BACKGROUND:

The toxicity of snake venom varies over time in some species. The venom of newborn and small juvenile snakes appears to be more potent than adults of the same species, and a bite from a snake that has not fed recently, such as one that has just emerged from hibernation, is more dangerous than one that has recently fed due to the larger volume of venom injected. Therefore, the potency of a snake's venom is typically determined using the LD50 or IC50 tests. In the present study, we evaluated the anti-tumor potential of snake venom from Walterinnesia aegyptia (WEV) on the human breast carcinoma cell line MDA-MB-231, as well as its effect on the normal mice peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

RESULTS:

This venom was used alone (WEV) or in combination with silica nanoparticles (WEV+NP). The IC50 values of WEV alone and WEV+NP in the MDA-MB-231 cells were determined to be 50 ng/ml and 20 ng/ml, respectively. Interestingly, at these concentrations, the venom did not affect the viability of normal human PBMCs. To investigate the in vivo effects of this venom further, three groups of mice were used (15 mice in each group): Group I was the control, Group II was subcutaneously injected with WEV, and Group III was injected with WEV+NP. Using flow cytometry and western blot analysis, we found that the blood lymphocytes of WEV-injected mice exhibited a significant increase in actin polymerization and cytoskeletal rearrangement in response to CXCL12 through the activation of AKT, NF-κB and ERK. These lymphocytes also showed a significant increase in their proliferative capacity in response to mitogen stimulation compared with those isolated from the control mice (P < 0.05). More importantly, in the WEV+NP-treated mice, the biological functions of normal lymphocytes were significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced in comparison with those of WEV-treated mice.

CONCLUSION:

Our data reveal the unique biological effects of WEV, and we demonstrated that its combination with nanoparticles strongly enhanced these biological effects.

In this work, we demonstrate a simple two-pot approach to double mesoporous core-shell silica spheres (DMCSSs) with uniform size of 245-790 nm, shell thickness of 41-80 nm and surface area and total pore volume of 141-618 m(2) g(-1) and 0.14-0.585 cc g(-1), respectively. First, solid silica spherical particles were synthesized by the Stöber method and used as a core. Second, a mesoporous shell could be formed around the silica cores by using an anionic surfactant and a co-structure directing agent. It was found that mesopores can be anchored within dense silica cores during mesoporous silica shell formation, synchronously the base group with surfactant assistant can etch the dense silica cores to re-organize new mesostructure, so that double mesoporous core-shell silica sphere (DMCSS) structure can be obtained by a single surfactant-templating step. The spherical size and porosity of the silica cores of DMCSS together with shell thickness can be tuned by controlling Stöber parameters, including the concentrations of ammonia, solvent and tetraethoxysilane and the reaction time. DMCSS were loaded with ketoprofen and thymoquinone, which are an anti-inflammatory and a potential novel anti-cancer drug, respectively. Both drugs showed controlled release behavior from the pores of DMCSS. Drug uptakes within DMCSS were ~27 and 81 wt.% for ketoprofen and thymoquinone, respectively. Furthermore, DMCSS loaded with thymoquinone was more effective in inducing cancer cell apoptosis than uncontained thymoquinone, because of the slow release of the drug from the mesoporous structure.

Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

BACKGROUND:

Continuous diabetes-associated complications are a major source of immune system exhaustion and an increased incidence of infection. Diabetes can cause poor circulation in the feet, increasing the likelihood of ulcers forming when the skin is damaged and slowing the healing of the ulcers. Whey proteins (WPs) enhance immunity during childhood and have a protective effect on some immune disorders. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effects of camel WP on the healing and closure of diabetic wounds in a streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type I diabetic mouse model.

RESULTS:

Diabetic mice exhibited delayed wound closure characterized by a significant decrease in an anti-inflammatory cytokine (namely, IL-10) and a prolonged elevation of the levels of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6) in wound tissue. Moreover, aberrant expression of chemokines that regulate wound healing (MIP-1α, MIP-2, KC and CX3CL1) and growth factors (TGF-β) were observed in the wound tissue of diabetic mice compared with control nondiabetic mice. Interestingly, compared with untreated diabetic mice, supplementation with WP significantly accelerated the closure of diabetic wounds by limiting inflammatory stimuli via the restoration of normal IL-10, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 levels. Most importantly, the supplementation of diabetic mice with WP significantly modulated the expression of MIP-1α, MIP-2, KC, CX3CL1 and TGF-β in wound tissue compared with untreated diabetic mice.

CONCLUSION:

Our data demonstrate the benefits of WP supplementation for improving the healing and closure of diabetic wounds and restoring the immune response in diabetic mice.

e recently demonstrated that the snake venom extracted from Walterinnesia aegyptia (WEV) either alone or combined with silica nanoparticles (WEV+NP) enhanced the proliferation of mice immune cells and simultaneously decreased the proliferation of human breast carcinoma cell line (MDA-MB-231). However, the molecular mechanism of how this venom induced growth arrest of breast cancer cells has not been studied. In this context, we extended our study to evaluate the anti-tumor potential of WEV and WEV+NP on the human breast carcinoma cell lines MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7, as well as their effects on non-tumorigenic normal breast epithelial cells (MCF-10). The IC(50 )values of WEV alone and WEV+NP in these cell lines were determined to be 50 ng/ml and 20 ng/ml, respectively. Interestingly, at these concentrations, the venom did not affect the viability of normal MCF-10 cells and treatment of all these cell lines with NP alone did not affect their viability. Using annexin-V binding assay followed by flow cytometry analysis, we found that combination of WEV with NP strongly induced apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cancer cells without significant effect on normal MCF-10 cells. Furthermore, we found that WEV+NP decreased the expression of Bcl2 and enhanced the activation of caspase 3 in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells. Most importantly, WEV+NP-treated breast cancer cells, but not normal MCF-10 cells, exhibited a significant (P<0.05) reduction in actin polymerization and cytoskeletal rearrangement in response to CXCL12. Our data reveal biological effects of WEV or WEV+NP and the underlying mechanisms to fight breast cancer cells.

The reaction of Fe(g5-C5H4CO2Na)(g5-C5H4PPh2) (1), obtained upon addition of NaOH to Fe(g5-
C5H4CO2H)(g5-C5H4PPh2), with stoichiometric amounts of [Co(H2O)6](NO3)2 (2) gave the 1D coordination
polymer [Co(Fe(g5-C5H4CO2)(g5-C5H4PPh2))2]n (3). The molecular structure of 3 in the solid state was
determined by single crystal X-ray structure determination. A unique feature of 3 is that dinuclear
Co2(O2CR)4 units (R = Fe(g5-C5H4)(g5-C5H4PPh2)) are connected by two diphenylphosphino-ferrocenyl
moieties giving rise to a one-dimensional arrangement, whereby the other two Ph2P-containing ferrocenes
remain uncoordinated. Due to this structural feature, the coordination sphere at cobalt(II) can best
be ascribed as distorted octahedral. Variable temperature dependent magnetic measurements were carried
out indicating an overall weak anti-ferromagnetic behaviour with the formation of a weak r bond
with a distance of 2.800(2) Å between the two cobalt(II) ions.

The fundamental vibrations of the (PO3 anions in the AgGd(PO3)4 crystal are predicted by employing the
correlation method based on the group theory. Nine external vibrations are allowed with no coincidence ac
tivity between infrared and Raman spectra. The free PO3 ion with C3v molecular symmetry has six normal
vibrations. Due to the crystalfield splitting effect, the six normal modes of vibrations are split into 96 in
tramolecular vibrations. Symmetric and asymmetric stretching and bending modes are identified with deter
mining of their spectral activity.

Global decline in frog populations is thought to indicate environmental damage caused by human
activity. Pollution especially chemicals are found to contaminate aquatic ecosystems and their animals
including fish and amphibians during their adult life and sensitive stages of development. Nonylphenol
ethoxylate (NPE) is one of the most dangerous chemicals that are recorded in aquatic environments,
bacterial degradation of nonylphenol ethoxylates produces more toxic nonylphenol (NP) which is
estrogenic both on vitro and vivo assays. In present work, the exposure of embryos of Egyptian toad
Bufo regularis to different sublethal doses of 4-nonylphenol (1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 μgl-1) resulted in mortality
rate increase and as a result some morphological malformations with histopathological changes in
some organs were revealed. This study indicated the destructive effects of 4-Nonylphenol on the
tadpoles of Egyptian toad.

Global decline in frog populations is thought to indicate environmental damage caused by human
activity. Pollution especially chemicals are found to contaminate aquatic ecosystems and their animals
including fish and amphibians during their adult life and sensitive stages of development. Nonylphenol
ethoxylate (NPE) is one of the most dangerous chemicals that are recorded in aquatic environments,
bacterial degradation of nonylphenol ethoxylates produces more toxic nonylphenol (NP) which is
estrogenic both on vitro and vivo assays. In present work, the exposure of embryos of Egyptian toad
Bufo regularis to different sublethal doses of 4-nonylphenol (1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 μgl-1) resulted in mortality
rate increase and as a result some morphological malformations with histopathological changes in
some organs were revealed. This study indicated the destructive effects of 4-Nonylphenol on the
tadpoles of Egyptian toad.

Global decline in frog populations is thought to indicate environmental damage caused by human
activity. Pollution especially chemicals are found to contaminate aquatic ecosystems and their animals
including fish and amphibians during their adult life and sensitive stages of development. Nonylphenol
ethoxylate (NPE) is one of the most dangerous chemicals that are recorded in aquatic environments,
bacterial degradation of nonylphenol ethoxylates produces more toxic nonylphenol (NP) which is
estrogenic both on vitro and vivo assays. In present work, the exposure of embryos of Egyptian toad
Bufo regularis to different sublethal doses of 4-nonylphenol (1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 μgl-1) resulted in mortality
rate increase and as a result some morphological malformations with histopathological changes in
some organs were revealed. This study indicated the destructive effects of 4-Nonylphenol on the
tadpoles of Egyptian toad.