Cytotoxicity Analysis of Morphologically Different Sol-Gel-Synthesized MgO Nanoparticles and Their In Vitro Insulin Resistance Reversal Ability in Adipose cells

Nanomedicines based on trace elements for intervention of diabetes mellitus

Epidemiology shows that the incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is increasing year by year globally. Proper interventions are highly aspired for diabetics to improve the quality of life and prevent development of chronic complications. Trace elements, also known as microelements, are chemical substances that are present in our body in minute amounts. They are necessitated by the body for growth, development and functional metabolism. For the past few years, trace element nanoparticles have aroused considerable interest as a burgeoning form of nanomedicines in antidiabetic applications. These microelement-based nanomedicines can regulate glucose metabolism in several ways, showing great potential for diabetes management. Starting from the pathophysiology of diabetes, the state-of-the-art of diabetes treatment, the physiological roles of trace elements, various emerging trace element nanoparticles specific for diabetes were comprehensively reviewed in this work. Our findings disclose that trace element nanoparticles can fight against diabetes by lowering blood glucose, promoting insulin secretion, alleviating glucose intolerance, improving insulin sensitivity, ameliorating lipid profile, anti-inflammation and anti-oxidant stress, and other mechanisms. In conclusion, trace element nanoparticles can be applied as nanomedicines or dietary modifiers for effective intervention for diabetes.

The Benefits of Nanosized Magnesium Oxide in Fish Megalobrama amblycephala: Evidence in Growth Performance, Redox Defense, Glucose Metabolism, and Magnesium Homeostasis

This study evaluated the effects of dietary magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO NPs) on the growth, redox defense, glucose metabolism, and magnesium homeostasis in blunt snout bream. Fish (12.42 ± 0.33 g) were fed seven diets containing graded levels of MgO NPs (0, 60, 120, 240, 480, 960, and 1920 mg/kg) for 12 weeks. Whole-body Mg retention decreased significantly as the dietary Mg increased. As dietary MgO NPs levels reached 120 mg/kg, the growth performance and feed utilization remarkably improved. When added at 240 mg/kg, oxidative stress was significantly reduced evidenced by the increased Mn-sod transcription and the decreased CAT and GSH-Px activities and the MDA content. Meanwhile, it enhanced glucose transport, glycolysis, and glycogen synthesis, while inhibiting gluconeogenesis, as was characterized by the increased transcriptions of glut2, gk, and pk, and the decreased transcriptions of fbpase and g6pase. In addition, the supplementation of 120 mg/kg MgO NPs promoted Mg transport marked by a significant increase in the protein expressions of TRMP7, S41A3, and CNNM1. In conclusion, the moderate supplementation of MgO NPs improved the growth performance, reduced hepatic oxidative stress, and promoted glucose transport, glycolysis, glycogen synthesis, and magnesium homeostasis in fish while inhibiting glu.

Calcium-doped zinc oxide nanocrystals as an innovative intracanal medicament: a pilot study

Objectives

This study investigated the cytotoxicity, radiopacity, pH, and dentinal tubule penetration of a paste of 1.0% calcium-doped zinc oxide nanocrystals (ZnO:1.0Ca) combined with propylene glycol (PRG) or polyethylene glycol and propylene glycol (PEG-PRG).

Materials and Methods

The pastes were prepared by mixing calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2] or ZnO:1.0Ca with PRG or a PEG-PRG mixture. The pH was evaluated after 24 and 96 hours of storage in deionized water. Digital radiographs were acquired for radiopacity analysis and bubble counting of each material. The materials were labeled with 0.1% fluorescein and applied to root canals, and images of their dentinal tubule penetration were obtained using confocal laser scanning microscopy. RAW264.7 macrophages were placed in different dilutions of culture media previously exposed to the materials for 24 and 96 hours and tested for cell viability using the MTT assay. Analysis of variance and the Tukey test (α = 0.05) were performed.

Results

ZnO:1.0Ca materials showed lower viability at 1:1 and 1:2 dilutions than Ca(OH)2 materials (p < 0.0001). Ca(OH)2 had higher pH values than ZnO:1.0Ca at 24 and 96 hours, regardless of the vehicle (p < 0.05). ZnO:1.0Ca pastes showed higher radiopacity than Ca(OH)2 pastes (p < 0.01). No between-material differences were found in bubble counting (p = 0.0902). The ZnO:1.0Ca pastes had a greater penetration depth than Ca(OH)2 in the apical third (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions

ZnO:1.0Ca medicaments presented higher penetrability, cell viability, and radiopacity than Ca(OH)2. Higher values of cell viability and pH were present in Ca(OH)2 than in ZnO:1.0Ca.

Exosomes as Promising Nanostructures in Diabetes Mellitus: From Insulin Sensitivity to Ameliorating Diabetic Complications

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is among the chronic metabolic disorders that its incidence rate has shown an increase in developed and wealthy countries due to lifestyle and obesity. The treatment of DM has always been of interest, and significant effort has been made in this field. Exosomes belong to extracellular vesicles with nanosized features (30-150 nm) that are involved in cell-to-cell communication and preserving homeostasis. The function of exosomes is different based on their cargo, and they may contain lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. The present review focuses on the application of exosomes in the treatment of DM; both glucose and lipid levels are significantly affected by exosomes, and these nanostructures enhance lipid metabolism and decrease its deposition. Furthermore, exosomes promote glucose metabolism and affect the level of glycolytic enzymes and glucose transporters in DM. Type I DM results from the destruction of β cells in the pancreas, and exosomes can be employed to ameliorate apoptosis and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in these cells. The exosomes have dual functions in mediating insulin resistance/sensitivity, and M1 macrophage-derived exosomes inhibit insulin secretion. The exosomes may contain miRNAs, and by transferring among cells, they can regulate various molecular pathways such as AMPK, PI3K/Akt, and β-catenin to affect DM progression. Noteworthy, exosomes are present in different body fluids such as blood circulation, and they can be employed as biomarkers for the diagnosis of diabetic patients. Future studies should focus on engineering exosomes derived from sources such as mesenchymal stem cells to treat DM as a novel strategy.

Phytosynthesized nanoparticles as a potential cancer therapeutic agent

Plants are the well-known sources for the hyper-accumulation and reduction of metallic ions. Analysis of various plant extracts has justified the presence of different types of phytochemicals that possess the stabilization and reduction functionalities of precursors to form nanoparticles. Such characteristics make plants as an attractive source for synthesizing eco-friendly nanoparticles (NPs) with potentially less toxicity to the body. Recently, phytosynthesized nanoparticles have been explored for targeted inhibition and diagnosis of cancer cells without affecting non-cancerous healthy cells. The aim of this review is to discuss the characteristic performance of NPs synthesized from various plant sources for the diagnosis and inhibition of cancer. The mode of action of phytosynthesized nanoparticles for anti-cancer applications are also discussed.

Cytotoxicity and insulin resistance reversal ability of biofunctional phytosynthesized MgO nanoparticles

The present study investigates the cytotoxicity of hexagonal MgO nanoparticles synthesized via Amaranthus tricolor leaf extract and spherical MgO nanoparticles synthesized via Amaranthus blitum and Andrographis paniculata leaf extracts. In vitro cytotoxicity analysis showed that the hexagonal MgO nanoparticles synthesized from A. tricolor extract demonstrated the least toxicity to both diabetic and non-diabetic cells at 600 μl/ml dosage. The viability of the diabetic cells (3T3-L1) after incubation with varying dosages of MgO nanoparticles was observed to be 55.3%. The viability of normal VERO cells was 86.6% and this stabilized to about 75% even after exposure to MgO nanoparticles dosage of up to 1000 μl/ml. Colorimetric glucose assay revealed that the A. tricolor extract synthesized MgO nanoparticles resulted in ~ 28% insulin resistance reversal. A reduction in the expression of GLUT4 protein at 54 KDa after MgO nanopaSrticles incubation with diabetic cells was observed via western blot analysis to confirm insulin reversal ability. Fluorescence microscopic analysis with propidium iodide and acridine orange dyes showed the release of reactive oxygen species as a possible mechanism of the cytotoxic effect of MgO nanoparticles. It was inferred that the synergistic effect of the phytochemicals and MgO nanoparticles played a significant role in delivering enhanced insulin resistance reversal capability in adipose cells.