Albumin-based cancer therapeutics for intraperitoneal drug delivery : a review

Albumin is a remarkable carrier protein with multiple cellular receptor and ligand binding sites, which are able to bind and transport numerous endogenous and exogenous compounds. The development of albumin-bound drugs is gaining increased importance in the targeted delivery of cancer therapy. Intraperitoneal (IP) drug delivery represents an attractive strategy for the local treatment of peritoneal metastasis (PM). PM is characterized by the presence of widespread metastatic tumor nodules on the peritoneum, mostly originating from gastro-intestinal or gynaecological cancers. Albumin as a carrier for chemotherapy holds considerable promise for IP delivery in patients with PM. Data from recent (pre)clinical trials suggest that IP albumin-bound chemotherapy may result in superior efficacy in the treatment of PM compared to standard chemotherapy formulations. Here, we review the evidence on albumin-bound chemotherapy with a focus on IP administration and its efficacy in PM

Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity, Phytochemicals and ESR Analysis of Lavandula Stoechas

The antioxidant activity of phytochemicals and of the methanolic extract of Lavandula stoechas was evaluated by β-carotene-linoleate bleaching, DPPH radical scavenging, ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP). The obtained results were compared with antioxidant activities of synthetic antioxidants, such as BHT and BHA. The highest antioxidant activity of the extract was observed by DPPH radical scavenging assay, which was 84.45±5.1% at 1 mg ml¯¹. Rutin, rosmarinic acid, and caffeic acid were main phenolics in the extract. The total phenolic content of the methanolic extract of Lavandula stoechas was found to be 105.5±2.7 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE). Electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements were also performed on the samples. Free radicals were determined by ESR method. g value was found to be 2.0034 for the Lavandula stoechas; 2.0052 for quercetin

Long-term effects of continuous direct seeding mulch-based cropping systems on soil nitrogen supply in the Cerrado region of Brazil

In the Cerrado region of Brazil conventional soybean monoculture is since the 1980s being replaced by direct seeding mulch-based cropping (DMC) with two crops per year and absence of tillage practices. The objective of this study was to assess the long-term impact of DMC on soil organic matter accumulation and nitrogen (N) mineralization. Measurements of soil organic carbon (C) content, soil total N content and soil N mineralization, both under laboratory conditions using disturbed soil samples and under field conditions using intact soil cores were conducted on a chronosequence of 2-, 6-, 9- and 14-year-old DMC fields (DMC-2, DMC-6, DMC-9 and DMC-14, respectively). The average increase of organic C in the 0–30 cm topsoil layer under DMC was 1.91 Mg C ha?1 year?1. Soil total N increased with 103 kg N ha?1 year?1 (0–30 cm). The potential N mineralization rate under laboratory conditions (28°C, 75% of soil moisture at field capacity) was 0.27, 0.28, 0.39 and 0.36 mg N kg soil?1 day?1 for, respectively, the DMC-2, DMC-6, DMC-9 and DMC-14 soils. The corresponding specific N mineralization rates were 0.16, 0.15, 0.22 and 0.17 mg N g N?1 day?1. There was no obvious explanation for the higher specific N mineralization rate of soils under DMC-9, given the similar soil conditions and land-use history before DMC was introduced. Results from the in situ N incubation experiments were in good agreement with those from the laboratory incubations. We estimated that soil N mineralization increases with about 2.0 kg N ha?1 year?1 under DMC. The increase was mainly attributed to the larger soil total N content. These results indicate that even in the medium term (10 years), continuous DMC cropping has limited implications for N fertilization recommendations, since the extra soil N supply represents less than 20% of the common N fertilization dose for maize in the region