This work aims to analyze the effects of niobium on the bioactivity of a titanium, nickel, aluminum, and niobium alloy obtained by the Plasma Skull Push Pull process (PSPP). Titanium alloys, such as NiTinol (NiTi), are metallic biomaterials that have wide application in health and surgical prostheses. In this work the microstructural and bioactivity characteristics of the alloys are evaluated. The addition of aluminum improves alloy ductility and reduces its cost. The addition of niobium favors the hydroxyapatite nucleation. Therefore, the addition of the combination of the two elements contributes to lower cost and better alloy bioactivity.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are widely used in numerous industries and areas of daily life, mainly as antimicrobial agents. The particles size is very important, but still not suffi ciently recognized parameter infl uencing the toxicity of nanosilver. The aim of this study was to investigate the cytotoxic effects of AgNPs with different particle size (~ 10, 40 and 100 nm). The study was conducted on both reproductive and pulmonary cells (CHO-9, 15P-1 and RAW264.7). We tested the effects of AgNPs on cell viability, cell membrane integrity, mitochondrial metabolic activity, lipid peroxidation, total oxidative and antioxidative status of cells and oxidative DNA damage. All kinds of AgNPs showed strong cytotoxic activity at low concentrations (2÷13 μg/ml), and caused an overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) at concentrations lower than cytotoxic ones. The ROS being formed in the cells induced oxidative damage of DNA in alkaline comet assay. The most toxic was AgNPs<10 nm. The results indicate that the silver nanoparticles, especially less than 10 nm, may be harmful to the organisms. Therefore, risk should be considered when using nanosilver preparations and provide appropriate protective measures when they are applied.

In this study, the bio state of the alloy produced in the modified metal injection system was monitored after sintering. A new system operating with high gas pressure, far from the traditional injection model, has been established for material production. In this system, 316L stainless steel powders were molded using a PEG/PMMA/SA polymer recipe. During molding, approximately 60% 316L and 40% binder by volume were used. The samples obtained were sintered at different temperatures (1100-1300°C) after de-binding. Density measurement (Archimedes) and hardness tests (HV1) of the samples were measured as 6.74 g/cm3 and ~285 HV1, respectively. A potentiodynamic corrosion test was applied to monitor the effect of the amount of oxide in the structure of the 316L stainless steel produced. Corrosion tests were carried out in artificial body solutions. The corrosion rate was measured at the level of 17.08×10–3 mm/y. In terms of biocompatibility, a cytotoxicity test was applied to the samples and the life course of the bacteria was monitored. For the 316L alloys produced, the % vitality reached approximately 103%.

Steroidal saponins isolated from many plant species belonging to Monocotyledones display potent cytotoxic activity towards many human tumor cells. We examined the cytotoxic effects of crude Paris quadrifolia extract for the first time, testing isolated saponin-rich fractions against four different human cell lines using the [(3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Cytotoxic activity was tested against human promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60) cells, human cervical adenocarcinoma (HeLa) cells and human breast cancer (MDA-MB-468) cells. Human skin fibroblasts were used as non-neoplastic control cells. Our results show significant activity of the weakly water-soluble solid residue and butanolic fraction against HL-60 and HeLa cells. The solid residue exerted cytotoxicity against all tested cell lines.

The present study is focused on the evaluation of bioeffects of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized by Bacillus subtilis strain I’-1a, the producer of iturin A lipopeptide biosurfactant. The following properties of biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles (bio-AgNPs) were evaluated: in vitro cytotoxicity, antioxidant properties, and metabolic activities of mammalian cells. As a control, chemically synthesized silver nanoparticles (chem-AgNPs) were used. In vitro, antioxidant activity of bio-AgNPs showed a significant effect on the scavenging of free radicals. Bio-AgNPs can be potent natural antioxidants and can be essential for health preservation against oxidative stress-related degenerative diseases, such as cancer. The cell viability of human skin fibroblasts NHDF was remarkably inhibited in the presence of both AgNPs. However, bio-AgNPs were more active than chem-AgNPs. In our experiment, microarrays PM-M1–PM-M4 were used to evaluate the growth of NHDF fibroblast cells in the presence of bio-AgNPs and chem-AgNPs. The NHDF fibroblast cells were more active in the presence of bio-AgNPs than in chem-AgNPs. Probably, the presence of biosurfactant produced by Bacillus subtilis I’-1a significantly increased the stability of biogenic AgNPs and enhanced their biological activities and specific interaction with human DNA. Furthermore, the evaluated biological activities were enhanced for the biosurfactant-based AgNPs.

Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) is a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) that suppresses the growth of tumor cells in humans and canines. SAHA reportedly enhances the antitumor activity of human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC). However, it is unclear whether a similar effect is exerted in canines. The present study focused on the effect of SAHA on the cytotoxicity of IL-2 activated PBMC in three tumor cell lines (CTAC, CIPm, and MCM-N1). The mRNA expression of a ligand for the NKG2D receptor was upregulated in SAHA-treated cell lines. Moreover, the SAHA-treated cell lines, except MCM-N1 demonstrated a significantly higher PBMC cytotoxicity compared to the untreated cell lines. Therefore, the NKG2DL upregulation likely enhanced the interaction of NKG2D-NKG2DL, leading to enhanced cytotoxicity of PBMC. It was also revealed that activated PBMC treated with SAHA significantly attenuated their cytotoxicity toward all the cell lines. Although the NKG2D, NKp46, NKp44, and NKp30 receptors, involved in PBMC cytotoxicity, were presumed to be downregulated, there was no significant reduction in the mRNA expression of these receptors. This study revealed that SAHA not only sensitizes the canine tumor cells to cytotoxicity due to PBMC activation, but also suppresses the cytotoxicity of PBMC themselves. Therefore, our results highlight the necessity of avoiding this inhibitory action to enhance the antitumor effect of SAHA in canines.

The chemical composition of commercial thyme oils, freshly hydrodistilled EO (essetntial oil) from dried thyme herb and thymol, the main thyme oil constituent, were analyzed in the aspect of possible cytotoxic effect against MCF-7 breast cancer and normal L929 mouse fibroblast cell lines. Based on the GC-MS analysis, it was found that the commercial essential oils revealed similarities in their chemical composition. The content of main components such as thymol, linalool and α-pinene was almost equal. Interestingly, the EO obtained by hydrodistillation from Thymi herba showed considerable differences in the percentage content of some main constituents. The reason for the differences may be caused by the intraspecific chemical variability of T. vulgaris L. Four types of tested EOs can be classified as a ‘thymol’ chemotype, with thymol as the predominant compound. The thymol alone and the freshly hydrodistilled EO demonstrated the highest cytotoxic effect against used cell lines. The difference in IC50 values suggests more sensitive L929 cells are more sensitive in both the CCK-8 assay (except EOs Kawon) and the NRU assay.