5-fluorouracil and curcumin with pectin coating as a treatment regimen for titanium dioxide with dimethylhydrazine-induced colon cancer model

Gum odina prebiotic induced gut modulation for the treatment of colon cancer on Swiss albino mice: By using capecitabine loaded biopolymeric microsphere

A complex illness with a current global hazard, colon cancer has many different manifestations. The efficacy of colon cancer therapy can be affected by the bacteria in the digestive tract. It is hypothesised that novel prebiotics like Gum Odina is emerging as preventative therapy to fight chronic gut illnesses by gut microbiota modulatory therapy when compared to traditional intervention. The first-line chemotherapy drug for colon cancer, capecitabine, lacks a carrier that can extend its half-life. Here, we use the prebiotic gum odina - sodium alginate conjugate to create a capecitabine loaded biopolymeric microspheres, which were previously established as excellent tools for colon cancer therapy. The accelerated stability study exhibited that the alteration in physicochemical properties was found to be negligible. When administered orally to mice with colon cancer, capecitabine raises intra-tumoral capecitabine concentration and slows drug elimination in the blood. Optimized formulation improves anti-tumor immunity over free capecitabine and decrease the tumor volume from 8 ± 6.59 mm3 to 5.21 ± 2.79 mm3. This prebiotics based microsphere combine's gut microbiota manipulation with chemotherapy to offer a potentially effective colon cancer treatment.

Metal-based nanomaterials and nanocomposites as promising frontier in cancer chemotherapy

Cancer is a disease associated with complex pathology and one of the most prevalent and leading reasons for mortality in the world. Current chemotherapy has challenges with cytotoxicity, selectivity, multidrug resistance, and the formation of stemlike cells. Nanomaterials (NMs) have unique properties that make them useful for various diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in cancer research. NMs can be engineered to target cancer cells for early detection and can deliver drugs directly to cancer cells, reducing side effects and improving treatment efficacy. Several of NMs can also be used for photothermal therapy to destroy cancer cells or enhance immune response to cancer by delivering immune-stimulating molecules to immune cells or modulating the tumor microenvironment. NMs are being modified to overcome issues, such as toxicity, lack of selectivity, increase drug capacity, and bioavailability, for a wide spectrum of cancer therapies. To improve targeted drug delivery using nano-carriers, noteworthy research is required. Several metal-based NMs have been studied with the expectation of finding a cure for cancer treatment. In this review, the current development and the potential of plant and metal-based NMs with their effects on size and shape have been discussed along with their more effective usage in cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Permeability-Enhanced Liposomal Emulgel Formulation of 5-Fluorouracil for the Treatment of Skin Cancer

The plain 5-fluorouracil (5FU) formulations available in the market are associated with adverse effects such as skin irritation, pruritus, redness, blisters, allergy, and dryness on the site of application. The objective of the present study was to develop a liposomal emulgel of 5FU with increased skin permeability and efficacy using clove oil and eucalyptus oil along with pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, excipients, stabilizers, binders, and additives. A series of seven formulations were developed and evaluated for their entrapment efficiency, in vitro release profile, and cumulative drug release profile. The compatibility of drugs and excipients, as confirmed by FTIR (fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy) and DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) as well as SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and TEM (transmission electron microscopy) studies, revealed that the size and shape of liposomes are smooth and spherical, and the liposomes are non-aggregated. To understand their efficacy, the optimized formulations were evaluated for cytotoxicity using B16-F10 mouse skin melanoma cells. The eucalyptus oil and clove oil-containing preparation significantly produced a cytotoxic effect against a melanoma cell line. The addition of clove oil and eucalyptus oil increased the efficacy of the formulation by improving skin permeability and reducing the dose required for the anti-skin cancer activity.

Research Trend and Detailed Insights into the Molecular Mechanisms of Food Bioactive Compounds against Cancer: A Comprehensive Review with Special Emphasis on Probiotics

In an attempt to find a potential cure for cancer, scientists have been probing the efficacy of the food we eat and its bioactive components. Over the decades, there has been an exponentially increasing trend of research correlating food and cancer. This review explains the molecular mechanisms by which bioactive food components exhibit anticancer effects in several cancer models. These bioactive compounds are mainly plant based or microbiome based. While plants remain the primary source of these phytochemicals, little is known about probiotics, i.e., microbiome sources, and their relationships with cancer. Thus, the molecular mechanisms underlying the anticancer effect of probiotics are discussed in this review. The principal mode of cell death for most food bioactives is found to be apoptosis. Principal oncogenic signaling axes such as Akt/PI3K, JAK/STAT, and NF-κB seem to be modulated due to these bioactives along with certain novel targets that provide a platform for further oncogenic research. It has been observed that probiotics have an immunomodulatory effect leading to their chemopreventive actions. Various foods exhibit better efficacy as complete extracts than their individual phytochemicals, indicating an orchestrated effect of the food components. Combining bioactive agents with available chemotherapies helps synergize the anticancer action of both to overcome drug resistance. Novel techniques to deliver bioactive agents enhance their therapeutic response. Such combinations and novel approaches are also discussed in this review. Notably, most of the food components that have been studied for cancer have shown their efficacy in vivo. This bolsters the claims of these studies and, thus, provides us with hope of discovering anticancer agents in the food that we eat.

Activated Carbon-Loaded Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles and Their Photocatalytic and Antibacterial Investigations

Activated carbon doping TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesised by zapota leaf extract using the co-precipitation method. The bio-constituents of plant compounds were used in the reactions of stabilization and reductions. The carbon loading on the TiO2 nanoparticles was characterised by XRD, FTIR, UV-DRS, SEM with EDX, and TEM analysis. The loading of activated carbon onto the TiO2 nanoparticles decreased the crystallite size and optical bandgap, and their doping improved the surface structure of AC/TiO2 nanoparticles. Mesoporous/microporous instability was remodified from the activated carbon, which was visualised using SEM and TEM analysis, respectively. The photocatalytic dye degradation of Rh-B dye was degraded in TiO2 and AC/TiO2 nanoparticles under visible light irradiation. The degradation efficiencies of TiO2 and AC/TiO2 nanoparticles were 73% and 91%, respectively. The bacterial abilities of TiO2 and AC/TiO2 nanoparticles were examined by E. coli and S. aureus. The water reclamation efficiency and bactericidal effect of TiO2 and AC/TiO2 nanoparticles were examined via catalytic dye degradation and bacterial efficiency of activated carbon-doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles.

5-Fluorouracil and Curcumin Combination Coated with Pectin and Its Strategy towards Titanium Dioxide, Dimethylhydrazine Colorectal Cancer Model with the Evaluation of the Blood Parameters

Colorectal cancer is considered the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of death globally. It has been proven that titanium dioxide nanoparticles produce oxidative stress and can lead to chronic inflammation, which could turn into diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, and so on. To evaluate the effect of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) curcumin (CUR) conjugate coated with pectin on colorectal cancer induced by titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂-NPs) and dimethylhydrazine (DMH), male rats were administered TiO₂-NPs (5 mg/kg) orally and DMH (1 mg/kg) peritoneally for 70 days and treated with 5-FU (60 mg/kg) and CUR (240 mg/kg) conjugate (1:4 ratio) coated with pectin. The bodyweight of the animals was evaluated, and the blood sugar level was calculated. Further blood and plasma analyses were conducted. Hematological parameters, antioxidant parameters, and biochemical estimation were taken into consideration. The TiO₂-NPs level in the blood and colorectal region was also calculated. With the induction of colon cancer using TiO₂-NPs and DMH, a significant increase in the body weight of the animals was seen; eventually, with treatment, it was reduced. The bodyweight increase was due to an increase in the blood sugar level. There were also significant changes in the hematological parameters and biochemical estimation reports when comparing those of the positive control, negative control, and treated groups. No significant effect on biochemical estimation reports was seen. Conclusions: These reports suggest that 5-FU CUR conjugate coated with pectin helps in the management of colorectal cancer induced by TiO₂-NPs and DMH.

A Comprehensive Review on the Benefits and Problems of Curcumin with Respect to Human Health

Curcumin is the most important active component in turmeric extracts. Curcumin, a natural monomer from plants has received a considerable attention as a dietary supplement, exhibiting evident activity in a wide range of human pathological conditions. In general, curcumin is beneficial to human health, demonstrating pharmacological activities of anti-inflammation and antioxidation, as well as antitumor and immune regulation activities. Curcumin also presents therapeutic potential in neurodegenerative, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. In this review article, we summarize the advancements made in recent years with respect to curcumin as a biologically active agent in malignant tumors, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), hematological diseases and viral infectious diseases. We also focus on problems associated with curcumin from basic research to clinical translation, such as its low solubility, leading to poor bioavailability, as well as the controversy surrounding the association between curcumin purity and effect. Through a review and summary of the clinical research on curcumin and case reports of adverse effects, we found that the clinical transformation of curcumin is not successful, and excessive intake of curcumin may have adverse effects on the kidneys, heart, liver, blood and immune system, which leads us to warn that curcumin has a long way to go from basic research to application transformation.

Multidrug Resistance in Cancer Cells: Focus on a Possible Strategy Plan to Address Colon Carcinoma Cells

Even though various treatment methods are available for cancer, the death curve is not reducing. The diagnosis of cancer at the fourth stage and drug resistance are the leading reasons for treatment failure and lower survival rates. In this review article, we summarize the possible pitfalls during cancer treatment in general, which mainly include multidrug resistance, and propose a hypothesis for colorectal cancer specifically. We also evaluate multidrug resistance in cancer in general and colorectal cancer in particular and hypothesize a concept based on combination therapy with 5-fluorouracil, curcumin, and lipids for the possible management of colorectal cancer. In addition, a hypothetical approach, combining a synthetic agent and a natural chemotherapeutic agent, to treating colorectal cancer is also discussed. This hypothesis could improve the management of colorectal cancer.