suggest that trichodimerol may function as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of melanoma. doi:10.1016/j.bcp.2017.06.026
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P26 Tamaractam, a natural lactam, induces apoptosis and inhibits inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes Yao Yao a, Yang Niu a, Huai-Qin Han a, Wei-Qi Li b, Yu Huang a, Tao Sun a, Xiao-Min Zhang a, Zhou Hong a, Juan Li a,c a Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China, b China National Center for Biotechnology Development, Beijing, China, c Key Laboratory of Hui Medicine Modernization, Ministry of Education, Yinchuan, China Tamaractam is a novel lactam isolated from Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb., a traditional herbal medicine used for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment in northwest China. The present study investigated the pro-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects of tamaractam on fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) from RA patients. Apoptosis was assessed by TUNEL assay and caspase-3 activity was assessed by a colorimetric assay. The expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins including Bcl-2, Bax, p-Akt and p53 were determined by western blot analyses. The levels of IL-1b, IL-6, MMP-9 and COX-2 were measured using ELISA, and the mRNA expressions of these pro-inflammatory mediators were measured with quantitative real-time PCR. Tamaractam (0.1 and 1 lM) treatment induced cellular apoptosis of RA-FLS and also resulted in a significant increase in caspase-3 activity. It was found that tamaractam could regulate the protein expression of Bcl-2, Bax, p53 and pAkt. The concentrations and mRNA expression levels of IL-1b, IL-6, MMP-9 and COX-2 from RA-FLS were suppressed by tamaractam treatment in a dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, tamaractam treatment was found to induce apoptosis of RA-FLS through regulation of apoptosis related protein expression and to reduce the level of pro-inflammatory factors through inhibition of pro-inflammatory gene expression in RA-FLS. These results suggest that the pro-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory activities of tamaractam may be used as a possible therapeutic option for RA. doi:10.1016/j.bcp.2017.06.027
P27 Minimising the toxic effects of beta-Amyloid 42 on oxidative stress Alaa Hussien-Ali, Pavlos Alifragis Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, UK It is becoming increasingly apparent that the highly amyloidogenic beta-Amyloid 42 peptide is involved in various mechanisms which are instrumental to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis. Recent reports have shown that such a mechanism is the induction of oxidative stress early on in the disease process. It is believed that beta-Amyloid becomes a source of free radicals itself and this contributes to the initiation of lipid peroxidation, which modifies membrane fluidity and leads to disruption of mitochondrial metabolism, respiration and reactive oxygen species levels. Oxidative stress could be minimised using dietary or supplemented antioxidant therapies. Here we will discuss our findings regarding 12-oxo phytodienoic acid, jasmonic acid, and methyl jasmonate as antioxidant agents that can protect and E18 rat primary hippocampal neurons against betaAmyloid 42 induced oxidative stress and toxicity. We report that all three compounds act as antioxidants and are able to reduce betaAmyloid 42 induced increases in mitochondrial and nuclear ROS levels, however at varying potencies. The Jasmonates antioxidant capacities suggests that there is potential for use as an AD treatment however further research is currently underway to investigate other
134
Abstracts / Biochemical Pharmacology 139 (2017) 105–141
potential effects and to elucidate their specificity at reducing betaAmyloid 42 induced toxicity. doi:10.1016/j.bcp.2017.06.028
P28 Nrf2 antioxidant pathway suppresses epithelial-mesenchymal transition through up-regulating Numb during pulmonary fibrosis Zhihui Zhang a,b, Cheng Zheng a, Wencheng Zhou c, Wenhui Cui c, Jiao Qu d, Panpan Zhang d, Jiao Gao a,b a The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China, b The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China, c School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China, d School of Pharmacy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China Epithelial mesenchymal transition(EMT) is a key process in the development of pulmonary fibrosis (PF). Our previous studies have shown that nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2), an important regulator of antioxidant defence, alleviates the EMT in BLM-induced mouse models of PF. In recent work, Numb, a cell fate determinant, has been shown to appear even more frequently in PF or emphysema, but the relationship between Nrf2 and Numb is still unknown. To further explore the role of Numb in PF, bleomycin (BLM) was intratracheally injected into both Nrf2-knockout (Nrf2/) and wild-type mice to enable the assessment of the relationship between the Nrf2 antioxidant pathway, Numb and EMT. Rat type II alveolar epithelial cells (RLE-6TN) and human epithelial cells (A549) were treated with the Nrf2 activator sulforaphane, or transfected with Nrf2 and Numb siRNAs to determine the level of influence of Numb on EMT induced by TGF-b1. This study revealed that BLMinduced EMT and lung fibrosis were more severe in Nrf2/ mice compared to wild-type mice and interestingly Numb expression was upregulated at day 7 in the fibrosis model with also a protective increase in the level of Nrf2. In vitro, sulforaphane treatment attenuated TGF-b1-induced EMT accompanied by the further up-regulation of Numb. However, when Numb was silenced, the therapeutic effect of sulforaphane on the progression of EMT in RLE-6TN and A549 cells was attenuated in vitro. These findings suggest that the Nrf2 antioxidant pathway suppresses epithelial-mesenchymal transition through regulating Numb during pulmonary fibrosis. doi:10.1016/j.bcp.2017.06.029
P29 The in vitro use of natural antioxidant oils (Cyperus esculentus; Nigella sativa) to reduce cell sickling in sickle cell anaemia Chloe Jagpal Coventry University, Coventry, UK Sickle cell anaemia is a genetically inherited red blood cell disorder, currently treated with time-consuming hospital treatments such as blood transfusions, which carry side effects such as iron overload. Sickle patients suffer from painful vaso-occlusive crises, whereby sickle erythrocytes adhere to blood vessel endothelium and block the natural flow of blood. A factor that exacerbates sickling is the low level of antioxidants in sickle cells, along with an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Tiger nut oil (Cyperus esculentus) and black seed oil (Nigella sativa) are natural products that have been anecdotally said to reduce crises in sickle cell sufferers, through their antioxidant properties. This research focuses on the potential reversal of sickle cells into normal spherical erythro-
cytes following treatment with these antioxidant oils. Morphological observation, as well as monitoring the potential reduction of ROS/ increase in antioxidant presence, will be used to assess the treatment efficacy. The benefits of these natural oils as supplementary treatments for sickle cell patients include their accessibility to vast populations globally, as well as minimal risk of side effects. Children in particular would benefit as a decrease in cell sickling would require fewer hospital visits and ultimately would lead to improved school attendance. It was found that the oil treatments resulted in an increase in the antioxidant presence of sickle cell samples when tested in vitro, as well as a morphological decrease of sickle cells and increase of spherical erythrocytes. In vivo testing will be the next point of focus within this research. doi:10.1016/j.bcp.2017.06.030
P30 GC–MS analysis and pharmacological activity study of the essential oil from Allium cepa Chunyang Zhou, Chunyan Yang, Yan Zeng, Yuchen Yang, Chuan Chen, Bin Yuan, Xuelan Ou North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China Allium cepa is a medicinal and edible plant, which is used for preventing and treating arteriosclerosis in traditional medicine. To evaluate the free radical scavenging activity, antitumor activity and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity of the essential oil from Allium cepa, this study used the volatile oil extractor to obtain the oil from fresh Allium cepa, and then used GC–MS to analyse the fatsoluble components in the essential oil. The results from GC–MS analysis showed that there were 66 fat-soluble components in Allium cepa oil, of which 25 were organosulfur compounds, accounting for about 30.38% of the total content. The results from the antioxidant experiments showed that at 100 lg/ml, the scavenging rate of Allium cepa oil against ABTS radical was 25.51% (rutin, 39.86%), and the scavenging rate of Allium cepa oil against DPPH radical was 21.65% (rutin, 29.57%). The acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity results indicated that at 100 lg/ml, the acetylcholinesterase inhibitory rate of Allium cepa oil was 41.46% (Huperzine A, 89.95%). The results from the MTT assay demonstrated that at 100 lg/ml, the inhibition rate of Allium cepa oil against U266 cells was 20.48% (taxol, 51.62%), while the inhibition rate of Allium cepa oil against A549 cells was 156.93% (taxol, 67.08%). In conclusion, Allium cepa oil exhibited antioxidant activity and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity to some extent, but possessed no antitumor activity in vitro against A549 and U266 tumor cells. Overall, the present study contributed valuable information concerning Allium cepa use in pharmacology and medicine. doi:10.1016/j.bcp.2017.06.031
P31 Role of sesquiterpene lactones against human ovarian cancer Idowu Eniafe Fadayomi a,b, Nicholas Forsyth a, Wen-Wu Li a a Keele University, Staffordshire, UK, b Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo, Nigeria Ovarian cancer is the most severe of the gynaecological malignancy associated with poor patient survival. This is in part due to the lack of symptoms preventing early diagnosis. In addition, ovarian cancer cells may become resistant to first line chemotherapy, paclitaxel and carboplatin. Natural compounds from plants offer a great source of novel anti-cancer agents. In particular, sesquiterpene lac-
21 days after Ab injection, the concentrations of ROS, IL-1b and TNFa as well as the expression of NADPH oxidase subunits in hippocampal tissue were also assessed. Iba-1 and Neu-N immunohistochemistry were also performed. Results from the Morris water maze test and the NOR test revealed that Ab injection could remarkably impair learning and memory function in AD mice, and matrine administration could significantly ameliorate the impairment. ROS, IL-1b and TNF-a levels were all increased after Ab injection, while matrine significantly reduced their concentrations. Ab induced protein expression of NADPH oxidase subunits gp91phox and p47phox were also significantly reduced by matrine. Iba-1 and Neu-N immunohistochemistry indicated less activated microglia and neuronal death in matrine-treated mouse brain. These results demonstrate that matrine ameliorated the learning and memory impairment and neuroinflammation induced by Ab injection and that these beneficial effects were mediated through inhibition of microglial activation and NADPH oxidase expression. The results suggest that matrine may be a valuable natural product with therapeutic potential against AD. doi:10.1016/j.bcp.2017.06.025
P25 Trichodimerol induces apoptosis in A375-S2 human melanoma cells through modulation of ERK and p38 activities mediated by reactive oxygen species Yao Yao a, Zhou Hong a, Yang Niu a, Wei-Qi Li b, Jiang Li a, Qian-Shun Yan a, Mei-Lin Zhu a, Juan Li a,c a Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China, b China National Center for Biotechnology Development, Beijing, China, c Key Laboratory of Hui Medicine Modernization, Ministry of Education, Yinchuan, China Marine microorganisms are prolific resources of novel antitumor compounds. Inducing cancer cell apoptosis has become a new possibility for tumor treatment. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important mediators in apoptosis induced by various antitumor agents. Trichodimerol, a secondary metabolite compound isolated from the marine fungus Trichothecium sp., has been proven to exhibit strong cytotoxic activity on several cancer cell lines. In this study, the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of trichodimerol on A375-S2 human melanoma cells were investigated, and related mechanisms also examined. It was found that trichodimerol significantly decreased cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner in the MTT assay. Furthermore, trichodimerol increased the percentage of apoptotic cells in DAPI staining assays, the levels of activated caspase-3/7, and sub-G1 fraction in the cell cycle as assessed by flow cytometry, which indicates that trichodimerol has a potent pro-apoptotic effect in A375-S2 cells. Trichodimerol induced ROS levels also showed dose-dependent increases as measured by DCFH-DA, while trichodimerol induced apoptosis was effectively blocked by the ROS inhibitor N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC). Western blot results showed that trichodimerol could increase phosphorylated p38 level and decrease extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and phosphorylated ERK level. In conclusion, our findings reveal that the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of trichodimerol were mediated by ROS, while activation of p38 and inhibition of ERK may also be involved in these effects. The results suggest that trichodimerol may function as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of melanoma. doi:10.1016/j.bcp.2017.06.026
133
P26 Tamaractam, a natural lactam, induces apoptosis and inhibits inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes Yao Yao a, Yang Niu a, Huai-Qin Han a, Wei-Qi Li b, Yu Huang a, Tao Sun a, Xiao-Min Zhang a, Zhou Hong a, Juan Li a,c a Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China, b China National Center for Biotechnology Development, Beijing, China, c Key Laboratory of Hui Medicine Modernization, Ministry of Education, Yinchuan, China Tamaractam is a novel lactam isolated from Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb., a traditional herbal medicine used for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment in northwest China. The present study investigated the pro-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects of tamaractam on fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) from RA patients. Apoptosis was assessed by TUNEL assay and caspase-3 activity was assessed by a colorimetric assay. The expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins including Bcl-2, Bax, p-Akt and p53 were determined by western blot analyses. The levels of IL-1b, IL-6, MMP-9 and COX-2 were measured using ELISA, and the mRNA expressions of these pro-inflammatory mediators were measured with quantitative real-time PCR. Tamaractam (0.1 and 1 lM) treatment induced cellular apoptosis of RA-FLS and also resulted in a significant increase in caspase-3 activity. It was found that tamaractam could regulate the protein expression of Bcl-2, Bax, p53 and pAkt. The concentrations and mRNA expression levels of IL-1b, IL-6, MMP-9 and COX-2 from RA-FLS were suppressed by tamaractam treatment in a dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, tamaractam treatment was found to induce apoptosis of RA-FLS through regulation of apoptosis related protein expression and to reduce the level of pro-inflammatory factors through inhibition of pro-inflammatory gene expression in RA-FLS. These results suggest that the pro-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory activities of tamaractam may be used as a possible therapeutic option for RA. doi:10.1016/j.bcp.2017.06.027
P27 Minimising the toxic effects of beta-Amyloid 42 on oxidative stress Alaa Hussien-Ali, Pavlos Alifragis Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, UK It is becoming increasingly apparent that the highly amyloidogenic beta-Amyloid 42 peptide is involved in various mechanisms which are instrumental to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis. Recent reports have shown that such a mechanism is the induction of oxidative stress early on in the disease process. It is believed that beta-Amyloid becomes a source of free radicals itself and this contributes to the initiation of lipid peroxidation, which modifies membrane fluidity and leads to disruption of mitochondrial metabolism, respiration and reactive oxygen species levels. Oxidative stress could be minimised using dietary or supplemented antioxidant therapies. Here we will discuss our findings regarding 12-oxo phytodienoic acid, jasmonic acid, and methyl jasmonate as antioxidant agents that can protect and E18 rat primary hippocampal neurons against betaAmyloid 42 induced oxidative stress and toxicity. We report that all three compounds act as antioxidants and are able to reduce betaAmyloid 42 induced increases in mitochondrial and nuclear ROS levels, however at varying potencies. The Jasmonates antioxidant capacities suggests that there is potential for use as an AD treatment however further research is currently underway to investigate other
134
Abstracts / Biochemical Pharmacology 139 (2017) 105–141
potential effects and to elucidate their specificity at reducing betaAmyloid 42 induced toxicity. doi:10.1016/j.bcp.2017.06.028
P28 Nrf2 antioxidant pathway suppresses epithelial-mesenchymal transition through up-regulating Numb during pulmonary fibrosis Zhihui Zhang a,b, Cheng Zheng a, Wencheng Zhou c, Wenhui Cui c, Jiao Qu d, Panpan Zhang d, Jiao Gao a,b a The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China, b The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China, c School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China, d School of Pharmacy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China Epithelial mesenchymal transition(EMT) is a key process in the development of pulmonary fibrosis (PF). Our previous studies have shown that nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2), an important regulator of antioxidant defence, alleviates the EMT in BLM-induced mouse models of PF. In recent work, Numb, a cell fate determinant, has been shown to appear even more frequently in PF or emphysema, but the relationship between Nrf2 and Numb is still unknown. To further explore the role of Numb in PF, bleomycin (BLM) was intratracheally injected into both Nrf2-knockout (Nrf2/) and wild-type mice to enable the assessment of the relationship between the Nrf2 antioxidant pathway, Numb and EMT. Rat type II alveolar epithelial cells (RLE-6TN) and human epithelial cells (A549) were treated with the Nrf2 activator sulforaphane, or transfected with Nrf2 and Numb siRNAs to determine the level of influence of Numb on EMT induced by TGF-b1. This study revealed that BLMinduced EMT and lung fibrosis were more severe in Nrf2/ mice compared to wild-type mice and interestingly Numb expression was upregulated at day 7 in the fibrosis model with also a protective increase in the level of Nrf2. In vitro, sulforaphane treatment attenuated TGF-b1-induced EMT accompanied by the further up-regulation of Numb. However, when Numb was silenced, the therapeutic effect of sulforaphane on the progression of EMT in RLE-6TN and A549 cells was attenuated in vitro. These findings suggest that the Nrf2 antioxidant pathway suppresses epithelial-mesenchymal transition through regulating Numb during pulmonary fibrosis. doi:10.1016/j.bcp.2017.06.029
P29 The in vitro use of natural antioxidant oils (Cyperus esculentus; Nigella sativa) to reduce cell sickling in sickle cell anaemia Chloe Jagpal Coventry University, Coventry, UK Sickle cell anaemia is a genetically inherited red blood cell disorder, currently treated with time-consuming hospital treatments such as blood transfusions, which carry side effects such as iron overload. Sickle patients suffer from painful vaso-occlusive crises, whereby sickle erythrocytes adhere to blood vessel endothelium and block the natural flow of blood. A factor that exacerbates sickling is the low level of antioxidants in sickle cells, along with an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Tiger nut oil (Cyperus esculentus) and black seed oil (Nigella sativa) are natural products that have been anecdotally said to reduce crises in sickle cell sufferers, through their antioxidant properties. This research focuses on the potential reversal of sickle cells into normal spherical erythro-
cytes following treatment with these antioxidant oils. Morphological observation, as well as monitoring the potential reduction of ROS/ increase in antioxidant presence, will be used to assess the treatment efficacy. The benefits of these natural oils as supplementary treatments for sickle cell patients include their accessibility to vast populations globally, as well as minimal risk of side effects. Children in particular would benefit as a decrease in cell sickling would require fewer hospital visits and ultimately would lead to improved school attendance. It was found that the oil treatments resulted in an increase in the antioxidant presence of sickle cell samples when tested in vitro, as well as a morphological decrease of sickle cells and increase of spherical erythrocytes. In vivo testing will be the next point of focus within this research. doi:10.1016/j.bcp.2017.06.030
P30 GC–MS analysis and pharmacological activity study of the essential oil from Allium cepa Chunyang Zhou, Chunyan Yang, Yan Zeng, Yuchen Yang, Chuan Chen, Bin Yuan, Xuelan Ou North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China Allium cepa is a medicinal and edible plant, which is used for preventing and treating arteriosclerosis in traditional medicine. To evaluate the free radical scavenging activity, antitumor activity and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity of the essential oil from Allium cepa, this study used the volatile oil extractor to obtain the oil from fresh Allium cepa, and then used GC–MS to analyse the fatsoluble components in the essential oil. The results from GC–MS analysis showed that there were 66 fat-soluble components in Allium cepa oil, of which 25 were organosulfur compounds, accounting for about 30.38% of the total content. The results from the antioxidant experiments showed that at 100 lg/ml, the scavenging rate of Allium cepa oil against ABTS radical was 25.51% (rutin, 39.86%), and the scavenging rate of Allium cepa oil against DPPH radical was 21.65% (rutin, 29.57%). The acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity results indicated that at 100 lg/ml, the acetylcholinesterase inhibitory rate of Allium cepa oil was 41.46% (Huperzine A, 89.95%). The results from the MTT assay demonstrated that at 100 lg/ml, the inhibition rate of Allium cepa oil against U266 cells was 20.48% (taxol, 51.62%), while the inhibition rate of Allium cepa oil against A549 cells was 156.93% (taxol, 67.08%). In conclusion, Allium cepa oil exhibited antioxidant activity and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity to some extent, but possessed no antitumor activity in vitro against A549 and U266 tumor cells. Overall, the present study contributed valuable information concerning Allium cepa use in pharmacology and medicine. doi:10.1016/j.bcp.2017.06.031
P31 Role of sesquiterpene lactones against human ovarian cancer Idowu Eniafe Fadayomi a,b, Nicholas Forsyth a, Wen-Wu Li a a Keele University, Staffordshire, UK, b Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo, Nigeria Ovarian cancer is the most severe of the gynaecological malignancy associated with poor patient survival. This is in part due to the lack of symptoms preventing early diagnosis. In addition, ovarian cancer cells may become resistant to first line chemotherapy, paclitaxel and carboplatin. Natural compounds from plants offer a great source of novel anti-cancer agents. In particular, sesquiterpene lac-