Nanophytomedicine: A promising practical approach in phytotherapy.

The long and rich history of herbal therapeutic nutrients is fascinating. It is incredible to think about how ancient civilizations used plants and herbs to treat various ailments and diseases. One group of bioactive phytochemicals that has gained significant attention recently is dietary polyphenols. These compounds are commonly found in a variety of fruits, vegetables, spices, nuts, drinks, legumes, and grains. Despite their incredible therapeutic properties, one challenge with polyphenols is their poor water solubility, stability, and bioavailability. This means that they are not easily absorbed by the body when consumed in essential diets. Because of structural complexity, polyphenols with high molecular weight cannot be absorbed in the small intestine and after arriving in the colon, they are metabolized by gut microbiota. However, researchers are constantly working on finding solutions to enhance the bioavailability and absorption of these compounds. This study aims to address this issue by applying nanotechnology approaches to overcome the challenges of the therapeutic application of dietary polyphenols. This combination of nanotechnology and phytochemicals could cause a completely new field called nanophytomedicine or herbal nanomedicine.

Targeting lung cancer cells with MUC1 aptamer-functionalized PLA-PEG nanocarriers.

MUC1 aptamer-functionalized PLA-PEG nanocarriers at various w/w ratios (polymer to doxorubicin weight ratio) were prepared by a double emulsion method. Physiochemical properties, encapsulation efficiency (EE), loading content (LC) and in vitro release kinetics of DOX were assessed. Furthermore, cytotoxicity and antitumor activity of prepared PLA-PEG-Apt/DOX NPs at w/w ratio 10:1 were evaluated by MTT assay and flow cytometry against MUC1-overexpressing A-549 cell line. Targeted nanocarriers (PLA-PEG-Apt/DOX NPs at w/w ratio 10:1) induced higher apoptosis rate (36.3 ± 3.44%) for 24 h in MUC1 positive A-549 cancer cells in compare to non-targeted form (PLA-PEG/DOX NPs at w/w ratio 10:1, 11.37 ± 1.65%) and free DOX (4.35 ± 0.81%). In other word, the percentage of cell death in A-549 lung cancer cells treated with PLA-PEG-Apt/DOX NPs at w/w ratio 10:1 is 3.19 and 8.34 fold higher than in non-targeted form and Free DOX treated cancer cells, respectively. Therefore, PLA-PEG-Apt/DOX NPs might be considered a promising drug delivery system for targeted drug delivery towards MUC1-overexpressing tumors cells.

Toxicity of carbon-based nanomaterials: Reviewing recent reports in medical and biological systems.

Application of nanomaterials in our daily life is increasing, day in day out and concerns have raised about their toxicity for human and other organisms. In this manner, carbon-based nanomaterials have been applied to different products due to their unique physicochemical, electrical, mechanical properties, and biological compatibility. But, there are several reports about the negative effects of these materials on biological systems and cellular compartments. This review article describes the various types of carbon-based nanomaterials and methods that use for determining these toxic effects that are reported recently in the papers. Then, extensively discussed the toxic effects of these materials on the human and other living organisms and also their toxicity routs including Neurotoxicity, Hepatotoxicity, Nephrotoxicity, Immunotoxicity, Cardiotoxicity, Genotoxicity and epigenetic toxicity, Dermatotoxicity, and Carcinogenicity.

Effects of Olive Leaf Extract on Metabolic Response, Liver and Kidney Functions and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Hypertensive Patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Hypertension is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure is gradually elevated. In this project, the effects of olive leaf extract (OLE) were evaluated on metabolic response, liver and kidney functions and also biomarkers of inflammation in hypertensive patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this randomized double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial, 60 hypertensive patients, aged 30-60 years old had participated. Patients were randomly assigned into two groups to receive either OLE or placebo tablets for 12 weeks. At the beginning and end of the intervention, metabolic parameters and biomarkers of liver, kidney and inflammation were measured in sera of the participants using available laboratory methods. RESULTS: Compared with the placebo, changes in parameters associated with glucose metabolism were not statistically significant (p>0.05). The OLE tablets did not have significant effect on liver enzymes, total protein, albumin, urea and creatinine (p>0.05), but significantly decreased interleukin-6, interleukin-8 and tumor necrosis factor alpha as inflammatory biomarkers (p<0.05) in OLE group compared to the placebo group. CONCLUSION: The results concluded that inflammation as a major cause of hypertension was significantly decreased in patients using OLE tablets.

The combinational effect of E6/E7 siRNA and anti-miR-182 on apoptosis induction in HPV16-positive cervical cells.

In the present research, we assumed that reducing the amounts of E6 and E7 oncoproteins by a specific siRNA sequence and recovering p53 and RB proteins, along with the recovery of the FOXO1 protein by applying anti-miR-182, would increase apoptosis and reduce proliferation rate in cancer cells. The HPV16-positive CaSki cervical cancer cell line was used. 48 hours after transfection of siRNA for targeting E6 and E7 oncoproteins and anti-miR-182, expression of its cellular targets p53, p21 and FOXO1 was assessed by real-time PCR, western blot analysis and immunocytofluorescence staining. In all treatments, apoptosis rate and viability were evaluated using Annexin-V-FITC apoptosis detection kits and MTT assays, respectively. Among the designed siRNAs, E6-1 and E7-2 proved the most effective in reducing E6 and E7 expressions by increasing the apoptotic rates to 12.4% and 16%, respectively, after 48 hours. Also, using anti-miR-182 increased apoptotic rate to 12.7% 48 hours after transfection of cervical cancer cells. The combinational use of either E6-1 or E7-2 siRNAs with anti-miR-182 resulted in a rise in apoptosis to 19.3% and 26%, respectively, higher than those obtained from the individual application of either without anti-miR-182. The simultaneous use of siRNA E6-1 and siRNA E7-2 with cisplatin increased sensitivity to cisplatin and reduced the viability of the cancer cells as compared to the use of cisplatin alone. The simultaneous use of cisplatin and anti-miR-182 had no considerable effect on viability or apoptosis rate compared to cisplatin alone.