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Recently, there has been a strong interest in nanoparticles (NPs) and their use in a wide range of food applications due to their possession of a set of unique physical and chemical properties. In this work, the nanoformulation was synthesized by coating Fe Ion and Zahdi date pit powder (ZDP) by whey protein. This nanosystem was functionalized by folic acid (FA) molecules. The physiochemical characteristics of WPI@Fe-ZDP-FA nanocomposite were evaluated and confirmed by dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and radical scavenging activity using DPPH methods. These NPs were added to skim milk and yogurt was produced from it. The effects of this addition on the chemical, physical and sensory properties of yogurt were studied during storage at $5^{\circ }$C for 28 days. The prepared nanocomposite was used in proportions of 0.25%, 0.5% and 0.75%, respectively. The chemical tests included measuring the percentage of moisture, protein, carbohydrates, fat, and ash, in addition to the total acidity and pH, while the rheological tests included hardness, cohesion and flexibility. A sensory evaluation of the curd parameters was also performed. The curd treatments to which the nanocomposite was added showed a decrease in the level of moisture over the length of the storage period and an increase in the percentage of protein, carbohydrates and ash compared to the control sample that was without the addition. As for the rheological tests, there was a discrepancy in the results of the treatments when compared to the control treatment, as the addition of 0.25% has higher characteristics than all other treatments, especially in the ability to retain water and spontaneous whey excretion. It was more acceptable in terms that the novel WPI@Fe-ZDP-FA nanoformulation greatly improved the characteristics of texture, taste and flavor in yogurt.

Australia Helps Map Transcriptome of Mouse Genome.

Blood Cell Protein Mutation Slows Malaria.

Chinese Scientists Complete Detailed Rice Genome Map.

Three New Human Genes Discovered Among Chinese.

Abnormal Chromosomes Related to Habitual Abortion Found.

Rice Genome Sequencing by Japan-led Team Completed.

Study Shows Rats not Affected by Electromagnetic Wave.

Researchers Clone Monkey Embryos.

Folic Acid Reduces Heart Disease Risk.

NZ in International Brain Hemorrhage Study.

NTU and Sun Microsystems Collaborate on High Performance Computing for Life Sciences.

National Cheng Kung University Named as Bioinformatics Center of Excellence.

Carpal Tunnel Effectively Treated with Short-term Steroids.

Taiwan Scientists Clone Liver Cells.

Nanotechnology is a favorable avenue for improving therapeutic strategies, especially in cancer therapy. The harmful side effects of traditional cancer therapy impact dramatically on the patient’s quality of life. Cisplatin, a commonly used anticancer drug, is implicated in side effects such as neurotoxicity, nephrotoxicity and reduced blood cell count. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been investigated for their antibacterial effects and their anticancer activities to a lesser extent. Their capability as drug delivery vehicles has not been fully exploited, primarily due to their inconclusive cytotoxicity observed in healthy tissues. This study aimed to synthesize and characterize nanoparticles (NPs), consisting of Ag, chitosan (Cs) and folic acid (FA) (CsAg and FACsAg), loading them with cisplatin (C) (C-CsAg and C-FACsAg) and comparing their anticancer activities in the human embryonic kidney (HEK293), breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) and cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cells. All NPs and drug nanocomplexes were morphologically and physicochemically characterized, revealing NPs and nanocomplexes of favorable sizes ($<110$nm), polydispersity and stability. The drug encapsulation efficiencies for C-CsAg and C-FACsAg were 50% and 72%, respectively, while drug release studies indicated that cisplatin release was pH dependent. The C-FACsAg nanocomplexes produced greater anticancer activity than C-CsAg. Folate receptor-mediated uptake was confirmed for the C-FACsAg nanocomplexes in the receptor-rich HeLa cells boding well for future in vivo research.

Nineteen amperometric dot microsensors based on graphite and graphene modified with a selection of porphyrins and phthalocyanines were evaluated and tested for their ability of the analysis of folic acid in pharmaceutical tablets (e.g. Acifol) and biological samples (e.g. urine), using differential pulse voltammetry. Cyclic voltammetry was used to optimize the working conditions, e.g. pH and electrolyte for the proposed amperometric dot microsensors. The optimum working pH was 7.0 (phosphate buffer), with a 0.1 M potassium chloride supporting electrolyte. The linear concentration ranges for folic acid were between 10^-6 and 10^-3) M for all dot microsensors except dot microsensors based on graphite modified with tetraamino cobalt(II) phthalocyanine and tetranitro manganese(II) phthalocyanine which had linear concentration ranges between 10-⁶ and 10^-4M. The highest sensitivity (0.770 nA. mmolL^-1) was recorded for the graphite modified with tetraamino cobalt(II) phthalocyanine based dot sensor and the lowest limit of detection (1.14 10^-7M) for the graphite modified with tetranitro zinc(II) phthalocyanine based dot sensor. The dot sensors were used for the reliable analysis of folic acid in Acifol tablets and urine samples, with recoveries higher than 94.00% and 99.00%, respectively.

In recent years, great interest has been focused on the use of photosensitizers (PS) for photodynamic therapy (PDT) as safe and effective anti-tumor drugs. As a good lysosomal-targeted drug, folic acid (FA) is highly interesting as well. $N$-methylpyridylporphyrin tailed with folate conjugate (Me-Por-FA) was newly designed and synthesized and the structure was confirmed by UV-vis, IR, ¹H NMR, MS and elemental analysis. The interaction of this porphyrin with calf thymus DNA was the intercalative binding mode, which was confirmed by ultraviolet and fluorescence spectra, and the binding constants $K$ was 6.24 × 10⁴ L/mol. The singlet oxygen (¹O${}_2)$ generated by Me-Por-FA was determined by 1, 3-diphenylisobenzofuran (DPBF) method using tetrapyridylporphyrin (H${}_2$TMPyP) as a comparison with the following order: H₂TMPyP > Me-Por-FA. Stained with LysoTracker${}^{\text{®}}$ Green DND-26, Me-Por-FA was mainly distributed over the lysosomes during 4 h, but H${}_2$TMPyP was not. This suggests that Me-Por-FA could be developed as a targeted photosensitizer for precise photodynamic therapy.

A 2,6-diiodo-3,5-dithienylvinyleneBODIPY dye was prepared and encapsulated with folate-chitosan capped Pluronic${}^{\circledR }$ F-127 to provide drug delivery systems for photodynamic therapy (PDT). Moderately enhanced singlet oxygen quantum yields were observed for the dye encapsulation complexes in water. The in vitro dark cytotoxicity and photodynamic activity were investigated on the human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) cell line. Minimal dark cytotoxicity was observed for the BODIPY dyes in 5% DMSO and when encapsulated in folate-functionalized chitosan-coated Pluronic${}^{\circledR }$ F-127 micelles, since the cell viability values are consistently greater than 80% over the 0-40 $\mu \mathrm{\text{g}}\cdot {\mathrm{\text{mL}}}^{-1}$ concentration range. Upon irradiation of the samples, significant cytocidal activity was observed for the encapsulation complex of a 2,6-diiodo-8-dimethylaminophenyl-3,5-dithienylvinyleneBODIPY dye with less than 50% viable cells observed at concentrations $\ge 20\mu \mathrm{\text{g}}\cdot {\mathrm{\text{mL}}}^{-1}$.

A folate-targeted ruthenium(II) phthalocyanine (Ru(FA-Py)(DMSO)(PEG)${}_8$Pc), endowed with a pyridyl ligand functionalized with one folic acid unit (FA-Py) at one of the two axial coordination sites, and a dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) ligand coordinated to the other axial position, respectively, is described. In order to enhance its biocompatibility, the RuPc is donated with eight PEG chains attached at the peripheral positions. The observed singlet oxygen quantum yields of the PS measured in DMSO and in water are of 0.74 and 0.36, respectively, in line with those observed for other RuPcs bearing comparable axial and peripheral substitution. In vitro PDT activity of the compound has been evaluated in HT-1376 human bladder cancer cell line. Ru(FA-Py)(DMSO)(PEG)${}_8$Pc revealed a slightly higher cellular uptake than those observed for the corresponding carbohydrate-substituted PSs and a better photodynamic activity compared to the glucose-functionalized RuPc.

Supramolecular chemistry of folic acid is studied and revealed by exploring its assembly and disassembly process in a liquid–liquid interface. Experimental and computational studies are conducted to understand the interfacial interactions of folic acid in a oil-in-water interface by investigating the role of folic acid’s critical aggregation concentration (CAC), molecular arrangement, and intermolecular interactions at the molecular level. The folic acid’s CAC, determined from the concentration-dependent UV–vis absorption spectra in water/methanol solvent system, is found to be 2.72$\mu$M. The sigmoidal behavior of folic acid’s maximum absorbances with respect to different folic acid concentrations reveals the nature of the self-assembly dynamics and aggregative assemblies’ formation by three signature phases, in which CAC lies in the second phase — the growth phase. The computational studies reveal the intermolecular interactions and molecular orientation of folic acid molecules. They interact each other via H₂-bonding between carboxylic acid groups in two glutamate units and two amine groups in pteridine units and $\pi$–$\pi$ interactions between pteridine units and phenyl units, orienting two units in a parallel stacked arrangement. Correlating the computed intermolecular interactions and structural orientation of folic acid with its solid-state crystal packing structure has provided strong evidence supporting its supramolecular chemistry and assembly dynamics to make nanoassemblies in a liquid–liquid interface.

Mesostructured chitosan-coated Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (CS-coated Fe₃O₄ NPs) were synthesized by a facile one-step solvothermal method via using chitosan as a surface-modification agent. Subsequently, the surfaces of CS-coated Fe₃O₄ NPs were successfully conjugated with folic acid (FA) molecules to obtain FA–CS-coated Fe₃O₄ NPs for improving targeted drug delivery. The morphology, chemical component and magnetic property of as-prepared composite nanoparticles were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning transmission electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Furthermore, doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) as a model drug was encapsulated for investigating drug release pattern in vitro. The results show that the magnetization saturation value of FA–CS-coated Fe₃O₄ NPs was about 28.5 emu/g, exhibiting superparamagnetic properties and mesostructure. DOX could be loaded to FA–CS-coated Fe₃O₄ NPs with high capacity about 27.9%, and the release rate of DOX could be adjusted by the pH value. This work demonstrates that the prepared magnetic nanoparticles have potential applications in the treatment of cancer as targeting drug delivery carriers.

Highly blue fluorescence carbon dots (CDs-MCM) were successfully prepared via a simple hydrothermal method with citric acid and ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid doped mesoporous silica MCM-41. The CDs-MCM exhibited uniform particle size and possessed good excitation-dependent characteristic. It showed highly selectivity and sensitivity in detection of Cr(VI), folic acid and good linear ranges of 0–37.5$\mu$M ($R^2=0.9903$) and 0–50$\mu$M ($R^2=0.9949$). The low detection limits were 79.31nM and 118.73nM for Cr(VI) and folic acid, respectively. It revealed that inner filter effect dominated in Cr(VI) quenching of the CDs-MCM fluorescent, while that of folic acid belonged to static quenching. The CDs-MCM were successfully used to detect the Cr(Vl) and folic acid in water and vegetable samples with satisfactory results. It provided new insight into environmental Cr(VI) and folic acid detection.

Introduction: Metal nanoparticles such as gold and silver nanoparticles have attracted much interest during the last decades for their special chemical and physical properties. Gold and silver nanoparticles can be functionalized with active biologic moieties like antibodies, drugs and chemicals, enabling them to react with specific cells. Furthermore, penetration and cytotoxic effects of nanoparticles can be increased by electromagnetic waves such as infrared, ultraviolet, radiofrequency and microwave. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the rate of cell cytotoxicity induced by folic acid-functionalized gold and silver nanoparticles with and without microwave irradiation on cancer cells from patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Method: Patients with known AML (M1, M2, M3 and M4), all recently diagnosed by histopathology, special stains and immunohistochemistry, and 4 normal persons were enrolled in the study. The blood mononuclear cell fraction was separated, so that the final concentration of neoplastic myeloid cells and normal mononuclear cells in each tube was adjusted to about 400 cells/μL. For preparation of folate-functionalized gold and silver nanoparticles, folic acid was dissolved in deionized water, added to 1 mM HAuCl₄ and 1 mM AgNO₃ solution, and incubated at 50°C for 8 h. Scanning electron micrographs, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) were used for confirmation of the synthesis of functionalized nanoparticles. After preparation, nanoparticles were added to cancerous and normal cell suspensions, and then incubated at 37°C for 1 h. Another experiment was carried out in the same way but with exposure to microwave irradiation for 10 s so that its temperature reached at 50°C, and then incubated at 37°C for 1 h, after which cell cytotoxicity was evaluated with MTT test. All of the tests were duplicated, and paired t-test was used to compare the mean absorbance read-out in each of the above-mentioned groups of wells. Results: The sizes of functionalized gold and silver nanoparticles were approximately 25 nm to 32 nm. After synthesis of functionalized nanoparticles, the tubes containing HAuCl₄ turned to red color, and the peak absorbance for gold nanoparticles was at 520 nm. For AgNo₃, it turned to yellow color with a peak absorbance at 420 nm. FTIR test showed connection of folic acid moieties to gold and silver surfaces. This study showed that functionalized gold nanoparticles were more toxic than functionalized silver nanoparticles on cancer and normal cells. Also, microwave irradiation was more synergic with functionalized gold nanoparticles. Furthermore, the most effectiveness score was 2.87 for functionalized silver nanoparticles without microwave irradiation and the minimum effectiveness score was 2.20 for functionalized silver nanoparticles with microwave. Conclusion: This study clearly demonstrated that although functionalized gold nanoparticles have high toxicity to cells, but silver nanoparticles without microwave irradiation are more effective because of less cytotoxic effect on normal cells.

The endoscopy is a common diagnosis method for the detection of colorectal cancer and there are two methods to improve the diagnostic sensitivity. One is chromoendoscopy, and the other is magnifying endoscopy. Color contrast dye, such as indigo carmine, usually is sprayed on the surface of the intestine and can accumulate in the pits and crevices of the mucosa to enhance the identification of the lesion. However, this color contrast dye does not have target-specific and local-retention properties. For these reasons we encapsulated indigo carmine into chitosan nanoparticles (CNIC) by the ionic gelation to increase the retention time on intestine surface, and conjugated folic acid with chitosan nanoparticles (fCNIC) to target specifically adenomatous polyps. The size and zeta potential of CNIC and fCNIC measured by transmission electron microscope and zetasizer were both at the range of 120–140 nm and 20 mV respectively. The loading efficiency of indigo carmine in fCNIC was in the range of 60–70% and depended on the concentration of acetic acid solution used to dissolve chitosan and folic acid–chitosan conjugates and folic acid conjugation percentage. Bioassy results of fCNIC targeting to HT-29 colon cancer cells revealed that the prepared particle with high folic acid conjugation had a better adhesion effect. These results implied that fCNIC with high folic acid conjugation could serve as an ideal vector for a colon-specific targeting system. According to this concept, we designed a novel detection system to enhance the accuracy of endoscopic diagnosis for colorectal cancer.

The following sections are included:

• Aging is Our #1 Health Problem

• Degenerative Effects of Aging are Universal

• Why do Humans Live So Long? It is in Our Genes

• What is Oxidative Stress?

• Measuring Oxidative Damage
  • Alkenals
  • Hydroperoxides (Aqueous)
  • Hydroperoxides (Lipid)
  • 8-Hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG)
  • 8-Epi-Prostaglandin F2α (8-epi-PGF2α)(Isoprostane)
  • Urine Creatinine

• Measuring Prooxidants
  • Antimony
  • Arsenic
  • C-Reactive Protein
  • Cadmium
  • Chromium
  • Chlorine
  • Iron
  • Ferritin
  • Copper
  • Homocysteine
  • Lead
  • Manganese
  • Mercury
  • Nickel

• Measuring Total Antioxidant Capacity
  • Lipid Peroxidation Inhibition Capacity (LPIC)* Assay
  • Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity (ORAC) Assay
  • ORAC (Aqueous Soluble)
  • ORAC (Lipid Soluble)

• Measuring Primary Antioxidants
  • Available Iron Binding Capacity (AIBC)
  • % Iron Saturation (Total Iron/TIBC)*100%
  • Ceruloplasmin

• Measuring Secondary Antioxidants

• Aqueous Soluble Antioxidants
  • Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C)
  • Bilirubin (Conjugated and Total)
  • Thiols
  • Uric Acid

• Lipid Soluble Antioxidants
  • α-Carotene
  • β-Carotene
  • β-Cryptoxanthin
  • Lutein
  • Lycopene
  • Retinol (vitamin A)
  • Retinyl Palmitate
  • α-Tocopherol (vitamin E)
  • δ-Tocopherol (vitamin E)
  • γ-Tocopherol (vitamin E)
  • Tocopherols/(Chol. + Trig.)
  • Ubiquinol (Coenzyme Q10)
  • Zeaxanthin

• Antioxidant Supporting Factors
  • Albumin
  • Total Protein
  • Albumin/Globulins Ratio
  • Magnesium
  • Selenium
  • Sulfur
  • Zinc

• Clinical Interpretation and Use of Oxidative Stress Biomarkers for Metabolic Optimization

• References

During embryogenesis (HUMAN)NAT1 is expressed in oocytes, all foetal tissues and placenta. Wild-type mouse embryos express (MOUSE) Nat2 (the orthologue of (HUMAN)NAT1, which encodes a functionally similar protein) in the developing neural tube, heart and hindbrain. In reporter mice, (MOUSE)Nat2 is transcribed in the developing eye, neuroendocrine system, heart, intestine, kidney, limb buds and vibrissae. (MOUSE)Nat2 deletion has limited developmental consequences; however, attempts to generate mice overexpressing (HUMAN)NAT1 have failed. The role of (HUMAN)NAT1 in birth defects, whose multifactorial nature and rarity necessitate enormous epidemiological studies, remains ambiguous. Either low or high activity may be detrimental: high activity may lower intracellular folate, possibly exacerbating a pre-existing low folate phenotype, while moderately reduced activity may improve cellular folate profiles. Thus, (HUMAN)NAT1 may participate in an integrated network of proteins which maintains cellular folate homeostasis. Its tight regulation is therefore not surprising, nor is the difficulty of overexpressing it in transgenic mice.