Life Sciences

<p>Shiv Nadar University is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, research-focused, and student-centric University offering a full range of academic programs at the undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral level. With state-of-the-art infrastructure, the University comprises of academic wings, sophisticated labs, international standard sports facilities, amphitheaters, auditorium, conference rooms and smart classrooms. The University&rsquo;s goal is to become internationally recognized for the quality of its research and creative endeavors and their applicability to improving quality of life, generating new insights and expanding the boundaries of human knowledge creativity. Committed to excellence in teaching, research and service, the University aims to serve the higher education needs of India and the world beyond.</p>

Shiv Nadar University

Carbohybrids are an important class of molecules which exhibit diverse biological activities and are present as structural motifs in many natural products. Two series of new triazole linked N-glycosides of coumarins and quinolones (n = 27) were efficiently synthesized starting from 1-azido-2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl β-d-glucose and 1-azido-2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl β-d-galactose reacting with various 4-O-propargyl coumarins and 4-O-propargyl quinolones in shorter reaction time (30 min) under microwave assisted conditions. Anticancer activity of these newly synthesized triazole linked N-glycosides of coumarins and quinolones was determined in detail through cellular assays against MCF-7 (breast cancer cell line), HepG2 (liver cancer cell line), HCT-116 (colon cancer cell line) and Huh-7.5 cell lines. The selected library member displayed low micromolar (IC50 10.97 μM) and selective toxicity against the breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). Mechanistic studies showed that the anticancer activity of the active compound was because of the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.

(SoNS) School of Natural Sciences

Fulltext

New Journal of Chemistry

Synthesis of new triazole linked carbohybrids with ROS-mediated toxicity in breast cancer

Natural products from medicinal plants have always attracted a lot of attention due to their diverse and interesting therapeutic properties. We have employed the principles of green chemistry involving isomerization, coupling and condensation reaction to synthesize a class of compounds derived from eugenol, a naturally occurring bioactive phytophenol. The compounds were characterized structurally by 1 H-, 13 C-NMR, FT-IR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry analysis. The purity of compounds was detected by HPLC. The synthesized compounds exhibited anti-cancer activity. A 10–12-fold enhancement in efficiency of drug molecules (~ 1 µM) was observed when delivered with graphene oxide (GO) as a nanovehicle. Our data suggest cell death via apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner due to increase in calcium levels in specific cancer cell lines. Interestingly, the benzoxazine derivatives of eugenol with GO nanoparticle exhibited enhanced therapeutic potential in cancer cells. In addition to anti-cancer effect, we also observed significant role of these derivatives on parasite suggesting its multi-pharmacological capability. © 2018, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Chemistry

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Integrative natural medicine inspired graphene nanovehicle-benzoxazine derivatives as potent therapy for cancer

The proteostasis network (PN) comprises a plethora of proteins that are dedicated to aid in protein folding and maintenance; some with overlapping functions. Despite this, there are multiple pathophysiological states associated with depletion of chaperones. This is counter-intuitive, assuming cells have the ability to re-program transcriptional outputs in accordance with its proteostasic limitations. Here, we have used S. cerevisiae to understand how cells respond to different types of proteostasis impairments. We monitored the proteostasis status and transcriptome of single deletions of fourteen different Protein Quality Control (PQC) genes. In most cases, cellular response did not activate proteostasis components or pathways that could either complement the function of the missing PQC gene or restore proteostasis. Over-expression of alternate machineries could restore part of the proteostasis defect in two representative PQC gene deletion strains. We posit that S. cerevisiae inherently lacks the ability to sense and respond optimally to defects in proteostasis caused due to deletion of specific PQC components. © 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

World University root node

Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences

Cellular responses to proteostasis perturbations reveal non-optimal feedback in chaperone networks

Herein, flower-shaped hydrophilic superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoclusters (IONCs) are synthesized via one-pot thermolysis of iron acetylacetonate using triethanolamine (TEA) and diethylene glycol (DEG)/tetraethylene glycol (TTEG) mixtures at 9:1, 8:2 and 7:3 (v/v) ratios. The as-prepared 24–29 nm sized IONCs have displayed (i) saturation magnetization (Ms) values of ~68–78 emu/g, (ii) hydrodynamic diameters of ~95–192 nm and (iii) zeta potential values of +46 to +65 mV. Due to relatively high magnetization and water solubility, IONCs (prepared using 8:2 TEA:DEG, and 8:2 &amp; 7:3 TEA:TTEG ratios) based aqueous ferrofluids i.e. NCAFF-1, NCAFF-2, and NCAFF-3 are investigated by calorimetric magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) at 0.5–8 mg/ml concentrations by exposing them to the alternating magnetic fields (AMFs, H*f ~2.4–9.9 GA m−1 s−1). The NCAFF-3 has demonstrated excellent time dependent temperature rise (42 °C within 0.7–9.7 min) as compared to the NCAFF-1 and NCAFF-2. Moreover, the NCAFF-3 at 0.5 mg/ml concentration has exhibited enhanced heating efficacies with specific absorption rate (SAR) and intrinsic loss power (ILP) values of 142.4–909.4 W/gFe and 4.2–14.7 nHm2/kg, respectively. Furthermore, the NCAFF-3 has presented better cytocompatibility, and substantially reduced proliferation capacity of HepG2 cancer cells in in vitro MFH studies. Thus, the IONCs based ferrofluids (NCAFF-3) are very promising candidates for MFH therapeutics applications. © 2018 Elsevier B.V.

Journal of Molecular Liquids

One-pot synthesis of hydrophilic flower-shaped iron oxide nanoclusters (IONCs) based ferrofluids for magnetic fluid hyperthermia applications

<p>Biofilm related bacterial infection is one of the primary causes of implant failure. Limiting bacterial adhesion and colonization of pathogenic bacteria is a challenging task in health care. Here, a highly simplistic processing technique for imparting antibacterial properties on a biomedical grade stainless steel is demonstrated. Low-temperature high strain-rate deformation achieved using submerged friction stir processing resulted in a nearly single phase ultra-fine grain structure. The processed stainless steel demonstrated improved antibacterial properties for both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, significantly impeding biofilm formation during the in vitro study. Also, the processed stainless steel showed better compatibility with human fibroblasts manifested through apparent cell spreading and proliferation. The substantial antibacterial properties of the processed steel are explained in terms of the favorable electronic characteristics of the metal-oxide and by using classical Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (DLVO) and the extended DLVO (XDLVO) approach at the cell–substrate interface. © 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor &amp; Francis Group.</p>

Mechanical Engineering

(SoE) School of Engineering

Biofouling

Enhanced antibacterial properties and the cellular response of stainless steel through friction stir processing

Tunnelling nanotubes (TNTs), also known as membrane nanochannels, are actin-based structures that facilitate cytoplasmic connections for rapid intercellular transfer of signals, organelles and membrane components. These dynamic TNTs can form de novo in animal cells and establish complex intercellular networks between distant cells up to 150 μm apart. Within the last decade, TNTs have been discovered in different cell types including tumor cells, macrophages, monocytes, endothelial cells and T cells. It has also been further elucidated that these nanotubes play a vital role in diseased conditions such as cancer, where TNT formation occurs at a higher pace and is used for rapid intercellular modulation of chemo-resistance. Viruses such as HIV, HSV and prions also hijack the existing TNT connections between host cells for rapid transmission and evasion of the host immune responses. The following review aims to describe the heterogeneity of TNTs, their role in different tissues and disease conditions in order to enhance our understanding on how these nanotubes can be used as a target for therapies. © 2018 The Author(s).

Cell Communication and Signaling

Perspective on nanochannels as cellular mediators in different disease conditions

Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in women. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC; HER2-, ER-/PR-) is an aggressive subtype prone to drug resistance and metastasis, which is characterized by high intratumor microvascular density (iMVD) resulting from angiogenesis. However, the mechanisms contributing to the aggressive phenotypes of TNBC remain elusive. We recently reported that down-regulation of exchange factor directly activated by cyclic AMP (cAMP), also known as EPAC1, leads to a reduction in metastatic properties including proliferation and cell migration in TNBC cell lines. Here, we report that EPAC1 supports TNBC-induced angiogenesis, tumor cell migration and invasiveness as well as pro-metastatic phenotypes in endothelial cells induced through the tumor secretome. Using an approach that integrates proteomics with bioinformatics and gene ontologies, we elucidate that EPAC1 supports a tumor-secreted network of angiogenic, cell adhesion and cell migratory pathways. Using confocal microscopy, we show that signaling molecules involved in focal adhesion, including Paxillin and MENA, are down-regulated in the absence of EPAC1, and electric cell substrate impedance sensing technique confirmed a role for EPAC1 on TNBC-induced endothelial cell permeability. Finally, to provide a translational bridge, we studied iMVD and therapy response using a primary human tumor explant assay, CANscript TM, which suggests a link between therapy-modulated neovascularization and drug sensitivity. These data provide mechanistic insight into the role of EPAC1 in regulating the tumor microenvironment, iMVD and cancer cell-induced angiogenesis, a dynamic mechanism under drug pressure that may associate to treatment failure. © The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

Carcinogenesis

CAMP regulated EPAC1 supports microvascular density, angiogenic and metastatic properties in a model of triple negative breast cancer

We have systematically studied heating efficiencies (via specific absorption rate–SAR/intrinsic loss power-ILP) of carboxyl (terephthalic acid-TA) functionalized hydrophilic SPIONs based ferrofluids (with good biocompatibility/high magnetization) and influence of following key factors in magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH): (i) alternating magnetic fields (AMFs - H)/frequencies (f) - chosen below/above Hergt's biological safety limit, (ii) concentrations (0.5–8 mg/ml) and (iii) dispersion media (water, a cell-culture medium and triethylene glycol (TEG)) for in vitro cancer therapy. In calorimetric MFH, aqueous ferrofluids have displayed excellent time-dependent temperature rise for the applied AMFs, which resulted in high SAR ranging from 23.4 to 160.7 W/gFe, attributed to the enhanced magnetic responses via π-conjugations of short-chained TA molecules on the surface of SPIONs. Moreover, ILP values up-to 2.5 nHm2/kg (higher than the best commercial ferrofluids) are attained for the aqueous ferrofluids when excited below the recommended safety limit. Besides, the SPIONs dispersed in high viscous TEG have exhibited the highest SAR value (178.8 W/gFe) and reached therapeutic temperatures at faster rates for the lowest concentration due to prominent Neel relaxations. Moreover, these SPIONs have higher killing efficiency towards MCF-7 cancer cells in in vitro studies. Thus, the TA-based ferrofluids have great potential for in vivo/clinical MFH cancer therapies. © 2017 Elsevier Inc.

Journal of Colloid and Interface Science

Systematic magnetic fluid hyperthermia studies of carboxyl functionalized hydrophilic superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles based ferrofluids

This article has been corrected: During production, the text of the subsections 'INHIBITION OF P13K IS INCOMPLETE WITH SINGLE AGENTS' and 'CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS' was duplicated within the article. The corrected version now has the duplicated text removed while preserving the original pagination. © 2018, Garrett et al.

Oncotarget

Correction: Will PI3K pathway inhibitors be effective as single agents in patients with cancer? [Oncotarget. 2, (2011), 1314-1321]doi 10.18632/oncotarget.409

Pyrano[3,2-c]quinolone structural motifs are commonly found in natural products with diverse biological activities. As part of a research programme aimed at developing the efficient synthesis of natural product-like small molecules, we designed and developed the microwave assisted, facile stereoselective synthesis of two series of carbohydrate fused pyrano[3,2-c]quinolone derivatives (n = 23) starting from 2-C-formyl galactal and 2-C-formyl glucal, reacting with various 4-hydroxyquinolones in shorter reaction times (15-20 min). The antiproliferative activity of these synthesized pyrano[3,2-c]quinolones was determined against MCF-7 (breast) and HepG2 (liver) cancer cells. The selected library members displayed low micromolar (3.53-9.68 μM) and selective antiproliferative activity. These findings on carbohydrate fused pyrano[3,2-c]quinolone derivatives are expected to provide new leads for anticancer drug discovery. © 2018 The Royal Society of Chemistry.