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OBJECTIVE: There is a need to treat cancer cells with safe and natural nanoparticles to avoid the side effects of chemotherapeutic agents. Chamomile is considered a safe, natural plant with anticancer activity. We synthesize simple, inexpensive, and eco-friendly silver nanoparticles (SNs) using Chamomile (CHM) to tune their anticancer properties. MATERIALS AND METHODS: SN-CHM was synthesized by reducing 1 mM silver nitrate aqueous solution in 100 mL with the aqueous ethanolic flower extract of CHM (18 mg/mL, w/v). The reaction proceeded overnight at 600 rpm and 28°C. SN-CHM was characterized for their % yield, average diameter, charge, morphology, and silver release. Moreover, SN-CHM was investigated for its antioxidant and anticancer activities at 200 µg/mL and 5 mg/mL, respectively. RESULTS: A 5 9.12% yield and a uniform S NCHM size of 115 ± 3.1 nm with a 1-potential of -27.67 ± (-3.92) mv were observed. The UV-visible absorption showed shifts from 379.5 to 383.5 nm for CHM and SN-CHM, respectively. Moreover, Ag+ was ultimately released from SN-CHM after 5 h. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) showed characteristic absorption peaks of CHM and produced SN-CHM. Furthermore, SN-CHM showed moderate antioxidant activity. SN-CHM inhibited the % viability of SW620 and HT-29 cell lines at 20 µM. SN-CHM may also greatly upregulate the apoptotic gene BAX while considerably downregulating the anti-apoptotic genes BCL2 and BCL-Xl. CONCLUSIONS: CHM can be a safe soft drink, especially when conjugated with Ag ions as anticancer NPs. SN-CHM is considered potent anticancer activity against SW620, and HT-29 cell lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ahmed AH Abdellatif,1,2,* Fatma Ahmed,3,* Ahmed M Mohammed,2 Mansour Alsharidah,4 Amal Al-Subaiyel,1 Waad A Samman,5 Aisha A Alhaddad,5 Samiah Hamad Al-Mijalli,6 Mohammed A Amin,1,2 Hassan Barakat,7,8 Shaaban K Osman2,* 1Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Qassim, 51452, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, 71524, Egypt; 3Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Sohag University, Sohag, 82524, Egypt; 4Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraydah, 51452, Saudi Arabia; 5Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Taibah University, Medina, 42353, Saudi Arabia; 6Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, 11671, Saudi Arabia; 7Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Qassim University, Buraydah, 51452, Saudi Arabia; 8Food Technology Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Benha University, Moshtohor, 13736, Egypt*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Shaaban K Osman, Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, 71524, Egypt, Tel +2 01129059936, Fax +2-088-312191, Email Shaabanosman@azhar.edu.eg Ahmed AH Abdellatif, Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Qassim, 51452, Saudi Arabia, Email a.abdellatif@qu.edu.saAbstract: The real problem in pharmaceutical preparation is drugs’ poor aqueous solubility, low permeability through biological membranes, and short biological t1/2. Conventional drug delivery systems are not able to overcome these problems. However, cyclodextrins (CDs) and their derivatives can solve these challenges. This article aims to summarize and review the history, properties, and different applications of cyclodextrins, especially the ability of inclusion complex formation. It also refers to the effects of cyclodextrin on drug solubility, bioavailability, and stability. Moreover, it focuses on preparing and applying gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as novel drug delivery systems. It also studies the uses and effects of cyclodextrins in this field as novel drug carriers and targeting devices. The system formulated from AuNPs linked with CD molecules combines the advantages of both CD and AuNPs. Cyclodextrins benefit in increasing aqueous drug solubility, loading capacity, stability, and size control of gold NPs. Also, AuNPs are applied as diagnostic and therapeutic agents because of their unique chemical properties. Plus, AuNPs possess several advantages such as ease of detection, targeted and selective drug delivery, greater surface area, high loading efficiency, and higher stability than microparticles. In the present article, we tried to present the potential pharmaceutical applications of CD-derived AuNPs in biomedical applications including antibacterial, anticancer, gene-drug delivery, and various targeted drug delivery applications. Also, the article highlighted the role of CDs in the preparation and improvement of catalytic enzymes, the formation of self-assembling molecular print boards, the fabrication of supramolecular functionalized electrodes, and biosensors formation.Keywords: AuNPs, nanotechnology, drug delivery, drug targeting, inclusion complexes, cancer management

We recently demonstrated that the histone deacetylase inhibitor valproic acid (VPA) reprograms the cisplatin-induced metabolome of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells, including a shift in hexose levels. Accordingly, here, we tested the hypothesis that VPA alters glucose metabolism in correlation with cisplatin sensitivity. Two TNBC cell lines, MDA-MB-231 (a cisplatin-resistant line) and MDA-MB-436 (a cisplatin-sensitive line), were analyzed. The glycolysis and oxidative metabolism were measured using the Glycolysis Stress Test kit. The expression of aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs), enzymes linked to drug resistance, was investigated by Western blot and real-time PCR analyses. We additionally studied the influence of ALDH inhibition by disulfiram on the viability of MDA-MB-231 cells and on a TNBC patient-derived organoid system. Cisplatin treatment reduced the extracellular acidification rate in MDA-MB-436 cells but not MDA-MB-231 cells, whereas VPA addition increased the extracellular acidification rate in both cell lines. VPA further reduced the oxygen consumption rate of cisplatin-treated MDA-MB-436 cells, which correlated with cell cycle alterations. However, in MDA-MB-231 cells, the cell cycle distribution did not change between cisplatin/VPA-cisplatin treatments. In both cell lines, VPA increased the expression of ALDH isoform and ALDH1A1 expression. However, only in MDA-MB-231 cells, VPA synergized with cisplatin to augment this effect. Disulfiram sensitized the cells to the cytotoxic effects of the VPA-cisplatin combination. Furthermore, the disulfiram-VPA-chemotherapy combination was most effective in TNBC organoids. Our results show that ALDH overexpression may act as one mechanism of cellular resistance to VPA in TNBC and that its inhibition may enhance the therapeutic efficacy of VPA-chemotherapeutic drug combinations., Competing Interests: SE has served as a consultant for Biopass and TrueMed, Israel. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Granit Mizrahi, Gugenheim, Hamad, Hamed, Tetro, Maimon, Khutsurauli, Nechushtan, Nisman, Duran, Samman, Birimberg-Schwartz, Grunewald, Eyal and Peretz.)

The purpose of this study was to find out if the ethanolic fruit extract of Sechium edule fruits could prevent Imquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis in male Wistar rats. The rats were divided into four groups of five rats each group. Group 1 served as a negative control, while groups 2 and 4 received 5 percent IMQ cream topically on shaved backs, topical 5 percent IMQ cream + S. edule (200mg/kg) orally once daily and topical 5 percent IMQ cream + S. edule (400mg/kg) orally once daily, respectively. From days 3 to 9, the animals treated with IMQ developed characteristic erythmea, scaling and thickening, according to the findings. Furthermore, skin thickness and the psoriasis area severity index (PASI) both were increased significantly. In IMQ-challenged mice, histological investigation revealed epidermal cuticle, including parakeratosis, acanthosis and perivascular infiltration of inflammatory cells. In IMQ-challenged rats, treatment with S. edule (200 and 400mg/kg) significantly reversed all of these symptoms.