Teeth of the red fox Vulpes vulpes (L., 1758) as a bioindicator in studies on fluoride pollution

An examination was made of fluoride content in the mandibular first molars of the permanent teeth of the red fox Vulpes vulpes living in north-west (NW) Poland. The teeth were first dried to a constant weight at 105°C and then ashed. Fluorides were determined potentiometrically, and their concentrations were expressed in dry weight (DW) and ash. The results were used to perform an indirect estimation of fluoride pollution in the examined region of Poland. The collected specimens (n = 35) were classified into one of the three age categories: immature (im, 6–12 months), subadult (subad, from 12 to 20 months) and adult (ad, >20 months). The mean concentrations (geometric mean) of fluoride were similar in the im and subad groups (230 and 296 mg/kg DW and 297 and 385 mg/kg ash, respectively), and significantly smaller than in the ad group (504 and 654 mg/kg, respectively, in DW and ash). Basing on other reports that the ∼400 mg/kg DW concentration of fluoride in bones in the long-lived wild mammals generally reflects the geochemical background, it was found that 57% of the foxes in NW Poland exceeded this value by 9% to 170%. This indirectly reflects a moderate fluoride contamination in the tested region

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles enhance production of superoxide anion and alter the antioxidant system in human osteoblast cells

Karolina Niska,1 Katarzyna Pyszka,1 Cecylia Tukaj,2 Michal Wozniak,1 Marek Witold Radomski,3–5 Iwona Inkielewicz-Stepniak1 1Department of Medical Chemistry, 2Department of Electron Microscopy, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland; 3School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, The University of Dublin Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland; 4Kardio-Med Silesia, 5Silesian Medical University, Zabrze, Poland Abstract: Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) are manufactured worldwide for a variety of engineering and bioengineering applications. TiO2NPs are frequently used as a material for orthopedic implants. However, to the best of our knowledge, the biocompatibility of TiO2NPs and their effects on osteoblast cells, which are responsible for the growth and remodeling of the human skeleton, have not been thoroughly investigated. In the research reported here, we studied the effects of exposing hFOB 1.19 human osteoblast cells to TiO2NPs (5–15 nm) for 24 and 48 hours. Cell viability, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, cellular uptake of NPs, cell morphology, superoxide anion (O2•-) generation, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and protein level, sirtuin 3 (SIR3) protein level, correlation between manganese (Mn) SOD and SIR, total antioxidant capacity, and malondialdehyde were measured following exposure of hFOB 1.19 cells to TiO2NPs. Exposure of hFOB 1.19 cells to TiO2NPs resulted in: (1) cellular uptake of NPs; (2) increased cytotoxicity and cell death in a time- and concentration-dependent manner; (3) ultrastructure changes; (4) decreased SOD and ALP activity; (5) decreased protein levels of SOD1, SOD2, and SIR3; (6) decreased total antioxidant capacity; (7) increased O2•- generation; and (8) enhanced lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde level). The linear relationship between the protein level of MnSOD and SIR3 and between O2•- content and SIR3 protein level was observed. Importantly, the cytotoxic effects of TiO2NPs were attenuated by the pretreatment of hFOB 1.19 cells with SOD, indicating the significant role of O2•- in the cell damage and death observed. Thus, decreased expression of SOD leading to increased oxidizing stress may underlie the nanotoxic effects of TiO2NPs on human osteoblasts. Keywords: TiO2NPs, superoxide dismutase, sirtuin 3, nanotoxicit

Silver Nanoparticles as Chlorhexidine and Metronidazole Drug Delivery Platforms: Their Potential Use in Treating Periodontitis [Corrigendum]

Steckiewicz KP, Cieciórski P, Barcińska E, et al. Int J Nanomedicine. 2022;17:495–517. Our authors have advised that the funding source number listed in the Acknowledgment section on page 513 was incorrect. The sentence should read from “This work was supported by PRELUDIUM grant 2017/27/N/NZ7/0267 from the Polish National Science Centre…” to “This work was supported by PRELUDIUM grant 2017/27/N/NZ7/02675 from the Polish National Science Centre…” The authors apologize for this oversight

Design, Synthesis, and Antitumor Evaluation of an Opioid Growth Factor Bioconjugate Targeting Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) presents a formidable challenge with high lethality and limited effective drug treatments. Its heightened metastatic potential further complicates the prognosis. Owing to the significant toxicity of current chemotherapeutics, compounds like [Met5]-enkephalin, known as opioid growth factor (OGF), have emerged in oncology clinical trials. OGF, an endogenous peptide interacting with the OGF receptor (OGFr), plays a crucial role in inhibiting cell proliferation across various cancer types. This in vitro study explores the potential anticancer efficacy of a newly synthesized OGF bioconjugate in synergy with the classic chemotherapeutic agent, gemcitabine (OGF-Gem). The study delves into assessing the impact of the OGF-Gem conjugate on cell proliferation inhibition, cell cycle regulation, the induction of cellular senescence, and apoptosis. Furthermore, the antimetastatic potential of the OGF-Gem conjugate was demonstrated through evaluations using blood platelets and AsPC-1 cells with a light aggregometer. In summary, this article demonstrates the cytotoxic impact of the innovative OGF-Gem conjugate on pancreatic cancer cells in both 2D and 3D models. We highlight the potential of both the OGF-Gem conjugate and OGF alone in effectively inhibiting the ex vivo pancreatic tumor cell-induced platelet aggregation (TCIPA) process, a phenomenon not observed with Gem alone. Furthermore, the confirmed hemocompatibility of OGF-Gem with platelets reinforces its promising potential. We anticipate that this conjugation strategy will open avenues for the development of potent anticancer agents