METHODS: Dendrimer mediated cancer therapy is advantageous over conventional chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgical resection due to reduced systemic toxicity, and molecular level cell injury to cancerous mass, for an appreciable survival of the subject. Recently used dendrimer mediated nanotechnology for oncology aims to conquer these challenges. Dendrimers based nano-constructs are having architectures comparable to that of biological vesicles present in the human body.
RESULTS: Operating with dendrimer technology, proffers the exclusive and novel strategies with numerous applications in cancer management involving diagnostics, therapeutics, imaging, and prognostics by sub-molecular interactions. Dendrimers are designed to acquire the benefits of the malignant tumor morphology and characteristics, i.e. leaky vasculature of tumor, expression of specific cell surface antigen, and rapid proliferation.
CONCLUSION: Dendrimers mediated targeted therapy recommends innovatory function equally in diagnostics (imaging, immune-detection) as well as chemotherapy. Currently, dendrimers as nanomedicine has offered a strong assurance and advancement in drastically varying approaches towards cancer imaging and treatment. The present review discusses different approaches for cancer diagnosis and treatment such as, targeted and control therapy, photodynamic therapy, photo-thermal therapy, gene therapy, antiangiogenics therapy, radiotherapy etc.
PURPOSE: For the first time, our study aims to demonstrate the molecular mechanisms of the fruit extract of Phyllanthus emblica (PEFE) involved in the promotion of fat cell apoptosis and alleviation of adipogenesis.
METHODS: The active constituents from PEFE were identified using high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). We carried out the 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of PEFE using 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes. The colonogenic assay was carried out to determine the inhibitory effect of 3T3-L1 adipocytes after PEFE treatment. In addition, inhibition of pancreatic lipase activity was performed and the lipolytic activity of PEFE and digallic acid was compared with the well-known standard drug orlistat. Besides, the molecular interaction and ligand optimization between digallic and adipogenesis/apoptosis markers were also carried out. Furthermore, to confirm fat cell apoptosis we have used several detection methods that includes Hoechst staining, PI staining, Oil staining and qPCR respectively.
RESULTS: Digallic acid was identified as a major component in the PEFE. The IC50 values of digallic acid and PEFE were found to be 3.82 µg/ml and 21.85 µg/ml respectively. PEFE and digallic acid showed significant anti-lipolytic activity compared to the standard drug orlistat. In the mature adipocytes, PEFE significantly decreased triglyceride accumulation by downregulating adiponectin, PPARγ, cEBPα, and FABP4 respectively. We further analyzed the expression of apoptosis related genes upon PEFE treatment. Apoptotic process initiated through upregulation of BAX and downregulation of BCL2 resulting in an increased caspase-3 activity. In addition, we have also confirmed the apoptosis and DNA fragmentation in 3T3-L1 cells using Hoechst, PI and TUNEL assays.
CONCLUSION: PEFE negatively regulates adipogenesis by initiating fat cell apoptosis and therefore it can be considered as a potential herbal medicinal product for treating obesity.
METHOD: Rosmarinic acid was isolated by bioactivity-guided isolation from butanolic fraction of Punica granatum and acute toxicity of rosmarinic acid was carried out. The experiment was conducted at doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg, in Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA)-induced arthritic rats. Various parameters, that is arthritic score, paw volume, thickness of paw, hematological, antioxidant and inflammatory parameters such as glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malonaldehyde (MDA) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were also estimated.
RESULTS: Rosmarinic acid significantly decreased the arthritic score, paw volume, joint diameter, white blood cell count and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. It also significantly increased body weight, hemoglobin and red blood cells. The significantly decreased levels of TNF-α were observed in treated groups as compared to arthritic control rats (P
OBJECTIVES: Biofilms, which are made mostly of the matrix can be thought of as communities of microbes that are more virulent and more difficult to eradicate as compared to their planktonic counterparts. Currently, several formulations are available in the market which have the potential to treat biofilm-assisted skin disorders. However, the existing pharmacotherapies are not competent enough to cure them effectively and entirely, in several cases.
KEY FINDINGS: Especially with the rising resistance towards antibiotics, it has become particularly challenging to ameliorate these disorders completely. The new approaches are being used to combat biofilm-associated skin disorders, some of them being photodynamic therapy, nanotherapies, and the use of novel drug delivery systems. The focus of attention, however, is nanotherapy. Micelles, solid lipid nanoparticles, quatsomes, and many others are being considered to find a better solution for the biofilm-associated skin disorders.
SIGNIFICANCE: This review is an attempt to give a perspective on these new approaches for treating bacterial biofilms associated with skin disorders.