Cinnamaldehyde, the bioactive component of the spice cinnamon, and its derivatives have been shown to possess anti-cancer activity against various cancer cell lines. However, its hydrophobic nature invites attention for efficient drug delivery systems that would enhance the bioavailability of cinnamaldehyde without affecting its bioactivity. Here, we report the synthesis of stable aqueous suspension of cinnamaldehyde tagged Fe3O4 nanoparticles capped with glycine and pluronic polymer (CPGF NPs) for their potential application in drug delivery and hyperthermia in breast cancer. The monodispersed superparamagnetic NPs had an average particulate size of ∼20 nm. TGA data revealed the drug payload of ∼18%. Compared to the free cinnamaldehyde, CPGF NPs reduced the viability of breast cancer cell lines, MCF7 and MDAMB231, at lower doses of cinnamaldehyde suggesting its increased bioavailability and in turn its therapeutic efficacy in the cells. Interestingly, the NPs were non-toxic to the non-cancerous HEK293 and MCF10A cell lines compared to the free cinnamaldehyde. The novelty of CPGF nanoparticulate system was that it could induce cytotoxicity in both ER/PR positive/Her2 negative (MCF7) and ER/PR negative/Her2 negative (MDAMB231) breast cancer cells, the latter being insensitive to most of the chemotherapeutic drugs. The NPs decreased the growth of the breast cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner and altered their migration through reduction in MMP-2 expression. CPGF NPs also decreased the expression of VEGF, an important oncomarker of tumor angiogenesis. They induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells through loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and activation of caspase-3. Interestingly, upon exposure to the radiofrequency waves, the NPs heated up to 41.6°C within 1 min, suggesting their promise as a magnetic hyperthermia agent. All these findings indicate that CPGF NPs prove to be potential nano-chemotherapeutic agents in breast cancer.

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Nanorods (~25 nm × 200 nm) of K2Ca2(SO4)3:Eu phosphor (powder) were synthesized by chemical coprecipitation method followed by annealing at 700 °C. Dimensions of nanorods were confirmed by TEM and XRD. The material (pellets) was irradiated by 60 Co gamma rays for various doses over the range of 0.1 Gy to 100 kGy and also by 6 MeV electrons at different fluences varying from 2.5×10 11 e/cm 2 to 5×10 13 e/cm 2 at room temperature. Thermoluminescence (TL) and photoluminescence (PL) of the gamma and electron irradiated phosphors were also studied. TL glow curve apparently exhibited a peak at around 152 °C with a small hump around 258 °C. The exact number of peaks in a glow curve were determined by thermal cleaning method and glow curves were further deconvoluted by CGCD method to determine trapping parameters. PL emission spectrum consisted of a single emission band at 388 nm (Eu 2+ emission) on excitation by 320 nm. The intensity of this peak increased with the electron fluence up to 5×10 12 e/cm 2 and decreases thereafter. The TL response is linear in the dose range from 0.1 Gy to 1 kGy of gamma radiation and electron fluence range from 2.5×10 11 e/cm 2 to 2.5×10 12 e/cm 2 . The electronic structures of the pristine and Eu doped K2Ca2(SO4)3 materials were analyzed by means of firstprinciples density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The dosimetric characteristics suggest that the K2Ca2(SO4)3:Eu nanophosphor can be useful for its application in radiation dosimetry, especially, for measurement of high-doses of gamma and electrons.