A nanotechnology-based new approach in the treatment of breast cancer: Biosynthesized silver nanoparticles using Cuminum cyminum L. seed extract.

The present study reports the anticancer activities of Cuminum cyminum L. (Cumin) seed extract, chemically synthetized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and biosynthesized silver nanoparticles (Bio-AgNPs) from Cumin seeds on human breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF-7) and human breast adenocarcinoma metastatic cell line (AU565). The synthetized nanoparticles were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The cytotoxic and anticancer effects of AgNPs and Bio-AgNPs were determined by MTT assay. According to the cytotoxicity analysis, Bio-AgNPs appears to be less toxic against J774 macrophage cells than AgNPs since IC50 values were measured as 0.75 and 1.25 µg/ml for AgNPs and Bio-AgNPs, respectively. On the other hand, Bio-AgNPs demonstrated significant inhibitory effects on human breast cancer cells at non-toxic concentrations such as 0.25 and 0.5 µg/ml. However, at increased concentrations, the lethal effects of AgNPs on breast cancer cells were higher than Bio-AgNPs. When cytotoxic and anticancer characteristics of Cumin extract were investigated, it was established that it did not show any inhibitory effect on J774 cells, while killing the half of MCF-7 cells at investigated concentrations. Interestingly, Cumin extract gave rise to no inhibitory effects against AU565 cells. On the other hand, AgNPs and Bio-AgNPs exhibited considerable anticancer activities on both cell lines. The inhibition percentages of AgNPs on MCF-7 and AU565 cell lines were respectively evaluated as 95% and 97% at the highest concentrations applied (12.5 µg/ml). Similarly, we determined that 87.5% and 96% of MCF-7 and AU565 cells were respectively inhibited when they were exposed to the highest concentrations of Bio-AgNPs. Considering relatively toxic-free features of Bio-AgNPs prepared from Cuminum cyminum L. seed extracts, it can be thought that this formulation will be a pioneer in development of nanotechnology-based new anticancer drug for the treatment of breast cancer in near future.

A nanotechnology based new approach for chemotherapy of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis: TIO2@AG nanoparticles - Nigella sativa oil combinations.

Since toxicity and resistance are the major drawbacks of current antileishmanial drugs, studies have been recently focused on combination therapy in fight against leishmaniasis. Combination therapy generally provides opportunity to decrease toxicity of applied agents and enhance their antimicrobial performance. Moreover, this method can be effective in preventing drug resistance. Highly antileishmanial effects of silver doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiAgNps) and Nigella sativa oil were demonstrated in previous studies. However, toxicity is still an important factor preventing use of these molecules in clinic. By considering high antileishmanial potential of each agent and basic principles of combination therapy, we propose that use of combinations including non-toxic concentrations of TiAgNps and N. sativa oil may compose more effective and safer formulations against Leishmania parasites. Therefore, the main goal of the present study was to investigate antileishmanial effects of non-toxic concentrations of TiAgNps and Nigella sativa oil combinations on promastigote and amastigote-macrophage culture systems and also to develop nanotechnology based new antileishmanial strategies against Cutaneous Leishmaniasis. Numerous parameters such as proliferation, metabolic activity, apoptosis, amastigote-promastigote conversion, infection index analysis and nitric oxide production were used to detect antileishmanial efficacies of combinations. Investigated all parameters demonstrated that TiAgNps-N. sativa oil combinations had significant antileishmanial effect on each life forms of parasites. Tested combinations were found to decrease proliferation rates of Leishmania tropica promastigotes in a range between 1,5-25 folds and metabolic activity values between 2 and 4 folds indicating that combination applications lead to virtually inhibition of promastigotes and elimination of parasites were directly related to apoptosis manner. TiAgNps-N. sativa combinations also demonstrated killing effects on L. tropica amastigotes by decreasing infection index values of macrophages 5-20 folds, inhibiting their metabolic activities up to 5 fold, preventing amastigote-promastigote conversion and producing high amounts of nitric oxide. All these results emphasize high potential of TiAgNps-N. sativa oil combinations as new, safer and effective antileishmanial formulations against Cutaneous Leishmaniasis.

Coping with antibiotic resistance: combining nanoparticles with antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents.

The worldwide escalation of bacterial resistance to conventional medical antibiotics is a serious concern for modern medicine. High prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria among bacteria-based infections decreases effectiveness of current treatments and causes thousands of deaths. New improvements in present methods and novel strategies are urgently needed to cope with this problem. Owing to their antibacterial activities, metallic nanoparticles represent an effective solution for overcoming bacterial resistance. However, metallic nanoparticles are toxic, which causes restrictions in their use. Recent studies have shown that combining nanoparticles with antibiotics not only reduces the toxicity of both agents towards human cells by decreasing the requirement for high dosages but also enhances their bactericidal properties. Combining antibiotics with nanoparticles also restores their ability to destroy bacteria that have acquired resistance to them. Furthermore, nanoparticles tagged with antibiotics have been shown to increase the concentration of antibiotics at the site of bacterium-antibiotic interaction, and to facilitate binding of antibiotics to bacteria. Likewise, combining nanoparticles with antimicrobial peptides and essential oils generates genuine synergy against bacterial resistance. In this article, we aim to summarize recent studies on interactions between nanoparticles and antibiotics, as well as other antibacterial agents to formulate new prospects for future studies. Based on the promising data that demonstrated the synergistic effects of antimicrobial agents with nanoparticles, we believe that this combination is a potential candidate for more research into treatments for antibiotic-resistant bacteria.