Objective: The aim of the study wasto fabricate curcumin-loaded PLGA-PEG-Fe3O4 nanoparticles and comprise the effects of pure curcumin and curcumin-nanomagnetic encapsulated in PLGA-PEG on cell cytotoxicity and hTERT gene expression in A549 lung cancer cell line. Background: Lung cancer is the most common cancer in men and one of the four main cancers that occurs in women. Telomerase is active in more than 85% of various cancerous cells such as lung cancer while its activity is very low in normal cells. Strong evidences of antitumor effects of curcumin; such as the activation of apoptosis, inhibition of angiogenesis and prevention of metastasis, have been confirmed. However, extensive clinical application of this relatively efficacious agent in cancer therapy has been limited because of poor aqueous solubility, and consequently, minimal systemic bioavailability. Nanoparticle-based targeted drug delivery approach has the potential for rendering curcumin specifically at the favorite site using an external magnetic field. It can also improve availability and circumvent the pitfalls of poor solubility. Methods: Curcumin and Fe3O4 were encapsulated inside the PLGA-PEG co-polymer. Then, the curcumin loaded PLGA-PEG-Fe3O4 nanoparticles were characterized using SEM, FTIR and VSM. In the next step, the cytotoxic effect of different concentrations (0-120 μM) of free curcumin and equivalent doses of curcumin-loaded PLGA-PEG-Fe3O4 was assessed using MTT assay at 24-72 hours. Also, gene expression levels of hTERT were measured through Realtime PCR. Results: By encapsulation of curcumin-Fe3O4, cytotoxicity of the drug substantially increased for all concentrations. IC50 of pure curcumin and nano-encapsulated curcumin during 24, 48 and 72 hours was obtained as 50.5, 49.1 and 48.3 μM and 23.7, 13.6 and 7.3 μM, respectively. Moreover, nano-encapsulated curcumin showed time-dependent cytotoxic effect on A549 cell line during 24, 48, 72 hours in comparison to pure curcumin. In addition, the expression level of the hTERT was reduced with increasing concentrations in both pure and nano-encapsulated curcumin. Compared to pure form, nano-encapsulated curcumin caused further decline in the expression levels of the gene. Conclusion: Curcumin incorporating with Fe3O4 loaded into PLGA-PEG co-polymer, as an effective targeted carrier, can make a promising horizon in targeted lung cancer therapy.

The relationships between salt stress and antioxidant enzymes activities, proline, phenol and anthocyanine contents in Hyssopus officinalis L. plants in growth stage were investigated. The plants were subjected to five levels of saline irrigation water, 0.37 (tap water as control) with 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 dSm−1 of saline water. After two months the uniform plants were harvested for experimental analysis. Antioxidant enzymes activities and proline, phenol and anthocyanine contents of the plants were examinated. Enhanced activities of peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase were determined by increasing salinity that plays an important protective role in the ROS-scavenging process. Proline, phenol and anthocyanine contents increased significantly with increasing salinity. These results suggest that salinity tolerance of Hyssopus officinalis plants might be closely related with the increased capacity of antioxidative system to scavenge reactive oxygen species and with the accumulation of osmoprotectant p...

In this study, high-throughput sequencing (RNA-Seq) was utilized to evaluate differential expression of transcripts and their related genes involved in response to terminal drought in root tissues of bread wheat landrace (L-82) and drought-sensitive genotype (Marvdasht). Subsets of 460 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in drought-tolerant genotype and 236 in drought-sensitive genotype were distinguished and functionally annotated with 105 gene ontology (GO) terms and 77 metabolic pathways. Transcriptome profiling of drought-resistant genotype “L-82” showed up-regulation of genes mostly involved in Oxidation-reduction process, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, abiotic stress response, transferase activity and heat shock proteins. On the other hand, down-regulated genes mostly involved in signaling, oxidation-reduction process, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, auxin-responsive protein and lipid metabolism. We hypothesized that the drought tolerance in “L-82” was a result of avoidance strategies. Up-regulation of genes related to the deeper root system and adequate hydraulic characteristics to allow water uptake under water scarcity confirms our hypothesis. The transcriptomic sequences generated in this study provide information about mechanisms of acclimation to drought in the selected bread wheat landrace, “L-82”, and will help us to unravel the mechanisms underlying the ability of crops to reproduce and keep its productivity even under drought stress.

Nepeta pogonosperma is an important medicinal plant with anti-inflammatory effects. An efficient and reliable transformation system for this plant was developed through optimization of several factors which affected the rate of Agrobacterium rhizogenes mediated transformation. Five bacterial strains, A4, ATCC15834, LBA9402, MSU440 and A13, two explant types, leaves and stems, and several co-cultivation media were examined. The maximum rate of hairy root induction was obtained from stem explants using MSU440 and ATCC15834 bacterial strains. A drastic increase in the frequency of transformation (91 %) was observed when MS medium lacking NH₄NO₃, KH₂PO₄, KNO₃ and CaCl₂. Hairy root lines were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers of the rolB gene. According to Southern blot analysis, one T-DNA copy was inserted into each of the hairy root lines. In the present study, transgenic hairy roots have been obtained trough genetic transformation by A. rhizogenes harbouring two plasmids, the Ri plasmid and pBI121 binary vector harbouring gus reporter gene. Expression of the gus gene in transgenic hairy root was confirmed by histochemical GUS assay.