Dendrimer-functionalized hydrothermal nanosized carbonaceous spheres as superior anion exchangers for ion chromatographic separation

Implications of analytical nanoscience in pharmaceutical and biomedical fields: A critical view

This review summarizes recent progress performed in the design and application of analytical tools and methodologies using nanomaterials for pharmaceutical analysis, and specifically new nanomedicines at distinct phases of development and translation from preclinical to clinical stages. Over the last 10-15 years, a growing number of studies have utilized various nanomaterials, including carbon-based, metallic nanoparticles, polymeric nanomaterials, materials based on biological molecules, and composite nanomaterials as tools for improving the analysis of pharmaceutical products. New and more complex nanomaterials are currently being explored to influence different stages of the analytical process. These materials provide unique properties to support the extraction of analytes in complex samples, increase the selectivity and efficiency of chromatographic separations, and improve the analytical properties of many sensor applications. Indeed, nanomaterials, including electrochemical detection approaches and biosensing, are expanding at a remarkable rate. Furthermore, the analytical performance of numerous approaches to determine drugs in different matrices can be significantly improved in terms of precision, detection limits, selectivity, and time of analysis. However, the quality control and metrological characterization of the currently synthesized nanomaterials still depend on the development of new and improved analytical methodologies, and the application of specific and improved instrumentation. Therefore, there is still much to explore about the properties of nanomaterials which need to be determined even more precisely and accurately.

A green, efficient and stable platform based on hyperbranched quaternized hydrothermal magnetic chitosan nanospheres integrated cytomembranes for screening drug candidates from natural products

Compared with traditional tedious organic solvent-assisted separation process in natural medicinal chemistry, cytomembrane (CM) fishing technique became a more appealing and greener choice for screening bioactive components from natural products. However, its large-scale practical value was greatly weakened by the easy fall-off of CMs from magnetic supports, rooted in the instability of common Fe3O4 particles and their insufficient interaction with CMs. In this research, a new green biostable platform was developed for drug screening through the integration of hyperbranched quaternized hydrothermal magnetic carbon spheres (HQ-HMCSs) and CMs. The positive-charged HQ-HMCSs were constructed by chitosan-based hydrothermal carbonization onto Fe3O4 nanospheres and subsequent aqueous hyperbranching quaternization with 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether and methylamine. The strong interaction between HQ-HMCSs and CMs was formed via electrostatic attraction of HQ-HMCSs to negative-charged CMs and covalent linkage derived from the epoxy-amine addition reactions. The chemically stable HMCSs and its integration with CMs contributed to dramatically higher stability and recyclability of bionic nanocomposites. With the fishing of osteoblast CMs integrated HQ-HMCSs, two novel potential anti-osteoporosis compounds, narcissoside and beta-ionone, were discovered from Hippophae rhamnoides L. Enhanced osteoblast proliferation, alkaline phosphatase, and mineralization levels proved their positive osteogenesis effects. Preliminary pharmacological investigation demonstrated their potential action on membrane proteins of estrogen receptor alpha and insulin-like growth factor 1. Furthermore, beta-ionone showed apparent therapeutic effects on osteogenic lesions in zebrafish. These results provide a green, stable, cost-efficient, and reliable access to rapid discovery of drug leads, which verifiably benefits the design of nanocarbon-based biocomposites with increasingly advanced functionality.

Polyelectrolyte-grafted anion exchangers with hydrophilic intermediate layers for ion chromatography

The hydrophobicity of polymer-based anion exchangers is a persistent problem in suppressed anionic chromatography (SAC) due to its adverse effect on chromatographic performance. Herein we describe polyelectrolyte-grafted anion exchangers with modified hydrophilic intermediate layers. The anion exchangers were functionalized by successively grafting a linear cationic condensation polymer (LCCP), a preprepared polyelectrolyte. The carboxylic/hydroxylic intermediate layers formed during thiol-radical-mediated polymerization exert distinct effects on the phase capacity and hydrophobicity. The separation of typical inorganic anions, polarizable anions, and organic acids shows that the anion exchangers display good performance in SAC mode.