Modulation of redox parameters in rat liver induced by flaxseed oil

Flaxseed oil, extracted from ripened flaxseeds, is functional food source that is associated with health benefits in many diseases, including cardiovascular, cancer, osteoporosis, etc. Besides saturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids, it also contains easily oxidized polyunsaturated fatty acids of the n-3 family. In current study, we tested the effects of commercial flaxseed oil in rat liver by measuring parameters related to free radical challenge (pro/antioxidant balance (PAB), lipid peroxidation (LPO) products and glutathione (GSH) level). Overall, applied treatment maintains general prooxidant load and antioxidant capacity since the level of PAB was unchanged. However, it exerts significant modulatory effect on particular redox parameters by increasing the amount of LPO products and consequently the susceptibility of tissue to free radical oxidative damage, which challenges the antioxidant defence system that in return elevates GSH concentration

Anti-cancer and imaging potential of fluorescent black carrot Carbon Dot nanoparticles

Carbon Dots (CDs) are biocompatible, fluorescent, water-soluble, and stable nanoparticles with a high potential to be used for vast biomedical applications [1,2]. We explore the application of CDs produced from natural sources, black carrots, as anti-cancer and imaging agents. These nanoparticles suppress cell growth of three different cancer cell lines, cervical (HeLa), pancreatic (PANC-1), and melanoma (A375) cell lines in vitro. However, the cytotoxic effect against A375 cells stands out, with only 20% of viable cells left after treatment (Fig.1(a)), antimetastatic potential, and a selectivity index higher than two, which indicates that the efficacy against melanoma cells is significantly greater than the toxicity against non-malignant cells (MRC-5). Furthermore, after the cellular uptake, green fluorescence was visible in the cytosol of A375 cells (Fig. 1 (b)). On the other hand, the DAPI stain for DNA was visible as a blue light in the cell nucleus. Moreover, cells with a higher intensity of green fluorescence in the nucleus, Fig. 1 (c) indicated with arrows, were the cells with condensed chromatin in the mitotic phase of the cell cycle (Fig. 1 (d) and (e)), which indicates that CDs interact with chromatin and that they could be used as a marker of cells mitosis and proliferation. In summary, we have demonstrated the great anti-cancer potential of black carrot CDs, for image-guided anti-cancer therapy of melanoma that can be used to recognize cell proliferation.IX International School and Conference on Photonics : PHOTONICA2023 : book of abstracts; August 28 - September 1, 2023; Belgrad

Testing of black-carrots-derived fluorescence imaging and anti-metastatic potential

This paper explains the basis for the excitation energy-independent fluorescence emission of biomass-derived carbon dots (CDs) and shows that these CDs have excellent anti-melanoma and anti-metastatic potential. Additionally, we demonstrate that the black carrots´-derived CDs can be exploited as cell cycle-sensing agents, because of the interaction with chromatin material. Besides their optical properties, fluorescent CDs have gained increased attention for image-guided cancer treatment due to their water solubility, environmental friendliness, affordability, ease of synthesis, and primary biocompatibility. CDs have excellent photostability, determined by their precursors and synthesis pathways. In this study, CDs with chemically homogenous surface functional groups were made using a hydrothermal technique from black carrot extract, an anthocyanin-rich substance derived from biomass. The anti-cancer and anti-metastatic properties of black carrot-derived CDs can be attributed to flavylium cations on the surface, spherical forms, and high water dispersibility. Most importantly, these CDs demonstrate a stable emission at a single wavelength, 612 nm, independent of the excitation energy, which we have explained theoretically for the first time