Fluconazole (FLZ) application as a highly successful commercial antifungal azole agent to treat the fungal infections is limited due to emergence of FLZ-resistant candida. In this study, the potential of green synthesised silver nanoparticles (NPs) as an antifungal agent against Candida albicans fungal pathogen is investigated. The extract of ginger (Zingiber officinale) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris) plays as reducing agent, capping agent and antifungal agent. The UV-visible spectroscopy shows the peak of surface plasmon resonance of synthesised Ag NPs after a period of time. The synthesised Ag NPs are spherical, with average sizes of 12 and 18 nm based on ginger and thyme extract, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirms the adsorption of the plant extract on the surface of the as-prepared Ag NPs. Based on the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method against Candida albicans, the antifungal activity of as-prepared green synthesised Ag NPs shows higher inhibitory in comparison to FLZ. Finally, the Ag NPs synthesised via thyme extract shows no cytotoxicity with concentration below 3.5 ppm, which can be considered as an appropriate candidate instead of FLZ to treat the superficial fungal infections.
In this study, Bi 2 O 3 nanoparticles were employed as computed tomography (CT) contrast agents. In this regard, X-ray attenuation of Bi 2 O 3 nanoparticles, prepared via DC arc discharge in water, was investigated. In addition, the optical, structural, morphology and cytotoxicity properties of afforded nanoparticles were also studied. The electric arc discharge was done via bismuth electrodes in a water medium. Then, to stabilise Bi 2 O 3 nanoparticles, chitosan molecule was cross linked via glutaraldehyde around Bi 2 O 3 nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction analysis demonstrated the monoclinic structure and field emission-scanning electron microscopy images clarified the average size of Bi 2 O 3 as 40 nm. Fourier transform infrared analysis proved chitosan band formation around Bi 2 O 3 nanoparticles. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay revealed no considerable toxicity after 72 h. Finally, X-ray CT of chitosan-coated Bi 2 O 3 nanoparticles and Iohexol was carried out at concentrations of 1-6 mg/ml. The CT number of chitosan-coated Bi 2 O 3 nanoparticles measured 16, 30, 49, 66, 75 and 85, as well as, respective numbers for Iohexol were 5, 14, 25, 34, 44 and 57. Therefore, it displayed that X-ray attenuation of chitosan-coated Bi 2 O 3 nanoparticle was more in comparison with Iohexol at the same concentrations. Eventually, the results demonstrated that chitosan-coated Bi 2 O 3 nanoparticles are a suitable candidate for commercial iodine contrast agent substitution.
Immune checkpoint blockade, considered a revolutionary approach in cancer treatment, is only effective in patients with high tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). This work aimed to investigate the feasibility of targeted contrast agent (CA) based on dextran‐coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs‐DEX) for TILs detection by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. To do so, we synthesized an MRI CA by conjugating SPIONs‐DEX to an anti‐CD3 monoclonal antibody via cyanogen bromide as a cross‐linker. In vitro assessments demonstrated the higher labeling efficiency of the developed CA to CD3+ lymphocytes compared to SPIONs‐DEX. In vivo MRI of a xenograft model of CD3+ lymphocytes revealed the significant signal loss after the intravenous injection of the bioconjugate by ∼34 % and 21 % in T2*‐weighted and T2‐weighted images, respectively. The histopathological evaluation of xenograft tumors confirmed the labeling of lymphocytes by the targeted CA. This approach could open up a new horizon in the non‐invasive assessment of TILs to identify patients eligible for immunotherapy.
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