Formulation and Characterization of Fe3O4@PEG Nanoparticles Loaded Sorafenib; Molecular Studies and Evaluation of Cytotoxicity in Liver Cancer Cell Lines.

Iron oxide nanoparticles are one of the nanocarriers that are suitable for novel drug delivery systems due to low toxicity, biocompatibility, loading capacity, and controlled drug delivery to cancer cells. The purpose of the present study is the synthesis of coated iron oxide nanoparticles for the delivery of sorafenib (SFB) and its effects on cancer cells. In this study, Fe3O4 nanoparticles were synthesized by the co-precipitation method, and then sorafenib was loaded onto PEG@Fe3O4 nanoparticles. FTIR was used to ensure polyethylene glycol (PEG) binding to nanoparticles and loading the drug onto the nanoshells. A comparison of the mean size and the crystalline structure of nanoparticles was performed by TEM, DLS, and X-ray diffraction patterns. Then, cell viability was obtained by the MTT assay for 3T3 and HepG2 cell lines. According to FT-IR results, the presence of O-H and C-H bands at 3427 cm-1 and 1420 cm-1 peak correlate with PEG binding to nanoparticles. XRD pattern showed the cubic spinel structure of trapped magnetite nanoparticles carrying medium. The magnetic properties of nanoparticles were examined by a vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM). IC50 values at 72 h for treatment with carriers of Fe3O4@PEG nanoparticle for the HepG2 cell line was 15.78 µg/mL (p < 0.05). This study showed that Fe3O4 nanoparticles coated by polyethylene glycol and using them in the drug delivery process could be beneficial for increasing the effect of sorafenib on cancer cells.

Palladium Nanoparticles on Chitosan-Coated Superparamagnetic Manganese Ferrite: A Biocompatible Heterogeneous Catalyst for Nitroarene Reduction and Allyl Carbamate Deprotection.

Although metallic nanocatalysts such as palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) are known to possess higher catalytic activity due to their large surface-to-volume ratio, however, in nanosize greatly reducing their activity due to aggregation. To overcome this challenge, superparamagnetic chitosan-coated manganese ferrite was successfully prepared and used as a support for the immobilization of palladium nanoparticles to overcome the above-mentioned challenge. The Pd-Chit@MnFe2O4 catalyst exhibited high catalytic activity in 4-nitrophenol and 4-nitroaniline reductions, with respective turnover frequencies of 357.1 min-1 and 571.4 min-1, respectively. The catalyst can also be recovered easily by magnetic separation after each reaction. Additionally, the Pd-Chit@MnFe2O4 catalyst performed well in the reductive deprotection of allyl carbamate. Coating the catalyst with chitosan reduced the Pd leaching and its cytotoxicity. Therefore, the catalytic activity of Pd-Chit@MnFe2O4 was proven to be unrestricted in biology conditions.

Decolorization of C. I. Reactive Orange 4 and Textile Effluents by Electrochemical Oxidation Technique using Silver-Carbon Composite Electrode.

In this study, the electrochemical oxidation of C. I. Reactive Orange 4 (RO4) on a silver-carbon composite (AgC-PVC) electrode was studied using the cyclic voltammetry, potential liner V, and electrolysis methods. The AgC-PVC electrode was used as the working electrode in the electrochemical measurement of RO4 in the presence of NaCl as a supporting electrolyte. The UV-Vis spectra of RO4 after the electrochemical oxidation showed the complete decolorization of the solution. The electrolysis products were characterized using FTIR and GC-MS. The results showed that in the presence of OCl- as an active oxidant, RO4 molecules are broken down into several lower-molecular-weight molecules by the electrochemical technique. The electrode used was also able to reduce the COD, BOD(5) and surfactant contents in the textile effluents using a pilot scale reactor. This proved that the prepared AgC-PVC electrode was beneficial for removing both the color and other pollutants from textile effluents.