A green method for the production of an efficient bioimaging nanotool

The possibility of exploring basic biological phenomena requires the development of new and efficient bio-imaging tools

Towards a new strategy of a chitosan-based molecularly imprinted membrane for removal of 4-nitrophenol in real water samples

The issue of water contaminants, which affects human and environmental health, is not trivial. It is thus paramount to find new cheap and user friendly ways to detect and remove them from the environment. Here, the synthesis of a green chitosan (CS) based molecularly imprinted membrane for the detection and quantification of 4-nitrophenol (4-NO2Ph) in aqueous media is proposed. The concentration of 4-NO2Ph in a water solution was measured by HPLC analysis. CS as a functional polymer, 4-NO2Ph as template, 4-[(4-hydroxy)phenylazo]benzenesulfonic acid as ligand, and glutaraldehyde as crosslinker in the presence of polyethylene glycol as porogen were used. The membrane was characterized by SEM and Fourier transform IR analyses, which confirmed the CS and polyethylene glycol backbone of the membrane. Kinetic studies of the detection system were performed by using pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models. Then, the binding efficiency between 195.33 µmol L−1 and 9235.55 µmol L−1 of 4-NO2Ph was evaluated, finding a maximum adsorption of 723.25 µmol 4-NO2Ph per gram of membrane consistent with the Qmax calculated from the Langmuir isotherm. The selectivity of the membrane versus three phenolic competitor molecules, sharing very similar molecular structure to 4-NO2Ph, was demonstrated. Finally, the applicability of the membrane to real-world samples was evaluated, by using drinking water spiked with 7.19 µmol L−1 of 4-NO2Ph, obtaining a removal efficiency of 70.6%. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industr

Formulation and Chemical Stability in Aqueous Media of Cannabidiol Embedded in Cardanol-Based Nanovesicles

With relevance to an increasingly large set of environmentally friendly products and processes, a green nanoformulation based on renewables was proposed. Our attention was devoted to cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabis extract compound known for its intrinsically low chemical stability that limits its therapeutic potential. In this work, the environmental stability of CBD was improved, adopting a new sustainable formulation. In particular, for the first time, CBD was embedded into a vesicular nanosystem based on cardanol (CA) known for its antioxidant properties which stabilize and avoid its degradation in an aqueous environment. Chemical and physical characterization of nanovesicles was carried out by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Exhaustive dialysis was used to purify samples, and the presence of CBD not embedded into nanodispersions was monitored by UV-vis spectrometry measurements until its disappearance. Identification and quantification of CA and CBD were performed after lysis of nanovesicles through a high-performance liquid chromatograph coupled to diode a array and mass spectrometer detectors (HPLC-DAD-MS). Furthermore, stability studies of green nanoformulations were performed at two different temperatures (20 and 4 °C) to ascertain their better preservation

A New Ion-Imprinted Chitosan-Based Membrane with an Azo-Derivative Ligand for the Efficient Removal of Pd(II)

Herein, we described the synthesis of a novel ion-imprinted membrane for the detection of palladium(II) prepared through the glutaraldehyde crosslinking of chitosan with a 4-[(4-Hydroxy)phenylazo]benzenesulfonic acid ligand trapped into the membrane. The imprinting technology was used to improve adsorption capacity and adsorption selectivity, and was combined with some advantages of the developed membrane, such as low cost and ease of preparation, water-friendly synthesis, and high biocompatible chitosan material. The membranes were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDS). The results obtained showed a high swelling ratio with a maximum value of 16.4 (1640%) at pH 4 with a strong pH dependence. Batch rebinding experiments gave a maximum adsorption capacity of 101.6 mg of Pd(II) per gram of imprinted membrane. The Pd(II) adsorption behavior was well-described by a Langmuir model with a theoretical maximum adsorption capacity of 93.48 mg g(-1), similar to the experimental one. Finally, a selectivity study versus Ag(I), Pb(II), and Fe(III) ions demonstrated a good selectivity of chitosan-imprinted membrane towards Pd(II)

Anthocyanins Profile by Q-TOF LC/MS in Myrtus communis Berries from Salento Area

In the present study, it was defined the complete anthocyanins profile in Myrtus communis berries, a perennial wild shrub typical of the Mediterranean area. To the best of our knowledge, the anthocyanin composition of myrtle berries in above area has never been described. So, because of beneficial effects of these compounds reported during the last decades in the literature, an anthocyanins extraction from berries of Salento area was performed. The pigments were extracted with 0.1% HCl in methanol and purified using a C-18 solid-phase cartridge in about 24 h. High-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-Q-TOF) method was developed optimizing chromatographic parameters in order to obtain an unequivocal identification of anthocyanins. Comparing to the conventional technologies employed for anthocyanins identification (HPLC-DAD and triple quadrupole), the Q-TOF used in this work is a last generation mass spectrometry technique that demonstrated to be able to provide accurate data on anthocyanins identification. The results obtained showed that delphinidin 3-O-glucoside represented about 31.5%, petunidin 3-O-glucoside was about 25.8%, and malvidin 3-O-glucoside represented 24.3% of the total pigments. Other anthocyanins found in minor amounts were delphinidin-pentose (4%), delphinidin-pentose (3.8%), cyanidin 3-O-glucoside (6.3%), petunidin-pentose (0.7%), petunidin-pentose (1.6%), and peonidin 3-O-glucoside (2%). The characterization of the anthocyanins profile in Myrtus communis berries of Salento, characteristic shrubs of Mediterranean region, make these fruits an excellent source of natural antioxidants compounds, which can be very useful in new biotechnological applications in food and pharmaceutical fields. © 2017, Springer Science+Business Media New York

Molecularly Imprinted Composite Membranes for Selective Detection of 2-Deoxyadenosine in Urine Samples

An important challenge for scientific research is the production of artificial systems able to mimic the recognition mechanisms occurring at the molecular level in living systems. A valid contribution in this direction resulted from the development of molecular imprinting. In this work, a novel molecularly imprinted polymer composite membrane (MIM) was synthesized and employed for the selective detection in urine samples of 2-deoxyadenosine (2-dA), an important tumoral marker. By thermal polymerization, the 2-dA-MIM was cross-linked on the surface of a polyvinylidene-difluoride (PVDF) membrane. By characterization techniques, the linking of the imprinted polymer on the surface of the membrane was found. Batch-wise guest binding experiments confirmed the absorption capacity of the synthesized membrane towards the template molecule. Subsequently, a time-course of 2-dA retention on membrane was performed and the best minimum time (30 min) to bind the molecule was established. HPLC analysis was also performed to carry out a rapid detection of target molecule in urine sample with a recovery capacity of 85%. The experiments indicated that the MIM was highly selective and can be used for revealing the presence of 2-dA in urine samples

Developments of New Hg(II)-Imprinted Polymer Beads: Adsorption Performances And Morphological Characterization

Environmental problems associated with water pollution, are today a serious problem that has attracted great attention of the global community. In particular, the release of various harmful heavy metal ions owing to industrial and agricultural processes represent today the main cause of pollution [1]. Mercury is one of the most hazardous elements for human health for its relatively solubility in water and living tissues. Common methods used for mercury separation from water samples include, liquid-liquid extraction [2], solid-liquid extraction [3], flotation [4] and membrane filtration [5] Moreover, many synthetic polymers opportunely functionalized by impregnation [6], grafting of commercial sorbents [7] or of home-made polymers [8] were prepared. However, a good selectivity is difficult to achieve with the previously mentioned materials. For this reason, highly selective Hg(II) imprinted polymers were prepared using different synthesis approaches and a correlation between the adsorption behavior and morphological characteristics of all polymers was made. Finally, selectivity studies using a mixture of different metal ions, were carried out

Epigenetic remodeling to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy in human glioblastoma: pre-clinical evidence for development of new immunotherapy approaches

Abstract Background Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly aggressive primary brain tumor, that is refractory to standard treatment and to immunotherapy with immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). Noteworthy, melanoma brain metastases (MM-BM), that share the same niche as GBM, frequently respond to current ICI therapies. Epigenetic modifications regulate GBM cellular proliferation, invasion, and prognosis and may negatively regulate the cross-talk between malignant cells and immune cells in the tumor milieu, likely contributing to limit the efficacy of ICI therapy of GBM. Thus, manipulating the tumor epigenome can be considered a therapeutic opportunity in GBM. Methods Microarray transcriptional and methylation profiles, followed by gene set enrichment and IPA analyses, were performed to study the differences in the constitutive expression profiles of GBM vs MM-BM cells, compared to the extracranial MM cells and to investigate the modulatory effects of the DNA hypomethylating agent (DHA) guadecitabine among the different tumor cells. The prognostic relevance of DHA-modulated genes was tested by Cox analysis in a TCGA GBM patients’ cohort. Results The most striking differences between GBM and MM-BM cells were found to be the enrichment of biological processes associated with tumor growth, invasion, and extravasation with the inhibition of MHC class II antigen processing/presentation in GBM cells. Treatment with guadecitabine reduced these biological differences, shaping GBM cells towards a more immunogenic phenotype. Indeed, in GBM cells, promoter hypomethylation by guadecitabine led to the up-regulation of genes mainly associated with activation, proliferation, and migration of T and B cells and with MHC class II antigen processing/presentation. Among DHA-modulated genes in GBM, 7.6% showed a significant prognostic relevance. Moreover, a large set of immune-related upstream-regulators (URs) were commonly modulated by DHA in GBM, MM-BM, and MM cells: DHA-activated URs enriched for biological processes mainly involved in the regulation of cytokines and chemokines production, inflammatory response, and in Type I/II/III IFN-mediated signaling; conversely, DHA-inhibited URs were involved in metabolic and proliferative pathways. Conclusions Epigenetic remodeling by guadecitabine represents a promising strategy to increase the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy of GBM, supporting the rationale to develop new epigenetic-based immunotherapeutic approaches for the treatment of this still highly deadly disease

Pharmacokinetics of high-dose tigecycline in critically ill patients with severe infections

Background: In critically ill patients, the use of high tigecycline dosages (HD TGC) (200 mg/day) has been recently increasing but few pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) data are available. We designed a prospective observational study to describe the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) profile of HD TGC in a cohort of critically ill patients with severe infections. Results: This was a single centre, prospective, observational study that was conducted in the 20-bed mixed ICU of a 1500-bed teaching hospital in Rome, Italy. In all patients admitted to the ICU between 2015 and 2018, who received TGC (200 mg loading dose, then 100 mg q12) for the treatment of documented infections, serial blood samples were collected to measure steady-state TGC concentrations. Moreover, epithelial lining fluid (ELF) concentrations were determined in patients with nosocomial pneumonia. Amongst the 32 non-obese patients included, 11 had a treatment failure, whilst the other 21 subjects successfully eradicated the infection. There were no between-group differences in terms of demographic aspects and main comorbidities. In nosocomial pneumonia, for a target AUC0-24/MIC of 4.5, 75% of the patients would be successfully treated in presence of 0.5 mcg/mL MIC value and all the patients obtained the PK target with MIC 64 0.12 mcg/mL. In intra-abdominal infections (IAI), for a target AUC0-24/MIC of 6.96, at least 50% of the patients would be adequately treated against bacteria with MIC 64 0.5 mcg/mL. Finally, in skin and soft-tissue infections (SSTI), for a target AUC0-24/MIC of 17.9 only 25% of the patients obtained the PK target at MIC values of 0.5 mcg/mL and less than 10% were adequately treated against germs with MIC value 65 1 mcg/mL. HD TGC showed a relevant pulmonary penetration with a median and IQR ELF/plasma ratio (%) of 152.9 [73.5-386.8]. Conclusions: The use of HD TGC is associated with satisfactory plasmatic and pulmonary concentrations for the treatment of severe infections due to fully susceptible bacteria (MIC < 0.5 mcg/mL). Even higher dosages and combination strategies may be suggested in presence of difficult to treat pathogens, especially in case of SSTI and IAI