Fabrication of hydroxyapatite-based nano-gold and nano-silver-doped bioceramic bone grafts: Enhanced mechanostructure, cell viability, and nuclear abnormality properties.

In this study, nano-gold (nAu) and nano-silver (nAg) were doped at the molar ratios of Molar5-Molar30 to the Hydroxyapatite (HAp)-based bioceramic bone graft synthesized by the sol-gel method. The effects of nAu and nAg on structural, mechanical, cell viability, and nuclear abnormality of the synthesized bioceramic grafts were evaluated. The chemical and morphological properties of the bone grafts after production were examined through XRD and SEM-EDX analyses and mechanical tests. To determine the biocompatibility of the bone grafts, cell viability tests were performed using human fibroblast cells. In the cytotoxicity analyses, only HAp and HAp-nAu5 grafts did not show toxicological properties at any concentration, while HAp-nAg5 among the nAg-containing grafts gave the best results at the 200-100 µg/mL concentrations and showed significant cytotoxicity in human fibroblast cells. The other nAu-containing grafts showed toxicological properties in the concentration range of 200-50 µg/mL and nAg-containing grafts in the concentration range of 200-100 µg/mL against the negative control. The micronucleus (MN) analyses showed that the lowest total MN and L (lobbed) amounts, while the lowest total N (notched) amount, was obtained from the only HAp graft. It was found that the nAg-doped bone grafts gave higher total MN, L, and N amounts compared to the nAu-doped bone grafts. Furthermore, while the mean nuclear abnormality (NA) values of all grafts gave close results, the highest values were again obtained from the nAg-doped bone grafts.

Neuroprotective effects of Geranium Robertianum L. Aqueous extract on the cellular Parkinson's disease model.

OBJECTIVE: In recent years, botanical medicines alone or in conjunction with existing therapies have attracted considerable popularity as an alternative treatment for Parkinson's Disease (PD). For instance, Geranium robertianum L. (Geraniaceae family) has been used in folk medicine for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, its neuroprotective potential has not been well demonstrated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Herein and for the first time, we have investigated the in vitro neuroprotective effects of leaf extract of G. Robertianum over a wide dose range (0-200 µg/mL) on the PD model using retinoic acid (RA)-differentiated SHSY-5Y cells and 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+)-induced neurotoxicity. The neuroprotective effects were determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assays. The antioxidant activity of the extract was measured by total antioxidant status (TAS) and total oxidant status (TOS). The effect of leaf aqueous extracts on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was also determined. Finally, cell death mechanisms were analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Our results showed that G. Robertianum leaf extract ameliorated cytotoxicity and oxidative damage by MPP+. Moreover, G. Robertianum extract exhibited a protective activity against MPP+ induced apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings could lead to a promising new candidate for a possible cure of Parkinson's disease through neuroprotective mechanisms with respect to antioxidant and apoptosis inhibitory properties of G. Robertianum water extracts.