Fe3 O4 /Ag nanocomposite biosynthesised using Spirulina platensis extract and its enhanced anticancer efficiency

In this work, the authors investigated the apoptotic activities of Fe₃ O₄ /Ag nanocomposite biosynthesised by Spirulina platensis extract against MCF‐7 (human breast cancer cells). The physico‐chemical properties of prepared Fe₃ O₄ /Ag nanocomposite were studied by different spectroscopic methods. To evaluate the in vitro cytotoxic effect, MCF‐7 cells were treated with different concentrations of Fe₃ O₄ /Ag nanocomposite and examined by 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyl‐tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Moreover, apoptotic effects were also studied by Hoechst 33258 staining, caspase 3 activation assays, and annexin V‐fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and propidium iodide staining. Microscopic observations of Fe₃ O₄ /Ag nanocomposites indicated approximately spherical shape and small particles in the size range of about 30–50 nm. The MTT assay result revealed that the Fe₃ O₄ /Ag nanocomposite causes a dose‐dependent cell proliferation reduction in MCF‐7 cells (IC₅₀  = 135 μg/ml). Regarding to the Annexin V/PI staining result, the increase percentage of apoptotic cells (28.09%) was detected as compared to untreated cells. According to the caspase assay, Fe₃ O₄ /Ag nanocomposite enhances caspase 3 level. Furthermore, in vitro anti‐cancer activity of the nanocomposite was performed by Hoechst 33258 staining method. The proposed data suggest that Fe₃ O₄ /Ag nanocomposite may be an effective agent for the inhibition of breast cancer cells at in vitro level.Inspec keywords: nanomedicine, nanocomposites, toxicology, cancer, drug delivery systems, nanofabrication, cellular biophysics, nanoparticlesOther keywords: MCF‐7 cells, 5‐diphenyl‐tetrazolium, apoptotic effects, propidium iodide staining, dose‐dependent cell proliferation reduction, apoptotic cells, untreated cells, nanocomposite, Hoechst 33258 staining method, human breast cancer cells, physico‐chemical properties, spectroscopic methods, in vitro cytotoxic effect, in vitro anticancer activity, biosynthesis, caspase 3 activation assays, annexin V‐fluorescein isothiocyanate, FITC, Fe₃ O₄ ‐Ag     

A particle swarm–BFGS algorithm for nonlinear programming problems

This article proposes a hybrid optimization algorithm based on a modified BFGS and particle swarm optimization to solve medium scale nonlinear programs. The hybrid algorithm integrates the modified BFGS into particle swarm optimization to solve augmented Lagrangian penalty function. In doing so, the algorithm launches into a global search over the solution space while keeping a detailed exploration into the neighborhoods. To shed light on the merit of the algorithm, we provide a test bed consisting of 30 test problems to compare our algorithm against two of its variations along with two state-of-the-art nonlinear optimization algorithms. The numerical experiments illustrate that the proposed algorithm makes an effective use of hybrid framework when dealing with nonlinear equality constraints although its convergence cannot be guaranteed.     

Antioxidant,antibacterial and anticancer properties of phyto ‐ synthesised Artemisia quttensis Podlech extract mediated AgNPs

The focus of this study is on a rapid and cost‐effective approach for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using Artemisia quttensis Podlech aerial parts extract and assessment of their antioxidant, antibacterial and anticancer activities. The prepared AgNPs were determined by ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infra‐red spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering and zeta‐potential analysis. The AgNPs and A. quttensis extract were evaluated for their antiradical scavenging activity by 2, 2‐diphenyl, 1‐picryl hydrazyl assay and anticancer activity against colon cancer (human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line 29) compared with normal human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells. Also, the prepared AgNPs were studied for its antibacterial activity. The AgNPs revealed a higher antioxidant activity compared with A. quttensis extract alone. The phyto‐synthesised AgNPs and A. quttensis extract showed a dose–response cytotoxicity effect against HT29 and HEK293 cells. As evidenced by Annexin V/propidium iodide staining, the number of apoptotic HT29 cells was significantly enhanced, following treatment with AgNPs as compared with untreated cells. Besides, the antibacterial property of the AgNPs indicated a significant effect against the selected pathogenic bacteria. These present obtained results show the potential applications of phyto‐synthesised AgNPs using A. quttensis aerial parts extract.Inspec keywords: nanoparticles, silver, nanomedicine, cancer, transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet spectroscopy, visible spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, electrokinetic effects, kidney, cellular biophysics, antibacterial activity, toxicology, patient treatmentOther keywords: anticancer properties, antibacterial properties, antioxidant properties, phytosynthesised Artemisia quttensis Podlech extract mediated AgNP, ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, zeta‐potential analysis, antiradical scavenging activity, 2,2‐diphenyl, 1‐picryl hydrazyl assay, anticancer activity, HT29 colon cancer, human embryonic kidney cells, HEK293 cells, A. quttensis extract, dose‐response cytotoxicity effect, Annexin V staining, apoptotic HT29 cells, pathogenic bacteria, propidium iodide staining, Ag     

The Hydrogen Effect on the Electronic and Optical Behavior of SiC:Mn(5,0) NT: by DFT

The electronic, magnetic and optical properties of the SiC(5,0) nanotube (NT) with Mn impurity and by adding the H atom have been calculated by DFT framework. The SiC:Mn(5,0) NT leads the metallic property by electronic anisotropy. Furthermore, adsorption of the H atom to SiC:Mn(5,0) enhances the metallic and ferromagnetic behavior. Results are indicating the stability of the SiC:Mn(5,0) and under H adsorption in the energy viewpoint. These compounds illustrate the anisotropy in optical coefficients such as dielectric function, energy loss function (ELF) and absorption based on the light angle which originated from depolarization effect.