Oxidative stress responses of 12-Tungstosilicic and 12-Tungstophosphoric acid

In vitro oxidative stress responses of two Keggin-type polyoxotungstates, 12- tungstosilicic (WSiA) and 12-tungstophosphoric acid (WPA), were investigated using rat synaptosomes as a model system. WSiA induced concentration-dependent increase in catalase activity, up to about 6 times compared to the control activity in untreated synaptosomes, and glutathione peroxidase was not significantly affected after WSiA treatment. On the contrary, WPA treatment resulted in the increase of glutathione peroxidase activity, while synaptosomal catalase was even reduced related to the control, at all investigated WPA concentrations. Both investigated polyoxotungstates did not significantly change malondialdehyde content in synaptosomal preparations. It could accordingly be concluded that WSiA and WPA probably induce reactive oxygen species generation, resulting in the activation of the antioxidant defense enzymes. However, these polyoxotungstates are not strong prooxidants being able to cause oxidative stress, and consequently synaptosomal membrane lipid damage.14th international conference on fundamental and applied aspects of physical chemistry; 24-28 September 2018, Belgrade, Serbia

Aminoalcoholate-driven tetracopper(II) cores as inhibitors of aggregation of β-amyloid

Fourth WG Meeting CA15135 : Final status of WG activities within MuTaLig COST Action, 5-6 March 2020, Izmir, Turkiye [http://www.mutalig.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Book_of_abstracts_WG_Izmir.pdf

Influence of 12-Tungstosilicic acid and 12-Tungstophosphoric acid on the activity and secondary structure of acetylcholinesterase

Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is presented as a promising strategy in the treatment of Alzheimer disease providing inspiration for new discoveries and investigations less toxic and more effective potential anti Alzheimer drugs. In this paper, it demonstrated that the activity of acetylcholinesterase can be effectively inhibited by polyoxometalates (POMs), 12-tungstosilicic acid (WSiA) and 12-tungstophosphoric acid (WPA) without significant changes on the secondary structure of this enzyme. The obtained values of partition coefficient implicated on smooth pass of these POMs trough cell membrane and satisfied necessary criteria for the drugs used in the treatment of the central nervous system disease. Based on these obtained results it is possible to conclude that POM could represent new generation of potential anti Alzheimer drugs.14th international conference on fundamental and applied aspects of physical chemistry; 24-28 September 2018, Belgrade, Serbia

Improvement of sorption properties of natural clay pyrophyllite by ultrasonic treatment

Pyrophyllite, a naturally abundant clay material, exhibits remarkable physicochemical characteristics. Its minimal electrical and thermal conductivity, low expansion rate, strong mechanical properties, and outstanding heat resistance make it a valuable resource across diverse industries. Pyrophyllite finds applications in sectors such as paper and plastic manufacturing, brick production, ceramics, cosmetics, rubber processing, and wastewater treatment. Furthermore, its versatility extends to the production of ceramic membranes for efficient water filtration. This paper presents the characterization of natural pyrophyllite ore subjected to ultrasonic treatment at varying time intervals. The ultrasonic treatment aims to eliminate hard phases such as quartz and calcite within the ore, thereby improving its sorption capabilities. The treated samples were subjected to analysis using SEM and XRD techniques. Morphological and structural analysis revealed that as the duration of ultrasonic treatment increased, the proportion of hard phases in the sample decreased. Additionally, this study evaluated the sorption properties of pyrophyllite. A comparative analysis was conducted between a raw clay sample containing various admixtures and a sample that underwent a 30-minute ultrasonic treatment. The sorption of a methylene blue solution after 24 hours in water was assessed, with UV-Vis analysis revealing that the efficiency of the sonically treated pyrophyllite exceeded 97%, whereas the raw ore exhibited approximately 89% efficiency over the same duration. These findings suggest that the removal of hard phases from pyrophyllite ore enhances its sorption propertiesTwenty-First Young Researchers’ Conference - Materials Science and Engineering: Program and the Book of Abstracts; November 29 – December 1, 2023, Belgrade, Serbi

Natural Clay Pyrophyllite Activation with Silver and Composite Characterization

In this work, a hybrid pyrophyllite/AgNPs system was designed by mechanochemical activation of pyrophyllite, Al2Si4O 10(OH) 2. Tuning this system’s properties is especially important in terms of possible biomedical applications. The reaction was triggered by adding 2, 5, and 10wt% of silver in the form of AgNO3, indicating green synthesis of AgNPs. Thereby, the grinding time was adjusted from 20 to 320 minutes. The collected samples were analyzed by FTIR, XRD, SEM with EDX, TGA, DTA and PSD. The FTIR spectra of the pyrophyllite/AgNPs system showed the disappearance of some bands characteristic of pyrophyllite itself due to breaking of some bonds during the grinding, and the appearance of some new bands. SEM-EDS analysis confirmed that pyrophyllite structure changed during the mechanochemical treatment, indicating a homogeneous distribution of silver along the analyzed surface. PSD analysis showed that the average particle size distribution is approximately the same for all samples, despite the different wt% of silver. While XRD patterns of samples with 2 and 5 wt% of AgNO 3 did not show reflections originating from silver, the peak at 38.16˚ of the pyrophyllite sample milled for 20 minutes with 10 wt% of silver could be assigned to silver in the metal form. DTA curves of pyrophyllite/AgNO 3 samples milled for 20, 80 or 320 min had similar shapes for different silver content added. TGA curves of pyrophyllite/AgNO 3 samples milled for 20 min with 2, 5, and 10 wt% of silver showed a total weight loss of about 10% while for samples milled for 320 min reduced weight loss was observed due to the agglomeration of particles.Published in Bulletin of the Chemists and Technologistsof Bosnia and Herzegovina as Special Issue (2024)

Application of a Pyrophyllite Modified Carbon Paste Electrode for the Detection of Carbendazim Fungicide in Water

This work aims to design an electrochemical sensor for pesticide detection in food and water based on modified pyrophyllite. Pyrophyllite is a phyllosilicate mineral of the chemical formula Al2Si4O 10(OH) 2. Modification of the carbon paste electrode was made by the addition of mechanochemically modified pyrophyllite. This type of modification is an environmentally friendly green chemistry method because it avoids using solvents. It was found that the best physicochemical characteristics for constructing the electrochemical sensor were shown by the sample that was milled for 15 minutes. Due to the delamination and bending of the layers, the size of the particles and crystallites decreases, and the electrocatalytic activity of the modified electrode is improved. Electrochemical measurements were performed by cyclic voltammetry in 0.5 mol/L H 2SO 4 and 1 mmol/L K 4Fe(CN) 6 in 0.1 mol/L KCl. The results showed that the electrode made of 50 % carbon paste and 50 % mechanochemically ground pyrophyllite for 15 minutes had the best properties. Quantitative detection of carbendazim was done by differential pulse stripping voltammetry at different pH in the Britton Robinson buffer. The developed method shows the linearity at pH 4 in the range of (1–10) mg/kg, with r = 0.999 and a detection limit of 0.3 mg/kg. In contrast to earlier works, in which carbendazim was determined electrochemically with different types of electrodes, the detection limits obtained with the carbon paste electrode modified with pyrophyllite, which was ground for 15 minutes in this work, are significantly lowerPublished in Bulletin of the Chemists and Technologistsof Bosnia and Herzegovina as Special Issue (2024)

Enhancing Pyrophyllite Adsorption Capabilities Via Sonic Treatment

Adsorption, a highly efficient water purification method and tool for pollution control, utilizes materials like clay. Compared to other commercial adsorbents, clay offers notable advantages including affordability, large specific surface area, accessibility, high ion exchange capacity, excellent adsorption properties, and non-toxicity. Pyrophyllite, among abundant natural clays, stands out due to its layered structure without interlayer cations or water molecules, offering favorable physical and chemical attributes. This study specifically examines the characterization of natural pyrophyllite ore treated with ultrasonic waves for 30 minutes and 6h. Analysis of samples using X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique indicates the removal of hard phases such as quartz and calcite from both treated samples in comparison to the raw ore. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis, conducted as part of SEM-EDS analysis, revealed a significant reduction in the weight % of silicon. Specifically, the Si content decreased from 35.1 weight % in the raw ore to 28.7 after half an hour of treatment. Subsequently, after 6 hours, the most effective purification was achieved, with the Si content reaching only 18.6 weight %. Furthermore, UV-VIS analysis testing the sorption of a methylene blue solution in water reveals that ultrasonically treated pyrophyllite for 30 minutes achieves 97% efficiency after 24 hours, surpassing the 89% efficiency of the raw ore. Notably, after 6 hours of ultrasonic treatment, efficiency reaches nearly 98% after just 1 hour, confirming high efficacy of ultrasonic treatment on adsorption ability of pyrophyllite.Published in Bulletin of the Chemists and Technologistsof Bosnia and Herzegovina as Special Issue (2024)

Nano/Microcarriers in Drug Delivery: Moving the Timeline to Contemporary

Treatment of various diseases, especially cancer treatment, includes the potentialuse of different types of nanoparticles and nanostructures as drug carriers. However,searching for less toxic and more efficient therapy requires further progress, wherein recentdevelopments in medicine increasingly include the use of various advanced nanostructures.Their more successful application might be achieved by leveling imbalances betweenthe potentiality of different nanostructures and the demands required for their safeuse. Biocompatibility, biodegradability, prolonged circulation time and enhanced accumulationand uptake by cells are some of the key preconditions for their usage in efficientdrug delivery. Thanks to their greatly tunable functions, they are major buildingblocks for manufacturing novel materials. Nevertheless, given that their toxicity is questionable,their practical application is challenging. Hereof, before entering the sphere ofhuman consumption, it is of critical importance to perform more studies regarding theirtoxicity and drug distribution. This review emphasizes recent advances in nanomedicine,employing different kinds of conventionally used nanoparticles as well as novel nanoparticlesand nanostructures. Special emphasis is placed on micro/nanomotors (MNMs), discussingtheir opportunities, limitations, challenges and possible applications in drug deliveryand outlining some perspectives in the nanomedicine area

Drug delivery systems based on nanoparticles and related nanostructures

A new approach to drug design based on nanoparticles and related nanostructures for effective drug delivery, is of great importance in future medical treatment, especially for cancer therapy. Nanomaterials hold tremendous potential for increasing the efficiency of drug delivery, with a high degree of biocompatibility. Additionally, for biomedical applications, they must be biodegradable, have prolonged circulation half-life, not tend to aggregate or cause an inflammatory response in the body and to be cost-effective. The efficacy of such structures is highly dependent on their chemical properties as well as on shape, charge, size, surface modifications and loading method. Here we focused on the potential of using different kinds of nanoparticles and similar nanostructures loaded with various drugs in order to achieve specific targeting and controlled drug release. Thereby, computational modeling on NPs-based drug delivery could help in providing a better understanding of all parts of the delivery system. This review emphasizes recent advances in the usage of various types of nanoparticles and similar nanostructures for drug delivery, aiming to provide a critical review of less toxic and more effective treatment