Functionalization of ß-cyclodextrin metal-organic frameworks with gelatin and glutamine for drug delivery of curcumin to cancerous cells.

Beta-cyclodextrin Metal-Organic Framework (ß-CD-MOF) is a unique class of porous materials that merges the inherent properties of cyclodextrins with the structural advantages of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). When combined with the concept of MOFs, which are crystalline structures composed of metal ions or clusters linked by organic ligands, the resulting ß-CD-MOF holds immense potential for various applications, especially in the field of drug delivery. In this study, biocompatible metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) synthesized using ß-Cyclodextrin (ß-CD) and potassium enabled drug delivery of curcumin (CCM) to cancerous cells. Functionalizing ß-CD-MOF with l-glutamine (glutamine-ß-CD-MOF) enhanced cancer cell-specific targeting due to glutamine's essential role in cancer cell proliferation and energy pathways. Amino group functionalization provided further functionalization opportunities. Gelatin coating (gelatin@ß-CD-MOF) facilitated controlled drug release in an acidic medium. High drug loading capacities (52.38-55.63 %) were achieved for ß-CD-MOF@CCM and glutamine-ß-CD-MOF@CCM, leveraging the high porosity and affinity of amine and phenol groups of curcumin. The MTT assay highlighted the specificity and differentiation of glutamine-ß-CD-MOF in targeting cancerous over normal cells. These functionalized ß-CD MOFs efficiently encapsulate curcumin, ensuring controlled drug release and enhanced therapeutic efficacy, particularly in cancer therapy.

Sonocrystallization of a novel ZIF/zeolite composite adsorbent with high chemical stability for removal of the pharmaceutical pollutant azithromycin from contaminated water.

Water pollution management, reduction, and elimination are critical challenges of the current era that threaten millions of lives. By spreading the coronavirus in December 2019, the use of antibiotics, such as azithromycin increased. This drug was not metabolized, and entered the surface waters. ZIF-8/Zeolit composite was made by the sonochemical method. Furthermore, the effect of pH, the regeneration of adsorbents, kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamics were attended. The adsorption capacity of zeolite, ZIF-8, and the composite ZIF-8/Zeolite were 22.37, 235.3, and 131 mg/g, respectively. The adsorbent reaches the equilibrium in 60 min, and at pH = 8. The adsorption process was spontaneous, endothermic associated with increased entropy. The results of the experiment were analyzed using Langmuir isotherms and pseudo-second order kinetic models with a R2 of 0.99, and successfully removing the composite by 85% in 10 cycles. It indicated that the maximum amount of drug could be removed with a small amount of composite.

Ultrasound-assisted packed-bed extraction of hypericin from Hypericum perforatum L. and optimization by response surface methodology.

This paper presents the successful application of ultrasound-assisted packed-bed (UAE-PB) method for the extraction of hypericin from the Hypericum perfuratum L. The Soxhlet system was utilized for the determination of suitable solvent from ethanol, methanol or from the mixture of different proportions of ethanol-methanol. The mixture of 50:50 v/v ethanol-methanol was obtained to be the most suitable solvent since it led to the highest extraction amount of hypericin. The extraction amount of hypericin increased by 13.6% and 21.4% when the solvent changed from pure methanol to the mixture of 50:50 v/v ethanol-methanol for the extraction time of 3 and 8 h, respectively. Subsequently, the extraction was conducted through the UAE-PB, and the effects of temperature, time, and the ratio of solvent to the dried plant were studied. The response surface method (RSM) was used to investigate the effect of parameters on the extraction in the UAE-PB system. At the temperature of 60 °C, extraction time of 105 min, and the solvent to plant ratio of 15.3, the maximum extraction yield of hypericin was achieved. In the optimal conditions, the amount of extraction was 0.112 mg hypericin/g dried plant, which was in accordance with the optimized predicted value (0.111 mg hypericin/g dried plant) from Design-Expert software.