Relative larvicidal property of common oxide nanostructures against Culex quinquefasciatus.

Common oxide nanostructures such as silicon-di-oxide, magnesium-oxide, zinc-oxide, and copper-oxide (CuO) having useful functional and bioactive properties have been synthesised and characterised. All these nanostructures have been found to be larvicidal towards Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito especially against lower instars in comparison with higher instars in 48 h. Only, CuO is larvicidal against late instar stages after 48 h. Moreover, CuO is larvicidal against first instar stages after 24 h (LC50 157 mg/l). However, none of these nanostructures are pupicidal. Post mortality larval morphology was found to be distorted under bright field microscopy and scanning electron microscopy images of affected larval surface appeared to be rough and uneven. Fluorescent images showed that nanostructures infiltrated inside visceral organs of larvae. Nanostructures also caused tissue oxidative stress in larvae. These results indicate that above stated oxide nanostructures are effective larvicidal agents against early instar stages of Culex larvae.

Modulation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity by surface functionalized quantum dots.

Enzymatic regulation is a fast and reliable diagnosis tool via identification and design of inhibitors for modulation of enzyme function. Previous reports on quantum dots (QDs)-enzyme interactions reveal a protein-surface recognition ability leading to promising applications in protein stabilization, protein delivery, bio-sensing and detection. However, the direct use of QDs to control enzyme inhibition has never been revealed to date. Here we show that a series of biocompatible surface-functionalized metal-chalcogenide QDs can be used as potent inhibitors for malignant cells through the modulation of enzyme activity, while normal cells remain unaffected. The in vitro activity of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), an enzyme involved critically in the glycolysis of cancer cells, is inactivated selectively in a controlled way by the QDs at a significantly low concentration (nM). Cumulative kinetic studies delineate that the QDs undergo both reversible and irreversible inhibition mechanisms owing to the site-specific interactions, enabling control over the inhibition kinetics. These complementary loss-of-function probes may offer a novel route for rapid clinical diagnosis of malignant cells and biomedical applications.

Immunomodulation of macrophages by methylglyoxal conjugated with chitosan nanoparticles against Sarcoma-180 tumor in mice.

Methylglyoxal (MG), the potent anticancer agent has been conjugated to a nontoxic, biocompatible polymer, chitosan, to protect it from in vivo enzymatic degradation. This polymeric complex, 'Nano-MG' shows remarkable antitumor property and elicits macrophage-mediated immunity in tumor bearing mice on intravenous (0.4 mg/kg body wt/day) treatment more efficiently than MG (20mg/kg body wt/day). These activated macrophages appear more in numbers in the peritoneum and produce more superoxide and nitrite. Moreover, immunomodulatory cytokines and surface receptors of these macrophages like iNOS, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, M-CSF, TLR-4 and TLR-9 also exhibit marked up-regulation in Sarcoma-180 tumor bearing mice after Nano-MG treatment compared to untreated tumor bearing counterpart. Hence, Nano-MG acts as an immunostimulant in tumor bearing mice to combat cancer at conspicuously lower dose, probably due to its longer circulation time in blood.

Interaction of malathion, an organophosphorus pesticide with Rhizopus oryzae biomass.

Adsorption of malathion on Rhizopus oryzae biomass (ROB) with special reference to binding mechanism has been described. ROB has been found to adsorb approximately 85% of malathion from its aqueous solution as against 47-68% by other fungal biomasses. Hydrogen ion concentration does not influence the adsorption of malathion by ROB which follows Langmuir-Freundlich dual equilibrium isotherm model (r(2)=0.998). Both physical and chemical interactions are responsible for binding of malathion on ROB. Scanning electron micrographs and EDXA spectra exhibit adsorption of the pesticide on cell surface of ROB. Studies with cell surface polysaccharides show that chitosan through its amine groups contributes largely in the adsorption of malathion. Extraction of lipids from ROB decreases its adsorption capacity to the extent of 36.37-94.02%, depending on the polarity of the solvent.