Phyto-synthesized Gold Nanoparticles as Antitumor Agents.

BACKGROUND: Phyto, or plant-derived metal nanoparticles, are an interesting and intensive studied group of green synthesized nanoparticles. In the last decade, numerous medicinal plant extracts were used for the synthesis of stable gold or silver nanoparticles with diverse biological effects, such as antioxidant activity, antimicrobial activity, anti-inflammatory activity, hypoglycemic effect, antitumor activity and catalytic activity. RESULTS: This review has systematized and discussed information from the last 5 years about the research regarding antitumor/anticancer potential of gold nanoparticles obtained via medicinal plant extracts, with special attention on their selective cytotoxicity on tumor cells and on their mechanism of action, in vitro and in vivo assessments. CONCLUSION: Much more in vivo and clinical studies are needed before considering phyto-synthesized gold nanoparticles as significant for future medicine.

Lignans from Medicinal Plants and their Anticancer Effect.

Since early times, various plants have been used as remedies for treating different kinds of diseases and lesions with satisfying results. The phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites from medicinal plants which include a wide category of compounds such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, tannins, stilbenes, curcuminoids, xanthones, coumarins, lignans, etc. Between these, lignans are considered important in cancer prevention and treatment, besides other beneficial health effects, e.g. antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, antimutagenic, and anti-estrogenic effects. This review summarizes the most recent literature and the most important results concerning plant lignans and their derivatives in cancer prevention and treatment, both in vitro and in vivo assessments. The mechanistic aspects will be also highlighted.

A bioanalytical approach of chemical composition, bioactivity and cytotoxicity of Berteroa incana L. herb.

Berteroa incana is a wild herb widespread in temperate zones which was practically not studied for its biological effects. Methanolic and aqueous extracts of B. incana were assessed for the content in polyphenols and the related antioxidant and antimicrobial activities and the polysaccharide extract for the content in saccharides and the associated cytostatic effect. The results obtained highlighted that the methanolic extracts of B. incana contain moderate amounts of polyphenols, the most representative been isoquercitrin 4.41 ± 0.02 mg100 g-1dry weight plant material (DW), quercetin 4.21 ± 0.05, sinapic acid 5.23 ± 0.12 and ferulic acid 5.05 ± 0.12 mg 100 g-1DW, with correlated moderate antioxidant activities (IC50 13.40 ± 0.01 µg mL-1) and absent antibacterial activity. The polysaccharide fraction showed high content in saccharides, especially in arabinose (312.22 ± 7.54 mg g-1 polysaccharide extract) and glucose (279.22 ± 5.59), and promising cytostatic effect.

Functionalized Magnetic Nanostructures for Anticancer Therapy.

BACKGROUND: In the last years, the production and applications of nanoparticles based on iron oxides in the field of biomedicine presented a great interest due to their particular properties. Because of the expansion of the pharmaceutical industry numerous new systems for drugs delivery have appeared, and those centered on magnetic nanoparticles are in a particular attention and in different promising developmental stages. OBJECTIVE: In this mini review, some representative, interesting and feasible magnetic nanostructures obtained recently (from last 5-6 years) with possible use in antitumor/anticancer therapy are presented. RESULTS: The synthesis of these nanostructures with magnetic properties implies very simple assembling procedures and presents one of the lowest cytotoxic profiles. Magnetic nanostructures displayed possible appliance in a large diversity of biotechnological and medical fields, both for diagnose and therapy. CONCLUSION: Different types of magnetic nano-carriers loaded with different antitumor/anticancer agents and the cases tested in vivo are considered.