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Boddu Adilakshmi,1 Obireddy Sreekanth Reddy,2– 4 Duddekunta Hemalatha,1 Kummari SV Krishna Rao,1 Wing-Fu Lai2,3 1Polymer Biomaterial Design and Synthesis Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Yogi Vemana University, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, 516005, India; 2Department of Urology, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Zhejiang, 310012, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Chemistry, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapuramu, Andhra Pradesh, 515003, IndiaCorrespondence: Wing-Fu Lai; Kummari SV Krishna Rao, Email rori0610@graduate.hku.hk; ksvkr@yogivemanauniversity.ac.inPurpose: Site-specific drug delivery systems can contribute to the development and execution of effective cancer treatment. Due to its favorable features (including high biocompatibility, high hydrophilicity and ease of functionalization), poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) has been widely adopted to design drug carriers. Generating carriers for delivery of hydrophobic anticancer agents, however, is still a challenge in carrier design.Methods: In the first step, PEG is functionalized with dialdehyde to generate PEG-(CHO)2 using EDC/NHS chemistry. In the second step, Fe3O4 nanoparticles are functionalized with amino groups to generate Fe3O4-NH2. In the third step, PEG-(CHO)2, Fe3O4-NH2 and doxorubicin (DOX) react in an acidic environment to yield a drug conjugate (PEGDA-MN-DOX), which is subsequently characterized by FT-IR, 1H-NMR, SEM, TEM, DLS, TGA, and DSC.Results: The chemical functionalities of the drug conjugate are confirmed by FTIR, H-NMRand XRD analysis.The release pattern of PEGDA-MN-DOX is investigated at 25 and 37 °C at different pH values. The results indicate that the developed drug conjugate cannot only behave as a sustained-release carrier, but can also generate a significant level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to a high level of toxicity against MCF-7 cells while still showing excellent biocompatibility in 3T3 cells.Conclusion: The reported conjugate shows anticancer potential, cancer-targeting ability, and ROS-generating capacity for effective drug encapsulation and sustained release in chemotherapy.Graphical Abstarct: Keywords: PEG, doxorubicin, magnetic nanoparticles, anti-cancer, biocompatibility, drug delivery

The development of effective carriers enabling combination cancer therapy is of practical importance due to its potential to enhance the effectiveness of cancer treatment. However, most of the reported carriers are monofunctional in nature. The carriers that can be applied to concomitantly mediate multiple treatment modalities are highly deficient. This study fills this gap by reporting the design and fabrication of ROS-generating carbohydrate-based pH-responsive beads with intrinsic anticancer therapy and multidrug co-delivery capacity for combination cancer therapy. Sodium alginate (SA) microspheres and reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-embedded chitosan (CS) beads are developed via emulsion-templated ionic gelation for a combination therapy involving co-delivery of curcumin (CUR) and 5-fluororacil (5-FU). Drug-encapsulated microbeads are characterized by FTIR, DSC, TGA, XRD, and SEM. 5-FU and CUR-encapsulated microbeads are subjected to

Sreekanth Reddy Obireddy,1,2 Wing-Fu Lai2 1Department of Chemistry, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur, 515003, India; 2Ciechanover Institute of Precision and Regenerative Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, 518172, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Wing-Fu LaiCiechanover Institute of Precision and Regenerative Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, 518172, People’s Republic of China, Email rori0610@graduate.hku.hkPurpose: Magnetic nanoparticles have been used in diverse pharmaceutical applications because they can potentially be used to target specific sites. In the present work, a new type of nanocomposites is designed as a carrier of controlled bioactive agent delivery.Methods: Amine-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (amine-MNPs) are coupled with carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) to generate the nanocomposites, namely MNPs-CMC, which can be further loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) to produce MNPs-CMC-DOX. The generated nanocomposites are characterized by using various techniques (including FTIR, 1H-NMR, DSC, TGA, SEM, TEM and XRD). In vitro drug release studies are conducted in PBS with different pH values (1.2 and 6.8) at different temperatures (25°C and 37°C). The toxicity of the nanocomposites is tested in MCF-7 and 3T3 cells. The ROS-generating capacity of the nanocomposites is determined in treated cells using 2’,7’-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate.Results: The structures of MNPs, CMC, and nanocomposites are confirmed by FTIR, XRD, and 1H-NMR data reveals the formation of CMC from chitosan (CS). The size of MNPs is estimated by TEM to be around 25 nm. After conjugation with CMC, the size of the nanocomposites increases to 46– 57 nm. Based on the release profiles of MNPs-CMC-DOX, our nanocomposites are pH-responsive. In addition, our nanocomposites show reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating capacity and cell type-dependent toxicity.Conclusion: Our nanocomposites show high potential for use in bioactive agent delivery. Along with their ROS-generating capacity, they warrant further development as pH-responsive carriers for therapeutic applications.Keywords: nanocomposites, drug delivery, controlled release, biocompatibility

The last decide has witnessed a growing research interest in the role of dietary phytochemicals in influencing the gut microbiota. On the other hand, recent evidence reveals that dietary phytochemicals exhibit properties of preventing and tackling symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, which is a neurodegenerative disease that has also been linked with the status of the gut microbiota over the last decade. Till now, little serious discussions, however, have been made to link recent understanding of Alzheimer's disease, dietary phytochemicals and the gut microbiota together and to review the roles played by phytochemicals in gut dysbiosis induced pathologies of Alzheimer's disease. Deciphering these connections can provide insights into the development and future use of dietary phytochemicals as anti-Alzheimer drug candidates. This review aims at presenting latest evidence in the modulating role of phytochemicals in the gut microbiota and its relevance to Alzheimer's disease and summarizing the mechanisms behind the modulative activities. Limitations of current research in this field and potential directions will also be discussed for future research on dietary phytochemicals as anti-Alzheimer agents.

Nanogels have high tunability and stability while being able to sense and respond to external stimuli by showing changes in the gel volume, water content, colloidal stability, mechanical strength, and other physical/chemical properties. In this article, advances in the preparation of nanogels will be reviewed. The application potential of nanogels in drug delivery will also be highlighted. It is the objective of this article to present a snapshot of the recent knowledge of nanogel preparation and application for future research in drug delivery.

Soybeans and their food products exist in the market in various forms, ranging from crude oils and bean meals to nutritious products (e.g. soy milk powers). With the availability of technologies for mass production of soy products and for enrichment of soy components (e.g. phospholipids, saponins, isoflavones, oligosaccharides and edible fiber), the nutritional values of soy products have been enhanced remarkably, offering the potential for functional food development. Among different bioactive components in soybeans, one important component is isoflavones, which have been widely exploited for health implications. While there are studies supporting the health benefits of isoflavones, concerns on adverse effects have been raised in the literature. The objective of this article is to review the recent understanding of the biological activities, adverse effects, and use of isoflavones in functional food development.