Inhibition of Polymicrobial Biofilms of Candida albicans-Staphylococcus aureus/Streptococcus mutans by Fucoidan-Gold Nanoparticles

The polymicrobial proliferation and development of complex biofilm morphologies by bacterial and fungal pathogens in the host are some of the key factors contributing to the failure of antimicrobial treatments. The polymicrobial interaction of Candida albicans and some bacterial species has been extensively studied in both in vitro and in vivo model systems. Alternative strategies for disrupting polymicrobial interaction and biofilm formation are constantly needed. Among several alternative strategies, the use of nanoparticles synthesized using a natural product in the treatment of microbial infection has been considered a promising approach. The current study aimed to synthesize gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using a natural product, fucoidan, and to test their efficacy against mono and duo combinations of fungal (Candida albicans) and bacterial (Staphylococcus aureus/Streptococcus mutans) biofilms. Several methods were used to characterize and study Fu-AuNPs, including UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, FTIR, FE-TEM, EDS, DLS, zeta potential, and XRD. The concentration-dependent inhibition of early-stage biofilms and the eradication of mature biofilms of single species of C. albicans, S. aureus, and S. mutans have been observed. Early biofilms of a dual-species combination of C. albicans and S. aureus/S. mutans were also suppressed at an increasing concentration of Fu-AuNPs. Furthermore, Fu-AuNPs significantly eradicated the established mature biofilm of mixed species. The treatment method proposed in this study, which involves the use of marine-bioinspired nanoparticles, is a promising and biocompatible agent for preventing the growth of polymicrobial biofilms of bacterial and fungal pathogens.

Fucoidan-based nanoparticles: Preparations and applications

Nanoparticle-based therapy has gained much attention in the pharmaceutical industry. Fucoidan is a sulfated polysaccharide naturally derived from marine brown algae and is widely used for medical applications. We explore preparation of fucoidan-based nanoparticles and their biomedical applications in the current review. The fucoidan-based nanoparticles have been synthesized using microwave, emulsion, solvent evaporation, green synthesis, polyelectrolyte self-assembly, precipitation, and ultrasonication methods. The synthesized nanoparticles have particle sizes ranging from 100 to 400 nm. Therefore, fucoidan-based nanoparticles have a variety of potential therapeutic applications, including drug delivery, cancer therapies, tissue engineering, antimicrobial applications, magnetic resonance imaging contrast, and atherothrombosis imaging. For example, fucoidan nanoparticles have been used to deliver curcumin, dextran, gentamicin, epigallocatechin gallate, and cisplatin for cancer therapies. Furthermore, fucoidan nanoparticles coupled with metal nanoparticles have been used to target and recognize clinical conditions for diagnostic purposes. Hence, fucoidan-based nanoparticles have been helpful for biomedical applications.

Enhanced anticancer effect of ROS-boosted photothermal therapy by using fucoidan-coated polypyrrole nanoparticles

Nanomaterial mediated cancer/tumor photo driven hyperthermia has obtained great awareness. Nevertheless, it is a challenge for improving the hyperthermic efficacy lacking resistance to stimulated thermal stress. We thus developed a bioinspired nano-platform utilizing inclusion complexation between photosensitive polypyrrole (Ppy) nanoparticles (NP) and fucoidan (FU). This FU-Ppy NP proved to be an excellent P-selectin-mediated, lung cancer-cell/tumor targeting delivery and specific accumulation, could augment cancer/tumor oxidative stress levels through producing cellular reactive oxygen species. Potent ROS/photothermal combinational therapeutic effects were exhibited by the bioinspired FU-Ppy NP through a selective P-selectin cancer/tumor targeting aptitude for the lung cancer cells/tumor compared with other nano-formulations. The usage of FU-Ppy NP also involves the potential mechanism of suppressing the biological expression of tumor vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). This FU biological macromolecule-amplified photothermally therapeutic nano-platform has promising potential for future medical translation in eradicating numerous tumors.

One-Minute Synthesis of Size-Controlled Fucoidan-Gold Nanosystems: Antitumoral Activity and Dark Field Imaging

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are one of the most studied nanosystems with great potential for biomedical applications, including cancer therapy. Although some gold-based systems have been described, the use of green and faster methods that allow the control of their properties is of prime importance. Thus, the present study reports a one-minute microwave-assisted synthesis of fucoidan-coated AuNPs with controllable size and high antitumoral activity. The NPs were synthesized using a fucoidan-enriched fraction extracted from Fucus vesiculosus, as the reducing and capping agent. The ensuing monodispersed and spherical NPs exhibit tiny diameters between 5.8 and 13.4 nm for concentrations of fucoidan between 0.5 and 0.05% (w/v), respectively, as excellent colloidal stability in distinct solutions and culture media. Furthermore, the NPs present antitumoral activity against three human tumor cell lines (MNT-1, HepG2, and MG-63), and flow cytometry in combination with dark-field imaging confirmed the cellular uptake of NPs by MG-63 cell line.

Synthesis of porous Pd nanoparticles by therapeutic chaga extract for highly efficient tri-modal cancer treatment

Porous palladium nanoparticles were designed and synthesized to maximize the pharmacological activity of the chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) extract, which has anticancer and antibacterial activities. In the present study, we synthesized anisotropic porous Pd nanostructures with ultraviolet-visible-near infrared whole wavelength region absorption using chaga extract concentration-dependent reductant-mediated synthesis. The porous Pd nanoparticles exhibited a surface chaga extract-derived anticancer effect, controlled delivery of doxorubicin through electrostatic interaction, and a photothermal conversion effect under 808 nm laser irradiation. The combined application of the three cancer treatment approaches clearly demonstrated the feasibility of synergistic tri-modal therapy. The present platform using Pd, which is a key constituent element of nanocatalysts but is not commonly used in biological applications, suggests numerous applications utilizing Pd nanostructures, as well as the potential development of new cancer therapies.

Real-time tracking of the autophagy process in living cells using plasmonically enhanced Raman spectroscopy of fucoidan-coated gold nanoparticles

To date, a variety of biological assays such as immunostaining, western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and flow cytometry have been used to analyze and trace important biological events and therapies. In addition to these techniques, the application of microscopic analytical techniques such as matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-ToF) mass spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy is increasing, allowing information to be obtained at the molecular level. In this study, we have conducted real-time tracking of autophagy, a cellular process that has recently been attracting significant attention. To achieve this purpose, we performed Raman spectroscopy on human oral squamous carcinoma cells (HSC3) incubated with bioactive molecule-modified plasmonic gold nanoparticles. The bioactive molecule-nanoparticle complexes were synthesized using fucoidan, a biopolymer that induces autophagy. By using this platform, it was possible to trace the entire autophagic process successively from cell introduction to autophagic apoptosis. This fusion of nanocomposites and spectroscopic techniques is expected to enable more complex biological processes to be pursued at the molecular level in the future.