Antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties of selenium-chitosan-loaded salicylic acid nanoparticles for the removal of emerging contaminants from bacterial pathogens.

In this study salicylic acid loaded containing selenium nanoparticles was synthesized and called SA@CS-Se NPs. the chitosan was used as a natural stabilizer during the synthesis process. Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission electron microscopy (FESEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to describe the physicochemical characteristics of the SA@CS-Se NPs. The PXRD examination revealed that the grain size was around 31.9 nm. TEM and FESEM techniques showed the spherical shape of SA@CS-Se NPs. Additionally, the analysis of experiments showed that SA@CS-Se NPs have antibacterial properties against 4 ATCC bacteria; So that with concentrations of 75, 125, 150, and 100 µg/ml, it inhibited the biofilm formation of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus respectively. Also, at the concentration of 300 µg/ml, it removed 22.76, 23.2, 10.62, and 18.08% biofilm caused by E. coli, P. aeruginosa, B. subtilis, and S. aureus respectively. The synthesized SA@CS-Se NPs may find an application to reduce the unsafe influence of pathogenic microbes and, hence, eliminate microbial contamination.

The folate-linked chitosan-coated Kaempferol/HSA nano-transporters (FCKH-NTs) as the selective apoptotic inducer in human MCF-7 breast cancer cell line.

BACKGROUND: Kaempferol, the natural bioactive flavonoid, has been utilized as an efficient anti-breast cancer compound. In the current study, the Kaempferol's cellular uptake and its aqueous solubility were improved by using human serum albumin (HSA) as the Kaempferol adjuvant and encapsulating it with the folate-linked chitosan polymer to evaluate the apoptotic, activity of the novel-formulated Kaempferol in human MCF-7 breast cancer cells. METHODS: The folate-linked chitosan-coated Kaempferol/HSA nano-transporters (FCKH-NTs) were synthesized and characterized using FTIR, FESEM, DLS, and Zeta potential analysis. The nano-transporters' selective cytotoxicity was studied by applying an MTT assay on the cancerous MCF-7 cells compared with normal HFF cell lines. Cell death type determination was determined by analyzing the expression of apoptotic (BAX and Cas-8) and anti-apoptotic genes (BCL2 and NF-κB). The FCKH-NTs apoptotic activity was verified by studying the flow cytometry and AO/PI staining results. RESULT: The 126-nm FCKH-NTs (PDI = 0.282) selectively induced apoptotic death in human MCF-7 breast cancer cells by up-regulating the BAX, Nf- κB, and Cas-8 gene expression. The apoptotic activity of FCKH-NTs was verified by detecting the SubG1-arrested cancer cells and increased apoptotic bodies in AO/PI staining images. CONCLUSION: The FCKH-NTs exhibited a selective-cytotoxic impact on human MCF-7 breast cancer cells compared with normal HFF cells, which can be due to the folate receptor-mediated endocytosis mechanism of the nano-transporters. Therefore, the FCKH-NTs have the potential to be used as a selective anti-breast cancer compound.

Evaluation of Serum Selenium and Copper Levels with Inflammatory Cytokines and Indices of Oxidative Stress in Type 2 Diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic and multifactorial disease in which inflammatory markers, oxidative stress, and certain trace elements seem to have an essential role. This study investigated the relationship between serum selenium and copper level with inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress in T2DM.In this case-control study, 30 patients with T2DM and 30 healthy individuals were selected. Serum levels of copper and selenium were measured by atomic absorption spectrometry, and TNF-α and IL-6 and oxidative stress markers were measured by ELISA. The SPSS v.22 was used for data analysis and the significance level is less than 5%.The mean age of patients was 52.9 ± 10.4 years, and the control group was 48.5 ± 10.4 years. In this study, 53.3% were female, and 46.7% were male. The levels of BMI (p = 0.002), systolic pressure (p = 0.034), insulin, selenium, malondialdehyde, and glutathione peroxidase (p = 0.0001; each), insulin resistance, copper, and superoxide dismutase, IL6, and TNF-α (p = 0.001; each) in T2DM were significantly higher than the control group. While levels of lipid profile, uric acid, creatinine, and diastolic pressure were not significantly different between the two groups. Selenium and copper are related to insulin resistance, and their increasing levels are associated with increased levels of markers of oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines (p < 0.05).Increased levels of copper and selenium are associated with T2DM and this increase is also associated with increased levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and oxidative stress in T2DM. Therefore, controlling these markers can lead us to control this disease better.

The Brassica Napus Extract (BNE)-Loaded PLGA Nanoparticles as an Early Necroptosis and Late Apoptosis Inducer in Human MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells.

Loading of the Brassica napus extract (BNE) on PLGA nanoparticle (BNE-PNP) and study its necroptotic activity in human MCF7-breast cancer cells. Double emulsion solvent evaporation methods were used for synthesis of BNE-PNP and DLS, SEM, and surface Zeta-potential analysis were applied for defining the physicochemical properties of BNE-PNP. The cytotoxic impact of BNE-PNP nanoparticles was analyzed by MTT assay and expression of apoptotic (P53 and Cas-3) and necrotic (TNF-α) gene markers were measured by qPCR to evaluate the BNE-PNP-induced cell death type. The stable (-36.07 mV) BNE-PNP were synthesized at 71.07 nm dimension. They significantly decrease the count of metabolically active MCF7 cells (IC50: 170.94 µg/ml after 48 h). The BNE-PNP induced an early programmed necrotic (necroptosis) and late apoptotic death on the MCF7 cancer cells by up-regulating all the P53/TNF-α and Cas-3 gene expression, respectively. The BNE-PNP dose-dependently induced an early cell-selective necroptotic death. Since the necroptotic death is known as a biocompatible cellular death induction, the BNE-PNP have the potential to be used as a safe efficient anticancer compound.

Comparative Study on the Biological Effects of Sodium Citrate-Based and Apigenin-Based Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles.

The apigenin is a bioactive flavonoid mostly found in fruits and vegetables that possess various biological activities. The current study was performed to compare the biological potentials of sodium citrate-based (SC-SNPs) and apigenin-based (AP-SNPs) synthesized silver nanoparticles under the in vitro and in vivo conditions. The synthesized silver nanoparticles were physically and chemically characterized. The anticancer, pro-apoptotic, and their anti-bacterial activities were determined. Further, the mice trial was conducted to determine the possible toxic effects of the synthesized silver nanoparticles. The result of particle size analysis revealed the nanometer sizes of the SC-SNPs and AP-SNPs were about 95.5 and 93.94 nm, respectively. Both nanoparticles indicated pseudo-spherical shape, homogenous dispersion with an appropriate good degree of stability. However, the anticancer potential, pro-apoptotic effects and antibacterial activity of AP-SNPs were higher than that of SC-SNPs. Moreover, the mice trial indicated that AP-SNPs improved the liver function through modulation of liver enzymes, lipid peroxidation, and increase in the expression of antioxidant enzymes (SOD and GPx) as compared to the mice received AP-SNPs during 30 day experiment. Consequently the synthesis of silver nanoparticles using apigenin as reducing bioactive compound may result in production of silver nanoparticles with enhanced anticancer, antibacterial and antioxidant activities.

Putative mechanism for anticancer properties of Ag-PP (NPs) extract.

One of the most important challenges in treating cancer is the invasion and the angiogenesis of cancer cells. The synthesis of green nanoparticles (NPs) and their use in therapeutic fields is one of the most effective methods with minimal side effects in cancer treatment. In this study, cytotoxic and anti-angiogenic effects of silver NPs (AgNPs) coated with palm pollen extract [Ag-PP(NPs)] were evaluated. For this purpose, the cells were treated with NPs and then were subjected to trypan blue testing (48 h). Then, the cancer invasion was evaluated by the scratch procedure and the expressions of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor (VEGF-R) genes were estimated using real-time PCR assay. Also, the angiogenesis effect of the NPs was investigated with chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. The Ag-PP(NPs) induced cytotoxicity on MCF7 cells. The findings also showed that Ag-PP(NPs) inhibit invasive cancer cells and reduce the expression of VEGF and VEGF-R and significantly reduced the number and vessels lengths and the lengths and weights of the embryos in CAM assay. Ag-PP(NPs) with the induction of cytotoxic effects, metastatic inhibition and anti-angiogenesis properties should be considered as an appropriate option for treatment of cancer.

Anti-Plasmodial Assessment of Four Different Iranian Propolis Extracts.

BACKGROUND: Eradication of malaria will depend on discovery of new intervention tools such as anti-malarial drugs. Due to the increasing interest in the application of propolis against significant clinical pathogenic agents, the aim of the present investigation was to evaluate the anti-plasmodial effect of Iranian propolis extracts against chloroquine (CQ)-sensitive Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 and Plasmodium berghei (ANKA strain). METHODS: Crude samples of honeybee (Apis mellifera) propolis were collected from four provinces in northern (Kalaleh, Golestan), northeastern (Chenaran, Razavi Khorasan), central (Taleghan, Alborz) and western (Morad Beyg, Hamedan) areas of Iran with different types of flora. The dried propolis samples were extracted with three different solvents, including ethanol 70% (EtOH), ethyl acetate (EA) and dichloromethane (DCM). RESULTS: All extracts were shown to have in vitro anti-plasmodial activity with IC50 ranging from 16.263 to 80.012 µg/mL using parasite lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) assay. The DCM extract of Morad Beyg propolis indicated the highest anti-plasmodial activity (IC50: 16.263 ± 2.910 µg/mL; P = 0.027, Kruskal-Wallis H-test). The samples were also evaluated in mice for their in vivo anti-plasmodial effect. The curative effect against established infection (Rane test) showed that both extracts at all doses (50, 100, and 200 mg/kgBW) produced anti-plasmodial activity against the parasite. Furthermore, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), the quantity of flavonoids in DCM and EtOH 70% extracts were found to be 7.42% and 3.10%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The potent anti-plasmodial activity of both EtOH 70% and DCM extracts of the propolis of Morad Beyg, Hamedan suggests further analyses of individual components to assess its utilization as anti-malarial drugs.