Browsing by Author "McCarron, Paul A."

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    Anti-bacterial activity of inorganic nanomaterials and their antimicrobial peptide conjugates against resistant and non-resistant pathogens
    (2020) Pardhi, Dinesh M.; Karaman, Didem Sen; Timonen, Juri; Wu, Wei; Zhang, Qi; Satija, Saurabh; Mehta, Meenu; Charbe, Nitin; McCarron, Paul A.; Tambuwala, Murtaza M.; Bakshi, Hamid A.; Negi, Poonam; Aljabali, Alaa A.; Dua, Kamal; Chellappan, Dinesh K.; Behera, Ajit; Pathak, Kamla; Watharkar, Ritesh B.; Rautio, Jarkko; Rosenholm, Jessica M.
    This review details the antimicrobial applications of inorganic nanomaterials of mostly metallic form, and the augmentation of activity by surface conjugation of peptide ligands. The review is subdivided into three main sections, of which the first describes the antimicrobial activity of inorganic nanomaterials against gram-positive, gram-negative and multidrug-resistant bacterial strains. The second section highlights the range of antimicrobial peptides and the drug resistance strategies employed by bacterial species to counter lethality. The final part discusses the role of antimicrobial peptide-decorated inorganic nanomaterials in the fight against bacterial strains that show resistance. General strategies for the preparation of antimicrobial peptides and their conjugation to nanomaterials are discussed, emphasizing the use of elemental and metallic oxide nanomaterials. Importantly, the permeation of antimicrobial peptides through the bacterial membrane is shown to aid the delivery of nanomaterials into bacterial cells. By judicious use of targeting ligands, the nanomaterial becomes able to differentiate between bacterial and mammalian cells and, thus, reduce side effects. Moreover, peptide conjugation to the surface of a nanomaterial will alter surface chemistry in ways that lead to reduction in toxicity and improvements in biocompatibility.
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    Dietary Crocin is Protective in Pancreatic Cancer while Reducing Radiation-Induced Hepatic Oxidative Damage
    (2020) Bakshi, Hamid A.; Al Zoubi, Mazhar S.; Faruck, Hakkim L.; Aljabali, Alaa A. A.; Rabi, Firas A.; Hafiz, Amin A.; Al-Batanyeh, Khalid M.; Al-Trad, Bahaa; Ansari, Prawej; Nasef, Mohamed M.; Charbe, Nitin B.; Satija, Saurabh; Mehta, Meenu; Mishra, Vijay; Gupta, Gaurav; Abobaker, Salem; Negi, Poonam; Azzouz, Ibrahim M.; Dardouri, Ashref Ali K.; Dureja, Harish; Prasher, Parteek; Chellappan, Dinesh K.; Dua, Kamal; Da Silva, Mateus Webba; El Tanani, Mohamed; McCarron, Paul A.; Tambuwala, Murtaza M.
    Pancreatic cancer is one of the fatal causes of global cancer-related deaths. Although surgery and chemotherapy are standard treatment options, post-treatment outcomes often end in a poor prognosis. In the present study, we investigated anti-pancreatic cancer and amelioration of radiation-induced oxidative damage by crocin. Crocin is a carotenoid isolated from the dietary herb saffron, a prospect for novel leads as an anti-cancer agent. Crocin significantly reduced cell viability of BXPC3 and Capan-2 by triggering caspase signaling via the downregulation of Bcl-2. It modulated the expression of cell cycle signaling proteins P53, P21, P27, CDK2, c-MYC, Cyt-c and P38. Concomitantly, crocin treatment-induced apoptosis by inducing the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytosol. Microarray analysis of the expression signature of genes induced by crocin showed a substantial number of genes involved in cell signaling pathways and checkpoints (723) are significantly affected by crocin. In mice bearing pancreatic tumors, crocin significantly reduced tumor burden without a change in body weight. Additionally, it showed significant protection against radiation-induced hepatic oxidative damage, reduced the levels of hepatic toxicity and preserved liver morphology. These findings indicate that crocin has a potential role in the treatment, prevention and management of pancreatic cancer.
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    Emergence of three dimensional printed cardiac tissue: opportunities and challenges in cardiovascular diseases
    (2019) Charbe, Nitin B.; Zacconi, Flavia C. M.; Amnerkar, Nikhil; Pardhi, Dinesh; Shukla, Priyank; Mukattash, Tareq L.; McCarron, Paul A.; Tambuwala, Murtaza M.
    Three-dimensional (3D) printing, also known as additive manufacturing, was developed originally for engineering applications. Since its early advancements, there has been a relentless development in enthusiasm for this innovation in biomedical research. It allows for the fabrication of structures with both complex geometries and heterogeneous material properties. Tissue engineering using 3D bio-printers can overcome the limitations of traditional tissue engineering methods. It can match the complexity and cellular microenvironment of human organs and tissues, which drives much of the interest in this technique. However, most of the preliminary evaluations of 3Dprinted tissues and organ engineering, including cardiac tissue, relies extensively on the lessons learned from traditional tissue engineering. In many early examples, the final printed structures were found to be no better than tissues developed using traditional tissue engineering methods. This highlights the fact that 3D bio-printing of human tissue is still very much in its infancy and more work needs to be done to realise its full potential. This can be achieved through interdisciplinary collaboration between engineers, biomaterial scientists and molecular cell biologists. This review highlights current advancements and future prospects for 3D bio-printing in engineering ex vivo cardiac tissue and associated vasculature, such as coronary arteries. In this context, the role of biomaterials for hydrogel matrices and choice of cells are discussed. 3D bio-printing has the potential to advance current research significantly and support the development of novel therapeutics which can improve the therapeutic outcomes of patients suffering fatal cardiovascular pathologies.