Nanotechnology is one of the frontier areas of research involving nanoscale manipulation of atoms and molecules. Its development is one of the most innovative advancement of biomedical field in the ...past decade. Nowadays this emerging field focuses on developing new generation nanomaterials like Quantum dots for multitasking purposes such as medical diagnostics, drug delivery, gene therapy etc. ‘Quantum dots’ also known as semiconductor nanocrystals are rapidly becoming a critical tool for a variety of biomedical applications owing to their exceptional photo physical properties. Most probably, liver and kidney are the organs prone to Quantum dots (QDs) as part of their metabolism and excretion during their applications. Toxicity is a major obstacle when considering QDs for various biomedical applications. Significant challenges still exist and need to be validated before their clinical applications. This review focus on to the science behind quantum dots, various biomedical applications and their interaction with liver and kidney. Safety concerns being the major downside of its application are also briefly discussed followed by factors affecting their toxicity. Also, strategies towards modification of quantum dots for reducing cytotoxicity are illustrated and concluded with a glance at the future direction of quantum dots.
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Nano technological research offered uncountable opportunities for engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) in the field of biomedical, pharmaceutical, agricultural, cosmetics, textiles, automobiles and ...electronic industry. Large scale commercial production and use of nanoparticles with smaller size and characteristic physico-chemical properties enhance the possibility of amenable toxicity to the environment. Primary important species of the ecosystem like bacteria, algae, fishes and plants are at high risk with nanoparticle (NP) toxicity. ENP distributed in air, water and soil can directly affect the livelihood or even the existence of smaller organisms. In day-today life, human beings are getting exposed to thousands of NPs via dermal contact, inhalation or ingestion. Topical application of sunscreens and cosmetics containing ENPs has the potential to induce photo toxicity under ultra violet irradiation. ENP intentionally or non-intentionally enter into the body will affect the entire organ system and execute their toxicity even in reproduction and fetal developmental stages. Unfortunately the existing researches to evaluate the in vivo and in vitro toxic effects of ENPs are inefficient to give the exact nature and depth of toxicity. Hence an effort was made to discuss on the characteristics, classification, synthesis, applications and toxic potentials of various classes of commercially relevant ENPs along with a detailed review on currently available literatures.
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Highlights
The introduction of graphene will certainly uncover new advanced materials, and many more future technologies will become realistic in the forthcoming years.
The present review article ...includes more recent publications about the biomedical application and cellular interaction of graphene. It is also updated with modern approaches such as use of graphene inks for 3D printing application.
Moreover, the importance of protein corona in modulating the cellular interaction, which was overlooked in previous review publications, is also included in this article.
The possible biological outcomes and toxicity when graphene is exposed to living organisms at the cellular and organ level are explained.
Graphene,
sp
2
hybridized carbon framework of one atom thickness, is reputed as the strongest material to date. It has marked its impact in manifold applications including electronics, sensors, composites, and catalysis. Current state-of-the-art graphene research revolves around its biomedical applications. The two-dimensional (2D) planar structure of graphene provides a large surface area for loading drugs/biomolecules and the possibility of conjugating fluorescent dyes for bioimaging. The high near-infrared absorbance makes graphene ideal for photothermal therapy. Henceforth, graphene turns out to be a reliable multifunctional material for use in diagnosis and treatment. It exhibits antibacterial property by directly interacting with the cell membrane. Potential application of graphene as a scaffold for the attachment and proliferation of stem cells and neuronal cells is captivating in a tissue regeneration scenario. Fabrication of 2D graphene into a 3D structure is made possible with the help of 3D printing, a revolutionary technology having promising applications in tissue and organ engineering. However, apart from its advantageous application scope, use of graphene raises toxicity concerns. Several reports have confirmed the potential toxicity of graphene and its derivatives, and the inconsistency may be due to the lack of standardized consensus protocols. The present review focuses on the hidden facts of graphene and its biomedical application, with special emphasis on drug delivery, biosensing, bioimaging, antibacterial, tissue engineering, and 3D printing applications.
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Graphene, a ⿿miracle material⿿.Physico-chemical properties of graphene.Safety and biocompatibility of graphene.Biomedical application of graphene
Graphene, a material with great ...application potential is expected to revolutionize various fields in the near future particularly biomedical field with its inherent properties. However, significant increase in the research on graphene in the recent years has created anxiety about their safety/biocompatibility towards living organisms. Though there is increase in reports on graphene synthesis and application, in parallel reports on unwanted toxic effects of these materials is under scrutiny. Before exploiting their use, any engineered nanomaterials should undergo through investigation regarding the risk and health hazards imposed by them. Toxicity of nanomaterial depends on many factors like size, shape, surface chemistry, dose, duration and the biological milieu. In this account, we reviewed physico-chemical properties of graphene that plays a key role in toxicity prediction. We also detailed some examples of the in vitro and in vivo toxicity studies that have been published so far. The potential environmental risk associated with these carbon materials is also addressed, in order to avoid unintentional leaching of these materials into surface water.
Inflammatory responses arise as an outcome of tissues or organs exposure towards harmful stimuli like injury, toxic chemicals or pathogenic microorganism. It is a complex cascade of immune mechanism ...to overcome from tissue injury and to initiate the healing process by recruiting various immune cells, chemical mediators such as the vasoactive peptides and amines, pro-inflammatory cytokines, eicosanoids and acute-phase proteins to prevent tissue damage and ultimately complete restoration of the tissue function. The cytokines exhibits a central function in communication between the cells, inflammatory response initiation, amplification and their regulation. This review covers the importance of inflammatory responses; the significance of cytokines in inflammation and numerous inflammatory disorders/ailments due to the abrupt expression of cytokines and the hyper-inflammatory response or cytokine storm associated with poor prognosis in COVID-19 pandemic. Also highlighting the importance of naturally derived anti-inflammatory metabolites to overcome the side-effects of currently prevailing anti-inflammatory drugs.
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Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) is a plant mitogen that can agglutinate human leukocytes and erythrocytes. PHA is mainly derived from red kidney beans and can act as an exogenous pyrogen. When entering into ...the blood circulation, exogenous pyrogens principally interact with monocytes and macrophages and induce the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Monocytes and macrophages are the cells that fight against foreign invaders and acts as a primary line of immune defence. Similar to PHA, the chemical 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (TNP) also acts as an exogenous pyrogen. The study focused on the in vitro interaction of PHA and TNP with the human monocyte/macrophage cell model THP-1. The exposure and associated change in cellular morphology, organelle function, mechanism of cell death, inflammatory signalling and expression of inflammation-related genes were analyzed in different time periods. It was observed that PHA and TNP induce dose and time-dependent toxicity to monocytes/macrophages where the mechanism of cell death was different for PHA and TNP. Both PHA and TNP can evoke immune signalling with increased expression of inflammatory genes and associated activation of intracellular signalling cascades.
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The immune system is a highly advanced and coordinated mechanism that allows a living organism to distinguish between “self” and “non-self”. The host uses both innate and adaptive immune response ...mechanisms to identify and eliminate pathogenic microorganisms. Human immunoglobulin is the prominently used blood product in the clinical practice. Immunoglobulin applications have improved rapidly due to the exploration of its immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. This made this blood product into a precious and advanced tool in the treatment of numerous disease conditions which are linked with humoral immune deficiency or that cause immune system dysfunction. Human immunoglobulin (Ig) is used for Ig replacement therapy in both primary and secondary immunodeficiency conditions, for prevention and treatment of certain infections. It also acts as an immunomodulatory agent for autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Therapeutic antibodies have been successfully used for the treatment of diverse pathological conditions. Drug development programs exclusively select highly specific antibodies that recognize a single disease-associated target. Hopefully this review will give an insight towards the immune system, the involvement of the specialized immune cells, their products and involvement in various immune disorders and pathological conditions.
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•Features of innate and acquired immunity•Detailed process of hematopoiesis•Effects of immunoglobulin and antibody therapies•Importance of immunoglobulin and role of antibodies•Humoral and cell mediated immune response
Chitosan-hyaluronic acid hydrogel for cartilage repair Mohan, Neethu; Mohanan, PV; Sabareeswaran, A ...
International journal of biological macromolecules,
November 2017, 2017-Nov, 2017-11-00, Letnik:
104, Številka:
Pt B
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The current study investigates the potential of chitosan-hyaluronic acid dialdehyde hydrogels for in vivo cartilage regeneration following two different approaches: Gel alone for cartilage ...regeneration or combination of chondrocytes and gel for cartilage repair. Critical size osteochondral defects were created in knee joints of Newzealand White rabbits. Allogenic rabbit chondrocytes were encapsulated in hydrogels and gel or gel+cells were implanted in defects aseptically. The regenerated cartilage was analyzed after 12 weeks of implantation. The morphological scoring indicates that repair tissue was formed in all the animals by 12 weeks irrespective of whether they were sham, received gel, or gel with cells as implant. However the repair tissue formed in sham appeared fibrous and opaque, where as those that received gel had texture similar to the surrounding native cartilage and animals with gel+cells showed varied response. Histology staining, score distribution and immunostaining for collagen Type II showed animals that received gel alone as the implant had a mixture of hyaline and fibro cartilage. The animals with cell encapsulated gels had more fibrous cells with weak staining for collagen type II. There was no significant enhancement in the quality of regenerated cartilage in presence of encapsulated chondrocytes.
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is a leading cause of death and disability in Kerala, India. Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a constellation of established risk factors for CAD. We aimed to estimate the ...prevalence of MS and evaluate the association between MS and CAD using a community-based sample population.
A cross-sectional community based survey was conducted in urban and rural areas of Kerala in 2011. We included 5063 individuals for analysis. Age standardized prevalence of MS, associated diagnoses (hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia) and other potential risk factors were assessed for men and women in both urban and rural locations. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were developed to identify participant characteristics that are associated with MS.
After standardization for age and adjustment for sex and urban-rural distribution, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Kerala was 24%, 29% and 33% for the NCEP ATP III, IDF and AHA/NHLBI Harmonization definitions, respectively. The mean (SD) age of the participants was 51 (14) years, and 60% were women. Women had a higher prevalence of MS than men (28% versus 20% for ATP III, p<0.001). Similarly, participants living in urban areas had higher prevalence of MS than their rural counterparts (26% versus 22%, p<0.001). Elevated body mass index, older age, and female sex were associated with MS in an adjusted multivariate model. The propensity for definite CAD was 1.7 times higher in individuals with MS defined based on ATP III criteria compared to those without MS (Adjusted OR = 1.69; 95% CI: 1.3-2.2, p<0.001).
One of four to one of three adult individuals in Kerala have MS based on different criteria. Higher propensity for CAD in individuals with MS in Kerala calls for urgent steps to prevent and control the burden of metabolic conditions.
The expeditious advancement in the organ on chip technology provided a phase change to the conventional in vitro tests used to evaluate absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME) studies ...and toxicity assessments. The demand for an accurate predictive model for assessing toxicity and reducing the potential risk factors became the prime area of any drug delivery process. Researchers around the globe are welcoming the incorporation of organ-on-a-chips for ADME and toxicity evaluation. Organ-on-a-chip (OOC) is an interdisciplinary technology that evolved as a contemporary in vitro model for the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) studies of a proposed drug candidate in the pre-clinical phases of drug development. The OOC provides a platform that mimics the physiological functions occurring in the human body. The precise flow control systems and the rapid sample processing makes OOC more advanced than the conventional two-dimensional (2D) culture systems. The integration of various organs as in the multi organs-on-a-chip provides more significant ideas about the time and dose dependant effects occurring in the body when a new drug molecule is administered as part of the pre-clinical times. This review outlines the comprehensive development in the organ-on-a-chip technology, various OOC models and its drug development applications, toxicity evaluation and efficacy studies.
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