Vitis vinifera peel and seed gold nanoparticles exhibit chemopreventive potential, antioxidant activity and induce apoptosis through mutant p53, Bcl-2 and pan cytokeratin down-regulation in experimental animals

Keratin: A potential driver of tumor metastasis

Keratins, as essential components of intermediate filaments in epithelial cells, play a crucial role in maintaining cell structure and function. In various malignant epithelial tumors, abnormal keratin expression is frequently observed and serves not only as a diagnostic marker but also closely correlates with tumor progression. Extensive research has demonstrated that keratins are pivotal in multiple stages of tumor metastasis, including responding to mechanical forces, evading the immune system, reprogramming metabolism, promoting angiogenesis, and resisting apoptosis. Here we emphasize that keratins significantly enhance the migratory and invasive capabilities of tumor cells, making them critical drivers of tumor metastasis. These findings highlight the importance of targeting keratins as a strategic approach to combat tumor metastasis, thereby advancing our understanding of their role in cancer progression and offering new therapeutic opportunities.

Modulating Polyphenol Activity with Metal Ions: Insights into Dermatological Applications

BACKGROUND

The skin represents the first barrier of defense, and its integrity is crucial for overall health. Skin wounds present a considerable risk seeing how their progression is rapid and sometimes they are caused by comorbidities like diabetes and venous diseases. Nutraceutical combinations like the ones between polyphenols and metal ions present considerable applications thanks to their increased bioavailability and their ability to modulate intrinsic molecular pathways.

METHODS

The research findings presented in this paper are based on a systematic review of the current literature with an emphasis on nanotechnology and regenerative medicine strategies that incorporate polyphenols and metallic nanoparticles (NPs). The key studies which described the action mechanisms, efficacy, and safety of these hybrid formulations were reviewed.

RESULTS

Nanocomposites of polyphenol and metal promote healing by activating signaling pathways such as PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2, which in turn improve fibroblast migration and proliferation. Nanoparticles of silver and copper have antibacterial, angiogenesis-promoting, inflammation-modulating capabilities. With their ability to induce apoptosis and restrict cell growth, these composites have the potential to cure skin malignancies in addition to facilitating wound healing.

CONCLUSIONS

Nanocomposites of polyphenols and metals provide hope for the treatment of cancer and chronic wounds. Their antimicrobial capabilities, capacity to modulate inflammatory responses, and enhancement of fibroblast activity all point to their medicinal potential. Furthermore, these composites have the ability to decrease inflammation associated with tumors while simultaneously inducing cell death in cancer cells. Clarifying their mechanisms, guaranteeing stability, and enhancing effective delivery techniques for clinical usage should be the focus of future studies.

Recent advances in improved efficacies of gold nano-formulations in treatment of skin cancer: a systematic review

Skin cancer is the commonest malignancy for the population. Conventional skin cancer treatments include chemotherapy and surgery, but a large number of the chemotherapeutic drugs applied currently have undesirable possessions. The aim of this study is to provide a complete and acute assessment of the antitumor capability of gold nano-formulations in skin cancer as a new and more effectual delivery system for targeted therapy. In this systematic review, we conducted our first search in December 2021. In order to find related studies, 3 databases PubMed, Scopus and ScienceDirect. In order to maintain comprehensiveness in the search, no time limit was considered in the search process and finally the information obtained from the search was transferred to the information management software (EndNote). In order to maximize the number of articles that were related to our topic, a list of references identified in relevant articles was also manually searched and reviewed. Our final search was updated in late December 2021. There was evidence for a correlation between anticancer activities and treatment with gold nano-formulations. Additionally, studies shown that specific functionalization of the gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) which increase targetability to specific populations of cells could increase the application of Au NPs to the effective delivery of drugs to tumor cells. Our study demonstrated that gold nano-formulations are possible candidates for skin cancer treatment and might provide additional support for the clinical use of these anticancer agents in the future.

Comprehensive Review on Fruit Seeds: Nutritional, Phytochemical, Nanotechnology, Toxicity, Food Biochemistry, and Biotechnology Perspective

Fruit seeds are leftovers from a variety of culinary sectors. They are generally unutilized and contribute greatly to global disposals. These seeds not only possess various nutritional attributes but also have many heath-beneficial properties. One way to make use of these seeds is to extract their bioactive components and create fortified food items. Nowadays, researchers are highly interested in creating innovative functional meals and food components from these unconventional resources. The main objective of this manuscript was to determine the usefulness of seed powder from 70 highly consumed fruits, including Apple, Apricot, Avocado, Banana, Blackberry, Blackcurrant, Blueberry, Cherry, Common plum, Cranberry, Gooseberry, Jackfruit, Jamun, Kiwi, Lemon, Mahua, Mango, Melon, Olive, Orange, and many more have been presented. The nutritional attributes, phytochemical composition, health advantages, nanotechnology applications, and toxicity of these fruit seeds have been fully depicted. This study also goes into in-depth detailing on creating useful food items out of these seeds, such as bakery goods, milk products, cereal-based goods, and meat products. It also identifies enzymes purified from these seeds along with their biochemical applications and any research openings in this area.

Advancing oral health: Harnessing the potential of chitosan and polyphenols in innovative mouthwash formulation

This paper explores the therapeutic perspectives of polyphenols and chitosan as potential anticancer agents in the mouthwash formulations. Taking into account the high incidence of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) among oral cancers, this discussion will concentrate on the potential advantages of these compounds in oral care, focusing on their impact on improving oral health and cancer prevention. According to the data, it appears that the mixture of BACs extract and chitosan may increase the efficiency of the apoptosis of cancer cells while reducing the undesired side effects. The cytotoxicity assays demonstrate a significant reduction in squamous carcinoma cell viability after incubation with BACs extract, with a marked decrease observed over 24-72 hours up to 76%. The anti-cancer properties of the BAC extract are related to luteolin, which is a predominant compound. The addition of 0.025% chitosan reduced the metabolic activity of cancer cells by 37.5%, suggesting a synergistic interaction between the compounds. This research highlights the potential of BACs and chitosan in modulating important molecular targets associated with cancer cell.

Antioxidant and Anticancer Activity of Vitis vinifera Extracts in Breast Cell Lines

Vitis vinifera extracts have been shown to possess antioxidant activity because of their polyphenol content. In addition, their therapeutic potential against several diseases, including cancer, has been reported. In this study, we produced twelve extracts from the seeds, fruit, leaves, and wood of the Vitis vinifera Airen variety using different extraction methodologies and measured their total polyphenol content (TPC). We also determined their antioxidant and antiproliferative effects against normal cells and evaluated the most potent extract against a panel of breast cancer cell lines. We found that the extracts produced by the seeds of Vitis vinifera had a higher TPC compared to the other parts of the plant. Most extracts produced from seeds had antioxidant activity and did not show cytotoxicity against normal breast cells. The extract produced from whole organic seeds of white grape showed the best correlation between the dose and the ROS inhibition at all time points compared to the other seed extracts and also had antiproliferative properties in estrogen-receptor-positive MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Its mechanism of action involves inhibition of proteins Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and survivin, and induction of apoptosis. Further investigation of the constituents and activity of Vitis vinifera extracts may reveal potential pharmacological applications of this plant.

Phytowaste as nutraceuticals in boosting public health

The utilization of bioactive constituent of peels and seeds provide an effective, environment friendly and inexpensive therapy for different forms of human disease, and the production, improvement and documentation of novel nutraceuticals. This review systematically presents findings and further understanding of the reported benefits and therapeutic applications of peel and seed extracts on innovative cell culture and animal studies, as well as phased clinical human trial research. The extracts of seed and peels were reported to possess high quantities of bioactive substances with antioxidative, antidiabetic, hepatorenal protective, antithyroidal, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, cardiovascular protective, neuro-protective effects, anticancer and wound healing activities. Therapeutic activities of the bioactive substances of peel and seed extracts include elevation of Superoxide dismutase (SOD), GSH-Px, t-GPx, Catalase and GST activities, with the suppression of MDA levels, hydroperoxide generation and lipid peroxidized products, the extracts also regulate inflammatory mediators and cytokines as they are reported to suppress the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, which include; IL-1β, PGE2, TGF-β and TNF-α and induces apoptosis and cell differentiation. This review revealed the therapeutic importance and best utilization of peels and seed extracts of fruits and vegetables.

A candidate antineoplastic herbal agent for bladder cancer: Ankaferd Blood Stopper

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Ankaferd Blood Stopper (ABS) was used for in vitro studies of osteosarcoma and colon carcinoma cancer cell lines to reveal the apoptotic and antineoplastic effects. The aim of this study is to evaluate the antineoplastic effect of ABS on bladder cancer cell cultures.

METHODS

We prospectively collected minimum 0.5 cm parts of fresh frozen tumour samples from patients with bladder tumour from 2015 to 2017. Primary bladder cancer cultures were produced from the frozen tumour samples. Two different doses of ABS were used on cancer cell cultures. Viability tests of each cell cultures were performed. Flow cytometry was used for the determination of apoptosis and necroptosis. We also checked the effect of ABS on different stages, grade and variant histology of bladder cancer cells. The results of all cancer cell cultures were compared with their own controls.

RESULTS

This study included 24 patients. Mean age of patients was 66.2 ± 11.7 years (34-83 years), where 19 of them (79.5%) were males and five (20.5%) were females. When we compared the data, we found decreased cancer cell viability ratio in each ABS group compared with their own controls. Necroptosis was observed in the great majority of ABS groups, and necroptosis and apoptosis were observed in some cell cultures.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, we demonstrated the cytotoxic effect of ABS on bladder cancer cells. The results of this study suggests planning of animal model of bladder cancer for ABS with intravesical application as an antineoplastic agent. In the future, ABS may be a candidate intravesical treatment agent for bladder cancer.

Compounds with Antiviral, Anti-Inflammatory and Anticancer Activity Identified in Wine from Hungary's Tokaj Region via High Resolution Mass Spectrometry and Bioinformatics Analyses

(1) Background: Wine contains a variety of molecules with potential beneficial effects on human health. Our aim was to examine the wine components with high-resolution mass spectrometry including high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry in two wine types made from grapes with or without the fungus Botrytis cinerea, or "noble rot". (2) For LC-MS/MS analysis, 12 wine samples (7 without and 5 with noble rotting) from 4 different wineries were used and wine components were identified and quantified. (3) Results: 288 molecules were identified in the wines and the amount of 169 molecules was statistically significantly different between the two wine types. A database search was carried out to find the molecules, which were examined in functional studies so far, with high emphasis on molecules with antiviral, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities. (4) Conclusions: A comprehensive functional dataset related to identified wine components is also provided highlighting the importance of components with potential health benefits.

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles for application in cosmetics

In this work, we analyzed the advantages of using silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized with natural extracts in ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) protective cream. The photodegradation properties of the new UV-Vis protective milk show an increase in its absorption band compared to AgNP-free cream. Previous to the study of the AgNPs mixed within the body milk, we studied the optical UV-Vis properties of extracts at different collection times, as they can influence the spectral range of UV-Vis absorption of the hybrid compound (AgNPs + natural extract). Shape and size of the AgNPs differs from the type of reducing agent as well as the concentration of silver nitrate used. We also compared the cytotoxicity in cell lines and the antibacterial effect of the AgNPs without and with organic coating. All these studies showed that we obtained hybrid sun-protective body milk with a high degree of solar protection and with low cytotoxicity at a cellular level, thus improving its protective properties. The synthetized hybrid compound could be a possible cost-affordable alternative for the market.

In vivo evaluation of antitumoral and antiangiogenic effect of imiquimod-loaded polymeric nanoparticles

The chemotherapeutic agent imiquimod (Imq) is used to treat skin cancers, the most common type of human cancer. However, the high incidence of local and systemic side effects associated with its use as well as its low skin permeation impair patient compliance and therapeutic effectiveness To overcome these limitations, nanostructured systems such as nanoparticles can be a promising alternative. Nanoparticles are submicron particles (size less than 1000 nm) with high surface area that facilitates the interaction and cellular uptake by biological membranes. Therefore, the aim of the present work is to evaluate antiangiogenic effect and antitumoral activity of imiquimod-loaded nanoparticles compared to market Imq formulation. Polymeric nanoparticles containing Imq were obtained by the technique of precipitation of preformed polymer. Antiangiogenic activity of the formulations was determined in chicken embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and its chemopreventive potential was evaluate during multistage DMBA and croton oil model of skin carcinogenesis in mice. Nanoparticles containing Imq presented antiangiogenic activity superior than negative control, placebo dispersion and market Imq (p < 0.05) in the CAM model and also significantly reduced the number and size of papillomas compared to all other groups. These results suggest, therefore, that the obtained delivery system can be an alternative to treat diseases related to vessels formation and also potentially increase cutaneous permeation and efficacy of poor soluble drugs normally used to treat cutaneous diseases.