ABSTRACT
Agriculture and society are intertwined. Agriculture is necessary for human survival and social sustainability in India. Eco-friendly agriculture practices nurture ecosystems to solve current societal issues. Indian ecosystems are marred by pollution, imbalance, climate changes, food crisis, various diseases, and mal-nourishment continue as a major concern. The traditional environmental remedial strategies appear relatively ineffective in the ever expanding use of pollutants that pervade the water, air and soil environment. Nanotechnology provides an efficient, environmentally friendly and cost-effective solutions to the global sustainability challenges that society is facing. Nanotechnology utilizes nanomaterials that have remarkable physical and chemical features to make smart functional materials for developing sustainable technologies. Nanotechnology seems to be very promising in sustainable environment development, sustainable agriculture, renewable and economically energy alternative through use of nanomaterials for detection, prevention, and removing pollutants. The development of nanotechnology in India has huge potential to address the challenges like providing drinking water, healthcare, nano-based industry and sustainable agriculture. This review highlights the recent nanotechnology applications to meet the global challenges in providing clean energy technology, water purification, and greenhouse gases management. In addition, effort has been made to analyse the opportunities and limitations in engineered nanomaterials safety, solid waste management, reducing pollution of air water and soil.
ABSTRACT
Nanotechnology is developing rapidly in various industrial applications, medical imaging, disease diagnosis, drug delivery, cancer treatment, gene therapy and many more. However, some concerns have been expressed about risks posed by engineered nanomaterials (ENMs), their potential to cause undesirable effects, contaminate the environment and adversely affect susceptible parts of the population. Thus, substantial attention has to be paid to the potential risks of Nanoparticles. Some studies showed that numerous types of Nanoparticles are able to pass certain biological barriers and exert toxic effects on crucial organs like brain, liver, kidney and skin. Recently some of the studies showed that there may be reproductive toxicity of the nanomaterials. Nanotechnology is at the cutting edge of rapid technological development as it has many potential human health benefits, but it is perceived with some apprehension for its potential human health risks
ABSTRACT
Research in the field of nanotechnology has witnessed rapid increase in the synthesis of Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs). This has even led to development of new discipline of Nanotoxicology. Advances in the field of Nanotoxicology further led to development of new domain-nanoinformatics. This new domain of nanoinformatics provides a computational perspective to biology and nanotechnology addressing multi level integration. Nanoinformatics not only helps in predicting nanoparticle structure, composition and behaviour but also covers raw data management, analysis of data derived from biomedical applications and simulation of nanoparticle interactions with biological systems. In addition, it accelerates nano-related research and applications into clinical practice. There are various computational models developed to study the key steps in nano-medicine like drug encapsulation and release, nanoparticle targeting, delivery and uptake and nanoparticle effects on cells and tissues. These prospects have opened up a large domain enabling possibilities of nanomedicine and frontiers for clinical practice and biomedical research in a cost-effective manner along with various applications including studies in clinical trials, toxicity assays, drug delivery systems. This review highlights new approaches for Engineered nanoparticles (ENP) risk assessment and regulation.
ABSTRACT
Cassia oleoresin is an extract isolated from dried barks of Cinnamomum cassia Blume (family Lauracea). The plant has been reported to have anti-diabetic, anti-oxidant, anti-hypertriglyceridemic effect, mainly due to its phytochemical constituents such as phenolic and volatile compounds. Cinnamon also helps in arthritis, fibromyalgia and psoriasis. The aim of this study was to prepare magnesium oxide nanoparticles using Cassia oleoresin and to evaluate the cytotoxic effect on Brine shrimp. The magnesium oxide nanoparticle was prepared from magnesium chloride and Cassia oleoresin and was confirmed by UV- Visible Spectroscopy and morphology was confirmed by TEM. Brine shrimps lethality bioassay was carried out to investigate the cytotoxicity of Cassia oleoresin mediated magnesium oxide nanoparticles. Ten brine shrimp nauplii were placed in each well of the Eliza plate and filled with 5 μL ,10 μL ,15 μL ,20 μL ,25 μL of Cassia oleoresin mediated magnesium oxide nanoparticles After 24 hours of incubation, the wells were observed and the number of surviving brine shrimp nauplii were counted to assess the cytotoxicity. The UV -Visible spectroscopy showed a peak at 400 peak and TEM analysis showed a particle size of 70 nm. After 24 hours incubation of the brine shrimps in the nanoparticle solution, all 10 brine shrimps survived in 5μL and 10 μL concentrations. 3 brine shrimps nauplii survived in 15μL conc. 1 brine shrimp nauplii survived in 20μL and 25μL concentrations each. Within the limits of this study it can be concluded that at low concentrations the prepared nanoparticle was safe and may be used for biomedical application.
ABSTRACT
O melanoma é uma neoplasia de pele invasivo, com maior taxa de morte, sem tratamento efetivo. Nanocápsulas poliméricas de núcleo lipídico (LNC) tem sido empregadas com sucesso como carreadores de fármacos hidrofóbicos. Como o eugenol é um composto hidrofóbico com atividades antiproliferativas e pró-apoptóticas em células cancerosas, visamos avaliar os efeitos dos tratamentos com acetileugenol (AC), LNC ou LNC contendo acetileugenol (LNC-AC) em modelo de melanoma in vivo em camundongos C57B6, e a citotoxicidade dos mesmos em células endoteliais (HUVEC) e de melanoma (SK-Mel-28) in vitro. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que: 1) tratamentos i.p. com as LNC ou com LNC-AC (50 mg/kg, 3-10 dia de indução do tumor) induziram toxicidade sistêmica e, somente o tratamento com LNC inibiu o desenvolvimento do melanoma. O tratamento com LNC, mas não com a mistura de triglicerídeos de cadeia média, por via oral, inibiu o desenvolvimento tumoral, sem toxicidade. Adicionalmente, os tratamentos com AC, LNC ou LNC-AC não foram eficazes quando administrados em fase tardia de evolução tumoral (50 mg/kg, 7-17 dia de indução do tumor, via oral); 2) os tratamentos agudos com AC, LNC ou LNC-AC (20 mg/kg, 200 µL, e.v.) não alteraram o número de leucócitos circulantes, mas os tratamentos com LNC ou com LNC-AC reduziram o comportamento de rolling dos leucócitos em vênulas póscapilares do músculo cremaster e causaram hemólise, sendo que este último efeito também foi observado após tratamento in vitro em hemácias murinas; 3) Os estudos in vitro mostraram que as LNC e LNC-AC foram captadas pelas células HUVEC e SK-Mel-28 após 1 hora de incubação; que a incubação com LNC-AC induziu apoptose tardia e necrose com maior eficácia em SK-Mel-28 do que em HUVEC; que as incubações com LNC ou LNC-AC exerceram efeitos antiproliferativos, induzindo parada na fase G2/M do ciclo celular das duas linhagens de células avaliadas; que somente a incubação com AC ou LNC-AC inibiu a adesão ao Matrigel® com maior eficácia na linhagem SK-Mel-28 do que HUVEC; que somente a incubação com as LNC reduziram a expressão de VCAM-1 em HUVEC e que as incubações com LNC ou LNC-AC reduziram a expressão de ß3 integrina em SK-Mel- 28; que nenhum dos tratamentos alterou a migração celular das HUVEC ou SK-Mel- 28; que somente a incubação com LNC-AC reduziu os níveis de espécies reativas de oxigênio em HUVEC e SK-Mel-28; que a incubação com LNC ou LNC-AC aumentou a produção de óxido nítrico (NO) pelas duas linhagens de células avaliadas; que o tratamento com L-NAME reverteu os níveis de NO e a inibição sobre a proliferação celular induzida pela incubação com LNC ou LNC-AC e; que o tratamento de células de melanoma murino com LNC ou LNC-AC parece alterar a polarizar os neutrófilos para o fenótipo N1. Associados, os resultados obtidos mostram o tratamento oral com LNC inibe o crescimento do melanoma sem induzir efeitos tóxicos, e que este efeito benéfico pode ser dependente, pelo menos em parte, da nanoencapsulação dos triglicerídios de cadeia média e da supraestrutura da formulação, com toxicidade direta sobre as células de melanoma e possível modulação do microambiente tumoral
Melanoma is the most invasive skin cancer, with high rates of death without effective treatment. Polymeric lipid-core nanocapsules (LNC) has been successfully used as carriers of hydrophobic drugs. As eugenol is an hydrophobic compound with antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic activity in cancer cells, here we aimed to evaluate the effects of treatments with acetyleugenol (AC), LNC or LNC containing acetyleugenol (LNC-AC) in an in vivo melanoma model in C57BL6 mice and the cytotoxicity of the treatments in vitro, using endothelial (HUVEC) and melanoma (SK-Mel- 28) cells. The results obtained showed that: 1) i.p. treatments with LNC or LNCAC (50 mg/kg, 3-10 days of tumor injection) induced systemic toxicity and, only the treatment with LNC inhibited the melanoma development. Treatment with LNC, but not with mix of triglycerides of medium chain, by oral route, inhibited the tumor development, without toxicity. In addition, the treatments with AC, LNC or LNC-AC were not effective when administered in the late stage of tumor evolution (50 mg/kg, 10-20 days of tumor induction, oral route); 2) the acute treatments with AC, LNC or LNC-AC (20 mg/kg, 200 µL, intravenous route) did not altered the number of circulating leukocytes, but the treatments with LNC or LNC-AC reduced the rolling behavior of leukocytes in postcapillary venules of the cremaster muscle and induced hemolysis. The latter effect was also observed after in vitro treatment using murine erythrocytes; 3) In vitro studies showed that the LNC and LNC-AC suffered uptake by HUVEC and SK-Mel-28 cells after 1 hour of incubation; that the incubation with LNC-AC induced late apoptosis and necrosis more effectively in SK-Mel-28 than in HUVEC cells; that the incubation with LNC or LNC-AC presented antiproliferative effects, by inducing G2M arrest in cell cycle in both cells lines evaluated; that only the incubation with AC or LNC-AC inhibited the adhesion in Matrigel® with more efficaccy in SK-Mel-28 than in HUVEC cells; that only incubtion with LNC reduced the VCAM-1 expression in HUVEC and the incubation with LNC or LNC-AC reduced the ß3 integrin expression in SK-Mel-28 cells; that any treatment affected the HUVEC or SK-Mel- 28 migration; that only the incubation with LNC-AC reduced the levels of reactive species of oxygen in HUVEC and SK-Mel-28 cells; that the incubation with LNC or LNC-AC increased the nitric oxide (NO) production by both cell lines used; that the treatment with L-NAME reversed the NO levels and the inhibition on cell proliferation induced by incubation with LNC or LNC-AC and; that the in vitro treatment of murine with LNC or LNC-AC altered the neutrophil polarization to N1 phenotype. Together, results obtained show that the oral treatment with LNC inhibit the melanoma growth without any toxic effect, and that the beneficial effect could be dependent, at least in part, of nanoencapsulation of medium chain triglycerides and the supraestrucuture of the formulation, with direct toxicity on melanoma cells and possible modulation of tumor microenvironment