Zero valent zinc regulates adipocyte differentiation through calpain family protein and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma signaling in mouse 3T3-L1 cells

Nickel-doped vanadium pentoxide (Ni@V2O5) nanocomposite induces apoptosis targeting PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in skin cancer: An in vitro and in vivo study

In the present study, the vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) nickel-doped vanadium pentoxide (Ni@V2O5) was prepared and determined for in vitro anticancer activity. The structural characterization of the prepared V2O5 and Ni@V2O5 was determined using diverse morphological and spectroscopic analyses. The DRS-UV analysis displayed the absorbance at 215 nm for V2O5 and 331 nm for Ni@V2O5 as the primary validation of the synthesis of V2O5 and Ni@V2O5. The EDS spectra exhibited the presence of 30% of O, 69% of V, and 1% of Ni and the EDS mapping showed the constant dispersion. The FE-SEM and FE-TEM analysis showed the V2O5 nanoparticles are rectangle-shaped and nanocomposites have excellent interfaces between nickel and V2O5. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) investigation of Ni@V2O5 nanocomposite endorses the occurrence of elements V, O, and Ni. The in vitro MTT assay clearly showed that the V2O5 and Ni@V2O5 have significantly inhibited the proliferation of B16F10 skin cancer cells. In addition, the nanocomposite produces the endogenous reactive oxygen species in the mitochondria, causes the mitochondrial membrane and nuclear damage, and consequently induces apoptosis by caspase 9/3 enzymatic activity in skin cancer cells. Also, the western blot analysis showed that the nanocomposite suppresses the oncogenic marker proteins such as PI3K, Akt, and mTOR in the skin cancer cells. Together, the results showed that Ni@V2O5 can be used as an auspicious anticancer agent against skin cancer.

Zinc nanoparticles encapsulated in porous biopolymer beads for reduction of water pollutants and antimicrobial activity

This work focuses on the preparation of composite beads from alginate crosslinked with copper at several loading percent and also loaded with ZnNPs. Th obtained samples were applied as catalysts for the reduction of the organic polluants 4-NP, MB, OG, MO, and CR in simple and binary systems. XRD results and TEM images confirmed the presence of ZnNPs in the polymer matrix. XRF and TGA analysis showed that the percentage of the cross-linking agent significantly influences the content of ZnNPs as well as the thermal stability of the resulting material. The catalytic activity of the composite beads showed that the Cu(4 %)-ALG(ZnNPs) sample was the best catalyst for all pollutants. In the simple system, the recorded rate constants for MB, MO, 4-NP, OG, and CR were 0.0133 s-1, 0.0076 s-1, 0.005 s-1, 0.0042 s-1, 0.0036 s-1, respectively. The catalyst was more selective towards the cationic MB dye for binary systems. For antibacterial and antifungal applications, the different materials containing ZnNPs and their counterparts containing Zn2+ were found to be active across all bacterial strains (Gram positive and Gram negative) as well as fungi, and the Zn2+-containing composites in particular performed better across all bacteria and fungi.

UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MSE-based metabolomics analysis of Acer mono sap and evaluation of osteogenic activity in mouse osteoblast cells

Investigation of phytochemicals and bioactive molecules is tremendously vital for the applications of new plant resources in chemistry, food, and medicine. In this study, the chemical profiling of sap of Acer mono (SAM), a Korean syrup known for its anti-osteoporosis effect, was performed using UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS^E analysis. A total of 23 compounds were identified based on the mass and fragmentation characteristics and most of the compounds have significant biomedical applications. The in vitro antioxidant assessment of SAM indicated excellent activity by scavenging DPPH and ABTS-free radicals and were found to be 23.35 mg mL^-1 and 29.33 mg mL^-1, respectively, as IC₅₀ concentrations. As well, the in vitro proliferation effect of the SAM was assessed against mouse MC3T3-E1 cells, and the results showed that the SAM enhanced the proliferation of the cells, and 12.5 mg mL^-1 and 25 mg mL^-1 of SAM were selected for osteogenic differentiation. The morphological analysis clearly evidenced the SAM enhanced the osteogenic activity in MC3T3-E1 cells by the increased deposition of extracellular calcium and nodule formation. Moreover, the qRT-PCR analysis confirmed the increased expression of osteoblast marker gene expression including ALP, osteocalcin, osteopontin, collagen1α1, Runx2, and osterix in SAM-treated MC3T3-E1 cells. Together, these results suggest that SAM possesses osteogenic effects and can be used for bone regeneration and bone loss-associated diseases such as osteoporosis.