37 research outputs found
Аntimicrobial and anticancer activity of new poly(propyleneamine) metallodendrimers
No full textThe synthesis, EPR characterisation and biological
evaluation of two new metallodendrimers, i.e. a
poly(propyleneamine) dendrimer functionalized at the external
surface with 4-bromo-1,8-naphthalimide and conjugated
with Cu(II) and Zn(II), was performed with the aimto evaluate
their antimicrobial and anticancer activity. The antimicrobial
activity was investigated in meat-peptone broth against bacteria
B. subtilis and P. aeruginosa, and the yeast C. lipolytica.
The results showed that the compounds inhibited effectively
the tested pathogens even after their deposition on a textile
fabric. Anticancer activity was investigated against three human
permanent cell lines from non-small cell lung cancer
(A549), triple negative breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) and
carcinoma of the uterine cervix (HeLa) in the c = 0.01–
30 μM concentration range. The results suggest that these
compounds are promising for application in biomedicine as
anticancer drugs in the design of new effective preparations.
The antimicrobial and anticancer activity may be related to the
peculiar structural and dynamical properties revealed for the
Cu(II) complexes, by a computer aided analysis of the electron
paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra. This analysis indicated
the formation, at the lowest Cu(II) concentrations, of a
flexible rhombic Cu-N4 coordination with the internal amino
groups of the dendrimer, which transformed into a Cu2-N4
coordination already at 0.25 equiv. of Cu(II)
New aspects in medicinal plants and pharmacognosy
No full textCONTENT
1. Miranda M., Bustamante K. E., Viteri R., Carrillo G.: "Pharmacognostic and chemical studies of Pimenta racemosa (Mill) J.W. Moore that grows in Ecuador"
2. Radostina Alexandrova, Pencho Beykov: "Medicinal plants and alkaloids in the fight against cancer"
3. Arpita Roy, Tushita Attre, Navneeta Bharadvaja: "Anticancer agent from medicinal plants: a review"
4. Željan Maleš, Mirza Bojić: "The most commonly used medicinal plants from Croatia"
5. Pankaj Gupta: "Standardization and phytochemical investigations using modern analytical techniques"
6. Cristian Paz, Bernd Schmidt: "Drimane sesquiterpenes from Drimys winteri"
7. Fabio Mastrogiovanni, Elisa Ovidi, Nilufar Z. Mamadalieva, Antonio Tiezzi: "Testings of Myrtus communis leaf extracts on mammalian and bacteria cells
Evaluation of viral infection levels in intensive and organic poultry farming
No full textWhereas early organic farming was mainly focused on plant production, in the last decade, the number of organically-managed poultry farms within the European Union has increased significantly. Similar to organic crop production, organic animal farming is based on the same principles: welfare-friendly, sustainable production and resource utilisation without or with very little addition of synthetic substances, such as antibiotics and antiparasitic treatments. These practices, as well as the access to wild animals, make the free-range poultry production systems predisposed to different viral diseases and, thus, associated with potentially higher public health risks or reduction in production quality. On the other hand, intensive farming amplifies the impact of viral diseases due to high density, low genetic diversity and elevated immunodeficiency. The aim of this analytical study is to compare free-range with intensive poultry systems and the occurrence of different viral diseases in these types of farms in the EU over the past decade. The research is based on official data from the statistical office of the European Union, as well as official data from the Member countries. The results were similar in each country and demonstrate that free-range production has a higher incidence of viral diseases with high zoonotical potential. This makes year-round surveillance absolutely necessary, as well as the need for implementation of additional criteria and requirements towards free-range systems
Zinc, copper and vanadium - biological activity, nutrition and health
No full textZinc is an essential element required for the normal function of more than 300 enzymes (representing more than 50 different classes) and > 1000 transcription factors and is known to take part in many biochemical processes supporting life. The element is involved in protein, nucleic acid, carbohydrate, and lipid metabolism, as well as in the control of gene transcription, cell differentiation, development, and growth. Zinc deficiency can promote different pathological states including retardation of growth development in children, hypoginadism, increased susceptibility to infections, dermatitis and delayed wound healing, alopecia, poor pregnancy outcomes, teratogenicity, etc.
The prevalence of zinc deficiency is estimated to be high, with two billions of people affected, in particular in the developing world. In industrialized countries, elderly people are a high risk group for zinc deficiency.
Copper is another essential metal with broad spectrum of biological activities. It is an integral part of metalloproteins and metalloenzymes involved in key biological processes supporting life such as cellular respiration, DNA replication and transcription, maintenance of cell membrane integrity, and sequestration of free radicals and critical in melanin and noradrenaline synthesis, myelin formation, cross-linkig of collagen and elastin.
The deficiency of copper can lead to variety of adverse effects such as neutropenia, fragility in bones, aneurism formation in arteries. Most mammals have efficient transport systems to prevent accumulation of excess copper in cells and tissues.
As a micronutrient vanadium is included in the list of 40 essential micronutrients that are required in small amounts for normal metabolism. In recent years there is a growing interest in the biological activity of vanadium, which is not surprising.BG; bg; [email protected]
Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) Infection Among Immunocompromised Individuals: A Brief Narrative Review
No full textRadostina Alexandrova,1 Ilia Tsachev,2 Plamen Kirov,1 Abedulkadir Abudalleh,1 Hristo Hristov,1 Tanya Zhivkova,1 Lora Dyakova,3 Magdalena Baymakova4 1Department of Pathology, Institute of Experimental Morphology, Pathology and Anthropology with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria; 2Department of Microbiology, Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria; 3Department of Synaptic Signaling and Communication, Institute of Neurobiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria; 4Department of Infectious Diseases, Military Medical Academy, Sofia, BulgariaCorrespondence: Magdalena Baymakova, Department of Infectious Diseases, Military Medical Academy, Sofia, Bulgaria, Tel +359-882-28-50-87, Email [email protected]: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus that belongs to Hepeviridae family. HEV is the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are estimated 20 million HEV infections worldwide every year, leading to estimated 3.3 million symptomatic cases of HEV infection. The WHO estimates that HEV infection caused approximately 44,000 deaths in 2015, which represents 3.3% of mortality rates due to viral hepatitis. In low-income (LI) countries and lower-middle-income (LMI) countries, HEV is a waterborne infection induced by HEV genotype (gt) 1 and HEV gt 2 that cause large outbreaks and affect young individuals with a high mortality rate in pregnant women from South Asian countries and patients with liver diseases. HEV gt 3, HEV gt 4, and HEV gt 7 are responsible for sporadic infections with zoonotic transmission mainly through the consumption of raw or undercooked meat from different animals. Acute HEV infection is relatively asymptomatic or mild clinical form, in rare cases the disease can be moderate/severe clinical forms and result in fulminant hepatitis or acute liver failure (ALF). Furthermore, HEV infection is associated with extrahepatic manifestations, including renal and neurological clinical signs and symptoms. Pregnant women, infants, older people, immunocompromised individuals, patients with comorbidities, and workers who come into close contact with HEV-infected animals are recognized as major risk groups for severe clinical form of HEV infection and fatal outcome. Chronic HEV infection can occur in immunocompromised individuals with the possibility of progression to cirrhosis.Keywords: acute and chronic infection, cancer, cirrhosis, hepatitis E virus, HEV, HIV, solid organ transplant
COMPARATIVE CYTOTOXICITY ASSAYS PERFORMED USING A FREE PORPHYRIN AND ITS Zn(II), Co(II) AND Cu(II) COMPLEXES. INFLUENCE OF OPTICAL AND AGGREGATION PROPERTIES
No full textOur present approach is dealing with comparative cytotoxicity assays performed with a porphyrin base, substituted with methoxy-inductive donor substituents in the meso position, namely: 5,10,15,20-tetrakis-(p-methoxy-phenyl porphyrin (TMeOPP) and with its Zn(II), Co(II) and Cu(II) complexes (Figure 1). The cytotoxicity evaluation was performed using human (HeLa, 8 MGBA, Lep-3) and bovine (MDBK) cell lines as model systems. The influence of the compounds on cell viability and proliferation was studied by (thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide) MTT test and further discussed taking into consideration the main optical and aggregation properties of the free porphyrin and its different metal complexes
Effect of cellulose microfiber silylation procedures on the properties and antibacterial activity of polydimethylsiloxane /
No full textIn this study, the liquid phase and vapor phase procedures for silylating cellulosemicrofibers by hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) were compared in terms of efficiency. The influence of functionalization degree on the morphology of microfibers and their interaction with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix has been investigated. The antibacterial properties of silylated cellulose microfibers hybridized with Ag nanoparticles, obtained by in situ chemical reduction, were also studied. Sample morphology investigations were carried out using spectroscopy and microscopy techniques (FTIR, XPS, TEM, SEM, EDS, XPS). Trimethylsilyl moieties appear on the surface of the cellulose microfibers after modification and improve the dispersibility of the microfibers, allowing strong interaction with the PDMS matrix and favoring its crosslinking density. Microfibers functionalized by the vapor phase of HMDS show smoother surfaces with higher concentrations of Si-containing groups, resulting in a more hydrophobic wetting behavior and a greater influence on the mechanical properties of the polymer. The silylated cellulose microfiber-Ag nanohybrid shows stronger antimicrobial activity towards Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria strains compared to that of the untreated hybrid. A PDMS composite loaded with this hybrid exhibits the ability to inhibit bacterial growth
Calcium Phosphate Incorporated Bacterial Cellulose-Polyvinylpyrrolidone Based Hydrogel Scaffold: Structural Property and Cell Viability Study for Bone Regeneration Application
No full textThis work focuses on the analysis of structural and functional properties of calcium phosphate (CaP) incorporated bacterial cellulose (BC)-polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) based hydrogel scaffolds referred to as “CaP/BC-PVP”. CaP is incorporated in the scaffolds in the form of hydroxyapatite (HA) and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) in different concentrations (β-TCP: HA (w/w) = 20:80, 40:60, and 50:50). The scaffolds were characterized on the basis of porosity, thermal, biodegradation, mechanical, and cell viability/cytocompatibility properties. The structural properties of all the hydrogel scaffolds show significant porosity. The biodegradation of “CaP/BC-PVP” scaffold was evaluated following hydrolytic degradation. Weight loss profile, pH change, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) study confirm the significant degradability of the scaffolds. It is observed that a 50:50_CaP/BC-PVP scaffold has the highest degree of degradation. On the other hand, the compressive strengths of CaP/BC-PVP hydrogel scaffolds are found between 0.21 to 0.31 MPa, which is comparable with the human trabecular bone. The cell viability study is performed with a human osteosarcoma Saos-2 cell line, where significant cell viability is observed in all the hydrogel scaffolds. This indicated their ability to facilitate cell growth and cell proliferation. Considering all these substantial properties, CaP/BC-PVP hydrogel scaffolds can be suggested for detailed investigation in the context of bone regeneration application
Novel Cerium(IV) Coordination Compounds of Monensin and Salinomycin
No full textThe largely uncharted complexation chemistry of the veterinary polyether ionophores, monensic and salinomycinic acids (HL) with metal ions of type M4+ and the known antiproliferative potential of antibiotics has provoked our interest in exploring the coordination processes between MonH/SalH and ions of Ce4+. (1) Methods: Novel monensinate and salinomycinate cerium(IV)-based complexes were synthesized and structurally characterized by elemental analysis, a plethora of physicochemical methods, density functional theory, molecular dynamics, and biological assays. (2) Results: The formation of coordination species of a general composition [CeL2(OH)2] and [CeL(NO3)2(OH)], depending on reaction conditions, was proven both experimentally and theoretically. The metal(IV) complexes [CeL(NO3)2(OH)] possess promising cytotoxic activity against the human tumor uterine cervix (HeLa) cell line, being highly selective (non-tumor embryo Lep-3 vs. HeLa) compared to cisplatin, oxaliplatin, and epirubicin
Surface Functionalization of Cotton Fabric with Fluorescent Dendrimers, Spectral Characterization, Cytotoxicity, Antimicrobial and Antitumor Activity
No full textPoly(propylenimine) dendrimers from first and third generations modified with 1,8-naphthalimide units and their Zn(II) complexes have been investigated by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. These dendrimers have been deposited on a cotton cloth by the extraction method, producing yellow-colored textile materials. They have been characterized by defining their color coordinates L*a*b*, XYZ and xy. The antimicrobial activity of dendrimers has been investigated in vitro against model gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and yeasts. Being deposited onto the surface of cotton fabric, the studied dendrimers reduced bacterial growth and prevented the formation of bacterial biofilm. Anticancer and cytotoxicity activities have also been performed against HeLa and Lep-3 human tumor cell lines as model systems
