Effects of ibuprofen in the ZDF rat model of type 2 diabetes.

We aimed to investigate the therapeutic potential of ibuprofen against type 2 diabetes (T2D) using obese Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats as type 2 diabetes model. ZDF rats were hyperglycemic, dyslipidemic and expressed proinflammatory markers in contrast to lean controls, thus reflecting the relationship between obesity and chronic inflammation promoting T2D. Chronic treatment with ibuprofen (2-(4-Isobutylphenyl)propanoic acid) was used to study the impact on pathological T2D conditions as compared to metformin (1,1-dimethylbiguanide) treated ZDF as well as lean controls. Ibuprofen decreased A1c but induced a high insulin release with improved glucose tolerance only after early time points (i.g., 15 and 30 min) resulting in a non-significant decline of AUC values and translating into a high HOMA-IR. In addition, ibuprofen significantly lowered cholesterol, free fatty acids and HDL-C. Some of these effects by ibuprofen might be based on its anti-inflammatory effects through inhibition of cytokine/chemokine signaling (i.g., COX-2, ICAM-1 and TNF-α) as measured in whole blood and epididymal adipose tissue by TaqMan and/or upregulation of anti-inflammatory cytokines (i.g., IL-4 and IL-13) by ELISA analysis in blood. In conclusion, our ZDF animal study showed positive effects of ibuprofen against diabetic complications such as inflammation and dyslipidemia but also demonstrated the risk of causing insulin resistance.

Tips for Transient Perivascular Inflammation of the Carotid Artery Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic carotidynia, also known as transient perivascular inflammation of the carotid artery (TIPIC) syndrome, is a rare, self-limited, clinical-radiologic entity. Over the years, the diagnosis of carotidynia has been controversial, but recent pathologic, radiologic, clinical, and laboratory findings support an inflammatory etiology. CASE REPORT: A 61-year-old woman with a history of hypertension, left lower extremity liposarcoma, and right internal jugular port placement 2 weeks prior with initiation of chemotherapy presented to the emergency department with right neck pain and swelling of the lateral neck and lower face for the past 3 days. Computed tomography-neck with IV contrast revealed marked mural thickening of the right common carotid artery, which can be seen with carotidynia (Fay syndrome and TIPIC syndrome) and vasculitis. The patient had elevated inflammatory markers and was treated clinically for carotidynia with ibuprofen, evaluated by vascular surgery, and discharged home. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: The causes of acute neck pain are diverse, ranging from nonemergent to surgically emergent etiologies. As radiologists and emergency physicians, we believe TIPIC syndrome is a rare entity with important clinical impact deserving attention, as it is not typically included in medical training and is usually learned only through years of clinical experience and practice. TIPIC syndrome requires a unique combination of both clinical and radiologic findings to diagnose accurately and appropriately. It is important to be familiar with this diagnosis because treatment is focused on symptomatic relief without the need for invasive procedures. Our goal was to increase awareness of this uncommon diagnosis to improve patient care by preventing unnecessary invasive procedures and aid in timely and accurate diagnosis.

IBPA a mutual prodrug of ibuprofen and acetaminophen alleviates inflammation, immune dysregulation and fibrosis in preclinical models of systemic sclerosis.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a devastating autoimmune illness with a wide range of clinical symptoms, including vascular abnormalities, inflammation, and persistent and progressive fibrosis. The disease's complicated pathophysiology makes it difficult to develop effective therapies, necessitating research into novel therapeutic options. Molecular hybridization is a strategy that can be used to develop new drugs that act on two or multiple targets and represents an interesting option to be explored for the treatment of complex diseases. We aimed to evaluate the effects of a hybrid mutual prodrug of ibuprofen and acetaminophen (IBPA) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) isolated from SSc patients, and in an in vivo model of SSc induced in BALB/c mice by intradermal injections of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) for 6 weeks. The mice were treated at the same time with daily intraperitoneal injections of IBPA (40 mg/kg). Pulmonary and skin fibrosis as well as immune responses were evaluated. IBPA significantly decreased the release of cytokines in PBMC culture supernatants from SSc patients after stimulation with phytohemagglutinin-M (IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-13, IL-17A, TNF and IFN-γ).In HOCl-induced SSc, IBPA treatment prevented dermal and pulmonary fibrosis, in addition to reducing CD4 + T and B cells activation and reversing the M2 polarization of macrophages in spleen cells, and inhibiting IFN-γ secretion in splenocyte cultures. These results show the anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic effects of IBPA in SSc and highlight the therapeutic potential of this mutual prodrug, providing support for future studies.

Medicinal Anti-Inflammatory Patch Loaded with Lavender Essential Oil.

Transdermal drug delivery offers a promising alternative for administering medications like ibuprofen, known for its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, with reduced gastrointestinal side effects compared to oral administration. This study explored the potential synergistic effects of combining ibuprofen with lavender essential oil (LEO) in transdermal patches. The composition of LEO was analyzed, revealing predominant compounds such as linalyl acetate and linalool, which are known for their analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. The physicochemical properties of the patches were investigated, indicating improved cohesion with the addition of LEO. Additionally, thermal stability assessments demonstrated enhanced stability with LEO incorporation with an increase in onset decomposition temperature from 49.0 to 67.9 °C. The antioxidant activity of patches containing LEO was significantly higher with a free radical scavenging ability of 79.13% RSA compared to 60% RSA in patches without LEO. Release and permeation studies showed that patches with LEO exhibited an increased permeation of ibuprofen through the skin with 74.40% of the drug released from LEO-containing patches compared to 36.29% from patches without LEO after 24 h. Moreover, the permeation rate was notably faster with LEO, indicating quicker therapeutic effects. The inclusion of LEO in transdermal patches containing ibuprofen holds promise for enhancing drug delivery efficiency and therapeutic effectiveness, offering a potential strategy for improved pain management with reduced side effects.

Contribution of the α1-Acid Glycoprotein in Drug Pharmacokinetics: The Usefulness of α1-Acid Glycoprotein-Knockout Mice.

α1-Acid glycoprotein (AGP) is a primary binding protein for many basic drugs in plasma. The number of drugs that bind to AGP, such as molecular target anticancer drugs, has been continuously increasing. Since the plasma level of AGP fluctuates under various pathological conditions such as inflammation, it is important to evaluate the contribution of AGP to drug pharmacokinetics. Here, we generated conventional AGP-knockout (AGP-KO) mice and used them to evaluate the contribution of AGP. The pharmacokinetics of drugs that bind to two AGP variants (F1*S or A variants) or albumin were evaluated. Imatinib (a F1*S-binding drug) and disopyramide (an A-binding drug) or ibuprofen (an albumin-binding drug) were administered to wild-type (WT) and AGP-KO. The plasma level of imatinib and disopyramide decreased rapidly in AGP-KO as compared to WT. In AGP-KO, AUC and t1/2 were decreased, then CLtot was increased. Compared with disopyramide, imatinib pharmacokinetics showed more marked changes in AGP-KO as compared to WT. The results seemed to be due to the difference in plasma level of each AGP variant (F1*S:A = 2-3:1). No differences were observed in ibuprofen pharmacokinetics between the WT and AGP-KO mice. In vitro experiments using plasma from WT and AGP-KO showed that unbound fractions of imatinib and disopyramide were higher in AGP-KO. These results suggest that the rapid elimination of imatinib and disopyramide in AGP-KO could be due to decreased protein binding to AGP. Taken together, the AGP-KO mouse could be a potential animal model for evaluating the contribution of AGP to the pharmacokinetics of various drugs.

Multifunctional tunable Cu2O and CuInS2 quantum dots on TiO2 nanotubes for efficient chemical oxidation of cholesterol and ibuprofen.

In this study, a CuInS2/Cu2O/TiO2 nanotube (TNT) heterojunction-based hybrid material is reported for the selective detection of cholesterol and ibuprofen. Anodic TNTs were co-decorated with Cu2O and CuInS2 quantum dots (QDs) using a modified chemical bath deposition (CBD) method. QDs help trigger the chemical oxidation of cholesterol by cathodically generating hydroxyl radicals (˙OH). The small size of QDs can be used to tune the energy levels of electrode materials to the effective redox potential of redox species, resulting in highly improved sensing characteristics. Under optimal conditions, CuInS2/Cu2O/TNTs show the highest sensitivity (∼12 530 µA mM-1 cm-2, i.e. up to 11-fold increase compared to pristine TNTs) for cholesterol detection with a low detection limit (0.013 µM) and a fast response time (1.3 s). The proposed biosensor was successfully employed for the detection of cholesterol in real blood samples. In addition, fast (4 s) and reliable detection of ibuprofen (with a sensitivity of ∼1293 µA mM-1 cm-2) as a water contaminant was achieved using CuInS2/Cu2O/TNTs. The long-term stability and favourable reproducibility of CuInS2/Cu2O/TNTs illustrate a unique concept for the rational design of a stable and high-performance multi-purpose electrochemical sensor.

A novel insight of degradation ibuprofen in aqueous by catalytic ozonation with supported catalyst: Supports effect on ozone mass transfer.

Catalytic ozonation is an effective wastewater purification process. However, the low ozone mass transfer in packed bubble columns leads to low ozone utilization efficiency (OUE), poor organic degradation performance, and high energy consumption. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop efficient supported catalysts that can enhance mass transfer and performance. However, the reaction mechanism of the support on ozone mass transfer remains unclear, which hinders the development of catalytic ozonation applications. In this study, lava rocks (LR)-supported catalysts, specifically CuMn2O4@LR and MnO2Co3O4@LR, were proposed for catalytic ozonation of IBP degradation due to their superior catalytic activity, stability, and high OUE. Addition of CuMn2O4@LR or MnO2Co3O4@LR increased IBP removal efficiency from 85% to 91% or 88%, and reduced energy consumption from 2.86 to 2.14 kWh/m3 or 2.60 kWh/m3, respectively. This improvement was attributed to LR-supported catalysts enhancing mass transfer and promoting O3 decomposition to generate •OH and •O2-, leading to IBP degradation. Furthermore, this study investigated the effects of ozone dose, supporter sizes, and catalyst components on ozone-liquid mass transfer. The results revealed that the size of the supporter influenced stacked porosity and consequently affected ozone mass transfer. Larger-sized LR (kLa= 0.172 min-1) exhibited better mass transfer compared to smaller-sized supports. Based on these findings, it was concluded that both CuMn2O4@LR and MnO2Co3O4@LR are potential catalysts for catalytic ozonation in residual IBP degradation of pharmaceutical wastewater, and LR showed good credibility as a catalyst supporter. Understanding the effects of supporters and active components on ozone mass transfer provides a fundamental principle for designing supported catalysts in catalytic ozonation applications.

Self-reported gastrointestinal adverse effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in female students with dysmenorrhoea at Makerere University: prevalence, discontinuation and associated factors. a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Primary dysmenorrhoea occurs in up to 50% of menstruating females. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most commonly used therapeutic remedies for dysmenorrhoea in Uganda. However, NSAIDs are associated with a 3-5 fold increase in the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) adverse drug effects. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of self-reported NSAID-related GI adverse effects in female students who use NSAIDs in managing dysmenorrhoea-associated pain at Makerere University. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: Makerere University's main campus, situated North of Kampala, Uganda. PARTICIPANTS: 314 female students pursuing an undergraduate programme at Makerere University and residing in different halls of residence and hostels. OUTCOMES: Social demographic data, menstrual history and treatment data. RESULTS: Overall, 314 valid responses were received from female students with a median age of 22 years (IQR: 18-29 years). The median age at menarche was 13 years (IQR: 9-18 years). 41% (n=129/314) of the respondents had used medication for dysmenorrhoea and 32% (n=41/129) of whom reported NSAID-associated GI adverse effects with nausea being the most frequently reported (44%, n=18/41)Factors independently associated with GI adverse effects were: age at menarche (p=0.026), duration of menstruation (p=0.030) and use of ibuprofen (p=0.005). Females taking ibuprofen for dysmenorrhoea were about four times as likely to have NSAID-associated GI adverse effects (adjusted OR 3.87, 95% CI 1.51 to 9.91) than those who did not receive ibuprofen. Logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with self-reported adverse effects of NSAIDs among the female students. A p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. CONCLUSION: We found a considerably high prevalence of NSAID-related GI adverse effects driven by factors such as age at menarche and ibuprofen use.

Intravenous ibuprofen versus ketorolac for perioperative pain control in open abdominal hysterectomy: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to compare the analgesic effects of intravenous ibuprofen to ketorolac after open abdominal hysterectomy. METHODS: This randomized double-blinded controlled trial included adult women scheduled for elective open abdominal hysterectomy. Participants were randomized to receive either 30 mg ketorolac (n = 50) or 800 mg ibuprofen (n = 50) preoperatively, then every 8 h postoperatively for 24 h. All participants received paracetamol 1 gm/6 h. Rescue analgesic was given if the visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain assessment was > 3. The primary outcome was the mean postoperative dynamic VAS during the first 24 h. Secondary outcomes were static VAS, intraoperative fentanyl consumption, postoperative morphine consumption, time to independent movement, and patient's satisfaction. RESULTS: Forty-six patients in the ibuprofen group and fifty patients in the ketorolac group were analyzed. The 24-h dynamic and static VAS were similar in the two groups. The median (quartiles) dynamic VAS was 1.1 (0.9, 1.9) in the ibuprofen group versus 1.0 (0.7, 1.3) in the ketorolac group, P-value = 0.116; and the median (quartiles) static VAS was 0.9 (0.6, 1.3) in the ibuprofen group versus 0.7 (0.4, 1.1) in the ketorolac group, P-value = 0.113. The intra- and postoperative analgesic requirements were also similar in the two groups. However, patient satisfaction was slightly higher in the ketorolac group than that in the ibuprofen group (median [quartiles]: 6 [5, 7] versus 5 [4, 7], respectively), P-value: 0.009. CONCLUSION: The two drugs, intravenous ibuprofen and ketorolac produced similar analgesic profile in patients undergoing open abdominal hysterectomy receiving multimodal analgesic regimen. NCT05610384, Date of registration: 09/11/2022 CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05610384. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05610384.

Comparative effectiveness of preemptive administration of ibuprofen and ibuprofen-arginine on the anesthetic success of inferior alveolar nerve block in teeth with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis - A double-blind randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the impact of premedication with ibuprofen and ibuprofen-arginine and the influence of preoperative pain and anxiety on inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) efficacy in cases of symptomatic irreversible pulpitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved 150 SIP patients who were randomly assigned to receive ibuprofen (600 mg), ibuprofen-arginine (1,155 mg), or a placebo 30 min before IANB. Preoperative anxiety and pain levels were assessed using the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale and the Heft-Parker visual scale. IANB efficacy was determined by the absence of or mild pain during the procedure. Statistical analysis included chi-square, z-tests, Analysis of Variance, and Student's t tests. RESULTS: The ibuprofen and ibuprofen-arginine groups exhibited significantly higher IANB success rates (62% and 78%, respectively) compared to the placebo group (34%). However, no significant difference was observed between the ibuprofen and ibuprofen-arginine groups. Patients with successful IANB in the ibuprofen and ibuprofen-arginine groups displayed lower median anxiety scores (8) than those with failed blocks (15) and lower mean preoperative pain scores (118.3). CONCLUSION: In cases of symptomatic irreversible pulpitis the preemptive medication with ibuprofen-arginine effectively increased the efficacy of the inferior alveolar nerve block The inferior alveolar nerve block efficacy was influenced by preoperative anxiety levels and the intensity of pain. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This research underscores the potential benefits of oral premedication with ibuprofen and ibuprofen-arginine in improving anesthesia outcomes in cases of symptomatic irreversible pulpitis.

Performance evaluation of a new sponge-based moving bed biofilm reactor for the removal of pharmaceutical pollutants from real wastewater.

Pharmaceutical pollutants, a group of emerging contaminants, have attracted outstanding attention in recent years, and their removal from aquatic environments has been addressed. In the current study, a new sponge-based moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) was developed to remove chemical oxygen demand (COD) and the pharmaceutical compound Ibuprofen (IBU). A 30-L pilot scale MBBR was constructed, which was continuously fed from the effluent of the first clarifier of the Southern Tehran wastewater treatment plant. The controlled operational parameters were pH in the natural range, Dissolved Oxygen of 1.5-2 mg/L, average suspended mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS), and mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS) of 1.68 ± 0.1 g/L and 1.48 ± 0.1 g/L, respectively. The effect of hydraulic retention time (HRT) (5 h, 10 h, 15 h), filling ratio (10%, 20%, 30%), and initial IBU concentration (2 mg/L, 5 mg/L, 10 mg/L) on removal efficiencies was assessed. The findings of this study revealed a COD removal efficiency ranging from 48.9 to 96.7%, with the best removal efficiency observed at an HRT of 10 h, a filling ratio of 20%, and an initial IBU concentration of 2 mg/L. Simultaneously, the IBU removal rate ranged from 25 to 92.7%, with the highest removal efficiency observed under the same HRT and filling ratio, albeit with an initial IBU concentration of 5 mg/L. An extension of HRT from 5 to 10 h significantly improved both COD and IBU removal. However, further extension from 10 to 15 h slightly enhanced the removal efficiency of COD and IBU, and even in some cases, removal efficiency decreased. Based on the obtained results, 20% of the filling ratio was chosen as the optimum state. Increasing the initial concentration of IBU from 2 to 5 mg/L generally improved COD and IBU removal, whereas an increase from 5 to 10 mg/L caused a decline in COD and IBU removal. This study also optimized the reactor's efficiency for COD and IBU removal by using response surface methodology (RSM) with independent variables of HRT, filling ratio, and initial IBU concentration. In this regard, the quadratic model was found to be significant. Utilizing the central composite design (CCD), the optimal operating parameters at an HRT of 10 h, a filling ratio of 21%, and an initial IBU concentration of 3 mg/L were pinpointed, achieving the highest COD and IBU removal efficiencies. The present study demonstrated that sponge-based MBBR stands out as a promising technology for COD and IBU removal.

Novel sunlight-induced monochloramine activation system for efficient microcontaminant abatement.

As an eco-friendly and sustainable energy, solar energy has great application potential in water treatment. Herein, simulated sunlight was for the first time utilized to activate monochloramine for the degradation of environmental organic microcontaminants. Various microcontaminants could be efficiently degraded in the simulated sunlight/monochloramine system. The average innate quantum yield of monochloramine over the wavelength range of simulated sunlight was determined to be 0.068 mol/Einstein. With the determined quantum yield, a kinetic model was established. Based on the good agreement between the simulated and measured photolysis and radical contributions to the degradation of ibuprofen and carbamazepine, the major mechanism of monochloramine activation by simulated sunlight was proposed. Chlorine radical (Cl∙) and hydroxyl radical (HO∙) were major radicals responsible for microcontaminant degradation in the system. Moreover, the model facilitated a deep investigation into the effects of different reaction conditions (pH, monochloramine concentration, and water matrix components) on the degradation of ibuprofen and carbamazepine, as well as the roles of the involved radicals. The differences between simulated and measured degradation data of each microcontaminant under all conditions were less than 10 %, indicating the strong reliability of the model. The model could also make good prediction for microcontaminant degradation in the natural sunlight/monochloramine system. Furthermore, the formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) was evaluated at different oxidation time in simulated sunlight/monochloramine with and without post-chloramination treatment. In real waters, organic components showed more pronounced suppression on microcontaminant degradation efficiency than inorganic ions. This study provided a systematic investigation into the novel sunlight-induced monochloramine activation system for efficient microcontaminant degradation, and demonstrated the potential of the system in practical applications.

Thermal effects and drugs competition on the palmitate binding capacity of human serum albumin.

Human serum albumin (HSA) is the most abundant plasma protein of the circulatory system. It is a multidomain, multifunctional protein that, combining diverse affinities and wide specificity, binds, stores, and transports a variety of biological compounds, pharmacores, and fatty acids. HSA is finding increasing uses in drug-delivery due to its ability to carry functionalized ligands and prodrugs. All this raises the question of competition for binding sites occupancy in case of multiple ligands, which in turn influences the protein structure/dynamic/function relationship and also has an impact on the biomedical applications. In this work, the effects of interactive binding of palmitic acid (PA), warfarin (War) and ibuprofen (Ibu) on the thermal stability of HSA were studied using DSC, ATR-FTIR, and EPR. PA is a high-affinity physiological ligand, while the two drugs are widely used for their anticoagulant (War) and anti-inflammatory (Ibu) efficacy, and are exogenous compounds that accommodate in the deputed drug site DS1 and DS2, respectively overlapping with some of the fatty acid binding sites. The results indicate that HSA acquires the highest thermal stability when it is fully saturated with PA. The binding of this physiological ligand does not hamper the binding of War or Ibu to the native state of the protein. In addition, the three ligands bind simultaneously, suggesting a synergic cooperative influence due to allosteric effects. The increased thermal stability subsequent to binary and multiple ligands binding moderates protein aggregation propensity and restricts protein dynamics. The biophysics findings provide interesting features about protein stability, aggregation, and dynamics in interaction with multiple ligands and are relevant in drug-delivery.

Beta cyclodextrin conjugated AuFe3O4 Janus nanoparticles with enhanced chemo-photothermal therapy performance.

The strategic integration of multi-functionalities within a singular nanoplatform has received growing attention for enhancing treatment efficacy, particularly in chemo-photothermal therapy. This study introduces a comprehensive concept of Janus nanoparticles (JNPs) composed of Au and Fe3O4 nanostructures intricately bonded with ß-cyclodextrins (ß-CD) to encapsulate 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) and Ibuprofen (IBU). This strategic structure is engineered to exploit the synergistic effects of chemo-photothermal therapy, underscored by their exceptional biocompatibility and photothermal conversion efficiency (∼32.88 %). Furthermore, these ß-CD-conjugated JNPs enhance photodynamic therapy by generating singlet oxygen (1O2) species, offering a multi-modality approach to cancer eradication. Computer simulation results were in good agreement with in vitro and in vivo assays. Through these studies, we were able to prove the improved tumor ablation ability of the drug-loaded ß-CD-conjugated JNPs, without inducing adverse effects in tumor-bearing nude mice. The findings underscore a formidable tumor ablation potency of ß-CD-conjugated Au-Fe3O4 JNPs, heralding a new era in achieving nuanced, highly effective, and side-effect-free cancer treatment modalities. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The emergence of multifunctional nanoparticles marks a pivotal stride in cancer therapy research. This investigation unveils Janus nanoparticles (JNPs) amalgamating gold (Au), iron oxide (Fe3O4), and ß-cyclodextrins (ß-CD), encapsulating 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) and Ibuprofen (IBU) for synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy. Demonstrating both biocompatibility and potent photothermal properties (∼32.88 %), these JNPs present a promising avenue for cancer treatment. Noteworthy is their heightened photodynamic efficiency and remarkable tumor ablation capabilities observed in vitro and in vivo, devoid of adverse effects. Furthermore, computational simulations validate their interactions with cancer cells, bolstering their utility as an emerging therapeutic modality. This endeavor pioneers a secure and efficacious strategy for cancer therapy, underscoring the significance of ß-CD-conjugated Au-Fe3O4 JNPs as innovative nanoplatforms with profound implications for the advancement of cancer therapy.

Management of ibuprofen in wastewater using electrospun nanofibers developed from PET and PS wastes.

Electrospinning is a promising technique for the beneficial use and recycling of plastic waste polymers using simple methodologies. In this study, plastic bottles and Styrofoam wastes have been used to develop polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polystyrene (PS) nanofibers using electrospinning technique separately without any further purification. The effect of the concentration onto the nanofiber's morphology was studied. The fabricated nanofibers were characterized using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM), Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), N2 adsorption/desorption analysis, and water contact angle (WCA). Furthermore, the prepared nanofibers were applied for the adsorption of ibuprofen (IBU) from wastewater. Some parameters that can influence the adsorption efficiency of nanofibers such as solution pH, wt.% of prepared nanofibers, drug initial concentration, and contact time were studied and optimized. The results show that the equilibrium adsorption capacity was achieved after only 10 min for 12 wt% PET nanofibers which is equivalent to 364.83 mg/g. For 12 wt% PS nanofibers, an equilibrium adsorption capacity of 328.42 mg/g was achieved in 30 min. The experimental data was fitted to five isotherm and four kinetics models to understand the complicated interaction between the nanofibers and the drug. Langmuir-Freundlich isotherm model showed the best fit for experimental data for both PET and PS nanofibers. The adsorption process was characterized by predominantly physical reaction rather than chemical adsorption for both materials. The reusability study revealed that the synthesized nanofibers maintain their ability to adsorb/desorb IBU for up to five cycles. The results obtained demonstrated that fabricated nanofibers from plastic wastes could perform promising adsorbents for the management of IBU in wastewater. However, further research is needed for the scaling-up the fabrication which is required for real-world applications.

Ibuprofen degradation by mixed bacterial consortia: Metabolic pathway and microbial community analysis.

Degradation of ibuprofen, one of the most consumed drugs globally, by a mixed bacterial consortium was investigated. A contaminated hospital soil was used to enrich a bacterial consortium possessing the ability to degrade 4 mg/L ibuprofen in 6 days, fed on 6 mM acetate as a supplementary carbon source. Maximum ibuprofen degradation achieved was 99.51%, and for optimum ibuprofen degradation modelled statistically, the initial ibuprofen concentration, and temperature were determined to be 0.515 mg/L and 35 °C, respectively. The bacterial community analyses demonstrated an enrichment of Pseudomonas, Achromobacter, Bacillus, and Enterococcus in the presence of ibuprofen, suggesting their probable association with the biodegradation process. The biodegradation pathway developed using open-source metabolite predictors, GLORYx and BioTransformer suggested multiple degradation routes. Hydroxylation and oxidation were found to be the major mechanisms in ibuprofen degradation. Mono-hydroxylated metabolites were identified as well as predicted by the bioinformatics-based packages. Oxidation, dehydrogenation, super-hydroxylation, and hydrolysis were some other identified mechanisms.

A new biphenol-dipicolylamine based ligand and its dinuclear Zn2+ complex as fluorescent sensors for ibuprofen and ketoprofen in aqueous solution.

In this work, the study of the new ligand 3,3'-bis[N,N-bis(pyridine-2-ylmethyl)aminomethyl]-2,2'-dihydroxybiphenyl (L) is reported, where a central 2,2'-biphenol (BPH) fluorophore was functionalized at 3,3'-positions with two dipicolylamine (DPA) side arms as receptor units. Following the synthesis and full chemical-physical characterization, the acid-base and Zn2+-coordination abilities of L were investigated through a combination of potentiometric, UV-Vis, fluorescence, NMR, XRD and DFT measurements. The optical properties of the ligand turned out to be strongly dependent on the pH, being straightforwardly associated with the protonation state of the BPH moiety, whereas its peculiar design allowed to form stable mono and dinuclear Zn2+ complexes. In the latter species, the presence of two Zn2+ ions coordinatively unsaturated and placed at close distance to each other, prompted us to test their usefulness as metallo-receptors for two environmental pollutants of great relevance, ibuprofen and ketoprofen. Potentiometric and fluorescence investigations evidenced that these important non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are effectively coordinated by the metallo-receptors and, of relevance, both the stability and the fluorescence properties of the resulting ternary adducts are markedly affected by the different chemical architectures of the two substrates. This study aims at highlighting the promising perspectives arising from the use of polyamino phenolic ligands as chemosensors for H+/Zn2+ and other additional anionic targets in their metal-complexed forms.