Aptamer-Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery to Gynecological Carcinoma Cells

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers and is one of the major cause of deaths in women, especially in underdeveloped countries. The patients are usually treated with surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. However, these treatments can cause several side effects and may lead to infertility. Another concerning gynecologic cancer is endometrial cancer, in which a high number of patients present a poor prognosis with low survival rates. AS1411, a DNA aptamer, increases anticancer therapeutic selectivity, and through its conjugation with gold nanoparticles (AS1411-AuNPs) it is possible to improve the anticancer effects. Therefore, AS1411-AuNPs are potential drug carriers for selectively delivering therapeutic drugs to cervical cancer. In this work, we used AS1411-AuNPs as a carrier for an acridine orange derivative (C8) or Imiquimod (IQ). The AS1411 aptamer was covalently bound to AuNPs, and each drug was associated via supramolecular assembly. The final nanoparticles presented suitable properties for pharmaceutical applications, such as small size, negative charge, and favorable drug release properties. Cellular uptake was characterized by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry, and effects on cellular viability were determined by MTT assay. The nanoparticles were then incorporated into a gel formulation of polyethylene glycol, suitable for topical application in the female genital tract. This gel showed promising tissue retention properties in Franz cells studies in the porcine vaginal epithelia. These findings suggest that the tested nanoparticles are promising drug carriers for cervical cancer therapy

Teratogenicity on Duck Embryos (Anas platyrhynchos) under Regulated Exposure to Radiofrequency Radiation

The study explored the adverse effects of radiofrequency (RF) radiation emitted by mobile phones to embryonic rudiments of duck during its early, mid, and late developmental terms. The research utilized a total of seventy-two (72) duck (Anas platyrhynchos) embryos which were resolved into three (3) experimental groups. Experimental groups were exposed to 1800 MHz RF radiation in varying time duration (1.5 hour per day and 3 hours per day) for seven (7) days. Results showed that damaging effect of RF radiation was no longer observed on later stages of duck embryonic development (midterm and late term) except on early stages. Gross morphological deformities were highly observed on wings. Other structures tested with significant degree of malformations were crown rump length, length of hindlimbs, size of head, length of beak and area of blood islands. Size of head and crown rump length also showed significant level of deformities for late term duck embryos exposed to radiation. The morphological alterations may highly signify a deeper consequence of rigorous exposure to RF radiation which was claimed to be a source of teratogenic mutations