Second conference on Biotechnology Research and Application In Palestine

The aim of the present in vitro study is to evaluate the role of pro-inflammatory cytokines
tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) in the observed anti-inflammatory
effects of Hypericum triquetrifolium and Peganum harmale. Therefore, water extracts from
the aerial parts of the two plants were tested for their anti-inflammatory effects in vitro using
cells from the human monocyte cell line THP-1. Anti-inflammatory effects were assessed by
measuring the levels of secretory proteins and mRNA of TNF-α and IL-6 production of LPSactivated
THP-1 cells. Cells were treated with 5μg lipopolyssacharide/ml (LPS) in the
absence and presence of increasing concentrations of plant extracts. During the entire
experimental period, we used plant extracts concentrations (up to 250μg/ml) that had no
cytotoxicity as measured in MTT assay. Hypericum triquetrifolium extracts totally reduced
the LPS induced TNF-α expression and secretion. Peganum harmale extracts inhibited the IL-
6 production in a dose dependent manner reaching the control levels of untreated cells at a
concentration of 125 μg/ml. These results demonstrate that the anti-inflammatory effects of
the two plants are mediated through the inhibition of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α
and IL-6.

Objective: To determine the antimicrobial activity of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.)
and to investigate the synergistic effects of this extract combined with ceforuxime against
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Methods: The inhibitory and
bactericidal activities of rosemary ethanol extract, alone and in combination with cefuroxime,were studied. Results: The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the ethanol extract of rosemary were in the range of 0.39 to 3.13 mg/ml. The minimum bactericidal
concentrations (MBCs) were usually equal to or double that MICs. The antimicrobial activity
of combinations of the ethanol extract of rosemary and cefuroxime indicated their synergistic
effects against all MRSAs. Conclusion: The present work clearly demonstrates that rosemary
has a key role in the elevation of susceptibility to β -lactams.

Three molecular typing tools: multi-locus microsatellite typing, cytochrome b and internal
transcribed spacer II sequence analysis, have been evaluated using bioinformatics application
for their usefulness to infer population structure of P. papatasi sand flies. Microsatellite
markers showed high resolution power for differentiating globally distributed P. papatasi
populations, whereas analysis of cytochrome. b sequences provided insight into relationships
of closely related populations from the Mediterranean. Population structure, differentiation,
and demographic history among P. papatasi populations are important to understand patterns
of dispersal in this species and for planning appropriate control measures.

Plant secondary metabolites are evaluated as strong potential for biotechnologicalapplications. Plants are well known of arsenal chemical defense against pathogens, herbivoresand pests. Theses active compounds are chemically diverse and categorized according to theirstructures reflecting wide spectrum of phyto-chemicals. Among the most active compoundsproduced by plants are: alkaloids, essential oils, flavonoids, glucosinolates and phenols.Although these compounds are used by plants in their ecological interactions, however;secondary compounds are used as major sources of alternative medicines, bio-pesticides, foodadditives or in cosmetic industry. These benefits can be achieved through biotechnologicalapproaches for example plant tissue culture and genetic engineering.

The advent of omics techniques, such as microarrays and mass spectrometry of metabolomicsand proteomics, and their generated data avalanche has brought in an added level ofcomplexity to biomedical research: mining massively heterogeneous data for biologicalsignificance. Two major issues have become the source of “toxic assets” in biomedicalresearch; the first is the researchers’ underestimation (or lack of awareness) of populationalheterogeneity, and the other is the use of unsuitable analytical bioinformatic paradigms indealing with heterogeneous data. Consequently, we are still struggling with many standingissues such as disease definition and its molecular boundaries, class discovery (i.e., subtypingof disease), early detection, susceptibility to drug side effects, omics biomarkers discovery,specimen profiling (from genetic, proteomic, metabolomic…etc), sorting out of clonal fromnon-expanded mutations, genetic versus epigenetic driving events, post-treatment assessment,and figuring out the primary origin of some cancers.Methods using statistical averaging have their limitations since they are unsuitable for theanalysis of heterogeneity; they hide intrapopulational diversity and homogenizes otherwiseheterogeneous subpopulations. Many researchers are unaware of alternative methods ofanalysis that take into account individual variations, and consequently there is a tremendouswaste of resources and meaningless interpretation of data. In my presentation, I will outline asystems biology solution through the application of parsimony phylogenetic analysis.Maximum parsimony provides a data-based modeling paradigm that will enable a prioristratification of the study cohort(s) in clinical trials, and permits the assessment of earlydiagnosis, prognosis, and treatment efficacy within each stratum.

The results showed a significant effect on the ovulation in mice. More researchs are in process
to identify the specific effect on the hormonal secretion in mice. A future research on human
could help in giving a promising treatment for infertility in human.