Biolmpacts
Volume:1 Issue: 2, Jun 2011

Because of huge impacts of “OMICS” technologies in life sciences, many researchers aim to implement such high throughput approach to address cellular and/or molecular functions in response to any influential intervention in genomics, proteomics, or metabolomics levels. However, in many cases, use of such technologies often encounters some cybernetic difficulties in terms of knowledge extraction from a bunch of data using related softwares. In fact, there is little guidance upon data mining for novices. The main goal of this article is to provide a brief review on different steps of microarray data handling and mining for novices and at last to introduce different PC and/or web-based softwares that can be used in preprocessing and/or data mining of microarray data. To pursue such aim, recently published papers and microarray softwares were reviewed. It was found that defining the true place of the genes in cell networks is the main phase in our understanding of programming and functioning of living cells. This can be obtained with global/selected gene expression profiling. Studying the regulation patterns of genes in groups, using clustering and classification methods helps us understand different pathways in the cell, their functions, regulations and the way one component in the system affects the other one. These networks can act as starting points for data mining and hypothesis generation, helping us reverse engineer.

Drug delivery systems could induce cellular toxicity as side effect of nanomaterials. The mechanism of toxicity usually involves DNA damage. The comet assay or single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) is a sensitive method for detecting strand damages in the DNA of a cell with applications in genotoxicity testing and molecular epidemiology as well as fundamental research in DNA damage and repair. In the current study, we reviewed recent drug delivery researches related to SCGE. We found that one preference for choosing the assay is that comet images may result from apoptosis-mediated nuclear fragmentation. This method has been widely used over the last decade in several different areas. Overall cells, such as cultured cells are embedded in agarose on a microscope slide, lysed with detergent, and treated with high salt. Nucleoids are supercoiled DNA form. When the slide is faced to alkaline electrophoresis any breakages present in the DNA cause the supercoiling to relax locally and loops of DNA extend toward the anode as a ‘‘comet tail’’. This article provides a relatively comprehensive review upon potentiality of the comet assay for assessment of DNA damage and accordingly it can be used as an informative platform in genotoxicity studies of drug delivery systems.

In this research the behavior of coronary arteries has been studied with symmetric and asymmetric consecutive stenosis, and grafted vessels. The incompressible Navier-Stokes and energy equations were discretized with second-order upwind method. Assumptions such as Newtonian fluid, wall rigidity and steady-flow were used. All the calculations showed the same results with Newtonians and non-Newtonian fluids. It was found that the possibility of stenosis be reduced by increasing the graft angle. However, there exists further stenosis possibility. Among the three graft angles 20, 30 and 40, the 30 was found to be the reliable ones. Based on these findings, it can be deduced that there would be a high risk of further atherosclerosis when the first stenose has the maximum percentage.

Dry powder inhaler (DPI) formulations are so far being used for pulmonary drug delivery, mainly for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Currently most of DPI formulations rely on lactose as a carrier in the drug powder blend. However, due to reducing sugar function of lactose which makes it incompatible with some drugs such as budesonide, it is realistic to investigate for alternative sugars that would overcome the concerned drawback but still have the positive aspects of lactose. The study was conducted by characterizing carriers for their physico-chemical properties and preparing drug/carrier blends with concentration of 5% and 10% drug with the carrier. The mixing uniformity (homogeneity) of Budesonide in the blends was analyzed using spectrophotometer. The blend was then filled into NB7/2 Airmax inhaler device and the deposition profiles of the drug were determined using multi stage liquid impinger (MSLI) after aerosolization at 4 kPa via the inhaler. The morphology of the carriers conducted using the scanning electron microscope. The results determined that the mean fine particle fraction (FPF) of 5% and 10% blends of mannitol was 61%, possibly due to fine elongated particles. Dextrose exhibited excellent flowability. Scanning electron microscope illustrated mannitol with fine elongated particles and dextrose presenting larger and coarse particles. It was found out that type of carriers, particle size distribution, and morphology would influence the FPF of budesonide. It may be concluded that mannitol could be suitable as a carrier on the basis of its pharmaceutical performance and successful achievement of FPF whereas the more hygroscopic sugars such as sorbitol or xylitol showed poor dispersibility leading to lower FPF.

Gap junctions play an important role in the cell proliferation in mammalian cells as well as carcinogenesis. However, there are controversial issues about their role in cancer pathogenesis. This study was designed to evaluate genotoxicity and cytotoxicity of Carbenoxolone (CBX) as a prototype of inter-cellular gap junction blocker in MCF7 and BT20 human breast cancer cells. The MCF7and BT20 human breast cancer cell lines were cultivated, and treated at designated confluency with different doses of CBX. Cellular cytotoxicity was examined using standard colorimetric assay associated with cell viability tests. Gene expression evaluation was carried out using real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). MCF7 and BT20 cells were significantly affected by CBX in a dose dependent manner in cell viability assays. Despite varying expression of genes, down regulation of pro- and anti-apoptotic genes was observed in these cells. Based upon this investigation, it can be concluded that CBX could affect both low and high proliferative types of breast cancer cell lines and disproportionate down regulation of both pre- and anti-apoptotic genes may be related to interacting biomolecules, perhaps via gap junctions.

The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of vitamin E and selenium supplementation on serum paraoxonase (PON1) activity, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant defense in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Thirty two female Sprague Dawley rats were divided into 3 groups: the control group (n=8) received a standard diet; streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats (n=12), received corn oil and physiological solution; and vitamin E and selenium supplemented diabetic rats (n=12) were treated with oral administration of vitamin E (300 mg/kg) and sodium selenite (0.5 mg/kg) once a day for 4 weeks. Significantly lower total antioxidant status (TAS), PON1and erythrocyte SOD activities and a higher fasting plasma glucose level were observed in the diabetic rats compared to the control. A significant increase in SOD and GPX activities in vitamin E and selenium supplemented diabetic group was observed after 5 weeks of the experiment. Compared to the normal rats, malondialdehyde (MDA) and oxidized LDL (Ox-LDL) levels were higher in the diabetic animals; however, these values reduced significantly following vitamin E and selenium supplementation. Vitamin E and selenium supplementation in diabetic rats has hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic and antioxidative effects and may slow down the progression of diabetic complications through its protective effect on PON1 activity and lipoproteins oxidation.

In a cytological analysis of endometriotic lesions neither granulocytes nor cytotoxic T-cells appear in an appreciable number. Based on this observation we aimed to know, whether programmed cell death plays an essential role in the destruction of dystopic endometrium. Disturbances of the physiological mechanisms of apoptosis, a persistence of endometrial tissue could explain the disease. Another aspect of this consideration is the proliferation competence of the dystopic mucous membrane. Endometriotic lesions of 15 patients were examined through a combined measurement of apoptosis activity with the TUNEL technique (terminal deoxyribosyltransferase mediated dUTP Nick End Labeling) and the proliferation activity (with the help of the Ki-67-Antigens using the monoclonal antibody Ki-S5). Twelve out of 15 women studied showed a positive apoptotic activity of 3-47% with a proliferation activity of 2-25% of epithelial cells. Therefore we concluded that the persistence of dystopic endometrium requires proliferative epithelial cells from middle to lower endometrial layers. A dystopia misalignment of the epithelia of the upper layers of the functionalism can be rapidly eliminated by apoptotic procedures.

Over the past years, temperature and pH-sensitive hydrogels was developed as suitable carriers for drug delivery. In this study temperature and pH-sensitive hydrogels was designed for an oral insulin delivery modeling. NIPAAm-MAA -HEM copolymers were synthesized by radical chain reaction with 86:4:10 (5% w/v) ratios respectively. Reaction was carried out in 1,4-Dioxane under Nitrogen gas-flow. The copolymers were characterized with FT-IR, 1H-NMR and DSC. Copolymers were loaded with regular insulin by modified double emulsion method with ratio of 1:10. Release study carried out in two different pH (pH=2 and 7.4 for stomach and intestine simulation respectively) at 37ºC. For each pH, a 5 mL suspension of the insulin containing hydrogel was taken in to a cellulose acetate dialysis membrane, and the dialysis membrane was allowed to float in a beaker containing 15 mL of buffer solution. The beakers were placed in a shaker incubator maintained at 37ºC. Phosphate buffer (0.1 M, pH 3)/ acetonitrile (60/40) was used as the mobile phase in HPLC assay. Yield of reaction was 86% with an optimum Lower Critical Solution Temperature point (30ºC). In-vitro studies showed a control release behavior via pH changes which the amount of insulin releases was 80% and 20% at pH=2 and 7.4 respectively. Results showed that by optimizing polymerization and loading method we could achieve a suitable nano system for oral delivery of insulin.