Tissue culture studies were carried out on two ornamental plant species, Strongylodon macrobotrys A. Gray and Peperomia clusifolia Hook. Successful in vitro regeneration of plantlets was achieved in the latter species, using leaf and stem explants. The basal medium of Murashige and Skoog (1962), in combination with various levels of NAA and K, was utilised. Strongylodon proved refractory to both establishment of a thriving callus culture and in vitro formation of roots and shoots. Several media were utilised, Miller's (1963) medium proving the most successful for the production of callus. Different combinations of the growth regulators NAA, IBA, BA and K were used to determine optimum levels of these substances for callus production. Root/shoot induction studies were carried out using the basal medium of Miller (1963) plus various concentrations of IBA in combination with K or BA. Alternatively,the basal medium was used without added growth regulators. Internodes, nodal segments, leaves, pulvini, flower parts and seeds were used in the study. No plantlets were obtained from Strongylodon explants. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1982.

Skin cancer is the most widely diagnosed form of cancer and it is split in to non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) and cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM). Cutaneous melanoma has a high propensity for malignancy and it has the highest mortality rate of all skin cancers (de Gruijl, 1999:2004). The first line of treatment for most skin cancers is surgical excision but instances do arise in which surgery is not feasible due to the health of the patient or the location of the lesion. Therefore, viable alternatives are necessary in cases where surgery is not possible (Telfer et al., 2008:36). The skin is readily available for delivery of cytotoxic drugs to treat carcinomas and melanomas so the topical delivery of 5-fluorouracil was investigated in this study. 5-Fluorouracil is a pyrimidine anti-metabolite which interferes with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) synthesis by inhibiting the nucleotide synthetic enzyme thymidylate synthase (TS) and by becoming misincorporated into RNA and DNA. Thymidylate is essential for replication as well as repair of DNA, in the event of TS inhibition thymidylate is not formed and “thymineless deaths” of cells occur (Chu & Sartorelli, 2009:935; Longley et al., 2003:330). This active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) causes death of atypical and rapidly dividing cells (Tsuji & Karasek, 1986:474). The intravenous and topical routes are approved for 5-fluorouracil and in the case of skin cancer the obvious choice would be topical application (Chu & Sartorelli, 2009:935). Topical application of 5-fluorouracil results in the occurrence of terrible side effects such as severe inflammation, stomatitis, photosensitivity and dermatitis. A reduction in side effects would reduce the stigma associated with topical 5-fluorouracil and in turn increase patient compliance. Topical drug delivery entails the delivery of an API onto or into the various layers of the skin (Flynn & Weiner, 1993:33) in order to treat conditions on or within the skin. Topical application of APIs is non-invasive, painless and simple plus the target site is readily accessible for topical therapy, thus the API is delivered directly to the site of action (Naik et al., 2000:318). In the case of skin cancer, 5-fluorouracil should be able to reach the epidermis because NMSC originates from the keratinocytes (Marks & Hanson, 2010:305) and CMM from melanocytes (de Gruijl, 1999:2004) which are both found in the epidermis. The barrier function of the skin limits the penetration of molecules into the skin and the rate-limiting step is usually penetration into the stratum corneum (Foldvari, 2000:418). The aim of this study was to investigate the diffusion of 5-fluorouracil from formulations into and through the skin. Two physico-chemical properties of 5-fluorouracil that influence skin permeation were determined (aqueous solubility and n-octanol-buffer partition coefficient (log D)). The Pheroid™ drug delivery system was used to enhance the delivery of 5-fluorouracil (Grobler et al., 2008:284). Pheroid™ is a novel technology that is used in the delivery of APIs in pharmaceutical products. It enhances the efficacy of delivered compounds while allowing for the reduction of unwanted adverse effects (Grobler et al., 2008:284). Franz cell skin diffusion studies and tape-stripping were conducted with Pheroid™ and non-Pheroid™ formulations to allow for comparison and determination of the effect of Pheroid™. The in vitro efficacy of 5-fluorouracil in inducing apoptosis of human melanoma cells was investigated using a flow cytometric apoptosis assay. Different concentrations of 5-fluorouracil in formulation were utilised in the experiments so as to observe the cytotoxic effect of 5-fluorouracil. The effect of the drug delivery vehicle on the efficacy of 5-fluorouracil was investigated by utilising API solutions in addition to Pheroid™ and non-Pheroid™ formulations in the experiments. Relatively high concentrations of 5-fluorouracil diffused into and through the skin with Pheroid™ formulations resulting in a greatly enhanced in vitro skin permeation of 5-fluorouracil. The tape-stripping revealed that the Pheroid™ lotions resulted in higher concentrations of 5-fluorouracil in the epidermis and dermis after 12 h as compared to the lotions. There was no deducible trend with respect to the distribution of 5-fluorouracil between the epidermis and dermis. Subsequent to the apoptosis assay it was found that 5-fluorouracil was able to induce apoptosis in A375 cells after a 24 h incubation period. The Pheroid™ treatment of cells resulted in a greater response (mean fluorescence intensity) as compared to treatments with the other drug delivery vehicles at three of the four concentrations. This showed that the drug delivery vehicle played a role in the in vitro efficacy of 5-fluorouracil. Further research must be done in order to combine these results. Optimum and highly effective topical formulations with low doses of 5-fluorouracil must be formulated for the purpose of treating cutaneous cancers with a reduced incidence of side effects. / Thesis (MSc (Pharmaceutics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Skin cancer is the most widely diagnosed form of cancer and it is split in to non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) and cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM). Cutaneous melanoma has a high propensity for malignancy and it has the highest mortality rate of all skin cancers (de Gruijl, 1999:2004). The first line of treatment for most skin cancers is surgical excision but instances do arise in which surgery is not feasible due to the health of the patient or the location of the lesion. Therefore, viable alternatives are necessary in cases where surgery is not possible (Telfer et al., 2008:36). The skin is readily available for delivery of cytotoxic drugs to treat carcinomas and melanomas so the topical delivery of 5-fluorouracil was investigated in this study. 5-Fluorouracil is a pyrimidine anti-metabolite which interferes with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) synthesis by inhibiting the nucleotide synthetic enzyme thymidylate synthase (TS) and by becoming misincorporated into RNA and DNA. Thymidylate is essential for replication as well as repair of DNA, in the event of TS inhibition thymidylate is not formed and “thymineless deaths” of cells occur (Chu & Sartorelli, 2009:935; Longley et al., 2003:330). This active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) causes death of atypical and rapidly dividing cells (Tsuji & Karasek, 1986:474). The intravenous and topical routes are approved for 5-fluorouracil and in the case of skin cancer the obvious choice would be topical application (Chu & Sartorelli, 2009:935). Topical application of 5-fluorouracil results in the occurrence of terrible side effects such as severe inflammation, stomatitis, photosensitivity and dermatitis. A reduction in side effects would reduce the stigma associated with topical 5-fluorouracil and in turn increase patient compliance. Topical drug delivery entails the delivery of an API onto or into the various layers of the skin (Flynn & Weiner, 1993:33) in order to treat conditions on or within the skin. Topical application of APIs is non-invasive, painless and simple plus the target site is readily accessible for topical therapy, thus the API is delivered directly to the site of action (Naik et al., 2000:318). In the case of skin cancer, 5-fluorouracil should be able to reach the epidermis because NMSC originates from the keratinocytes (Marks & Hanson, 2010:305) and CMM from melanocytes (de Gruijl, 1999:2004) which are both found in the epidermis. The barrier function of the skin limits the penetration of molecules into the skin and the rate-limiting step is usually penetration into the stratum corneum (Foldvari, 2000:418). The aim of this study was to investigate the diffusion of 5-fluorouracil from formulations into and through the skin. Two physico-chemical properties of 5-fluorouracil that influence skin permeation were determined (aqueous solubility and n-octanol-buffer partition coefficient (log D)). The Pheroid™ drug delivery system was used to enhance the delivery of 5-fluorouracil (Grobler et al., 2008:284). Pheroid™ is a novel technology that is used in the delivery of APIs in pharmaceutical products. It enhances the efficacy of delivered compounds while allowing for the reduction of unwanted adverse effects (Grobler et al., 2008:284). Franz cell skin diffusion studies and tape-stripping were conducted with Pheroid™ and non-Pheroid™ formulations to allow for comparison and determination of the effect of Pheroid™. The in vitro efficacy of 5-fluorouracil in inducing apoptosis of human melanoma cells was investigated using a flow cytometric apoptosis assay. Different concentrations of 5-fluorouracil in formulation were utilised in the experiments so as to observe the cytotoxic effect of 5-fluorouracil. The effect of the drug delivery vehicle on the efficacy of 5-fluorouracil was investigated by utilising API solutions in addition to Pheroid™ and non-Pheroid™ formulations in the experiments. Relatively high concentrations of 5-fluorouracil diffused into and through the skin with Pheroid™ formulations resulting in a greatly enhanced in vitro skin permeation of 5-fluorouracil. The tape-stripping revealed that the Pheroid™ lotions resulted in higher concentrations of 5-fluorouracil in the epidermis and dermis after 12 h as compared to the lotions. There was no deducible trend with respect to the distribution of 5-fluorouracil between the epidermis and dermis. Subsequent to the apoptosis assay it was found that 5-fluorouracil was able to induce apoptosis in A375 cells after a 24 h incubation period. The Pheroid™ treatment of cells resulted in a greater response (mean fluorescence intensity) as compared to treatments with the other drug delivery vehicles at three of the four concentrations. This showed that the drug delivery vehicle played a role in the in vitro efficacy of 5-fluorouracil. Further research must be done in order to combine these results. Optimum and highly effective topical formulations with low doses of 5-fluorouracil must be formulated for the purpose of treating cutaneous cancers with a reduced incidence of side effects. / Thesis (MSc (Pharmaceutics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

This project developed methodology for in vitro toxicity assessment of contaminated sites using the Promega?? MTS [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxy-methoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium] assay performed on human cells (HepG2 and Skin fibroblasts). The project included the development of a method for extracting contaminants from soil based on leaching and centrifugation. A number of solvents and surfactants were assessed for their suitability as extracting agents. The Zwitterionic surfactant CHAPS ({3[(3-Cholamidopropyl) dimethylammonio] propanesulphonic acid}), which is an irritant in vivo, was found suitable for in vitro toxicity assessment applications. CHAPS was found to be the least toxic surfactant in vitro when tested on skin fibroblasts (NOEC: 1800??577 ppm, IC50: 4000??577 ppm) and HepG2 cells (NOEC: 833??289 ppm, IC50: 5300??287 ppm). The chosen surfactant was used in three different methods for extraction of Toluene and Xylene spiked in 2 g and 10g soil. The combination comprising of 0.1% (s/w) CHAPS and cosolvent 1% (w/w) Isopropanol, at their respective NOEC (No Observed Effective Concentration) toxicity values, showed good recovery of the nonpolar organic compounds in comparison to the recovery by 0.1% CHAPS and 0.5% CHAPS. The study found additive interactions to be the most common form of toxicity for 16 concentration combinations of Formaldehyde (polar), Toluene and Xylene (nonpolar) when compared to predicted toxicity (R2=0.943, P&lt0.0001). When assessing the in vitro toxicity of unknown (blind) contaminated soil samples, the Hazard Index (HI) predicted from the chemical analyses results showed a relatively good correlation (R2&gt0.7062, n=26) when compared to the experimental toxicity results on HepG2 cells. Furthermore, the comparison of Australian Health Investigation Levels (HIL) with in vitro toxicity testing gave similar correlation (R2&gt0.6882, n=26) on HepG2 cells. The overall project suggests the potential application of the zwitterionic surfactant (CHAPS) in sampling contaminants from soils in an in vitro toxicity assessment. This study demonstrates the application of in vitro toxicity assessment using human cells for the prediction of toxic risk as a sentinel to human toxicity from a contaminated site.

A common problem observed in large-scale cell cultivation is reduced culture performance compared with small-scale processes due to the existence of concentration gradients caused by poor mixing. Small-scale simulations using microbial cell suspensions have shown that circulation of cells through concentration gradients of oxygen, pH and glucose can result in reduction of cell growth and product formation similar to the effects observed in large-scale bioreactors. This study was aimed at using scale-down studies to investigate poor mixing in large-scale bioreactors used for suspended plant and animal cell culture. Two plant cell suspensions and a hybridoma cell line were used in this work. The range of oxygen transfer coefficients achieved in the hybridoma and plant suspensions were about 50???20 h-1 and 12???6 h-1, respectively. One-vessel simulation was developed to induce fluctuations of dissolved oxygen tension in a 2-L bioreactor using intermittent sparging of air and nitrogen. The effect of dissolved oxygen fluctuations on the cells was examined by comparing the performance of the cultures with those operated at constant dissolved oxygen tension. In the hybridoma suspension culture, only slight effects on cell growth were observed at circulation times above 300 s. No effect on the specific glucose uptake rate or antibody production was observed at the circulation times tested. Analysis of gene expression for selected hypoxia-related genes also suggested that the overall effect was limited. In plant cell suspensions, the specific growth rates and biomass yields on total sugar in the cultures under fluctuating dissolved oxygen tension were essentially the same as those at constant dissolved oxygen tension for both transgenic Nicotiana tabacum and Thalictrum minus. Under fluctuating dissolved oxygen tension, no effect on antibody accumulation was observed in transgenic N. tabacum suspensions, but a decrease in berberine accumulation was observed in T. minus. From the results, it can be concluded that only minimal effects due to the development of concentration gradients would be expected in large-scale bioreactors used for the cultivation of the hybridoma and plant cell suspensions tested in this work.

A common problem observed in large-scale cell cultivation is reduced culture performance compared with small-scale processes due to the existence of concentration gradients caused by poor mixing. Small-scale simulations using microbial cell suspensions have shown that circulation of cells through concentration gradients of oxygen, pH and glucose can result in reduction of cell growth and product formation similar to the effects observed in large-scale bioreactors. This study was aimed at using scale-down studies to investigate poor mixing in large-scale bioreactors used for suspended plant and animal cell culture. Two plant cell suspensions and a hybridoma cell line were used in this work. The range of oxygen transfer coefficients achieved in the hybridoma and plant suspensions were about 50???20 h-1 and 12???6 h-1, respectively. One-vessel simulation was developed to induce fluctuations of dissolved oxygen tension in a 2-L bioreactor using intermittent sparging of air and nitrogen. The effect of dissolved oxygen fluctuations on the cells was examined by comparing the performance of the cultures with those operated at constant dissolved oxygen tension. In the hybridoma suspension culture, only slight effects on cell growth were observed at circulation times above 300 s. No effect on the specific glucose uptake rate or antibody production was observed at the circulation times tested. Analysis of gene expression for selected hypoxia-related genes also suggested that the overall effect was limited. In plant cell suspensions, the specific growth rates and biomass yields on total sugar in the cultures under fluctuating dissolved oxygen tension were essentially the same as those at constant dissolved oxygen tension for both transgenic Nicotiana tabacum and Thalictrum minus. Under fluctuating dissolved oxygen tension, no effect on antibody accumulation was observed in transgenic N. tabacum suspensions, but a decrease in berberine accumulation was observed in T. minus. From the results, it can be concluded that only minimal effects due to the development of concentration gradients would be expected in large-scale bioreactors used for the cultivation of the hybridoma and plant cell suspensions tested in this work.

A common problem observed in large-scale cell cultivation is reduced culture performance compared with small-scale processes due to the existence of concentration gradients caused by poor mixing. Small-scale simulations using microbial cell suspensions have shown that circulation of cells through concentration gradients of oxygen, pH and glucose can result in reduction of cell growth and product formation similar to the effects observed in large-scale bioreactors. This study was aimed at using scale-down studies to investigate poor mixing in large-scale bioreactors used for suspended plant and animal cell culture. Two plant cell suspensions and a hybridoma cell line were used in this work. The range of oxygen transfer coefficients achieved in the hybridoma and plant suspensions were about 50???20 h-1 and 12???6 h-1, respectively. One-vessel simulation was developed to induce fluctuations of dissolved oxygen tension in a 2-L bioreactor using intermittent sparging of air and nitrogen. The effect of dissolved oxygen fluctuations on the cells was examined by comparing the performance of the cultures with those operated at constant dissolved oxygen tension. In the hybridoma suspension culture, only slight effects on cell growth were observed at circulation times above 300 s. No effect on the specific glucose uptake rate or antibody production was observed at the circulation times tested. Analysis of gene expression for selected hypoxia-related genes also suggested that the overall effect was limited. In plant cell suspensions, the specific growth rates and biomass yields on total sugar in the cultures under fluctuating dissolved oxygen tension were essentially the same as those at constant dissolved oxygen tension for both transgenic Nicotiana tabacum and Thalictrum minus. Under fluctuating dissolved oxygen tension, no effect on antibody accumulation was observed in transgenic N. tabacum suspensions, but a decrease in berberine accumulation was observed in T. minus. From the results, it can be concluded that only minimal effects due to the development of concentration gradients would be expected in large-scale bioreactors used for the cultivation of the hybridoma and plant cell suspensions tested in this work.

A common problem observed in large-scale cell cultivation is reduced culture performance compared with small-scale processes due to the existence of concentration gradients caused by poor mixing. Small-scale simulations using microbial cell suspensions have shown that circulation of cells through concentration gradients of oxygen, pH and glucose can result in reduction of cell growth and product formation similar to the effects observed in large-scale bioreactors. This study was aimed at using scale-down studies to investigate poor mixing in large-scale bioreactors used for suspended plant and animal cell culture. Two plant cell suspensions and a hybridoma cell line were used in this work. The range of oxygen transfer coefficients achieved in the hybridoma and plant suspensions were about 50???20 h-1 and 12???6 h-1, respectively. One-vessel simulation was developed to induce fluctuations of dissolved oxygen tension in a 2-L bioreactor using intermittent sparging of air and nitrogen. The effect of dissolved oxygen fluctuations on the cells was examined by comparing the performance of the cultures with those operated at constant dissolved oxygen tension. In the hybridoma suspension culture, only slight effects on cell growth were observed at circulation times above 300 s. No effect on the specific glucose uptake rate or antibody production was observed at the circulation times tested. Analysis of gene expression for selected hypoxia-related genes also suggested that the overall effect was limited. In plant cell suspensions, the specific growth rates and biomass yields on total sugar in the cultures under fluctuating dissolved oxygen tension were essentially the same as those at constant dissolved oxygen tension for both transgenic Nicotiana tabacum and Thalictrum minus. Under fluctuating dissolved oxygen tension, no effect on antibody accumulation was observed in transgenic N. tabacum suspensions, but a decrease in berberine accumulation was observed in T. minus. From the results, it can be concluded that only minimal effects due to the development of concentration gradients would be expected in large-scale bioreactors used for the cultivation of the hybridoma and plant cell suspensions tested in this work.

A common problem observed in large-scale cell cultivation is reduced culture performance compared with small-scale processes due to the existence of concentration gradients caused by poor mixing. Small-scale simulations using microbial cell suspensions have shown that circulation of cells through concentration gradients of oxygen, pH and glucose can result in reduction of cell growth and product formation similar to the effects observed in large-scale bioreactors. This study was aimed at using scale-down studies to investigate poor mixing in large-scale bioreactors used for suspended plant and animal cell culture. Two plant cell suspensions and a hybridoma cell line were used in this work. The range of oxygen transfer coefficients achieved in the hybridoma and plant suspensions were about 50???20 h-1 and 12???6 h-1, respectively. One-vessel simulation was developed to induce fluctuations of dissolved oxygen tension in a 2-L bioreactor using intermittent sparging of air and nitrogen. The effect of dissolved oxygen fluctuations on the cells was examined by comparing the performance of the cultures with those operated at constant dissolved oxygen tension. In the hybridoma suspension culture, only slight effects on cell growth were observed at circulation times above 300 s. No effect on the specific glucose uptake rate or antibody production was observed at the circulation times tested. Analysis of gene expression for selected hypoxia-related genes also suggested that the overall effect was limited. In plant cell suspensions, the specific growth rates and biomass yields on total sugar in the cultures under fluctuating dissolved oxygen tension were essentially the same as those at constant dissolved oxygen tension for both transgenic Nicotiana tabacum and Thalictrum minus. Under fluctuating dissolved oxygen tension, no effect on antibody accumulation was observed in transgenic N. tabacum suspensions, but a decrease in berberine accumulation was observed in T. minus. From the results, it can be concluded that only minimal effects due to the development of concentration gradients would be expected in large-scale bioreactors used for the cultivation of the hybridoma and plant cell suspensions tested in this work.

A common problem observed in large-scale cell cultivation is reduced culture performance compared with small-scale processes due to the existence of concentration gradients caused by poor mixing. Small-scale simulations using microbial cell suspensions have shown that circulation of cells through concentration gradients of oxygen, pH and glucose can result in reduction of cell growth and product formation similar to the effects observed in large-scale bioreactors. This study was aimed at using scale-down studies to investigate poor mixing in large-scale bioreactors used for suspended plant and animal cell culture. Two plant cell suspensions and a hybridoma cell line were used in this work. The range of oxygen transfer coefficients achieved in the hybridoma and plant suspensions were about 50???20 h-1 and 12???6 h-1, respectively. One-vessel simulation was developed to induce fluctuations of dissolved oxygen tension in a 2-L bioreactor using intermittent sparging of air and nitrogen. The effect of dissolved oxygen fluctuations on the cells was examined by comparing the performance of the cultures with those operated at constant dissolved oxygen tension. In the hybridoma suspension culture, only slight effects on cell growth were observed at circulation times above 300 s. No effect on the specific glucose uptake rate or antibody production was observed at the circulation times tested. Analysis of gene expression for selected hypoxia-related genes also suggested that the overall effect was limited. In plant cell suspensions, the specific growth rates and biomass yields on total sugar in the cultures under fluctuating dissolved oxygen tension were essentially the same as those at constant dissolved oxygen tension for both transgenic Nicotiana tabacum and Thalictrum minus. Under fluctuating dissolved oxygen tension, no effect on antibody accumulation was observed in transgenic N. tabacum suspensions, but a decrease in berberine accumulation was observed in T. minus. From the results, it can be concluded that only minimal effects due to the development of concentration gradients would be expected in large-scale bioreactors used for the cultivation of the hybridoma and plant cell suspensions tested in this work.