Biogenic Nanoparticles Silver and Copper and Their Composites Derived from Marine Alga Ulva lactuca: Insight into the Characterizations, Antibacterial Activity, and Anti-Biofilm Formation.

Bacterial pathogens cause pain and death, add significantly to the expense of healthcare globally, and pose a serious concern in many aspects of daily life. Additionally, they raise significant issues in other industries, including pharmaceuticals, clothing, and food packaging. Due to their unique properties, a great deal of attention has been given to biogenic metal nanoparticles, nanocomposites, and their applications against pathogenic bacteria. This study is focused on biogenic silver and copper nanoparticles and their composites (UL/Ag2 O-NPS, Ul/CuO-NPs, and Ul/Ag/Cu-NCMs) produced by the marine green alga Ulva lactuca. The characterization of biogenic nanoparticles UL/Ag2 O-NPS and Ul/CuO-NPs and their composites Ul/Ag/Cu-NCMs has been accomplished by FT-IR, SEM, TEM, EDS, XRD, and the zeta potential. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) experiments were conducted to prove antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and anti-biofilm. The FTIR spectroscopy results indicate the exiting band at 1633 cm-1, which represents N-H stretching in nanocomposites, with a small shift in both copper and silver nanoparticles, which is responsible for the bio-reduction of nanoparticles. The TEM image reveals that the Ul/Ag/Cu-NCMs were hexagonal, and the size distribution ranged from 10 to 35 nm. Meanwhile, Ul/CuO-NPs are rod-shaped, whereas UL/Ag2 O-NPS are spherical. The EDX analysis shows that Cu metal was present in a high weight percentage over Ag in the case of bio-Ag/Cu-NCMs. The X-ray diffraction denotes that Ul/Ag/Cu-NCMs, UL/CuO-NPs, and UL/Ag2 O-NPS were crystalline. The results predicted by the zeta potential demonstrate that Ul/Ag/Cu-NCMs were more stable than Ul/CuO-NPs. The antibacterial activity of UL/Ag2 O-NPS, Ul/Ag/Cu-NCMs, and UL/CuO-NPs was studied against eleven Gram-negative and Gram-positive multidrug-resistant bacterial species. The maximum inhibition zones were obtained with UL/Ag2 O-NPS, followed by Ul/Ag/Cu-NCMs and Ul/CuO-NPs in all the tested bacteria. The maximum anti-biofilm percentage formed by E. coli KY856933 was obtained with UL/Ag2 O-NPS. These findings suggest that the synthesized nanoparticles might be a great alternative for use as an antibacterial agent against different multidrug-resistant bacterial strains.

Nephroprotective Role of Selenium Nanoparticles Against Glycerol-Induced Acute Kidney Injury in Rats.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a clinical syndrome associated with the incidence of rhabdomyolysis (RM). The current study was carried out to evaluate whether selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) can protect against the glycerol-induced AKI model. Rats were distributed into four equal groups (n = 7): the control group (G1), SeNPs group (G2), AKI group (G3), and SeNPs+AKI group (G4). Rats in G1 were intramuscularly injected with physiological saline (0.9% NaCl). Rats in G2 were gavaged with SeNPs (0.1 mg/kg) for 14 days. Rats in G3 were intramuscularly injected with 50% glycerol (10 ml/kg). Rats in G4 were administered with SeNPs for 14 days and then injected with glycerol, as in G3. Glycerol-injected rats showed a significant increase in the kidney relative weight, as well as in the serum urea, creatinine, Kim-1, and renal malondialdehyde, nitric oxide, TNF-α, IL-1ß, cytochrome c, Bax, and caspase-3 levels. In addition, a significant decrease in glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase was recorded in the renal tissue. Selenium nanoparticles reduced the biochemical, molecular, and histological changes produced by glycerol. Overall, our results suggest that selenium nanoparticles could be used to protect against AKI development via antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic activities.

Red beetroot extract mitigates chlorpyrifos-induced reprotoxicity associated with oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis in rats.

The goal of our investigation is to evaluate the potential protective efficacy of red beetroot extract (RBR) against testicular toxicity produced by CPF in rats. CPF exposure decreased the weight of testis and the levels of luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone and testosterone. CPF impaired also the oxidative status in favor of pro-oxidant molecules in the testicular tissue. Additionally, CPF stimulated the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and their gene expression. Concomitantly, an apoptotic cascade has been observed upon CPF intoxication. However, RBR administration protected the testis tissue through modulating the hormonal level, inhibiting the oxidative damage, inflammation and the apoptotic responses following CPF intoxication. The obtained data recommend the use of RBR to prevent CPF-induced testicular damage via antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic pathways.