Optically active neodymium hydroxide surface-functionalized mesoporous silica micro-cocoons for biomedical applications.

Neodymium hydroxide (Nd(OH)3)-surface modified mesoporous silica micro-cocoon microstructures were prepared using a facile single-step sol-gel chemical process. XRD revealed the semi-crystalline nature of the as-prepared materials. TEM and SEM micrographs exhibited highly monodisperse, non-aggregated, typical ordered mesoporous, and irregular sized cocoon-shaped micro-structures with a narrow size distribution. Optical properties, that were examined in the aqueous media, revealed a high colloidal stability and the formation of a semi-transparent colloidal solution. The colloidal solution of Nd(OH)3-surface functionalized micro-structures revealed well characteristics absorption bands of Nd3+ ions in the visible region. thus validating the successful coating of SiO2@Nd(OH)3 layer over the surface silica forming core-shell structures. Zeta potential, 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium) bromide, and neutral red uptake assays were applied in a dose-dependent manner to investigate the biocompatibility and toxic potential of the designed cocoon-shaped microstructures. Both the assays and the high zeta potential value demonstrated good cell viability even at high concentrations and hydrophilic conditions, indicating excellent biocompatibility and non-toxicity. These highly hydrophilic, optically active, mesoporous, biocompatible, and non-toxic cocoon-shaped microstructures could be potentially suitable candidates for optical bio-probes and drug delivery applications.

Copper(II) complexes as potential anticancer and Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents: In vitro and in vivo studies.

Copper-based compounds are promising entities for target-specific next-generation anticancer and NSAIDS therapeutics. In lieu of this, benzimidazole scaffold plays an important role, because of their wide variety of potential functionalizations and coordination modes. Herein, we report three copper complexes 1-3 with benzimidazole-derived scaffolds, a biocompatible molecule, and secondary ligands viz, 1-10-phenanthroline and 2,2'-bipyridyl. All the copper complexes have been designed, synthesized and adequately characterized using various spectroscopic techniques. In-vitro, human serum albumin (HSA) binding was also carried out using fluorescence technique and in-silico molecular modeling studies, which exhibited significant binding affinities of the complexes with HSA. Furthermore, copper complexes 1-3 were tested for biological studies, i.e., anticancer as well as NSAIDS. In vitro cytotoxicity results were carried out on cultured MCF-7 cell lines. To get the insight over the mechanism of action, GSH depletion and change in lipid peroxidation were tested and thus confirmed the role of ROS generation, responsible for the cytotoxicity of the complexes 1-3. Moreover, the copper complexes 1-3 were tested for potential to act as NSAIDS on albino rats and mice in animal studies in-vivo. Additionally, we also predicted the mechanism of action of the copper complexes 1-3 using molecular modeling studies with COX-2 inhibitor.

Bacterial isolates exhibiting multidrug resistance, hemolytic activity, and high 16S rRNA gene similarity with well-known pathogens found in camel milk samples of Riyadh region.

Customary consumption of unpasteurized milk by the population in the central Najed region of Saudi Arabia may pose a health risk. Therefore, 80 camel milk samples were collected aseptically from seven different stations of Riyadh region. The biochemical and microbiological properties of these milk samples were determined. Nutrient agar and brain heart infusion agar were used to determine mesophilic aerobic counts (MACs). The MAC in each mL of milk varied from 60 to 16 × 104  CFU/mL on nutrient agar. Based on the colony morphology, 176 colonies were collected from different samples, and these isolates were de-replicated into 80 unique isolates using rep-PCR analysis. Surprisingly, the 16S rRNA sequence analysis of these strains revealed that more than one-third of the collected milk samples contained strains that share maximum sequence similarities with well-known pathogens, such as Brucella, Bacillus anthracis, Listeria monocytogenes, and MRSA. Furthermore, many strains exhibit 16S rRNA gene similarity with opportunistic pathogens such as Citrobacter freundii and Kytococcus schroeteri. Many strains exhibit ß-hemolytic activity and resistant to six different antibiotics. Our study suggested that consumption of raw camel milk from this region constitutes a great health risk.

General and facile purification of dye-labeled oligonucleotides by pH-controlled extraction.

Previously, we reported a method for facile purification of oligonucleotides labeled with hydrophobic dyes, based on the solubility difference between the hydrophilic DNA and unreacted dye. Here, we present a new purification method applicable to any dye regardless of its hydrophobicity. We exploited the population shift of a fluorescent dye in a low-pH aqueous solution from its anionic form toward its neutral form. When the pH of an aqueous solution containing dye-labeled DNA and unreacted free dye is lowered, and the solution is mixed with a hydrophobic organic solvent (butanol), the neutral free dye is preferentially dissolved in the organic phase, leaving behind the hydrophilic dye-labeled DNA in the aqueous phase. We experimentally verified that our new method results in high yields of dye-labeled oligonucleotides and the efficient removal of free dye.

Aloe vera extract functionalized zinc oxide nanoparticles as nanoantibiotics against multi-drug resistant clinical bacterial isolates.

ZnO nanoparticles (ZnONPs) were synthesised through a simple and efficient biogenic synthesis approach, exploiting the reducing and capping potential of Aloe barbadensis Miller (A. vera) leaf extract (ALE). ALE-capped ZnO nanoparticles (ALE-ZnONPs) were characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses. XRD analysis provided the average size of ZnONPs as 15 nm. FTIR spectral analysis suggested the role of phenolic compounds, terpenoids and proteins present in ALE, in nucleation and stability of ZnONPs. Flow cytometry and atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) data analyses revealed the surface binding and internalization of ZnONPs in Gram +ve (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram -ve (Escherichia coli) cells, respectively. Significant antibacterial activity of ALE-ZnONPs was observed against extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBL) positive E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) clinical isolates exhibiting the MIC and MBC values of 2200, 2400 µg/ml and 2300, 2700 µg/ml, respectively. Substantial inhibitory effects of ALE-ZnONPs on bacterial growth kinetics, exopolysaccharides and biofilm formation, unequivocally suggested the antibiotic and anti-biofilm potential. Overall, the results elucidated a rapid, environmentally benign, cost-effective, and convenient method for ALE-ZnONPs synthesis, for possible applications as nanoantibiotics or drug carriers.

Comparison on the molecular response profiles between nano zinc oxide (ZnO) particles and free zinc ion using a genome-wide toxicogenomics approach.

Increasing production and applications of nano zinc oxide particles (nano-ZnO) enhances the probability of its exposure in occupational and environmental settings, but toxicity studies are still limited. Taking the free Zn ion (Zn(2+)) as a control, cytotoxicity of a commercially available nano-ZnO was assessed with a 6-h exposure in Escherichia coli (E. coli). The fitted dose-cytotoxicity curve for ZnCl2 was significantly sharper than that from nano-ZnO. Then, a genome-wide gene expression profile following exposure to nano-ZnO was conducted by use of a live cell reporter assay system with library of 1820 modified green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing promoter reporter vectors constructed from E. coli K12 strains, which resulted in 387 significantly altered genes in bacterial (p < 0.001). These altered genes were enriched into ten biological processing and two cell components (p < 0.05) terms through statistical hypergeometric testing, strongly suggesting that exposure to nano-ZnO would result a great disturbance on the functional gene product synthesis processing, such as translation, gene expression, RNA modification, and structural constituent of ribosome. The pattern of expression of 37 genes altered by nano-ZnO (fold change>2) was different from the profile following exposure to 6 mg/L of free zinc ion. The result indicates that these two Zn forms might cause toxicity to bacterial in different modes of action. Our results underscore the importance of understanding the adverse effects elicited by nano-ZnO after entering aquatic environment.

Biomimetic synthesis of selenium nanospheres by bacterial strain JS-11 and its role as a biosensor for nanotoxicity assessment: a novel se-bioassay.

Selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs) were synthesized by green technology using the bacterial isolate Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain JS-11. The bacteria exhibited significant tolerance to selenite (SeO3(2-)) up to 100 mM concentration with an EC50 value of 140 mM. The spent medium (culture supernatant) contains the potential of reducing soluble and colorless SeO3(2-) to insoluble red elemental selenium (Se(0)) at 37°C. Characterization of red Se° product by use of UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectrum (EDX) analysis revealed the presence of stable, predominantly monodispersed and spherical selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs) of an average size of 21 nm. Most likely, the metabolite phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) released by strain JS-11 in culture supernatant along with the known redox agents like NADH and NADH dependent reductases are responsible for biomimetic reduction of SeO3(2-) to Se° nanospheres. Based on the bioreduction of a colorless solution of SeO3(2-) to elemental red Se(0), a high throughput colorimetric bioassay (Se-Assay) was developed for parallel detection and quantification of nanoparticles (NPs) cytotoxicity in a 96 well format. Thus, it has been concluded that the reducing power of the culture supernatant of strain JS-11 could be effectively exploited for developing a simple and environmental friendly method of Se-NPs synthesis. The results elucidated that the red colored Se° nanospheres may serve as a biosensor for nanotoxicity assessment, contemplating the inhibition of SeO3(2-) bioreduction process in NPs treated bacterial cell culture supernatant, as a toxicity end point.