Explore the vast range of titles available.

BackgroundAlgae are one of the natural materials used to green synthesis of nanoparticles. This method leads to minimize the toxicity of the chemical materials used to nanoparticle synthesis.MethodsIn this study, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) synthesized by Sargassum muticum algae extraction used to evaluate its cytotoxicity and apoptotic properties on human liver cancer cell line (HepG2).ResultsTrypan blue assay results demonstrate a concentration-dependent decrease in cell viability and MTT assay shows increased growth inhibition in time and dose-dependent manner. In addition, CAM assay confirmed the ability of ZnO NPs to inhibit angiogenesis, but chick morphology (both the CR and weight) was not changed. Apoptotic tests (annexin V/PI and AO/PI) show that green-synthesized ZnO NPs induce apoptosis in all three time points (24, 48 and 72h).ConclusionsOur results confirm the beneficial cytotoxic effects of green-synthesized ZnO NPs on Human liver cancer cell. This nanoparticle decreased angiogenesis and induces apoptosis, so we conclude that these nanoparticles can be used as a supplemental drug in cancer treatments.

Liver fibrosis is a common and reversible feature of liver damage associated with many chronic liver diseases, and its onset is influenced by sex. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of liver fibrosis and regeneration, focusing on understanding the mechanistic gaps between females and males. We injected increasing doses of carbon tetrachloride into female and male mice and maintained them for a washout period of eight weeks to allow for liver regeneration. We found that male mice were more prone to developing severe liver fibrosis as a consequence of early chronic liver damage, supported by the recruitment of a large number of Ly6Chigh MoMφs and neutrophils. Although prolonged liver damage exacerbated the fibrosis in mice of both sexes, activated HSCs and Ly6Chigh MoMφs were more numerous and active in the livers of female mice than those of male mice. After eight weeks of washout, only fibrotic females reported no activated HSCs, and a phenotype switching of Ly6Chigh MoMφs to anti-fibrogenic Ly6Clow MoMφs. The early stages of liver fibrosis mostly affected males rather than females, while long-term chronic liver damage was not influenced by sex, at least for liver fibrosis. Liver repair and regeneration were more efficient in females than in males.

BackgroundThe peritoneal cavity contains many site-specific immune cells which constitute a unique immune microenvironment. However, it is unclear how the local immune signature is altered in patients with peritoneal metastases (PM).MethodsPeritoneal lavage fluid or ascites were obtained from 122 patients with various stages of gastric cancer (GC). Cells recovered from peritoneal fluids were immunostained with mAbs for lymphocyte-, macrophage- and tumor cell-specific antigens and the frequencies of leukocyte subsets and antigen expression levels were evaluated with multi-color flowcytometry.ResultsThe proportions of CD8(+) T cells, CD3(+)CD56(+) NKT-like cells, and CD3(-)CD56(+) NK cells to CD45(+) leukocytes were significantly reduced in patients with PM compared to those without PM. In patients with PM, the rates of CD8 (+) T cells and NKT-like cells correlated inversely with the tumor leukocyte ratio (TLR), the relative frequency of CD326(+) tumor cells to CD45(+) leukocytes. In contrast, the proportion of CD19(+) B cells was significantly increased in patients with PM, and their proportion correlated positively with the TLR and peritoneal carcinomatosis index (PCI) score. In patients with PM, CD14(+) macrophages tended to be increased with enhanced expression of CD14, CD16 and a M2-macrophage marker, CD163. In particular, macrophages in patients with high TLR contained many granules with high side scatter and CD14 expression in their flow profile compared to those without PM.ConclusionPM are accompanied by a drastic change in phenotypes of lymphocyte and macrophage in the peritoneal cavity, which might be involved in the development and progression of intraperitoneal tumor growth.

Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles (ZnONPs) are one of the most widely used metal oxide nanoparticles in biological applications because of their outstanding biocompatibility, affordability, and low toxicity. In biomedicine, ZnONPs have shown promise, particularly in the disciplines of anticancer and antibacterial fields. In comparison to other standard synthesis methods, the environmentally-friendly synthesis of metallic nanoparticles utilizing various plant extracts is a good option. The current research focuses on the synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) from R. sativus leaf extract under various physical conditions (Precipitation method). Analytical methods were used to confirm and characterize the produced ZnONPs. The spherical nature of the produced nanoparticles was established by SEM analysis. The generation of very pure ZnONPs was confirmed by EDS data. The crystalline nature of the produced nanoparticles, with a particle size of 66.47 nm, was confirmed by XRD. The XRD graphs’ presence of the (100), (002), and (101) planes strongly suggest the production of wurtzite ZnO. The visual and infrared area exhibits transmissions of 84 percent in the pH 10 nanoparticles. The band gap of the nanoparticles increases from 3.34 to 3.38 eV when the pH increases. These nanoparticles were effective against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The effect of several process parameters such as pH and temperature were investigated, and the best conditions were discovered to be pH 12 and 80 °C, respectively. The effect of ZnONPs was tested with human breast cancer cells (MCF-7), and they showed significant cytotoxic results. Collectively, our data suggest that ZnONPs of R. sativus leaf extract inhibit breast cancer cell lines. The ZnONPs are, therefore, a prospective source of chemopreventive drugs that merit additional exploration in order to uncover lead compounds with cancer chemotherapeutic potential.

Solanine has been shown to inhibit cancer by regulating the expression of apoptosis ( Bax , Bcl-2 ) and metastasis ( CDH-1 , MMP2 ) genes in various cancer cell types. We synthesized optimized niosome NPs (NPs) with high solubility and capacity for solanine loading. In this study, the cytotoxic, cell cycle inhibitory and apoptotic effects of solanine-loaded niosome NPs (SN-NPs) on MCF-7 were investigated. Thin-layer hydration was used to generate SN-NPs and their features were validated. The pH-dependent solanine release pattern was also examined. Synthesized SN-NPs were evaluated for cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and MCF-10 cell lines using MTT. Primary and secondary apoptosis, necrosis, and cell cycle arrest were measured using flowcytometry. Lastly, q-PCR was used to assess the expression of genes. The NPs had an average size between 50 and 70 nm, with a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.452. Solanine was effectively incorporated into noisome NPs, as shown by the high encapsulation efficiency of 82.3%±0.24%. After a quick burst at pH 7 and 5, SN-NPs released slowly and sustainedly. The IC 50 of solanine-loaded niosomes against MCF-7 cells decreased from 40 mg/100 mL to 10 mg/100 mL (48 h) and 5 mg/100 mL (72 h). After 72 h, SN-NPs caused late apoptosis in 30% of MCF-7 cells and necrosis in 5.06% ( p  < 0.01). SN-NPs caused 81% of cells to arrest in the G0/G1 phase, with only 12% progressing to G2/M ( p  < 0.01). Solanine-loaded NPs significantly increased Bax and CDH-1 gene expression in malignant cells compared to free niosomes and free solanine ( p  < 0.0001). Bcl-2 and MMP2 expression significantly decreased in this group compared to free niosomes and free solanine ( p  < 0.001). Solanine-containing niosomes showed significant anticancer effects on MCF-7 breast cancer cells, which were supported by apoptosis, cell cycle arrest and regulation of gene expression. The regulated release and precise delivery of solanine using SN-NPs show considerable translational potential. This improved nanocarrier technology may increase the bioavailability and efficacy of solanine, potentially leading to improved clinical outcomes in breast cancer therapy.

Grade IV astrocytoma, also referred to as glioblastoma (GBM), is the most common type of glioma, accounting for over 60% of all brain tumors. It is still a fatal illness in spite of years of investigation and does not currently have a treatment. Thus, scientists and medical professionals are constantly trying to understand the molecular processes and heterogeneity of GBM as well as looking for new ways to improve treatment results. Numerous studies have indicated that nanomaterials, and more especially nanoparticles, offer a great deal of potential for killing cancer cells; as a result, they are being considered as a potential alternative cancer treatment. Several studies have demonstrated that ZnO NPs have shown specific cytotoxicity against cancer cells while leaving normal cells unharmed. In this study we aim to synthesize sodium doped zinc oxide NPs using zingerone in an environmentally friendly manner to evaluate their cytotoxic effects on U87 GBM cell line and normal HEK cell line and investigate the occurrence of apoptosis via apoptosis assay by flowcytometry and gene expression study of TP53 and related genes to apoptosis and cell cycle regulation pathways. It was demonstrated that Na-doped ZnO NPs had a significant cytotoxic effect on U87 cells while having significantly less effect on normal HEK cells. Na-doped ZnO NPs eliminated cancerous cells through apoptosis induction and possibly cell cycle regulation via up-regulation of TP53, PTEN, BAX, P21 and down-regulation of Bcl2. The unique physicochemical properties of nanoparticles turn them into fascinating agents to treat GBM. Hence, the necessity of exploring the vast, yet unknown field of nanoparticles potentials cannot be over looked.

Lymphocytes are key players in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis and a distinct target of several immunomodulatory treatment strategies. In this study, we aim to evaluate the effect of various pre-analytic conditions on immune cell counts to conclude the relevance for clinical implications. Twenty healthy donors were assessed for the effects of distinct storage temperatures and times after blood draws, different durations of tourniquet application, body positions and varying aspiration forces during blood draws. Immune cell frequencies were analyzed using multicolor flowcytometry. While storage for 24 h at 37 °C after blood draws was associated with significantly lower cell counts, different durations of tourniquet application, body positions and varying aspirations speeds did not have significant impacts on the immune cell counts. Our data suggest that immune cell counts are differently affected by pre-analytic conditions being more sensitive to storage temperature. Pre-analytic conditions should be carefully considered when interpreting the laboratory values of immune cell subpopulations.

Persistent low-grade inflammation has been hypothesized as a possible key contributor to polycystic ovary syndrome pathophysiology through associative studies. Since immune cells within the ovarian follicle-the central site of PCOS dysfunction-play pivotal roles in immune defense and regulation of ovulation, establishing a definitive cellular map of normal and PCOS-affected follicular immune composition is essential. This is a prospective cohort study of women with PCOS (Rotterdam criteria) and controls undergoing fertilization (IVF). Peripheral blood was collected before treatment (visit 1) and again at transvaginal oocyte retrieval (TVOR, visit 2). Follicular fluid (FF) was obtained from the first two dominant follicles during TVOR. We measured the cytokines and angiogenic factors in both plasma and FF using multiplexed cytometric bead assays. The cellular immune composition was evaluated by using high-dimensional multispectral flow cytometry, followed by dimensionality reduction and graph-based clustering analyses. We found that the TVOR plasma contained significantly higher concentrations of IL-2, IL-4, IL-9, IL-17A, TNF-α, and MCP-1 compared to the follicular fluid, whereas the follicular fluid was enriched with angiogenic factors such as VEGF and EGF. Notably, pre-treatment plasma samples from PCOS patients showed elevated Il-4, IL-6, IL-9, and IL-10, which were partially resolved by TVOR. Moreover, the PCOS follicular fluid exhibited higher numbers of classical monocytes and a trend toward increased CTLA4-positive T regulatory cells relative to the controls. Our findings highlight a compartment-specific immunome in PCOS, marked by distinct cytokine and angiogenic factor distributions in circulation versus follicular fluid. PCOS was characterized by elevated systemic inflammatory markers before treatment, which were partially normalized by TVOR, yet key immune differences persisted at the follicular level. These results underscore the utility of comprehensive multiparametric analyses-including high-dimensional flow cytometry-to uncover immune dysregulation and identify potential therapeutic targets in PCOS.

Introduction This paper reports preliminary data of an ongoing study that evaluates the association of systemic inflammatory response (SIRS) with early severe acute pancreatitis (ESAP) and compensatory anti-inflammatory response syndrome (characterized by HLA-DR down-regulation) with infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN). Methods Consecutive patients presenting within 72 h of symptom onset with organ dysfunction and/or local complications were included. Following parameters were recorded: demographics, etiology, SIRS, APACHE II, creatinine, BUN. Circulating IL-8, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-alpha concentrations and expression of HLA-DR and IL-10 by qRT-PCR in PBMCs were measured. Strength of associations of cytokine concentration and HLA-DR/IL-10 expression with outcomes was expressed as Hedges’ G and relative risk (95% CI). Results Twenty-eight patients (10 MSAP; 18 SAP) fulfilled inclusion criteria. Twelve patients had ESAP and eight presented with organ failure. Admission SIRS worsened in eight (28.6%) patients over 48 h. Sixteen (57.1%) patients developed primary IPN. Twenty-one (75%) patients had HLA-DR down-regulation during the first week, which persisted to the second week in 12 (42.9%) patients. IL-8, IL-6, and TNF-α progressively increased from healthy controls to MAP to MSAP to SAP. IL-6 and TNF-α was higher in the patients who developed ESAP ( p  = 0.01 and 0.05, respectively). Patients who died within the first week also had a significantly elevated concentration of IL-6 and TNF-α ( p  = 0.02 and 0.01, respectively). The relative risk (95% CI) of developing primary IPN with persistent HLA-DR down-regulation till the second week of illness was 11.3 (1.6–82.4; p  = 0.01). Conclusions Our study objectively demonstrates significant association of ESAP and early mortality with primary cytokine response, and development of IPN with persistent HLA-DR down-regulation.