Micropropagation of Anthurium andreanum cv. Terra

Anthurium anderanum cv. Terra from family Araceae, is a plant with a high commercial value. Conventional propagation of this plant performed via suckers and seeds planting that nowadays missed its application have been abolished. This study aimed to establish producible protocol for indirect in vitro regeneration of the Terra genotype. For this purpose, the effects of 16 different plant growth regulators treatments on callus induction and regeneration of leaf explants were studied. Callus with the highest fresh and dry weight was produced on modified Murashige and Skoog medium containing 0.1 mg/L 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) and 1.5 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP). For regeneration stage, induced calli were transferred to modified MS medium without plant growth regulators, and after six weeks, shoots formed. For rooting, regenerated shoot were transferred to MS medium without any plant growth regulators. Regenerated plantlets potted on mixture of coco pit and perlite were succesfully acclimated.Key words: Anthurium, micropropagation, growth regulators, regeneration

Medicinal plants and phytotherapy in Iran: Glorious history, current status and future prospects

This study is an endeavour to analyse the status of medicinal plants research in Iran. Because of its exceptional phytogeography, Iran has a unique and diverse flora. It is estimated that, 8167 species of vascular plants are present in Iran of which about 2075 have medicinal importance. Situated at the heart of the Silk Road, Iran enjoys a mix of cultures providing a rich backbone for the development of traditional herbal medicine practices. Notwithstanding the brilliant history in traditional medicine and success of investigation to produce herbal medicines, attempts in recent decades, face many challenges. Many text and paper about these concerns were never translated in English. Strong need was felt to record such data of medicinal plants of Iran, their conservation status and related information. The scattered literature over medicinal plants of Iran were collected, analysed and presented in this review, highlighting not only their therapeutic potential but also concerns about product authenticity, quality, safety and efficacy. This will provide ways for future scientific research in this area. Awareness of critical issues in traditional medicinal herbs can play a pivotal role in the discovery and development of plant based drugs and to sustain consumer confidence

Gum Tragacanth (GT): A Versatile Biocompatible Material beyond Borders

The use of naturally occurring materials in biomedicine has been increasingly attracting the researchers' interest and, in this regard, gum tragacanth (GT) is recently showing great promise as a therapeutic substance in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. As a polysaccharide, GT can be easily extracted from the stems and branches of various species of Astragalus. This anionic polymer is known to be a biodegradable, non-allergenic, non-toxic, and non-carcinogenic material. The stability against microbial, heat and acid degradation has made GT an attractive material not only in industrial settings (e.g., food packaging) but also in biomedical approaches (e.g., drug delivery). Over time, GT has been shown to be a useful reagent in the formation and stabilization of metal nanoparticles in the context of green chemistry. With the advent of tissue engineering, GT has also been utilized for the fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds applied for both hard and soft tissue healing strategies. However, more research is needed for defining GT applicability in the future of biomedical engineering. On this object, the present review aims to provide a state-of-the-art overview of GT in biomedicine and tries to open new horizons in the field based on its inherent characteristics

Application of response surface methodology for optimizing the therapeutic activity of ZnO nanoparticles biosynthesized from aspergillus niger

In this study, the biosynthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using Aspergillus niger (A/ZnO-NPs) is described. These particles have been characterized by UV–Vis spectrum analysis, X-ray powder diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron mi-croscopy. To use this biosynthesized nanoparticle as an antiproliferative and antimicrobial agent, the IC50 value against the breast cancer cell line and inhibition zone against Escherichia coli were used to optimize the effect of two processing factors including dose of filtrate fungi cell and temperature. The biosynthesized A/ZnO-NPs had an absorbance band at 320 nm and spherical shapes. The mean particles size was 35 nm. RSM (response surface methodology) was utilized to investigate the outcome responses. The Model F-value of 12.21 and 7.29 implies that the model was significant for both responses. The contour plot against inhibition zone for temperature and dose showed that if the dose increases from 3.8 to 17.2 µg/mL, the inhibition zone increases up to 35 mm. As an alternative to chemical and/or physical methods, biosynthesizing zinc oxide NPs through fungi extracts can serve as a more facile and eco-friendly strategy. Additionally, for optimization of the processes, the outcome responses in the biomedical available test can be used in the synthesis of ZnO-NPs that are utilized for large-scale production in various medical applications

ZnO/CeO₂ Nanocomposites:Metal-Organic Framework-Mediated Synthesis, Characterization, and Estimation of Cellular Toxicity toward Liver Cancer Cells

The Zinc-doped cerium oxide nanocomposite (ZnO/CeO2 NC) was synthesized using a metal-organic framework as a precursor through the combustion method. It was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive analysis (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and ξ-potential. The PXRD demonstrated the successful synthesis of ZnO/CeO2 NC with a crystallite size of 31.9 nm. FESEM and TEM images displayed hexagonal and spherical morphologies, and the solid-phase size was 65.03 ± 30.86 nm for ZnO/CeO2 NCs. DLS, TEM, and FESEM showed that the NCs have a high tendency for agglomeration/aggregation in both aqueous media and solid phase. The anticancer attributes of ZnO/CeO2 NC were investigated against Liver cancer cells (HepG2), which showed inhibition of cancer cell growth on a concentration-dependent gradient. The cell toxicity effects of ZnO/CeO2 nanocomposites were also studied toward NIH-3T3, in which the data displayed the lower toxicity of NC compared to the HepG2 cell line

Resveratrol-Mediated Gold-Nanoceria Synthesis as Green Nanomedicine for Phytotherapy of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

In the present study, resveratrol was used to prepare complexes of cerium and nanoceria, also coated with gold (CeO2@Au core-shells) to improve the surface interactions in physiological conditions.The CeO2@Au core-shells were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and ζ potential.The experiment was led to the successful synthesis of nanosized CeO2@Au core-shells, although agglomeration of particles caused the distribution of the larger particles. The TEM analysis demonstrated the particles sizes ranged from 20 nm to 170 nm. Moreover, the PXRD analysis showed that both nanoceria and gold with the same crystal systems and space groups. To investigate the anticancer activity of the CeO2@Au core-shells, the cytotoxicity of the nanoparticles was investigated against liver cancerous cell lines (HepG2).The results indicated biosynthesized NCs have significant cellular toxicity properties against HepG2 and could be utilized in hepatocarcinoma therapy. Furthe

Investigating the Analgesic Effects of the Chenopodium Botrys L. Hydroalcoholic Extract Using Behavioral Tests on Mice

Regarding the unpleasant pain sensation and the public’s desire to use traditional herbs, the present study aimed to assess the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect of Chenopodium botrys L. The present research was divided into two main sections to assess the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect of Chenopodium botrys L. in male mice. To investigate the analgesic effect of Chenopodium botrys L., thirty-six male mice were randomly classified into six groups vehicle (receiving normal saline), experimental groups received morphine (a well-known opioid, 1 mg/kg), hydroalcoholic extracts of Chenopodium botrys L. (30, 100, and 300 mg/kg), and naloxone (opioid receptor antagonist) with the highest dose of Chenopodium botrys L. concurrently for one week. Thirty mice were divided into five groups to receive normal saline, various doses of extract (30, 100, and 300 mg/kg), and dexamethasone (a well-known anti-inflammatory drug, 10 mg/kg) to assess the anti-inflammatory effect of Chenopodium botrys L. In both sections, after the last doses of the treatment, the animals got ready for behavioral study related to pain. Overall, the highest doses of Chenopodium botrys L. demonstrated much better results than other doses, which were comparable to opioids and dexamethasone, a well-known analgesic and anti-inflammatory medicines, respectively. Regarding present findings, the Chenopodium botrys L. plant can be a new candidate as an analgesic agent, which needs more investigation in the search and pharmaceutical development

Biosynthesis of ZnO.Ag2O3 using aqueous extract of Haplophyllum obtusifolium: Characterization and cell toxicity activity against liver carcinoma cells

Abstract The zinc oxide‐silver oxide nanocomposite (ZnO.Ag2O3 particles) was prepared by using an aqueous plant extract of Haplophyllum obtusifolium for the first time. Powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transforms spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X‐ray analysis (EDX), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were applied to analyze the structure, functional groups, morphology, and purity of the prepared nanocomposite. PXRD revealed the formulation of ZnO.Ag2O3 for the particles. The investigation of functional groups has demonstrated the presence of some carbonated impurities along with absorbed water in the composition of the ZnO.Ag2O3 nanocomposite. Morphologically, particles have formed a petal‐like shape with different sizes. The EDX analysis also confirmed the composition of the prepared sample and the presence of 4.78% silver in the formula. Additionally, the TEM analysis revealed spherical and rectangular shapes with a particle size of 80.43 ± 46.73 nm. Moreover, the ZnO.Ag2O3 particles were used against cancer cells, which has shown synthesized NCs have a toxic effect against liver cancer cells in a concentration and time‐dependent manner

MOF-Mediated Synthesis of CuO/CeO₂ Composite Nanoparticles: Characterization and Estimation of the Cellular Toxicity against Breast Cancer Cell Line (MCF-7)

A copper oxide/cerium oxide nanocomposite (CuO/CeO2, NC) was synthesized via a novel method using a metal–organic framework as a precursor. This nanomaterial was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering size analysis (DLS), and zeta potential. The PXRD showed the successful synthesis of the CuO/CeO2 NC, in which the 2theta values of 35.55° (d = 2.52 Å, 100%) and 38.73° (d = 2.32 Å, 96%) revealed the existence of copper (II) oxide. FTIR analysis showed the CeO2, hydroxyl groups, absorbed water, and some residual peaks. The solid phase analysis by FESEM and TEM images showed mean particle sizes of 49.18 ± 24.50 nm and 30.58 ± 26.40 nm, respectively, which were comparable with crystallite size (38.4 nm) obtained from PXRD, but it appears the CuO/CeO2 NC was not evenly distributed and in some areas, showed it was highly agglomerated. The hydrodynamic size (750.5 nm) also showed the agglomeration of the CuO/CeO2 NCs in the solution, which had a negatively charged surface. The CuO/CeO2 NCs showed anti-proliferative activity against human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) in a dose- and time-dependence way, while affecting normal cells less significantly

Thermostability and functionality evaluation of laccases from Pleurotus ostreatus and Pycnoporus cinnabarinus: An In-silico assay: Biochemical properties of laccases from fungi in silico method

Laccase enzymes are widely used in industrials and therefore achievement to the resources of this enzyme with high thermostability is obligatory. Accordingly, a deeper investigation for understanding the structure and function of PoxA1b from Pleurotus ostreatus, as a fungal enzyme with the possible desired conditions, was accomplished by using in-silico methods. Our study led to modeling a tertiary structure of the enzyme with 72% identity to the laccase from Trametes sp. AH28-2, with high quality. Moreover, structural stability of modeled enzyme compared to laccase from Pycnoporus cinnabarinus (LPC), were proved during 20 ns at 300 and 333K. Interestingly, this data showed that the modeled enzyme is more stable than LPC at 333 K. On the other hand, interaction assay of PoxA1b and LPC with benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), as a Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), revealed suitable affinity for both of them with -9.1 and -8.8 of binding energy, respectively. Taken together, these data show that both laccase from Pleurotus ostreatus and Pycnoporus cinnabarinus are stable until 60 °C with suitable affinity to substrate. Bearing in mind, PoxA1b is a favorable candidate for industrial and environmental applications, especially in PAH detoxification