Statistical method for testing the neutral mutation hypothesis by DNA polymorphism.

https://cyberleninka.org/article/n/132565.pdf

Discovery and resupply of pharmacologically active plant-derived natural products: A review.

A review of bioactive plant polysaccharides: Biological activities, functionalization, and biomedical applications

We present a global comparison of differences in content of segmental duplication between human and chimpanzee, and determine that 33% of human duplications (> 94% sequence identity) are not duplicated in chimpanzee, including some human disease-causing duplications. Combining experimental and computational approaches, we estimate a genomic duplication rate of 4–5 megabases per million years since divergence. These changes have resulted in gene expression differences between the species. In terms of numbers of base pairs affected, we determine that de novo duplication has contributed most significantly to differences between the species, followed by deletion of ancestral duplications. Post-speciation gene conversion accounts for less than 10% of recent segmental duplication. Chimpanzee-specific hyperexpansion (> 100 copies) of particular segments of DNA have resulted in marked quantitative differences and alterations in the genome landscape between chimpanzee and human. Almost all of the most extreme differences relate to changes in chromosome structure, including the emergence of African great ape subterminal heterochromatin. Nevertheless, base per base, large segmental duplication events have had a greater impact (2.7%) in altering the genomic landscape of these two species than single-base-pair substitution (1.2%).

A genome-wide comparison of recent chimpanzee and human segmental duplications RID E-6420-2011

Pinocembrin (5,7-dihydroxyflavanone) is one of the primary flavonoids isolated from the variety of plants, mainly from Pinus heartwood, Eucalyptus, Populus, Euphorbia, and Sparattosperma leucanthum, in the diverse flora and purified by various chromatographic techniques. Pinocembrin is a major flavonoid molecule incorporated as multifunctional in the pharmaceutical industry. Its vast range of pharmacological activities has been well researched including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer activities. In addition, pinocembrin can be used as neuroprotective against cerebral ischemic injury with a wide therapeutic time window, which may be attributed to its antiexcitotoxic effects. Pinocembrin exhibits pharmacological effects on almost all systems, and our aim is to review the pharmacological and therapeutic applications of pinocembrin with specific emphasis on mechanisms of actions. The design of new drugs based on the pharmacological effects of pinocembrin could be beneficial. This review suggests that pinocembrin is a potentially promising pharmacological candidate, but additional studies and clinical trials are required to determine its specific intracellular sites of action and derivative targets in order to fully understand the mechanism of its anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and apoptotic effects to further validate its medical applications.

/pdf/pinocembrin-a-novel-natural-compound-with-versatile-2lqmieqto7.pdf

Pinocembrin: A Novel Natural Compound with Versatile Pharmacological and Biological Activities

Aloe is a genus of medicinal plants with a notable history of medical use. Basic research over the past couple of decades has begun to reveal the extent of Aloeʼs pharmaceutical potential, particularly against neoplastic disease. This review looks at Aloe, both the genus and the folk medicine, often being called informally “aloes”, and delineates their chemistry and anticancer pharmacognosy. Structures of key compounds are provided, and their pharmacological activities reviewed. Particular attention is given to their free radical scavenging, antiproliferative, and immunostimulatory properties. This review highlights major research directions on aloes, reflecting the enormous potential of natural sources, and of the genus Aloe in particular, in preventing and treating cancer.

https://www.thieme-connect.de/products/ejournals/pdf/10.1055/s-0031-1298453.pdf

Anticancer Potential of Aloes: Antioxidant, Antiproliferative, and Immunostimulatory Attributes

The ever-increasing emergence of the resistance of mammalian tumor cells to chemotherapy and its severe side effects reduces the clinical efficacy of a large variety of anticancer agents that are currently in use. Thus, despite the significant progress in cancer therapeutics in the last decades, the need to discover and to develop new, alternative, or synergistic anticancer agents remains. Cancer prevention or chemotherapy based on bioactive fractions or pure components derived from desert plants with known cancer-inhibiting properties suggests promising alternatives to current cancer therapy. Plants growing on low nutrient soils and/or under harsh climatic conditions, such as extreme temperatures, intense solar radiation, and water scarcity, are particularly susceptible to attack from reactive oxygen species and have evolved efficient antioxidation defense systems. The many examples of desert plants displaying anticancer effects as presented here indicates that the same defensive secondary metabolites protecting them against the harsh environment may also play a protective or a curative role against cancer, as they also do against diabetes, neurodegenerative, and other acute and chronic diseases. The present review highlights a plethora of studies focused on the antineoplastic properties of desert plants and their prinicipal phytochemicals, such as saponins, flavonoids, tannins, and terpenes. Although many desert plants have been investigated for their antitumor properties, there are many that still remain to be explored - a challenge for the prospective cancer therapy of the future.

Anticancer attributes of desert plants: a review.

The rapidly increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus is becoming a serious threat to
 mankindʼs health in all parts of the world. In fact, known cases reflect only part of the
 problem, as many diabetics, especially with type 2 diabetes, are unaware of their disease,
 which initially shows no definitive symptoms. Despite the great efforts invested in diabetes
 research, its prevalence continues to grow, while current medications do not cover all of the
 symptoms and complications of the disease. The present review highlights a plethora of studies
 focusing on the antidiabetic properties of desert and semidesert (steppic) plants, many of
 them being used for centuries in traditional medicine by Bedouins living in the arid zones of
 the Middle East and also by ethnic groups in other arid and semiarid parts of the world. The
 review concludes in summarizing the work done on the subject and also in pointing to the yet
 existing gaps in diabetes research of desert and steppic plants, and suggests directions for
 future exploration.

/pdf/antidiabetic-attributes-of-desert-and-steppic-plants-a-grmn1izsv3.pdf

Antidiabetic attributes of desert and steppic plants: a review.

Context: Phytochemicals are produced by desert plants to protect themselves against stressful environments. They have been shown to be useful in preventing and fighting adverse pathophysiological conditions and complex diseases, including cancer. Although many desert plants have been investigated for their antitumor properties, a large number of them still remain to be explored for possible therapeutic applications in oncologic diseases.Objective: To screen the antitumor effects of selected desert plants, namely Achillea fragrantissima (Forssk.) Sch. Bip. (Compositae), Ochradenus baccatus Delile (Resedaceae), Origanum dayi Post (Lamiaceae), Phlomis platystegia Post (Lamiaceae) and Varthemia iphionoides Boiss (Compositae), against an in vitro tumor model utilizing HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.Materials and methods: The aqueous extracts of aerial parts of the aforementioned plants were prepared and used for the in vitro experiments. The HepG2 cells were exposed to varying concentration...

Antitumor activities of extracts from selected desert plants against HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma cells

The ever-increasing occurrence of cancer and the severe side effects and
 limited efficacy of current cancer chemotherapy based on chemical drugs
 shift the attention toward drugs of plant origin. The Cactaceae family
 comprises more than 1500 species, but until recently only a few of them have
 been tested for their chemopreventive and anticancer attributes, leaving a
 wide unexplored area still waiting for researchers to investigate.
 Considering this fact, and also the promising results obtained with the
 relatively few plants of this family already tested, it should justly be
 expected that some plants of the Cactaceae family yet unexplored might
 possess outstanding anticancer attributes, exceeding those displayed by the
 plants already tested. This review presents in vitro and in
 vivo experimental evidence on cancer chemopreventive and therapeutic
 potential of bioactive phytoconstituents and extracts derived from cactus
 plants. It also examines the underlying biochemical and molecular mechanisms
 involved in the antineoplastic effects of plants of the Cactaceae family.
 Current limitation and future directions of research towards effective use
 of cacti to develop efficient and side effect-free future cancer-preventive
 and anticancer drugs are also discussed.

/pdf/cancer-preventive-and-curative-attributes-of-plants-of-the-3zznnrmw9q.pdf

Eli Harlev

Papers

Anticancer Potential of Aloes: Antioxidant, Antiproliferative, and Immunostimulatory Attributes

Anticancer attributes of desert plants: a review.

Antidiabetic attributes of desert and steppic plants: a review.

Antitumor activities of extracts from selected desert plants against HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Cancer Preventive and Curative Attributes of Plants of the Cactaceae Family: A Review