Treatment of wastewater containing cytotoxic drugs by CoFe2O4 nanoparticles in Fenton/ozone oxidation process

ABSTRACT

Nano-sized cobalt-substituted magnetite has been synthesized and used as a heterogeneous Fenton catalyst for the removal of anticancer drug Flutamide (FLU) from a solution with a concentration of 150 μM. By using response surface methodology at the optimal conditions of Fenton oxidation (FO) process, 67.7% FLU removal was obtained. In order to increase the removal efficiency of the drug, ozonation was applied in combination with FO process. Maximum FLU removal (93.0%) was obtained using 0.6 g O3 l^?1h^?1 and 163 mg L^?1 of the catalyst. The results indicate that the proposed method is efficient for the degradation of cytotoxic drugs.     

Dual-responsive polymer–drug nanoparticles for drug delivery

A well-defined, dual temperature- and pH-responsive drug carrier was synthesized through the radical copolymerization of methacrylic acid, N-isopropylacrylamide, and an N-(methacryloyl)glycylglycine 4-nitrophenyl ester. When the anticancer agent gemcitabine or antibiotic sulfamethoxazole was conjugated with a polymer and heated beyond its low critical solution temperature (40 °C), a dual temperature- and pH-induced phase transition was observed. This temperature was considered ideal for activating drug aggregation under hyperthermic and acidic conditions. The structure and properties of polymer drugs were investigated using nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, ultraviolet–visible absorption, transmission electron microscopy, and gel permeation chromatography. At a critical micelle concentration of 1 mg/mL, both polymer drugs formed micellar structures with diameters ranging from 50 nm to 150 nm, based on TEM image. These micelles exhibited higher pharmacological efficacy than the free drug alone did, and the cytotoxicity at the target site was substantially enhanced compared with that of the polymer–drug conjugate formed under normal physiological conditions.     

Mechanochemical preparation and anticancer effect of realgar As4S4 nanoparticles

In the past two decades nanocrystalline sulphide semiconductors have attracted considerable interest due to their intriguing properties and structure diversities. Arsenic show interesting solid state phenomena as well as therapeutic effects for various diseases. In this study, the nanosized realgar As₄S₄ particles (d - 144 nm) have been prepared by a high-energy milling. The solid state properties of the nanoparticles milled under various experimental conditions were characterized by XRD method, by measurement of specific surface area and particle size distribution in nanosized region. In biological tests the sensitivity of human cancer cell lines for the realgar nanoparticles has been clearly demonstrated.     

Quantum dot-pseudopolyrotaxane supramolecules as anticancer drug delivery systems

Pseudopolyrotaxanes (Ps-PR) consisting of α-cyclodextrin rings, polyethylene glycol axes and end triazine groups were synthesized and characterized. Dissociation of the α-cyclodextrin rings from the polyethylene glycol axes was avoided by the host-guest relationship between its end triazine groups and β-cyclodextrins conjugated onto the surface of quantum dots (β-CD-graft-QDs), leading to a new type of the dynamic polyrotaxanes in which QDs play the role of stoppers noncovalently. Stability of the synthesized supramolecules was depended on the efficiency of the host-guest relationships between the end triazine groups of Ps-PR and β-CD-graft-QDs through which release of α-cyclodextrin rings from the polyethylene glycol axes was controlled.To prove the efficacy of the synthesized supramolecules as drug delivery systems (DDSs) cisplatin (Cis-Diamminedichloroplatinum (CDDP) a platinum-based chemotherapy drug) and folic acid as a tumor-recognition module were conjugated to their stoppers and they were subjected to the receptor-mediated endocytosis and release inside the cancer cells, murine colon adenocarcinoma tumor C26. Then, it was proved that these tumor-targeting DDSs are promising systems for future cancer therapy. Rate of the release of the drugs, conjugated to the functional groups of stoppers was also investigated.     

Bioactive Components and Health-Promoting Properties of Yuzu (Citrus ichangensis × C. reticulate)

Yuzu (Citrus ichangensis × C. reticulate) fruit is an important functional food that possesses several health-promoting properties. It has been widely used in commercial medical products, healthy foods, and cosmetics in many countries. Yuzu is a rich source of wide variety of non-nutritive compounds, such as flavonoids, anthocyanins, phenolic acids, carotenoids, and tannins; as well as nutritive compounds such as sugars, proteins, vitamins, fibers, and minerals. Yuzu fruit (juice, peel, and seeds) and its bioactive compounds have been demonstrated to have numerous functional properties, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antiplatelet, angiogenesis, and antimicrobial properties, both in vitro and in vivo. These diverse applications provided by the yuzu fruit (juice, peel, and seeds) and its bioactive compounds are of great industrial importance. This review summarizes the composition, nutritional values, and functional properties of yuzu fruit, and their biological activity in relation to their potential impact on human health.     

利用辐射技术制备慢释放抗癌药及其对小鼠实体肿瘤的治疗效果

本文介绍利用低温过冷态辐射聚合制备慢释放抗癌药的方法。报告这种慢释放氟尿嘧啶药对小鼠实体肿瘤的治疗效果。对于可移植性615小鼠前胃鳞状上皮癌和可移植性昆明小鼠S180肉瘤的抑制率分别为40％和96％,不仅有显著的治疗效果而且用药后毒副作用也有明显降低。     

Anticancer effects of aloe-emodin on HepG2 cells: Cellular and proteomic studies

Aloe-emodin (AE) is one of the main bioactive anthraquinones of Rheum palmatum, a widely used herbal medicine. Several recent studies suggested that AE possesses potent anticancer properties, although the mechanisms are yet to be fully elucidated. The present study aimed to identify the molecular targets of AE in a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, HepG2. We first found that AE was more cytotoxic and effective in inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest than its analog emodin (EM). Proteomic study using 2-D DIGE revealed that AE affected multiple proteins associated with oxidative stress, cell cycle arrest, antimetastasis, and hepatitis C virus replication. For example, peroxiredoxins (PRDX) and DJ-1, both of which are redox-sensitive proteins, were among those markedly up-regulated, suggesting the presence of oxidative stress in AE-treated cells. Further biochemical studies demonstrated that AE enhanced the intracellular level of reactive oxygen species and oxidation of PRDX-2, -4, and DJ-1. In addition, AE inhibited DNA synthesis via up-regulation of the CDK4 inhibitor p16 and inhibition of Rb phosphorylation. Furthermore, AE was able to decrease cell migration via up-regulation of the metastasis inhibitor, nm23. Taken together, AE induced anticancer effects in HepG2 cells via multiple pathways by affecting different protein targets.     

经不对称氨羟基化反应合成多西紫杉醇及其衍生物的新方法研究

首次用取代肉桂酸酯和叔丁氧基碳酰胺为原料，经改进的Sharphless不对称氨羟基化反应一步得到了多西紫杉醇及其衍生物的侧链，并最终得到了多西紫杉醇和新型抗癌化合物3，4-亚甲二氧基取代多西紫杉醇，该方法是目前合成多西紫杉醇及其衍生物的最简化和较高收率的路线。研究发现Sharphless不对称氨羟基化反应中手性配体、催化剂的用量和比例对原料的转化率、产物的产率等都有影响，当催化剂K2OsO2(OH)4、手性配体(DHQ)2PHAL的摩尔分数分别为原料的4％和5％时更倾向于生成多西紫杉醇衍生物侧链。所有新化合物及其结构均经过^1HNMR、^13CNMR、IR、MS、旋光度和元素分析等给予确证。3，4-OCH2O取代多西紫杉醇的初步药理活性显示具有较好的抗癌活性。     

Quercetin loading on mesoporous magnetic MnFe2O4@ hydroxyapatite core-shell nanoparticles for treating cancer cells

Despite the availability of various nanostructure for cancer cells therapeutic, caring hydrophobic drugs to the target site is still one of the great challenges in chemotherapy. In this study, quercetin (QC), a poorly water-soluble natural anticancer agent, was used as a model drug to evaluate the efficiency of mesoporous magnetic MnFe₂O₄ core-shell nanocomposite particles. A simple co-precipitation method was employed to synthesis MnFe₂O₄ as core of nanostructure. Then, the obtained MnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles were coated with mesoporous hydroxyapatite (HA) shell as a new perspective for drug loading. The magnetic mesoporous nanostructure had specific surface area and mean pore size of 165.44 m²/g and 11.561 nm, respectively. In QC loading process, the MnFe₂O₄@HA nanostructure demonstrated loading capacity of 123 µg/mg with pH-depended release manner. In compare with free QC, loaded QC on MnFe₂O₄ core-shell nanocomposite particles exhibited 55% higher antioxidant activities against free 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals. Moreover, comparative in-vitro anticancer studies on Michigan cancer foundation (MCF)-7 cells, breast cancer cell line, demonstrated more reduction in number of viable cells (35.6%) using loaded QC than that of free QC (50.76%), suggesting improvement in the solubility of QC by loading onto mesoporous magnetic nanocomposite particles compared to free QC.     

Green synthesis of silver oxide nanoparticles using Panicum miliaceum grains extract for biological applications

In this report, the silver oxide nanoparticles were green synthesized using Panicum miliaceum grains extract and were proposed for the first time. GC–MS analysis explicated 2-Acetylbenzoic acid was the active phytocompound with 97.07% of presence in aqueous grains extract. The synthesized silver oxide nanoparticles were analyzed by several analytical techniques such as UV–visible, XRD, FT-IR, HR-TEM, TG, XPS, EDX and mapping analyses. The results of various analytical techniques confirmed the silver oxide nanoparticles formation. The formed nanoparticles were in 10–25 nm size. The effectual bioactive properties of nanoparticles were revealed through antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, larvicidal and insecticidal activities. The high mortality of larvae and insect was observed at 48 h in 100 ppm and 72 h in 100 μg/Kg concentration, respectively. The antibacterial activity explained the bactericidal property of nanoparticles on S. aureus and S. typhi at 150 μg/mL concentration. The effective drug activity of nanoparticles was observed from 98.10 % of toxicity against A549 lung cancer cells at 100 μg/mL concentration. The growth of Vigna unguiculata was efficiently increased by lower concentration (60 ppm) of nanoparticles. According to results, the green synthesized nanoparticles can be applied in pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors as biocompatible, non-toxic and cost-effective material.