Search

Abstract Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a common health issue, and researchers are interested in overcoming it. Nanotechnology green synthesis is one of the recent approaches to making efficient drugs. In this study, we modeled curcumin-coated iron oxide nanoparticles (cur-IONPs) to study their predicted toxicity and drug-likeness properties, then to investigate mucoadhesive behavior by docking cur-IONPs with two main mucin proteins in gastrointestinal tract (GIT) mucosa (muc 5AC and muc 2). Furthermore, the stability of cur-IONPs/protein complexes was assessed by molecular dynamics. Our in-silico studies results showed that cur-IONPs were predicted to be potential candidates to treat IDA due to its mucoadhesive properties, which could enhance the bioavailability, time residency, and iron absorbance through GIT, in addition to its high safety profile with high drug-likeness properties and oral bioavailability. Finally, molecular dynamic simulation studies revealed stable complexes supporting strength docking studies. Our results focus on the high importance of in-silico drug design studies; however, they need to be supported with in vitro and in vivo studies to reveal the efficacy, toxicity, and bioavailability of cur-IONPs.

Abstract Developing stable and highly efficient metal oxide photocatalysts remains a significant challenge in managing organic pollutants. In this study, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were successfully synthesized using various plant extracts, pomegranate (P.M), beetroot roots (B.S), and seder, along with a chemical process. The produced ZnO NPs were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), and Surface Area. For all prepared samples, the results indicated that the composition of the plant extract affects several characteristics of the produced particles, such as their photocatalytic properties, energy bandgap (Eg), particle size, and the ratio of the two intensity (0 0 2) and (1 0 0) crystalline planes. The particle size of the produced NPs varies between 20 and 30 nm. To examine NPs' photocatalytic activity in the presence of UV light, Methyl Orange (MO) was utilized. The Eg of ZnO synthesized by the chemical method was 3.16 e. V, whereas it was 2.84, 2.63, and 2.59 for P.M, Seder, and B.S extracts, respectively. The most effective ZnO NPs, synthesized using Beetroots, exhibited a degradation efficiency of 87 ± 0.5% with a kinetic rate constant of 0.007 min−1. The ratio of the two intensity (0 0 2) and (1 0 0) crystalline planes was also examined to determine a specific orientation in (0 0 2) that is linked to the production of oxygen vacancies in ZnO, which enhances their photocatalytic efficiency. Furthermore, the increase in photocatalytic effectiveness can be attributed to the improved light absorption by the inter-band gap states and effective charge transfer.

Abstract Methylene blue (MB) dye is considered a well-known dye in many industries and the low concentration of MB is considered very polluted for all environment if it discharged without any treatment. For that reason, many researchers used advanced technologies for removing MB such as the electrochemical methods that considered very simple and give rapid response. Considering these aspects, a novel quartz crystal microbalance nanosensors based on different concentrations of PVC@SiO2 were designed for real-time adsorption of MB dye in the aqueous streams at different pHs and different temperatures. The characterization results of PVC@SiO2 showed that the PVC@SiO2 have synthesized in spherical shape. The performance of the designed QCM-Based PVC@SiO2 nanosensors were examined by the QCM technique. The sensitivity of designed nanosensors was evaluated at constant concentration of MB (10 mg/L) at different pHs (2, 7 and 11) and temperatures (20 °C, 25 °C, and 30 °C). From the experimental, the best concentration of PVC@SiO2 was 3% for adsorbed 9.99 mg of cationic methylene blue at pH 11 and temperature 20 °C in only 5.6 min.

With the increase in nanoparticles (NPs) products on the market, the possibility of animal and human exposure to these materials will increase. The smaller size of NPs facilitates their entrance through placental barriers and allows them to accumulate in embryonic tissue, where they can then be a source of different developmental malformations. Several toxicity studies with chemically synthesized titanium dioxide NPs (CTiO2 NPs) have been recently carried out; although there is insufficient data on exposure to biosynthesized titanium dioxide NPs (BTiO2 NPs) during pregnancy, the study aimed to evaluate the ability of an eco-friendly biosynthesis technique using garlic extract against maternal and fetal genotoxicities, which could result from repeated exposure to TiO2 NPs during gestation days (GD) 6–19. A total of fifty pregnant rats were divided into five groups (n = 10) and gavaged CTiO2 NPs and BTiO2 NPs at 100 and 300 mg/kg/day concentrations. Pregnant rats on GD 20 were anesthetized, uterine horns were removed, and then embryotoxicity was performed. The kidneys of the mothers and fetuses in each group were collected and then maintained in a frozen condition. Our results showed that garlic extract can be used as a reducing agent for the formation of TiO2 NPs. Moreover, BTiO2 NPs showed less toxic potential than CTiO2 NPs in HepG2 cells. Both chemically and biosynthesized TiO2 NP-induced genetic variation in the 16S rRNA sequences of mother groups compared to the control group. In conclusion, the genetic effects of the 16S rRNA sequence induced by chemically synthesized TiO2 NPs were greater than those of biosynthesized TiO2 NPs. However, there were no differences between the control group and the embryo-treated groups with chemically and biologically synthesized TiO2 NPs.

The application of metallic nanoparticles poses risks to human and animal health. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) are the most commonly synthesized metallic oxides in the world. Exposure to TiO2NPs can cause toxicity in the target organisms. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of green and chemical TiO2NPs on maternal and embryo-fetal livers. Green TiO2NPs using garlic extract (GTiO2NPs) and chemical TiO2NPs (CHTiO2NPs) were synthesized and characterized by x-ray powder diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The cytotoxicity of both chemical and green TiO2NPs was determined against HepG2 cell lines. Fifty pregnant female Albino rats were equally and randomly divided into five groups. Group 1 was kept as a control. Groups 2 and 3 were orally treated with 100 and 300 mg/kg body weight of CHTiO2NPs, respectively. Groups 4 and 5 were orally treated with 100 and 300 mg/kg of GTiO2NPs, respectively, from day 6 to 19 of gestation. All dams were euthanized on gestation day 20. All live fetuses were weighed and euthanized. Blood and tissue samples were collected for biochemical, histopathological, and Bax-immunohistochemical expression analyses. Our results indicated that garlic could be used as a reducing agent for the synthesis of TiO2NPs, and the produced NPs have no toxic effect against HepG2 cells compared with CHTiO2NPs. The maternal and fetal bodyweights were greatly reduced among the chemically TiO2NPs induced animals. The mean serum level of AST and ALT activities and the total protein level significantly increased when TiO2NPs were administered at high doses. Histologically, the CHTiO2NPs-treated groups revealed vacuolated and necrotized hepatocytes with congested and dilated blood vessels in the fetal and maternal livers. The immunohistochemistry revealed distinct positive staining of Bax expressed in the hepatocytes. Nevertheless, the biosynthesis of TiO2NPs using garlic extract had a minimal effect on the normal architecture of the liver. It could be concluded that the bioactivity of TiO2NPs can be modified by green synthesis using garlic extract. Compared to the CHTiO2NPs, the exposure to GTiO2NPs showed reduced liver damage in maternal and embryo-fetal rats.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a common health issue, and researchers are interested in overcoming it. Nanotechnology green synthesis is one of the recent approaches to making efficient drugs. In this study, we modeled curcumin-coated iron oxide nanoparticles (cur-IONPs) to study their predicted toxicity and drug-likeness properties, then to investigate mucoadhesive behavior by docking cur-IONPs with two main mucin proteins in gastrointestinal tract (GIT) mucosa (muc 5AC and muc 2). Furthermore, the stability of cur-IONPs/protein complexes was assessed by molecular dynamics. Our in-silico studies results showed that cur-IONPs were predicted to be potential candidates to treat IDA due to its mucoadhesive properties, which could enhance the bioavailability, time residency, and iron absorbance through GIT, in addition to its high safety profile with high drug-likeness properties and oral bioavailability. Finally, molecular dynamic simulation studies revealed stable complexes supporting strength docking studies. Our results focus on the high importance of in-silico drug design studies; however, they need to be supported with in vitro and in vivo studies to reveal the efficacy, toxicity, and bioavailability of cur-IONPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing stable and highly efficient metal oxide photocatalysts remains a significant challenge in managing organic pollutants. In this study, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were successfully synthesized using various plant extracts, pomegranate (P.M), beetroot roots (B.S), and seder, along with a chemical process. The produced ZnO NPs were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), and Surface Area. For all prepared samples, the results indicated that the composition of the plant extract affects several characteristics of the produced particles, such as their photocatalytic properties, energy bandgap (Eg), particle size, and the ratio of the two intensity (0 0 2) and (1 0 0) crystalline planes. The particle size of the produced NPs varies between 20 and 30 nm. To examine NPs' photocatalytic activity in the presence of UV light, Methyl Orange (MO) was utilized. The Eg of ZnO synthesized by the chemical method was 3.16 e. V, whereas it was 2.84, 2.63, and 2.59 for P.M, Seder, and B.S extracts, respectively. The most effective ZnO NPs, synthesized using Beetroots, exhibited a degradation efficiency of 87 ± 0.5% with a kinetic rate constant of 0.007 min−1. The ratio of the two intensity (0 0 2) and (1 0 0) crystalline planes was also examined to determine a specific orientation in (0 0 2) that is linked to the production of oxygen vacancies in ZnO, which enhances their photocatalytic efficiency. Furthermore, the increase in photocatalytic effectiveness can be attributed to the improved light absorption by the inter-band gap states and effective charge transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was aimed to evaluate the wound healing activity of both green and chemical Zinc oxide Nanoparticles in equine. Ten animals (nine donkeys and one horse) suffered from traumatized infected or non-infected wounds were used in this study. The visible signs of wound infection were evaluated in six cases, while the other four cases were admitted with fresh recent wounds. Animals were topically treated once a day in and day out and monitored for three weeks. It was observed that, the macroscopic wound contraction percents in animals treated with green Zinc oxide Nanoparticles gel in 1st, 2nd and 3rd weeks were 45%, 76%, and 93.6% respectively. While, those which treated with chemical Zinc oxide Nanoparticles gel were 40.4%, 67.2%, and 90.6% respectively. The study revealed that, green Zinc oxide Nanoparticles gel accelerated the wound healing and cleared the wound infection faster when compared to chemical Zinc oxide Nanoparticles gel. It was concluded that, topical green Zinc oxide Nanoparticles gel can significantly accelerate the process of wound healing and clear the wound infections in wounded equine from clinical field cases.