Biomacromolecular carriers based hydrophobic natural products for potential cancer therapy.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. It was estimated that 90 % of cancer-related deaths were attributable to the development of multi-drug resistance (MDR) during chemotherapy, which results in ineffective chemotherapy. Hydrophobic natural products plays a pivotal role in the field of cancer therapy, with the potential to reverse MDR in tumor cells, thereby enhancing the efficacy of tumor therapy. However, their targeted delivery is considered a major hurdle in their application. The advent of numerous approaches for encapsulating bioactive ingredients in the nanodelivery systems has improved the stability and targeted delivery of these biomolecules. The manuscript comprehensively analyses the nanodelivery systems of bioactive compounds with potential cancer therapy applications, including liposomes, emulsions, solid lipid nanoparticles (NPs), and polymeric NPs. Then, the advantages and disadvantages of various nanoagents in the treatment of various cancer types are critically discussed. Further, the application of multiple-compbine delivery methods to overcome the limitations of single-delivery have need critically analyzed, which thus could help in the designing nanodrug delivery systems for bioactive compounds in clinical settings. Therefore, the review is timely and important for development of efficient nanodelivery systems involving hydrophobic natural products to improve pharmacokinetic properties for effective cancer treatment.

Mechanism for leaching of fluoride ions from carbon dross generated in high-temperature and low-lithium aluminum electrolytic systems.

Carbon dross, a hazardous solid waste generated during aluminum electrolysis, contains large amounts of soluble fluoride ions for the main components of the electrolyte (such as Na3AlF6 and NaF). Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to investigate the mechanism for fluoride ion leaching from carbon dross via water leaching, acid leaching and alkali leaching, and the kinetic and thermodynamic principles of the leaching process were revealed. The RSM predicted the optimum conditions of water leaching, alkali leaching and acid leaching, and the conditions are as follows: temperature, 50 °C; shaking speed, 213 r·min-1; particle size, 0.075 mm; shaking speed, 194 r·min-1; liquid-solid ratio, 12.6 mg·L-1; sodium hydroxide concentration, 1.53 mol·L-1; liquid-solid ratio, 25.0 mg·L-1; sulfuric acid concentration, 2.00 mol·L-1; and temperature, 60 °C，and actual results which were almost consistent with the predicted results were gained. The fluoride ions in the alkaline and acid leaching solutions were mainly the dissociation products of fluorides such as Na3AlF6, Na5Al3F14 and CaF2, as indicated by thermodynamics calculations. In particular, the fluoride compounds dissolved in alkali solution were Na3AlF6, Na5Al3F14, AlF3, ZrF4, K3AlF6, while the acid solution could dissolve only Na3AlF6 and CaF2. The leaching kinetics experiments showed that the leaching rate fit the unreacted shrinking core model [1-2/3α-(1-α)2/3 =kt] and that the leaching process was controlled by internal diffusion. This study provides theoretical guidance for the removal of soluble fluoride ions from carbon dross and will also assist in the separation of electrolytes from carbon dross. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATION: Carbon dross, a hazardous waste generated during the aluminum electrolysis production process, contains a large amount of soluble fluoride. Improper storage will lead the fluoride ions pollution in soil, surface water or groundwater under the direct contact between carbon dross and rainfall, snow or surface runoff. The influence of wind will cause carbon dross dust to pollute further areas. With the human body long-term contact with fluoride ion contaminated soil or water, human health will be seriously harmed.

Microwave-ultrasonic technique development coupled with natural deep eutectic solvents in anthocyanin extraction from perilla leaves (Perilla frutescens var. Acuta).

BACKGROUND: As potent antioxidants, anthocyanins can protect the body from free radicals. However, the traditional solvent extraction method has the disadvantages of requiring a high extraction temperature and long extraction time, so it is necessary to develop an efficient extraction method for anthocyanins. RESULTS: In this study, the technique of natural deep eutectic solvents (DESs) was applied to extract anthocyanins from purple perilla leaves with the aid of microwave-ultrasonic assisted extraction (MUAE). The response surface methodology (RSM), based on the Box-Behnken design (BBD), predicted the maximum extraction yield of anthocyanins to be 619.62 mg (100 g)-1 under the following conditions: x1 (ultrasonic extraction power) = 357.25 W, x2 (time) = 25.62 min, and x3 (temperature) = 57.80 °C. The biological activity of the extract obtained was evaluated by examining its radical-scavenging effect on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, hydroxyl radical, and superoxide anion radicals. Its bacteriostatic impact was investigated on four typical bacteria: Shewanella putrefaciens (S. putrefaciens), Pseudomonas fluorescens (P. fluorescens), Escherichia coli (E. coli), and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). CONCLUSION: The integrated extraction method of DESs with MUAE was efficient, energy-saving, green, and sustainable. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.