Ahmed Algahiny

Introduction: Nanotechnology is the science that deals with matter on the nanoscale, with sizes ranging from 1 to 100 nm. It involves designing, synthesising, characterising and applying these nanoscale materials. Nanoparticles (NPs) are known for their high surface-area to volume-ratio, surface charge density, low melting point, and distinguishably good optical/electrical properties. NPs exhibit an excellent drug delivery system, an effective contrast agent for vascular imaging, and effective antimicrobial activity. The biological synthesis of NPs is a simple, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly technique. This bottom-up technique utilises organisms’ enzymes/bio-compounds and a plant extract as capping and reducing agents. Cinnamomum species are known for their intrinsic antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and neuroprotective properties. This review summarises articles that greenly synthesised NPs using Cinnamomum species’ extracts, describing their methodologies, characterisation of the nanoparticles and their medical applications. Methods: A literature search has been conducted on databases PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Frontier on the green synthesis of metal nanoparticles (MNPs) using Cinnamomum-based extracts. Various articles reported the methodology of utilising Cinnamomum species’ extracts as reducing and capping agents. Only original lab articles were considered. Results: Various types of MNPs have been successfully synthesised. The most common Cinnamomum species utilised as extracts is Cinnamomum tamala. The most common applications tested were the MNPs’ antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antidiabetic and anticancerous activity. MNPs also had a role in treating mice-induced polycystic ovarian syndrome and Parkinson-like neurodegenerative diseases. Conclusion: Cinnamomum species have been successfully utilised in the green synthesis of various MNPs. Silver and Gold NPs were the most reported. These MNPs proved their efficacy in multiple fields of medicine and biology, especially their antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal activity. Notably, the newly synthesised NPs showed promising results in treating polycystic ovarian syndrome in rats.

In the context of cell cycle inhibition, anti-proliferation, and the dysregulation observed in certain cancer pathologies, the protein p21 assumes a pivotal role. p21 links DNA damage responses to cellular processes such as apoptosis, senescence, and cell cycle arrest, primarily functioning as a regulator of the cell cycle. However, accumulating empirical evidence suggests that p21 is both directly and indirectly linked to a number of different metabolic processes. Intriguingly, recent investigations indicate that p21 significantly contributes to the pathogenesis of diabetes. In this review, we present a comprehensive evaluation of the scientific literature regarding the involvement of p21 in metabolic processes, diabetes etiology, pancreatic function, glucose homeostasis, and insulin resistance. Furthermore, we provide an encapsulated overview of therapies that target p21 to alleviate metabolic disorders. A deeper understanding of the complex interrelationship between p21 and diabetes holds promise for informing current and future therapeutic strategies to address this rapidly escalating health crisis.

Aim: To demonstrate a simple, eco-friendly, and cost-effective green method to synthesize gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using the aqueous extract of gum Arabic (GA) as a reducing and stabilizing agent. Methods: Green synthesis of nanoparticles, characterization by absorption, infra-red and fluorescence spectroscopy. Results: The absorption spectrum (UV-Vis) showed an absorption peak ~522 nm corresponding to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption peak of AuNPs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images revealed spherical-shaped nanoparticles with an average size of 15 nm. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis showed that the nanoparticles are coated with organic compounds that are present in GA. The fluorescence quenching properties of the AuNPs were assessed by monitoring their effects on fluorescence intensity of coumarin 153 (C153) dye. The fluorescence of the dye decreased with an increase in concentration of the nanoparticles. Upon addition of the protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) to the mixture the fluorescence increased (recovery) again. Conclusions: The fluorescence quenching and recovery (turn-on/off system) is a valuable method for protein detection in solution. By observing the effect of BSA on the quenched fluorescence, this nanoparticle system shows promise in biomedicine, drug delivery and environmental monitoring.