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  1. Shafaei A, Halim NHA, Zakaria N, Ismail Z
    Pharmacogn Mag, 2017 Oct;13(Suppl 3):S385-S391.
    PMID: 29142388 DOI: 10.4103/0973-1296.216337
    Background: Orthosiphon stamineus (OS) Benth is a medicinal plant and native in Southeast Asia. Previous studies have shown that OS leaves possess antioxidant, cytotoxic, diuretic, antihypertensive, and uricosuric effects. These beneficial effects have been attributed to the presence of primary and secondary metabolites such as polyphenols, amino acids, and flavonoids.

    Objective: To develop and validate an high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-diode array detector (DAD) method combined with solid-phase extraction that involves precolumn derivatization with O-phthaladehyde for simultaneous analysis of free amino acids in OS leaves extracts.

    Materials and Methods: OS leaves were extracted with water (OS-W), ethanol (OS-E), methanol (OS-M), 50% ethanol (OS-EW), and 50% methanol (OS-MW). The extracts were treated by C18 cartridge before derivatization, resulting in great improvement of separation by Zorbox Eclipse XDB-C18 column.

    Results: The HPLC-DAD method was successfully developed and validated for analyzing the contents of free amino acids in OS extracts. The results showed that l-aspartic acid with 0.93 ± 0.01 nmol/mg was the major free amino acid in OS-W extract. However, in OS-E, OS-M, OS-EW, and OS-MW, l-glutamic acid with 3.53 ± 0.16, 2.17 ± 0.10, 4.01 ± 0.12, and 2.49 ± 0.12 nmol/mg, respectively, was the major free amino acid. Subsequently, l-serine, which was detected in OS-W, OS-E, and OS-M, was the minor free amino acid with 0.33 ± 0.02, 0.12 ± 0.01, and 0.06 ± 0.01 nmol/mg, respectively. However, l-threonine with 0.26 ± 0.02 and 0.19 ± 0.08 nmol/mL in OS-EW and OS-MW, respectively, had the lowest concentration compared with other amino acid components.

    Conclusion: All validation parameters of the developed method indicate that the method is reliable and efficient to simultaneously determine the free amino acids content for routine analysis of OS extracts.

    SUMMARY: The HPLC-DAD method combined with solid phase extraction was successfully developed and validated for simultaneous determination and quantification of 17 free amino acids in Orthosiphon stamineus (OS) Benth extractsOS extracts were found to be rich in free amino acid contentL-aspartic acid was the major free amino acid in OS water extract while, in OS ethanol, methanol, 50% ethanol and 50% methanol extracts, L-glutamic acid was the major free amino acidL-serine was the minor free amino acid in OS water, ethanol and methanol extracts while, in OS 50% ethanol and 50% methanol extracts, L-threonine had the lowest concentration compared to other amino acid components. Abbreviations used: HPLC-DAD: High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode-Array Detection, OS: Orthosiphon stamineus, OS-W: Orthosiphon stamineus water extract, OS-E: Orthosiphon stamineus ethanol extract, OS-M: Orthosiphon stamineus methanol extract, OS-EW: Orthosiphon stamineus 50% ethanol extract, OS-MW: Orthosiphon stamineus 50% methanol extract, OPA: O-phthaladehyde, SPE: Solid Phase Extraction, UV: Ultraviolet, LOD: Limit of Detection, LOQ: Limit of Quantification, RSD: Relative Standard Deviation.

  2. Shafaei A, Aisha AF, Siddiqui MJ, Ismail Z
    Pharmacognosy Res, 2015 Jan-Mar;7(1):32-7.
    PMID: 25598632 DOI: 10.4103/0974-8490.147196
    Ficus deltoidea (FD) is one of the native plants widely distributed in several countries in Southeast Asia. Previous studies have shown that FD leaf possess antinociceptive, wound healing and antioxidant properties. These beneficial effects have been attributed to the presence of primary and secondary metabolites such as polyphenols, amino acids and flavonoids.
  3. Muslim NS, Nassar ZD, Aisha AF, Shafaei A, Idris N, Majid AM, et al.
    PMID: 23126282 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-12-210
    Angiogenesis plays a critical role in embryonic development and various physiological processes. However, excessive angiogenesis is associated with several pathological conditions including cancer. Pithecellobium jiringa (Jack) Prain is a traditional medicinal plant from the family Leguminosae. It is native to the Southeast Asia, where it has been used traditionally for treatment of various ailments such as hypertension and diabetes. The present work is aimed to study antioxidant and antiangiogenesis activities of P. jiringa ethanol extracts.
  4. Shafaei A, Esmailli K, Farsi E, Aisha AF, Abul Majid AM, Ismail Z
    PMID: 26467526 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-015-0885-z
    Orthosiphon stamineus (OS) Benth is a medicinal plant and native in Southeast Asia. Pharmacological effects of OS are attributed to the presence of lipophilic flavones. However; lipophilic compounds suffer from poor aqueous solubility which limits the OS oral bioavailability and therapeutic applications. Therefore, OS was prepared in nano formulation form using liposomes from soybean phospholipids. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the in vitro genotoxicity and in vivo oral toxicity of nano liposomes of OS ethanolic extract (OS-EL).
  5. Farsi E, Shafaei A, Hor SY, Ahamed MB, Yam MF, Asmawi MZ, et al.
    Clinics (Sao Paulo), 2013 Jun;68(6):865-75.
    PMID: 23778480 DOI: 10.6061/clinics/2013(06)23
    Ficus deltoidea leaves have been used in traditional medicine in Southeast Asia to treat diabetes, inflammation, diarrhea, and infections. The present study was conducted to assess the genotoxicity and acute and subchronic toxicity of a standardized methanol extract of F. deltoidea leaves.
  6. Zakaria N, Mohd KS, Ahmed Saeed MA, Ahmed Hassan LE, Shafaei A, Al-Suede FSR, et al.
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2020 Apr 01;21(4):943-951.
    PMID: 32334454 DOI: 10.31557/APJCP.2020.21.4.943
    BACKGROUND: Uterine fibroids are a common type of solid tumor presenting in women of reproductive age. There are very few alternative treatment available from conventional treatment involving surgeries. Labisia pumila var. alata or locally known as 'Kacip Fatimah' was widely used as traditional medicine in Malaysia. This plant has been used to maintain a healthy female reproductive system. The present study aimed to evaluate anti fibroid potential of L. pumila extracts through in vitro apoptosis activity against uterine leiomyoma cells (SK-UT-1) and in uterine leiomyoma xenograft model. Evaluation of bioactive markers content were also carried out.

    METHODS: Apoptotic induction of the extracts was determined by morphological examination of AO/PI dual staining assay by flourescent microscopy and flow cytometry analysis on Annexin V-FITC/PI stained cells. In vivo study was done in immune-compromised mouse xenograft model. HPLC analysis was employed to quantify marker compounds.

    RESULTS: Morphological analysis showed L. pumila induced apoptosis in a dose dependent manner against SK-UT-1 cells. In vivo study indicated that L. pumila significantly suppressed the growth of uterine fibroid tumor. All tested extracts contain bioactive marker of gallic acid and cafeic acid.

    CONCLUSION: This work provide significant data of the potential of L. pumila in management of uterine fibroids.
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  7. Shafaei A, Sultan Khan MS, F A Aisha A, Abdul Majid AM, Hamdan MR, Mordi MN, et al.
    Molecules, 2016 Nov 09;21(11).
    PMID: 27834876
    This study aims to evaluate the in vitro angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition activity of different extracts of Orthosiphon stamineus (OS) leaves and their main flavonoids, namely rosmarinic acid (RA), sinensetin (SIN), eupatorin (EUP) and 3'-hydroxy-5,6,7,4'-tetramethoxyflavone (TMF). Furthermore, to identify possible mechanisms of action based on structure-activity relationships and molecular docking. The in vitro ACE inhibition activity relied on determining hippuric acid (HA) formation from ACE-specific substrate (hippuryl-histidyl-leucine (HHL)) by the action of ACE enzyme. A High Performance Liquid Chromatography method combined with UV detection was developed and validated for measurement the concentration of produced HA. The chelation ability of OS extract and its reference compounds was evaluated by tetramethylmurexide reagent. Furthermore, molecular docking study was performed by LeadIT-FlexX: BioSolveIT's LeadIT program. OS ethanolic extract (OS-E) exhibited highest inhibition and lowest IC50 value (45.77 ± 1.17 µg/mL) against ACE compared to the other extracts. Among the tested reference compounds, EUP with IC50 15.35 ± 4.49 µg/mL had highest inhibition against ACE and binding ability with Zn (II) (56.03% ± 1.26%) compared to RA, TMF and SIN. Molecular docking studies also confirmed that flavonoids inhibit ACE via interaction with the zinc ion and this interaction is stabilized by other interactions with amino acids in the active site. In this study, we have demonstrated that changes in flavonoids active core affect their capacity to inhibit ACE. Moreover, we showed that ACE inhibition activity of flavonoids compounds is directly related to their ability to bind with zinc ion in the active site of ACE enzyme. It was also revealed that OS extract contained high amount of flavonoids other than RA, TMF, SIN and EUP. As such, application of OS extract is useful as inhibitors of ACE.
  8. Asif M, Shafaei A, Abdul Majid AS, Ezzat MO, Dahham SS, Ahamed MBK, et al.
    Chin J Nat Med, 2017 Jul;15(7):505-514.
    PMID: 28807224 DOI: 10.1016/S1875-5364(17)30076-6
    Considering the great potential of natural products as anticancer agents, the present study was designed to explore the molecular mechanisms responsible for anticancer activities of Mesua ferrea stem bark extract against human colorectal carcinoma. Based on MTT assay results, bioactive sub-fraction (SF-3) was selected for further studies using HCT 116 cells. Repeated column chromatography resulted in isolation of less active α-amyrin from SF-3, which was identified and characterized by GC-MS and HPLC methods. α-amyrin and betulinic acid contents of SF-3 were measured by HPLC methods. Fluorescent assays revealed characteristic apoptotic features, including cell shrinkage, nuclear condensation, and marked decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential in SF-3 treated cells. In addition, increased levels of caspases-9 and -3/7 levels were also observed in SF-3 treated cells. SF-3 showed promising antimetastatic properties in multiple in vitro assays. Multi-pathway analysis revealed significant down-regulation of WNT, HIF-1α, and EGFR with simultaneous up-regulation of p53, Myc/Max, and TGF-β signalling pathways in SF-3 treated cells. In addition, promising growth inhibitory effects were observed in SF-3 treated HCT 116 tumour spheroids, which give a hint about in vivo antitumor efficacy of SF-3 phytoconstituents. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that anticancer effects of SF-3 towards colon cancer are through modulation of multiple molecular pathways.
  9. Farsi E, Esmailli K, Shafaei A, Moradi Khaniabadi P, Al Hindi B, Khadeer Ahamed MB, et al.
    Drug Chem Toxicol, 2016 Oct;39(4):461-73.
    PMID: 27033971 DOI: 10.3109/01480545.2016.1157810
    CONTEXT: Clinacanthus nutans (CN) is used traditionally for treating various illnesses. Robust safety data to support its use is lacking.

    OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the adverse effects of aqueous extract of CN leaves (AECNL).

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: The oral toxicity of the AECNL was tested following Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines. Mutagenicity (Ames test) of AECNL was evaluated using TA98 and TA100 Salmonella typhimurium strains.

    RESULTS: No mortality or morbidity was found in the animals upon single and repeated dose administration. However, significant body weight loss was observed at 2000 mg/kg during sub-chronic (90 d) exposure. In addition, increased eosinophil at 500 mg/kg and decreased serum alkaline phosphatase levels at 2000 mg/kg were observed in male rats. Variations in glucose and lipid profiles in treated groups were also observed compared to control. Ames test revealed no evidence of mutagenic or carcinogenic effects at 500 μg/well of AECNL.

    CONCLUSION: The median lethal dose (LD50) of the AECNL is >5000 mg/kg and the no-observed-adverse-effect level is identified to be greater than 2000 mg/kg/day in 90-d study.

  10. Asif M, Shafaei A, Jafari SF, Mohamed SB, Ezzat MO, Majid AS, et al.
    Toxicol Lett, 2016 Jun 3.
    PMID: 27268964 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2016.05.027
    Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common human malignant tumors worldwide. Arising from the transformation of epithelial cells in the colon and/or rectum into malignant cells, the foundation of CRC pathogenesis lies in the progressive accumulation of mutations in oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes, such as APC and KRAS. Resistance to apoptosis is one of the key mechanisms in the development of CRC as it is for any other kind of cancer. Natural products have been shown to induce the expression of apoptosis regulators that are blocked in cancer cells. In the present study, a series of in vitro assays were employed to study the apoptosis inducing attributes of Isoledene rich sub-fraction (IR-SF) collected from the oleo-gum resin of M. ferrea. Data obtained, shows that IR-SF inhibited cell proliferation and induced typical apoptotic changes in the overall morphology of all the CRC cell lines tested. Fluorescent staining assays revealed characteristic nuclear condensation, and marked decrease in mitochondrial outer membrane potential in treated cells. In addition, an increment in the levels of ROS, caspase-8,-9 and -3 was observed. Proteomic analysis revealed that IR-SF up-regulated the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins, i.e., Bid, Bid and cytochrome c. Cytochrome c in turn activated caspases cascade resulting in the induction of apoptosis. Moreover, IR-SF significantly down-regulated Bcl-2, Bcl-w, survivin, xIAP and HSPs pro-proteins and induced DNA fragmentation and G0/G1-phase arrest in HCT 116 cells. Chemical characterization of IR-SF by GC-MS and HPLC methods identified Isoledene as one of the major compounds. Altogether, the results of the present study demonstrate that IR-SF may induce apoptosis in human colorectal carcinoma cells through activation of ROS-mediated apoptotic pathways.
  11. Asif M, Yehya AHS, Dahham SS, Mohamed SK, Shafaei A, Ezzat MO, et al.
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2019 Jan;109:1620-1629.
    PMID: 30551416 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.10.127
    Proven the great potential of essential oils as anticancer agents, the current study intended to explore molecular mechanisms responsible for in vitro and in vivo anti-colon cancer efficacy of essential oil containing oleo-gum resin extract (RH) of Mesua ferrea. MTT cell viability studies showed that RH had broad spectrum cytotoxic activities. However, it induced more profound growth inhibitory effects towards two human colon cancer cell lines i.e., HCT 116 and LIM1215 with an IC50 values of 17.38 ± 0.92 and 18.86 ± 0.80 μg/mL respectively. RH induced relatively less toxicity in normal human colon fibroblasts i.e., CCD-18co. Cell death studies conducted, revealed that RH induced characteristic morphological and biochemical changes in HCT 116. At protein level it down-regulated expression of multiple pro-survival proteins i.e., survivin, xIAP, HSP27, HSP60 and HSP70 and up-regulated expression of ROS, caspase-3/7 and TRAIL-R2 in HCT 116. Furthermore, significant reduction in invasion, migration and colony formation potential was observed in HCT 116 treated with RH. Chemical characterization by GC-MS and HPLC methods revealed isoledene and elemene as one the major compounds. RH showed potent antitumor activity in xenograft model. Overall, these findings suggest that RH holds a promise to be further studied for cheap anti-colon cancer naturaceutical development.
  12. Jafari SF, Al-Suede FSR, Yehya AHS, Ahamed MBK, Shafaei A, Asif M, et al.
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2020 Oct;130:110602.
    PMID: 32771894 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2020.110602
    PURPOSE: Koetjapic acid is an active compound of a traditional medicinal plant, Sandoricum koetjape. Although koetjapic acid has a promising anticancer potential, yet it is highly insoluble in aqueous solutions. To increase aqueous solubility of koetjapic acid, we have previously reported a chemical modification of koetjapic acid to potassium koetjapate (KKA). However, pharmacokinetics of KKA has not been studied. In this study, pharmacokinetics and antiangiogenic efficacy of KKA are investigated.

    METHODS: Pharmacokinetics of KKA was studied after intravenous and oral administration in SD rats using HPLC. Anti-angiogenic efficacy of KKA was investigated in rat aorta, human endothelial cells (EA.hy926) and nude mice implanted with matrigel.

    RESULTS: Pharmacokinetic study revealed that KKA was readily absorbed into blood and stayed for a long time in the body with Tmax 2.89 ± 0.12 h, Cmax 7.24 ± 0.36 μg/mL and T1/2 1.46 ± 0.03 h. The pharmacological results showed that KKA significantly suppressed sprouting of microvessels in rat aorta with IC50 18.4 ± 4.2 μM and demonstrated remarkable inhibition of major endothelial functions such as migration, differentiation and VEGF expression in endothelial cells. Further, KKA significantly inhibited vascularization in matrigel plugs implanted in nude mice.

    CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that bioabsorption of KKA from oral route was considerably efficient with longer retention in body than compared to that of the intravenous route. Further, improved antiangiogenic activity of KKA was recorded which could probably be due to its increased solubility and bioavailability. The results revealed that KKA inhibits angiogenesis by suppressing endothelial functions and expression of VEGF.

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