Browsing by Subject "Anticancer activity"

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    Improving anticancer therapy with naringenin-loaded silk fibroin nanoparticles
    (MDPI, 2020-04-10) Fuster, Marta G.; Carissimi, Guzmán; García Montalbán, Mercedes; Víllora Cano, Gloria; Ingeniería Química
    Naringenin (NAR), a flavonoid present in a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs, exhibits a wide range of pharmacological effects, including anticancer activity. Nevertheless, its application in cancer therapy is limited due to its low bioavailability at the tumour site because of its poor solubility in water and slow dissolution rate. To improve the therapeutic efficacy of NAR, emergent research is looking into using nanocarriers. Silk fibroin (SF), from the Bombyx mori silkworm, is a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer with excellent mechanical properties and an amphiphilic chemistry that make it a promising candidate as a controlled release drug system. The aim of this work is to synthesize naringenin-loaded silk fibroin nanoparticles (NAR-SFNs) by dissolving the SF in the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate, using high-power ultrasounds and rapid desolvation in methanol followed by the adsorption of NAR. The NAR-SFNs were characterized by dynamic light scattering, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The drug loading content and encapsulation efficiency were calculated. The drug release profile best fitted a first order equation. The cytotoxicity effects of free NAR, bare silk fibroin nanoparticles (SFNs) and NAR-SFNs were assessed on HeLa and EA.hy926 cells via 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The results demonstrated the higher in vitro anticancer potential of synthesized NAR-SFNs than that of free NAR in HeLa cancer cells.
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    Synthesis and Characterization of New Ruthenium (II) Complexes of Stoichiometry [Ru(p-Cymene)Cl2L] and Their Cytotoxicity against HeLa-Type Cancer Cells
    (MDPI, 2022-10-26) Fuster, M. G.; Moulefera, I.; Montalbán, M. G.; Pérez, J.; Víllora Cano, Gloria; García, G.; Ingeniería Química; Facultad de Química
    When the [Ru(p-cymene)( -Cl)Cl]2 complex is made to react, in dichloromethane, with the following ligands: 2-aminobenzonitrile (2abn), 4-aminobenzonitrile (4abn), 2-aminopyridine (2ampy) and 4-aminopyridine (4ampy), after addition of hexane, the following compounds are obtained: [Ru(p-cymene)Cl2(2abn)] (I), [Ru(p-cymene)Cl2(4abn)] (II), [Ru(p-cymene)Cl2(2ampy] (III) and [Ru(pcymene) Cl2( -(4ampy)] (IV). All the compounds are characterized by elemental analysis of carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, COSY 1H-1H, high-resolution mass spectrometry (ESI), thermogravimetry and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (the crystal structure of III is reported and compared with the closely related literature of II). The cytotoxicity effects of complexes were described for cervical cancer HeLa cells via 3-(4.5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2.5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The results demonstrate a low in vitro anticancer potential of the complexes.