Displaying publications 1321 - 1340 of 1357 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Badran MM, Alomrani AH, Harisa GI, Ashour AE, Kumar A, Yassin AE
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2018 Oct;106:1461-1468.
    PMID: 30119220 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.07.102
    In the present study, docetaxel (DTX)-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) nanoparticles were successfully prepared and coated with chitosan (CS). The prepared nanoparticles (NPs) were evaluated for their particle size, zeta potential, particle morphology, drug entrapment efficiency (EE%), and in vitro drug release profile. The anticancer activity of DTX-loaded NPs was assessed in human HT29 colon cancer cell line utilizing MTT assay. The pharmacokinetics of DTX-loaded NPs was monitored in Wistar rats in comparison to DTX solution. The prepared NPs exhibited particle sizes in the range 177.1 ± 8.2-287.6 ± 14.3 nm. CS decorated NPs exhibited a significant increase in particle size and a switch of zeta potential from negative to positive. In addition, high EE% values were obtained for CS coated PCL NPs and PLGA NPs as 67.1 and 76.2%, respectively. Moreover, lowering the rate of DTX in vitro release was achieved within 48 h by using CS coated NPs. Furthermore, a tremendous increase in DTX cytotoxicity was observed by CS-decorated PLGA NPs compared to all other NPs including DTX-free-NPs and pure DTX. The in vivo study revealed significant enhancement in DTX bioavailability from CS-decorated PLGA NPs with more than 4-fold increase in AUC compared to DTX solution. In conclusion, CS-decorated PLGA NPs are a considerable DTX-delivery carrier with magnificent antitumor efficacy.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanoparticles*
  2. Wong TW, Sumiran N
    J Pharm Pharmacol, 2014 May;66(5):646-57.
    PMID: 24329400 DOI: 10.1111/jphp.12192
    Objective: Examine the formation of pectin-insulin nanoparticles and their blood glucose lowering properties.

    Methods: The calcium pectinate nanoparticles were prepared by ionotropic gelation method, with alginate, sodium chloride or Tween 80 as additive. Their in vitro physicochemical, drug release and in vivo blood glucose lowering characteristics were evaluated.

    Key findings: Spherical calcium pectinate-insulin nanoparticles were characterized by size, zeta potential, insulin content and insulin association efficiency of 348.4 ± 12.9 nm, -17.9 ± 0.8 mV, 8.4 ± 1.0% and 63.8 ± 7.4%, respectively. They released less than 25% insulin following 24 h in simulated intestinal medium and exhibited delayed blood glucose lowering effect in rats. Incorporation of solubilizer sodium chloride or Tween 80 into nanoparticles did not enhance blood glucose lowering capacity owing to sodium chloride reduced matrix insulin content and Tween 80 interacted with water and had its blood glucose dilution effect negated. Combination of nanoparticles with alginate gel to allow prolonged intestinal residence and more insulin release did not enhance their blood glucose lowering capacity because of calcium alginate-cross-linked gel formation that could retard insulin release and migration into systemic circulation.

    Conclusion: Physicochemical responses of additives in vivo affected blood glucose regulation property of pectin-insulin nanoparticles.

    Keywords: Tween 80; alginate; insulin; nanoparticle; pectin.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanoparticles*
  3. Yang CL, Chao YJ, Wang HC, Hou YC, Chen CG, Chang CC, et al.
    Nanomedicine, 2021 10;37:102450.
    PMID: 34332115 DOI: 10.1016/j.nano.2021.102450
    Epigenetic inhibitors have shown anticancer effects. Combination chemotherapy with epigenetic inhibitors has shown high effectiveness in gastric cancer clinical trials, but severe side effect and local progression are the causes of treatment failure. Therefore, we sought to develop an acidity-sensitive drug delivery system to release drugs locally to diminish unfavorable outcome of gastric cancer. In this study, we showed that, as compared with single agents, combination treatment with the demethylating agent 5'-aza-2'-deoxycytidine and HDAC inhibitors Trichostatin A or LBH589 decreased cell survival, blocked cell cycle by reducing number of S-phase cells and expression of cyclins, increased cell apoptosis by inducing expression of Bim and cleaved Caspase 3, and reexpressed tumor suppressor genes more effectively in MGCC3I cells. As a carrier, reconstituted apolipoprotein B lipoparticles (rABLs) could release drugs in acidic environments. Orally administrated embedded drugs not only showed inhibitory effects on gastric tumor growth in a syngeneic orthotopic mouse model, but also reduced the hepatic and renal toxicity. In conclusion, we have established rABL-based nanoparticles embedded epigenetic inhibitors for local treatment of gastric cancer, which have good therapeutic effects but do not cause severe side effects.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanoparticles/chemistry
  4. Ismail N, Ismail M, Azmi NH, Bakar MFA, Yida Z, Abdullah MA, et al.
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2017 Nov;95:780-788.
    PMID: 28892789 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.08.074
    Though the causes of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are yet to be understood, much evidence has suggested that excessive amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation due to abnormal amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) processing and Aβ metabolism are crucial processes towards AD pathogenesis. Hence, approaches aiming at APP processing and Aβ metabolism are currently being actively pursued for the management of AD. Studies suggest that high cholesterol and a high fat diet have harmful effects on cognitive function and may instigate the commencement of AD pathogenesis. Despite the neuropharmacological attributes of black cumin seed (Nigella sativa) extracts and its main active compound, thymoquinone (TQ), limited records are available in relation to AD research. Nanoemulsion (NE) is exploited as drug delivery systems due to their capacity of solubilising non-polar active compounds and is widely examined for brain targeting. Herewith, the effects of thymoquinone-rich fraction nanoemulsion (TQRFNE), thymoquinone nanoemulsion (TQNE) and their counterparts' conventional emulsion in response to high fat/cholesterol diet (HFCD)-induced rats were investigated. Particularly, the Aβ generation; APP processing, β-secretase 1 (BACE1), γ-secretases of presenilin 1 (PSEN1) and presenilin 2 (PSEN2), Aβ degradation; insulin degrading enzyme (IDE), Aβ transportation; low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) and receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) were measured in brain tissues. TQRFNE reduced the brain Aβ fragment length 1-40 and 1-42 (Aβ40 and Aβ42) levels, which would attenuate the AD pathogenesis. This reduction could be due to the modulation of β- and γ-secretase enzyme activity, and the Aβ degradation and transportation in/out of the brain. The findings show the mechanistic actions of TQRFNE in response to high fat and high cholesterol diet associated to Aβ generation, degradation and transportation in the rat's brain tissue.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanoparticles/chemistry*
  5. Gonzalez-Carter DA, Leo BF, Ruenraroengsak P, Chen S, Goode AE, Theodorou IG, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2017 03 02;7:42871.
    PMID: 28251989 DOI: 10.1038/srep42871
    Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are known to penetrate into the brain and cause neuronal death. However, there is a paucity in studies examining the effect of AgNP on the resident immune cells of the brain, microglia. Given microglia are implicated in neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD), it is important to examine how AgNPs affect microglial inflammation to fully assess AgNP neurotoxicity. In addition, understanding AgNP processing by microglia will allow better prediction of their long term bioreactivity. In the present study, the in vitro uptake and intracellular transformation of citrate-capped AgNPs by microglia, as well as their effects on microglial inflammation and related neurotoxicity were examined. Analytical microscopy demonstrated internalization and dissolution of AgNPs within microglia and formation of non-reactive silver sulphide (Ag2S) on the surface of AgNPs. Furthermore, AgNP-treatment up-regulated microglial expression of the hydrogen sulphide (H2S)-synthesizing enzyme cystathionine-γ-lyase (CSE). In addition, AgNPs showed significant anti-inflammatory effects, reducing lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated ROS, nitric oxide and TNFα production, which translated into reduced microglial toxicity towards dopaminergic neurons. Hence, the present results indicate that intracellular Ag2S formation, resulting from CSE-mediated H2S production in microglia, sequesters Ag+ ions released from AgNPs, significantly limiting their toxicity, concomitantly reducing microglial inflammation and related neurotoxicity.
    Matched MeSH terms: Metal Nanoparticles/chemistry*
  6. Bande F, Arshad SS, Bejo MH, Omar AR, Moeini H, Khadkodaei S, et al.
    Microb Pathog, 2020 Dec;149:104560.
    PMID: 33068733 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2020.104560
    Infectious Bronchitis (IB) is an economically important avian disease that considerably threatens the global poultry industry. This is partly, as a result of its negative consequences on egg production, weight gain as well as mortality rate.The disease is caused by a constantly evolving avian infectious bronchitis virus whose isolates are classified into several serotypes and genotypes that demonstrate little or no cross protection. In order to curb the menace of the disease therefore, broad based vaccines are urgently needed. The aim of this study was to develop a recombinant DNA vaccine candidate for improved protection of avian infectious bronchitis in poultry. Using bioinformatics and molecular cloning procedures, sets of monovalent and bivalent DNA vaccine constructs were developed based on the S1 glycoprotein from classical and variants IBV strains namely, M41 and CR88 respectively. The candidate vaccine was then encapsulated with a chitosan and saponin formulated nanoparticle for enhanced immunogenicity and protective capacity. RT-PCR assay and IFAT were used to confirm the transcriptional and translational expression of the encoded proteins respectively, while ELISA and Flow-cytometry were used to evaluate the immunogenicity of the candidate vaccine following immunization of various SPF chicken groups (A-F). Furthermore, histopathological changes and virus shedding were determined by quantitative realtime PCR assay and lesion scoring procedure respectively following challenge of various subgroups with respective wild-type IBV viruses. Results obtained from this study showed that, groups vaccinated with a bivalent DNA vaccine construct (pBudCR88-S1/M41-S1) had a significant increase in anti-IBV antibodies, CD3+ and CD8+ T-cells responses as compared to non-vaccinated groups. Likewise, the bivalent vaccine candidate significantly decreased the oropharyngeal and cloacal virus shedding (p < 0.05) compared to non-vaccinated control. Chickens immunized with the bivalent vaccine also exhibited milder clinical signs as well as low tracheal and kidney lesion scores following virus challenge when compared to control groups. Collectively, the present study demonstrated that bivalent DNA vaccine co-expressing dual S1 glycoprotein induced strong immune responses capable of protecting chickens against infection with both M41 and CR88 IBV strains. Moreso, it was evident that encapsulation of the vaccine with chitosan-saponin nanoparticle further enhanced immune responses and abrogates the need for multiple booster administration of vaccine. Therefore, the bivalent DNA vaccine could serve as efficient and effective alternative strategy for the control of IB in poultry.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanoparticles/chemistry
  7. Arshad R, Sohail MF, Sarwar HS, Saeed H, Ali I, Akhtar S, et al.
    PLoS One, 2019;14(6):e0217079.
    PMID: 31170179 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217079
    Post-operative surgical site infections (SSI) present a serious threat and may lead to complications. Currently available dressings for SSI lack mucoadhesion, safety, efficacy and most importantly patient compliance. We aimed to address these concerns by developing a bioactive thiolated chitosan-alginate bandage embedded with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) for localized topical treatment of SSI. The FTIR, XRD, DSC and TGA of bandage confirmed the compatibility of ingredients and modifications made. The porosity, swelling index and lysozyme degradation showed good properties for wound healing and biodegradation. Moreover, in-vitro antibacterial activity showed higher bactericidal effect as compared to ZnO-NPs free bandage. In-vivo wound healing in murine model showed significant improved tissue generation and speedy wound healing as compared to positive and negative controls. Over all, thiolated bandage showed potential as an advanced therapeutic agent for treating surgical site infections, meeting the required features of an ideal surgical dressing.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanoparticles/chemistry*
  8. Muthoosamy K, Abubakar IB, Bai RG, Loh HS, Manickam S
    Sci Rep, 2016 Sep 06;6:32808.
    PMID: 27597657 DOI: 10.1038/srep32808
    Metastasis of lung carcinoma to breast and vice versa accounts for one of the vast majority of cancer deaths. Synergistic treatments are proven to be the effective method to inhibit malignant cell proliferation. It is highly advantageous to use the minimum amount of a potent toxic drug, such as paclitaxel (Ptx) in ng/ml together with a natural and safe anticancer drug, curcumin (Cur) to reduce the systemic toxicity. However, both Cur and Ptx suffer from poor bioavailability. Herein, a drug delivery cargo was engineered by functionalizing reduced graphene oxide (G) with an amphiphilic polymer, PF-127 (P) by hydrophobic assembly. The drugs were loaded via pi-pi interactions, resulting in a nano-sized GP-Cur-Ptx of 140 nm. A remarkably high Cur loading of 678 wt.% was achieved, the highest thus far compared to any other Cur nanoformulations. Based on cell proliferation assay, GP-Cur-Ptx is a synergistic treatment (CI 
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanoparticles/chemistry
  9. Anwar A, Masri A, Rao K, Rajendran K, Khan NA, Shah MR, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2019 02 28;9(1):3122.
    PMID: 30816269 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-39528-0
    Herein, we report green synthesized nanoparticles based on stabilization by plant gums, loaded with citrus fruits flavonoids Hesperidin (HDN) and Naringin (NRG) as novel antimicrobial agents against brain-eating amoebae and multi-drug resistant bacteria. Nanoparticles were thoroughly characterized by using zetasizer, zeta potential, atomic force microscopy, ultravoilet-visible and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopic techniques. The size of these spherical nanoparticles was found to be in the range of 100-225 nm. The antiamoebic effects of these green synthesized Silver and Gold nanoparticles loaded with HDN and NRG were tested against Acanthamoeba castellanii and Naegleria fowleri, while antibacterial effects were evaluated against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and neuropathogenic Escherichia coli K1. Amoebicidal assays revealed that HDN loaded Silver nanoparticles stabilized by gum acacia (GA-AgNPs-HDN) quantitatively abolished amoeba viability by 100%, while NRG loaded Gold nanoparticles stabilized by gum tragacanth (GT-AuNPs-NRG) significantly reduced the viability of A. castellanii and N. fowleri at 50 µg per mL. Furthermore, these nanoparticles inhibited the encystation and excystation by more than 85%, as well as GA-AgNPs-HDN only completely obliterated amoeba-mediated host cells cytopathogenicity. Whereas, GA-AgNPs-HDN exhibited significant bactericidal effects against MRSA and E. coli K1 and reduced bacterial-mediated host cells cytotoxicity. Notably, when tested against human cells, these nanoparticles showed minimal (23%) cytotoxicity at even higher concentration of 100 µg per mL as compared to 50 µg per mL used for antimicrobial assays. Hence, these novel nanoparticles formulations hold potential as therapeutic agents against infections caused by brain-eating amoebae, as well as multi-drug resistant bacteria, and recommend a step forward in drug development.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanoparticles/chemistry*
  10. Mozar FS, Chowdhury EH
    Curr Drug Deliv, 2015;12(3):333-41.
    PMID: 25600981
    Substantial amount of research has been done in recent decades for the development of nanoparticle systems to selectively deliver drugs to cancer cells for concurrently enhancing and reducing anti-cancer and off-target effects, respectively. pH-sensitive carbonate apatite (CA) was originally developed for efficient and targeted delivery of DNA, siRNA and proteins to various cancer cell lines. Recently, the CA particles were employed to deliver anti-cancer drugs, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and methotrexate to cancer cells. Here, we report on the fabrication and characterization of gemcitabine- loaded CA particles, followed by the evaluation of their roles in enhancement of cytotoxicity in two human and one murine breast cancer cell lines. HPLC was performed to measure binding efficiency of the drug to the apatite particles whereas particle size and zeta potential were evaluated to characterize drug/apatite complex. Depending on the initial doses of the drug, its bind binding affinity towards the particles varied from 3.85% to 4.45%. The particle size was found to surprisingly decrease with an increase of the initial drug concentration. In vitro chemosensitivity assay revealed that apatite/drug nanoparticle complexes presented significantly higher cytotoxicity to breast cancer cells compared to free drugs, which could be correlated with the enhanced cellular uptake of the small size drug-loaded particles through endocytosis compared to the passive diffusion of the free drug.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanoparticles
  11. Shojaei TR, Mohd Salleh MA, Tabatabaei M, Ekrami A, Motallebi R, Rahmani-Cherati T, et al.
    Braz J Infect Dis, 2014 Nov-Dec;18(6):600-8.
    PMID: 25181404 DOI: 10.1016/j.bjid.2014.05.015
    Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causing agent of tuberculosis, comes second only after HIV on the list of infectious agents slaughtering many worldwide. Due to the limitations behind the conventional detection methods, it is therefore critical to develop new sensitive sensing systems capable of quick detection of the infectious agent. In the present study, the surface modified cadmium-telluride quantum dots and gold nanoparticles conjunct with two specific oligonucleotides against early secretory antigenic target 6 were used to develop a sandwich-form fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based biosensor to detect M. tuberculosis complex and differentiate M. tuberculosis and M. bovis Bacille Calmette-Guerin simultaneously. The sensitivity and specificity of the newly developed biosensor were 94.2% and 86.6%, respectively, while the sensitivity and specificity of polymerase chain reaction and nested polymerase chain reaction were considerably lower, 74.2%, 73.3% and 82.8%, 80%, respectively. The detection limits of the sandwich-form fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based biosensor were far lower (10 fg) than those of the polymerase chain reaction and nested polymerase chain reaction (100 fg). Although the cost of the developed nanobiosensor was slightly higher than those of the polymerase chain reaction-based techniques, its unique advantages in terms of turnaround time, higher sensitivity and specificity, as well as a 10-fold lower detection limit would clearly recommend this test as a more appropriate and cost-effective tool for large scale operations.
    Matched MeSH terms: Metal Nanoparticles
  12. Ali ME, Hashim U, Kashif M, Mustafa S, Che Man YB, Abd Hamid SB
    Genet. Mol. Res., 2012;11(2):1762-72.
    PMID: 22843053 DOI: 10.4238/2012.June.29.9
    The pig (Sus scrofa) mitochondrial genome was targeted to design short (15-30 nucleotides) DNA markers that would be suitable for biosensor-based hybridization detection of target DNA. Short DNA markers are reported to survive harsh conditions in which longer ones are degraded into smaller fragments. The whole swine mitochondrial-genome was in silico digested with AluI restriction enzyme. Among 66 AluI fragments, five were selected as potential markers because of their convenient lengths, high degree of interspecies polymorphism and intraspecies conservatism. These were confirmed by NCBI blast analysis and ClustalW alignment analysis with 11 different meat-providing animal and fish species. Finally, we integrated a tetramethyl rhodamine-labeled 18-nucleotide AluI fragment into a 3-nm diameter citrate-tannate coated gold nanoparticle to develop a swine-specific hybrid nanobioprobe for the determination of pork adulteration in 2.5-h autoclaved pork-beef binary mixtures. This hybrid probe detected as low as 1% pork in deliberately contaminated autoclaved pork-beef binary mixtures and no cross-species detection was recorded, demonstrating the feasibility of this type of probe for biosensor-based detection of pork adulteration of halal and kosher foods.
    Matched MeSH terms: Metal Nanoparticles
  13. Basri RS, Rahman RNZRA, Kamarudin NHA, Ali MSM
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2020 Dec 01;164:3155-3162.
    PMID: 32841666 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.08.162
    The conversion of aldehydes to valuable alkanes via cyanobacterial aldehyde deformylating oxygenase is of great interest. The availability of fossil reserves that keep on decreasing due to human exploitation is worrying, and even more troubling is the combustion emission from the fuel, which contributes to the environmental crisis and health issues. Hence, it is crucial to use a renewable and eco-friendly alternative that yields compound with the closest features as conventional petroleum-based fuel, and that can be used in biofuels production. Cyanobacterial aldehyde deformylating oxygenase (ADO) is a metal-dependent enzyme with an α-helical structure that contains di‑iron at the active site. The substrate enters the active site of every ADO through a hydrophobic channel. This enzyme exhibits catalytic activity toward converting Cn aldehyde to Cn-1 alkane and formate as a co-product. These cyanobacterial enzymes are small and easy to manipulate. Currently, ADOs are broadly studied and engineered for improving their enzymatic activity and substrate specificity for better alkane production. This review provides a summary of recent progress in the study of the structure and function of ADO, structural-based engineering of the enzyme, and highlight its potential in producing biofuels.
    Matched MeSH terms: Magnetite Nanoparticles
  14. Anand K, Abdul NS, Ghazi T, Ramesh M, Gupta G, Tambuwala MM, et al.
    ACS Omega, 2021 Jan 12;6(1):265-277.
    PMID: 33458478 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c04461
    In this study, novel self-assembled carbazole-thiooctanoic acid nanoparticles (CTNs) were synthesized from amino carbazole (a mutagen) and thiooctanoic acid (an antioxidant). The nanoparticles were characterized using hyperspectral techniques. Then, the antiproliferative potential of CTNs was determined in HepG2 liver carcinoma cells. This study employed a solvent-antisolvent interaction method to synthesize a spherical CTN of size less than 50 nm. Moreover, CT was subsequently capped to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in the additional comparative studies. The CT derivative was synthesized from carbazole and lipoic acid by the amide bond formation reaction using a coupling agent. Furthermore, it was characterized using infrared (IR), 1H nuclear magnetic resonance, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscopy techniques. The CT-capped gold nanoparticles (CTAuNPs) were prepared from CT, chloroauric acid, and NaBH4. The CTAuNPs were characterized using ultraviolet-visible, high-resolution TEM, DLS, and Fourier transform IR techniques. The cytotoxicity and apoptosis-inducing ability of both nanoparticles were determined in HepG2 cells. The results demonstrate that CTNs exhibit antiproliferative activity in the cancerous HepG2 cells. Moreover, molecular docking and molecular dynamics studies were conducted to explore the therapeutic potential of CT against human EGFR suppressor protein to gain more insights into the binding mode of the CT, which may show a significant role in anticancer therapy.
    Matched MeSH terms: Metal Nanoparticles
  15. Al-Salih M, Samsudin S, Arshad SS
    J Genet Eng Biotechnol, 2021 May 18;19(1):76.
    PMID: 34003402 DOI: 10.1186/s43141-021-00161-y
    BACKGROUND: Environmental contamination by microbes is a major public health concern. A damp environment is one of the potential sources for microbe proliferation. Smart synthesis nanocatalytic coatings on surfaces, food, and material from different pathogen bacteria can inhibit using the Fe3O4/CNTs as anti-microbial growth can effectively curb this growing threat. In this present work, the anti-microbial efficacy of synthesis of a compound nanoparticle-containing iron oxide-multi-walled carbon nanotube was combined by laser ablation PLAL and explored the anti-bacterial action of colloidal solution of Fe3O4/CNTs NPs that was evaluated against bacteria which is classified as gram-negative (Escherichia coli (E. coli), Klebsiella pneumonia (K. pneumonia), and also that is identified as gram-positive (Streptococcus pyogenes (S .pyogenes) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) under visible light irradiation.

    RESULTS: Doping of a minute fraction of iron(III) salt (0.5 mol%) in a volatile solvent (ethanol) was carried out via the sol-gel technique. Fe3O4 was further calcined at various temperatures (in the range of 500-700 °C) to evaluate the thermal stability of the Fe3O4 nanoporous oxidizer nanoparticles. The physicochemical properties of the samples were characterized through X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and UV-Visible spectroscopy techniques. XRD results revealed that the nanoparticles framework of Fe3O4 was maintained well up to 650 °C by the Fe dopant. UV-Vis results suggested that absorption property of combination Fe3O4/CNTs nanopowder by PLAL was enhanced and the band gap is reduced into 2.0 eV.

    CONCLUSIONS: Density functional theory (DFT) studies emphasize the introduction of Fe+ and Fe2+ ions by replacing other ions in the CNT lattice, therefore creating oxygen vacancies. These further promoted anti-microbial efficiency. A significantly high bacterial inactivation that indicates results was evaluated and that the mean estimations of restraint were determined from triple assessment in every appraisal at 400 ml which represent the best anti-bacterial action against gram-positive and gram-negative microbes.

    Matched MeSH terms: Nanoparticles
  16. Mahboob T, Nawaz M, de Lourdes Pereira M, Tian-Chye T, Samudi C, Sekaran SD, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2020 06 02;10(1):8954.
    PMID: 32488154 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-65728-0
    Acanthamoeba, a genus that contains at least 24 species of free-living protozoa, is ubiquitous in nature. Successful treatment of Acanthamoeba infections is always very difficult and not always effective. More effective drugs must be developed, and medicinal plants may have a pivotal part in the future of drug discovery. Our research focused on investigating the in vitro anti- acanthamoebic potential of Leea indica and its constituent gallic acid in different concentrations. Water and butanol fractions exhibited significant amoebicidal activity against trophozoites and cysts. Gallic acid (100 µg/mL) revealed 83% inhibition of trophozoites and 69% inhibition of cysts. The butanol fraction induced apoptosis in trophozoites, which was observed using tunnel assay. The cytotoxicity of the fractions and gallic acid was investigated against MRC-5 and no adverse effects were observed. Gallic acid was successfully loaded within poly (D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles with 82.86% encapsulation efficiency, while gallic acid showed 98.24% in vitro release at 48 hours. Moreover, the gallic acid encapsulated in the PLGA nanoparticles exhibited 90% inhibition against trophozoites. In addition, gallic acid encapsulated nanoparticles showed reduced cytotoxicity towards MRC-5 compared to gallic acid, which evidenced that natural product nanoencapsulation in polymeric nanoparticles could play an important role in the delivery of natural products.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanoparticles
  17. Alkhader E, Billa N, Roberts CJ
    AAPS PharmSciTech, 2017 May;18(4):1009-1018.
    PMID: 27582072 DOI: 10.1208/s12249-016-0623-y
    In the present study, we report the properties of a mucoadhesive chitosan-pectinate nanoparticulate formulation able to retain its integrity in the milieu of the upper gastrointestinal tract and subsequently, mucoadhere and release curcumin in colon conditions. Using this system, we aimed to deliver curcumin to the colon for the possible management of colorectal cancer. The delivery system comprised of a chitosan-pectinate composite nanopolymeric with a z-average of 206.0 nm (±6.6 nm) and zeta potential of +32.8 mV (±0.5 mV) and encapsulation efficiency of 64%. The nanoparticles mucoadhesiveness was higher at alkaline pH compared to acidic pH. Furthermore, more than 80% release of curcumin was achieved in pectinase-enriched medium (pH 6.4) as opposed to negligible release in acidic and enzyme-restricted media at pH 6.8. SEM images of the nanoparticles after exposure to the various media indicate a retained matrix in acid media as opposed to a distorted/fragmented matrix in pectinase-enriched medium. The data strongly indicates that the system has the potential to be applied as a colon-targeted mucoadhesive curcumin delivery system for the possible treatment of colon cancer.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanoparticles
  18. Anwar A, Siddiqui R, Raza Shah M, Ahmed Khan N
    J Microbiol Biotechnol, 2019 Jan 28;29(1):171-177.
    PMID: 30415525 DOI: 10.4014/jmb.1805.05028
    Parasitic infections have remained a significant burden on human and animal health. In part, this is due to lack of clinically-approved, novel antimicrobials and a lack of interest by the pharmaceutical industry. An alternative approach is to modify existing clinically-approved drugs for efficient delivery formulations to ensure minimum inhibitory concentration is achieved at the target site. Nanotechnology offers the potential to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of drugs through modification of nanoparticles with ligands. Amphotericin B, nystatin, and fluconazole are clinically available drugs in the treatment of amoebal and fungal infections. These drugs were conjugated with gold nanoparticles. To characterize these gold-conjugated drug, atomic force microscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were performed. These drugs and their gold nanoconjugates were examined for antimicrobial activity against the protist pathogen, Acanthamoeba castellanii of the T4 genotype. Moreover, host cell cytotoxicity assays were accomplished. Cytotoxicity of these drugs and drug-conjugated gold nanoparticles was also determined by lactate dehydrogenase assay. Gold nanoparticles conjugation resulted in enhanced bioactivity of all three drugs with amphotericin B producing the most significant effects against Acanthamoeba castellanii (p < 0.05). In contrast, bare gold nanoparticles did not exhibit antimicrobial potency. Furthermore, amoebae treated with drugs-conjugated gold nanoparticles showed reduced cytotoxicity against HeLa cells. In this report, we demonstrated the use of nanotechnology to modify existing clinically-approved drugs and enhance their efficacy against pathogenic amoebae. Given the lack of development of novel drugs, this is a viable approach in the treatment of neglected diseases.
    Matched MeSH terms: Metal Nanoparticles
  19. Ashaie MA, Islam RA, Kamaruzman NI, Ibnat N, Tha KK, Chowdhury EH
    Pharmaceutics, 2019 Jul 02;11(7).
    PMID: 31269666 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics11070309
    While several treatment strategies are applied to cure breast cancer, it still remains one of the leading causes of female deaths worldwide. Since chemotherapeutic drugs have severe side effects and are responsible for development of drug resistance in cancer cells, gene therapy is now considered as one of the promising options to address the current treatment limitations. Identification of the over-expressed genes accounting for constitutive activation of certain pathways, and their subsequent knockdown with specific small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), could be a powerful tool in inhibiting proliferation and survival of cancer cells. In this study, we delivered siRNAs against mRNA transcripts of over-regulated cell adhesion molecules such as catenin alpha 1 (CTNNA1), catenin beta 1 (CTNNB1), talin-1 (TLN1), vinculin (VCL), paxillin (PXN), and actinin-1 (ACTN1) in human (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) and murine (4T1) cell lines as well as in the murine female Balb/c mice model. In order to overcome the barriers of cell permeability and nuclease-mediated degradation, the pH-sensitive carbonate apatite (CA) nanocarrier was used as a delivery vehicle. While targeting CTNNA1, CTNNB1, TLN1, VCL, PXN, and ACTN1 resulted in a reduction of cell viability in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, delivery of all these siRNAs via carbonate apatite (CA) nanoparticles successfully reduced the cell viability in 4T1 cells. In 4T1 cells, delivery of CTNNA1, CTNNB1, TLN1, VCL, PXN, and ACTN1 siRNAs with CA caused significant reduction in phosphorylated and total AKT levels. Furthermore, reduced band intensity was observed for phosphorylated and total MAPK upon transfection of 4T1 cells with CTNNA1, CTNNB1, and VCL siRNAs. Intravenous delivery of CTNNA1 siRNA with CA nanoparticles significantly reduced tumor volume in the initial phase of the study, while siRNAs targeting CTNNB1, TLN1, VCL, PXN, and ACTN1 genes significantly decreased the tumor burden at all time points. The tumor weights at the end of the treatments were also notably smaller compared to CA. This successfully demonstrates that targeting these dysregulated genes via RNAi and by using a suitable delivery vehicle such as CA could serve as a promising therapeutic treatment modality for breast cancers.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanoparticles
  20. Siddiqui R, Rajendran K, Abdella B, Ayub Q, Lim SY, Khan NA
    Parasitol Res, 2020 Jul;119(7):2351-2358.
    PMID: 32451717 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-020-06711-6
    Naegleria fowleri causes a deadly infection known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). To our knowledge, there are very few transcriptome studies conducted on these brain-eating amoebae, despite rise in the number of cases. Although the Naegleria genome has been sequenced, currently, it is not well annotated. Transcriptome level studies are needed to help understand the pathology and biology of this fatal parasitic infection. Recently, we showed that nanoparticles loaded with the flavonoid Hesperidin (HDN) are potential novel antimicrobial agents. N. fowleri trophozoites were treated with and without HDN-conjugated with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and silver only, and then, 50% minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined. The results revealed that the MIC of HDN-conjugated AgNPs was 12.5 microg/mL when treated for 3 h. As no reference genome exists for N. fowleri, de novo RNA transcriptome analysis using RNA-Seq and differential gene expression analysis was performed using the Trinity software. Analysis revealed that more than 2000 genes were differentially expressed in response to N. fowleri treatment with HDN-conjugated AgNPs. Some of the genes were linked to oxidative stress response, DNA repair, cell division, cell signalling and protein synthesis. The downregulated genes were linked with processes such as protein modification, synthesis of aromatic amino acids, when compared with untreated N. fowleri. Further transcriptome studies will lead to understanding of genetic mechanisms of the biology and pathogenesis and/or the identification of much needed drug candidates.
    Matched MeSH terms: Metal Nanoparticles
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links