Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticle-Loaded Liposome-Based Nanoarchitectonics for Cancer Management: In Vitro Drug Release Analysis.

Silver nanoparticles act as antitumor agents because of their antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing properties. The present study aims to develop silver nanoparticle-loaded liposomes for the effective management of cancer. Silver nanoparticle-encapsulated liposomes were prepared using the thin-film hydration method coupled with sonication. The prepared liposomes were characterized by DLS (Dynamic Light Scattering analysis), FESEM (Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope), and FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy). The in vitro drug release profile of the silver nanoparticle-loaded liposomes was carried out using the dialysis bag method and the drug release profile was validated using various mathematical models. A high encapsulation efficiency of silver nanoparticle-loaded liposome was observed (82.25%). A particle size and polydispersity index of 172.1 nm and 0.381, respectively, and the zeta potential of -21.5 mV were recorded. FESEM analysis revealed spherical-shaped nanoparticles in the size range of 80-97 nm. The in vitro drug release profile of the silver nanoparticle-loaded liposomes was carried out using the dialysis bag method in three different pHs: pH 5.5, pH 6.8, and pH 7.4. A high silver nanoparticle release was observed in pH 5.5 which corresponds to the mature endosomes of tumor cells; 73.32 ± 0.68% nanoparticle was released at 72 h in pH 5.5. Among the various mathematical models analyzed, the Higuchi model was the best-fitted model as there is the highest value of the correlation coefficient which confirms that the drug release follows the diffusion-controlled process. From the Korsmeyer-Peppas model, it was confirmed that the drug release is based on anomalous non-Fickian diffusion. The results indicate that the silver nanoparticle-loaded liposomes can be used as an efficient drug delivery carrier to target cancer cells of various types.

A Review on Annona muricata and Its Anticancer Activity.

The ongoing rise in the number of cancer cases raises concerns regarding the efficacy of the various treatment methods that are currently available. Consequently, patients are looking for alternatives to traditional cancer treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy as a replacement. Medicinal plants are universally acknowledged as the cornerstone of preventative medicine and therapeutic practices. Annona muricata is a member of the family Annonaceae and is familiar for its medicinal properties. A. muricata has been identified to have promising compounds that could potentially be utilized for the treatment of cancer. The most prevalent phytochemical components identified and isolated from this plant are alkaloids, phenols, and acetogenins. This review focuses on the role of A. muricata extract against various types of cancer, modulation of cellular proliferation and necrosis, and bioactive metabolites responsible for various pharmacological activities along with their ethnomedicinal uses. Additionally, this review highlights the molecular mechanism of the role of A. muricata extract in downregulating anti-apoptotic and several genes involved in the pro-cancer metabolic pathways and decreasing the expression of proteins involved in cell invasion and metastasis while upregulating proapoptotic genes and genes involved in the destruction of cancer cells. Therefore, the active phytochemicals identified in A. muricata have the potential to be employed as a promising anti-cancer agent.

Approaches for network based drug discovery.

Molecular network-based studies have gained tremendous importance in biomedical research. Several such advanced technologies in molecular biology have evolved in the past decade and have contributed to building up enormous molecular data. These molecular networks gained much significance among researchers triggering widespread use of experimental and computational tools. This interest led researchers to compile data of biomolecules systematically and to develop various computational tools for analyzing data. In the present scenario, an enormous amount of molecular network databases are available which can be accessed freely by the public. This is the central focus of this article.

Epigenetic alterations in cancer.

Genetic and epigenetic modifications in DNA contribute to altered gene expression in aging and cancer. In human cancers, epigenetic changes such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, micro RNAs and nucleosome remodelling all control gene expression. The link between the genetics and epigenetics in cancer is further shown by existence of aberrant metabolism and biochemical pathways in cancer or mutation in genes that are epigenetic players. Reversal of these epigenetic changes has been clearly shown to have therapeutic value in various forms of lymphoma and preleukemia and similar results are appearing for the treatment of solid tumors. In this review, we discuss the functional effects of epigenetic changes inducible by hypoxia, the epigenetic alterations in cancer and how they contribute to tumor progression and their relevance to epigenetic therapy.