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Aims: To synthesize a silver-cored nanosuspension utilizing Ziziphus spina-christi fresh-leaf extract and evaluate their antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant pathogenic microbes. Materials and Methods: The prepared nanosuspension was analyzed by spectro-analytical techniques and tested for antimicrobial activity and resistance to biofilm formation. The leaf extract and nanosuspension were tested separately and together as a mixture. Results: Constituent nanoparticles were average-sized (∼34 nm) and were active against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative microbes and yeast. Candida albicans showed a 24.50 ± 1.50 mm inhibition zone, followed by Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Increased bioactivity with the highest multifold increments, 150%, for erythromycin against all tested microbes was observed. Carbenicillin and trimethoprim showed 166%- and 300%-fold increments for antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, respectively. Conclusion: The nanosuspension exhibited strong potential as an antimicrobial agent and overcame multidrug resistance. Ziziphus spina-christi leaf extract-coated silver nanoparticles were synthesized using an environment-friendly method, and the preparation was effective against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. The prepared formulation showed increased antimicrobial activity at a 150–300% increase compared with leaf extract-only activity. The prepared suspension was also active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the multidrug-resistant microbe, and has the potential to treat drug-resistant microbial infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent years have seen an increase in the acceptance of green chemistry as a viable method for producing nanoparticles. The aim of this work was to investigate the cytotoxicity, antioxidant effect, and hemocompatibility of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) produced utilizing Capparis spinosa L. (C. spinosa L.) fruit extract as a powerful reducing agent. The reaction rate and ZnO NPs' shape concerning extract concentration, contact time, pH, and temperature were investigated. The production and characterization of ZnO-NPs were confirmed by ultraviolet spectroscopy (U-V), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), zeta potential, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The antioxidant activity of ZnO NPs was performed by DPPH assay; hemocompatibility of the erythrocytes and cell-cytotoxic properties were investigated using MTT assay. XRD confirmed the production of highly pure, crystalline ZnO-NPs, while FESEM analyses revealed that these particles were agglomerated and spherical, with an average size of about 37.49 nm. Moreover, UV-Vis absorption was revealed at 366 nm, and tests of ZnO NPs' ζ potential and DLS revealed values of −44.76 mV and 116.80 nm, respectively. ZnO NPs exhibited good biocompatibility with RBCs in hemolytic activity experiments and did not exhibit any hemolytic reaction at doses ranging from 7.5 to 120 μg/mL. The study concluded that greenly generated ZnO NPs had good antioxidant activity and little cytotoxicity and can thus possibly be developed as a useful therapeutic option. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sulfur content in crude oil and its derivatives negatively affects all aspects of life, especially economic, environmental and industrial. It is vital to create methods and materials that are both affordable and environmentally friendly in order to remove sulfur from crude oil. for this purpose titanium oxide (TiO2) and molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) nanoparticles were prepared by hydrothermal method at different temperatures and characterized by several techniques including using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), zeta potential, and dynamic light scattering (DLS) to find out some physical and chemical properties of the prepared nano compounds, The results showed that (MoO3) was more efficient than (TiO2) in reducing the sulfur content of crude oil. This work presents a successful example of the preparation of TiO2 and MoO3 NPs based hydrothermal method and the successful application of these NPs as active components, for the potential sulfur compound adsorbents, supporting environmental treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have focused a significant amount of attention on the problem of dyes in water because of their adverse outcomes for the environment and people’s life. In the current work, the adsorption capacity of the sawdust of grapevine wood (GVW) from agricultural waste was employed as a new inexpensive, and green biosorbent via a batch adsorption process. Sulfuric acid was applied to grapevine wood to activate the sorbents for methylene blue (MB) elimination from the solution medium under varied parameters, including temperature, pH, original MB content, contact time, and adsorbent dimensions. The optimum capacity for adsorption (qmax) of 220.51 mg·g–1 at 293 K was obtained after 180 min of solid/liquid contact with 1 g·L–1 activated grapevine wood (GVWA) sawdust. The Freundlich and pseudo-second-order systems were given the optimal isotherm and kinetic results for MB biosorption onto GVWA sawdust using linear and non-linear regression techniques. The findings for MB biosorption exhibit that non-linear regression was the best approach to choosing the optimum kinetic and isotherm models. The calculated standards for entropy change, standard enthalpy change, and standard Gibbs free energy change demonstrated that the adsorption dynamic was exothermic, spontaneous, and advantageous. Our findings suggest that sustainable and cost-effective GVWA is a suitable candidate for removing emerging contaminants like MB from contaminated waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study planned to estimate biological parameters linked to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, detecting the influence of MTX and biotherapy treatments on these parameters and synthesizing methotrexate bovine serum albumin nanoparticles linked to folate (FA-MTX-BSA NPs) to reduce the overwhelming expression of inflammatory cytokines. Inflammatory parameters showed significant increases in newly diagnosed and MTX-receiving groups while no changes were observed in the biotherapy-maintained group. MTX-loaded BSA nanoparticles were fabricated by the desolvation method and further linked to activated folic acid to obtain FA-MTX-BSA NPs. FA-MTX-BSA NPs were successfully characterized within the nanoscale range using different screening techniques. FA-MTX-BSA NPs showed an in vitro release in a sustained manner. The potential of MTX, MTX-BSA NPs, and FA-MTX-BSA NPs in inducing cytokine level reduction was detected. Significant decreases in interleukin- 1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels were obtained in cultures treated with FA-MTX-BSA NPs compared to the untreated culture in a dose-dependent pattern. Furthermore, FA-MTX-BSA NPs comparing with MTX and MTX-BSA NPs exhibited a significant advanced effect in decreasing cytokines levels. Accordingly, the conjunction of BSA NPs and MTX linked to folate potentially reduced cytokines manifestation in RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) are photo-active metallic nanoparticles becoming promising agents in modern biomedical applications. Herein, a novel process for the synthesis of TiO2 NPs with high stability was developed by a sol–gel process and to investigate their cytotoxicity and antibacterial activity. Numerous experiments have been performed to confirm the morphologies, compositions, and physicochemical properties of prepared TiO2 NPs, such as field emission scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, Zeta potential, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. MTT assay was applied to assess the cytotoxicity of the prepared nanoparticles. The results indicate that the synthesized nanoparticles' diameter is about 68 nm and contains the anatase phase, in the range of 2θ from 25 to 80 °C. The hydrodynamic radius of nanoparticles is about 140.4 nm, and the zeta potential of nanoparticles is about −44.6 mV. The MTT results have not shown any toxicity; the antibacterial inhibitory effect of TiO2 NPs at 200 mg/mL concentrations exhibited superior antibacterial activity at 15.9 ± 0.1, 14.0 ± 0.1 against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, respectively. In conclusion, colloidal solutions with high stability were successfully synthesized, contributing to decreased dimensions and increased antibacterial properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is considered as the fourth prevalent reason of cancer deaths. Interleukin 10 (IL10) and interleukin 17A (IL-17A) act as anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory cytokines, respectively, both being able to exert antitumor or pro-tumor roles in cancer. Serum levels for IL-10, IL-17A, and calcitriol were measured by ELISA. The CRC patient sample (n =90) consisted of newly diagnosed, before surgery, and after surgery groups, the results of which were compared with those of healthy subjects (n=30). IL-10 levels demonstrated significantly lower (P<0.001), significantly higher (P<0.001), and insignificant differences in the three groups, respectively, as compared to the control. Serum IL-17A levels were significantly higher (P<0.001) in all patient groups compared with healthy subjects, whereas calcitriol levels were significantly lower in most patients. In conclusion,low levels of IL-10 found in CRC patients at diagnosis could be used as a diagnostic marker for the disease. However, chemo-radiotherapy caused an increase in the levels of this cytokine, which were restored to normal following surgical intervention. In addition, a contribution of serum calcitriol in changing the levels of IL-10 in CRC patients was observed. High levels of IL-17A, regardless of patient group, indicated a strong association with CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser ablation in liquid was utilized to prepare a TiO2 NP suspension in in deionized distilled water using Q-switch Nd: YAG laser at various laser energies and ablation times. The samples were characterized using UV–visible absorption spectra obtained with a UV–visible spectrophotometer (UV-Vis,) Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). While, UV-Vis spectra showed the characteristic band-to-band absorption peak of TiO2 NPs in the UV range. FTIR analysis showed the existence of O-Ti-O bond. XRD patterns indicated the presence of (101) and (112) plane crystalline phases of TiO2. TEM images showed a spherical-like structure of TiO2 NPs with various size distributions depending on the ablation period. It was also found that there is a relationship between laser ablation time and TiO2 NP size distribution, where longer ablation times led to the smaller size distribution. The antibacterial activity of TiO2 NPs was evaluated with different species of bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris, and Staphylococcus aureus, using the liquid approach. The optimum activity of TiO2 NPs is found to be against E. coli at 1000 μg mL−1. Furthermore, adding, TiO2 NPs (1000 μg mL−1) in the presence of amoxicillin has a synergic effect on E. coli and S. aureus growth, as measured by the well diffusion method. However, both E. coli (11.6 ± 0.57mm) and S. aureus (13.3 ± 0.57mm) were inhibited by this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have acquired large attention against microbial activity because of their distinctive properties associated with their size and shape. In current research, ZnO NPs produced by the Sol-gel method at room temperature were applied to evaluate its antibacterial activity against pathogenic bacterial strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli obtained from Al-Sadr Hospital, Maysan, Iraq. The prepared nanoparticles were investigated by dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Antibacterial activity was tested by using the agar diffusion method, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) after 24 h of exposure to prepared ZnO NPs. The size distribution, characterization, and morphology of nanoparticles showed around 100 nm as observed by DLS, and the formed nanoparticles were spherically confirmed by SEM. Additionally, results of the disc diffusion test showed significant inhibition of growth of both bacterial strains by ZnO NPs. In conclusion, ZnO NPs created by the sol-gel method had an excellent antibacterial effect, that could be used to produce ZnO NPs for biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]