maryam saeidifar

To overcome cisplatin resistance, the cytotoxicity of a novel antitumor agent on two ovarian cancer cell lines sensitive and resistant to cisplatin was investigated.

MTT assay and flow cytometry were performed to assess the cytotoxicity of a novel water-soluble Pd (II) complex, [Pd(bpy)(pyr-dtc)]NO3 (PBPD), on cisplatin-sensitive and cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cell lines. Furthermore, variations in the expression of drug resistance gene cluster of differentiation 99 (CD99), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4), and multidrug resistance mutation 1 (MDR1) were evaluated using Real-Time PCR.

The IC50 values of PBPD in resistant cells were higher than those in sensitive cells. Furthermore, PBPD has a deadlier effect on sensitive cells compared to resistant cells, and the cell survival rate is reduced over time. Flow cytometry revealed that PBPD enhanced the population of living-resistant cells while driving them to apoptosis. PBPD, on the other hand, has a greater effect on the living cell population and has dramatically shifted the population toward apoptosis and necrosis in the sensitive cells. Furthermore, gene expression analysis showed that when sensitive and resistant cells were treated with cisplatin, all resistance genes increased significantly relative to the control. In contrast to OCT4, MDR1, STAT3, and CD99 resistance genes were not significantly elevated in sensitive cells treated with PBPD compared to the control. Thus, the expression of resistance genes in resistant cells treated with PBPD was lower than cisplatin.

As a result, PBPD is a promising anticancer agent for CDDP-resistant ovarian cancer.

The sustained release potential of bioactive materials and drugs is a major requirement in the development of carriers for cancer treatment. In this study, Carboplatin (Crb) as a standard anticancer drug was loaded to immunoglobulin G nanoparticles (IgGNPs) in the absence (Crb@IgGNPs) and the presence of folic acid (FA), (Crb@FA.IgGNPs) as a targetable agent. Their physicochemical properties were characterized by various techniques. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique indicated that the average hydrodynamic diameter and zeta potential values of Crb@IgGNPs and Crb@FA.IgGNPs were 831.23±4.95 nm; (PDI: 0.980.31), 397.47±22.96 nm; (PDI: 0.780.08) and -2.97±1.17 mV, -7.06±0.72 mV, respectively. The spherical shapes of the nanocarriers showed more particle size distribution in Crb@FA.IgGNPs are confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of nanocarriers confirmed Crb loading onto IgGNPs and FA.IgGNPs. Afterwards, In vitro release study of Crb and Crb@FA.IgGNPs was performed that demonstrated Crb was slowly released from FA.IgGNPs (about 61 h longer than only Crb) and the release mechanism was followed by korsmeyer-peppas model with Fickian diffusion. Overall, it was observed that the novel designed drug carrier improved the drug release with the appropriate properties for clinical approaches.

Albumin nanoparticles have shown great potential in cancer drug delivery. In this study, firstly, fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular docking studies indicated a predominant hydrophobic interaction between 2,6-bis(3,4-methylenedioxybenzylidene)-1-cyclohexanone (BMC) derivative of curcumin and bovine serum albumin (BSA). Then, BMC was loaded in BSA nanoparticles (BSANPs) via adsorption and entrapment approaches based on desolvation technique. The structural changes and loading of BMC in BSANPs were confirmed using UV-Vis, FTIR and TGA analysis. The effect of loading process on physicochemical properties was evaluated by DLS, FESEM and calculating of the drug loading (DL) and entrapment efficiency (EE) percentages. Formulations prepared through entrapment method (BMC@BSANPs-E) showed smaller particle sizes than adsorption (BMC@BSANPs-A). However, mean particle size of NPs were controlled between 159.2±3.45 to 201.7±1.57 nm. Also, acceptable negative values were achieved for zeta potential and formulations showed spherical morphology. Larger DL% were obtained for BMC@BSANPs-A, however, higher EE% were observed for BMC@BSANPs-E. While both formulations showed a sustained release behavior in-vitro with more release in acidic pH than neutral conditions, greater cumulative release percentage was obtained for BMC@BSANPs-A. BMC release in both formulations followed the first order kinetic model and release mechanism was controlled by Fickian diffusion. Finally, cytotoxicity tests on MCF-7 cancer cells showed the improvement of the anti-cancer effect of the formulations in comparison with the free BMC.

Scaffolds made of three components containing Gelatin (30.3-64.7 wt. %), Tragacanth (23.5-60.6 wt. %) and nano-Hydroxyapatite (9.09-11.67 wt. %) were fabricated through the freeze drying process. Among the scaffolds with the components in the mentioned range, three scaffolds were selected for comparison based on pre-test steps including washout and soaking in SBF for 28 days to evaluate their consistency. At the end, two scaffolds with the maximum and moderate wt. % of gelatin were selected for further studies. The same pre-tests were done to select one of the cross-linkers namely GPTMS, CaCl2, and Glutaraldehyde. As a result, GPTMS with the total amount of 10 % of the total polymers wt. % was selected as the cross-linker. The mechanical properties of the scaffolds were investigated through the compressive test, and the one with higher Gelatin content had the highest Elastic modulus. In addition, the biodegradability of the scaffolds was studied by soaking them in the PBS for 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days and measuring the weight loss. Higher contents of Gelatin resulted in less degradation. In this research, the biocompatibility of the samples was surveyed by soaking them in the SBF for 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days, and the formation of the apatite layer on the scaffold surface was studied using the XRD, FTIR, and SEM techniques. Of note, the apatite layer can be finely formed on the sample with moderate Gelatin content. Other two scaffolds with the maximum and minimum Gelatin contents were completely deteriorated in the SBF.

Curcumin (Cur) as a natural bioactive compound has shown potential capability to fight a variety of malignancies. In this study, bovine serum albumin nanoparticles (BSA NPs) were applied to improve bioavailability and increase the effectiveness of the hydrophobic curcumin against human glioblastoma brain cancer cells. BSA NPs were synthesized and Cur was loaded in nanoparticles, based on desolvation method. Characterization studies were performed using dynamic light scattering, UV-Visible spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). Curcumin release from albumin nanoparticles was investigated in vitro and finally the cytotoxicity evaluation against U-87 MG cell line was studied by MTT method. The curcumin loaded nanoparticles (BSA-Cur NPs) showed a homogeneous spherical shape with mean particle size and polydispersity index (PDI) of 182.1 ± 2.02 nm and 0.105 ± 0.02, also drug loading content (DL%) and encapsulation efficiency (EE%) were obtained 11.73% and 83.26%, respectively. Cur showed a sustained release from BSA NPs with maximum release percentage of 30% after 48 hours. The results of MTT assay revealed that after 48 h treatment BSA-Cur NPs have more cytotoxicity on U-87 MG cells compared to free Cur, owning IC50 values of 33.08 ± 0.1.27 and 17.43 ± 1.37, respectively. According to the results of this study, albumin nanoparticles can be considered as a promising carrier for improving the effectiveness of curcumin in drug delivery against glioblastoma.

One of the new strategies for improving of chemotherapy in cancer treatment is the use of nanocarriers for sustained release of anticancer drugs. The present study aims to investigate the bovine serum albumin nanoparticles (BSANP) with exosomes (Exo) for prolonged release of 5-Flurouracil (5FU) as an anticancer drug model. 5FU with Exo was loaded to BSANP (5FU.Exo@BSANP) and the system was characterized by FTIR, AFM and FESEM. Furthermore, 5FU.Exo and 5FU@BSANP were prepared and characterized to compare their release behavior with that of 5FU.Exo@BSANP. The binding properties examined via FTIR confirmed the formation of the above-mentioned systems. FESEM analysis of BSANP and 5FU.Exo@BSANP showed the spherical morphology with the average particle size 313±60 nm and 403±64 nm, respectively, while, 5FU.Exo had a cylindrical morphology with average particle size in width 200±36 nm. AFM results demonstrated the reduction of roughness in 5FU.Exo@BSANP. In addition, the release behavior indicated that sustained release of 5FU occurred when it was loaded to nanocarriers. However, the release of 5FU from 5FU.Exo@BSANP at pH 7.4 was slower than in the other systems. Furthermore, the kinetic model of all systems was followed by Korsmeyer-peppas with Fickian diffusion while 5FU.Exo@BSANP at pH 5.5 was zero order kinetic model. Moreover, MTT assay onto 4T1 cancer cell lines explored the significant cytotoxicity of 5FU.Exo@BSANP. Thus, the designed nanocarrier of Exo@BSANP is a promising system for sustained release of 5FU.

Synthesis of stable drug carriers for drug delivery based on immunoglobulin G (IgG) in the release of oxaliplatin as an anticancer drug was carried out and characterized infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). In this paper, the drug release tests were performed for pure IgG and two different ratios of drug / IgG nanoparticles (IgG-NPs) (1:1 and 2:1). Drug loading and encapsulation were determined for three systems. The results showed that the drug release was sustained in IgG NPs systems in comparison with pure IgG. Also, the release mechanism was studied and indicated that the mechanism was fickian diffusion. Therefore, the designed system is a suitable candidate for drug release of anticancer drugs.

Nanotechnology is a tool to the performance improvement of systems in the medical field. Based on this purpose, reduced graphene oxide nanoparticle/albumin nanoparticles as a drug carrier was chosen for sustained release of anticancer carboplatin. The release behavior, mechanism type of diffusion and other pharmacokinetic parameters were studied. Initially, The size distribution, hydrodynamic diameter and morphology of reduced graphene oxide nanoparticles / albumin nanoparticles (1 to 5 wt.%) were investigated by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Then, carboplatin was loaded on the carrier and the encapsulation percentage was 50.13% and the drug loading percentage was 48.85%. Drug release behavior in an acidic environment similar to cancer tissue was assessed for 167 h by UV-Vis spectroscopy and it was shown that drug was released slowly. The release mechanism studies were shown that release mechanism followed by Korsmeyer-Pepas and non-Fickian diffusion. Other kinetic parameters such as kinetic constant, rate of release and maximum concentration of released drug were also calculated. We hope that the results can be introducing carrier based on carbon-protein for cancer treatment.

Nano-drug delivery has attracted great attention in improving the efficacy of anticancer drugs. This study described the preparation of a nanosize carrier based on protein and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) for sustained release and the enhancement of the treatment efficacy of carboplatin in breast cancer cell lines. Moreover, the characterization of bovine serum albumin nanoparticles (BSANP)-coated rGO nanosheets (rGO-BSANP) was performed by FTIR, DLS and SEM techniques. The results demonstrated that BSANP and rGO bond to each other with an average size of 753.1 nm and a surface charge of -16.0 mV. Entrapment efficiency and drug loading of rGO-BSANP in three different ratios (1:1, 1:5 and 1:10) were determined. In vitro carboplatin release from rGO, BSANP and different ratios of rGO-BSANP at 300 min showed that the rGO-BSANP nanocarrier with 1:1 ratio was an appropriate system. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of carboplatin, rGO-BSANP and carboplatin loaded rGO-BSANP (car@rGO-BSANP) was evaluated using the MTT assay, on breast cancer cell lines, MCF7. Results showed that the presence of nanocarrier caused IC50 of carboplatin significantly decreased. Hence, the designed nanocarrier helps sustained release and a lower concentration of carboplatin for cancer treatment.

At present, there are many concerns about the effect of conditions in the academic environment on mental health Ph.D. students. In this regard, the suggestions that have been made on the academic achievement of Ph.D. students during the course of the study published in Nature, have led us to translate this article into Persian and we also wanted to add a section of the lifestyles of doctoral students. The results of the studies showed that Ph.D. students suffered from emotional exhaustion during their education, which could have an adverse effect on their lifestyle, performance and academic achievement, and sometimes lead to depression. Additionally, emotional exhaustion can lead to student dropout. Therefore, maintaining a balance between in own life and research work can reduce the effects of stress and play an important role in mental health and academic achievement of students. Based on reports, Supervisor support and counseling sessions by the organization or educational center can significantly reduce the psychological burden of emotional exhaustion in Ph.D. students. On the other hand, the effective factors for academic achievement and increasing the quality of lifestyle is sufficient and good sleep that causes the detoxification of the body, the appropriate nourishment and exercise make health and the physical fitness of the body, respectively. For this reason, in the end, recommendations have been made to reduce the emotional exhaustion of Ph.D. students during their study period to successfully overcome the challenges they faced during their course.

In the present study, a step by step process was applied to synthesize bimetallic electrocatalyst (Ru and Pt on VulcanXC-72R). This process can reduce the amount of platinum and increase the gas diffusion electrode (GDE) performance in the cathodic reaction of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Using the impregnation by hydrothermal synthesis method, a series of electrocatalysts with different molar ratios of metals (Pt and Ru) were prepared and applied in the electrode fabrication process. The performance of the electrodes in Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) was studied using electrochemical methods such as, linear sweep voltametery (LSV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), chronoamperometery techniques, and the membrane electrode assembly (MEA). Also, inductive coupled plasma (ICP), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to characterize the synthesized electrocatalysts. The obtained results indicated that the electrocatalyst with 1:1 molar ratio for Pt:Ru enhanced the cathode performance. This can be attributed to the positive effect of Ru on electronic properties of Pt along with the effect of catalyst distribution on the substrate which consequently provides the best three-phase zones.

Abstract Graphene based materials such as graphene oxide have been developed in the biomedical applications during recent years. In this research, graphene oxide/magnetite nanocomposite with drug controlled release ability was synthesized through coprecipitation on graphene oxide sheets. Phase analysis, particles morphology, magnetic properties, drug loading and release behavior of the synthesized nanocomposite was investigated using XRD, FESEM, VSM and UV-visible spectroscopy, respectively. XRD pattern showed formation of the graphene oxide/magnetite nanocomposite. FESEM images revealed that the mean particles size is 14 nm. The synthesized nanocomposite showed superparamagnetic characteristics while the saturation magnetization of the nanocomposite was 47 emu/g. Doxorubicin hydrochloride as an anti-cancer drug was loaded on the nanocomposite. Encapsulation efficiency and loading of the drug for the nanocomposite were 51.76% and 34.68%, respectively. The release model of the drug was best matched with Korsmeyer-Peppas model.

Human serum albumin nanoparticles (HSA-NPs) were synthesized using the modified desolvation method. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), electronic absorption spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Zeta Sizer as well as field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) of the sample confirmed the formation of HSA NPs with an average size of 68 nm. The obtained results shown that HSA-NPs was successfully synthesized. The cytotoxic study of HSA-NPs in the HFFF2, normal cell lines was conducted and cell viability percentage demonstrated more than 90% within 24 h. Therefore, the synthesized NPs were nontoxic compared to the control samples. Furthermore, the release of the oxaliplatin as an anticancer drug incorporated in HSA NPs was also investigated in physiological conditions. The drug loading (DL) and drug entrapment efficiency (DEE) were enhanced and the DL of 0.9% and DEE of 51% are achievable. The Higuchi model was shown the best fitting compared to the different kinetically release model. This result and result of cyclic voltammetry indicated that the drug release mechanism followed by diffusion manner. Therefore, our present study showed that the biocompatible HSA NPs could improve prolonged release of oxaliplatin as anticancer drugs.

Catalase is an enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of H2O2 into the oxygen and water molecules. On the other hand, aspirin is an important drug, which is used by many patients globally. Because of importance of catalase in antioxidant defense system and the connection between this enzyme and some diseases such as diabetes, in this study, we have investigated the effects of aspirin, which is metabolized in the liver like other drugs, on the structure and function of liver catalase. Using different spectroscopic (UV-Visible and Fluorescence) techniques at two temperatures of 25 and 37 0 C we have investigated the changes in the structure and function of catalase. By using kinetics studies obtained from spectroscopic methods as well as the Michaelis–Menten plot, the Km value was measured 40 mM. Kinetic results indicated that aspirin did not change the function of BLC. However, addition of aspirin caused a gradual reduction in the fluorescence emission intensity of catalase. Also‚ the values of binding constants of drug on the enzyme decreased by increasing the temperature. The results of the fluorescence studies showed a decrease in fluorescence emission spectra of catalase, affected by addition of aspirin. Aspirin acts as a quencher with unfolding the three- dimensional structure of catalase, but this unfolding did not inhibit the catalase activity

Three Nickel (II) complexes of formula [Ni(en)2](NO3)2(a), [Ni(bpy)2](NO3)2 (b) and [Ni(phen)2](NO3)2(c) (where en = ethylenediamine, bpy = 2,2 bipyridine and phen = 1,10 phenanthroline) were prepared. The structure of these complexes have been characterized by spectroscopic methods such as infrared, ultraviolet visible and nuclear magnetic resonance and conductivity measurements and elemental analysis. Interaction of these three complexes with calf- thymus DNA were carried out using ultraviolet- visible, fluorescence and jell- filterationtachniques. These complexes can denature the DNA at quite low concentrations. Complexes b and c having aromatic surface presumably intercalate in DNA. Moreover complex c can cleave the DNA into two parts and interact with both.

In this paper, the effects of monetary policy on the Iranian economy have been studied with the use of the system of near VAR equations which is based on the methodology of unobservable components and estimated according to the seemingly unrelated regression method(SUR). The results achieved through the estimate of the parameter of the model, determined a permanent reverse relationship between inflation and unemployment that shows the effects of monetary policy on the Iranian economy in both long run and short run. This result, in a way, demonstrates the consequences of monetary policy in Iran. In this paper Hodrick-Prescott filtering method has been used to find the unobservable variables and all the estimates and analysis of data have been done with the Eviews. The determination of the Okun’s parameter on the Iranian economy is among the results achieved in this paper.