A rapid phytosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using an extract from the aerial parts of Artemisia marschalliana Sprengel was investigated in this study. The synthesized AgNPs using A. marschalliana extract was analyzed by UV–visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and further characterized by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, zeta potential, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. Characteristic absorption bands of AgNPs were found near 430 nm in the UV–vis spectrum. Energy-dispersive spectroscopy analysis of AgNPs in the energy range 2–4 keV confirmed the silver signal due to surface plasmon resonance. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy results revealed that the AgNPs were mostly spherical with an average size ranging from 5 nm to 50 nm. The zeta potential value of -31 mV confirmed the stability of the AgNPs. AgNPs produced using the aqueous A. marschalliana extract might serve as a potent in vitro antioxidant, as revealed by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl assay. The present study demonstrates the anticancer properties of phytosynthesized AgNPs against human gastric carcinoma AGS cells. AgNPs exerted a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on the viability of cells. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used for the investigation of Bax and Bcl-2 gene expression in cancer and normal cell lines. Our findings show that the mRNA levels of pro-apoptotic Bax gene expression were significantly upregulated, while the expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 was declined in cells treated with AgNPs compared to normal cells. In addition, flow cytometric analysis showed that the number of early and late apoptotic AGS cells was significantly enhanced following treatment with AgNPs as compared to untreated cells. In addition, the AgNPs showed strong antibacterial properties against tested pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Based on the obtained data, we suggest that phytosynthesized AgNPs are good alternatives in the treatment of diseases because of the presence of bioactive agents.

Molecular theranostics is of the utmost interest for diagnosis as well as treatment of different malignancies. In the present study, anionic linear globular dendrimer G2 is employed as a suitable carrier for delivery and AS1411 aptamer is exploited as the targeting agent to carry Iohexol specifically to the human breast cancer cells (MCF-7). Dendrimer G2 was prepared and conjugation of dendrimer and aptamer was carried out thereafter. Based on the data yielded by AFM, morphology of smooth and spherical non-targeted dendrimer changed to the rough aspherical shape when it conjugated. Then, conjugation was confirmed using DLS, ELS and SLS methods. Toxicity on nucleolin positive MCF-7 cells and nucleolin negative HEK-293 cells was assessed by XTT and apoptosis/necrosis assays. In vitro uptake was determined using DAPI-FITC staining and ICP-MS methods. In vivo studies including in vivo CT imaging, pathology and blood tests were done to confirm the imaging ability, bio-safety and targeted nature of the Nano-Theranostics in vivo. In a nutshell, the prepared construction showed promising effects upon decreasing the toxicity of Iohexol on normal cells and accumulation of it in the cancer tumors as well as reducing the number of cancer cells.

Multimodal imaging unfolds as an innovative approach that synergistically employs a spectrum of imaging techniques either simultaneously or sequentially. The integration of computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), and optical imaging (OI) results in a comprehensive and complementary understanding of complex biological processes. This innovative approach combines the strengths of each method and overcoming their individual limitations. By harmoniously blending data from these modalities, it significantly improves the accuracy of cancer diagnosis and aids in treatment decision-making processes. Nanoparticles possess a high potential for facile functionalization with radioactive isotopes and a wide array of contrast agents. This strategic modification serves to augment signal amplification, significantly enhance image sensitivity, and elevate contrast indices. Such tailored nanoparticles constructs exhibit a promising avenue for advancing imaging modalities in both preclinical and clinical setting. Furthermore, nanoparticles function as a unified nanoplatform for the co-localization of imaging agents and therapeutic payloads, thereby optimizing the efficiency of cancer management strategies. Consequently, radiolabeled nanoparticles exhibit substantial potential in driving forward the realms of multimodal imaging and theranostic applications. This review discusses the potential applications of molecular imaging in cancer diagnosis, the utilization of nanotechnology-based radiolabeled materials in multimodal imaging and theranostic applications, as well as recent advancements in this field. It also highlights challenges including cytotoxicity and regulatory compliance, essential considerations for effective clinical translation of nanoradiopharmaceuticals in multimodal imaging and theranostic applications. Graphical Abstract

Background: Amphotericin B (Amp) and Betulinic acid (BA) as antileishmanial agents have negligible water solubility and high toxicity. To solve these problems, for the first time, chitosan nanoparticles and Anionic Linear Globular Dendrimer (D) were synthesized for the treatment of Leishmania major (L. major). Method: Chitosan and dendrimer nanoparticles were synthesized, and Amp and BA were loaded into the nanoparticles. The particles were then characterized using various methods and their efficacy was evaluated in vitro and in vivo environments (parasite burden was confirmed using pathological studies and real-time PCR methods). Result: The results of docking showed that Amp and BA can be loaded into chitosan and dendrimer nanoparticles. The results of physically drug loading efficiency for AK (Amphotericin B-chitosan), BK (Betulinic acid-chitosan), AD (Amphotericin B-Dendrimer) and BD (Betulinic acid- Dendrimer) were 90, 93, 84 and 96 percent, respectively. The characterization results indicated that the drugs were loaded into nanoparticles physically. Moreover, the increased solubility rate for AD=478, BD=790, AK=80 and BK=300 folds. Furthermore, the results of the drug delivery system showed the slow controlled drug release pattern with cellular uptake of more than 90%. The treatment results showed a 100 percent decrease of toxicity for the all nanodrugs was observed in vivo and in vitro environments. Moreover, AK10 and BK20 mg/kg reduced parasite burden by 83 percent (P<0.001), while AD50 and BD40 mg/kg reduced it to a lesser extent compared to glucantime. Conclusion: All the synthesized nanodrugs were completely succeeded by 100% to recovery the L. major induced pathological effects in the infected footpad. Also, the results of present study were confirmed with real-time PCR and the results showed that AK and BK were succeeded in a large extent to the treatment of L. major infection (P<0.001), therefore AK and BK could be considered as proper alternatives of choices drugs.

The failure of a long-lasting curative therapeutic benefit of currently applied chemotherapies against malignant cancers is suggested to be caused by the ineffectiveness of such interventions on cancer stem cells (CSCs). CD133/AC133 is a cell surface protein previously shown to have potential to identify CSCs in various tumors, including brain tumors. Moreover, an increase in the rate of cellular metabolism of glutamine and glucose are contributors to the fast cellular proliferation of some high-grade malignancies. Inhibition of glutaminolysis by utilizing pharmacological inhibitors of the enzyme glutaminase 1 (GLS1) can be an effective anti-CSC strategy. In this study, the clinical-stage GLS1 inhibitor Telaglenastat (CB-839) was loaded into PEGylated gold nanoparticles equipped with the covalently conjugated CD133 aptamer (Au-PEG-CD133-CB-839) and exposed to a collection of CD133-positive brain tumor models in vitro. Our results show that Au-PEG-CD133-CB-839 significantly decreased the viability of CD133-postive cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner, which was higher as compared to the effects of treatment of the cells with the individual components of the assembled nanodrug. Interestingly, the treatment effect was observed in glioblastoma stem cells modeling different transcriptomic subtypes of the disease. The presented platform is the fundament for subsequent target specificity characterization and in vivo application.