Arabian Journal of Chemistry最新文献

Baicalein, a nutritional phenolic bioactive small molecule present in the roots of Scutellaria baicalensis and Scutellaria lateriflora, shows promising therapeutic effects against a wide range of cancer cells. However, its potential binding with blood carrier proteins and its anticancer mechanisms have not been well investigated. In this study, the interaction between baicalein and immunoglobulin G (IgG) was analyzed by analyzing intrinsic fluorescence, ellipticity changes, as well as molecular docking. The anticancer effects of baicalein against a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cell line, U87MG, and one normal immortalized human astrocytes were assessed by MTT, real-time PCR, caspase assay, and western blot. It was shown that the fluorescence quenching mechanism of human IgG by baicalein was based on a static quenching, where one binding site was responsible for the formation of baicalein-IgG complex derived by the formation of hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces. A molecular docking study indicated that tyrosine residues (Tyr 91 and Tyr 98) were mostly involved in the binding site of baicalein to IgG. The cellular assay demonstrated that baicalein induced U87MG cell line death with an IC₅₀ concentration of 73.19 µM, whereas normal astrocytes depicted over 82.94% portion of viability at 100 µM baicalein. The Bax mRNA overexpression, Bcl-2 mRNA downexpression, as well as the elevation of caspase-9 and caspase-3 activities confirmed that baicalein could effectively trigger the apoptosis of U87MG cells. Moreover, it was explored that baicalein downregulated the expression of the Axl/STAT3 signaling pathway in the U87MG cells, which is responsible for cellular proliferation and growth. In conclusion, these data may provide useful information regarding the pharmaceutical application of baicalein.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most malignant subtype of breast cancer (BC) with a poor prognosis. Currently, chemotherapy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy continue to have limited efficacy in TNBC. With the deepening of research, nano targeted therapy shows a good application prospect in TNBC. Psoralen (PSO), an active component of Psoralea corylifolia, has significant advantages in inhibiting the growth of TNBC, but its poor solubility hampers its clinical practice. In this study, injectable psoralen polymer lipid nanoparticles (PSO-PLNs) were developed to deliver the hydrophobic drug to the target site and improve bioavailability. These nanoparticles were fully characterized in terms of morphology, particle size, surface zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, drug loading, stability, and in vitro release profile. Besides, structural characteristics were determined by ultraviolet (UV) and infrared spectroscopy. Finally, in vivo pharmacokinetic studies of PSO-PLNs were performed in rats. The characteristic absorption of PSO and PSO-PLNs appeared in UV, indicating that PSO-PLNs had encapsulated PSO; there was no obvious characteristic absorption of PSO in infrared spectra, indicating that PSO was mostly encapsulated in the nano-shell. PSO-PLNs could maintain stable physicochemical properties for 1.5 months when stored at 4 °C. PSO-PLNs selectively released PSO at pH 6.5, and the sustained and controlled release effect was significantly different from that of PSO (p < 0.01). Pharmacokinetic studies in vivo demonstrated that PSO-PLNs could improve PSO bioavailability by increasing blood drug concentration and plasma protein binding rate. In summary, injectable PSO-PLNs could be considered as promising delivery system for advanced cancer therapeutics.

The Cd²⁺ adsorption performance of biochar derived from soybean straw pyrolysis at 400–600 °C is investigated. Langmuir model can accurately describe the Cd²⁺ adsorption data with adsorption amount of 47.30 mg/g with pH=5. Cd²⁺ adsorption kinetic process could be analyzed using Pseudo-second-order. Biochar has large Cd²⁺ wastewater treatment volume, based on column adsorption experiment. The π-electrons play an important role in Cd²⁺ adsorption, based on adsorption mechanism analysis. Biochar has good stability after three cycles. Biochar also has good application potential used in lithium ion battery anode with specific capacity of 132 mA g⁻¹. Besides, pyrolysis gas is recycled in the preparation process of biochar with heating value of the 12.10 MJ/Nm³. These results indicate that soybean straw waste is converted into sustainable adsorbent for Cd²⁺ wastewater treatment.

A series of flavonol derivatives containing piperidine sulfonamide were designed and synthesized. The EC₅₀ values for the curative of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) by Z6 and Z22 were 108.2 and 102.7 μg/mL, respectively, outperforming the control agent ningenmycin (NNM) with an EC₅₀ value of 253.8 μg/mL. Additionally, the EC₅₀ values for the protective activity of Z6 and Z21 were 100.9 and 123.2 μg/mL, respectively, also surpassing the control agent NNM with an EC₅₀ value of 203.7 μg/mL. Microscale thermophoresis (MST) and molecular docking test showed that Z6 bound well with tobacco mosaic virus coat protein (TMV-CP). The biological safety test showed that Z6 had almost no effect on seed germination and seedling growth. After treatment with Z6, the chlorophyll content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in tobacco leaves increased, while the malondialdehyde (MDA) content decreased. Therefore, Z6 has a high probability as a potential antiviral agent.

The magnetic biochar is prepared by one-pot method using waste wooden building formwork as feedstock in the existence of the FeCl₃ for Cr⁶⁺ removal form wastewater. Characterization analysis indicates that magnetic biochar exists Fe₃O₄ with specific surface area of the 333.89–496.35 m²/g, contributing to Cr⁶⁺ removal. Cr⁶⁺ removal process can be well analyzed by the Pseudo-second order and Hill models with adsorption capacity of 30.41 mg/g. The adsorption process analysis indicates that Cr⁶⁺ removal mechanism includes surface complexation, electrostatic attraction, reduction and pore filling. The influence of Fe²⁺ on Cr⁶⁺ removal is analyzed, indicating Fe²⁺ participation into Cr⁶⁺ removal by reduction. The magnetic biochar has excellent reusability after three cycles. The Cr⁶⁺ removal process is also investigated using column adsorption experiment, indicating that magnetic biochar has column adsorption amount of the 56.64 mg/g. The economic feasibility of the magnetic biochar is investigated and calculated with the production cost of $2.48/1kg. The waste wooden building formwork is converted into the efficient magnetic biochar for Cr⁶⁺ removal from wastewater.

In contrast to conventional chemical treatments, medicinal plants are more secure and efficient in treating wounds without the risk of adverse effects. Traditional wound dressings have no antibacterial features, and have an inadequate water vapour transmission rate (WVTR). Clove extracts (CE) were developed in this study to make the dressings more effective in humans. The morphological, physical, mechanical, biological, and antibacterial properties of CMC/PVP biocomposite films were explored with different clove extract (CE) concentrations (2 %, 4 %, and 6 %). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) investigations demonstrated the structural relationships involving CMC, PVP, and CE in the reinforced samples. The TGA results validate the CMC/PVP/CE bio-composite hydrogel’s potential for usage in medicinal applications. The developed bio-composite hydrogels showed > 87 % cell viability against Vero cells, were favourable to cell growth, and had a significant zone of inhibition against S. aureus and E. coli bacteria. CMC/PVP/CE (6 %) bio-composite hydrogel enhanced wound healing in albino mice within 12 days, had a WVTR of 2310 g/m²-day and an ESR% of 1712 %. In addition, the results of the histological examination corroborated the observations of faster tissue regeneration, less inflammatory cells, and enhanced vascularity of the surrounding skin. The overall results encourage and show that CMC/PVP/CE (6 %) bio-composite hydrogels have a lot of potential uses in the biomedical field, especially for wound healing.

Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo (D. officinale), a dual-use plant with both botanical medicine and food applications, has gained global popularity. Flavonoids are important bioactive compounds of D. officinale; nevertheless, the quantitative analysis method for flavonoid components is lack, restricting an in-depth understanding of their functions. A QuEChERS method coupled with HPLC-MS/MS was developed to detect 17 flavonoid components of D. officinale. Octadecylsilane was selected as the clean-up sorbent, which exhibited a relatively weak affinity for flavonoids yet an effective removal of pigments from extracts. Method validation showed that limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) were 2.1–49.5 and 7.1–165.2 μg/kg, respectively. The recoveries ranged from 73 % to 112 %, with inter-day and intra-day RSDs below 20 %. Among the 17 flavonoids measured, naringenin, rutin and schaftoside were the predominant compounds, with the highest values of 57.18, 563.17 and 67.73 mg/kg, respectively. These three flavonoids accounted for over 80 % of the total content of 17 flavonoids. Moreover, the Multiple Factor Analysis indicated that the origin and cultivation method exerted great influence on the flavonoid concentrations in D. officinale. The results have important implications for further research and utilization of flavonoids in D. officinale.

In this study, the regeneration of waste activated carbon by the synergic combination of ultrasonication and persulfate treatment was explored. The regeneration efficiencies achieved with sonication and persulfate, both in combination and separately, were assessed from a sample’s ability to adsorb ofloxacin before and after regeneration. The introduction of persulfate increased the regeneration rate by 4–5% over that of ultrasound alone, and the regeneration rate increased from 40.95 % to 45.71 % upon increasing the persulfate dosage from 1 to 10 mmol/L. Furthermore, the regeneration rate was found to be largely unaffected by pH. The specific surface area of the activated carbon regenerated by the combined technology was 527 m²/g, which was 37 m²/g higher than that for ultrasonic regeneration alone, further demonstrating the utility of the combined approach. In summary, combined ultrasonication/persulfate regeneration provides a practical and cost-effective method for the reuse of waste activated carbon.

Because of the conventional bioimaging methods, including ultrasound and X-ray examinations often lack accuracy and sensitivity in the early diagnosis, as a heterogeneous subtype of breast cancer, it remains an urgent need to develop efficaciously and sensitively diagnostic drivers of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). The overexpression of c-mesenchymal epithelial transition-factor (c-Met) is associated with the basal subtype of breast carcinoma and linked with decreased survival rate of TNBC patients. Here, we have synthesized a dual-modal nanoprobe with luminescence imaging in the bio-window of near infrared II region (NIR II, 1000–1700) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performances. After c-Met targeting binding protein decoration, this Fe₃O₄@mSiO₂-ICG/cMBP had outstanding size stability and preeminent biocompatibility. Meaningfully, it presented effective TNBC cells recognition in vitro. Besides, after caudal-vein injection of this nanoprobe, both NIR II luminescence imaging and MRI demonstrated that it can more efficiently concentrated in metastatic TNBC tumors in comparison with Fe₃O₄@mSiO₂-ICG and clinical used Gd-DTPA. Meanwhile, the core–shell nanoprobes also showed negligible toxicity in vivo. All results suggested that our cMBP modified nanocomposite could provide a fascinating and efficient non-invasive diagnostic tool for TNBC detection in clinic.

Dendrobium, a genus of orchids celebrated for their ornamental, medicinal, and culinary uses, is the focus of this study, which examines the metabolite profiles and bioactivity of five species: Dendrobium officinale, Dendrobium nobile, Dendrobium crepidatum, Dendrobium chrysotoxum, and Dendrobium denneanum. Utilizing UPLC-Q-TOF-MS^E analysis, we have identified 88 compounds from the stems and leaves of these species. Notably, extracts from D. denneanum and D. chrysotoxum exhibited the highest antioxidant activities as demonstrated by DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging, and FRAP assays. Additionally, D. officinale showed significant anti-hepatoma activity with an IC₅₀ value of 104 μg/mL. Multivariate analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, and metabolites correlation analysis further elucidated the bioactive potential of these species. This comprehensive approach revealed distinct metabolite profiles that correlate with the observed bioactivities. The antioxidant activities of D. denneanum and D. chrysotoxum were particularly noteworthy, suggesting their potential as natural sources of antioxidants for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications. The anti-hepatoma activity of D. officinale, with its notable IC₅₀ value, indicates its promise as a therapeutic agent against liver cancer. The findings underscore the richness of bioactive compounds in Dendrobium species, highlighting their antioxidant and anti-hepatoma properties. These insights pave the way for further research into the medicinal utilization of Dendrobium leaves and contribute to the development of novel applications in healthcare and wellness industries. The potential health benefits identified in this research emphasize the importance of preserving and studying these valuable plant species for their diverse bioactivities.