Wool keratin-stabilized silver nanoparticles

Fabrication of silver nanoparticles decorated on sodium alginate microbeads enriched with keratin and investigation of its catalytic and antioxidant activity

In this study, an environmentally friendly, effective, easily synthesizable and recoverable nano-sized catalyst system (Ag@NaAlg-keratin) was designed by decorating Ag nanoparticles on microbeads containing sodium alginate (NaAlg) and keratin obtained from goose feathers. The structure, morphology and crystallinity of the Ag@NaAlg-keratin nanocatalyst were evaluated by XRD, FT-IR, FE-SEM, EDS/EDS mapping and TEM analyses. Catalytic ability of designed Ag@NaAlg-keratin nanocatalyst was then investigated against 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) and methyl orange (MO) reductions. Ag@NaAlg-keratin nanocatalyst effectively reduced 4-NP in 6 min and MO in 5 min, with rate constants of 0.17 min-1 and 0.16 min-1, respectively. Additionally, activation energies (Ea) were found as 39.8 kJ/mol for 4-NP and 37.9 kJ/mol for MO. Performed recyclability tests showed that the Ag@NaAlg-keratin nanocatalyst was easily recovered due to its microbead form and successfully reused five times, maintaining both its activity and structure. Furthermore, antioxidant activity of Ag@NaAlg-keratin nanocatalyst was the highest (73.16 %).

Biomimetic keratin gold nanoparticle-mediated in vitro photothermal therapy on glioblastoma multiforme

Aim: To realize and characterize a new generation of keratin-coated gold nanoparticles (Ker-AuNPs) as highly efficient photosensitive nanosized therapeutics for plasmonic photothermal (PPT) therapy. Materials & methods: The chemical, physical, morphological and photothermal properties of Ker-AuNPs are investigated using dynamic light scattering, ζ-potential, UV-Visible, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and high-resolution thermography. In vitro experiments are performed on a human glioblastoma cell line (i.e., U87-MG), using viability assays, transmission electron microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, cytometric analyses and PPT experiments. Results: Experiments confirm the excellent biocompatibility of Ker-AuNPs, their efficient cellular uptake and localized photothermal heating capabilities. Conclusion: The reported structural and functional properties pointed out these Ker-AuNPs as a promising new tool in the field of biocompatible photothermal agents for PPT treatments against cancer-related diseases.

Effect of Chemically Engineered Au/Ag Nanorods on the Optical and Mechanical Properties of Keratin Based Films

In this work we report the preparation and characterization of free-standing keratin-based films containing Au/Ag nanorods. The effect of nanorods surface chemistry on the optical and mechanical properties of keratin composite films is fully investigated. Colloid nanorods confer to the keratin films interesting color effects due to plasmonic absorptions of the metal nanostructures. The presence of metal NRs induces also substantial change in the protein fluorescence emission. In particular, the relative contribution of the ordered-protein aggregates emission is enhanced by the presence of cysteine and thus strictly related to the surface chemistry of nanorods. The presence of more packed supramolecular structures in the films containing metal nanorods (in particular cysteine modified ones) is confirmed by ATR measurements. In addition, the films containing nanorods show a higher Young's modulus compared to keratin alone and again the effect is more pronounced for cysteine modified nanorods. Collectively, the reported results indicate the optical and mechanical properties of keratin composites films are related to a common property and can be tuned simultaneously, paving the way to the optimization and improvement of their performances and enhancing the exploitation of keratin composites in highly technological optoelectronic applications.

Phytochemical constituents of fucoidan (Padina tetrastromatica) and its assisted AgNPs for enhanced antibacterial activity

Biological synthesis of nanomaterials is a growing innovative approach and it was broadly utilised in the field of nanotechnology and nanomedicine. This study illustrates that biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using fucoidan extracted from seaweed Padina tetrastromatica. The functional groups of extracted fucoidan were characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and used to NPs synthesis. Synthesised AgNPs were characterised by ultraviolet-visible spectra, scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X-ray, transmission electron microscope, selected area electron diffraction and FTIR. In this study, their main focus is enhancement antibacterial activity of AgNPs coated antibiotics against antibiotic resistant bacteria. Among the microorganisms, Serratia nematodiphila was resistant to novobiocin and penicillin, but it was sensitive to AgNPs impregnated antibiotic discs. The zone of inhibition was 12 and 15 mm. The synergistic effect of combined antibiotics and AgNPs resulted in increased fold area which was greater than the sum of their separate effects. It reveals that AgNPs are highly sought in the medicinal field due to their broad spectrum of antibacterial activity and relatively cheaper. This enhanced synergistic effect potentially superior to control the growth of bacteria and it is the budding process for the development of new remedial agents for severe diseases.

Silver nanomaterials as future colorants and potential antimicrobial agents for natural and synthetic textile materials

Over the past few years, antimicrobial textiles have gained considerable interest for use in different application fields.

Comparative analysis of cardiovascular effects of selenium nanoparticles and sodium selenite in zebrafish embryos

Selenium acts as an important element in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases but their health-related effects have not been fully explored. As a novel attempt, zebrafish embryos were treated separately with SeNPs (5-25 μg/ml) and sodium selenite (5-25 μg/ml) starting at early blastula stage. Abnormalities were also observed in the morphology of the zebrafish embryos. The SeNPs-treated embryos exhibited concentration-dependent increased in mortality, pericardial edema, and cardiac arrhythmia. In contrast, sodium selenite showed no significant malformation effect in developing zebrafish embryos. The results of the present study conclude that the SeNPs were more toxic than sodium selenite. The results also suggest that lower concentrations of SeNPs and sodium selenite can be used as possible therapeutic agents for cardiovascular-related problems.

Keratins extracted from Merino wool and Brown Alpaca fibres: thermal, mechanical and biological properties of PLLA based biocomposites

Keratins extracted from Merino wool (KM) and Brown Alpaca fibres (KA) by sulphitolysis and commercial hydrolyzed keratins (KH) were used as fillers in poly(l-lactic) acid based biocomposites processed by solvent casting in chloroform. Different contents (1 wt.% and 5 wt.%) of keratins were considered and the morphological, thermal, mechanical, chemical and biological behaviours of the developed PLLA biocomposites were investigated. The results confirmed that surface morphologies of biocomposites revealed specific round-like surface topography function of different microsized keratin particles in different weight contents, such as the analysis of bulk morphologies which confirmed a phase adhesion strictly dependent by the keratin source. Transparency and thermal responses were deeply affected by the presence of the different keratins and their interaction with the PLLA matrix. Tensile test results underlined the possibility to modulate the mechanical behaviour of PLLA selecting the keratin type and content in order to influence positively the elastic and/or plastic response. It was demonstrated that surface characteristics of PLLA/KA systems also influenced the bovine serum albumin adsorption, moreover PLLA and PLLA biocomposites based on different kinds of keratins supported the culture of human bone-marrow mesenchymal stem cells, indicating that these biocomposites could be useful materials for medical applications.

Thermal annealing: a facile way of conferring responsivity to inert alkyl-chain-passivated nanoparticle arrays

This work demonstrates a facile post-treatment strategy, vacuum thermal annealing, to fabricate a dodecanethiol-passivated gold nanoparticle (Au NP) array with organic solvent sensitivity. Through investigating the structure change of the Au NP array, it was found that the interparticle distance decreased during vacuum heat treatment, which meant a closer arrangement of the particles and a more dense packing of the dodecanethiol ligands in the interparticle region. The condensation would increase the interaction of the alkyl chain and enhance their interdigitation. Furthermore, on the basis of the stretching of the alkyl chains in organic solvents, the thermally treated Au NP array showed a good response to organic solvent or vapor by using the interdigitated dodecanethiol network as its responsive unit. The alkyl chains stretch to different extents in different organic solvents, leading to differences in interparticle distance, which provided a distinct blue shift of maximum wavelength upon exposure to various organic solvents or vapors. All of these results indicated that thermal annealing was an efficient way to confer responsivity to inert Au NP arrays. Together with the cost-effectiveness of such NP arrays, this study has potential in the development of economical sensors for medical diagnostics, food safety screening, and environmental pollution monitoring.

Extracellular biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using a novel and non-pathogenic fungus, Neurospora intermedia: controlled synthesis and antibacterial activity

In the present study, the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using Neurospora intermedia, as a new non-pathogenic fungus was investigated. For determination of biomass harvesting time, the effect of fungal incubation period on nanoparticle formation was investigated using UV-visible spectroscopy. Then, AgNPs were synthesized using both culture supernatant and cell-free filtrate of the fungus. Two different volume ratios (1:100 and 1:1) of the culture supernatant to the silver nitrate were employed for AgNP synthesis. In addition, cell-free filtrate and silver nitrate were mixed in presence and absence of light. Smallest average size and highest productivity were obtained when using equal volumes of the culture supernatant and silver nitrate solution as confirmed by UV-visible spectra of colloidal AgNPs. Comparing the UV-visible spectra revealed that using cell-free filtrate for AgNP synthesis resulted in the formation of particles with higher stability and monodispersity than using culture supernatant. The absence of light in cell-free filtrate mediated synthesis led to the formation of nanoparticles with the lowest rate and the highest monodispersity. The presence of elemental silver in all prepared samples was confirmed using EDX, while the crystalline nature of synthesized particles was verified by XRD. FTIR results showed the presence of functional groups which reduce Ag(+) and stabilize AgNPs. The presence of nitrate reductase was confirmed in the cell-free filtrate of the fungus suggesting the potential role of this enzyme in AgNP synthesis. Synthesized particles showed significant antibacterial activity against E. coli as confirmed by examining the growth curve of bacterial cells exposed to AgNPs.

PREPARATION OF CHITIN NANOFIBERS-GOLD METALLIC NANOCOMPOSITE BY PHASE TRANSFER METHOD

Chitin nanofibers (CNFs)- Au(0) nanoparticles ( Au NPs) blends in dispersion, flakes and thin film or sheet forms were first prepared by mixing pre-organized Au NPs prepared in triblock copolymer with diluted CNFs suspension. Water soluble polymer triblock copolymer poly (methyl vinyl ether, PMVE) in the amount 0.6 wt.% was used to prepare NPs and 0.12 wt.% net chitin content was used as CNFs suspension to prepare the blended composite. Au NPs of size 4.4 nm (σ = 1.2) were obtained when Au salt ( HAuCl4⋅3H2O (hydrogen tetrachloroaurate (III) trihydrate) was reduced by 5 equivalents of NaBH4 . PMVE polymer acted as a stabilizing or capping agent for pre-organized NPs. Completion of reaction was fast, all salt reduced to metallic form in just 15 min after the addition of NaBH4 . CNFs (1 wt.% chitin) which was used to prepare CNFs- Au NPs blend composite were prepared from crab shell in never dried acidic condition by established combination of chemical and mechanical processes that gave 25–40 nm width and high aspect ratio CNFs. When polymer capped Au NPs mixed with CNF suspension, all Au NPs and 56% polymer were mass transferred from water phase to entangle with more polar moieties of CNFs-water suspension as no trace of Au NPs were noticed in water–polymer mother liquor after blending with CNFs suspension. Particles size of CNFs- Au NPs composite was measured by employing TEM, SAXS and SEM techniques. CNFs- Au NPs composite were characterized in solution and compressed dried sheet form by recording digital images, UV-vis and XRD spectroscopies. CNFs- Au NPs suspension had antibacterial activity against gram positive bacteria S. aureus.

Interaction of silver nanoparticles (SNPs) with bacterial extracellular proteins (ECPs) and its adsorption isotherms and kinetics

Indiscriminate and increased use of silver nanoparticles (SNPs) in consumer products leads to the release of it into the environment. The fate and transport of SNPs in environment remains unknown. We have studied the interaction of SNPs with extracellular protein (ECP) produced by two environmental bacterial species and the adsorption behavior in aqueous solutions. The effect of pH and salt concentrations on the adsorption was also investigated. The adsorption process was found to be dependent on surface charge (zeta potential). The capping of SNPs by ECP was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The adsorption of ECP on SNPs was analyzed by Langmuir and Freundlich models, suggesting that the equilibrium adsorption data fitted well with Freundlich model. The equilibrium adsorption data were modeled using the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic equations. The results indicated that pseudo-second-order kinetic equation would better describe the adsorption kinetics. The capping was stable at environmental pH and salt concentration. The destabilization of nanoparticles was observed at alkaline pH. The study suggests that the stabilization of nanoparticles in the environment might lead to the accumulation and transport of nanomaterials in the environment, and ultimately destabilizes the functioning of the ecosystem.