Antimicrobial Coatings for Medical Textiles via Reactive Organo-Selenium Compounds

Natural dyes developed by microbial-nanosilver to produce antimicrobial and anticancer textiles

Developing special textiles (for patients in hospitals for example) properties, special antimicrobial and anticancer, was the main objective of the current work. The developed textiles were produced after dyeing by the novel formula of natural (non-environmental toxic) pigments (melanin amended by microbial-AgNPs). Streptomyces torulosus isolate OSh10 with accession number KX753680.1 was selected as a superior producer for brown natural pigment. By optimization processes, some different pigment colors were observed after growing the tested strain on the 3 media. Dextrose and malt extract enhanced the bacteria to produce a reddish-black color. However, glycerol as the main carbon source and NaNO3 and asparagine as a nitrogen source were noted as the best for the production of brown pigment. In another case, starch as a polysaccharide was the best carbon for the production of deep green pigment. Peptone and NaNO3 are the best nitrogen sources for the production of deep green pigment. Microbial-AgNPs were produced by Fusarium oxysporum with a size of 7-21 nm, and the shape was spherical. These nanoparticles were used to produce pigments-nanocomposite to improve their promising properties. The antimicrobial of nanoparticles and textiles dyeing by nanocomposites was recorded against multidrug-resistant pathogens. The new nanocomposite improved pigments' dyeing action and textile properties. The produced textiles had anticancer activity against skin cancer cells with non-cytotoxicity detectable action against normal skin cells. The obtained results indicate to application of these textiles in hospital patients' clothes.

Selenium-Containing (Hetero)Aryl Hybrids as Potential Antileishmanial Drug Candidates: In Vitro Screening against L. amazonensis

Leishmaniasis remains a significant global health concern, with current treatments relying on outdated drugs associated with high toxicity, lengthy administration, elevated costs, and drug resistance. Consequently, the urgent need for safer and more effective therapeutic options in leishmaniasis treatment persists. Previous research has highlighted selenium compounds as promising candidates for innovative leishmaniasis therapy. In light of this, a library of 10 selenium-containing diverse compounds was designed and evaluated in this study. These compounds included selenium-substituted indole, coumarin, chromone, oxadiazole, imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine, Imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole, and oxazole, among others. These compounds were screened against Leishmania amazonensis promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes, and their cytotoxicity was assessed in peritoneal macrophages, NIH/3T3, and J774A.1 cells. Among the tested compounds, MRK-106 and MRK-108 displayed the highest potency against L. amazonensis promastigotes with reduced cytotoxicity. Notably, MRK-106 and MRK-108 exhibited IC50 values of 3.97 µM and 4.23 µM, respectively, and most of the tested compounds showed low cytotoxicity in host cells (CC50 > 200 µM). Also, compounds MRK-107 and MRK-113 showed activity against intracellular amastigotes (IC50 18.31 and 15.93 µM and SI 12.55 and 10.92, respectively). In conclusion, the identified selenium-containing compounds hold potential structures as antileishmanial drug candidates to be further explored in subsequent studies. These findings represent a significant step toward the development of safer and more effective therapies for leishmaniasis, addressing the pressing need for novel and improved treatments.