ABSTRACT
Pharmaceutical companies worldwide are scrambling to develop new ways to combat cancer and microbiological pathogens. The goal of this research was to investigate the antibacterial, anticancer, and apoptosis effects of novel niosomal formulated Persian Gulf Sea cucumber extracts (SCEs). Sea cucumber methanolic extracts were prepared and encapsulated in niosome nanoparticles using thin-film hydration. The compound was made up of Span 60 and Tween 60 blended with cholesterol in a 3:3:4 M ratios. Characterization of niosome-encapsulated SCE evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The disk diffusion method and microtiter plates were used to investigate the antimicrobial activity. The effect of niosome-encapsulated SCE on cell proliferation and apoptosis induction was studied using MTT and Annexin V, respectively. The expression of apoptosis-related genes, including Bax, Fas, Bax, Bak, and Bcl2, was studied using quantitative real-time PCR. Niosome-encapsulated SCE with a size of 80.46 ± 1.31 and an encapsulation efficiency of 79.18 ± 0.23 was formulated. At a concentration of 100 µg/ml, the greatest antimicrobial effect of the niosome-encapsulated SCE was correlated to Staphylococcus aureus, with an inhibition zone of 13.16 mm. The findings of the study revealed that all strains were unable to produce biofilms at a concentration of 100 µg/ml niosome-encapsulated SCE (p < 0.001). The survival rate of cancer cells after 72 h of exposure to niosome-encapsulated SCE was 40 ± 3.0%. Encapsulated SCE in niosomes inhibited cell progression in MCF-7 cells by increasing G0/G1 and decreasing S phase relative to G2/M phase; as a result, it activated the apoptosis signaling pathway and led to the induction of apoptosis in 69.12 ± 1.2% of tumor cells by increasing the expression of proapoptotic genes (p < 0.001). The results indicate that sea cucumber species from the Persian Gulf are a promising source of natural chemicals with antibacterial and anticancer properties, paving the path for novel marine natural products to be discovered. This is the first demonstration that niosome-encapsulated SCE contains antibacterial and anticancer chemicals that, according to their specific characteristics, boost antitumor activity.
ABSTRACT
Helicobacter pylori is a leading cause of stomach cancer and peptic ulcers. Thus, identifying epitopes in H. pylori antigens is important for disease etiology, immunological surveillance, enhancing early detection tests, and developing optimal epitope-based vaccines. We used immunoinformatic and computational methods to create a potential CagW epitope candidate for H. pylori protection. The cagW gene of H. pylori was amplified and cloned into pcDNA3.1 (+) for injection into the muscles of healthy BALB/c mice to assess the impact of the DNA vaccine on interleukin levels. The results will be compared to a control group of mice that received PBS or cagW-pcDNA3.1 (+) vaccinations. An analysis of CagW protein antigens revealed 8 CTL and 7 HTL epitopes linked with AYY and GPGPG, which were enhanced by adding B-defensins to the N-terminus. The vaccine's immunogenicity, allergenicity, and physiochemistry were validated, and its strong activation of TLRs (1, 2, 3, 4, and 10) suggests it is antigenic. An in-silico cloning and immune response model confirmed the vaccine's expression efficiency and predicted its impact on the immune system. An immunofluorescence experiment showed stable and bioactive cagW gene expression in HDF cells after cloning the whole genome into pcDNA3.1 (+). In vivo vaccination showed that pcDNA3.1 (+)-cagW-immunized mice had stronger immune responses and a longer plasmid DNA release window than control-plasmid-immunized mice. After that, bioinformatics methods predicted, developed, and validated the three-dimensional structure. Many online services docked it with Toll-like receptors. The vaccine was refined using allergenicity, antigenicity, solubility, physicochemical properties, and molecular docking scores. Virtual-reality immune system simulations showed an impressive reaction. Codon optimization and in-silico cloning produced E. coli-expressed vaccines. This study suggests a CagW epitopes-protected H. pylori infection. These studies show that the proposed immunization may elicit particular immune responses against H. pylori, but laboratory confirmation is needed to verify its safety and immunogenicity.
