trans-Sialidase and cruzipain are important virulence factors from Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease,
that have highly antigenic domains in their structure and were reported
as potential tools for diagnosis of the illness. The aim of the present
study is to assess the possibility of using cruzipain and the catalytic
domain of trans-sialidase in a Surface Plasmon Resonance-based
immunosensor for the diagnosis of chronic Chagas disease. Immunoassays
carried out with canine sera verified that cruzipain allows the detection
of anti-Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies whereas recombinant trans-sialidase did not yield specific detections, due to
the high dilutions of serum used in the immunoassays that hinder the
possibility to sense the specific low titer antibodies. The developed
cruzipain-based biosensor, whose price per assay is comparable to
a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), was successfully
applied for the rapid quantification of specific antibodies against Trypanosoma cruzi in fresh human sera showing an excellent
agreement with ELISA.
Plant and herbal essential oils (EOs) offer a wide range of pharmacological actions that include anticancer effects. Here, we evaluated the cytotoxic activity of EO from Lippia alba (chemotype linalool), L. alba (chemotype dihydrocarvone, LaDEO), Clinopodium nepeta (L.) Kuntze (CnEO), Eucalyptus globulus, Origanum × paniculatum, Mentha × piperita, Mentha arvensis L., and Rosmarinus officinalis L. against human lung (A549) and colon (HCT-116) cancer cells. The cells were treated with increasing EO concentrations (0–500 µL/L) for 24 h, and cytotoxic activity was assessed. LaDEO and CnEO were the most potent EOs evaluated (IC50 range, 145–275 µL/L). The gas chromatography–mass spectrometry method was used to determine their composition. Considering EO limitations as therapeutic agents (poor water solubility, volatilization, and oxidation), we evaluated whether LaDEO and CnEO encapsulation into solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN/EO) enhanced their anticancer activity. Highly stable spherical SLN/LaDEO and SLN/CnEO SLN/EO were obtained, with a mean diameter of 140–150 nm, narrow size dispersion, and Z potential around −5mV. EO encapsulation strongly increased their anticancer activity, particularly in A549 cells exposed to SLN/CnEO (IC50 = 66 µL/L CnEO). The physicochemical characterization, biosafety, and anticancer mechanisms of SLN/CnEO were also evaluated in A549 cells. SLN/CnEO containing 97 ± 1% CnEO was highly stable for up to 6 months. An increased in vitro CnEO release from SLN at an acidic pH (endolysosomal compartment) was observed. SLN/CnEO proved to be safe against blood components and non-toxic for normal WI-38 cells at therapeutic concentrations. SLN/CnEO substantially enhanced A549 cell death and cell migration inhibition compared with free CnEO.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.