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Cancer is a public health problem throughout the world as incidence and mortality rates are increasing year after year. Although conventional therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation show favorable results against this disease, the side effects it causes throughout the body reduce the quality of life of the patient. Therefore, nanomedicine offers us new promising tools to attack cancer through the innovation of nanodrugs, to increase the therapeutic response, reduce dosage, and without generating as many side effects as conventional therapies. For the design of nanodrugs, it is essential to know the biological barriers of the organism and the cancer barriers faced by nanodrugs, such as cell membrane openings, the solubility of the drugs to be transported, and surface electric charge and the protein corona. Due to the aforementioned, the purpose of this review article is to delve into the long journey that nanodrugs undertake from the moment they are administered until they are internalized in tumor cells, taking into account some of the biological and molecular challenges that they defy to reach to its final destination, to observe a desired therapeutic response in the cancer patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The end product of low-density polyethylene-starch was manufactured by injection molding process. Four starch concentrations (10, 25, 40, and 50%) were used for blend preparations, which were injected into the mold of a 250 mL commercial cup. A control sample of neat polyethylene (PE) was also included. Square coupons (4 cm × 4 cm) of each blend were buried in the middle of a 50 cm pile of compost. Samples were recovered, washed, dried, and weighed after 25, 50, 75, 100, and 125 days beneath the compost. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis was performed on the samples to track the biodegradability evolution. A SEM scandium analyzer was used to measure the size and number of pores and the eroded area. Weight loss measurements were conducted to validate the SEM observations. Total biodegradation time was determined by mathematical analysis and graphical extrapolation. SEM analysis revealed the formation of pores, cavities, discontinuities, and cracks resulting from the time beneath the compost. Pore measurements revealed that the specimen composed of 40% starch and submerged for 125 days experienced up to 25% eroded area. Pure PE remained practically unchanged for the 125-day period. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy studies also demonstrated the biodegradation of PE in PE-starch blends. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract: The physicochemical properties of nixtamalized corn flours for different steeping times were studied, evaluating the particle size distribution (PSD), calcium concentration, viscosity, and crystallinity. Nixtamalized maize kernels with different steeping times were milled, dehydrated, and pulverized, which resulted in a variation in the particle size of the corresponding flours. The PSD was separated into two groups according to their percentage share in the flours: Group I (40, 60 and 80 US mesh), and Group II (30 and 100 US mesh). The calcium content increased in a nonlinear way as a function of increases in the steeping time. The greatest values were for the 100 US particle size. The maximum viscosity of the flours increased with steeping time and with diminishing particle size, for particle size greater than 30 US. The crystallinity of our samples varied from 9% to 14%, as a function of steeping time and calcium concentration. For the samples with steeping times of 8 and 9h, the crystallinity behavior is similar: between 9% and 10.7%, respectively. The results obtained indicate that steeping time significantly improves the physicochemical properties of nixtamalized maize flours, as well as the quality of the final product. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Raw starch microparticles (SMPs) proved efficient antigen carriers with adjuvant properties when administered via the mucosal route; however, the underlying mechanisms associated with this bioactivity are unknown. In the present study, we explored the mucoadhesion properties, fate, and toxicity of starch microparticles after mucosal administration. Nasally administered microparticles were mainly retained in nasal turbinates, reaching the nasal-associated lymphoid tissue; this step is facilitated by the ability of the microparticles to penetrate through the mucous epithelium. Likewise, we found intraduodenally administered SMPs on the small intestinal villi, follicle-associated epithelium, and Peyer's patches. Furthermore, under simulated gastric and intestinal pH conditions, we detected mucoadhesion between the SMPs and mucins, regardless of microparticle swelling. SMPs' mucoadhesion and translocation to mucosal immune responses induction sites explain the previously reported role of these microparticles as vaccine adjuvants and immunostimulants., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Combining traditional medicine with nanotechnology therefore opens the door to innovative strategies for treating skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) and also contributes to the fight against the rise of antimicrobial resistance. Acanthospermum australe (Loefl.) Kuntze is a medicinal plant used by indigenous peoples in northeastern Argentina to treat SSTIs. Spherical and stable silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of 14 ± 2 nm were synthesized from the aqueous extract of A. australe and silver nitrate. The antimicrobial activity against main species causing SSTIs and cytotoxicity on peripheral blood mononuclear cells of AgNP solution and its synthesis components were evaluated. Compared to its synthesis components, AgNP solution showed greater antimicrobial activity and lower cytotoxicity. The antimicrobial activity of AgNPs was due to the silver and not to the metabolites of the aqueous extract present on the surface of the nanoparticles. The plant extract played an important role in the formation of stable AgNPs and acted as a modulator of cytotoxic and immune responses., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Diverse molecules with cytotoxic activity against cancer cells have been isolated from the polar extracts of different parts of various hawthorn species that grow around the world. In Mexico, hawthorn ( Crataegus gracilior ) is popularly consumed, but its content of anticancer substances has never been evaluated. Because antitumor substances have been identified in polar and nonpolar extracts of many plants, we evaluated the cytotoxic activity against breast cancer cells of petroleum ether, ethanol, and water extracts of the leaves and stems of C. gracilior . In contrast to other hawthorn species that contain anti-tumor substances in polar extracts, the petroleum ether extract (but not the ethanol or water extracts) of C. gracilior had cytotoxic properties (IC 50  < 50 µg/mL) inducing cell death by apoptosis. Two compounds reportedly having cytotoxic activity were identified by mass spectrometry in the petroleum extract of C. gracilior : β-sitosterol and tocopherol. Results suggest that he cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic effects of the petroleum ether extract of C. gracilior could be exerted by the joint activity of β-sitosterol and tocopherol, possibly in combination with of other minor compounds. Because hawthorn is widely consumed in Mexico and Latin America its potential use as a functional food warrants further investigation.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) induce diverse cell-death mechanisms, similar to those promoted by anticancer chemotherapeutics; however, they have not been tested in vivo because their action is not limited to cancer cells. Therefore, in vivo evaluations of their effectiveness should be developed with targeting systems. Breast cancer shows changes in the sugar expression patterns on cell surfaces, related to cancer progression and metastases; those changes have been identified previously by the specific binding of soybean agglutinin (SBA). Here is proposed the use of SBA to target the AgNP activity in breast cancer. For that, the present work reports the synthesis of AgNPs (3.89 ± 0.90 nm) through the polyol method, the generation of AgNP nanocarriers, and the bioconjugation protocol of the nanocarrier with SBA. The free AgNPs, the AgNP nanocarriers, and the SBA-bioconjugated AgNP nanocarriers were tested for cytotoxicity in breast cancerous (MDA-MB-231and MCF7) and non cancerous (MCF 10A) cells, using the MTT assay. AgNPs demonstrated cytotoxic activity in vitro, the non cancerous cells (MCF 10A) being more sensible than the cancerous cells (MDA-MB-231 and MCF7) showing LD(50) values of 128, 205, and 319 μM Ag, respectively; the nanoencapsulation decreased the cytotoxic effect of AgNPs in non cancerous cells, maintaining or increasing the effect on the cancer-derived cells, whereas the SBA-bioconjugation allowed AgNP cytotoxic activity with a similar behavior to the nanocarriers. Future experiments need to be developed to evaluate the targeting effect of the SBA-bioconjugated AgNP nanocarriers to study their functionality in vivo.

In this study the encapsulation of core shell carboxyl CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) by phospholipids liposome complexes is presented. It makes the quantum dots water soluble and photo-stable. Fluorescence self-quenching of the QDs inside the liposomes was observed. Therefore, the thermal lens microscopy (TLM) was found to be an useful tool for measuring the encapsulation efficiency of the QDs by the liposomes, for which an optimum value of 36% was determined. The obtained limit of detection (LOD) for determining QDs concentration by TLM was 0.13 nM. Moreover, the encapsulated QDs showed no prominent cytotoxicity toward Breast cancer cells line MDA-MB-231. This study was supported by UV-visible spectroscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and dynamic light scattering measurements (DLS).

A central composite design using RMS (Response Surface Methodology) successfully described the effect of independent variables (feed moisture, die temperature and soybean proportion) on the specific parameters of product quality as expansion index (EI), water absorption index (WAI), water solubility index (WSI) and total color difference (ΔE) studied. The regression model indicated that EI, WAI, WSI and ΔE were significant (p < 0.05) with coefficients of determination (R(2)) of 0.7371, 0.7588, 0.7622, 0.8150, respectively. The optimized processing conditions were obtained with 25.8 % feed moisture, 160 °C die temperature and 58 %/42 % soybean/corn proportion. It was not found statistically changes in amino acid profile due to extrusion process. The electrophoretic profile of extruded soybean/corn mix presented low intensity molecular weight bands, compared to the unprocessed sample. The generation of low molecular weight polypeptides was associated to an increased in In vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) of the extrudate. The FTIR spectra of the soybean/corn mix before and after extrusion showed that the α-helix structure remained unchanged after extrusion. However, the band associated with β-sheet structure showed to be split into two bands at 1624 and 1640 cm(-1) . The changes in the β-sheet structures may be also associated to the increased in IVPD in the extruded sample.