Cerium Oxide/Graphene Oxide Hybrid: Synthesis, Characterization, and Evaluation of Anticancer Activity in a Breast Cancer Cell Line (MCF-7).

In the present study, we used a simple ultrasonic approach to develop a Cerium oxide/Graphene oxide hybrid (CeO2/GO hybrid) nanocomposite system. Particle size analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) have been used to analyze the physio-chemical characteristics of the developed nanocomposite. The synthesized hybrid system has also been examined to assess its anticancer capability against MCF-7 cell lines and normal cell lines at different sample concentrations, pH values, and incubation intervals using an antiproliferative assay test. The test results demonstrate that as sample concentration rises, the apoptotic behavior of the CeO2/GO hybrid in the MCF-7 cell line also rises. The IC50 was 62.5 µg/mL after 72 h of incubation. Cytotoxicity of cisplatin bound CeO2/GO hybrid was also tested in MCF-7 cell lines. To identify apoptosis-associated alterations of cell membranes during the process of apoptosis, a dual acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) fluorescence staining was carried out at three specified doses (i.e., 1000 µg/mL, 250 µg/mL, and 62.5 µg/mL of CeO2/GO hybrid). The color variations from both live (green) and dead (red) cells were examined using fluorescence microscopy under in vitro conditions. The quantitative analysis was performed using flow cytometry to identify the cell cycle at which the maximum number of MCF-7 cells had been destroyed as a result of interaction with the developed CeO2/GO hybrid (FACS study). According to the results of the FACS investigation, the majority of cancer cells were inhibited at the R3 (G2/M) phase. Therefore, the CeO2/GO hybrid has successfully showed enhanced anticancer efficacy against the MCF-7 cell line at the IC50 concentration. According to the current study, the CeO2/GO platform can be used as a therapeutic platform for breast cancer. The synergetic effects of the developed CeO2/GO hybrid with the MCF-7 cell line are presented.

Recent trends in diabetic wound healing with nanofibrous scaffolds.

There is an emphasis in this review on nanofibrous scaffolds (NFSs) in diabetic wound healing, as well as their mechanisms and recent advancements. Diabetes-related complex wounds pose an important problem to humanity, due to the fact that their chronic nature can lead to serious complications including sepsis and amputations. Despite the fact that there are certain therapy options available for diabetic wound healing, these options are either ineffective or intrusive, making clinical intervention difficult. Clinical research is also challenged by the emergence of bacterial resistance to standard antibiotics. However, research into nanotechnology, in particular NFSs, is growing swiftly and has a positive impact on the treatment of diabetic wounds. For instance, SpinCare™, developed by Nanomedic Technologies Ltd, has successfully finished clinical testing and can re-epithelialize second-degree burns and chronic diabetic wounds in 7 and 14 days, respectively. In this review, we discussed homologous studies as well as other recent research studies on diabetic wound healing using NFSs.

Smartphone-integrated colorimetric sensor array-based reader system and fluorometric detection of dopamine in male and female geriatric plasma by bluish-green fluorescent carbon quantum dots.

A simple, cost-effective system was developed for dopamine (DA) detection using green synthesized 1-6 â€‹nm honey-based carbon quantum dots (H-CQDs) exhibiting bluish green fluorescence. The H-CQDs exhibited emission at 445 â€‹nm, with a quantum yield of ∼44%. The H-CQDs were used as a probe for electron transfer based DA detection and changes in H-CQD color in the presence of DA. The H-CQDs were formed with polar functional groups and were highly soluble in aqueous media. In the fluorometric mode, the proposed system demonstrated high specificity toward DA and effective limit of detection (LOD) values of 6, 8.5, and 8 â€‹nM in deionized (DI) water, male geriatric plasma, and female geriatric plasma, respectively, in the linear range 100 â€‹nM-1000 µM. In the colorimetric mode, the color changed within 5 â€‹min, and the LOD was 163 â€‹µM. A colorimetric sensor array system was used to precisely detect DA with a smartphone-integrated platform using an in house built imaging application and an analyzer app. Additionally, no additives were required, and the H-CQDs were not functionalized. More importantly, the H-CQDs were morphologically and analytically characterized before and after DA detection. Because the sensor array-based system allows high specificity DA detection in both DI water and geriatric plasma, it will play an important role in biomedical applications.

Solvent-Free Synthesis of Fluorescent Carbon Dots: An Ecofriendly Approach for the Bioimaging and Screening of Anticancer Activity via Caspase-Induced Apoptosis.

Ecofriendly and highly fluorescent carbon dot nanoassemblies have gained prominence for their diverse biological applications, with a focus on combating environmental and human health problems. In this study, we prepared highly fluorescent nitrogen-doped carbon dots from the persimmon fruit (termed as "PCDs"), which was used as a carbon source, via a one-step hydrothermal reaction without any solvent. It is interesting to note that the as-prepared PCDs were highly water-soluble because of the numerous polar functional groups, such as hydroxyl (-OH), amine (-NH2), and carboxylic acid (-COOH) groups, as confirmed by ultraviolet-visible, Fourier-transform infrared, and X-ray photoelectron spectral analysis. These polar functional groups enabled the production of nanohybrids by immobilization of the anticancer drugs doxorubicin and gemcitabine on the surface of the PCDs (PCDs@Dox and PCDs@Gem, respectively) through the 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide coupling reaction. Unlike other reports, as-prepared PCDs@Dox and PCDs@Gem nanohybrids were successfully employed for bioimaging and caspase-induced apoptosis applications. The neat PCDs exhibited significant pH-induced cytotoxicity because of the presence of surface carboxylic acid and phenolic moieties. Thus, PCDs@Dox and PCDs@Gem effectively inhibited the proliferation of HeLa cells in a dose-dependent manner, and the cytotoxicity of the nanohybrids in fibroblasts was significantly lower than that of cancerous cells at the same dose. In addition, it is quite certain that promising boi-imaging results were identified from PCDs like as conventional dyes, which may account for the synthesis of high-fluorescent PCDs without using any solvent. The results demonstrate that the nanohybrids mediate the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and this mediation is followed by a decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential through the activation of caspase-3. These results appear to be promising for anticancer drug delivery and bio-imaging engineering applications.

Fluorescent Gold Nanoclusters for Selective Detection of Dopamine in Cerebrospinal fluid.

Since the last two decades, protein conjugated fluorescent gold nanoclusters (NCs) owe much attention in the field of medical and nanobiotechnology due to their excellent photo stability characteristics. In this paper, we reported stable, nontoxic and red fluorescent emission BSA-Au NCs for selective detection of L-dopamine (DA) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The evolution was probed by various instrumental techniques such as UV-vis spectroscopy, High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The synthesised BSA-Au NCs were showing 4-6 nm with high fluorescent ~8% Quantum yield (QY). The fluorescence intensity of BSA-Au NCs was quenched upon the addition of various concentrations of DA via an electron transfer mechanism. The decrease in BSA-Au NCs fluorescence intensity made it possible to determine DA in PBS buffer and the spiked DA in CSF in the linear range from 0 to 10 nM with the limit of detection (LOD) 0.622 and 0.830 nM respectively. Best of our knowledge, as-prepared BSA-Au NCs will gain possible strategy and good platform for biosensor, drug discovery, and rapid disease diagnosis such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer diseases.

Synthesis and Characterization of Quantum Dot-Loaded Poly(lactic-co-glycolic) Acid Nanocomposite Fibers by an Electrospinning Process.

Poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) is one of the most successfully developed biodegradable polymers. PLGA is a copolymer of polylactic and glycolic acid. In this work, quantum dot (QD)-loaded PLGA nanofibers were fabricated via a simple one-step electrospinning process. The surface morphology of the fibers was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was shown that the PLGA nanofibers had both smooth and rough surfaces with an average fiber diameter of 150 ± 25 nm and 350 ± 60 nm for the PLGA and QD-loaded PLGA nanofibers, respectively. The needle size, applied voltage, and solvent flow rate in the syringe were maintained at 23 G, 20 kV, and 1.5 mL/h, respectively. The SEM analysis showed that nanofibers with a very thin and uniform size were formed and the InP/ZnS QDs were homogeneously loaded into the PLGA nanofiber matrix. The thermal properties of the PLGA-QD nanofibers were explored by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The surface chemical structure and functionalities were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD).

Selective detection of dopamine in the presence of ascorbic acid via fluorescence quenching of InP/ZnS quantum dots.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter of the catecholamine family and has many important roles, especially in human brain. Several diseases of the nervous system, such as Parkinson's disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, restless legs syndrome, are believed to be related to deficiency of dopamine. Several studies have been performed to detect dopamine by using electrochemical analysis. In this study, quantum dots (QDs) were used as sensing media for the detection of dopamine. The surface of the QDs was modified with l-cysteine by coupling reaction to increase the selectivity of dopamine. The fluorescence of cysteine-capped indium phosphide/zinc sulfide QDs was quenched by dopamine with various concentrations in the presence of ascorbic acid. This method shows good selectivity for dopamine detection, and the detection limit was 5 nM.

Dopamine-functionalized InP/ZnS quantum dots as fluorescence probes for the detection of adenosine in microfluidic chip.

Microbeads are frequently used as solid supports for biomolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids in heterogeneous microfluidic assays. Chip-based, quantum dot (QD)-bead-biomolecule probes have been used for the detection of various types of DNA. In this study, we developed dopamine (DA)-functionalized InP/ZnS QDs (QDs-DA) as fluorescence probes for the detection of adenosine in microfluidic chips. The photoluminescence (PL) intensity of the QDs-DA is quenched by Zn(2+) because of the strong coordination interactions. In the presence of adenosine, Zn(2+) cations preferentially bind to adenosine, and the PL intensity of the QDs-DA is recovered. A polydimethylsiloxane-based microfluidic chip was fabricated, and adenosine detection was confirmed using QDs-DA probes.

Quantum Dot-Bead-DNA Probe-Based Hybridization Fluorescence Assays on Microfluidic Chips.

The development of chip-based, quantum dot (QD)-bead-DNA conjugate probes for hybridization detection is a prime research focus in the field of microfluidics. QD-Bead-DNA probe-based hybridization detection methods are often called "bead-based assays," and their success is substantially influenced by the dispensing and manipulation capabilities of microfluidic technology. Met was identified as a prognostic marker in different cancers including lung, renal, liver, head and neck, stomach, and breast. In this report, the cancer causing Met gene was detected with QDs attached to polystyrene microbeads. We constructed a microfluidic platform using a flexible PDMS polymer. The chip consists of two channels, with two inlets and two outlets. The two channels were integrated with QD-bead-DNA probes for simultaneous detection of wild type target DNA and mutant DNA, containing three nucleotide changes compared to the wild type sequence. The fluorescence quenching ability of QDs within the channels of microfluidic chips were compared for both DNAs.

Phospholipase C-γ2 via p38 and ERK1/2 MAP kinase mediates diperoxovanadate-asparagine induced human platelet aggregation and sCD40L release.

OBJECTIVE: Redox imbalance either inside platelets or in their immediate surroundings prove detrimental to their physiologic functions during haemostasis. This study was therefore aimed to assess the effect of peroxide radicals on platelet functions and underlying signalling mechanisms using asparagine-conjugated diperoxovanadate (DPV-Asn). METHODS: Platelet aggregation, ATP secretion, TxB2 release, intra-platelet calcium mobilization, protein tyrosine phosphorylation, GPIIbIIIa activation by PAC1 labelling and sCD40L release (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) was monitored using various concentrations of DPV-Asn. Cell viability was assessed by Annexin V labelling, MTT assay, LDH leakage and mitochondrial membrane potential by JC-1. RESULTS: Platelet aggregation induced by DPV-Asn was chiefly regulated by dense granule secretion, thromboxane A2 (TxA2) generation, intra-platelet [Ca(2+)] influx, GPIIbIIIa activation and sCD40L release, which were significantly reduced in presence of U73122 (PLC inhibitor), aspirin (COX), SB203580 (p38 inhibitor), and PD98059 (ERK inhibitor). This was further corroborated by enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation of numerous platelet proteins including PLC-γ2, which apparently played a central role in transducing peroxide signals to regulate [Ca(2+)] influx and phosphorylation of p38 and ERK1/2 MAP kinase. DISCUSSION: Peroxide radicals critically regulate the thrombo-inflammatory functions of platelets via the PLCγ2-p38-ERK1/2-TxA2 pathway, which closely resembles the clinical scenario of various pathologies like hyperglycemia and atherosclerosis during which oxidative stress disrupts platelet functions.