With the development of the latest technologies, scientists are looking to design novel strategies for the treatment and diagnosis of cancer. Advances in medicinal plant research and nanotechnology have attracted many researchers to the green synthesis of metallic nanoparticles due to its several advantages over conventional synthesis (simple, fast, energy efficient, one pot processes, safer, economical and biocompatibility). Medicinally active plants have proven to be the best reservoirs of diverse phytochemicals for the synthesis of biogenic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). In this review, we discuss mechanistic advances in the synthesis and optimization of AgNPs from plant extracts. Moreover, we have thoroughly discussed the recent developments and milestones achieved in the use of biogenic AgNPs as cancer theranostic agents and their proposed mechanism of action. Anticipating all of the challenges, we hope that biogenic AgNPs may become a potential cancer theranostic agent in the near future.

The design, development, and biomedical applications of phytochemical-based green synthesis of biocompatible colloidal gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are becoming an emerging field due to several advantages (safer, eco-friendly, simple, fast, energy efficient, low-cost, and less toxic) over conventional chemical synthetic procedures. Biosynthesized colloidal gold nanoparticles are remarkably attractive in several biomedical applications including cancer theranostics due to small size, unusual physico-chemical properties, facile surface modification, high biocompatibility, and numerous other advantages. Of late, several researchers have investigated the biosynthesis and prospective applications (diagnostics, imaging, drug delivery, and cancer therapeutics) of AuNPs in health care and medicine. However, not a single review article is available in the literature that demonstrates the anti-cancer potential of biosynthesized colloidal AuNPs with detailed mechanistic study. In the present review article, we for the first time discuss the biointerface of colloidal AuNPs, plants, and cancer mainly (i) comprehensive mechanistic aspects of phytochemical-based synthesis of AuNPs; (ii) proposed anti-cancer mechanisms along with biomedical applications in diagnostics, imaging, and drug delivery; and (iii) key challenges for biogenic AuNPs as future cancer nanomedicine.

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BackgroundCotton yield has been badly affected by different insects and weed competition. In Past Application of multiple chemicals is required to manage insects and weed control was achieved by different conventional means, such as hand weeding, crop rotation and polyculture, because no synthetic chemicals were available. The control methods shifted towards high input and target-oriented methods after the discovery of synthetic herbicide in the 1930s. To utilise the transgenic approach, cotton plants expressing the codon-optimised CEMB GTGene were produced in the present study.ResultsLocal cotton variety CEMB-02 containing Cry1Ac and Cry2A in single cassette was transformed by synthetic codon-optimised 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase gene cloned into pCAMBIA 1301 vector under 35S promoter with Agrobacterium tumifaciens. Putative transgenic plants were screened in MS medium containing 120 µmol/L glyphosate. Integration and expression of the gene were evaluated by PCR from genomic DNA and ELISA from protein. A 1.4-kb PCR product for Glyphosate and 167-bp product for Cry2A were obtained by amplification through gene specific primers. Expression level of Glyphosate and Bt proteins in two transgenic lines were recorded to be 0.362, 0.325 µg/g leaf and 0.390, 0.300 µg/g leaf respectively. FISH analysis of transgenic lines demonstrates the presence of one and two copy no. of Cp4 EPSPS transgene respectively. Efficacy of the transgene Cp4 EPSPS was further evaluated by Glyphosate spray (41 %) assay at 1900 ml/acre and insect bioassay which shows 100 %mortality of insect feeding on transgenic lines as compared to control.ConclusionThe present study shows that the transgenic lines produced in this study were resistant not only to insects but also equally good against 1900 ml/acre field spray concentration of glyphosate.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13104-015-1397-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Background Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most frequent primary malignancy of liver and accounts for as many as one million deaths worldwide in a year. Objectives The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anti-cancerous efficiency of Bergenia ciliata rhizome against diethylnitrosoamine induced hepatocarcinogenesis in Balb C mice. Methods One percent diethylnitrosoamine was prepared by using 99 ml of normal saline NaCl (0.9 percent) solution to which was added 1 ml of concentrated diethylnitrosoamine (DEN) solution (0.01 μg/μl). Extract of Bergenia ciliata was prepared by maceration technique. Mice were classified into four groups as follows: Group 1 a control group (N=7) received saline solution (3.5 μl/mg), group 2 (N=14) received diethylnitrosoamine (3.5 μl/mg) intraperitoneally once in a week for eight consecutive weeks, group 3 (N=7) received plant extract (150 mg/kg (Body weight)) once in a week, while group 4 (N=7) was given combination of diethylnitrosoamine (3.5 μl/mg) and plant extract (150 mg/kg (Body weight)). After eight weeks of DEN induction group 2 mice were divided into two subgroups containing seven mice each, subgroup 1 was sacrificed while subgroup 2 was treated with plant extract (150 mg/kg (Body weight)) once in a week for eight consecutive weeks. Results The model of DEN injected hepatocellular carcinomic (HCC) mice elicited significant decline in levels of albumin with concomitant significant elevations in tumor markers aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alpha feto protein (AFP), gamma glutamyl transferase (Y-GT), 5 nucleotidase (5NT), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and bilirubin. The intraperitoneal administration of B. ciliata as a protective agent, produced significant increase in albumin levels with significant decrease in the levels of tumor markers aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alpha feto protein (AFP), gamma glutamyl transferase (Y-GT), 5 nucleotidase (5NT), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and bilirubin. Conclusion Bergenia ciliata has potent antioxidant activity, radical scavenging capacity and anticancerous properties. Bergenia ciliata extracts may provide a basis for development of anti-cancerous drug.

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