Saveetha Institute of Medical & Technical Sciences

MXene-based smart contact lenses demonstrate a cutting-edge advancement in wearable ophthalmic technology, combining real-time biosensing, therapeutic capabilities, and user comfort in a single platform. These devices take the advantage of the exceptional electrical conductivity, mechanical flexibility, and biocompatibility of two-dimensional MXenes to enable noninvasive, tear-based monitoring of key physiological markers such as intraocular pressure and glucose levels. Recent developments focus on the integration of transparent MXene films into the conventional lens materials, allowing multifunctional performance including photothermal therapy, antimicrobial and anti-inflammation protection, and dehydration resistance. These innovations offer promising strategies for ocular disease management and eye protection. In addition to their multifunctionality, improvements in MXene synthesis and device engineering have enhanced the stability, transparency, and wearability of these lenses. Despite these advances, challenges remain in long-term biostability, scalable production, and integration with wireless communication systems. This review summarizes the current progress, key challenges, and future directions of MXene-based smart contact lenses, highlighting their transformative potential in next-generation digital healthcare and ophthalmic care.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a common cancer with several risk factors. Filamin A (FLNA), an actin-binding protein, plays a role in cytoskeletal remodeling and tumor progression; however, its specific role in HNSCC is still unclear. In this study, we aimed to examine the amplification of the FLNA gene, along with its mRNA and protein overexpression, and evaluate their clinical significance in patients with HNSCC using multi-omics datasets and independent validation.

Genetic alterations in the FLNA gene were investigated using the cBioPortal, and the expression profiles were analyzed in UALCAN by integrating TCGA and CPTAC datasets. The expression of FLNA was validated in HNSCC and adjacent non-tumor tissue samples through real-time PCR; protein levels were determined from immunohistochemical data of the Human Protein Atlas. The Kaplan-Meier plotter was used for the prognostic analysis of HNSCC patients with FLNA expression. Furthermore, protein interaction networks were constructed using the Human Protein Atlas, followed by functional enrichment analysis via Metascape.

FLNA was altered in 7 % of HNSCC patients, primarily through FLNA amplification, which was linked to increased mRNA expression (p < 0.001). Moreover, FLNA mRNA and protein were significantly expressed in HNSCC tissues compared to non-tumor tissue samples (p < 0.001). High FLNA expression was associated with advanced clinical stages, high histological grades, lymph node metastasis, and shorter overall survival (p < 0.01). From the protein-protein interaction network, FLNA was central to pathways involved in focal adhesion, cell adhesion, and extracellular matrix interaction. These pathways are strongly associated with cancer development and progression.

These findings suggest that amplification and overexpression of FLNA could serve as a potential prognostic biomarker in HNSCC.

Acrylamide is a neurotoxic chemical widely present in carbohydrate-rich foods due to thermal processing. Chronic exposure to acrylamide can lead to oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration, resulting in motor dysfunction and cognitive impairments. In this study, we evaluated the neuroprotective potential of Tanshinone IIA (TIIA), a bioactive compound derived from Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen), on an adult zebrafish model induced with acrylamide. Zebrafish were exposed to acrylamide to induce neurotoxic stress, followed by treatment with varying concentrations of TIIA. Our results highlight that TIIA significantly improved survival rates and restored behavioral deficits caused by acrylamide, including impaired exploratory behavior and increased anxiety-like responses. Biochemically, TIIA restored antioxidant enzyme activities such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), which were reduced by acrylamide exposure, thereby mitigating oxidative stress. TIIA also decreased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, indicative of reduced cellular damage, and restored acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, crucial for cholinergic neurotransmission. At the molecular level, TIIA reduced the activity of pro-inflammatory genes by stopping transcription, which acrylamide had increased, and brought the levels of neuroprotective genes like bdnf and nrf back to normal. Additionally, histological investigation showed that TIIA treatment significantly restored the morphological damage caused by acrylamide in the brain tissue of zebrafish. We draw conclusions on TIIA's neuroprotective effectiveness against acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity, demonstrating its potential as a treatment to stop acrylamide processed foods from causing neurodegenerative diseases.