Antioxidant and anticholinesterase properties of Echinometra mathaei and Ophiocoma erinaceus venoms from the Persian Gulf

Introduction: The Persian Gulf is home to a diverse range of marine life, including various species of fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and echinoderms. This study investigates the potential therapeutic properties of venoms from echinoderms in the Persian Gulf, specifically their ability to inhibit cholinesterases (Acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase) and act as antioxidants.Methods: Four venoms from two echinoderm species, including the spine, gonad, and coelomic fluids of sea urchins, as well as brittle star venoms, were analyzed using various methods, including LD50 determination, protein analysis, antioxidant assays, GC-MS for secondary metabolite identification, and molecular docking simulations.Results and discussion: The study’s results revealed the LD50 of the samples as follows: 2.231 ± 0.09, 1.03 ± 0.05, 1.12 ± 0.13, and 6.04 ± 0.13 mg/mL, respectively. Additionally, the protein levels were 44.037 ± 0.002, 74.223 ± 0.025, 469.97 ± 0.02, and 104.407 ± 0.025 μg/mL, respectively. SDS-PAGE and total protein studies indicated that at least part of the venom was proteinaceous. Furthermore, the study found that the brittle star samples exhibited significantly higher antioxidant activity compared to other samples, including the standard ascorbic acid, at all tested concentrations. GC-MS analysis identified 12, 23, 21, and 25 compounds in the samples, respectively. These compounds had distinct chemical and bioactive structures, including alkaloids, terpenes, and steroids.Conclusion: These venoms displayed strong cholinesterase inhibitory and antioxidant activities, likely attributed to their protein content and the presence of alkaloids, terpenes, and steroids. Notably, the alkaloid compound C7 was identified as a promising candidate for further research in Alzheimer’s disease therapy. In conclusion, echinoderms in the Persian Gulf may hold significant potential for discovering novel therapeutic agents

Nanodiamond/MoS2 nanorod composite as a novel sorbent for fast and effective vortex-assisted micro solid phase extraction of lead(II) and copper(II) for their flame atomic absorption spectrometric detection

This study is a report on the synthesizing nanodiamond/MoS2 nanorod composite using the hydrothermal method and its application as adsorbent in micro solid phase extraction of lead(II) and copper(II) prior their determination through flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. The nanodiamond/MoS2 nanorod composite was characterized using Raman spectroscopy, BET surface analysis and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The optimal conditions including amount of used adsorbent, pH, vortex time, elution condition and volume investigated. Quantitative recoveries for both analytes were obtained at pH 3.0. The preconcentration factor is 35, and the sorption capacity of synthesized adsorbent for lead(II) and copper(II) is 19,87 and 49.33 mg g(-1). The relative standard deviation is 0.9 and 1.5% for lead(II) and copper(lI) at a level of 200 sg L-1 (n = 6), and the detection limit is 42 and 22 lag L-1 for lead(II) and copper(II), respectively. The procedure accuracy was proved via analyzing the standard reference materials (SPS-WW2 Waste water Level 2 and TMDA-53.3). The presented procedure was applied for the determination of copper and lead contents of the water samples from Turkey. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

A magnetic MoS2-Fe3O4 nanocomposite as an effective adsorbent for dispersive solid-phase microextraction of lead(II) and copper(II) prior to their determination by FAAS

The authors describe the preparation of a nanocomposite (mag-MoS2-Fe3O4) that was prepared from molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles by a hydrothermal method in an inert atmosphere. The composite is shown to be a viable magnetic adsorbent for dispersive solid phase microextraction of lead(II) and copper(II) ions from water and plant samples. The nanocomposite was characterized by FT-IR, Raman spectroscopy, XRD, SEM, and BET methods. The factors affecting the extraction recovery of the analytes, including the pH value, type of dispersive solvent, sample volume, type and volume of eluent solution, and interfering ions, were optimized. Flame atomic absorption spectrometry was then used for quantitation. Figures of merit of this method include a preconcentration factor of 50 for lead(II) and 35 for Cu(II), LODs of 3.3 mu g.L-1 for lead(II) and of 1.8 mu g.L-1 for Cu(II), and RSDs of 4.9 and 1.5%, respectively. The method was used to preconcentrate the analytes from plant and water samples prior to their determination by FAAS. It was then validated by analyzing certified reference materials (water and plant), and this resulted in good accuracy

Vortex assisted solid-phase extraction of lead(II) using orthorhombic nanosized Bi2WO6 as a sorbent

Nanosized single crystal orthorhombic Bi2WO6 was synthesized by a hydrothermal method and used as a sorbent for vortex assisted solid phase extraction of lead(II). The crystal and molecular structure of the sorbent was examined using XRD, Raman, SEM and SEM-EDX analysis. Various parameters affecting extraction efficiency were optimized by using multivariate design. The effect of diverse ions on the extraction also was studied. Lead was quantified by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The recoveries of lead(II) from spiked samples (at a typical spiking level of 200-400 ng.mL(-1)) are >95%. Other figures of merit includes (a) a detection limit of 6 ng.mL(-1), (b) a preconcentration factor of 50, (c) a relative standard deviation of 1.6%, and (d) and adsorption capacity of 6.6 mg.g(-1). The procedure was successfully applied to accurate determination of lead in (spiked) pomegranate and water samples

Solid-Phase Extraction (SPE) of Salmon Sperm DNA Using a Polyaniline@Molybdenum(IV) Sulfide@Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) Nanocomposite with Spectrophotometric Detection

A novel high-efficient sorbent composed of polyaniline (PANI), MoS2 nanoparticles, and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTS) was synthesized and used for the extraction and preconcentration of salmon sperm DNA for the first time. For the effective adsorption of the DNA chain, which has many interacting functional groups, the ability of the MoS2 in the sandwich-like structure to adsorb analytes was combined with the hydrogen bonding ability of the PANI polymer and the high adsorption capacity of MWCNTs with high surface area. With the awareness of the importance of DNA extraction and preconcentration studies, salmon sperm DNA was selected to be the analyte in this study. After rapid extraction and preconcentration of salmon sperm DNA, inexpensive and easy analysis was performed by spectrophotometry that is available in almost every laboratory. This method has the potential to be routinely used in DNA extraction and determination from various media. The characterization of synthesized PANI@MoS2@ MWCNTs was carried out using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy mapping, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Spectrophotometry at 260 nm was used to determine the DNA. The optimum extraction conditions of the SPE procedure were pH 6.0, 25 of mg adsorbent, 2 min of vortexing, and 1 mL of 2 M sodium hydroxide as the eluent. Under the optimal conditions, the calibration curve was linear from 33 to 567 mu g L-1, the relative standard deviation was 2.2% for 100 mu g L-1, and the limit of detection limit was 13 mu g L-1. The maximum obtained preconcentration factor was 30 and the sorption capacity of synthesized adsorbent for DNA was 9.16 mg g(-1)

Effects of four herbs as a dietary on properties of egg and immune response against Newcastle and avian influenza vaccine in Japanese laying quail

This study shows the effectiveness of diet containing Trachyspermum copticum (TC), Majorana hortensis Minch (MH), Stachys lavandulifolia Vahl (SL), and Zingiber officinale (ZO) on the growth performance, biochemical factors, and qualitative agents of eggs of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) and their immune responses against Newcastle and Avian Influenza vaccine. For this prepose, 675 quails were divided into 9 groups with three replicates and fed with different treatment diets (basic diet with no supplements (control treatment diet) and diets supplemented with one of two levels (0.5 and 2%) of each plant powders). Data showed that the use of TC 2% increased the Haugh unit significantly (P < 0.05) compared with the control (P < 0.05). At the end of the experiment, shell weight (g) and shell thickness were also remarkably enhanced in treated groups compared with the control group. Moreover, the findings of this study showed the thiobarbituric acid and yolk cholesterol level reduced remarkably (P < 0.05) in the MH and SL groups without significant adverse effect on albumen protein (%) and total protein (%) level. In this study, TC-2%, ZO-2%, and SL-2% all increased the antibody titers against avian influenza. The use of a diet containing MH-2% increased Newcastle disease in Japanese quail in comparison to both controls and different levels of other medicinal herb powders. Based on these results, using these four herbal plant powders in Japanese quail, diets could positively affect their egg qualitative and biochemical factors

The potential of marine-based gold nanomaterials in cancer therapy: a mini-review

Cancer is still one of the most common causes of death today despite advances in its detection and treatment. The present article reviews the application of marine-based gold nanoparticles in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The main data were collected from original research articles on the application of different marine-based gold nanoparticles in detecting and imaging cancer cells as well as in drug delivery systems and treatment of cancer. The results show the excellent anticancer potential of both gold nanoparticles and natural marine products. The most studied marine-based gold nanomaterial was chitosan-based ones, in which the role of chitosan is a stabilizer not an anticancer agent. Despite the excellent anticancer potential of different marine natural products, limited studies have been conducted using gold nanoparticles in their composition in cancer therapy. Moreover, most of these studies are related to their application as a drug delivery system not an anticancer drug. Although there are serious challenges in the application of nanoparticles in medicine, marine-based gold nanomaterials may promise an interesting novel strategy in the oncology field

Methodologies to Isolate and Purify Clinical Grade Extracellular Vesicles for Medical Applications

The use of extracellular vesicles (EV) in nano drug delivery has been demonstrated in many previous studies. In this study, we discuss the sources of extracellular vesicles, including plant, salivary and urinary sources which are easily available but less sought after compared with blood and tissue. Extensive research in the past decade has established that the breadth of EV applications is wide. However, the efforts on standardizing the isolation and purification methods have not brought us to a point that can match the potential of extracellular vesicles for clinical use. The standardization can open doors for many researchers and clinicians alike to experiment with the proposed clinical uses with lesser concerns regarding untraceable side effects. It can make it easier to identify the mechanism of therapeutic benefits and to track the mechanism of any unforeseen effects observed

Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectrometric Determination of Cadmium after Solid Phase Extraction on Modified TiO 2

Cadmium was quantitatively adsorbed from aqueous sample onto a microcolumn packed with cadion immobilized on sodium dodecyl sulfate-coated TiO2 nanoparticles. The retained cadmium was eluted with 2.5 mol L-1 hydrochloric acid solution and measured by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS). The influences of different variables such as pH, sample and eluent flow rates, amount of the sorbent and volume of the sample on the recovery of cadmium were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, a sample volume of 200 mL resulted in a preconcentration factor of 100. The precision (RSD%, n = 8) at the 0.05 µg L-1 level of cadmium was 3.6% and the limit of detection based on three times the standard deviation of blank solution (3Sb) was 1.3 ng L-1. The method was successfully applied to the determination of cadmium in rice, fish, milk, and water samples