Cancer is one of the foremost causes of death worldwide. Cancer develops because of mutation in genes that regulate normal cell cycle and cell division, thereby resulting in uncontrolled division and proliferation of cells. Various drugs have been used to treat cancer thus far; however, conventional chemotherapeutic drugs have lower bioavailability, rapid renal clearance, unequal delivery, and severe side effects. In the recent years, nanotechnology has flourished rapidly and has a multitude of applications in the biomedical field. Bio-mediated nanoparticles (NPs) are cost effective, safe, and biocompatible and have got substantial attention from researchers around the globe. Due to their safe profile and fewer side effects, these nanoscale materials offer a promising cure for cancer. Currently, various metallic NPs have been designed to cure or diagnose cancer; among these, silver (Ag), gold (Au), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) are the leading anti-cancer NPs. The anticancer potential of these NPs is attributed to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cellular compartments that eventually leads to activation of autophagic, apoptotic and necrotic death pathways. In this review, we summarized the recent advancements in the biosynthesis of Ag, Au, Zn and Cu NPs with emphasis on their mechanism of action. Moreover, nanotoxicity, as well as the future prospects and opportunities of nano-therapeutics, are also highlighted.

Prefreezing is the prewetting of the crystalline phase at the interface of a melt to a solid substrate via a first-order phase transition. We present a phenomenological theory of prefreezing and analyze thermodynamic properties of the prefrozen crystalline layer. The theory enables a clear thermodynamic explanation of the abrupt formation of a mesoscopically thick crystalline layer during cooling and defines the corresponding transition temperature as a function of the interfacial free energies. It is shown that the interfacial energy difference γ sm – (γ sc + γ cm) acts as a driving force for prefreezing. The analytical results are congruent with recent experimental outcomes for poly­(ε-caprolactone) crystallized on graphite via prefreezing. The calculated interfacial free energies take reasonable values being close to the experimental estimates.

Zingiber officinale is being used as diet-based therapy because of its wide therapeutic potential in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and against diabetic complications by directly interacting with different molecular and cellular pathways that provoke the pathogenesis of T2DM. This article explores the overall beneficial effects of Z. officinale on T2DM and its associated complications. Along with elucidating the beneficial facts of Z. officinale, this article may also aid in understanding the molecular basis of its effects in T2DM. The mechanistic rationale for antidiabetic effects of Z. officinale includes the inhibition of several transcriptional pathways, lipid peroxidation, carbohydrate-metabolizing enzymes, and HMG-CoA reductase and the activation of antioxidant enzyme capacity and low-density lipoprotein receptors. Consequently, by targeting these pathways, Z. officinale shows its antidiabetic therapeutic effects by increasing insulin sensitivity/synthesis, protecting β-cells of pancreatic islets, reducing fat accumulation, decreasing oxidative stress, and increasing glucose uptake by the tissues. In addition to these effects, Z. officinale also exhibits protective effects against several diabetes-linked complications, notably nephropathy and diabetic cataract, by acting as an antioxidant and antiglycating agent. In conclusion, this work suggests that consumption of Z. officinale can help to treat T2DM and diabetic complications; nevertheless, patient counseling also is required as a guiding force for the success of diet-based therapy in T2DM.

Malva sylvestris is traditionally used for the treatment of liver diseases, but sufficient pharmacological-based scientific literature is not available online to authenticate its use in liver ailments. We aimed to assess the hepatoprotective effects of Malva sylvestris against paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in mice. The extract was concentrated using a rotary evaporator and then desired concentrations of extracts were made by dissolving in normal saline. The standard drug silymarin (100 mg/kg) was used as a reference drug to compare the therapeutic effects of Malva sylvestris. Two different doses of Malva sylvestris (300 and 600 mg/kg) were administered intraperitoneally for 7 consecutive days followed by intraperitoneal administration of paracetamol (250 mg/kg). Paracetamol significantly induced oxidative stress in the liver, ultimately leading to increased serum levels of liver enzyme markers like alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, and direct bilirubin. The extract of Malva sylvestris significantly reduced the serum levels of these elevated liver enzyme markers in a dose-dependent manner. Histopathological examination of liver tissues also showed hepatoprotective effects of Malva sylvestris in restoring normal functional ability of the liver. The results of our study strongly suggest that the extract of Malva sylvestris has strong hepatoprotective effects against paracetamol-induced liver injury, thereby scientifically affirming its traditional therapeutic role in liver injury.

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Besides heterogeneous nucleation, a solid surface can induce crystallization of a liquid via the less known process of prefreezing. Prefreezing refers to the formation of a thermodynamically stable crystalline layer at an interface to a solid surface above the bulk melting temperature of the material. Using in situ atomic force microscopy, here, we present an investigation of prefreezing of polyethylene (PE) on a molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) substrate that allows us to make a direct comparison with earlier findings of prefreezing of PE on a graphite substrate. The experiments explicitly show that the prefrozen PE layer is stabilized over a significantly larger temperature range on MoS 2 than on graphite. By employing the recently developed phenomenological theory of prefreezing for analysis, the results quantitatively show that the larger temperature range of prefreezing is caused by a larger interfacial free energies difference γ sm − (γ sc + γ cm ).

We aimed to find the toxicological impacts of Cd, Pb and Zn in single dozes and in combinations on Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) seedling. The Pursolane seedlings  grown in pots in a green house were treated with different soil treatments spiked (mg/kg) with Pb (300, 400 and 500), Cd (0.5, 1 and 1.5), and Zn (250, 500, 700) alone and then in specified combinations/concentrations i.e., Cd/Pb (0.5/300, 1/400, 1.5/500), Cd/Zn (0.5/250, 1/500, 1.5/700) and Pb/Zn (300/250, 400/500, 500/ 700). The results indicated that increasing concentrations of the studied HMs in seedlings tissues significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the seedlings growth. Cd was more toxic to P. oleracea seedling, compared to Pb and Zn. Roots of P. oleracea seedlings were more sensitive to the studied HMs in comparison with shoot. The uptake patterns showed antagonistic impacts on each other and were reflected in response to growth parameters. The combine toxicities of Cd, Pb and Zn (Cd/Pb, Cd/Zn and Pb/Zn) were more than the toxicity due to single dose of each element but less than their additive sums

Prefreezing is a first-order equilibrium phase transition at the melt− solid interface that results in an abrupt formation of a nanoscopic crystalline layer at the interface above the bulk melting temperature. A recently developed phenomenological theory predicts that the prefreezing transition temperature T max depends primarily on the difference of the interfacial free energies γ sub,melt − (γ sub,cry + γ cry,melt ), whereas the minimum jump of thickness at T max or minimum order parameter l min depends on the ratio γ γ γ + sub,cry cry,melt sub,melt. As such, T max and l min can vary independently. To test these predictions, we present in situ atomic force microscopy measurements of poly(ϵ-caprolactone) (PCL) prefrozen on a MoS 2 substrate and compare the results with those of our previous study of PCL prefrozen on graphite as well as polyethylene prefrozen on the same two substrates. The experiments show that T max of the prefrozen PCL on MoS 2 remains nearly the same as on graphite, whereas l min clearly decreases, thereby indicating that T max and l min are indeed independent of each other. The quantitative analysis of these experimental findings is consistent with the theory. With these results, we conclude a first series of experiments aimed at an experimental exploration of the theoretically predicted variations of the prefreezing phenomenon.