Cisplatin, an inorganic complex of platinum, is a chemotherapeutic drug that has been used for 45 years. Despite the progress of pharmaceutical sciences and medicine and the successful application of ...other platinum complexes for the same purpose, cisplatin is still the therapy of choice in many cancers. Treatment for testicular, ovarian, head and neck, urothelial, cervical, esophageal, breast, and pulmonary malignancies is still unthinkable without the use of this drug. However, cisplatin is also known for many side effects, of which the most pronounced are nephrotoxicity leading to acute renal failure, neurotoxicity, and ototoxicity. Mechanistic studies have proven that one of the conditions that plays a major role in the development of cisplatin-induced toxicities is oxidative stress. Knowing the fact that numerous antioxidants can be used to reduce oxidative stress, thereby reducing tissue lesions, organ failure, and apoptosis at the cellular level, many studies have defined antioxidants as a priority for investigation as a cotreatment. To investigate the mechanism of antioxidant action in vivo, many animal models have been employed. In the last few years, studies have mostly used rodents and zebrafish models. In this article, some of the most recent investigations that used animal models are listed, and the advantages and disadvantages of such experimental studies are pointed out.
The study's objective was to obtain silver nanoparticles (SVAgNP and FUAgNP) using aqueous extracts of
and
. The optimal conditions for nanoparticle synthesis were determined and obtained; ...nanoparticles were then characterized using UV-Vis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). SVAgNP and FUAgNP possessed a crystalline structure with 48.42% and 60.41% silver weight, respectively. The highest percentage of nanoparticles in the solution had a diameter between 40 and 70 nm. In DPPH˙ and ABTS˙
methods, FUAgNP (IC
15.82 and 59.85 µg/mL, respectively) demonstrated a higher antioxidant capacity than SVAgNP (IC
73.47 and 79.49 µg/mL, respectively). Obtained nanoparticles also showed pronounced antibacterial activity (MIC ˂ 39.1 µg/mL for most of the tested bacteria), as well as high biocompatibility with the human fibroblast cell line MRC-5 and significant cytotoxicity on some cancer cell lines, especially on the human colon cancer HCT-116 cells (IC
31.50 and 66.51 µg/mL for SVAgNP and FUAgNP, respectively). The nanoparticles demonstrated high catalytic effectiveness in degrading Congo red dye with NaBH
. The results showed a rapid and low-cost methodology for the synthesis of AgNPs using
and
with promising biological potential.
•Composite index of CE development in EU countries is proposed using MCDM methods.•CE development is positively correlated with country’s socio-economic development.•CE progress has no immediate ...impact on environmental sustainability.•Environmental performance effects are realized subsequently, in two-year lag period.•Germany has the most developed CE, followed by the Netherlands, France and Austria.
In order to ensure environmental sustainability, reducing the consumption of renewable resources, finding adequate substitutes for non-renewable resources, and reducing the generation of waste and pollution are necessities. The concept of circular economy one of the possible and good responses to improve the sustainability of the system, as it places particular emphasis on the reduction, reutilization and recycling of its elements. The paper presents a comparative analysis of the circular economy development in European Union countries based on the dataset encompasses 11 indicators, covering the seven-year period with biennial data. The analysis was performed using the integrated approach of the Principal Component Analysis and PROMETHEE with the aim of creating a composite index as a measure of the development of the circular economy at the national level. The ranking outcomes indicate that during the observed period Germany has the most developed circular economy, followed by the Netherlands, France and Austria. Additionally, the results of the research clearly indicate the positive correlation between the development of circular economies at the national level and the socio-economic development of the country, while progress in the circular economy has no immediate impact on environmental sustainability, but the effects are realized subsequently, with the intensity of the relationship increasing in two-year lag periods.
(L.) M. T. Sharples & E. A. Tripp (Greater Stitchwort), formerly known as
L., is widespread in the warm temperate areas of Europe and Western Asia, the Caucasus region, as well as in some countries ...of North Africa. Nowadays it is considered as a weed, but earlier it was often used raw in salads or for the treatment of various inflammatory disorders. The goal of this study was to determine the constituents of the methanol extract of
aerial parts and its biological potential in terms of antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Until now, the constituents and biological activities of this plant were not reported in detail. A comprehensive phytochemical profiling of the extract has shown that phenolic acids, such as ferulic, chlorogenic, and
-coumaric acid, flavonoids and flavonoid glucosides, such as chrysoeriol, rutin, and naringin, are the most abundant compounds. The antioxidant activity of
extract towards DPPH and ABTS radicals, but also the total antioxidant capacity and the inhibition of lipid peroxidation were moderate. The antimicrobial potential was pronounced mostly towards some fungi such as
(MIC 1.25 mg/mL), whereas the capacity of
to affect the growth of bacteria was much less pronounced.
extract was most inclined to anti-inflammatory activity. At a concentration of 50 µg/mL, it significantly inhibited both cyclooxygenase enzymes (COX-1 and COX-2) by 71.24% and 72.83%, respectively. Molecular docking studies indicated that chlorogenic acid and chrysoeriol are the main contributors to COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitory activity.
Bryophytes and heavy metals: a review Stanković, Jelena D.; Sabovljević, Aneta D.; Sabovljević, Marko S.
Acta botanica Croatica,
10/2018, Volume:
77, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Bryophytes, a group of terrestrial plants widely used in biomonitoring, are reviewed for their relation to heavy metals. In the present article, we summarized the knowledge on heavy metals pollution ...and accumulation effects on bryophytes. Mechanisms of tolerance and resistance are given as well.
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is responsible for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), one of the major pandemic diseases. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is the standard ...HIV-treatment regimen that usually comprises a combination of three or more antiretroviral drugs. HIV reverse transcriptase inhibitors are the main HAART target, which involves the use of both nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). However, compounds affecting other aspects of HIV replication, such as virus entry and fusion or important viral enzymes, such as integrases and proteases, have also been developed. Natural compounds from different sources, like plants, microbial and marine organisms, showed promising anti-HIV activities to the point of establishing the basis for developing new drugs. Indeed, natural compounds-based therapies have the potential to become more efficient than conventional HAART, with less or no side effects. This review aims to gather and discuss the current information about the anti-HIV activity of natural and synthetic compounds, their history and mechanism of action as well as the role of plants and their bioactive compounds as a source of new anti-HIV drugs.
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•HIV is one of the most widespread infectious diseases in the world.•anti-HIV drugs comes as a result of the scientific community's collaborative efforts in the last two decades.•Plants represent a rich source of bioactive compounds with significant anti-HIV potential.
The aim of this research was the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (SPA- and SPR-AgNPs) using the aqueous extracts of the aerial (SPA) and the root (SPR) parts of the plant
L., their ...characterization, reaction condition optimization, and evaluation of their biological and catalytic activity. UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), scanning electron microscopy with EDS analysis (SEM/EDS), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis were utilized to characterize the nanoparticles, while Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to detect some functional groups of compounds present in the plant extracts and nanoparticles. The phenolic and flavonoid contents, as well as the antioxidant activity of the extracts, were determined spectrophotometrically. The synthesized nanoparticles showed twice-higher activity in neutralizing 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS
) compared with the respective extracts. SPR-AgNPs exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against almost all of the tested bacteria (<0.0039 mg/mL) and fungal strains, especially against the genus
(<0.0391 mg/mL). Moreover, they were fully biocompatible on all the tested eukaryotic cells, while the hemolysis of erythrocytes was not observed at the highest tested concentration of 150 µg/mL. The catalytic activity of nanoparticles toward Congo Red and 4-nitrophenol was also demonstrated. The obtained results confirm the possibility of the safe application of the synthesized nanoparticles in medicine and as a catalyst in various processes.
This study was designed to evaluate the optimal conditions for the eco-friendly synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using
L. (Lythraceae) aqueous extracts and their potential application and ...safe use. AgNPs synthesized using
aerial parts (LSA-AgNPs) and root extract (LSR-AgNPs) were characterized by UV-Vis spectrophotometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDS), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). Dynamic light scattering (DLS) was used for the determination of the size distribution profiles of the obtained nanoparticles. Both
extracts showed high phenolic content, while the flavone
-glucosides orientin, vitexin, and isovitexin were detected in extracts using HPLC. The synthesized AgNPs displayed growth inhibition of the tested bacteria and fungi in concentrations between 0.156 and 1.25 mg mL
. The studied nanoparticles also showed antioxidant potential and gained selectivity at different concentrations on different cancer cell lines. Concentrations of LSA-AgNPs were found to be 20.5 and 12 μg mL
towards A431 and SVT2, respectively, while LSR-AgNPs were effective only against A431 cancer cells (62 μg mL
). The hemolytic activity of LSA-AgNPs in concentrations up to 150 μg mL
was not observed, while LSR-AgNPs in the highest applied concentration hemolyzed 2.8% of erythrocytes. The degradation possibility of Congo red and 4-nitrophenol using LSA-AgNPs and LSR-AgNPs as catalysts was also proven. The results indicate that
may be used for the eco-friendly synthesis of AgNPs with possible applications as antimicrobial and selective cytotoxic agents towards cancer cell lines, as well as in catalytic degradation of pollutants.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a complicated metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia and glucose intolerance. It is considered a new pandemic and its control involves numerous challenges. ...Although many of the measures are based on improving life habits, diet is also of vital importance due to bioactive compounds present in food. In this regard, several raw materials have been investigated whose bioactivities seem to slow the progression of this disease. Within these matrices, there are algae of importance, such as brown algae, showing to have beneficial effects on glycemic control. These pieces of evidence are increasing every day due to the development of cell or animal models, which lead to the conclusion that bioactive compounds may have direct effects on decreasing hyperglycemia, enhancing insulin secretion and preventing the formation of amyloid plaques.
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