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The current study sought the effective mitigation measure of seawater-induced damage to mung bean plants by exploring the potential roles of acetic acid (AA). Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that foliar application of AA under control conditions improved mung bean growth, which was interlinked to enhanced levels of photosynthetic rate and pigments, improved water status and increased uptake of K + , in comparison with water-sprayed control. Mung bean plants exposed to salinity exhibited reduced growth and biomass production, which was emphatically correlated with increased accumulations of Na + , reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde, and impaired photosynthesis, as evidenced by PCA and heatmap clustering. AA supplementation ameliorated the toxic effects of seawater, and improved the growth performance of salinity-exposed mung bean. AA potentiated several physio-biochemical mechanisms that were connected to increased uptake of Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ , reduced accumulation of toxic Na + , improved water use efficiency, enhanced accumulations of proline, total free amino acids and soluble sugars, increased catalase activity, and heightened levels of phenolics and flavonoids. Collectively, our results provided new insights into AA-mediated protective mechanisms against salinity in mung bean, thereby proposing AA as a potential and cost-effective chemical for the management of salt-induced toxicity in mung bean, and perhaps in other cash crops.

Targeted delivery of drugs to the brain is challenging due to the restricted permeability across the blood brain barrier (BBB). Gliomas are devastating cancers and their positive treatment outcome using Temozolomide (TMZ) is limited due to its short plasma half-life, systemic toxicity and limited access through the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Nanoparticles made of Lactoferrin (Lf) protein, have been shown to enhance the pharmacological properties of drugs. Here, we report the specific ability of Lf nanoparticles to cross BBB and target over-expressed Lf receptors on glioma for enhanced TMZ delivery. TMZ-loaded Lf nanoparticles (TMZ-LfNPs) were prepared by our previously reported sol-oil method. While the Lf protein in the NP matrix aids in transcytosis across the BBB and preferential tumor cell uptake, the pH responsiveness leads to TMZ release exclusively in the tumor microenvironment. Delivery through LfNPs results in an enhanced and sustained intracellular concentration of TMZ in GL261 cells in vitro along with improving its in vivo pharmacokinetics and brain accumulation. TMZ-LfNPs treatment results in a significant reduction of tumor volume, higher tumor cell apoptosis and improved median survival in glioma bearing mice. These results demonstrate that LfNPs present an efficient TMZ delivery platform for an effective treatment of gliomas.