Anticancer Potential of ß-Carboline Alkaloids: An Updated Mechanistic Overview.

his comprehensive review is designed to evaluate the anticancer properties of ß-carbolines derived from medicinal plants, with the ultimate goal of assessing their suitability and potential in cancer treatment, management, and prevention. An exhaustive literature survey was conducted on a wide array of ß-carbolines including, but not limited to, harmaline, harmine, harmicine, harman, harmol, harmalol, pinoline, tetrahydroharmine, tryptoline, cordysinin C, cordysinin D, norharmane, and perlolyrine. Various analytical techniques were employed to identify and screen these compounds, followed by a detailed analysis of their anticancer mechanisms. Natural ß-carbolines such as harmaline and harmine have shown promising inhibitory effects on the growth of cancer cells, as evidenced by multiple in vitro and in vivo studies. Synthetically derived ß-carbolines also displayed noteworthy anticancer, neuroprotective, and cognitive-enhancing effects. The current body of research emphasizes the potential of ß-carbolines as a unique source of bioactive compounds for cancer treatment. The diverse range of ß-carbolines derived from medicinal plants can offer valuable insights into the development of new therapeutic strategies for cancer management and prevention.

POSS-Functionalized Graphene Oxide/PVDF Electrospun Membranes for Complete Arsenic Removal Using Membrane Distillation.

This work demonstrates very high removal rates (below the detection limit of 0.045 ppb) of inorganic arsenic from water using electrospun polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes enhanced by the addition of functionalized graphene oxide in membrane distillation. This shows potential for applications in the many parts of the world suffering from arsenic-contaminated groundwater. These membranes were enhanced by the addition of reduced graphene oxide functionalized with superhydrophobic polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane molecules (POSS-rGO) into the spinning solutions. The flux of the best-performing rGO-enhanced membrane (containing 2 wt % POSS-rGO) was 21.5% higher than that of the pure PVDF membrane and almost double that of a commercial polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane after 24 h of testing, with rejection values exceeding 99.9%. Furthermore, the flux of this membrane was stable over 5 days (∼28 L m-2 h-1) of continuous testing and was more stable than those of the PTFE and control membranes when treating a concentrated fouling solution of calcium carbonate and iron(III) sulfate heptahydrate. It also achieved higher permeate quality in these conditions. The Young's modulus and ultimate tensile strength of the best-performing membrane increased by 38 and 271%, respectively, compared to the pure polymer membrane, while both had similar porosities of ∼91%.