Drug repurposing for the treatment of alveolar echinococcosis: in vitro and in vivo effects of silica nanoparticles modified with dichlorophen

Alveolar echinococcosis is a neglected parasitic zoonosis caused by the metacestode Echinococcus multilocularis, which grows as a malignant tumour-like infection in the liver of humans. Albendazole (ABZ) is the antiparasitic drug of choice for the treatment of the disease. However, its effectiveness is low, due to its poor absorption from the gastro-intestinal tract. It is also parasitostatic and in some cases produces side-effects. Therefore, an alternative to the treatment of this severe human disease is necessary. In this context, the repositioning of drugs combined with nanotechnology to improve the bioavailability of drugs emerges as a useful, fast and inexpensive tool for the treatment of neglected diseases. The in vitro and in vivo efficacy of dichlorophen (DCP), an antiparasitic agent for intestinal parasites, and silica nanoparticles modified with DCP (NP-DCP) was evaluated against E. multilocularis larval stage. Both formulations showed a time and dose-dependent in vitro effect against protoscoleces. The NP-DCP had a greater in vitro efficacy than the drug alone or ABZ. In vivo studies demonstrated that the NP-DCP (4 mg kg−1) had similar efficacy to ABZ (25 mg kg−1) and greater activity than the free DCP. Therefore, the repurposing of DCP combined with silica nanoparticles could be an alternative for the treatment of echinococcosis.

Reaction kinetics and mechanisms of organosilicon fungicide flusilazole with sulfate and hydroxyl radicals

Flusilazole is an organosilane fungicide used for treatments in agriculture and horticulture for control of diseases. The reaction kinetics and mechanism of flusilazole with sulfate and hydroxyl radicals were studied. The rate constant of the radicals with the fungicide were determined by laser flash photolysis of peroxodisulfate and hydrogen peroxide. The results were 2.0 × 10⁹ s^-1M^-1 for the reaction of the fungicide with HO and 4.6 × 10⁸ s^-1 M^-1 for the same reaction with SO₄^- radicals. The absorption spectra of organic intermediates detected by laser flash photolysis of S₂O₈^2- with flusilazole, were identified as α-aminoalkyl and siloxyl radicals and agree very well with those estimated employing the time-dependent density functional theory with explicit account for bulk solvent effects. In the continuous photolysis experiments, performed by photo-Fenton reaction of the fungicide, the main degradation products were: (bis(4-fluorophenyl)-hydroxy-methylsilane) and the non-toxic silicic acid, diethyl bis(trimethylsilyl) ester, in ten and twenty minutes of reaction, respectively.

Photoinduced Dynamics and Toxicity of a Cancer Drug in Proximity of Inorganic Nanoparticles under Visible Light

Drug sensitization with various inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) has proved to be a promising and an emergent concept in the field of nanomedicine. Rose bengal (RB), a notable photosensitizer, triggers the formation of reactive oxygen species under green-light irradiation, and consequently, it induces cytotoxicity and cell death. In the present study, the effect of photoinduced dynamics of RB upon complexation with semiconductor zinc oxide NPs is explored. To accomplish this, we successfully synthesized nanohybrids of RB with ZnO NPs with a particle size of 24 nm and optically characterized them. The uniform size and integrity of the particles were confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. UV/Vis absorption and steady-state fluorescence studies reveal the formation of the nanohybrids. ultrafast picosecond-resolved fluorescence studies of RB-ZnO nanohybrids demonstrate an efficient electron transfer from the photoexcited drug to the semiconductor NPs. Picosecond-resolved Förster resonance energy transfer from ZnO NPs to RB unravel the proximity of the drug to the semiconductor at the molecular level. The photoinduced ROS formation was monitored using a dichlorofluorescin oxidation assay, which is a conventional oxidative stress indicator. It is observed that the ROS generation under green light illumination is greater at low concentrations of RB-ZnO nanohybrids compared with free RB. Substantial photodynamic activity of the nanohybrids in bacterial and fungal cell lines validated the in vitro toxicity results. Furthermore, the cytotoxic effect of the nanohybrids in HeLa cells, which was monitored by MTT assay, is also noteworthy.