Despite significant advances in treatment modalities over the last decade, neither the incidence of the disease nor the mortality due to cancer has altered in the last thirty years. Available anti-cancer drugs exhibit limited efficacy, associated with severe side effects, and are also expensive. Thus identification of pharmacological agents that do not have these disadvantages is required. Curcumin, a polyphenolic compound derived from turmeric (Curcumin longa), is one such agent that has been extensively studied over the last three to four decades for its potential anti-inflammatory and/or anti-cancer effects. Curcumin has been found to suppress initiation, progression, and metastasis of a variety of tumors. These anti-cancer effects are predominantly mediated through its negative regulation of various transcription factors, growth factors, inflammatory cytokines, protein kinases, and other oncogenic molecules. It also abrogates proliferation of cancer cells by arresting them at different phases of the cell cycle and/or by inducing their apoptosis. The current review focuses on the diverse molecular targets modulated by curcumin that contribute to its efficacy against various human cancers.

This study deals with the green synthesis of chromium oxide (Cr₂O₃) nanoparticles using a leaf extract of Abutilon indicum (L.) Sweet as a reducing and capping agent. Different characterization techniques were used to characterize the synthesized nanoparticles such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Transmission electron microscope (TEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopy. The X-ray diffraction technique confirmed the purity and crystallinity of the Cr₂O₃ nanoparticles. The average size of the nanoparticles ranged from 17 to 42 nm. The antibacterial activity of the green synthesized nanoparticles was evaluated against four different bacterial strains, E. coli, S. aureus, B. bronchiseptica, and B. subtilis using agar well diffusion and a live/dead staining assay. The anticancer activities were determined against Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) cancer cells using MTT and a live/dead staining assay. Antioxidant activity was investigated in the linoleic acid system. Moreover, the cytobiocompatibility was analyzed against the Vero cell lines using MTT and a live/dead staining assay. The results demonstrated that the green synthesized Cr₂O₃ nanoparticles exhibited superior antibacterial activity in terms of zones of inhibition (ZOIs) against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria compared to plant extracts and chemically synthesized Cr₂O₃ nanoparticles (commercial), but comparable to the standard drug (Leflox). The green synthesized Cr₂O₃ nanoparticles exhibited significant anticancer and antioxidant activities against MCF-7 cancerous cells and the linoleic acid system, respectively, compared to chemically synthesized Cr₂O₃ nanoparticles. Moreover, cytobiocompatibility analysis displayed that they presented excellent biocompatibility with Vero cell lines than that of chemically synthesized Cr₂O₃ nanoparticles. These results suggest that the green synthesized Cr₂O₃ nanoparticles’ enhanced biological activities might be attributed to a synergetic effect. Hence, green synthesized Cr₂O₃ nanoparticles could prove to be promising candidates for future biomedical applications.

Oral cancer is a major public health burden worldwide. The lack of biomarkers for early diagnosis has increased the difficulty in managing this disease. Recent studies have reported that neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), a secreted glycoprotein, is upregulated in various tumors. In our study, we found that NGAL was significantly downregulated in primary malignant and metastatic tissues of oral cancer in comparison to normal tissues. The downregulation of NGAL was strongly correlated with both degree of differentiation and stage (I–IV); it can also serve as a prognostic biomarker for oral cancer. Additionally, tobacco carcinogens were found to be involved in the downregulation of NGAL. Mechanistic studies revealed that knockdown of NGAL increased oral cancer cell proliferation, survival, and migration; it also induced resistance against cisplatin. Silencing of NGAL activated mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)signaling and reduced autophagy by the liver kinase B1 (LKB1)-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-p53-Redd1 signaling axis. Moreover, cyclin-D1, Bcl-2, and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) were upregulated, and caspase-9 was downregulated, suggesting that silencing of NGAL increases oral cancer cell proliferation, survival, and migration. Thus, from our study, it is evident that downregulation of NGAL activates the mTOR pathway and helps in the progression of oral cancer.

This study investigates the techno-economic feasibility of an off-grid integrated solar/wind/hydrokinetic plant to co-generate electricity and hydrogen for a remote micro-community. In addition to the techno-economic viability assessment of the proposed system via HOMER (hybrid optimization of multiple energy resources), a sensitivity analysis is conducted to ascertain the impact of ±10% fluctuations in wind speed, solar radiation, temperature, and water velocity on annual electric production, unmet electricity load, LCOE (levelized cost of electricity), and NPC (net present cost). For this, a far-off village with 15 households is selected as the case study. The results reveal that the NPC, LCOE, and LCOH (levelized cost of hydrogen) of the system are equal to $333,074, 0.1155 $/kWh, and 4.59 $/kg, respectively. Technical analysis indicates that the PV system with the rated capacity of 40 kW accounts for 43.7% of total electricity generation. This portion for the wind turbine and the hydrokinetic turbine with nominal capacities of 10 kW and 20 kW equates to 23.6% and 32.6%, respectively. Finally, the results of sensitivity assessment show that among the four variables only a +10% fluctuation in water velocity causes a 20% decline in NPC and LCOE.

Ginkgolic acid C 17:1 (GAC 17:1) extracted from Ginkgo biloba leaves, has been previously reported to exhibit diverse antitumor effect(s) through modulation of several molecular targets in tumor cells, however the detailed mechanism(s) of its actions still remains to be elucidated. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is an oncogenic transcription factor that regulates various critical functions involved in progression of diverse hematological malignancies, including multiple myeloma, therefore attenuating STAT3 activation may have a potential in cancer therapy. We determined the anti-tumor mechanism of GAC 17:1 with respect to its effect on STAT3 signaling pathway in multiple myeloma cell lines. We found that GAC 17:1 can inhibit constitutive activation of STAT3 through the abrogation of upstream JAK2, Src but not of JAK1 kinases in U266 cells and also found that GAC can suppress IL-6-induced STAT3 phosphorylation in MM.1S cells. Treatment of protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) inhibitor blocked suppression of STAT3 phosphorylation by GAC 17:1, thereby indicating a critical role for a PTP. We also demonstrate that GAC 17:1 can induce the substantial expression of PTEN and SHP-1 at both protein and mRNA level. Further, deletion of PTEN and SHP-1 genes by siRNA can repress the induction of PTEN and SHP-1, as well as abolished the inhibitory effect of drug on STAT3 phosphorylation. GAC 17:1 down-regulated the expression of STAT3 regulated gene products and induced apoptosis of tumor cells. Overall, GAC 17:1 was found to abrogate STAT3 signaling pathway and thus exert its anticancer effects against multiple myeloma cells.

Continuously increasing energy demand and growing concern about energy resources has attracted much research in the field of clean and sustainable energy sources. In this context, zero-emission fuels are required for energy production to reduce the usage of fossil fuel resources. Here, we present the synthesis of Pd-Ag-decorated reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanostructures using a green chemical approach with stevia extract for hydrogen production and antibacterial studies under light irradiation. Moreover, bimetallic nanostructures are potentially lime lighted due to their synergetic effect in both scientific and technical aspects. Structural characteristics such as crystal structure and morphological features of the synthesized nanostructures were analyzed using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Analysis of elemental composition and oxidation states was carried out by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Optical characteristics of the biosynthesized nanostructures were obtained by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to investigate possible functional groups that act as reducing and capping agents. The antimicrobial activity of the biosynthesized Pd-Ag-decorated rGO nanostructures was excellent, inactivating 96% of Escherichia coli cells during experiments over 150 min under visible light irradiation. Hence, these biosynthesized Pd-Ag-decorated rGO nanostructures can be utilized for alternative nanomaterial-based drug development in the future.