Ultrastructural analysis of zinc oxide nanospheres enhances anti-tumor efficacy against Hepatoma

Abstract

Zinc oxide nanomaterial is a potential material in the field of cancer therapy. In this study, zinc oxide nanospheres (ZnO-NS) were synthesized by Sol-gel method using yeast extract as a non-toxic bio-template and investigated their physicochemical properties through various techniques such as FTIR, XR, DLS, and TEM. Furthermore, free zinc ions released from the zinc oxide nanosphere suspended medium were evaluated by using the ICP-AS technique. Therefore, the cytotoxicity of ZnO nanospheres and released Zn ions on both HuH7 and Vero cells was studied using the MTT assay. The data demonstrated that the effectiveness of ZnO nanospheres on HuH7 was better than free Zn ions. Similarly, ZnO-Ns were significantly more toxic to HuH7 cell lines than Vero cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The cell cycle of ZnO-Ns against Huh7 and Vero cell lines was arrested at G2/M. Also, the apoptosis assay using Annexin-V/PI showed that apoptosis of HuH7 and Vero cell lines by ZnO nanospheres was concentration and time-dependent. Caspase 3 assay results showed that the apoptosis mechanism may be intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. The mechanism of apoptosis was determined by applying the RT-PCR technique. The results revealed significantly up-regulated Bax, P53, and Cytochrome C, while the Bcl2 results displayed significant down-regulation and the western blot data confirmed the RT-PCR data. There is oxidative stress of the ZnO nanospheres and free Zn+2 ions. Results indicated that the ZnO nanospheres and free Zn+2 ions induced oxidative stress through increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation. The morphology of the HuH7 cell line after exposure to ZnO nanospheres at different time intervals revealed the presence of the chromatin condensation of the nuclear periphery fragmentation. Interestingly, the appearance of canonical ultrastructure features of apoptotic morphology of Huh7, Furthermore, many vacuoles existed in the cytoplasm, the majority of which were lipid droplets, which were like foamy cells. Also, there are vesicles intact with membranes that are recognized as swollen mitochondria.

Fungicidal Activity of Silver and Silica Nanoparticles against Aspergillus sydowii Isolated from the Soil in Western Saudi Arabia

“…Silver and silica nanoparticles have good anti-fungal activity against many fungi, such as Candida albicans , Aspergillus niger , and Pestalotiopsis maculans [ 10 ]. As Table 2 and Figure 8 show, silver nanoparticles synthesized by the reduction of silver ions by Aspergillus niger has a strong effect against Aspergillus Sydowii isolates.…”

“…Silica (SiO 2 ) is an essential element for monocot plants, and it is known to confer biotic and abiotic stress tolerance [ 24 , 25 ]. Interestingly, silver and silica nanoparticles have a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity [ 10 ]. In this study, we collected soil samples from various areas in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s western region, then isolated Aspergillus sydowii from the soil using the Warcup method and identified the fungal species using the PCR technique after sequencing analysis using BLAST and phylogenetic analysis.…”

“…Currently, scientists focus on the benefits of nanomaterial properties such as large surface area and optical and chemical properties such as noble metals and metal oxides [ 8 ]. Silver nanoparticles are promising materials in the fields of antibacterial, antitumor, and antiviral therapy [ 9 , 10 ]. Interestingly, Ag-NPs have a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity [ 10 ].…”

“…Silver nanoparticles are promising materials in the fields of antibacterial, antitumor, and antiviral therapy [ 9 , 10 ]. Interestingly, Ag-NPs have a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity [ 10 ]. The activity of silver nanoparticles as antibacterial agents depends on their ability to attack microorganisms in multiple structures at a time and kill many types of bacteria [ 11 ].…”

Fungicidal Activity of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles against Azole-Resistant Aspergillus flavus Isolated from Yellow and White Maize

“…Zinc oxide has been applied in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries in powder and ointment forms. Furthermore, it has been successful as an antimicrobial, antifungal, and anticancer drug [ 7 , 8 ]. In this study, we isolated A. flavus from 100 samples of maize grains (fifty samples from white maize and fifty samples from yellow maize) and then investigated the triazole susceptibility of isolates against antifungal drugs, determined the MIC of the collected isolates, and, finally, utilized zinc oxide nanoparticles as fungicides against azole-resistant A. flavus isolates.…”