In the present work, polylactic acid (PLA), elastin and gelatin fibers, containing clindamycin, were prepared to test their potential application as wound dressings. They underwent release studies to ...determine the mechanism of drug release through mathematical models. The fibers have a homogeneous morphology, without pores. The studies of FTIR and thermal analysis corroborate the presence of each of the components in the fibers; the results of the feasibility tests showed encouraging percentages with a viability of 82% after 7 days of direct contact of the HUVEC cells with the membranes. Similarly, cell adhesion assays show the presence of viable and stretched cells on the fibers, the tendency of the cells to position themselves on the fibers and follow this conformation was observed. On the other hand, studies of antimicrobial activity against
S. aureus
show us that in fibers loaded with clindamycin they have inhibition halos greater than 8 mm.
Amylases are an important family of enzymes involved in insect carbohydrate metabolism that are required for the survival of insect larvae. For this reason, enzymes from starch-dependent insects are ...targets for insecticidal control. PF2 (Olneya tesota) is a lectin that is toxic to Zabrotes subfasciatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) larvae. In this study, we evaluated recognition of the PF2 lectin to α-amylases from Z. subfasciatus midgut and the effect of PF2 on α-amylase activity. PF2 caused a decrease of total amylase activity in vitro. Subsequently, several α-amylase isoforms were isolated from insect midgut tissues using ion exchange chromatography. Three enzyme isoforms were verified by an in-gel assay for amylase activity; however, only one isoform was recognized by antiamylase serum and PF2. The identity of this Z. subfasciatus α-amylase was confirmed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The findings strongly suggest that a glycosylated α-amylase isoform from larval Z. subfasciatus midgut interacts with PF2, which interferes with starch digestion.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the drug delivery behavior and other properties of electrospun composite membranes for potential use in tissue engineering. Tecoflex® (PU1), and a lab‐made ...polyurethane (PU2) were studied. They were mixed with nano‐hydroxyapatite (PU1‐nHA and PU2‐nHA) and vancomycin (PU1‐VA and PU2‐VA) or mixed with both, nHA and VA (PU1‐nHA‐VA and PU2‐nHA‐VA). Scanning electron microscopy showed a porous structure in all the electrospun membranes with smooth fibers in PU1 and its composites with sizes in the range of 0.6–0.9 μm and nanoparticles of HA, both, adhered and embedded on the PU fibers were observed. nHA and VA affected the thermal and mechanical behavior of composites. Elastic modulus, cytotoxicity, and kinetic release were affected by the PU and nHA. Cell viability up to 75% showed that all membrane extracts are not cytotoxic while microbial inhibition activity was observed in PU1‐VA, PU1‐nHA‐VA, and PU2‐VA.
Acute monocytic leukemia is a type of myeloid leukemia that develops in monocytes. The current clinical therapies for leukemia are unsatisfactory due to their side effects and nonspecificity toward ...target cells. Some lectins display antitumor activity and may specifically recognize cancer cells by binding to carbohydrate structures on their surface. Therefore, this study evaluated the response of the human monocytic leukemia cell lines THP‐1 to the Olneya tesota PF2 lectin. The induction of apoptosis and reactive oxygen species production in PF2‐treated cells was evaluated by flow cytometry, and the lectin‐THP‐1 cell interaction and mitochondrial membrane potential were evaluated by confocal fluorescence microscopy. PF2 genotoxicity was evaluated by DNA fragmentation analysis via gel electrophoresis. The results showed that PF2 binds to THP‐1 cells, triggers apoptosis and DNA degradation, changes the mitochondrial membrane potential, and increases reactive oxygen species levels in PF2‐treated THP‐1 cells. These results suggest the potential use of PF2 for developing alternative anticancer treatments with enhanced specificity.
Legume Lectins: Proteins with Diverse Applications Lagarda-Diaz, Irlanda; Guzman-Partida, Ana Maria; Vazquez-Moreno, Luz
International journal of molecular sciences,
06/2017, Letnik:
18, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Lectins are a diverse class of proteins distributed extensively in nature. Among these proteins; legume lectins display a variety of interesting features including antimicrobial; insecticidal and ...antitumor activities. Because lectins recognize and bind to specific glycoconjugates present on the surface of cells and intracellular structures; they can serve as potential target molecules for developing practical applications in the fields of food; agriculture; health and pharmaceutical research. This review presents the current knowledge of the main structural characteristics of legume lectins and the relationship of structure to the exhibited specificities; provides an overview of their particular antimicrobial; insecticidal and antitumor biological activities and describes possible applications based on the pattern of recognized glyco-targets.
Mexico is one of the main diversification centers of cacti in the world, with more than 500 endemic species, most of which remain nutritionally and functionally uncharacterized. The columnar cacti of ...the genus
Pachycereus
comprise five underutilized endemic Mexican species, whose nutraceutical properties have only been studied in the
P. weberi
species. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the nutritional quality and bioactive properties of etcho (
P. pecten-aboriginum
) and giant cardon (
P. pringlei
) fruit. The physical, chemical, and nutritional composition of etcho and giant cardon fruits were characterized, as well as the profile and content of bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity (ABTS
•+
and DPPH
•
), and antiproliferative capacity in cervical (HeLa) and breast cancer (MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, and T-47D) cell lines. Our results suggest that etcho and giant cardon fruits are rich sources of essential nutrients and bioactive phytochemicals (including K, Mg, P, dietary fiber, polyphenolic compounds, vitamin C, betalains, and
myo
-inositol) with antioxidant and anticancer potential by inhibiting the proliferation of all evaluated cell lines with IC
50
values in the range of 198 to 287 µg of gallic acid equivalents/mL. Therefore, etcho and giant cardon fruits could be used for nutraceutical purposes, and their consumption could promote health benefits.
Currently, silver nanoparticles have boomed in food and medicine due to their potential applications, such as antibacterial and anticancer activity. These nanoparticles have been synthesized by ...several techniques; however, green synthesis has taken on greater importance due to the non-generation of toxic residues. Green synthesis has been constructed from plant parts; however, the new trend comprises the use of agri-food waste extracts, known as sustainable green synthesis. The use of agri-food waste reduces environmental pollution and confers on its added value. The main waste generated is found in agricultural crops and industry from fruits and vegetables, cereal, bagasse from the food industry, and alcoholic beverages, oil cake of the oil industry, among others. The main biomolecules in agri-food waste extracts include phenolic compounds, alkaloids, terpenes, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and proteins, whose function is to reduce the agents of the silver ion. Therefore, the objective of this review was to promote the use of agri-food waste for the sustainable green synthesis of silver nanoparticles and its application as antibacterial and anticancer agents.
An experiment was developed to simulate inland shrimp farming using diluted seawater (1.9 g L
−1
) containing 75 shrimps (
Litopenaeus vannamei
) per square meter during a growth cycle of 120 days. ...In this study, the environmental loads of copper and zinc were estimated and compared to anthropogenic sources and shrimp aquacultures in other locations. Both metals resulted primarily from feeding, which accounted for 91.8% of Cu and 97.0% of Zn. Concentrations of Cu (110.8 ± 11.8 μg g
−1
) and Zn (69.0 ± 0.7 μg g
−1
) measured in the harvested shrimp had higher Cu and lower Zn concentrations compared to those reported for farmed shrimp from Brazil and Mexico. Clearly, organic sludge was the main route of removal for both metals (Cu 46.2%; Zn 92.6%). The annual environmental loads estimated for inland shrimp aquaculture were 598 ± 74 g Cu ha
−1
and 5080 ± 328 g Zn ha
−1
.
The corrosion phenomenon in oil and gas industry is a serious issue affecting metallic structures and pipelines. The main aggressive species flowing through oil pipelines is NaCl. The presence of ...gases in the corrosive medium (CO
2
and H
2
S), increases, even more, its aggressiveness. Usually, to mitigate corrosion, liquid inhibitors are added to the corrosive medium. In the present study, N-hydroxyethyl-imidazoline derivatives of avocado oil was synthesized as a green corrosion inhibitor. The test was performed on 1018 carbon steel at 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 ppm. Electrochemical techniques as polarization curves (PC), the open circuit potential (OCP), the lineal polarization resistance (LPR) and the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were applied. The results obtained from the OCP indicates that the inhibitor can be classified as a cathodic type one. On the one hand, PC, RPL and EIS determined that the highest corrosion rate was obtained without the inhibitor. On the other hand, by adding inhibitor, the corrosion resistance increased, obtaining the optimal concentration at 10 ppm. The EIS technique in the angle phase format showed the formation of two time constants, which indicates the inhibitor presence. Finally, the SEM analyses showed a minor attack at 5 and 10 ppm.
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