UNASSIGNED: Doxorubicin, a commonly utilized anthracycline antibiotic and chemotherapeutic agent, has been associated with hepatotoxicity as an adverse effect. This study aimed to evaluate protective effects of zingerone, a bioactive compound derived from ginger renowned for its antioxidative attributes, on oxidative stress in doxorubicin-induced rat hepatotoxicity.
UNASSIGNED: In this experimental study, a total of 48 male Wistar rats were allocated into six distinct groups. The first group received a control treatment of normal saline. The second group was administered an intraperitoneal dose of 20 mg/kg of doxorubicin on day 5. The third group received an oral dose of 40 mg/kg of zingerone for 8 days. The fourth, fifth, and sixth groups were administered zingerone at doses of 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg, respectively, for the same 8-day period. On day 5, all groups, except the control group, received an intraperitoneal injection of doxorubicin. Following a 72-hour interval, the animals were anesthetized, and blood samples were collected to assess serum factors. Moreover, portions of the liver tissue were subjected to histopathological analysis and assessment of oxidative stress parameters.
UNASSIGNED: The activity levels of serum enzymes, including aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), and liver malondialdehyde (MDA), increased in the doxorubicin group. Conversely, the levels of other parameters such as glutathione peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione (GSH) decreased. However, the co-administration of zingerone effectively reversed these levels, restoring them back to normal.
UNASSIGNED: These findings suggest that zingerone, particularly at a high dose, exhibit a hepatoprotective effect in the doxorubicin-induced hepatotoxicity model.

UNASSIGNED: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of nosocomial and community acquired infections. Nanoparticles are considered as proper tools to overcome the therapeutic problem of antimicrobial-resistant infections because of the drug concentration increment at the desired location and protection from enzymatic degradation. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of the antibacterial and antibiofilm activities of zingerone and niosome containing zingerone against pre-formed biofilm of MRSA isolates.
UNASSIGNED: 62 MRSA isolates cultured from patients with diabetic ulcers were investigated. Niosomes were synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction, zeta potential and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The size of niosomal particles measured by SEM and zetasizer.
UNASSIGNED: The surface charge of prepared niosomes was about -37 mV. The effect of the zingerone and noisome containing zingerone was evaluated against biofilms of MRSA isolates. Also, the antibiofilm activity of prepared niosomes on gene expression of MRSA biofilms was evaluated using Real Time PCR. Our results demonstrated that the niosome containing zingerone had a diameter of 196.1 nm and a -37.3-mV zeta potential. Zingerone removed one and three-day old biofilms of MRSA at the concentration of 1000 μg/ml, while the zingerone-laoded niosomes removed 1, 3- and 5-days old biofilms at the concentration of 250 μg/ml, 250 μg/ml, and 500 μg/ml.
UNASSIGNED: The results indicated that niosome containing zingerone eliminated MRSA and its biofilms faster compared with free zingerone and it suggested that zingerone-encapsulated niosomes could be considered as a promising treatment against MRSA and its biofilms.

UNASSIGNED: The available in vitro evidences suggest the inherent instability and interconvertibility of [6]-gingerol and [6]-shogaol. However, limited data on their in vivo interconversion hinder understanding of their influence on the pharmacokinetic profiles.
UNASSIGNED: This study presents the first comprehensive in vivo investigation aiming to determine the interconversion pharmacokinetics in rats, and elucidate the oral bioavailability, target distribution, biotransformation, and excretion profiles of the key ginger constituents, [6]-gingerol, [6]-shogaol, and zingerone.
UNASSIGNED: The pharmacokinetics was investigated through single intravenous (3 mg/kg) or oral (30 mg/kg) administration of [6]-gingerol, [6]-shogaol, or zingerone, followed by the determination of their tissue distribution after oral dosing (30 mg/kg). Intravenous pharmacokinetics was leveraged to evaluate the interconversion, circumventing potential confounders associated with the oral route.
UNASSIGNED: All rats tolerated these compounds throughout the pharmacokinetic study. The parent compounds exhibited rapid but partial absorption, and extensive organ distribution with substantial biotransformation, thereby limiting the oral bioavailability of each compound to below 2% when administered as pure compounds. Conversion of [6]-gingerol to [6]-shogaol after intravenous administration, demonstrated a significantly larger clearance compared to the reverse conversion ([6]-shogaol to [6]-gingerol). The irreversible metabolic clearance for both compounds was significantly greater than their reversible bioconversions. Furthermore, [6]-gingerol underwent biotransformation to zingerone. Conjugated glucuronides were eliminated partly through renal excretion, with minimal fecal excretion.
UNASSIGNED: This in vivo investigation demonstrates the influence of interconversion on the disposition kinetics of [6]-gingerol, [6]-shogaol, and zingerone, as evidenced by the findings in the systemic circulation. The study further highlights the importance of considering this interconversion and tissue distribution when determining the administration dosage of ginger constituent combinations for therapeutic benefits and clinical applications.

OBJECTIVE: Long-term exposure to arsenic has been linked to several illnesses, including hypertension, diabetes, hepatic and renal diseases and cardiovascular malfunction. The aim of the current investigation was to determine whether zingerone (ZN) could shield rats against the hepatotoxicity that sodium arsenite (SA) causes.
METHODS: The following five groups of thirty-five male Sprague Dawley rats were created: I) Control; received normal saline, II) ZN; received ZN, III) SA; received SA, IV) SA + ZN 25; received 10 mg/kg body weight SA + 25 mg/kg body weight ZN, and V) SA + ZN 50; received 10 mg/kg body weight SA + 50 mg/kg body weight ZN. The experiment lasted 14 days, and the rats were sacrificed on the 15th day. While oxidative stress parameters were studied by spectrophotometric method, apoptosis, inflammation and endoplasmic reticulum stress parameters were measured by RT-PCR method.
RESULTS: The SA disrupted the histological architecture and integrity of the liver and enhanced oxidative damage by lowering antioxidant enzyme activity, such as those of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH) level and increasing malondialdehyde (MDA) level in the liver tissue. Additionally, SA increased the mRNA transcript levels of Bcl2 associated x (Bax), caspases (-3, -6, -9), apoptotic protease-activating factor 1 (Apaf-1), p53, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), mitogen-activated protein kinase 14 (MAPK14), MAPK15, receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE) and nod-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) in the liver tissue. Also produced endoplasmic reticulum stress by raising the mRNA transcript levels of activating transcription factor 6 (ATF-6), protein kinase RNA-like ER kinase (PERK), inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1), and glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP-78). These factors together led to inflammation, apoptosis, and endoplasmic reticulum stress. On the other hand, liver tissue treated with ZN at doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg showed significant improvement in oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis and endoplasmic reticulum stress.
CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the study\'s data suggest that administering ZN may be able to lessen the liver damage caused by SA toxicity.

The purpose of the present work was to encapsulate zingerone (a bioactive compound from ginger) by self-assembling peptides derived from fish viscera. The encapsulation conditions were investigated and the structure of fish peptides-zingerone complex was characterized. The interaction between zingerone and fish peptides was investigated using fluorescence spectroscopy. Further research was performed on the in vitro release of zingerone and fish peptide-zingerone as well as their antiproliferative effects on colon epithelial Caco-2 cells. The results demonstrated that zingerone can be successfully encapsulated by self-assembling peptides derived from fish viscera with high encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity. Furthermore, transmission electron microscope and confocal laser scanning microscope observations revealed the successful encapsulation of zingerone by fish viscera peptides. In addition, in vitro release and antiproliferative activity against Caco-2 cells can be significantly increased by encapsulating zingerone via peptide self-assembly. The current study advances knowledge of encapsulation of bioactive compounds through peptide self-assembly.

Zeugodacus cucurbitae and Z. tau are two major fruit fly pests of cucurbitaceous plants in the tropical and subtropical regions. The former species has a broader host range and wider world distribution than the latter. With global climate change, Z. tau shows great potential for geographical expansion with several invasion records in recent years. Males of both species are attracted to cue lure (CL) (and raspberry ketone (RK), a deacetyl derivative of CL), a common male lure used in fruit fly population detection, monitoring and control programs. Males of both species are also known to respond to zingerone (ZN), which are produced by some rainforest orchids. Previous studies have shown that fruit fly-male lure interactions are unique to species and lure types, and significantly impact the success of a lure-based fruit fly control program. We seek to compare the attraction of Z. cucurbitae and Z. tau males to CL, RK and ZN via Probit behavioral assays. Our results showed that CL is more attractive to Z. cucurbitae and Z. tau males than RK, while ZN is a poor lure for both species. Attraction Z. tau to CL is slightly lower than Z. cucurbitae, but the former is at least 1.71 times less attractive to RK than the latter. Together with published information on species\' sexual development, our current study indicates a lure-based control program via male annihilation technique for Z. tau will be more challenging than Z. cucurbitae and should incorporate other integrated pest management strategies for a desirable outcome.

The natural occurrence, distribution (within a plant) and roles of four phenylbutanoid compounds (anisyl acetone, cue-lure, raspberry ketone and zingerone) are elucidated for the Asia-Pacific and Oceania regions. These phenylbutanoids may act individually or in combination to attract true fruit fly males belonging to a tribe Dacini of subfamily Dacinae (Diptera: Tepritidae). Of special interest are the mutualistic interactions between the Dacini fruit fly males and the tropical daciniphilous (attracting exclusively Dacini fruit flies) orchids - leading to cross pollination for the orchids and enchanced mating success for the flies. When offered to male flies, anisyl acetone and cue-lure are generally converted to raspberry ketone. Upon consumption, raspberry ketone and zingerone are individually sequestered in the male rectal (pheromonal) gland unchanged. Attracted male flies readily imbibe the phenylbutanoid(s) in the floral synomone to compliment the endogenously synthesized male sex pheromonal components - to enhance attraction of conspecific females during courtship as well as attract conspecific males to form \'leks\'. The phenylbutanoid(s) may also act as an allomone to deter vertebrate predators, especially geckos, besides possessing antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Cue-lure, raspberry ketone and zingerone are important attractants/lures used in pest surveillance and mass trapping under the integrated pest management (IPM) program against quarantine Dacini fruit fly pest species, particularly Bactrocera tryoni and Zeugodacus cucurbitae.

UNASSIGNED: In the present study, the potential protective effects of zingerone (ZNG) against sciatic nerve damage caused by sodium arsenite (SA), a common environmental pollutant, were evaluated by various biochemical, molecular, and histological methods.
UNASSIGNED: In the study, SA and ZNG were given to 35 male Sprague Dawley rats for 14 days. At the end of the period, the sciatic nerve tissues were taken and the markers involved in oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, inflammation, and apoptosis were analyzed.
UNASSIGNED: The data obtained showed that SA decreased glutathione (GSH) levels and increased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the sciatic nerve tissue. However, it was determined that these markers approached the control group levels due to the anti-oxidant properties of ZNG. While SA triggered endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis pathways, ZNG suppressed them. Moreover, SA up-regulated inflammatory markers such as nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1-beta (IL-1β), and neuronal nitric oxide synthases (nNOS) in the sciatic nerves and caused neuro-inflammation and inhibited cell survival by suppressing serine/threonine-protein kinase 2 (Akt2) and forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) genes. It has also been shown histopathologically that SA causes degeneration in the sciatic nerves. In contrast, ZNG suppressed neuro-inflammation, activated Akt2/FOXO1 signaling, and repaired histological irregularities.
UNASSIGNED: In general, SA caused oxidative stress, inflammation, ER stress, and apoptosis in the sciatic nerves of rats, causing damage to the tissues, however, ZNG suppressed these pathways and protected the sciatic nerves from the destructive effect of SA.

Melanoma, an invasive class of skin cancer, originates from mutations in melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells. Globally, approximately 132,000 new cases are reported each year, and in South Africa, the incidence stands at 2.7 per 100,000 people, signifying a worrisome surge in melanoma rates. Therefore, there is a need to explore treatment modalities that will target melanoma\'s signalling pathways. Melanoma metastasis is aided by ligand activity of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1), vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) and C-X-C chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) which bind to their receptors and promote tumour cell survival, lymphangiogenesis and chemotaxis. (3-(4-dimethylaminonaphthelen-1-ylmethylene)-1,3-dihydroindol-2-one) MAZ-51 is an indolinone-based molecule that inhibits VEGF-C induced phosphorylation of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 (VEGFR-3). Despite the successful use of conventional cancer therapies, patients endure adverse side effects and cancer drug resistance. Moreover, conventional therapies are toxic to the environment and caregivers. The use of medicinal plants and their phytochemical constituents in cancer treatment strategies has become more widespread because of the rise in drug resistance and the development of unfavourable side effects. Zingerone, a phytochemical derived from ginger exhibits various pharmacological properties positioning it as a promising candidate for cancer treatment. This review provides an overview of melanoma biology and the intracellular signalling pathways promoting cell survival, proliferation and adhesion. There is a need to align health and environmental objectives within sustainable development goals 3 (good health and well-being), 13 (climate action) and 15 (life on land) to promote early detection of skin cancer, enhance sun-safe practices, mitigation of environmental factors and advancing the preservation of biodiversity, including medicinal plants. Thus, this review discusses the impact of cytostatic cancer drugs on patients and the environment and examines the potential use of phytochemicals as adjuvant therapy.

Four new species of Zeugodacus Hendel are described from India viz., Zeugodacusmomordicae David & Ajaykumara, sp. nov. from Arunachal Pradesh infesting male flower buds of Momordicadioica, Zeugodacusnasivittatus David & Abhishek, sp. nov. from Meghalaya, Zeugodacus (Sinodacus) sinuvittatus David & Abhishek, sp. nov. from Himachal Pradesh and Zeugodacus (Zeugodacus) umiam David & Kennedy, sp. nov. from Meghalaya. An illustrated key to all species of Zeugodacus from India is also included. Bactrocera (Parazeugodacus) abbreviata (Hardy) and Dacus (Mellesis) vijaysegarani Drew & Hancock are recorded for the first time from India.