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The Science of the Total Environment Aug 2024Freshwater systems are facing a number of pressures due to the inputs of polar organic contaminants from a range of sources including agriculture, domestic and industry....
Freshwater systems are facing a number of pressures due to the inputs of polar organic contaminants from a range of sources including agriculture, domestic and industry. The River Itchen and River Test are two sensitive chalk streams in Southern England that are experiencing a decline in invertebrate communities. We used Chemcatcher passive samplers to measure time-weighted average concentrations (14 days) of polar pollutants at nine sites on the River Itchen and eight sites on the River Test over a 12-month period. Sampler extracts were analysed using a targeted LC/MS method. In total, 121 plant protection products and pharmaceutical and personal care products were quantified (range of log K from - 1.5 to 7). Concentrations (sub ng L to >500 ng L) in both rivers showed spatial and temporal variations. A greater number of compounds and higher concentrations were found in the River Test. The chemical profile was dominated by inputs from wastewater treatment plants and legacy plant protection products. On the River Itchen, high concentrations (∼100 ng L) of caffeine were observed directly downstream of a fish farm. Using the NORMAN database, the predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) freshwater values were exceeded by only five contaminants (2-hydroxy-terbuthylazine, alprazolam, azithromycin, diclofenac and imidacloprid). In addition, venlafaxine was detected above its EU Watch List concentration. These exceedances were mainly downstream of direct inputs from treatment plants. These compounds are known to have ecotoxicological effects on a range of aquatic biota including macroinvertebrates. Of concern is the ubiquitous presence of the ectoparasiticide imidacloprid, highlighting the need to control its use. The impact of the cocktail of pollutants found in this study on the long-term effects on chalk stream ecosystems remains unknown and needs further investigation.
Topics: Water Pollutants, Chemical; Rivers; Environmental Monitoring; Risk Assessment; England
PubMed: 38782290
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173316 -
Biomaterials Advances Jul 2024Diclofenac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, is commonly prescribed for managing osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and post-surgical pain. However, oral...
Diclofenac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, is commonly prescribed for managing osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and post-surgical pain. However, oral administration of diclofenac often leads to adverse effects. This study introduces an innovative nano-in-micro approach to create diclofenac nanoparticle-loaded microneedle patches aimed at localised, sustained pain relief, circumventing the drawbacks of oral delivery. The nanoparticles were produced via wet-milling, achieving an average size of 200 nm, and then incorporated into microneedle patches. These patches showed improved skin penetration in ex vivo tests using Franz-cell setups compared to traditional diclofenac formulations. In vivo tests on rats revealed that the nanoparticle-loaded microneedle patches allowed for quick drug uptake and prolonged release, maintaining drug levels in tissues for up to 72 h. With a systemic bioavailability of 57 %, these patches prove to be an effective means of transdermal drug delivery. This study highlights the potential of this novel microneedle delivery system in enhancing the treatment of chronic pain with reduced systemic side effects.
Topics: Diclofenac; Animals; Needles; Rats; Administration, Cutaneous; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Drug Delivery Systems; Nanoparticles; Male; Skin; Skin Absorption; Transdermal Patch; Rats, Sprague-Dawley
PubMed: 38781739
DOI: 10.1016/j.bioadv.2024.213889 -
Chemosphere Aug 2024This study focuses on the removal and risk assessment of twenty emerging contaminants (ECs) and heavy metals in a REMIX water treatment plant (RWTP) that produces...
This study focuses on the removal and risk assessment of twenty emerging contaminants (ECs) and heavy metals in a REMIX water treatment plant (RWTP) that produces drinking water from combination of wastewater reuse and desalination. The membrane biological reactor (MBR) exhibit removal rates exceeding 95% of pharmaceuticals like acetaminophen, trimethoprim, diclofenac, naproxen, and emtricitabine. The efficiency of brackish reverse osmosis (BWRO) in removing ECs is highlighted, showing substantial efficacy with reduction rates of 99.5%, 75.5%, and 51.2% for sulfamethoxazole, venlafaxine, and benzotriazole, respectively. The advanced oxidation process based on Fenton process reveals removal (>95%) of emtricitabine, efavirenz, and carbamazepine. The study confirms that the combination of treatment units within the RWTP effectively removes heavy metals (>90%), complying with acceptable limits. Risk quotient (RQ) calculations indicate the efficiency of the RWTP in EC removal, serving as benchmarks for public acceptance of reclaimed water. In the context of heavy metals, the study concludes negligible cancer risks associated with reclaimed water consumption over a lifetime. Quantitative structure-activity relationship and occurrence, persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity (OPBT) models were used to assess EC risk. The study screened and identified potential persistant, bio accumulating and toxic PBT ECs. Critical control points (CCPs) in the RWTP are identified, with brackish and seawater reverse osmosis (BWRO and SWRO) and advanced oxidation process (AOP) recognized as pivotal in hazard management. The study provides valuable insights on the removal of ECs and heavy metals in a wastewater reuse process and demonstrates potential of adopted process configuration in supplying safe drinking water from wastewater recycling.
Topics: Water Pollutants, Chemical; Metals, Heavy; Wastewater; Risk Assessment; Water Purification; Drinking Water; Humans; Waste Disposal, Fluid
PubMed: 38777194
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142396 -
Journal of Applied Oral Science :... 2024To compare the effect of submucosal cryotherapy using cold saline to dexamethasone sodium phosphate and diclofenac sodium injections on substance P and interleukin 6... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Effect of submucosal cryotherapy compared with steroids and NSAIDs injections on Substance P and Interleukin 6 pulpal release in experimentally induced pulpal inflammation in rabbits.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the effect of submucosal cryotherapy using cold saline to dexamethasone sodium phosphate and diclofenac sodium injections on substance P and interleukin 6 release in experimentally induced pulpal inflammation in rabbits' molar teeth.
METHODOLOGY
Fifteen rabbits were randomly classified into 3 groups according to the submucosal injection given: cold saline, dexamethasone sodium phosphate, and diclofenac sodium. A split-mouth design was adopted, the right mandibular molars were experimental, and the left molars served as the control without injections. Intentional pulp exposures were created and left for 6 hours to induce pulpitis. Pulpal tissue was extracted and examined for SP and IL-6 levels using ELISA. Within each group, the level of cytokines released was measured for both control and experimental groups for intragroup comparison to determine the effect of injection. The percentage reduction of each mediator was calculated compared with the control side for intergroup comparison then the correlation between SP and IL-6 levels was analyzed using Spearman's rank order correlation coefficient. Statistical analysis was performed, and the significance level was set at p<0.05.
RESULTS
Submucosal cryotherapy, dexamethasone sodium phosphate, and diclofenac sodium significantly reduced SP and IL-6 pulpal release. Submucosal cryotherapy significantly reduced SP more than and IL-6 more than dexamethasone sodium phosphate and diclofenac sodium. Pulpal reduction of SP and IL-6 showed a strong positive significant correlation.
CONCLUSIONS
Submucosal cryotherapy reduces the pulpal release of SP and IL-6 and could be tested as an alternative to premedication to potentiate the effect of anesthesia and control postoperative endodontic pain.
Topics: Animals; Rabbits; Pulpitis; Diclofenac; Dexamethasone; Interleukin-6; Random Allocation; Cryotherapy; Substance P; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Dental Pulp; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Time Factors; Reproducibility of Results; Treatment Outcome; Male; Statistics, Nonparametric; Disease Models, Animal; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Saline Solution; Reference Values
PubMed: 38775598
DOI: 10.1590/1678-7757-2024-0017 -
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2024Basil is a widely used herb in Persian medicine and is gaining recognition as a functional food worldwide.
BACKGROUND
Basil is a widely used herb in Persian medicine and is gaining recognition as a functional food worldwide.
AIM OF THE STUDY
This trial aimed to assess the effectiveness of a traditional formulation of basil oil in comparison with diclofenac gel in treating knee osteoarthritis, considering its established anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive, and anti-oxidative properties.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
One hundred eligible patients were equally randomized to the traditional basil oil (containing sesame oil) and diclofenac gel groups. They used their respective topical treatments thrice daily for 4 weeks. Various measurements were taken at the beginning of the study, 2, and 4 weeks after starting the intervention, including the 8-m walk test, knee pain (based on visual analog scale), flexion angle of the knee joint, analgesic consumption, and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) questionnaire.
RESULTS
No significant differences were observed between the basil oil and diclofenac gel groups in any of the measured outcomes. However, significant improvements were noted within each group for most variables.
CONCLUSION
Topical application of the traditional formulation of basil oil appears to improve clinical symptoms and certain functional indicators of knee osteoarthritis to a similar extent as diclofenac gel. This suggests that basil oil could be considered an effective management option for this condition. https://irct.behdasht.gov.ir/, identifier IRCT2017081711341N7.
PubMed: 38769995
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1377527 -
The FEBS Journal May 2024Cancer cells exhibit a unique metabolic preference for the glycolytic pathway over oxidative phosphorylation for maintaining the tumor microenvironment. Lactate...
Cancer cells exhibit a unique metabolic preference for the glycolytic pathway over oxidative phosphorylation for maintaining the tumor microenvironment. Lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) is a key enzyme that facilitates glycolysis by converting pyruvate to lactate and has been shown to be upregulated in multiple cancers due to the hypoxic tumor microenvironment. Diclofenac (DCF), a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, has been shown to exhibit anticancer effects by interfering with the glucose metabolism pathway. However, the specific targets of this drug remain unknown. Using in silico, biochemical, and biophysical studies, we show that DCF binds to LDHA adjacent to the substrate binding site and inhibits its activity in a dose-dependent and allosteric manner in HeLa cells. Thus, DCF inhibits the hypoxic microenvironment and induces apoptosis-mediated cell death. DCF failed to induce cytotoxicity in HeLa cells when LDHA was knocked down, confirming that DCF exerts its antimitotic effects via LDHA inhibition. DCF-induced LDHA inhibition alters pyruvate, lactate, NAD, and ATP production in cells, and this could be a possible mechanism through which DCF inhibits glucose uptake in cancer cells. DCF-induced ATP deprivation leads to mitochondria-mediated oxidative stress, which results in DNA damage, lipid peroxidation, and apoptosis-mediated cell death. Reduction in intracellular ATP levels additionally activates the sensor kinase, adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which further downregulates phosphorylated ribosomal S6 kinase (p-S6K), leading to apoptosis-mediated cell death. We find that in LDHA knocked down cells, intracellular ATP levels were depleted, resulting in the inhibition of p-S6K, suggesting the involvement of DCF-induced LDHA inhibition in the activation of the AMPK/S6K signaling pathway.
PubMed: 38767406
DOI: 10.1111/febs.17158 -
Nanoscale Jun 2024A BiO/COF composite was successfully synthesized by simple mechanical ball milling. Compared to pure BiO and COFs, the BiO/COF composite (1 : 9) showed superior...
A BiO/COF composite was successfully synthesized by simple mechanical ball milling. Compared to pure BiO and COFs, the BiO/COF composite (1 : 9) showed superior photocatalytic capability. Under visible light irradiation for 90 min, the photocatalytic degradation rate of DCF reached 97%. In addition, the characterization results showed that the formation of heterojunctions and the increase in oxygen vacancy concentration were the reasons for the enhancement of the photocatalytic activity. It is confirmed by free radical capture experiments that ˙O and h are the main reactive substances in the photocatalytic process. The photocatalytic degradation mechanism of the composite and the photocatalytic degradation pathway of diclofenac were deduced.
PubMed: 38766844
DOI: 10.1039/d4nr00608a -
Inflammopharmacology May 2024Small intestine damage caused by diclofenac is called diclofenac enteropathy. Berberine (BBR), a class of isoquinoline alkaloids derived from Berberis vulgaris and...
Small intestine damage caused by diclofenac is called diclofenac enteropathy. Berberine (BBR), a class of isoquinoline alkaloids derived from Berberis vulgaris and Phellodendron amurense, is widely used in intestinal diseases. The present study evaluated the protective effect of BBR on the intestinal mucosal mechanical barrier in diclofenac enteropathy and its possible action mechanism. The in vitro animal experiment revealed that BBR downregulated the expression of long non-coding RNA H19 (lncRNA H19) in the small intestine and exosomes. In the co-culture experiment involving exosomes and intestinal epithelial cell-6 (IEC-6) cells, the results of qRT-PCR, western blotting, and immunofluorescence assays demonstrated that the elevated expression of lncRNA H19 in the small intestine, conveyed via exosomes derived from the diclofenac group, suppressed the expression levels of autophagy-associated protein 5 (Atg 5) and light chain 3 (LC 3), as well as and the tight junction (TJ) proteins zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), claudin-1, and occluding, relative to the control group. BBR treatment attenuated exosomal lncRNA H19 levels, upregulated the expression of Atg5 and LC3 expression, enhanced TJ protein expression, and increased the light chain 3 (LC3)-II/LC3-I ratio. These findings significantly elucidated that BBR promoted the restoration of autophagy in IECs by inhibiting exosomal lncRNA H19, thereby mitigating the impairment of the intestinal mucosal mechanical barrier function in diclofenac enteropathy. The process involving exosomal lncRNA H19 regulating autophagy, thereby affecting the intestinal mucosal mechanical barrier, offers a novel perspective for the application of BBR in the treatment of diclofenac enteropathy.
PubMed: 38758516
DOI: 10.1007/s10787-024-01487-y -
RSC Advances May 2024Numerous pollutants endanger the safety and purity of water, making water pollution a major worldwide concern. The health of people and aquatic ecosystems are at risk...
Numerous pollutants endanger the safety and purity of water, making water pollution a major worldwide concern. The health of people and aquatic ecosystems are at risk from these contaminants, which include hazardous microbes, industrial waste, and agricultural runoff. Fortunately, there appears to be a viable option to address this problem with adsorptive water treatment techniques. The present study presents a magnetic adsorbent (MMIP) based on molecularly imprinted polyaniline and magnetite nanoparticles for the solid-phase extraction of diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory medication, from industrial wastewater. The adsorbent nanomaterial was characterized using dynamic light scattering, zeta potential measurement, vibrating sample magnetometry, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. The MMIP demonstrated a particle size of 86.3 nm and an adsorption capacity of 139.7 mg g at 600 mg L of diclofenac and after a 200 min incubation period. The highest %removal was attained at pH range of 3-7. The adsorption process follows the pseudo-second order kinetic model. In addition, it was found that the adsorption process is enthalpy-driven and may occur hydrogen bonding and/or van der Waals interactions.
PubMed: 38756847
DOI: 10.1039/d4ra02529f -
Chemical Science May 2024Developing tunable materials which exhibit sustained drug release is a considerable challenge. Herein, we report the concept of Therapeutic Coordination Polymers (TCPs);...
Developing tunable materials which exhibit sustained drug release is a considerable challenge. Herein, we report the concept of Therapeutic Coordination Polymers (TCPs); non-porous coordination polymers constructed from biocompatible components which demonstrate tunable zero-order drug release kinetics upon degradation of metal-ligand bonds. TCPs were constructed from three principal components: (i) a cationic metal center (M = Mg, Mn, Zn, or Cu); (ii) an anionic drug (Diclofenac); and (iii) an alkyl bis-imidazole organic ligand which behaves as a "linker" between metal centers. Most drug-release materials, such as amorphous polymer dispersions, or metal-organic frameworks rely on a diffusion-based mechanism for drug release, but the degradation-controlled release of drugs from non-porous one-periodic coordination polymers has been largely unexplored. TCPs described herein exhibit a high wt% of pharmaceutical (>62%), tailorable zero-order drug release rate kinetics which span over three orders of magnitude, and stimuli-responsive drug release behavior making them well suited for extended drug-release applications.
PubMed: 38756811
DOI: 10.1039/d4sc00732h