Methods of detection of ß-galactosidase enzyme in living cells.

The application of ß-galactosidase enzyme ranges from industrial use as probiotics to medically important application such as cancer detection. The irregular activities of ß-galactosidase enzyme are directly related to the development of cancers. Identifying the location and expression levels of enzymes in cancer cells have considerable importance in early-stage cancer diagnosis and monitoring the efficacy of therapies. Most importantly, the knowledge of the efficient method of detection of ß-galactosidase enzyme will help in the early-stage treatment of the disease. In this review paper, we provide an overview of recent advances in the detection methods of ß-galactosidase enzyme in the living cells, including the detection strategies, and approaches in human beings, plants, and microorganisms such as bacteria. Further, we emphasized on the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly developing field of development of different biomarkers and fluorescent probes based on ß-galactosidase enzyme. We found that previously used chromo-fluorogenic methods have been mostly replaced by the new molecular probes, although they have certain drawbacks. Upon comparing the different methods, it was found that near-infrared fluorescent probes are dominating the other detection methods.

Crossing the blood-brain barrier with carbon dots: uptake mechanism and in vivo cargo delivery.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a major obstacle for drug delivery to the central nervous system (CNS) such that most therapeutics lack efficacy against brain tumors or neurological disorders due to their inability to cross the BBB. Therefore, developing new drug delivery platforms to facilitate drug transport to the CNS and understanding their mechanism of transport are crucial for the efficacy of therapeutics. Here, we report (i) carbon dots prepared from glucose and conjugated to fluorescein (GluCD-F) cross the BBB in zebrafish and rats without the need of an additional targeting ligand and (ii) uptake mechanism of GluCDs is glucose transporter-dependent in budding yeast. Glucose transporter-negative strain of yeast showed undetectable GluCD accumulation unlike the glucose transporter-positive yeast, suggesting glucose-transporter-dependent GluCD uptake. We tested GluCDs' ability to cross the BBB using both zebrafish and rat models. Following the injection to the heart, wild-type zebrafish showed GluCD-F accumulation in the central canal consistent with the transport of GluCD-F across the BBB. In rats, following intravenous administration, GluCD-F was observed in the CNS. GluCD-F was localized in the gray matter (e.g. ventral horn, dorsal horn, and middle grey) of the cervical spinal cord consistent with neuronal accumulation. Therefore, neuron targeting GluCDs hold tremendous potential as a drug delivery platform in neurodegenerative disease, traumatic injury, and malignancies of the CNS.

Interfacial Behavior of Fumonisin B1 Toxin and Its Degradation on the Membrane.

Fumonisin B1 (FB1), the most abundant component of the fumonisin family, is highly responsible for fungal infections. In this paper, our main aim is to study the surface chemistry and spectroscopic properties of the FB1 molecule and observe the impact of green LED light on the FB1 Langmuir monolayer. From the surface chemistry and spectroscopic studies, we found that the FB1 molecule forms a self-assembled Langmuir monolayer which is sufficient to mimic its interaction with the corneal tissues. The irradiation of green LED light on the FB1 Langmuir monolayer showed the degradation of the FB1 when compared to that in the absence of light. This observation reveals that FB1 molecules lose their tendency to stay as a Langmuir monolayer. The degradation observed on the interface was compared with the bulk phase of FB1. The bulk phase observation also indicated the degradation tendency which reinforced the observed interfacial property of FB1.