Encapsulated polycaprolactone with triazole derivatives and selenium nanoparticles as promising antiproliferative and anticancer agents

Background and purpose Polycaprolactone nanocapsules incorporated with triazole derivatives in the presence and absence of selenium nanoparticles were prepared and evaluated as antiproliferative and anticancer agents. Polycaprolactone nanoparticles were prepared using the emulsion technique. Experimental approach The prepared capsules were characterized using FT-IR, TEM and DLS measurements. The synthesized triazolopyrimidine derivative in the presence and absence of selenium nanoparticles encapsulated in polycaprolactone was tested for its in vitro antiproliferative efficiency towards human breast cancer cell line (MCF7) and murine fibroblast normal cell line (BALB/3T3) in comparison to doxorubicin as a standard anticancer drug. Key results The results indicated that encapsulated polycaprolactone with selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) and triazole-SeNPs were the most potent samples against the tested breast cancer cell line (MCF7). On the other hand, all compounds showed weak or moderate activities towards the tested murine fibroblast normal cell line (BALB/3T3). Conclusion As the safety index (SI) was higher than 1.0, it expanded the way for newly synthesized compounds to express antiproliferative efficacy against tumour cells. Hence, these compounds may be considered promising ones. However, they should be examined through further in-vivo and pharmacokinetic studies

Water balances and evapotranspiration in water- and dry-seeded rice systems

Rice is a crop that is usually grown under flooded conditions and can require large amounts of water. The objective of this 3-year study was to quantify water use in water- (WS) and dry-seeded (DS) systems. In WS systems, the field is continuously flooded, while in DS systems the field is flush irrigated for the first month and then flooded. Research was conducted on commercial rice fields where the residual of the energy balance method using a sonic anemometer and the eddy covariance method were used to determine crop evapotranspiration (ETc) and crop coefficient (Kc) values. In addition, inlet irrigation water and tailwater drainage were determined. Across years, there was no difference in ETc (averaged 862 mm), seasonal Kc (averaged 1.07), irrigation water delivery (averaged 1839 mm) and calculated percolation and seepage losses (averaged 269 mm) between systems. An analysis of the first month of the season, when the water management between these two practices was different, indicated that Kc and water use were lower in DS systems relative to WS systems when there was only one irrigation flush during this period, while two or three irrigation flushes resulted in similar values between the two systems

Nutritional and potential health benefits of chufa oil, olive oil, and anhydrous milk fat against gallstone disease in a C57BL/6N mouse model

Dietary lipids play a major role in many diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases. Recently, the health value of plant oils, particularly heart health, has been recognized. Despite these facts, limited information is available on the potential nutritional and anti-arteriolosclerosis effects of chufa oil, olive oil, and anhydrous milk fat in C57BL/6N mice. In the present study, the effects of olive oil (OO), chufa oil (CO), and anhydrous milk fat (AMF) on 4-week-old C57BL/6N male mice, a model for studies of diet-induced atherosclerosis, were investigated. The AIN-93G-based diet was supplemented with 15% of either OO, CO, or AMF. The final mixture of the diets contained 15% fat, approximately 1.25% cholesterol, and 0.5% sodium cholate. The data obtained showed that most mice had gallstone disease. The highest percentage of the gallstones formed were found in AMF groups (approximately 85.7% of the mice). However, the lowest one was found in the chufa oil group (42.9%), followed by the olive oil group (57.1%). Although the mice’s food intake significantly differed, their body weights did not change during the feeding period. The diet supplemented with CO resulted in a significant reduction in serum cholesterol compared with the other groups. Livers from the CO-fed group showed higher triglyceride levels than those from the AMF group. No significant differences were found in atherosclerotic lesions in the aortic valve between the groups. Collectively, our results show no deleterious nutritional effects of the fats used on C57BL/6N mice fed cholesterol-rich diets. Chufa oil improved cholesterol metabolism and atherogenic index in mice. However, the major issue is the formation of gallstones in all mice, which is most prominent in AMF, followed by olive oil and chufa oil diets