Mosquito vectors (Diptera: Culicidae) are responsible for transmission of serious diseases worldwide. Mosquito control is being enhanced in many areas, but there are significant challenges, including increasing resistance to insecticides and lack of alternative, cost-effective, and eco-friendly products. To deal with these crucial issues, recent emphasis has been placed on plant materials with mosquitocidal properties. Furthermore, cancers figure among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with approximately 14 million new cases and 8.2 million cancer-related deaths in 2012. It is expected that annual cancer cases will rise from 14 million in 2012 to 22 million within the next two decades. Nanotechnology is a promising field of research and is expected to give major innovation impulses in a variety of industrial sectors. In this study, we synthesized titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles using the hydrothermal method. Nanoparticles were subjected to different analysis including UV-Vis spectrophotometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), zeta potential, and energy-dispersive spectrometric (EDX). The synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity against human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and normal breast epithelial cells (HBL-100). After 24-h incubation, the inhibitory concentrations (IC50) were found to be 60 and 80 μg/mL on MCF-7 and normal HBL-100 cells, respectively. Induction of apoptosis was evidenced by Acridine Orange (AO)/ethidium bromide (EtBr) and 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride (DAPI) staining. In larvicidal and pupicidal experiments conducted against the primary dengue mosquito Aedes aegypti, LC50 values of nanoparticles were 4.02 ppm (larva I), 4.962 ppm (larva II), 5.671 ppm (larva III), 6.485 ppm (larva IV), and 7.527 ppm (pupa). Overall, our results suggested that TiO2 nanoparticles may be considered as a safe tool to build newer and safer mosquitocides and chemotherapeutic agents with little systemic toxicity.

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ARTICLE This journal isMagnetic nanoparticles have shown an increasing number of applications in the field of molecular medicine. In the present study we investigated the controlled synthesis of biocompatible polymer coated iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe2O3) loaded with baicalein and evaluation for their drug loading, releasing behaviour. Moreover, loaded particles were evaluated for its antiproliferation, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis activating properties in triple negative breast cancer cells. The structure, morphology and the magnetic properties of the prepared materials were studied by using scanning electronic microscopy, transmission electronic microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, Thermogravimetric analysis, Dynamic light scattering analysis and zeta potential analyzer. DLS and TEM analysis confirmed that the size of synthesized iron oxide nanoparticles are about 90-100nm and extremely crystalline, spherical in nature. FTIR analysis confirmed that the baicalein molecules were conjugated with PEG coated iron oxide nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction pattern indicated that the magnetic nanoparticles were highly pure with a spinel structure. Baicalein loaded nanoparticles showed a controlled release profile in response to various pH levels. We found that significant cell cycle arrest at various phases in the treated group and subsequent apoptotic cell death was evidenced with AO/EtBr, DAPI and PI of fluorescence microscopic analysis. TUNEL assay evidenced that DNA damage occurred in the treated cells. Further baicalein loaded iron oxide nanoparticles exhibits significant down-regulation of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and up-regulation of pro-apoptotic proteins evidenced with western blot. Our findings have clearly demonstrated that baicalein loaded iron oxide nanoparticles could efficiently deliver the drug of interest, initiate and execute the apoptotic process in triple negative breast cancer cells. This could pave a new window on polymer surface chemistry to develop metal oxide based drug delivery system for all kinds of cancer therapeutics.

Background: In the current era, development of molecular techniques involves nanotechniques and the synthesis of nanoparticles is considered as the preferred field in nanotechnology. Objective: The aim of the present work is to analyze the anticancer activity of the thymoquinone conjugated ZnO nanoparticles and to understand its mechanism of action in triple negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231. Methods: Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles have extensive applications and it was synthesized using a chemical precipitation method. Thymoquinone (TQ) is the major bioactive component of the seeds of Nigella sativa. Synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using various spectroscopic techniques. Thymoquinone coated nanoparticles were checked for its efficiency. The cytotoxicity of ZnO, TQ and TQ conjugated ZnO nanoparticles against MDA-MB-231. Colony forming and cell migration assay were performed to measure the proliferative competence of the breast cancer cells on exposure to nanoparticles. The mechanism of apoptosis was probed by assessing MMP, interplay between ER stress and ROS. Results: The results of the characterization techniques confirmed the particles synthesized were ZnO and TQ-ZnO nanoparticles. pH dependent release of the compound was observed. Anti-proliferative effect that impairs the formation of colony was found to be enhanced in cells exposed to combined treatment with the nanoconjugate. Conclusion: Hence, the TQ conjugated ZnO nanoparticles can act as an efficient carrier for drug delivery at the target site in TNBC cells.

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