Senay Hamarat Sanlier

Glioblastoma multiforme remains one of the most aggressive and lethal central nervous system malignancies, primarily due to the restrictive nature of the b

Microorganisms remain a major cause of infectious diseases, emphasizing the need for alternative and complementary antimicrobial strategies. In this context, plant-derived materials have attracted increasing attention for their antimicrobial and protective properties. Chitosan, a biocompatible and cationic biopolymer, has emerged as an effective carrier system for encapsulating such plant-derived components. In this study, chitosan microparticles were prepared through ionic gelation followed by spray drying and loaded with thyme oil and olive leaf extract. The resulting microparticles exhibited an average size of approximately 1.8 μm and a total phenolic content of 23 mg GAE/g. These microparticles were incorporated into a glycerin–starch ointment to develop a nasal barrier formulation. The formulation showed physicochemical properties compatible with intranasal administration, with pH values in the range of 5–7. The antibacterial activity of the formulation was tested in vivo using BALB/c mice, in which a time-dependent reduction in microbial viability was observed after intranasal administration. Overall, these results suggest that chitosan-based microparticle systems containing plant-derived components could serve as nasal barrier formulations with supportive antibacterial effects.

Objective: Albumin, a biodegradable, biocompatible, and non-toxic plasma protein, is widely used as a nanocarrier in drug delivery systems. Pemetrexed, a potent thymidylate synthase inhibitor for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), is limited by severe systemic side effects. Embedding magnetite within albumin carriers enables external-field guidance (magnetic targeting), which enhances tumor accumulation while reducing off-target exposure. Additionally, employing genipin as a natural, biodegradable, and low-cytotoxicity crosslinker stabilizes the albumin matrix while eliminating the use of toxic aldehyde-based agents.This study introduces a genipin-crosslinked, magnetically targetable albumin nanoparticle platform for enhanced and controlled delivery of pemetrexed to lung cancer cells. Unlike previous pemetrexed–albumin systems, this dual design—combining genipin crosslinking with magnetite-mediated targeting—offers improved structural stability, biocompatibility, and site-specific delivery potential Methods: Bovine serum albumin (BSA) nanoparticles were prepared via desolvation using genipin as the crosslinker and magnetite for magnetic responsiveness. Key formulation parameters—BSA concentration, genipin content, magnetite ratio, reaction time, and drug loading—were systematically optimized. Drug release from free pemetrexed and nanoparticle formulations was evaluated at pH 7.4 and 5.5. Nanoparticles were characterized by SEM, FTIR, and zeta potential; cytotoxic efficacy was assessed in A549-luc-C8 and CRL-5807 lung cancer cells. Results: The nanoparticle yielded spherical, negatively charged nanoparticles with sustained, pH-responsive release. In vitro, the genipin-crosslinked, magnetite-containing nanoparticles demonstrated improved antitumor efficacy versus free drug. Conclusion: Magnetite provides a handle for external magnetic guidance, supporting targeted delivery, while genipin crosslinking minimizes residual crosslinker toxicity and stabilizes the carrier network. Together, genipin crosslinking + magnetic targeting define the novelty and translational potential of this system, with the prospect of reducing systemic exposure via controlled, site-directed delivery.

The textile industry is one of the main sectors contributing to water pollution, with dyes being among the most significant pollutants in wastewater

EGFR is one of the important mediators of the signaling cascade that determines key roles in various biological processes such as growth, differentiation, metabolism and apoptosis in the cell in response to external and internal stimuli. In recent years, it has been proven that although this enzyme activity is tightly regulated in normal cells, if the enzyme activity cannot be controlled, it can lead to malignancy. EGFR is also considered a prominent macromolecule in targeted cancer chemotherapy. For this purpose, a comprehensive modeling studies were conducted against EGFR protein and novel molecules containing 5-[(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)methyl]-3H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione structure were suggested to be synthesized. Among the synthesized molecules, compounds 7c, 8c, 8f and 8g were determined to have significant IC₅₀ values. Compound 8g was found to have the IC₅₀ value closest to the very well-known EGFR inhibitor Gefitinib with its noncompetitive inhibition form. K_i value of compound 8g was calculated as 0.00232 µM. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Background: Green synthesis, an alternative method for synthesizing nanoparticles, is cheaper, environmentally friendly, and does not produce toxic effects. Doxorubicin is a chemotherapeutic agent used in lung cancer. Curcumin is a bioactive compound with properties such as an anticancer obtained from Curcuma longa. Objective: This study’s objective was to develop Doxorubicin and Curcumin loaded magnetic nanoparticles that could be synthesized by green tea leaves and investigate cytotoxic effects against the A549-luc-C8, non-small cell lung cancer line. Methods: Magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized with the green synthesis method. Furthermore, Doxorubicin and Curcumin were encapsulated into magnetic nanoparticles with the one-pot method and obtained magnetic nanoparticles characterized using FTIR, SEM/EDX, XRD, and UV-VIS spectrophotometric techniques. After that, The drug release test was performed by dialysis using pH 7.4 phosphate-buffered saline at 37 °C. MTT assay was performed to test the cytotoxicity effect in the A549-luc-C8 cell line. Results: FTIR analysis verified the magnetic structure and drug loading. SEM images of magnetic nanoparticle releaved that they had a size of about 50-60 nm in a mono-disperse manner. Drug release after 24 h was found as 5.8% for doxorubicin and 3.4% for curcumin, showing controlled release. Conclusion: Results showed that the prepared magnetic nanoparticles were thought to had synergistic antitumor activity for A549-lucC8.

The main objective of this study was to prepare cisplatin (CDDP) bound triblock polymeric micelle solution which will have hydrophilic shell not being phagocytosed by mononuclear phagocyte system, and evaluate in vitro behavior for the treatment of ovarian cancer. For this aim, CDDP was bound to polyglutamic acid (PGA) and triblock polymer was prepared using polyethylene glycol)-polylactide-co-glycolide (PEG-PLGA). CDDP-bound triblock copolymer conjugation was characterized, in vitro release and permeability studies were performed using USP II method and CaCo-2 cell lines respectively. The release of CDDP from CDDP-bound triblock polymeric micelle solution was found 87.3 ± 3.56% at the end of 24th hour. CDDP bound triblock polymeric micelle solution was detected as biocompatible, and permeable according to in vitro studies. According to the MTT results, the measured cytotoxicity was found to be maximum in CDDP-bound triblock polymeric micelle solution when compared with CDDP solution and conjugate in SKOV-3 and OVCAR-3 cells whereas Annexin V-FITC Apoptosis results were found to be maximum in A2780 cells.

Cancer is a group of diseases that are defined as uncontrolled cell proliferation, impaired function of vital tissues and cell death. Chemotherapy is treatment using anti-cancer drugs to destroy cancer cells or control the growth of these cells. In chemotherapy applications pharmacologically active anticancer drugs reach with low specificity to tumor tissue, and also their toxicity is dose-dependent. Classical drug administration routes are either oral or intravenous. Orally taken pills result in irregular pharmacokinetics due to the passages of different metabolic pathways and their low specificity. This leads to frequent damage to healthy tissues. Nanoparticle containing drug delivery systems may overcome these harmful side effects partially (or sometimes totally). Binding peptide-drug conjugates inside of some appropriate nanoparticles is one of the prominent methods among targeted drug delivery systems. Such a system containing Pazopanib (Pz) and Pemetrexed (Pm) drug complexes attached to magnetite nanoparticles with a short polypeptide chain (Ala-Lys-Ala-Leu-Arg-Cys) were designed in our laboratory. In the present study, we computationally investigate the conjugation mechanisms of Pz and Pm drug molecules to the above-mentioned polypeptide chain. The stable structures on the complex formation pathways and their free energy values were obtained at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level in the water. The mechanism of Pept-Pz complex formation has two steps whose free energy barriers are found to be 21.37 and 27.72 kcal/mol. On the other hand, the free energy barrier of the Pept-Pm complex having a single-step mechanism was calculated as 28.16 kcal/mol.

Laccase was partially purified from mushroom compost with cheap and simple purification methods. Partially purified laccase was immobilized onto Amberlite XAD-7 resin. Immobilization conditions and textile dye (Direct Green B) decolorization of immobilized enzyme were examined. Laccase was partially purified from mushroom compost with 3.22 purification fold. Immobilization time for laccase was 30 minutes with 97% efficiency. The immobilization yield based on the activity was calculated by about 90%. The immobilization yield was calculated as nearly 95% based on the measurement of protein amount at each stage. Immobilized enzyme preserved its initial activity with an 84% rate even after its tenth use. The free enzyme lost its activity immediately when it was incubated with the dye solution under its optimal conditions (pH 3.0 and 65°C). On the contrary, the immobilized enzyme maintained its initial activity with a 53% rate when incubated with dye solution under its optimal conditions (pH 3.5 and 65°C).

Osteomyelitis is a bone infection caused by microorganisms. Localized efficient drug delivery for treatment osteomyelitis is an important topic. Amoxicillin is one the antibiotics used for osteomyelitis therapy. Magnetic nanoparticles could achieve localized targeted treatment with the help of magnetic field. Starch is biodegradable and biocompatible biopolymer and can be used for carrier material for drug delivery. The aim of this study is to develope amoxicillin loaded magnetic nanoparticles for the use of treatment of osteomyelitis. Here, magnetite nanostructures were coated with starch and characterized with FTIR, TGA and SEM. It was seen that nanoparticles were spherical and had a size of 14-36 nm. Amoxicillin loading onto magnetic nanoparticles was performed by adsorption method using various concentrations of drug and 0.483 mg amoxicillin was adsorbed on per mg of nanoparticles. In addition, in vitro drug release at pH 7.4 was obtained as in a controlled manner. As a conclusion, it can be suggested that amoxicillin loaded these nanoparticles could have a potential for drug delivery to osteomyelitis.