Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate apoptotic activity of silver nanoparticle Clinacanthus nutans (AgNps-CN) towards HSC-4 cell lines (oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines). Methods: Methods involved were MTT assay (cytotoxic activity), morphological cells analysis, flow cytometry and cell cycle analysis and western blot. Results: MTT assay revealed IC50 concentration was 1.61 mu g/mL, 3T3-L1 cell lines were used to determine whether AgNps-CN is cytotoxic to normal cells. At the highest concentration (3 mu g/mL), no cytotoxic activity has been observed. Flow cytometry assay revealed AgNps-CN caused apoptosis effects towards HSC-4 cell lines with significant changes were observed at G1 phase when compared with untreated cells. Morphological cells analysis revealed that most of the cells exhibit apoptosis characteristics rather than necrosis. Protein study revealed that ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 increased mainly due to down-regulation of Bcl-2 expression. Conclusion: AgNps-CN have shown potential in inhibiting HSC-4 cell lines. IC50 was low compared to few studies involving biosynthesized of silver nanoparticles. Apoptosis effects were shown towards HSC-4 cell lines by the increased in Bax/Bcl-2 protein ratio. Further study such as PCR or in vivo studies are required.

Vascular endothelial dysfunction is characterized by an imbalance of vasodilation and vasoconstriction, deficiency of nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability and elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS), and proinflammatory factors. This dysfunction is a key to the early pathological development of major cardiovascular diseases including hypertension, atherosclerosis, and diabetes. Therefore, modulation of the vascular endothelium is considered an important therapeutic strategy to maintain the health of the cardiovascular system. Epidemiological studies have shown that regular consumption of medicinal plants, fruits, and vegetables promotes vascular health, lowering the risk of cardiovascular diseases. This is mainly attributed to the phytochemical compounds contained in these resources. Various databases, including Google Scholar, MEDLINE, PubMed, and the Directory of Open Access Journals, were searched to identify studies demonstrating the vascular protective effects of phytochemical compounds. The literature had revealed abundant data on phytochemical compounds protecting and improving the vascular system. Of the numerous compounds reported, curcumin, resveratrol, cyanidin-3-glucoside, berberine, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, and quercetin are discussed in this review to provide recent information on their vascular protective mechanisms in vivo and in vitro. Phytochemical compounds are promising therapeutic agents for vascular dysfunction due to their antioxidative mechanisms. However, future human studies will be necessary to confirm the clinical effects of these vascular protective mechanisms.

Chemical constituents in plants can be greatly affected by postharvest processing, and it is important to identify the factors that lead to significant changes in chemistry and bioactivity. In this study, attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy was used to analyze extracts of Clinacanthus nutan (C. nutans) leaves generated using different parameters (solvent polarities, solid-liquid ratios, ultrasonic durations, and cycles of extraction). In addition, the effects of these extracts on the viability of cardiac c-kit cells (CCs) were tested. The IR spectra were processed using SIMCA-P software. PCA results of all tested parameter sets were within acceptable values. Solvent polarity was identified as the most influential factor to observe the differences in chemical profile and activities of C. nutans extracts. Ideal extraction conditions were identified, for two sample groups (G1 and G2), as they showed optimal total phenolic content (TPC) yield of 44.66 ± 0.83 mg GAE/g dw and 45.99 ± 0.29 mg GAE/g dw and CC viability of 171.81 ± 4.06% and 147.53 ± 6.80%, respectively. Validation tools such as CV-ANOVA () and permutation (R2 and Q2 plots were well intercepted to each other) have further affirmed the significance and reliability of the partial least square (PLS) model of solvent polarity employed in extraction. Hence, these approaches help optimize postharvest processes that encourage positive TPC and CCs results in C. nutans extracts.