Development of a hematite nanotube and tyramine-based drug carrier against drug-resistant bacteria Klebsiella pneumoniae

Elucidating shape-mediated drug carrier mechanics of hematite nanomaterials for breast cancer therapeutics

Metallic nanomaterials have gained significant attention in cancer therapy as potential nanocarriers due to their unique properties at the nanoscale. However, nanomaterials face several drawbacks, including biocompatibility, stability, and cellular uptake. Hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanoparticles are emerging as promising nano-carriers to reduce adverse outcomes of conventional chemotherapeutics. However, the shape-mediated drug carrier mechanics of hematite nanomaterials are not raveled. In this study, we tailored hematite nanoparticles in ellipsoidal (EHNP) and spherical (SHNP) shapes with excellent biocompatibility and efficient drug encapsulation and release. We elucidate that EHNP exhibits higher cellular uptake than SHNP. With effective cellular internalization, the cisplatin-loaded EHNP showed excellent cytotoxicity with an IC50 value of 200 nM compared to the cisplatin-loaded SHNP. The flow cytometry cell sorting (FACS) analysis showed a four-fold increase in cell death by arresting the cells at the G0/G1 and G1 phases for cis-EHNP compared to cis-SHNP. The results show that ellipsoidal-shaped hematite nanoparticles can act as attractive nanocarriers with improved therapeutic efficacy in cancer therapy.

Augmentin loaded functionalized halloysite nanotubes: A sustainable emerging nanocarriers for biomedical applications

Clay minerals such as Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs), abundantly available green nanomaterial, exhibit a significant advantage in biomedical applications such as drug delivery, antibacterial and antimicrobials, tissue engineering or regeneration, etc. Because of the mesoporous structure and high absorbability, HNTs exhibit great potential as a nanocarrier in drug delivery applications. The sulfuric acid treatment enhances the surface area of the HNTs and thereby improves their drug-loading capacity by enlarging their lumen space/inner diameter. In the present investigation, based on the literature that supports the efficacy of drug loading after acid treatment, a dual treatment was performed to functionalize the HNTs surface. First, the HNTs were etched and functionalized using sulfuric acid. The acid-functionalized HNTs underwent another treatment using (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) to better interact the drug molecules with the HNTs surfaces for efficient drug loading. Augmentin, a potential drug molecule of the penicillin group, was used for HNTs loading, and their antibacterial properties, cytotoxicity, and cumulative drug release (%) were evaluated. Different characterization techniques, such as X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR), confirm the loading of Augmentin to the APTES@Acid HNTs. TEM images confirm the effective loading of the drug molecule with the HNTs. The drug encapsulation efficiency shows 40.89%, as confirmed by the Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). Also, the Augmentin-loaded APTES@Acid HNTs exhibited good antibacterial properties against E. coli and S. aureus and low cytotoxicity, as confirmed by the MTT assay. The drug release studies confirmed the sustainable release of Augmentin from the APTES@Acid HNTs. Hence, the treated HNTs can be considered as a potential nanocarrier for effectively delivering Augmentin and promoting enhanced therapeutic benefits.