Effective Adsorption and Removal of Doxorubicin from Aqueous Solutions Using Mesostructured Silica Nanospheres: Box-Behnken Design Optimization and Adsorption Performance Evaluation

Modulating nanostructures with polyvinylpyrrolidone: Design and development of a porous, biocompatible, and pH-Stable core-shell magnetic microrobot for demonstrating drug absorption from wastewater

Increased antineoplastic drug concentrations in wastewater stem from ineffective treatment plants and increased usage. Although microrobots are promising for pollutant removal, they face hurdles in developing a superstructure with superior adsorption capabilities, biocompatibility, porosity, and pH stability. This study focused on adjusting the PVP concentration from 0.05 to 0.375 mM during synthesis to create a favorable CMOC structure for drug absorption. Lower PVP concentrations (0.05 mM) yielded a three-dimensional nanoflower structure of CaMoO4 and CuS nanostructures, whereas five-fold concentrations (0.25 mM) produced a porous structure with a dense CuS core encased in a transparent CaMoO4 shell. The magnetically movable and pH-stable COF@CMOC microrobot, achieved by attaching CMOC to cobalt ferrite (CoF) NPs, captured doxorubicin efficiently, with up to 57 % efficiency at 200 ng/mL concentration for 30 min, facilitated by electrostatic interaction, hydrogen bonding, and pore filling of DOX. The results demonstrated that DOX removal through magnetic motion showed superior performance, with an estimated improvement of 57% compared to stirring conditions (17 %). A prototype PDMS microchannel system was developed to study drug absorption and microrobot recovery. The CaMoO4 shell of the microrobots exhibited remarkable robustness, ensuring long-lasting functionality in harsh wastewater environments and improving biocompatibility while safeguarding the CuS core from degradation. Therefore, microrobots are a promising eco-friendly solution for drug extraction. These microrobots show promise for the selective removal of doxorubicin from contaminated wastewater.

Assessment of heavy metals accumulation by vegetables irrigated with different stages of textile wastewater for evaluation of food and health risk

Wastewater irrigation for vegetable cultivation is greatly concerned about the presence of toxic metals in irrigated soil and vegetables which causes possible threats to human health. This study aimed to ascertain the accumulation of heavy metals (HMs) in edible parts of vegetables irrigated with different stages of textile dyeing wastewater (TDW). Bio-concentration factor (BCF), Estimated daily intake (EDI), and target hazard quotient (THQ) were computed to estimate human health risks and speculate the hazard index (HI) of adults and children with the consumption of HMs contaminated vegetables at recommended doses. Five vegetables (red amaranth, Indian spinach, cauliflower, tomato, and radish) in a pot experiment were irrigated with groundwater (T1) and seven stages of TDW (T2∼T8) following a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Among the TDW stages, T8, T7, T4, and T5 exhibited elevated BCF, EDI, THQ, and HI due to a rising trend in the accumulation of Pb, Cd, Cr, and Ni heavy metals in the edible portion of the red amaranth, followed by radish, Indian spinach, cauliflower, and tomato. The general patterns of heavy metal (HM) accumulation, regarded as vital nutrients for plants, were detected in the following sequence: Zn > Mn/Cu > Fe. Conversely, toxic metals were found to be Cd/Cr > Ni > Pb, regardless of the type of vegetables. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified T8, T7, and T4 of TDW as the primary contributors to the accumulation of heavy metals in the vegetables examined. Furthermore, the analysis of the heavy metals revealed that the BCF, THQ, and HI values for all studied metals were below 1, except for Pb. This suggests that the present consumption rates of different leafy and non-leafy vegetables, whether consumed individually or together, provide a low risk in terms of heavy metal exposure. Nevertheless, the consumption of T8, T7, and T4 irrigated vegetables, specifically Indian spinach alone or in combination with red amaranth and radish, by both adults and children, at the recommended rate, was found to pose potential health risks. On the other hand, T2, T3, and T6 irrigated vegetables were deemed safe for consumption. These findings indicated that the practice of irrigating the vegetables with T8, T7, and T4 stages of TDW has resulted in a significant buildup of heavy metals in the soils and edible parts of vegetables which are posing health risks to adults and children. Hence, it is imperative to discharge the T8, T7, and T4 stages of TDW after ETP to prevent the contamination of vegetables and mitigate potential health risks.

Folic acid conjugated poly (Amidoamine) dendrimer grafted magnetic chitosan as a smart drug delivery platform for doxorubicin: In-vitro drug release and cytotoxicity studies

This study reports the development of a magnetic and pH-responsive nanocarrier for targeted delivery and controlled release of doxorubicin (DOX). A multifunctional magnetic chitosan nanocomposite (FA-PAMAMG2-MCS) was fabricated by grafting poly(amidoamine) dendrimer and folic acid onto the MCS surface for active targeting. DOX was loaded into this core-shell bio-nanocomposite via adsorption. Structural and morphological characterization of the prepared nanomaterials was performed using XRD, FT-IR, VSM, TGA, BET, FE-SEM/EDX, and TEM techniques. Adsorption capacity of the FA-PAMAMG2-MCS was optimized by changing diverse parameters, such as pH, initial drug concentration, temperature, contact time, and adsorbent dosage. The maximum adsorption capacity for DOX was 102.85 mg g-1 at 298 K. The in-vitro drug release curve at pHs 5.6 and 7.4 manifested a faster drug release from the prepared nanocarrier in acidic environments and, conversely, a slower release in neutral environments over 48 h. The release kinetics followed Peppas-Sahlin models, showing non-Fickian behavior. Moreover, the in-vitro cytotoxicity studies against the human breast cancer (MDA-MB 231) cell line demonstrated the remarkable anticancer activity of the DOX@FA-PAMAMG2-MCS and declared its potency for nanomedicine applications. This multifunctional system could overcome limitations of conventional chemotherapeutic agents through pH-triggered drug release, enabling targeted cytotoxicity against cancer cells.

Removal of emergent pollutants: A review on recent updates and future perspectives on polysaccharide-based composites vis-à-vis traditional adsorbents

There is a growing incidence in the presence of emergent pollutants like the pesticides and pharmaceuticals in water bodies. The matter of environmental concern is their synthetic and persistent nature which has resulted in induced toxicity/damaging effect to the vital functioning of the different organs in the aquatic community. Traditional adsorbents have exhibited limitations like low stability and minimum reuse ability. Composites of such adsorbents with polysaccharides have demonstrated distinct features like improved surface area, porosity, adsorptivity; improved reusability and structural integrity; improved mechanical strength, thermal stability when applied for the removal of the emergent pollutants. The biocompatibility and biodegradability of such fabricated composites is established; thereby making the water treatment process cost effective, sustainable and environmentally friendly. The present review has dealt with an in-depth, up-dated literature compilation of traditional as well as polysaccharide based composite adsorbents and addressed their performance evaluation for the removal of pharmaceuticals and pesticides from wastewater. A comparative study has revealed the merits of polysaccharide based composites and discussions have been made with a focus on future research directions in the related area.

Agro-Waste Valorization into Carbonaceous Eco-Hydrogel: A Circular Economy and Zero Waste Tactic for Doxorubicin Removal in Water/Wastewater

The existing work aims to evaluate the efficiency of eco-hydrogel for adsorption of pollutants prepared from biopolymeric matrix and agricultural waste-derived biochar. An efficient and reusable adsorbent, designed from the integration of maize stalk activated carbon into a gelatin-alginate composite (MSAC@GE-SA) was explored for removal of doxorubicin hydrochloride (Doxo.HCL) from polluted water. The structural properties, presence of surface functional groups, and elemental composition were explored using XRD, SEM, BET, FTIR, and XPS techniques. The key adsorption parameters such as Doxo.HCL concentration, MSAC@GE-SA amount, solution pH, and the contact time between adsorbate and adsorbents were successfully optimized for the effective removal of Doxo.HCL (qmax = 239.41 mg g-1). The kinetic mechanism of MSAC@GE-SA fits well with a pseudo-second-order rate model (R2 = 0.980), followed by mono- and multilayered Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms with R2 values 0.991 and 0.993, respectively. The recyclability of MSAC@GE-SA showed great stability without any physical damage and having sustained removal efficiency up to 10 cycles (96.32 to 55.66%). The versatility of MSAC@GE-SA was further investigated for river, canal, and sewage water samples under identical experimental conditions. The practicality of the MSAC@GE-SA was evaluated by spiking Doxo.HCL into industrial effluents via the standard addition method. Subsequently, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the treated pollutants exhibited a notable reduction, decreasing significantly from 128 to 80 mg L-1. Following 10 successful adsorption-desorption cycles, the spent MSAC@GE-SA was utilized as a fertilizer for Vigna radiata plants, positively contributing to overall plant growth without causing harm. Hence, proposed adsorbent (MSAC@GE-SA) emerges as a viable and sustainable solution, demonstrating features of reusability and cost-effectiveness. It holds significant promise for the removal of pharmaceutical pollutants, aligning with the principles of circular economy and zero-waste tactics.

Application of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Efficient Removal of Doxorubicin Hydrochloride: Removal Process Optimization and Biological Activity

This study looked at the doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) anticancer drug's adsorption characteristics on a silver-based metal-organic framework (Ag-MOF). X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used for the characterization of Ag-MOF. The pore volume and surface area of Ag-MOF were determined through Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) testing at 77 K to be 0.509 cm3/g and 676.059 m2/g, respectively. Adsorption at pH 6 was established to be the best for DOX compared to alkaline solution. Ag-MOF has a good capacity for eliminating DOX (1.85 mmol/g), according to adsorption experiments. From the adsorption results, we can find that Langmuir is the most fitted adsorption isotherm model and the pseudo-second order model best fitted the adsorption kinetics. The energy of activation for adsorption, which was determined to be 15.23 kJ/mol, also supported a chemisorption process. The mechanism of adsorption was evaluated, and details of all possible interactions between DOX and Ag-MOF were illustrated. On the other hand, while examining the impact of temperature, we identified the thermodynamic constraints as ΔG°, ΔH°, and ΔS° and confirmed that the reaction was an endothermic one and spontaneous. Even after numerous reuse cycles, the efficiency remained constant. The synthetic adsorbent was remarkably recyclable at a rate of more than 91.6%. By using the MTT assay, the cytotoxicity of the tested Ag-MOF and DOX@Ag-MOF against human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) was evaluated in vitro. The in vitro antimicrobial activity of Ag-MOF and DOX@Ag-MOF was also tested.