Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a minimally invasive therapeutic modality that has gained great attention in the past years as a new therapy for cancer treatment. PDT uses photosensitizers that, after ...being excited by light at a specific wavelength, react with the molecular oxygen to create reactive oxygen species in the target tissue, resulting in cell death. Compared to conventional therapeutic modalities, PDT presents greater selectivity against tumor cells, due to the use of photosensitizers that are preferably localized in tumor lesions, and the precise light irradiation of these lesions. This paper presents a review of the principles, mechanisms, photosensitizers, and current applications of PDT. Moreover, the future path on the research of new photosensitizers with enhanced tumor selectivity, featuring the improvement of PDT effectiveness, has also been addressed. Finally, new applications of PDT have been covered.
In this work, biosurfactant production by Bacillus subtilis #573 was evaluated using corn steep liquor (CSL) as culture medium. The best results were obtained in a culture medium consisting of 10% ...(v/v) of CSL, with a biosurfactant production of about 1.3 g/l. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing biosurfactant production by B. subtilis using CSL as culture medium. Subsequently, the effect of different metals (iron, manganese, and magnesium) on biosurfactant production was evaluated using the medium CSL 10%. It was found that for all the metals tested, the biosurfactant production was increased (up to 4.1, 4.4, and 3.5 g/l for iron, manganese, and magnesium, respectively). When the culture medium was supplemented with the optimum concentration of the three metals simultaneously, the biosurfactant production was increased up to 4.8 g/l. Furthermore, the biosurfactant exhibited a good performance in oil recovery assays when compared with chemical surfactants, which suggests its possible application in microbial enhanced oil recovery or bioremediation.
Sugar esters are non-ionic surfactants that can be synthesized in a single enzymatic reaction step using lipases. The stability and efficiency of lipases under unusual conditions and using ...non-conventional media can be significantly improved through immobilization and protein engineering. Also, the development of de novo enzymes has seen a significant increase lately under the scope of the new field of synthetic biology. Depending on the esterification degree and the nature of fatty acid and/or sugar, a range of sugar esters can be synthesized. Due to their surface activity and emulsifying capacity, sugar esters are promising for applications in food industry.
•Bacillus subtilis isolates from Brazilian crude oils produce biosurfactants under reservoir conditions.•Sucrose was found to be the best carbon source for biosurfactant production.•Similar mixtures ...containing C13-, C14- and C15-surfactin were found for the biosurfactants produced.•Biosurfactants have better interfacial activity and lower critical micellar concentrations than chemical surfactants.•The produced biosurfactants are promising for Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery applications.
Biosurfactant production by three Bacillus subtilis strains (#309, #311 and #573) isolated from Brazilian crude oils was optimized based on different carbon and nitrogen sources. The lowest surface tension values were obtained using sucrose containing media for the three isolates. Biosurfactants produced by each strain were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF). The chemical characterization showed that the three isolates produced very similar mixtures, containing C13-, C14- and C15-surfactin, although in different proportions. The structure of surfactins produced by the three strains was shown to be in good agreement with their surface-activities. The interfacial-activities of the biosurfactants were characterized and compared with chemical surfactants. Furthermore, the application of biosurfactants and chemical surfactants in oil recovery was evaluated. The results obtained showed that biosurfactants have better interfacial-activity and oil recovery efficiency than common chemical surfactants, thus being more attractive to be applied in Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery.
•Oil mill wastewater (OMW) was evaluated as an inductor of rhamnolipid production.•A culture medium containing corn steep liquor, molasses and OMW was designed.•Pseudomonas aeruginosa #112 produced ...5.1g rhamnolipid/l using that medium.•The critical micelle concentration of the purified rhamnolipids was 13mg/l.•This medium represents a sustainable alternative for rhamnolipid production.
In this work, oil mill wastewater (OMW), a residue generated during olive oil extraction, was evaluated as an inducer of rhamnolipid production. Using a medium containing as sole ingredients corn steep liquor (10%, v/v), sugarcane molasses (10%, w/v) and OMW (25%, v/v), Pseudomonas aeruginosa #112 produced 4.5 and 5.1g of rhamnolipid per liter in flasks and reactor, respectively, with critical micelle concentrations as low as 13mg/l. Furthermore, in the medium supplemented with OMW, a higher proportion of more hydrophobic rhamnolipid congeners was observed comparing with the same medium without OMW. OMW is a hazardous waste which disposal represents a serious environmental problem; therefore, its valorization as a substrate for the production of added-value compounds such as rhamnolipids is of great interest. This is the first report of rhamnolipid production using a mixture of these three agro-industrial by-products, which can be useful for the sustainable production of rhamnolipids.
•Two agro-industrial by-products were evaluated for biosurfactant production.•Pseudomonas aeruginosa #112 produced 3.2gbiosurfactant/l in the optimized medium.•The biosurfactant was characterized as ...a mixture of eight rhamnolipid congeners.•It exhibited a better performance in oil recovery than two chemical surfactants.
In this work, biosurfactant production by a Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain was optimized using low-cost substrates. The highest biosurfactant production (3.2g/l) was obtained using a culture medium containing corn steep liquor (10% (v/v)) and molasses (10% (w/v)). The biosurfactant reduced the surface tension of water up to 30mN/m, and exhibited a high emulsifying activity (E24=60%), with a critical micelle concentration as low as 50mg/l. The biosurfactant produced in this alternative medium was characterized as a mixture of eight different rhamnolipid congeners, being the most abundant the mono-rhamnolipid Rha-C10-C10. However, using LB medium, nine different rhamnolipid congeners were identified, being the most abundant the di-rhamnolipid Rha-Rha-C10-C10. The rhamnolipid mixture produced in the alternative medium exhibited a better performance in removing oil from contaminated sand when compared with two chemical surfactants, suggesting its potential use as an alternative to traditional chemical surfactants in enhanced oil recovery or bioremediation.
This review provides an update on the current state of photodynamic therapy (PDT) for colorectal cancer (CRC) and explores potential future directions in this field. PDT has emerged as a promising ...minimally invasive treatment modality that utilizes photosensitizers and specific light wavelengths to induce cell death in targeted tumor tissues. In recent years, significant progress has been made in understanding the underlying mechanisms, optimizing treatment protocols, and improving the efficacy of PDT for CRC. This article highlights key advancements in PDT techniques, including novel photosensitizers, light sources, and delivery methods. Furthermore, it discusses ongoing research efforts and potential future directions, such as combination therapies and nanotechnology-based approaches. By elucidating the current landscape and providing insights into future directions, this review aims to guide researchers and clinicians in harnessing the full potential of PDT for the effective management of CRC.
Marine microorganisms possess unique metabolic and physiological features and are an important source of new biomolecules, such as biosurfactants. Some of these surface-active compounds synthesized ...by marine microorganisms exhibit antimicrobial, anti-adhesive and anti-biofilm activity against a broad spectrum of human pathogens (including multi-drug resistant pathogens), and could be used instead of existing drugs to treat infections caused by them. In other cases, these biosurfactants show anti-cancer activity, which could be envisaged as an alternative to conventional therapies. However, marine biosurfactants have not been widely explored, mainly due to the difficulties associated with the isolation and growth of their producing microorganisms. Culture-independent techniques (metagenomics) constitute a promising approach to study the genetic resources of otherwise inaccessible marine microorganisms without the requirement of culturing them, and can contribute to the discovery of novel biosurfactants with significant biological activities. This paper reviews the most relevant biosurfactants produced by marine microorganisms with potential therapeutic applications and discusses future perspectives and opportunities to discover novel molecules from marine environments.
The use of cancer biomarkers to anticipate the outlines of disease has been an emerging issue, especially as cancer treatment has made such positive steps in the last few years. Progress in the ...development of consistent malignancy markers is imminent because advances in genomics and bioinformatics have allowed the examination of immense amounts of data. Osteopontin is a phosphorylated glycoprotein secreted by activated macrophages, leukocytes, and activated T lymphocytes, and is present in extracellular fluids, at sites of inflammation, and in the extracellular matrix of mineralized tissues. Several physiologic roles have been attributed to osteopontin, i.e., in inflammation and immune function, in mineralized tissues, in vascular tissue, and in kidney. Osteopontin interacts with a variety of cell surface receptors, including several integrins and CD44. Binding of osteopontin to these cell surface receptors stimulates cell adhesion, migration, and specific signaling functions. Overexpression of osteopontin has been found in a variety of cancers, including breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, stomach cancer, ovarian cancer, and melanoma. Moreover, osteopontin is present in elevated levels in the blood and plasma of some patients with metastatic cancers. Therefore, suppression of the action of osteopontin may confer significant therapeutic activity, and several strategies for bringing about this suppression have been identified. This review looks at the recent advances in understanding the possible mechanisms by which osteopontin may contribute functionally to malignancy, particularly in breast cancer. Furthermore, the measurement of osteopontin in the blood or tumors of patients with cancer, as a way of providing valuable prognostic information, will be discussed based on emerging clinical data.
In this work, the antifungal activity of rhamnolipids produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa #112 was evaluated against Aspergillus niger MUM 92.13 and Aspergillus carbonarius MUM 05.18. It was ...demonstrated that the di-rhamnolipid congeners were responsible for the antifungal activity exhibited by the crude rhamnolipid mixture, whereas mono-rhamnolipids showed a weak inhibitory activity. Furthermore, in the presence of NaCl (from 375 mM to 875 mM), the antifungal activity of the crude rhamnolipid mixture and the purified di-rhamnolipids was considerably increased. Dynamic Light Scattering studies showed that the size of the structures formed by the rhamnolipids increased as the NaCl concentration increased, being this effect more pronounced in the case of di-rhamnolipids. These results were confirmed by Confocal Scanning Laser Microscopy, which revealed the formation of giant vesicle-like structures (in the µm range) by self-assembling of the crude rhamnolipid mixture in the presence of 875 mM NaCl. In the case of the purified mono- and di-rhamnolipids, spherical structures (also in the µm range) were observed at the same conditions. The results herein obtained demonstrated a direct relationship between the rhamnolipids antifungal activity and their aggregation behaviour, opening the possibility to improve their biological activities for application in different fields.
PDF
