Nrf2 protein as a therapeutic target during diethylnitrosamine-induced liver injury ameliorated by β-carotene-reduced graphene oxide (βC-rGO) nanocomposite

Perilous paradigm of graphene oxide and its derivatives in biomedical applications: Insight to immunocompatibility

With advancements in nanotechnology and innovative materials, Graphene Oxide nanoparticles (GONP) have attracted lots of attention among the diverse types of nanomaterials owing to their distinctive physicochemical characteristics. However, the usage at scientific and industrial level has also raised concern to their toxicological interaction with biological system. Understanding these interactions is crucial for developing guidelines and recommendations for applications of GONP in various sectors, like biomedicine and environmental technologies. This review offers crucial insights and an in-depth analysis to the biological processes associated with GONP immunotoxicity with multiple cell lines including human whole blood cultures, dendritic cells, macrophages, and multiple cancer cell lines. The complicated interactions between graphene oxide nanoparticles and the immune system, are highlighted in this work, which reveals a range of immunotoxic consequences like inflammation, immunosuppression, immunostimulation, hypersensitivity, autoimmunity, and cellular malfunction. Moreover, the immunotoxic effects are also highlighted with respect to in vivo models like mice and zebrafish, insighting GO Nanoparticles' cytotoxicity. The study provides invaluable review for researchers, policymakers, and industrialist to understand and exploit the beneficial applications of GONP with a controlled measure to human health and the environment.

Clinical and biochemical understanding of Zinc interaction during liver diseases: A paradigm shift

Zinc (Zn) is an essential and the second most abundant trace element after Iron. It can apply antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic activity. It is assumed to be indispensable for cell division, cellular differentiation and cell signalling. Zinc is essential for proper liver function which is also the site of its metabolism. Depleted Zn concentrations have been observed in both acute and chronic hepatic diseases. It is reported that Zn deficiency or abnormal Zn metabolism during majority of liver diseases is attributed to deficient dietary intake of Zn, augmented disposal of Zn in the urine, activation of certain Zn transporters, and expression of hepatic metallothionein. Undoubtedly, Zn is involved in generating many diseases but how and whether it plays role from acute to fulminant stage of all chronic liver diseases remains to be cleared. Here, we will discuss the role of Zn in development of different diseases specifically the involvement of Zn to understand the aetiology and intricate mechanism of dynamic liver diseases.

Putative molecular targets for vitamin A in neutralizing oxidative stress in acute and chronic pancreatitis - a systematic review

Acute pancreatitis (AP) and chronic pancreatitis (CP) are debilitating diseases of gastrointestinal tract and constitute great threat for human health in high-income countries. Recent studies emphasize the impact of oxidative stress on development of these pathologies, and numerous authors evaluate the effect of the antioxidant therapy on the course of AP and CP. Though several antioxidative agents were discovered in the past decades, vitamins remain canonical antioxidants. Despite the fact that vitamin A is known for its antioxidative effect, there is little data about the impact of vitamin A on oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of AP and CP. The scope of the review is to evaluate molecular targets for vitamin A, which may be involved in oxidative stress occurring in the course of AP and CP. Our research of available literature revealed that several mechanisms are responsible for attenuation of oxidative stress in AP and CP, including Nrf2, MAPK, AMPK, TLR3, and TLR4. Furthermore, these factors are at least partially expressed in vitamin A-dependent manner, though further investigations are required for elucidating in detail the role of vitamin A in defense against reactive oxygen species. Our review revealed that vitamin A might influence the expression of several molecular pathways involved in antioxidative defense and cytoprotection; thus, its administration during AP and CP may change the course of the disease.

Recent biomedical advancements in graphene oxide- and reduced graphene oxide-based nanocomposite nanocarriers

Recently, nanocarriers, including micelles, polymers, carbon-based materials, liposomes, and other substances, have been developed for efficient delivery of drugs, nucleotides, and biomolecules. This review focuses on graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as active components in nanocarriers, because their chemical structures and easy functionalization can be valuable assets for in vitro and in vivo delivery. Herein, we describe the preparation, structure, and functionalization of GO and rGO. Additionally, their important properties to function as nanocarriers are presented, including their molecular interactions with various compounds, near-infrared light adsorption, and biocompatibility. Subsequently, their mechanisms and the most appealing examples of their delivery applications are summarized. Overall, GO- and rGO-based nanocomposites show great promise as multipurpose nanocarriers owing to their various potential applications in drug and gene delivery, phototherapy, bioimaging, biosensing, tissue engineering, and as antibacterial agents.

A comprehensive review on the removal of noxious pollutants using carrageenan based advanced adsorbents

Rapid industrial development is associated with high discharge of toxic pollutants into the environment. The industries discharge their wastewater containing organic pollutants directly into the water system without treating them that has posed many serious threats to environmental protection. The use of bioadsorbents for the removal of such toxic pollutants from the waste water due to its simple synthesis, easy operation, effectiveness, and economic viability have emerged a new dimension in the wastewater treatment approaches. Various adsorbents have been prepared to examine their adsorption capacity against different adsorbates, but, to attain sustainability, biocompatibility, and biodegradation, bio-adsorbents have been found to won the battle. Seaweed derived polysaccharide; Carrageenan (CR) has been proven to be an excellent adsorbent for the wastewater treatment. It has been successfully modified with various components to form CR based-magnetic composites, hydrogels, nanoparticle modified CR composites and many others to enrich and diversify its properties. In this review, we have explained the adsorption behaviour of various carrageenan based adsorbents for the removal of different dyes. The influence of various parameters such as the effect of initial concentration, adsorbent dosage, contact time, pH, temperature, and ion concentration on dye adsorption is well explained. This paper also summarizes the structure, morphology, swelling ability, and thermal stability of carrageenan. The data also expounds on the adsorption capacity, kinetic model, isotherm model, and nature of the adsorption process. Different types of solvents are used for the regeneration and reusability of carrageenan adsorbents and their regeneration studies and desorption efficiency is well-explained. The adsorption mechanism of dyes onto carrageenan based adsorbents has been well described in this review. This review provides a deep insight about the use of carrageenan based adsorbents for the wastewater treatment.

Hepatotoxicity of nutmeg: A pilot study based on metabolomics

Incidences of abuse and poisoning have been reported for nutmeg, a household spice made from grinding the seed of Myristica fragrans, owing to its hallucinogenic properties. However, there have been no reports on nutmeg hepatotoxicity in relation to dose and duration of exposure. To investigate the hepatotoxicity of different nutmeg exposure durations and doses, male mice were administered daily with normal saline, 1.0 g/kg nutmeg, or 4.0 g/kg nutmeg by intragastrical gavage for either 7 or 14 days (for a total of six treatment groups, n = 6). Body weight of each mouse was monitored daily. Histological analysis of liver tissues was performed using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining to investigate the morphological changes in hepatocytes. Serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to investigate liver function. Metabolomics and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed between treatment groups for identifying differential metabolites. Mice in the nutmeg exposure groups exhibited slow growth trends, hepatocyte damage, and significantly elevated serum AST and ALT levels associated with nutmeg dose and exposure duration. Metabolomics and KEGG enrichment pathway analyses also revealed differential levels of some metabolites related to liver function upon nutmeg exposure. Therefore, the present study reasonably speculates that nutmeg exposure may cause liver damage and affect liver function depending on the dose and duration.

COX-2/iNOS regulation during experimental hepatic injury and its mitigation by cloudy apple juice

A number of enzymes and transcription factors have been correlated with disease etiology. In this study, involvement of cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible-nitric oxide synthase is examined during diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced hepatic injury and cloudy apple juice (CAJ) supplementation. Liver injury was administered in rats by single dose of DEN (10 ml/kg bwt of 1% DEN), while 10 ml/kg bwt CAJ daily was given after 2 h of latency in DEN-treated animals for two weeks. CAJ was characterized by HPLC and subsequently examined for antioxidant power. During the course of treatment liver function, collagen (hydroxyproline), malondialdehyde, protein oxidation, antioxidant enzymes, ATPases, nitrite levels were investigated along with liver histopathology and electron microscopy. COX-2 and iNOS proteins were also localized in liver specimens. The results demonstrated rich polyphenols and antioxidant activity in CAJ. CAJ supplementation significantly restored liver biochemistry and anatomy as revealed by the refurbished investigated parameters. CAJ treatment also declined COX-2 and iNOS activities in injured animals. Electron microscopy demonstrated rejuvenated hepatocytes, Kupffer cells, RER, mitochondria and nucleus in CAJ supplemented animals. The novel outcomes of this study suggest that CAJ potentiates hepatoprotection by stimulating antioxidant power and regulating the COX-2 and iNOS proteins in the liver during experimental liver injury.