Nanoencapsulation, employing safe materials, holds substantial promise for enhancing bioactive compounds’ delivery, stability, and bioactivity. In this study, we present an innovative and safe methodology for augmenting the incorporation of the anticancer agent, curcumin, thereby inducing apoptosis by downregulating miR20a and miR21 expression. Our established methodology introduces three pivotal elements that, to our knowledge, have not undergone formal validation: (1) Novel formulation: We introduce a unique formula for curcumin incorporation. (2) Biocompatibility and biodegradability: our formulation exclusively consists of biocompatible and biodegradable constituents, ensuring the absence of detrimental residues or undesirable reactions under varying conditions. (3) Low-temperature incorporation: Curcumin is incorporated into the formulation at temperatures approximating 50 °C. The formulation comprises lecithin (LE), chitosan (CH), an eco-friendly emulsifying agent, and olive oil as the solvent for curcumin. Nanoscale conversion is achieved through ultrasonication and probe sonication (20 kHz). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals spherical nanoparticles with diameters ranging from 29.33 nm and negative zeta potentials within the −28 to −34 mV range. Molecular studies involve the design of primers for miR20a and miR21. Our findings showcase a remarkable encapsulation efficiency of 91.1% for curcumin, as determined through a linear equation. The curcumin-loaded nanoformulation demonstrates potent anticancer activity, effectively activating the apoptosis pathway in cancer cells at the minimum inhibitory concentration. These results underscore the potential of our nanoformulation as a compelling, cancer-selective treatment strategy, preserving the integrity of normal cells, and thus, warranting further exploration in the field of cancer therapy.
Nowadays, there is a trend to promote the use of natural materials in dentistry. One of these compounds that has lately grown significantly in relevance in clinical research is
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Periodontitis is one of the most prevalent bacterial diseases affecting man with up to 90% of the global population affected. Its severe form can lead to the tooth loss in 10-15% of the population worldwide. The disease is caused by a dysbiosis of the local microbiota and one organism that contributes to this alteration in the bacterial population is Prophyromonas gingivalis. This organism possesses a range of virulence factors that appear to contribute to its growth and survival at a periodontal site amongst which is its ability to invade oral epithelial cells. Such an invasion strategy provides a means of evasion of host defence mechanisms, persistence at a site and the opportunity for dissemination to other sites in the mouth. However, p
... Show MoreSwarming is one of the most important virulence factors used by bacteria to invade new sites. This study aimed to test the effects of gentamicin on swarming motility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, both phenotypically and molecularly. The present results revealed that 11/25 isolates had gentamicin MIC of 1024 µg/ml. However, gentamicin at sub-minimal inhibitory concentration significantly (P< 0.05) reduced the diameter of swarming in all P. aeruginosa isolates. Noticeably the mean and median swarming diameter before treatment with gentamicin 5.557 and 5.816 cm respectively had significantly (P < 0.001) reduced to 0.871 and 0.766 cm respectively. At the molecular level, amrZ (a global regulator of multiple genes) and
... Show MoreOral carcinoma is the 6th most common cancer in the world. MicroRNAs are small non-coding single stranded RNAs. They have been shown to be capable of altering mRNA expression; thus some are oncogenic or tumor suppressive in nature. The salivary microRNA-31 has been proposed as a sensitive marker for oral malignancy since it was abundant in saliva more than in plasma. A total of 55 whole saliva samples were collected from 35 cases diagnosed with OC their ages and gender matched with 20 healthy subjects. TaqManq RT-PCR was performed for RNA samples. Mean age was 52.23+13.73 years in cases (range:17-70 years) with male predominance represented 69%. Risk of smoking and alcoholism was highly significant. The median fold change of miR-31 was sign
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