Sleep-related adverse events of smoking cessation drugs: A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Smoking cessation medications have the potential to affect the functioning of the nervous system, leading to sleep disturbances. Our study aimed to compare the sleep-related side effects (such as insomnia, abnormal dreams, nightmares, and somnolence) induced by different smoking cessation medications in non-psychiatric smokers. We conducted a thorough search of five electronic databases (Cochrane, EMBASE, PubMed, PsycInfo, and Web of Science) for randomized controlled trials. This study was registered with the PROSPERO (registration number CRD42022347976). A total of 79 full-text articles, encompassing 36,731 participants, were included in our analysis. Individuals using bupropion, bupropion in combination with a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist (NRA), and bupropion in conjunction with nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) exhibited a higher likelihood of experiencing insomnia compared to those using NRT alone. Bupropion plus NRA had the highest ranking on the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) for insomnia risk, while placebo had the lowest ranking. Additionally, NRA plus NRT ranked first for abnormal dream outcomes, NRA alone for nightmares, and nortriptyline for somnolence, based on the SUCRA results. Healthcare providers should exercise caution when prescribing smoking cessation drugs, particularly in consideration of their potential sleep-related side effects.

Synthesis of ginsenoside Re-based carbon dots applied for bioimaging and effective inhibition of cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Fluorescent carbon-based nanomaterials have promising properties such as biosensing, cell imaging, tracing and drug delivery. However, carbon dots (CDs) with specific inherent biological functions have not been investigated. Ginsenosides are the components with multiple bioactivities found in plants of the genus Panax, which have attracted a lot of attention for their anticancer effect. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we prepared a kind of novel photoluminescent CDs from ginsenoside Re by one-step hydrothermal synthesis method. The conventional methods including transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, HPLC and fluorescence spectrum were used for characterization of CDs. In vitro anticancer effect was investigated by cytotoxicity assay, flow cytometry and Western blot analysis. RESULTS: The as-prepared Re-CDs had an average diameter of 4.6±0.6 nm and excellent luminescent properties. Cellular uptake of Re-CDs was facilitated by their tiny nanosize, with evidence of their bright excitation-dependent fluorescent images. Compared with ginsenoside Re, the Re-CDs showed greater inhibition efficiency of cancer cell proliferation, with lower toxicity to the normal cells. The anticancer activity of Re-CDs was suggested to be associated with the generation of large amount of ROS and the caspase-3 related cell apoptosis. CONCLUSION: Hopefully, the dual functional Re-CDs, which could both exhibit bioimaging and anticancer effect, are expected to have great potential in future clinical applications.

Berberine-based carbon dots for selective and safe cancer theranostics.

Fluorescent berberine-based carbon dots (Ber-CDs) were prepared through a facile synthesis strategy. Ber-CDs exhibited excellent optical properties for bioimaging and retained the biofunctions of berberine, and enabled selective and safe anti-tumor performance, demonstrating their promising application potential in cancer theranostics.

Carbon dots for tracking and promoting the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) hold great potential for tissue engineering and regeneration medicine. However, for clinical use, MSCs may be detrimental due to their uncertain fate during the transplantation. It is therefore highly desirable to develop biocompatible nanomaterials to integrate cell fate regulation with monitoring for MSC-based therapy. Herein, we employ recently developed citric acid-based carbon dots (CDs) and their derivatives (Et-IPCA) for labeling and tracking of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs). We further investigate their biocompatibility and effects on the osteogenic differentiation of rBMSCs. These highly fluorescent probes provide labeling of rBMSCs by internalization without affecting cell viability or inducing apoptosis when the concentration is lower than 50 µg mL-1. Importantly, the presence of the CDs and Et-IPCA facilitates high-efficiency osteogenic differentiation of rBMSCs by promoting osteogenic transcription and enhancing matrix mineralization. Compared to Et-IPCA, CDs considerably provide long-term tracking and promote the differentiation of rBMSCs toward osteoblasts through the ROS-mediated MAPK pathway. Taken together, our results consistently demonstrate that carbon dots are capable of both tracking and enhancing the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. This study sheds new light on the potential of carbon dots as a bifunctional tool in the thriving field of MSC-based therapy.

The effects of a series of carbon dots on fibrillation and cytotoxicity of human islet amyloid polypeptide.

Carbon dots (CDs) have been widely used as candidates for drug carriers and bio-imaging probes because of their high drug loading capacity and intrinsic fluorescence property, as well as their good biocompatibility. In this study, the potential role of CDs in regulating the aggregation behavior of human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) was explored for the first time. Five kinds of CDs belonging to three categories, namely polymer dots (PDs-1 and PDs-2), carbon nanodots (CNDs and CQDs), and graphene quantum dots (GQDs), were prepared and characterized. The fibrillation behaviors of hIAPP in the presence of these CDs were monitored by the ThT assay and TEM/AFM imaging, and the cytotoxicity of the systems was tested by the MTT and LDH release assays. Our results showed that the polymer dots and carbon nanodots inhibit hIAPP fibrillation, while the GQDs promoted the formation of hIAPP fibrils. The PDs and GQDs that were nontoxic in INS-1 cells exerted effects leading to decreasing cell death induced by hIAPP through different mechanisms. The inhibitory activity and mechanism of the CDs were closely associated with their structures and surface properties. Our results shed light on a new potential application of CDs in therapeutics.

A novel fluorescent retrograde neural tracer: cholera toxin B conjugated carbon dots.

The retrograde neuroanatomical tracing method is a key technique to study the complex interconnections of the nervous system. Traditional tracers have several drawbacks, including time-consuming immunohistochemical or immunofluorescent staining procedures, rapid fluorescence quenching and low fluorescence intensity. Carbon dots (CDs) have been widely used as a fluorescent bio-probe due to their ultrasmall size, excellent optical properties, chemical stability, biocompatibility and low toxicity. Herein, we develop a novel fluorescent neural tracer: cholera toxin B-carbon dot conjugates (CTB-CDs). It can be taken up and retrogradely transported by neurons in the peripheral nervous system of rats. Our results show that CTB-CDs possess high photoluminescence intensity, good optical stability, a long shelf-life and non-toxicity. Tracing with CTB-CDs is a direct and more economical way of performing retrograde labelling experiments. Therefore, CTB-CDs are reliable fluorescent retrograde tracers.

The crosslink enhanced emission (CEE) in non-conjugated polymer dots: from the photoluminescence mechanism to the cellular uptake mechanism and internalization.

The crosslink enhanced emission (CEE) in a new type of non-conjugated polymer dots (PDs) is proved. The enhanced PL originates from the decreased vibration and rotation of amino-based chromophores. Furthermore, the cellular uptake mechanism and internalization of PDs were investigated in detail.