Potentiating the anti-cancer profile of tamoxifen-loaded graphene using deep eutectic solvents as functionalizing agents

Green extraction of phenolics using deep eutectic solvents: a promising neoteric method

There has been a growing emphasis on developing extraction methods that are not only efficient but also environmentally friendly and sustainable. One promising avenue is the exploration of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) as neoteric extraction media. This study aims to investigate the potential of DESs as neoteric extraction media for phenolics-rich flower clove extracts. Two DESs were synthesised by mixing choline chloride with glycerol and lactic acid at a molar ratio of 1:2. The thermal profiles of the mixture were analysed using differential scanning calorimetry, and the viscosity and density were measured at different temperatures. The phenolic compounds were quantitatively characterised for all of the extractants using high-performance liquid chromatography. The total phenolic content and the antioxidant activities of the extracts were determined. The results showed that DESs significantly improved the extraction of antioxidant compounds from clove, especially for the case of phenolic compounds, and also considerably enhanced the antioxidant activity of the extracts. The use of DESs offers a green, efficient method for extracting value-added products from natural sources.

Utilizing nanomaterials for cancer treatment and diagnosis: an overview

Cancer is a deadly disease with complex pathophysiological nature and is the leading cause of death worldwide. Traditional diagnosis methods often detect cancer at a considerably critical stage and the conventional methods of treatment like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy have several limitations, multidrug resistance, cytotoxicity, and lack of specificity are a few examples. These pose substantial challenge for effective and favourable cancer treatment. The advent of nanotechnology has revolutionized the face of cancer diagnosis and treatment. Nanoparticles, which have a size range of 1-100 nm, are biocompatible and have special optical, magnetic, and electrical capabilities, less toxic, more stable, exhibit permeability and retention effect, and are used for precise targeting. There are several classes of nanoparticles each having their own sets of unique properties. NPs have played an important role in the drug delivery system, overcoming the multi-drug resistance, reducing the side-effects as seen in conventional therapeutic methods and hence able to solve the limitations of conventional methods of diagnosis and treatment. This review discusses the four major classes of nanoparticles (Lipid based NPs, Carbon NPs and Metallic NPs and Polymeric NPs): their discovery and introduction in medical field, unique properties and characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, sub-categories and characteristics of these categories, major area of application in Cancer diagnosis and treatment, and latest methodologies where these are used in cancer treatment.

Physicochemical properties of ammonium acetate / propionic acid as a novel deep eutectic solvent and its binary mixtures with water in (298.15-353.15) K range

Emergence of deep eutectic solvents as potential replacements for volatile organic solvents has attracted interest of the scientific community in diverse fields of applications. Compared to ionic liquids, which exhibit similarity in many respects with this new class of green solvents, deep eutectic solvents (DESs) show low toxicity, and are easy to prepare from cheap and abundantly available starting materials. Knowledge of physicochemical properties of DESs is a prerequisite for their safe applications in technological fields and to understand the nature of interactions present in these systems. Although physicochemical properties of choline chloride based DESs are widely investigated, similar information on ammonium acetate based DESs is scant. In this work, a novel ammonium acetate/propionic acid deep eutectic solvent (AA/PA DES) is reported which is prepared by mixing ammonium acetate (AA) and propionic acid (PA) in the 1:3 mol ratio and characterized by FTIR, 1H and 13C NMR, TGA and DSC techniques. The density (ρ), sound velocity (u), viscosity (η) and conductivity (κ) of the pure DES and its binary mixtures with water are investigated over the entire composition range and temperatures (298.15-353.15) K. The excess properties, VmE, KSE, Δη, and ΔG*E are calculated and corelated using Redlich-Kister equation (RKE). Temperature dependence of conductivity and viscosity is satisfactorily described by the Vogel - Fulcher - Tamman (VFT) equation rather than Arrhenius equation. The pure DES shows a wide electrochemical potential window ranging from - 1000 mV to + 1000 mV, which coupled with its better solubilizing characteristics, could be exploited for electrochemical work.

Eutectic solutions for healing: a comprehensive review on therapeutic deep eutectic solvents (TheDES)

OBJECTIVE

TheDES are formed by mixing a Hydrogen Bond Donor (HBD) and a Hydrogen Bond Acceptor (HBA) in appropriate molar ratios. These solvents have been shown to enhance drug solubility, permeability, and delivery. The main objective of the present article is to review these advantages of TheDES.

SIGNIFICANCE

TheDES show unique properties, such as low toxicity, biodegradability, improved bioavailability and enhanced drug delivery of poorly soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients. They are also biocompatible in nature which makes them a promising candidate for various therapeutic applications, including drug formulations, drug delivery and other biomedical uses. The development and utilization of TheDES shows significant advancement in pharmaceutical research, providing new opportunities for improving drug delivery.

METHODS

The current study was carried out by conducting a systematic literature review that identified relevant papers from indexed databases. Numerous studies and research are cited and quoted in this article to demonstrate the effectiveness of TheDES in enhancing drug solubility, permeability, and delivery. All chosen articles were selected considering their significance, quality, and approach to addressing issues.

RESULT

As a result, various TheDES were identified that can be formulated in different ways: one component can act as a vehicle for an API, either HBD or HBA can be an API, both HBD and HBA can be APIs, or the individual components of DES are not therapeutically active but the resulting DES possesses therapeutic activity. Additionally, TheDES were also recognized to enhance drug delivery and solubility for different APIs, including NSAIDs, anesthetic drugs, antifungals, and others.

Carbon Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications: Progress and Outlook

Recent developments in nanoscale materials have found extensive use in various fields, especially in the biomedical industry. Several substantial obstacles must be overcome, particularly those related to nanostructured materials in biomedicine, before they can be used in therapeutic applications. Significant concerns in biomedicine include biological processes, adaptability, toxic effects, and nano-biointerfacial properties. Biomedical researchers have difficulty choosing suitable materials for drug carriers, cancer treatment, and antiviral uses. Carbon nanomaterials are among the various nanoparticle forms that are continually receiving interest for biomedical applications. They are suitable materials owing to their distinctive physical and chemical properties, such as electrical, high-temperature, mechanical, and optical diversification. An individualized, controlled, dependable, low-carcinogenic, target-specific drug delivery system can diagnose and treat infections in biomedical applications. The variety of carbon materials at the nanoscale is remarkable. Allotropes and other forms of the same element, carbon, are represented in nanoscale dimensions. These show promise for a wide range of applications. Carbon nanostructured materials with exceptional mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties include graphene and carbon nanotubes. They can potentially revolutionize industries, including electronics, energy, and medicine. Ongoing investigation and expansion efforts continue to unlock possibilities for these materials, making them a key player in shaping the future of advanced technology. Carbon nanostructured materials explore the potential positive effects of reducing the greenhouse effect. The current state of nanostructured materials in the biomedical sector is covered in this review, along with their synthesis techniques and potential uses.

Carbon Nanomaterials (CNMs) in Cancer Therapy: A Database of CNM-Based Nanocarrier Systems

Carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) are an incredibly versatile class of materials that can be used as scaffolds to construct anticancer nanocarrier systems. The ease of chemical functionalisation, biocompatibility, and intrinsic therapeutic capabilities of many of these nanoparticles can be leveraged to design effective anticancer systems. This article is the first comprehensive review of CNM-based nanocarrier systems that incorporate approved chemotherapy drugs, and many different types of CNMs and chemotherapy agents are discussed. Almost 200 examples of these nanocarrier systems have been analysed and compiled into a database. The entries are organised by anticancer drug type, and the composition, drug loading/release metrics, and experimental results from these systems have been compiled. Our analysis reveals graphene, and particularly graphene oxide (GO), as the most frequently employed CNM, with carbon nanotubes and carbon dots following in popularity. Moreover, the database encompasses various chemotherapeutic agents, with antimicrotubule agents being the most common payload due to their compatibility with CNM surfaces. The benefits of the identified systems are discussed, and the factors affecting their efficacy are detailed.

Performance evaluation of phosphonium based deep eutectic solvents coated cerium oxide nanoparticles for CO2 capture

The critical challenge being faced by our current modern society on a global scale is to reduce the surging effects of climate change and global warming, being caused by anthropogenic emissions of CO₂ in the environment. Present study reports the surface driven adsorption potential of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) surface functionalized cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeNPs) for low pressure CO₂ separation. The phosphonium based DESs were prepared using tetra butyl phosphoniumbromide as hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA) and 6 acids as hydrogen bond donors (HBDs). The as-developed DESs were characterized and employed for the surface functionalization of CeNPs with their subsequent utilization in adsorption-based CO₂ adsorption. The synthesis of as-prepared DESs was confirmed through FTIR measurements and absence of precipitates, revealed through visual observations. It was found that DES6 surface functionalized CeNPs demonstrated 27% higher adsorption performance for CO₂ capturing. On the contrary, DES3 coated CeNPs exhibited the least adsorption progress for CO₂ separation. The higher adsorption performance associated with DES6 coated CeNPs was due to enhanced surface affinity with CO₂ molecules that must have facilitated the mass transport characteristics and resulted an enhancement in CO₂ adsorption performance. Carboxylic groups could have generated an electric field inside the pores to attract more polarizable adsorbates including CO₂, are responsible for the relatively high values of CO2 adsorption. The quadruple movement of the CO₂ molecules with the electron-deficient and pluralizable nature led to the enhancement of the interactive forces between the CO₂ molecules and the CeNPs decorated with the carboxylic group hydrogen bond donor rich DES. The current findings may disclose the new research horizons and theoretical guidance for reduction in the environmental effects associated with uncontrolled CO₂ emission via employing DES surface coated potential CeNPs.

Recent advances in carbon nanomaterials for biomedical applications: A review

With the emergence of new pathogens like coronavirus disease 2019 and the prevalence of cancer as one of the leading causes of mortality globally, the effort to develop appropriate materials to address these challenges is a critical research area. Researchers around the world are investigating new types of materials and biological systems to fight against various diseases that affect humans and animals. Carbon nanostructures with their properties of straightforward functionalization, capability for drug loading, biocompatibility, and antiviral properties have become a major focus of biomedical researchers. However, reducing toxicity, enhancing biocompatibility, improving dispersibility, and enhancing water solubility have been challenging for carbon-based biomedical systems. The goal of this article is to provide a review on the latest progress involving the use of carbon nanostructures, namely fullerenes, graphene, and carbon nanotubes, for drug delivery, cancer therapy, and antiviral applications.

Simulation of Deep Eutectic Solvents' Interaction with Membranes of Cancer Cells Using COSMO-RS

Deep eutectic solvent (DES) affinities with cellular membranes structures dictate the degree of cytotoxicity that results from these interactions. The physicochemical properties of choline chloride (ChCl)-DESs suggest non-negligible cytotoxicities that were attested by published researches. In this study, the profiles of novel N,N-diethylammonium chloride (DAC)-based-deep eutectic solvents (DESs) prepared with various hydrogen bond donors (urea, glycerol, ethylene glycol, malonic acid, and zinc chloride) were compared to those of ChCl-DESs by using HelaS3, AGS, MCF-7, and WRL-68 cancer cell lines. The molecular interactions between salts and cellular membranes were investigated to explain the observed cytotoxicity. The results show that ChCl-based DESs (279 ≤ IC₅₀ ≥ 1260 mM) were less toxic than DAC-based DESs (37 ≤ IC₅₀ ≥ 109 mM). COSMO-RS analysis emphasized the importance of salt hydrophobicity with regards to DESs cytotoxicity. Malonic acid increased hydrophobicity and cytotoxicity in general, thus highlighting the potential of ammonium salt-based DESs as anticancer agents.