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In this work, the authors investigated the apoptotic activities of Fe 3 O 4 /Ag nanocomposite biosynthesised by Spirulina platensis extract against MCF-7 (human breast cancer cells). The physico-chemical properties of prepared Fe 3 O 4 /Ag nanocomposite were studied by different spectroscopic methods. To evaluate the in vitro cytotoxic effect, MCF-7 cells were treated with different concentrations of Fe 3 O 4 /Ag nanocomposite and examined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Moreover, apoptotic effects were also studied by Hoechst 33258 staining, caspase 3 activation assays, and annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and propidium iodide staining. Microscopic observations of Fe 3 O 4 /Ag nanocomposites indicated approximately spherical shape and small particles in the size range of about 30-50 nm. The MTT assay result revealed that the Fe 3 O 4 /Ag nanocomposite causes a dose-dependent cell proliferation reduction in MCF-7 cells (IC 50 = 135 μg/ml). Regarding to the Annexin V/PI staining result, the increase percentage of apoptotic cells (28.09%) was detected as compared to untreated cells. According to the caspase assay, Fe 3 O 4 /Ag nanocomposite enhances caspase 3 level. Furthermore, in vitro anti-cancer activity of the nanocomposite was performed by Hoechst 33258 staining method. The proposed data suggest that Fe 3 O 4 /Ag nanocomposite may be an effective agent for the inhibition of breast cancer cells at in vitro level.

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Purpose: To assess the potential of Azolla filiculoides, total body collected from a rice farm in northern Iran as source for biodiesel production. C22:6) in the macroalgae biodiesel was confirmed. Methods: Solvent extraction using Soxhlet apparatus with chloroform-methanol (2:1 v/v) solvent blend was used to obtain crude oil from freeze-dried the Azolla plant. Acid-catalyzed transesterification was used to convert fatty acids (FA), monoglycerides (MG), diglycerides (DG) and triglycerides (TG) in the extracts to fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) by acid-catalyzed methylation. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was employed to analyze the FAMEs in the macroalgae biodiesel. Results: The presence of myristic acid (C14:0), palmitic acid (C16:0), palmitoleic acid (C16:1), myristic acid (C14:0), stearic acid (C18:3), oleic acid (C18:1) and linoleic acid 9C18:2), eicosenoic acid (C20:1), eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5), erucic acid (C22:1) and docosahexaenoic acid ( Conclusion:The results indicate that biodiesel can be produced from macroalgae and that water fern is potentially an economical source of biodiesel due its ready availability and probable low cost.

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