Preparation of Poloxamer188-b-PCL and Study on in vitro Radioprotection Activity of Curcumin-Loaded Nanoparticles

Nanodrugs with intrinsic radioprotective exertion: Turning the double-edged sword into a single-edged knife

Ionizing radiation (IR) poses a growing threat to human health, and thus ideal radioprotectors with high efficacy and low toxicity still receive widespread attention in radiation medicine. Despite significant progress made in conventional radioprotectants, high toxicity, and low bioavailability still discourage their application. Fortunately, the rapidly evolving nanomaterial technology furnishes reliable tools to address these bottlenecks, opening up the cutting-edge nano-radioprotective medicine, among which the intrinsic nano-radioprotectants characterized by high efficacy, low toxicity, and prolonged blood retention duration, represent the most extensively studied class in this area. Herein, we made the systematic review on this topic, and discussed more specific types of radioprotective nanomaterials and more general clusters of the extensive nano-radioprotectants. In this review, we mainly focused on the development, design innovations, applications, challenges, and prospects of the intrinsic antiradiation nanomedicines, and presented a comprehensive overview, in-depth analysis as well as an updated understanding of the latest advances in this topic. We hope that this review will promote the interdisciplinarity across radiation medicine and nanotechnology and stimulate further valuable studies in this promising field.

Development of nanotechnology-mediated precision radiotherapy for anti-metastasis and radioprotection

Radiotherapy (RT), including external beam RT and internal radiation therapy, uses high-energy ionizing radiation to kill tumor cells.

Incorporation of Different Metal Ion for Tuning Color and Enhancing Antioxidant Activity of Curcumin/Palygorskite Hybrid Materials

Curcumin is one of the dietary dyes extracted from turmeric and used for prevention and treatment of various illnesses. However, the low bioavailability and poor stability of curcumin limits its relevant applications. Therefore, different metal ions including Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Mg²⁺, Al³⁺, or Fe³⁺ were incorporated to tune the color, enhance the environmental stability and antioxidant activity of curcumin in the presence of palygorskite in this study. The as-prepared samples were studied using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Zeta potential, and transmission electron microscopy. In addition, the density functional theory calculation was also performed to explore the possible interaction among metal ions, curcumin and palygorskite. It was found that the color changing and stability enhancing were ascribed to the curcumin-metal ions coordination as well as chemical interactions between curcumin-metal complex and palygorskite. Moreover, the as-prepared composites showed more excellent color, thermal stability, antioxidant activity, and fluorescence properties than that of the curcumin/palygorskite composites due to the presence of metal ions. The finding of this investigation may contribute to developing the multifunctional composites with different colors and good antioxidant activity for relevant applications based on curcumin and palygorskite.

Overcoming MDR by Associating Doxorubicin and pH-Sensitive PLGA Nanoparticles Containing a Novel Organoselenium Compound-An In Vitro Study

In this study, we developed PLGA nanoparticles (NPs) as an effective carrier for 5'-Se-(phenyl)-3-(amino)-thymidine (ACAT-Se), an organoselenium compound, nucleoside analogue that showed promising antitumor activity in vitro. The PLGA NPs were prepared by the nanoprecipitation method and modified with a pH-responsive lysine-based surfactant (77KL). The ACAT-Se-PLGA-77KL-NPs presented nanometric size (around 120 nm), polydispersity index values < 0.20 and negative zeta potential values. The nanoencapsulation of ACAT-Se increased its antioxidant (DPPH and ABTS assays) and antitumor activity in MCF-7 tumor cells. Hemolysis study indicated that ACAT-Se-PLGA-77KL-NPs are hemocompatible and that 77KL provided a pH-sensitive membranolytic behavior to the NPs. The NPs did not induce cytotoxic effects on the nontumor cell line 3T3, suggesting its selectivity for the tumor cells. Moreover, the in vitro antiproliferative activity of NPs was evaluated in association with the antitumor drug doxorubicin. This combination result in synergistic effect in sensitive (MCF-7) and resistant (NCI/ADR-RES) tumor cells, being especially able to successfully sensitize the MDR cells. The obtained results suggested that the proposed ACAT-Se-loaded NPs are a promising delivery system for cancer therapy, especially associated with doxorubicin.

An Up-to-Date Review of Natural Nanoparticles for Cancer Management

Cancer represents one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, imposing an urgent need to develop more efficient treatment alternatives. In this respect, much attention has been drawn from conventional cancer treatments to more modern approaches, such as the use of nanotechnology. Extensive research has been done for designing innovative nanoparticles able to specifically target tumor cells and ensure the controlled release of anticancer agents. To avoid the potential toxicity of synthetic materials, natural nanoparticles started to attract increasing scientific interest. In this context, this paper aims to review the most important natural nanoparticles used as active ingredients (e.g., polyphenols, polysaccharides, proteins, and sterol-like compounds) or as carriers (e.g., proteins, polysaccharides, viral nanoparticles, and exosomes) of various anticancer moieties, focusing on their recent applications in treating diverse malignancies.

Poloxamer188-based nanoparticles improve the anti-oxidation and anti-degradation of curcumin

Curcumin (CUR) is a food additive approved by World Health Organization. But the shortcomings, such as poor water solubility, easy oxidation and degradation, limit its application. In this study, the CUR-loaded poloxamer₁₈₈-based nanoparticles (CUR/PTT NPs) were fabricated to improve the stability and water solubility of CUR. Studies found the spherical CUR/PTT NPs had an average size of 98.71 ± 0.64 nm. Stability experiments displayed CUR/PTT NPs were extremely stable in different conditions. XRD analysis indicated the changes of crystal structures of CUR might be the main cause of the improved water solubility. Reducing power and anti-degradation tests suggested CUR/PTT NPs could improve the anti-oxidation and anti-degradation of CUR. Additionally, the results of body weight gains, hematological examination, organ coefficients, hematoxylin and eosin staining demonstrated CUR/PTT NPs bearing the excellent in vivo bio-security. Therefore, this study may provide a new idea for the combination of food industry and nanoparticles.

Bacillus subtilis HSY21 can reduce soybean root rot and inhibit the expression of genes related to the pathogenicity of Fusarium oxysporum

Soybean root rot occurs globally and seriously affects soybean production. To avoid the many disadvantages of chemical fungicides, the addition of Bacillus is gradually becoming an alternative strategy to tackle soybean root rot. However, the molecular mechanism of phytopathogenic fungi in this process by Bacillus inhibition is rarely reported. In this study, we isolated a strain of B. subtilis HSY21 from soybean rhizosphere soil, which had an inhibition rate of 81.30 ± 0.15% (P < 0.05) against Fusarium oxysporum. The control effects of this strain against soybean root rot under greenhouse and field conditions were 63.83% and 57.07% (P < 0.05), respectively. RNA-seq analysis of F. oxysporum after treatment with strain HSY21 revealed 1445 downregulated genes and 1561 upregulated genes. Among them, genes involved in mycelial growth, metabolism regulation, and disease-related enzymes were mostly downregulated. The activities of cellulase, β-glucosidase, α-amylase, and pectin-methyl- galacturonase as well as levels of oxalic acid and ergosterol in F. oxysporum were significantly decreased after HSY21 treatment. These results demonstrated that B. subtilis HSY21 could effectively control F. oxysporum by inhibiting its growth and the expression of pathogenic genes, thus indicating that this strain may be an ideal candidate for the prevention and control of soybean root rot.