Analysis Method Research Articles

Microplastics in food: Occurrence, toxicity, green analytical detection methods and future challenges

The pervasive presence of microplastics (MPs) in the environment has raised significant concerns about their infiltration into the human food chain. In current review, the occurrence and distribution of MPs in various food matrices such as seafood, drinking water, fruits, vegetables, and beverages are discussed along with their potential routes of MPs entry into the human food chain. The toxicity of MPs on human health and different organs are discussed in brief. Current technological advancement and green analytical methods for the detection of MPs in food samples are compared, discussing their advantages and limitations. Green analytical methods, including stereomicroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and enzymatic digestion, are evaluated for their efficacy and environmental impact. The Analytical Eco-Scale is used to assess the greenness of these methods. Challenges associated with MPs detection in food, such as complex food matrices, pretreatment methods, and variability in MPs concentrations, are addressed.

Reversed‐Phase Analytical Method for Enantioselective Analysis of Ormeloxifene Hydrochloride: Application to Bulk Drug and Quality Control Analysis

Reversed‐Phase Analytical Method for Enantioselective Analysis of Ormeloxifene Hydrochloride: Application to Bulk Drug and Quality Control Analysis

Understanding the Selective Removal of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances via Fluorine-Fluorine Interactions: A Critical Review.

As regulatory standards for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) become increasingly stringent, innovative water treatment technologies are urgently demanded for effective PFAS removal. Reported sorbents often exhibit limited affinity for PFAS and are frequently hindered by competitive background substances. Recently, fluorinated sorbents (abbreviated as fluorosorbents) have emerged as a potent solution by leveraging fluorine-fluorine (F···F) interactions to enhance selectivity and efficiency in PFAS removal. This review delves into the designs and applications of fluorosorbents, emphasizing how F···F interactions improve PFAS binding affinity. Specifically, the existence of F···F interactions results in removal efficiencies orders of magnitude higher than other counterpart sorbents, particularly under competitive conditions. Furthermore, we provide a detailed analysis of the fundamental principles underlying F···F interactions and elucidate their synergistic effects with other sorption forces, which contribute to the enhanced efficacy and selectivity. Subsequently, we examine various fluorosorbents and their synthesis and fluorination techniques, underscore the importance of accurately characterizing F···F interactions through advanced analytical methods, and emphasize the significance of this interaction in developing selective sorbents. Finally, we discuss challenges and opportunities associated with employing advanced techniques to guide the design of selective sorbents and advocate for further research in the development of sustainable and cost-effective treatment technologies leveraging F···F interactions.

A highly accurate analytical method for determination of the vibrational frequency of N/MEMS with electrostatic and van der Waals interaction forces

A highly accurate analytical method for determination of the vibrational frequency of N/MEMS with electrostatic and van der Waals interaction forces

DATA DRIVEN AND CELL SPECIFIC DETERMINATION OF NUCLEI-ASSOCIATED ACTIN STRUCTURE

In the specialized field of cellular mechanosignaling, the intricate relationship between the cytoskeleton and nucleus is crucial for determining the behavior and fate of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Existing analytical methods for filamentous actin fibers (F-actin) suffer from issues of accuracy and reproducibility. To address this, our research introduces a significant advancement in image analysis by utilizing two deep-learning segmentation Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) based on U-Net architecture. This algorithm precisely quantifies F-actin and offers reproducible data from 3D confocal microscopy images. Our CNNs automatically extract the 3D shape of both the nucleus and individual actin fibers, thereby enabling the geometric reconstruction of these critical cellular components. We applied this methodology to MSCs exposed to low-intensity vibration, and hypothesized that mechanical stimuli will induce perinuclear actin remodeling. Confocal Z-stack images of MSCs were captured using a 40x oil lens and a Zeiss LSM 900 microscope. Nucleus and F-actin structures were stained with Hoechst 33342 and Phalloidin, respectively. Nucleus-based images were employed to mask and isolate actin fibers within the nuclear vicinity. A specialized deep-learning segmentation model was engineered within the PyTorch framework. For model training, a selective 2% of nuclei and F-actin images were annotated. Specifically, three layers from each of six representative nuclei, among approximately 500 cross-sectional layers, were meticulously selected; a similar approach was employed for actin. The model underwent 200 epochs of training. Post-training, the deep-learning model was employed to process all collected cross-sectional images of F-actin and nuclei. A subsequent analytical step involved the scrutiny of intersecting segmented fibers between consecutive layers for geometrically accurate actin fiber reconstruction. We analyzed 102 control and 110 vibration-treated mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) by utilizing our deep-learning-based reconstruction algorithm on confocal Z-stack images. Our data revealed an 8% decrease in nuclear height from 5.73 µm to 5.28 µm (p < 0.001) upon application of low-intensity vibration. In contrast, the two groups observed no significant difference in nuclear volume. Accompanying these changes at the nuclear level, the following changes in the F-actin cytoskeleton were observed upon LIV application. The total number of actin filaments per cell increased from 117 to 150. The average volume of individual actin fibers rose from 0.40 µm³ to 0.43 µm³. Notably, the volume of fibers at the apical nuclear surface increased from 0.35 µm³ to 0.46 µm³. While the average length of actin fibers in the apical nuclear surface remained largely unchanged due to the addition of smaller fibers in LIV groups, the LIV group had a larger number of fibers that were larger than 15µm.

Analytical Method Development and Validation Based on Simple Color Reactions and Microwave Plasma–Atomic Emission Spectrometry (MP-AES) for the Detection of Adulteration in Teff Injera (Ethiopian Flatbread)

Analytical Method Development and Validation Based on Simple Color Reactions and Microwave Plasma–Atomic Emission Spectrometry (MP-AES) for the Detection of Adulteration in Teff Injera (Ethiopian Flatbread)

Determination of hydroxypolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urine by electromembrane extraction coupled with liquid chromatography

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been classified as the earliest discovered class of environmental carcinogens, seriously endangering human health and ecological safety, and the hydroxylpolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OH-PAHs) in human urine are considered as the main biomarkers to evaluate the exposure levels of PAHs in human body. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an accurate and sensitive method for the determination of urinary OH-PAHs. Herein, we proposed electromembrane extraction (EME) as a simple, effective and ecofriendly sample pretreatment technique for selective extraction, purification and enrichment of four typical OH-PAHs (2-naphthol, 2- and 3-phenanthrol, 2-hydroxyfluorene) in human urine for the first time. Under the optimum conditions, an analytical method of EME coupled with HPLC was established, which provided wide linear ranges for four OH-PAHs from 1 to 500 ng mL-1 with low LODs of 0.05–0.3 ng mL-1. The average recoveries of four OH-PAHs at three spiked levels in human urine were 81.6–102.5% with RSDs all below 9.4%. The present method has been successfully applied for the sensitive determination of trace four OH-PAHs in urine samples from non-smokers and smokers with a maximum concentration of 2.24 and 3.56 ng mL-1, respectively, which showed a great potential for the analysis of trace OH-PAHs in biological samples.

Determination of regulated perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water according to Directive 2020/2184/EU.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are chemical compounds that have been widely used in industry and manufacture. Occurrence, together with persistence and recent toxicological effects data, has promoted the regulation of 20 PFAS (carboxylic and sulfonic) acids in drinking water through the recent Directive 2020/2184/EU. This Regulation included PFAS with different carbon chain lengths (from C4 to C13) and limited the total PFAS concentration (as sum) to a maximum of 0.1µg/L, for which law-enforcement analytical methods are required. In this work, three different methodologies have been developed and evaluated as regards their performance to determine those 20 PFAS in tap and bottled water, based on on-line and off-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) and direct injection. In all cases, ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was used as a determination technique. Off-line SPE with Oasis Weak Anion Exchange (WAX) cartridges provided the best results in terms of limits of quantification (LOQ ≤ 0.3ng/L) and accuracy (R ≥ 70%) in drinking water samples. On-line SPE and direct injection presented some drawbacks such as background contamination problems and lower accuracies for the least polar compounds. This off-line SPE methodology was then applied to the analysis of 46 drinking water samples (11 commercial bottled samples, 23 Spanish and 12 international tap water samples). Ten PFAS were quantified in such samples at concentrations and detection frequencies ranging from 0.1 to 20.1ng/L and 2 to 91%, respectively. However, the sum concentration did not surpass the established limit in any sample.

Evaluation of Serum Proteome Sample Preparation Methods to Support Clinical Proteomics Applications.

Serum contains several proteins that are associated with disease-related processes. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics approaches greatly facilitate serum protein biomarker development. However, the serum proteome complexity presents a technical challenge for the accurate, sensitive, and reproducible quantification of proteins by MS. Thus, efficient sample preparation methods are of critical importance for serum proteome analyses. In this study, we evaluated the technical performance of two serum proteome sample preparation methods using sera from patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer and patients with benign nongynecological conditions with a goal of providing insight into their compatibility with clinical proteomics workflows. One method entailed the use of immobilized trypsin (SMART Digest Trypsin) with RapiGest SF, an acid-labile surfactant designed to enhance the in-solution enzymatic digestion of proteins. The other method incorporated a commercially available sample preparation kit, iST-BCT, which contains standardized reagents. Significantly higher protein sequence coverage, albeit with lower digestion efficiency, was obtained with the immobilized trypsin + RapiGest SF workflow, whereas the iST-BCT workflow was quicker and had marginally better reproducibility. Protein relative abundance analysis revealed that the serum proteomes clustered primarily by the sample processing workflow and secondarily by disease state. We conducted a time course study to determine whether differences in the relative abundance of diagnostic high-grade serous ovarian cancer serum protein biomarker candidates were biased according to the duration of enzymatic digestion. Our results highlight the importance of optimizing enzymatic digestion kinetics according to the peptide targets of interest while considering the sensitivity of the downstream analytical method utilized in clinical proteomics workflows designed to measure biomarkers.

A sustainable HPLC method coupled with diode array detection for versatile quantification of telmisartan, chlorthalidone and amlodipine in a fixed-dose antihypertensive formulation and dissolution studies

Cardiovascular diseases, especially hypertension, stand as prominent contributors to global mortality. Hypertension, often referred to as a silent killer syndrome, necessitates the use of multiple medications for effective control and management. A new environmentally friendly HPLC–DAD method is introduced in this study for the concurrent analysis of telmisartan (TEL), chlorthalidone (CHT) and amlodipine besylate (AML), in both pure forms and combined pharmaceutical dosage form. An isocratic elution mode was employed to achieve chromatographic separation, utilizing an Inertsil C18 column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5.0 µm) and a mobile phase mixture of acetonitrile and phosphate buffer (pH 3.0 ± 0.1) with ratio of 35:65, v/v. The separation was achieved within 10 min at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The proposed method's validation was carried out following the guidelines outlined by the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH). The achieved linearity range was 1.0–140.0 μg/mL for TEL and 1.0–100.0 μg/mL for CHT and AML with quantification limits of 0.061, 0.177, and 0.313 μg/mL for TEL, CHT, and AML, respectively. The fixed combination tablet dosage form demonstrated acceptable release profile, as indicated by the in-vitro dissolution studies. The studied dissolution media were phosphate buffer pH 7.5, 0.01 N HCl, and water, utilizing a USP type II apparatus at 37 ± 0.5 °C with a stirring rate of 75 rpm. The proposed method was applied successfully for the quality assessment of Telma-ACT® Tablets with good precision and accuracy. Various tools were used for evaluating the level of greenness, including Green Analytical Procedure Index (GAPI), Analytical Greenness Metric for Sample Preparation (AGREEprep), Analytical Eco-Scale (AES), and Analytical Method Greenness Score (AMGS). These tools had confirmed the eco-friendliness of the proposed method. Additionally, the newly introduced White Analytical Chemistry (WAC), and the Blue Applicability Grade Index (BAGI) have been specifically developed to evaluate the sustainability and the applicability of the method.

Nexus among climate change, food systems, and human health: An interdisciplinary research framework in the Global South

This article unravels the intricate connections between climate change, food systems, and human health, offering a comprehensive exploration within a concise framework focused on the Global South. The contemporary crisis stemming from the mass production model, emphasising climate change and public health repercussions, is a focal point. We highlight food production as an important driver of climate change, significantly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Livestock and staple crops exert varied environmental impacts. We scrutinise the implications of land-use changes, emphasising the imperative to curtail agricultural expansion into forested areas. Central to our analysis is the role of governance systems. We advocate for a multi-level, polycentric governance approach integrating health considerations with ecology and socio-economic drivers. By exploring the nuances of gender, age, and ethnicity, we underscore the need for a climate transition guided by climate justice principles. Finally, we discuss methodological challenges in researching the complex nexus of food systems, climate change, and health. We navigate the limitations of disciplinary boundaries and traditional analytical methods, urging an interdisciplinary approach for a comprehensive understanding. Our work aims to contribute to a holistic perspective, informing policy-making and action to build a resilient and sustainable future, especially in the Global South.

Heavy metal levels of outdoor dust from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea region and assessment of the ecological and health risk.

As a result of some chemical element (heavy metals) pollution of dust, environmental pollution of dust has become an increasing concern, necessitating an assessment of risks to both ecology and human health, particularly in urban areas. Most of these pollutants settle on the outdoors and eventually become part of the outdoor dust. These will have negative long-term repercussions on ecosystems and human health. In this research, energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometry analytical method was used to assess the pollution characteristics of the eight heavy metals (HMs): Mn, Cu, As, Hg, Ni, Cr, Zn, and Pb in the East Mediterranean Sea area. The concentration of As, Mn, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn analyzed in outdoor dust samples varied from 0.94 to 19.52 mg kg-1, 190.08 to 1019.7 mg kg-1, 20.46 to 45.9 mg kg-1, 19.5 to 62.56 mg kg-1, 0.01 to 0.93 mg kg-1, 10.48 to 40.64 mg kg-1, 12. 6 to 36.1 mg kg-1, and 48.96 to 112.41mg kg-1, respectively. HMs have been detected in the outdoor dust samples analyzed in the study, and, as a result, mean concentrations followed the order Mn > Zn > Cu > Cr > Ni > Pb > As > Hg, respectively. The ecological risk was observed at various contamination levels, with As and Hg pollution being the most severe. The highest hazard quotient (HQ) for adults and children was determined as a result of As and Cr, respectively. According to the US-EPA health risk threshold, the cancer risk in the study area is negligible.

Imaging the spatial distribution of structurally diverse plant hormones: A comprehensive review.

Plant hormones are essential and structurally diverse molecules that regulate various aspects of plant growth, development, and stress responses. However, the precise analysis of plant hormones in complex biological samples poses a challenge due to their low concentrations, dynamic levels, and intricate spatial distribution. Moreover, the complexity and interconnectedness of hormone signaling networks make it difficult to simultaneously trace multiple hormone distributions. In this review, we provide an overview of the currently recognized small-molecule plant hormones, signal peptide hormones, and plant growth regulators, along with the analytical methods employed for their analysis. We delve into the latest advancements in mass spectrometry imaging and in situ fluorescence techniques, which enable the examination of the spatial distribution of plant hormones. The advantages and disadvantages of these imaging techniques are further discussed. Finally, we propose potential avenues for future research in this field to further enhance our understanding of plant hormone biology.

Interrogation of a fluoropolymer dispersion manufactured with a non-fluorinated polymerization aid for targeted and non-targeted fluorinated residuals by liquid chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry

Recent advances in fluoropolymer polymerization have focused on replacing perfluorinated polymerization aids (PAs) with hydrocarbon-based alternatives. Hydrocarbon PAs are vulnerable to fluorinated radicals during polymerization, leading to the creation of hundreds of process-specific polyfluorinated residuals. These residuals, which include low molecular weight extractable or leachable impurities, are challenging to detect at trace levels. This study investigates a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) dispersion prepared with a hydrocarbon-based surfactant (DOSS) to measure these process-specific fluorinated residues. Liquid chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry is one of the few analytical methods that offers the sensitivity and selectivity required to detect these residuals in complex matrices at concentrations as low as parts per billion. The results indicate that using a hydrocarbon PA during emulsion polymerization produces numerous polyfluorinated residuals. These must be identified and monitored to develop effective abatement strategies, ensuring responsible fluoropolymer manufacturing.

A 96-position platform for magnetic sorbent-based dispersive microextraction: Application to the determination of tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol in saliva of cannabis smokers

BackgroundIn order to obtain sustainable analytical methods, it is essential to develop kinetically efficient sample preparation strategies in which equilibria are reached faster, as dispersive extraction techniques. In addition, the higher the reduction in size, the higher number of extraction vessels can be located and thus the higher number of samples can be simultaneously treated. All this increases sample throughput, and contributes to the reduction of chemical waste, and energy and sample consumption. In this sense, multiposition extraction platforms are smart strategies to achieve these goals, but they are scarcely developed for dispersive extraction techniques. ResultsTaking miniaturized stir bar sorptive dispersive microextraction (mSBSDME) as a starting point, a 96-position extraction platform has been developed using a 96-position stirring plate and a tailor-designed 3D-printed support for locating the miniaturized extraction vessels, achieving a high-throughput miniaturized sample preparation strategy. In order to show the applicability of this novel platform, the determination of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) in human saliva has been carried out and applied to samples collected after the consumption of marijuana and legal CBD-rich cannabis. Only 100 μL of saliva were needed for the analysis and good analytical features in terms of linearity (at least up to 500 ng mL−1), limits of detection (0.7 and 2.8 ng mL−1 for THC and CBD, respectively), and precision (RSD ≤ 14 %) were achieved. SignificanceThe miniaturization of the vessel allows the use of small volumes of sample (i.e., a few microliters) and the treatment of 96 samples in parallel, being the first proposal for carrying out dispersive sorbent-based microextraction under the concept of 96-well format. Additionally, this new workflow contributes to the development of analytical methods that meet the three pillars of sustainability, i.e., greenness and easily affordable in terms of economics and applicability.

Safety Management of Marine Biotoxins in South Korea: Analytical Methods, Occurrence, and Risk Assessment

Safety Management of Marine Biotoxins in South Korea: Analytical Methods, Occurrence, and Risk Assessment

Soil labile organic carbon and nitrate nitrogen are the main factors driving carbon-fixing pathways during vegetation restoration in the Loess Plateau, China

Although the microbial fixation of CO2 is a key process in regulating soil carbon cycling, the effects of vegetation type on microbial carbon-fixing pathways and their driving factors in soils have yet to be sufficiently established. In this study, based on macro-genome sequencing and other analytical methods, we sought to determine the soil physicochemical properties, soil organic carbon contents, carbon-fixing microorganisms, and carbon-fixing genes in areas of farmland (FL), grassland (GL). Robinia pseudoacacia (RP), Caragana korshinskii (CAK), and Prunus sibirica (PS) in the Wuliwan watershed of the Loess Plateau region of China. Our findings revealed that the organic carbon contents of the assessed soils increased in the following order: FL < GL∼PS < CAK < RP (P < 0.05). Re-vegetation-based restoration was found to enhance soil organic carbon pool stability. Compared with farmland soil, the proportions of recalcitrant organic carbon had increased by 6 % and 9 % in the soil at sites that had undergone restoration with C. korshinskii and R. pseudoacacia respectively. Among the identified carbon fixation pathways, the DC/4-HB cycle had the highest relative abundance of 25.10–25.52 %. The dominant groups of carbon-fixing microorganisms were identified as Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria, accounting for over 60 % of the total abundance. Furthermore, analysis based on a partial least squares path model revealed labile organic carbon and soil nitrate nitrogen as the primary drivers of carbon fixation pathways. Collectively, our findings in this study provide evidence to indicate that restoration of vegetation on the Loess Plateau can contribute to increases in soil organic carbon content and stability and the abundance of carbon-fixing microorganisms, with R. pseudoacacia and C. korshinskii having the most significant effects in this regard. These findings have important implications for restorative vegetation carbon pool management and provide additional perspectives for understanding global carbon cycling.

Self-assembled prussian blue nanoparticles on MXene quantum dots modified AuNPs for sensitive and reproducible biosensing of ovarian specific antigen (CA-125)

In this study, a practical approach has been developed to detect ovarian specific antigen (CA-125) with high sensitivity and specificity. The method utilizes enhanced differential pulse voltammogram signals of a self-assembled prussian blue nanoparticles (PB) decorated on MXene Quantum dots (QDs) supported by electrodeposited Au nanoparticles modified glassy carbon electrode (AuNP/PB/MXene QD/GCE). The fabrication procedure was completed by casting an optimized value of streptavidin and CA-125 antibody on the transducing platform. The improved electrochemical characteristics of the MXene QD/PB/AuNPs modification were ascribed to the combined impacts of MXene QD, PB, and AuNPs. The integration of MXene QD-PB composite within the modified layer contributed to enhanced mechanical strength. Additionally, the inclusion of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) notably enhanced conductivity and promoted the attachment of anti-CA-125 onto the modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE), consequently improving sensitivity. Several analytical methods, such as energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) were utilized to investigate the structural, elemental composition and morphological characteristics. The functionality of the newly created immunosensor was evaluated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, differential pulse voltammetry and cyclic voltammetry to evaluate the synergistic effects. By employing this highly efficient analysis strategy, the measurement of CA-125 with differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) results a remarkable sensitivity with a detection limit of 0.57 pU.mL−1 and a wide linear range of 1 pU.mL−1 to 0.12 nU.mL−1 (R2 = 0.9824). Comparable results were obtained by analyzing serum samples from ovarian cancer patients at various stages. This study offers a significant insight into the advancement of immunosensor techniques for fabricating electrochemical transducers for the clinical detection of CA-125.

Bio-inspired helicoidal hemp/basalt/polyurethane rubber bio-composites: Experimental, numerical and analytical ballistic impact study with residual velocity prediction using artificial neural network

Recent body armour trends emphasize mobility, flexibility, and cost reduction while maintaining ballistic effectiveness through the use of natural fiber composite. This study evaluates the ballistic impact performance of soft and hard armor using experimental, analytical, numerical, and machine learning methods. We developed a soft armor bio-composite using monolithic, hybrid, and helicoidal structured Hemp (H)/Basalt (B)/Polyurethane (PU) rubber and tested its V50 ballistic limit according to Millitary-Standred-662 F. For hard armour, a multi-layer armor system (MAS) consisting of Al2O3/SiC ceramic, intermediate soft armour bio-composites, and an Aluminum (Al)-5052 plate backing was tested with armour-piercing bullets as per National Institute of Justice (NIJ)-0101.06 standards (Level IV). Soft armor performance was evaluated using macro-homogeneous finite element (FE), the Ipson-Retch analytical, and an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) regression model. Results showed minimal discrepancies from experimental data, with differences of 13.33 %, 12.08 %, and 8.08 % in V50 ballistic limit. The mechanical and thermal behaviors of bio-composites were assessed using un-notched Charpy, FTIR, and TGA methods. Helicoidal laminates improved Charpy toughness by 9.44 %, 19.30 %, and 40.28 % compared to hybrid and monolithic ([H]15 and [H]10) laminates, and exhibited lower weight reduction at high degradation temperature of 395.76 ℃. Helicoidal laminates increased V50 ballistic performance by 155.80 %, 76.22 %, and 16.61 % compared to [H]10, [H]15, and hybrid laminates, respectively. Due to spiral load distribution reduces stress concentration and enhanced the damage resistance of the laminate. Stand-alone soft armor demonstrates crater formation and radial cracks (petaling) due to fiber wedging and the shearing effect of a bullet. In conclusion, MAS revels a maximum back face deformation (BFD) of 18.06 mm. Al2O3/Helicoidal/Al-plate MAS reduced weight and cost by 69.21 %, and 233.72 % compared to Kevlar™-based MAS, promoting sustainable, lightweight, economical designs. Due to its higher fracture toughness and lower density, SiC ceramic in MAS provides lower trauma and further reduced weight compared to Al2O3 ceramic.

Nickel(II) complex anchoring on anatase nanoparticles: A multifunctional approach to anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities

In this study, a biologically active nickel(II) complex, [Ni(bipy)3]Cl2 (where bipy = 2,2′-bipyridine), was synthesized using a straightforward precipitation method. This nickel(II) complex was subsequently grafted onto anatase (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) through an adsorption technique, yielding nickel(II)-complex-grafted anatase (Ni-TiO2) NPs. The Ni-TiO2 NPs were thoroughly characterized using a range of analytical methods, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, UV–visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), which confirmed the successful grafting of the complex onto the TiO2 NPs and maintained the structural integrity of the composite. The anticancer activity of the Ni-TiO2 NPs was assessed on Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) cell lines using the MTT assay, revealing a significant enhancement in anticancer efficacy, with a 69 % improvement in cell inhibition compared to untreated cells. Moreover, the antioxidant potential of the Ni-TiO2 NPs was evaluated using the 1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, and their anti-inflammatory activity was determined through the protein denaturation assay. Both assays demonstrated that the Ni-TiO2 NPs exhibited superior inhibitory effects compared to the precursor Ni(II) complex, indicating enhanced bioactivity.