Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are highly reactive molecules that, when produced in excess, contribute to oxidative stress, promoting cellular damage and the progression of various diseases, including cancer. Polydatin (PD) is known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and pro-apoptotic properties, proving effective in several in vitro studies as an antitumor agent. However, its clinical application is limited by low bioavailability, poor water solubility, and chemical instability. To overcome these limitations, nanocarrier systems based on biopolymers, such as chitosan (CS), represent promising strategies for drug delivery. In this study, we developed and optimized CS nanocapsules loaded with Polydatin using the ionotropic gelation method. The final formulation was characterized by UV-Vis spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and dynamic and dielectrophoretic light scattering (DLS, DELS). Encapsulation efficiency (EE) and the biological effects of the nanocapsules on cancer cells were also evaluated. To assess their antitumor potential, PD-CS nanoparticles were tested on the human breast cancer SKBR3 cells, analyzing their effects on cell viability. The results demonstrate that CS nanocapsules loaded with PD are able to reduce SKBR3 cell proliferation, highlighting their potential for developing new therapeutic tools for cancer treatment.

This paper reports the synthesis, structural characterization, and biological evaluation of a novel series of Cu^I and Cu^II complexes supported by an amantadine-functionalized bis(pyrazol-1-yl)acetate ligand (L^Ad) as potential anticancer agents for the treatment of glioblastoma (GBM). Comprehensive spectroscopic and structural investigations, including SR-XPS, XANES/EXAFS, and DFT modeling, confirmed the successful coordination of L^Ad to copper centers in both oxidation states, affording well-defined molecular architectures with distinct coordination geometries. Among the synthesized compounds, the Cu^I complexes bearing triphenylphosphine co-ligands (compounds 4 and 5) exhibited the strongest cytotoxicity against U87 MG and LN18 GBM cell lines, showing IC₅₀ values lower than those of cisplatin. These complexes induced a pronounced redox imbalance through reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction and glutathione (GSH) depletion, leading to G2/M cell cycle arrest and cell death. Flow cytometry and Western blot analyses demonstrated that cell death occurs via caspase-dependent apoptosis in LN18 cells, as evidenced by PARP cleavage, downregulation of Bcl-xL, release of cytochrome c, and mitochondrial translocation of Bax. Altogether, these findings highlight the potential of lipophilic amantadine-functionalized Cu^I complexes as promising anticancer candidates targeting glioma cells through mitochondrial dysfunction and redox-mediated pathways.

The large availability of biomass, which, for the sake of decarbonization, is not supposed to be disposed of by burning and energy recovery, has led to the increasing production of polymer composites containing biomass-derived materials. The automotive industry is a field which, due to large production volumes and the requirements for safety, has large economic and environmental value. Despite this, the introduction of lignocellulosic fiber composites and generally biopolymers into this sector has been slow and so far mostly limited to non-structural or semi-structural components. This review critically considers the difficulties associated with the production of bumpers with biomass-derived materials and reports on a variety of fibers and polymers that have been proposed and on the equally variable degree of success of these studies. We also report on the understanding that rethinking the bumper in terms of materials could be an effective way to introduce biomass-based materials into the whole automotive sector on a larger scale with increased benefits.