Antibiotics are among the most critical environmental pollutant drug groups. Adsorption is one of the methods used to eliminate these pollutants. In this study, activated carbon was produced from pumpkin seed shells and subsequently modified with KOH. The adsorbent obtained through this procedure was used to remove ciprofloxacin from aqueous systems. Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), elemental, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and Zeta analyses were used to characterize the adsorbent. The surface area, in particular, was found to be a very remarkable value of 2730 m²/g. The conditions of the adsorption experiments were optimized based on interaction time, adsorbent amount, pH and temperature. Over 99% success was achieved in removal operations carried out under the most optimal conditions, with an absorption capacity of 884.9 mg·g⁻¹. In addition, the Langmuir isotherm was determined to be the most suitable model for the adsorption interaction. Full article

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) primarily formed by burning of fossil fuels, wood and other organic materials. BaP as group I carcinogen shows mutagenic and carcinogenic effects. One of the important mechanisms of action of (BaP) is its free radical activity, the effect of which is the induction of oxidative stress in cells. BaP induces oxidative stress through the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), disturbances of the activity of antioxidant enzymes, and the reduction of the level of non-enzymatic antioxidants as well as of cytokine production. Chemical compounds, such as vitamin E, curcumin, quercetin, catechin, cyanidin, kuromanin, berberine, resveratrol, baicalein, myricetin, catechin hydrate, hesperetin, rhaponticin, as well as taurine, atorvastatin, diallyl sulfide, and those contained in green and white tea, lower the oxidative stress induced by BaP. They regulate the expression of genes involved in oxidative stress and inflammation, and therefore can reduce the level of ROS. These substances remove ROS and reduce the level of lipid and protein peroxidation, reduce formation of adducts with DNA, increase the level of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants and reduce the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines. BaP can undergo chemical modification in the living cells, which results in more reactive metabolites formation. Some of protective substances have the ability to reduce BaP metabolism, and in particular reduce the induction of cytochrome (CYP P450), which reduces the formation of oxidative metabolites, and therefore decreases ROS production. The aim of this review is to discuss the oxidative properties of BaP, and describe protective activities of selected chemicals against BaP activity based on of the latest publications. Full article

Benzophenanthridines belong to the benzylisoquinolic alkaloids, representing one of the main groups of this class. These alkaloids include over 120 different compounds, mostly in plants from the Fumariaceae, Papaveraceae, and Rutaceae families, which confer chemical protection against pathogens and herbivores. Industrial uses of BZD include the production of environmentally friendly agrochemicals and livestock food supplements. However, although mainly considered toxic compounds, plants bearing them have been used in traditional medicine and their medical applications as antimicrobials, antiprotozoals, and cytotoxic agents have been envisioned. The biosynthetic pathways for some BZD have been established in different species, allowing for the isolation of the genes and enzymes involved. This knowledge has resulted in a better understanding of the process controlling their synthesis and an opening of the gates towards their exploitation by applying modern biotechnological approaches, such as synthetic biology. This review presents the new advances on BDZ biosynthesis and physiological roles. Industrial applications, mainly with pharmacological approaches, are also revised. Full article

(1) Background: Apolipoprotein E(ApoE) plays a critical role in lipid transport. The specific allele of APOE being expressed is associated with the development of coronary heart disease (CHD), however the specific mechanisms by which ApoE drives disease are unclear. In this study, we investigated the relationship between APOE allele, lipoprotein metabolome, and CHD severity to provide evidence for the efficacy of clinical cholesterol-lowering therapy; (2) Methods: Blood samples were collected from 360 patients with CHD that were actively being treated with statins. The lipoprotein profile, including particle numbers, particle size, and lipoprotein composition concentrates, was measured by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The severity of CHD was determined by quantifying coronary angiography results using the Gensini scoring system; (3) Results: We found there was no significant difference in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels among ε2+ (ε2 allele carriers, consisting of ε2/ε2 and ε2/ε3 genotypes), ε3 (consisting of ε3/ε3 and ε2/ε4 genotypes), and ε4+ (ε4 allele carriers, consisting of ε3/ε4 and ε4/ε4 genotypes) participants receiving statin treatment. Compared with the ε3 group, patients with the ε2+ genotype showed lower concentrations of total low-density lipoprotein (LDL), small-LDL, and middle-LDL particles, as well as a larger LDL size, higher very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) composition concentrates, and higher intermediate density lipoprotein (IDL) composition concentrates. The ε4+ group showed higher concentrations of total LDL, small LDL particles, and LDL compositions with smaller LDL size. The higher level of small LDL concentration was associated with a high Gensini score (B = 0.058, p = 0.024). Compared with the ε3 group, the risk of increased branch lesions in the ε2+ group was lower (OR = 0.416, p = 0.027); (4) Conclusions: The specific allele of APOE being expressed can affect the severity of CHD by altering components of the lipoprotein profile, such as the concentration of small LDL and LDL size. Full article

In recent years, an increasing interest in reducing sugar consumption has been observed and many studies are conducted on the use of polyols in the osmotic dehydration process to obtain candied or dried fruits. The studies in the literature have focused on the kinetics of the process as well as the basic physical properties. In the scientific literature, there is a lack of investigation of the influence of such polyol solutions such as sorbitol and mannitol used as osmotic substances during the osmotic dehydration process on the contents of bioactive components, including natural colourants. Thus, the aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of polyols (mannitol and sorbitol) in different concentrations on the process kinetics and on chosen physical (colour and structural changes) as well as chemical (sugars and polyol content, total anthocyanin content, total polyphenol content, vitamin C, antioxidant activity) properties of osmotic-dehydrated organic strawberries. Generally, the results showed that the best solution for osmotic dehydration is 30% or 40% sorbitol solutions, while mannitol solution is not recommended due to difficulties with preparing a high-concentration solution and its crystallization in the tissue. In the case of sorbitol, the changes of bioactive compounds, as well as colour change, were similar to the sucrose solution. However, the profile of the sugar changed significantly, in which sucrose, glucose, and fructose were reduced in organic strawberries and were partially replaced by polyols. Full article

Dietary food components have the ability to affect immune function; following absorption, specifically orally ingested dietary food containing lectins can systemically modulate the immune cells and affect the response to self- and co-administered food antigens. The mannose-binding lectins from garlic (Allium sativum agglutinins; ASAs) were identified as immunodulatory proteins in vitro. The objective of the present study was to assess the immunogenicity and adjuvanticity of garlic agglutinins and to evaluate whether they have adjuvant properties in vivo for a weak antigen ovalbumin (OVA). Garlic lectins (ASA I and ASA II) were administered by intranasal (50 days duration) and intradermal (14 days duration) routes, and the anti-lectin and anti-OVA immune (IgG) responses in the control and test groups of the BALB/c mice were assessed for humoral immunogenicity. Lectins, co-administered with OVA, were examined for lectin-induced anti-OVA IgG response to assess their adjuvant properties. The splenic and thymic indices were evaluated as a measure of immunomodulatory functions. Intradermal administration of ASA I and ASA II had showed a four-fold and two-fold increase in anti-lectin IgG response, respectively, vs. the control on day 14. In the intranasal route, the increases were 3-fold and 2.4-fold for ASA I and ASA II, respectively, on day 50. No decrease in the body weights of animals was noticed; the increases in the spleen and thymus weights, as well as their indices, were significant in the lectin groups. In the adjuvanticity study by intranasal administration, ASA I co-administered with ovalbumin (OVA) induced a remarkable increase in anti-OVA IgG response (~six-fold; p < 0.001) compared to the control, and ASA II induced a four-fold increase vs. the control on day 50. The results indicated that ASA was a potent immunogen which induced mucosal immunogenicity to the antigens that were administered intranasally in BALB/c mice. The observations made of the in vivo study indicate that ASA I has the potential use as an oral and mucosal adjuvant to deliver candidate weak antigens. Further clinical studies in humans are required to confirm its applicability. Full article

Chemotherapy is one of the most commonly used methods of cancer disease treatment. Due to the acquisition of drug resistance and the possibility of cancer recurrence, there is an urgent need to search for new molecules that would be more effective in destroying cancer cells. In this study, 1-(benzofuran-2-yl)ethan-1-one oxime and 26 oxime ethers containing heterocyclic, alicyclic or aromatic moiety were screened for their cytotoxicity against HeLa cancer cell line. The most promising derivatives with potential antitumor activity were 2-(cyclohexylideneaminoxy)acetic acid (18) and (E)-acetophenone O-2-morpholinoethyl oxime (22), which reduced the viability of HeLa cells below 20% of control at concentrations of 100–250 μg/mL. Some oxime ethers, namely thiazole and benzothiophene derivatives (24–27), also reduced HeLa cell viability at similar concentrations but with lower efficiency. Further cytotoxicity evaluation confirmed the specific toxicity of (E)-acetophenone O-2-morpholinoethyl oxime (22) against A-549, Caco-2, and HeLa cancer cells, with an EC50 around 7 μg/mL (30 μM). The most potent and specific compound was (E)-1-(benzothiophene-2-yl)ethanone O-4-methoxybenzyl oxime (27), which was selective for Caco-2 (with EC50 116 μg/mL) and HeLa (with EC50 28 μg/mL) cells. Considering the bioavailability parameters, the tested derivatives meet the criteria for good absorption and permeation. The presented results allow us to conclude that oxime ethers deserve more scientific attention and further research on their chemotherapeutic activity. Full article

The encapsulation of active ingredients into solid capsules from biodegradable materials has received significant attention over the last decades. In this short review, we focus on the formation of micro- and nano-sized capsules and emulsions based on artificial peptides as a fully degradable material. It deals with various approaches for the preparation of peptide-based capsules as well as with their crucial properties such as size and stability. We categorize all preparation procedures into three basic approaches: self-assembly, polymerization and crosslinking, and layer-by-layer technology. This article is meant to offer a short overview over all successful methods suitable for obtaining access to these very promising carrier systems. Full article

Liposomes have been considered promising and versatile drug vesicles. Compared with traditional drug delivery systems, liposomes exhibit better properties, including site-targeting, sustained or controlled release, protection of drugs from degradation and clearance, superior therapeutic effects, and lower toxic side effects. Given these merits, several liposomal drug products have been successfully approved and used in clinics over the last couple of decades. In this review, the liposomal drug products approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) are discussed. Based on the published approval package in the FDA and European public assessment report (EPAR) in EMA, the critical chemistry information and mature pharmaceutical technologies applied in the marketed liposomal products, including the lipid excipient, manufacturing methods, nanosizing technique, drug loading methods, as well as critical quality attributions (CQAs) of products, are introduced. Additionally, the current regulatory guidance and future perspectives related to liposomal products are summarized. This knowledge can be used for research and development of the liposomal drug candidates under various pipelines, including the laboratory bench, pilot plant, and commercial manufacturing. Full article

(1) Background: Centaurea cyanus L. is a medicinal plant whose flowers are widely used in herbal medicine. The aim of the study was to localise flower tissues that are responsible for the production of secretory products in petals and to analyse the volatile compounds. The volatile compounds of the flowers of this species have not been investigated to date. (2) Methods: Light, fluorescence, scanning and transmission electron microscopy techniques were used in the study. Lipophilic compounds were localised in the tissues using histochemical assays. Volatile compounds were determined with the use of solid phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). (3) Results: The study showed production of secretion in the petal parenchyma, whose ultrastructure has features of a secretory tissue. The lipophilic secretion was localised in the cells and intercellular spaces of the parenchyma and in the walls and surface of epidermal cells, where it accumulated after release through cuticle microchannels. Sesquiterpenes were found to constitute the main group of volatile compounds, with the highest content of β-caryophyllene (26.17%) and α-humulene (9.77%). (4) Conclusions: Given the presence of some volatile components that are often found in resins (caryophyllene, delta-cadinene) and the abundant secretion residues on the epidermal surface, we suppose that the C. cyanus secretion released by the flowers is a resinaceous mixture (oleoresin), which is frequently found in plants, as shown by literature data. This secretion may play an important role in the therapeutic effects of C. cyanus flowers. Full article

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous hybrid crystalline materials that consist of organic linkers coordinated to metal centres. The trans–cis isomerisation kinetics of the azobenzene-4,4′-dicarboxylic acid (AZB(COOH)₂) precursor, as well as the Al³⁺ (Al-AZB)- and Zr⁴⁺ (Zr-AZB)-based MOFs with azobenzene-4,4′-dicarboxylate linkers, are presented. The photo-isomerization in the MOFs originates from singly bound azobenzene moieties on the surface of the MOF. The type of solvent used had a slight effect on the rate of isomerization and half-life, while the band gap energies were not significantly affected by the solvents. Photo-responsive MOFs can be classified as smart materials with possible applications in sensing, drug delivery, magnetism, and molecular recognition. In this study, the MOFs were applied in the dye adsorption of congo red (CR) in contaminated water. For both MOFs, the UV-irradiated cis isomer exhibited a slightly higher CR uptake than the ambient-light exposed trans isomer. Al-AZB displayed a dye adsorption capacity of over 95% for both the UV-irradiated and ambient light samples. The ambient light exposed Zr-AZB, and the UV irradiated Zr-AZB had 39.1% and 44.6% dye removal, respectively. Full article

Supramolecular oleogel is a soft material with a three-dimensional structure, formed by the self-assembly of low-molecular-weight gelators in oils; it shows broad application prospects in the food industry, environmental protection, medicine, and other fields. Among all the gelators reported, amino-acid-based compounds have been widely used to form organogels and hydrogels because of their biocompatibility, biodegradation, and non-toxicity. In this study, four N^α, N^ε-diacyl-l-lysine gelators (i.e., N^α, N^ε-dioctanoyl-l-lysine; N^α, N^ε-didecanoyl-l-lysine; N^α, N^ε-dilauroyl-l-lysine; and N^α, N^ε-dimyristoyl-l-lysine) were synthesized and applied to prepare oleogels in four kinds of vegetable oils. Gelation ability is affected not only by the structure of the gelators but also by the composition of the oils. The minimum gel concentration (MGC) increased with the increase in the acyl carbon-chain length of the gelators. The strongest gelation ability was displayed in olive oil for the same gelator. Rheological properties showed that the mechanical strength and thermal stability of the oleogels varied with the carbon-chain length of the gelators and the type of vegetable oil. The microstructure of oleogels is closely related to the carbon-chain length of gelators, regardless of oil type. The highest oil-binding capacity (OBC) was obtained in soybean oil for all four gelators, and N^α, N^ε-dimyristoyl-l-lysine showed the best performance for entrapping oils. Full article

Recently, deep eutectic solvent (DES) or ionic liquid (IL) analogues have been considered as the newest green solvent, demonstrating the potential to replace harsh volatile organic solvents. DESs are mainly a combination of two compounds: hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA) and hydrogen bond donor (HBD), which have the ability to interact through extensive hydrogen bonds. A thorough understanding of their physicochemical properties is essential, given their successful applications on an industrial scale. The appropriate blend of HBA to HBD can easily fine-tune DES properties for desired applications. In this context, we have reviewed the basic information related to DESs, the two most studied physicochemical properties (density and viscosity), and their performance as a solvent in (i) drug delivery and (ii) extraction of biomolecules. A broader approach of various factors affecting their performance has been considered, giving a detailed picture of the current status of DESs in research and development. Full article

The green synthesis of metal oxide nanoparticles is presented as an excellent sustainable alternative for achieving nanostructures, with potential applications. This research provides important information regarding the influence of the type of solvent used in extracting organic reducing agents from E. globulus on the FeO NPs green synthesis protocol. A broad approach to characterization is presented, where UV-vis spectrophotometry suggests the presence of this type of nanoparticulate material. Likewise, the reduction mechanism was evaluated by FT-IR and the magnetic properties were evaluated by PPSM. In addition, characterizations were linked via elemental analysis (EDX), crystallographic characterization (XRD), electron microscopy (SEM/STEM), and Z potential to evaluate colloidal stability. The results show the influence of the type of solvent used for the extraction of organic reducing agents from E. globulus, and the effect on the synthesis of FeO NPs. In addition, the nanostructure material obtained showed excellent efficiency in the remediation of agricultural soil, eliminating metals such as Cr-VI, Cd, and, to a lesser extent, Pb. Full article

Essential oils (EOs) are a mixture of chemical compounds with a long history of use in food, cosmetics, perfumes, agricultural and pharmaceuticals industries. The main object of this study was to find chemical patterns between 45 EOs and antiprotozoal activity (antiplasmodial, antileishmanial and antitrypanosomal), using different machine learning algorithms. In the analyses, 45 samples of EOs were included, using unsupervised Self-Organizing Maps (SOM) and supervised Random Forest (RF) methodologies. In the generated map, the hit rate was higher than 70% and the results demonstrate that it is possible find chemical patterns using a supervised and unsupervised machine learning approach. A total of 20 compounds were identified (19 are terpenes and one sulfur-containing compound), which was compared with literature reports. These models can be used to investigate and screen for bioactivity of EOs that have antiprotozoal activity more effectively and with less time and financial cost. Full article