Nanomaterials for biomedical applications

Washout-Resistant, pH-Responsive Anti-TMV Nanoimmune Inducer Based on Cellulose Nanocrystals

The application of antiplant virus agents on leaf surfaces faces challenges due to their vulnerability to wear, instability, and limited duration, which in turn jeopardizes plant health and yield. In recent years, high-aspect-ratio nanomaterials have gained prominence as powerful carriers for disease treatment, thanks to their exceptional penetrability and precise drug delivery capabilities. Here, we synthesized a pH-responsive nanoimmune inducer (CNC-AMO) with strong leaf adhesion through a Schiff base reaction, achieved by grafting amino-oligosaccharides (AMOs) on the surface of aldehyde-based CNC (CNC-CHO). Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, zeta potential, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and elemental analysis were used to characterize the CNC-AMO. The CNC-AMO displayed the capability for pH-responsive AMO release, showcasing its potential for targeted and controlled delivery. When applied to plants, the CNC-AMO exhibited impressive anti-TMV efficacy during a weeklong observation period. Meanwhile, the CNC-AMO exhibited remarkable adhesion and scouring resistance on the surfaces of the plant leaves. We strongly believe that the synergy of environmentally friendly synthetic materials, efficient plant virus control, and streamlined scalability positions CNC-AMOs as a promising pesticide for plant virus therapy.

Artificial neural network modelling hydrodenticity for optimal design by microfluidics of polymer nanoparticles to apply in magnetic resonance imaging

The engineering of nanoparticles impacts the control of their nano-bio interactions at each level of the delivery pathway. Therefore, optimal nanoparticle physicochemical properties should be identified to favour on-target interactions and deliver efficiently active compounds to a specific target. To date, traditional batch processes do not guarantee the reproducibility of results and low polydispersity index of the nanostructures, while microfluidics has emerged as cost effectiveness, short-production time approach to control the nanoparticle size and size distribution. Several thermodynamic processes have been implemented in microfluidics, such as nanoprecipitation, ionotropic gelation, self-assembly, etc., to produce nanoparticles in a continuous mode and high throughput way.   In this work, we show how the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) can be adopted to model the impact of microfluidic parameters (namely, flow rates and polymer concentrations) on the size of the nanoparticles. Promising results have been obtained, with the highest model accuracy reaching 98.9 %, thus confirming the proposed approach's potential applicability for an ANN-guided biopolymer nanoparticle design for biomedical applications. Nanostructures with different degrees of complexity are analysed, and a proof-of-concept machine learning approach is proposed to evaluate Hydrodenticity in biopolymer matrices. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Size, shape and surface charge determine nano-bio interactions of nanoparticles and their ability to target diseases. The ideal nanoparticle design avoids off-target interactions and favours on-target interactions. So, tools enabling the identification of the optimal nanoparticle physicochemical properties for delivery to a specific target are required. In this work, we evaluate the use of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to analyse the role of microfluidic parameters in predicting the optimal size of the different hydrogel nanoparticles and their ability to trigger Hydrodenticity.

The computational quantum mechanical investigation of the functionalized boron nitride nanocage as the smart carriers for favipiravir drug delivery: a DFT and QTAIM analysis

Favipiravir (FPV) is an antiviral drug used for the cure of Influenza virus, Ebola virus, Lassa virus etc. because it has excellent preventing ability of entry/exit of the virus into/from the human cells. Boron nitride nanocages have already drawn enormous attention as the delivery vehicle of various drug molecules for their nontoxicity and other lucrative properties. In this research, we have scrutinized the adsorption mechanism of FPV molecule on the exterior surface of pristine, Zn functionalized, and Ni functionalized B12N12 (BN, Zn f-BN, and Ni f-BN) nanocages by applying the DFT/QTAIM method and B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) approach. The adsorption energy (E_Ad) data reveal that the functionalized BN adsorbents can adsorb FPV drug very efficiently compared with the pristine adsorbent (Highest E_Ad is -56.40 kcal/mol for FPV adsorbed Ni f-BN complex). The reduction of the HOMO-LUMO gap up to 67.79% indicates that this drug can be detected by the produced electrical signal very promisingly in the case of f-BN nanocages. The topological parameters also validate the ability of the f-BN nanocages to adsorb the FPV molecule. The effect of the biological environment of our investigated structures has been studied by using water as a solvent, and spontaneous adsorption with high solubility is observed in our calculations. This analysis also reveals that f-BN nanocages can be a potential nanocarrier for the delivery of FPV drug molecule.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Advances in nanoenabled 3D matrices for cartilage repair

Cartilage repair strategies are evolving at a fast pace with technology development. Matrices that offer multifaceted functions and a full adaption to the cartilage defect are of pivotal interest. Current cartilage repair strategies face numerous challenges, mostly related to the development of highly biomimetic materials, non-invasive injectable solutions, and adequate degradation rates. These strategies often fail due to feeble mechanical properties, the inability to sustain cell adhesion, growth, and differentiation or by underestimating other players of cartilage degeneration, such as the installed pro-inflammatory microenvironment. The integration of nanomaterials (NMs) into 3D scaffolds, hydrogels and bioinks hold great potential in the improvement of key features of materials that are currently applied in cartilage tissue engineering strategies. NMs offer a high surface to volume ratio and their multiple applications can be explored to enhance cartilage mechanical properties, biocompatibility, cell differentiation, inflammation modulation, infection prevention and even to function as diagnostic tools or as stimuli-responsive cues in these 3D structures. In this review, we have critically reviewed the latest advances in the development of nanoenabled 3D matrices - enhanced by means of NMs - in the context of cartilage regeneration. We have provided a wide perspective of the synergistic effect of combining 3D strategies with NMs, with emphasis on the benefits brought by NMs in achieving functional and enhanced therapeutic outcomes. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Cartilage is one of the most challenging tissues to treat owing to its limited self-regeneration potential. Novel strategies using nanoenabled 3D matrices have emerged from the need to design more efficient solutions for cartilage repair, that take into consideration its unique mechanical properties and can direct specific cell behaviours. Here we aim to provide a comprehensive review on the synergistic effects of 3D matrices nanoenrichment in the context of cartilage regeneration, with emphasis on the heightening brought by nanomaterials in achieving functional and enhanced therapeutic outcomes. We anticipate this review to provide a wide perspective on the past years' research on the field, demonstrating the great potential of these approaches in the treatment and diagnosis of cartilage-related disorders.

Exploring the Role of Carbon-Based Nanomaterials in Microalgae for the Sustainable Production of Bioactive Compounds and Beyond

An enchanting yet challenging task is the development of higher productivity in plants to meet the ample food demands for the growing global population while harmonizing the ecosystem using front-line technologies. This has kindled the practice of green microalgae cultivation as a driver of key biostimulant products, targeting agronomic needs. To this end, a prodigious and economical strategy for producing bioactive compounds (sources of secondary metabolites) from microalgae using carbon-based nanomaterials (CNMs) as a platform can circumvent these hurdles. Recently, the nanobionics approach of incorporating CNMs with living systems has emerged as a promising technique to develop organelles with new and augmented functions. Herein, we discuss the importance of 2D carbon nanosheets (CNS) as an alternative carbon source for the phototrophic cultivation of microalgae. CNS not only aids in cost reduction for algal cultivation but also confers combinatorial innate or exogenous functions that enhance its programmed biosynthetic metabolism, proliferation, or tolerance to stress. Moreover, the inherent ability of CNS to act as efficient biocatalysts can enhance the rate of photosynthesis. The primary focus of this mini-review is the development of an economic route for enhanced yield of bioactive compounds while simultaneously serving as a heterogeneous platform for enhancing the sustainable production of biostimulants including bioactive compounds from algal biomass for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications.

Applicability of bio-synthesized nanoparticles in fungal secondary metabolites products and plant extracts for eliminating antibiotic-resistant bacteria risks in non-clinical environments

The abundance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the prawn pond effluents can substantially impact the natural environment. The settlement ponds, which are the most common treatment method for farms wastewater, might effectively reduce the suspended solids and organic matter. However, the method is insufficient for bacterial inactivation. The current paper seeks to highlight the environmental issue associated with the distribution of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) from prawn farm wastewater and their impact on the microbial complex community in the surface water which receiving these wastes. The inactivation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in prawn wastewater is strongly recommended because the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment causes water pollution and public health issues. The nanoparticles are more efficient for bacterial inactivation. They are widely accepted due to their high chemical and mechanical stability, broad spectrum of radiation absorption, high catalytic activity, and high antimicrobial activity. Many studies have examined the use of fungi or plants extract to synthesis zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs). It is evident from recent papers in the literature that green synthesized ZnO NPs from microbes and plant extracts are non-toxic and effective. ZnO NPs inactivate the bacterial cells as a function for releasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and zinc ions. The inactivation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria tends to be more than 90% which exhibit strong antimicrobial behavior against bacterial species.

Harmful Microalgae Detection: Biosensors versus Some Conventional Methods

In the last decade, there has been a steady stream of information on the methods and techniques available for detecting harmful algae species. The conventional approaches to identify harmful algal bloom (HAB), such as microscopy and molecular biological methods are mainly laboratory-based and require long assay times, skilled manpower, and pre-enrichment of samples involving various pre-experimental preparations. As an alternative, biosensors with a simple and rapid detection strategy could be an improvement over conventional methods for the detection of toxic algae species. Moreover, recent biosensors that involve the use of nanomaterials to detect HAB are showing further enhanced detection limits with a broader linear range. The improvement is attributed to nanomaterials' high surface area to volume ratio, excellent biological compatibility with biomolecules, and being capable of amplifying the electrochemical signal. Hence, this review presents the potential usage of biosensors over conventional methods to detect HABs. The methods reported for the detection of harmful algae species, ranging from conventional detection methods to current biosensor approaches will be discussed, along with their respective advantages and drawbacks to indicate the future prospects of biosensor technology for HAB event management.

Calcium carbonate nano- and microparticles: synthesis methods and biological applications

Calcium carbonate micro- and nanoparticles are considered as chemically inert materials. Therefore, they are widely considered in the field of biosensing, drug delivery, and as filler material in plastic, paper, paint, sealant, and adhesive industries. The unusual properties of calcium carbonate-based nanomaterials, such as biocompatibility, high surface-to-volume ratio, robust nature, easy synthesis, and surface functionalization, and ability to exist in a variety of morphologies and polymorphs, make them an ideal candidate for both industrial and biomedical applications. Significant research efforts have been devoted for developing novel synthesis methods of calcium carbonate particles in micrometer and nanometer dimensions. This review highlights different approaches of the synthesis of calcium carbonate micro- and nanoparticles, such as precipitation, slow carbonation, emulsion, polymer-mediated method, including in-situ polymerization, mechano-chemical, microwave-assisted method, and biological methods. The applications of these versatile calcium carbonate micro- and nanoparticles in the biomedical field (such as in drug delivery, therapeutics, tissue engineering, antimicrobial activity, biosensing applications), in industries, and environmental sector has also been comprehensively covered.

Biomedical Applications of Carbon Nanomaterials: Fullerenes, Quantum Dots, Nanotubes, Nanofibers, and Graphene

Carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) have received tremendous interest in the area of nanotechnology due to their unique properties and flexible dimensional structure. CNMs have excellent electrical, thermal, and optical properties that make them promising materials for drug delivery, bioimaging, biosensing, and tissue engineering applications. Currently, there are many types of CNMs, such as quantum dots, nanotubes, nanosheets, and nanoribbons; and there are many others in development that promise exciting applications in the future. The surface functionalization of CNMs modifies their chemical and physical properties, which enhances their drug loading/release capacity, their ability to target drug delivery to specific sites, and their dispersibility and suitability in biological systems. Thus, CNMs have been effectively used in different biomedical systems. This review explores the unique physical, chemical, and biological properties that allow CNMs to improve on the state of the art materials currently used in different biomedical applications. The discussion also embraces the emerging biomedical applications of CNMs, including targeted drug delivery, medical implants, tissue engineering, wound healing, biosensing, bioimaging, vaccination, and photodynamic therapy.

Advances in Nanotechnology-Based Biosensing of Immunoregulatory Cytokines

Cytokines are a large group of small proteins secreted by immune and non-immune cells in response to external stimuli. Much attention has been given to the application of cytokines' detection in early disease diagnosis/monitoring and therapeutic response assessment. To date, a wide range of assays are available for cytokines detection. However, in specific applications, multiplexed or continuous measurements of cytokines with wearable biosensing devices are highly desirable. For such efforts, various nanomaterials have been extensively investigated due to their extraordinary properties, such as high surface area and controllable particle size and shape, which leads to their tunable optical emission, electrical, and magnetic properties. Different types of nanomaterials such as noble metal, metal oxide, and carbon nanoparticles have been explored for various biosensing applications. Advances in nanomaterial synthesis and device development have led to significant progress in pushing the limit of cytokine detection. This article reviews currently used methods for cytokines detection and new nanotechnology-based biosensors for ultrasensitive cytokine detection.

Zebrafish as a Model for Anticancer Nanomedicine Studies

Nanomedicine is a new approach to fight against cancer by the development of anticancer nanoparticles (NPs) that are of high sensitivity, specificity, and targeting ability to detect cancer cells, such as the ability of Silica NPs in targeting epithelial cancer cells. However, these anticancer NPs require preclinical testing, and zebrafish is a useful animal model for preclinical studies of anticancer NPs. This model affords a large sample size, optical imaging, and easy genetic manipulation that aid in nanomedicine studies. This review summarizes the numerous advantages of the zebrafish animal model for such investigation, various techniques for inducing cancer in zebrafish, and discusses the methods to assess cancer development in the model and to test for the toxicity of the anticancer drugs and NPs. In addition, it summarizes the recent studies that used zebrafish as a model to test the efficacy of several different anticancer NPs in treating cancer.

Engineering the surface of graphene oxide with bovine serum albumin for improved biocompatibility in Caenorhabditis elegans

Graphene oxide (GO) has been extensively studied for its potential biomedical applications. However, its potential risk associated with the interactions of GO in a biological system hampers its biomedical applications. Therefore, there is an urgent need to enhance the biocompatibility of GO. In the present study, we decorated the surface of GO with bovine serum albumin (GO-BSA) to mitigate the in vivo toxic properties of GO. An in vivo model Caenorhabditis elegans has been used to study the potential protective effect of BSA decoration in mitigating GO induced toxicity. The BSA decoration on the surface of GO prevents the acute and prolonged toxicity induced by GO in primary and secondary organs by maintaining normal intestinal permeability, defecation behavior, development, and reproduction. Notably, GO-BSA treatment at 0.5-100 mg L^-1 does not affect the intracellular redox status and lifespan of C. elegans. Reporter gene expression analysis revealed that exposure to GO-BSA (100 mg L^-1) did not significantly influence the nuclear accumulation and expression patterns of DAF-16/FOXO and SKN-1/Nrf2 transcription factors and their downstream target genes sod-3, hsp-16.2, ctl-1,2,3, gcs-1, and gst-4 when compared to exposure to pristine GO. Also, quantitative real-time PCR results showed that GO-BSA did not alter the expression of genes involved in regulating DNA damage checkpoints (cep-1, hus-1 and egl-1) and core signaling pathways of apoptosis (ced-4, ced-3 and ced-9), in contrast to GO treatment. All these findings will have an impact on the future development of safer nanomaterial formulations of graphene and graphene-based materials for environmental and biomedical applications.

Comprehensive Survey on Nanobiomaterials for Bone Tissue Engineering Applications

One of the most important ideas ever produced by the application of materials science to the medical field is the notion of biomaterials. The nanostructured biomaterials play a crucial role in the development of new treatment strategies including not only the replacement of tissues and organs, but also repair and regeneration. They are designed to interact with damaged or injured tissues to induce regeneration, or as a forest for the production of laboratory tissues, so they must be micro-environmentally sensitive. The existing materials have many limitations, including impaired cell attachment, proliferation, and toxicity. Nanotechnology may open new avenues to bone tissue engineering by forming new assemblies similar in size and shape to the existing hierarchical bone structure. Organic and inorganic nanobiomaterials are increasingly used for bone tissue engineering applications because they may allow to overcome some of the current restrictions entailed by bone regeneration methods. This review covers the applications of different organic and inorganic nanobiomaterials in the field of hard tissue engineering.

FTIR microspectroscopy revealed biochemical changes in liver and kidneys as a result of exposure to low dose of iron oxide nanoparticles

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have biomedical and biotechnological applications in magnetic imaging, drug-delivery, magnetic separation and purification. The biocompatibility of such particles may be improved by covering them with coating. In presented paper the biochemical anomalies of liver and kidney occurring in animals exposed to d-mannitol-coated iron(III) oxide nanoparticles (M-IONPs) were examined with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy. The dose of IONPs used in the study was significantly lower than those used so far in other research. Liver and kidney tissue sections were analysed by chemical mapping of infrared absorption bands originating from proteins, lipids, compounds containing phosphate groups, cholesterol and cholesterol esters. Changes in content and/or structure of the selected biomolecules were evaluated by comparison of the results obtained for animals treated with M-IONPs with those from control group. Biochemical analysis of liver samples demonstrated a few M-IONPs induced anomalies in the organ, mostly concerning the relative content of the selected compounds. The biomolecular changes, following exposition to nanoparticles, were much more intense within the kidney tissue. Biochemical aberrations found in the organ samples indicated at increase of tissue density, anomalies in fatty acids structure as well as changes in relative content of lipids and proteins. The simultaneous accumulation of lipids, phosphate groups as well as cholesterol and cholesterol esters in kidneys of rats exposed to IONPs may indicate that the particles stimulated formation of lipid droplets within the organ.

Fluorescence Intensity Enhancement of Green Carbon Dots: Synthesis, Characterization and Cell Imaging

The hydrothermal treatment of green carbon dots (CDs) is an appropriate fluorescent probe synthesis method. CDs are exploited as biological staining agents, especially for cellular detection and imaging. The nitrogen-doped green carbon dots (N-CDs) formation can improve the fluorescence intensity property in a one-step process. Here, we report two N-CDs from lemon and tomato extraction in the presence of hydroxylamine. Lemon and tomato N-CDs showed the blue fluorescence under ultraviolet radiation of about 360 nm. The characterization of CDs and N-CDs showed the presence of N-H and C-N bonds which enhanced the fluorescence efficiency. The mean size of lemon and tomato N-CDs were about 2 and 3 nm with an increased quantum yield (QY) of 5% and 3.38%, respectively. The CDs and N-CDs cytotoxicity assay exhibited high cell viability approximately 85% and 73%, respectively. N-CDs show superior fluorescent intensity in different solvents and significant stability under long-time UV irradiation, different PH and high ionic strength. Our results indicated that the use of N-CDs in cell imaging can lead to fluorescence intensity enhancement as well as proper biocompatibility. Therefore, the safe and high fluorescence intensity of green N-CDs can be utilized for fluorescent probes in biolabeling and bioimaging applications.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Three-Dimensional Structure Generation of Zinc Oxide-Based Nanomedicine for Biomedical Applications

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles have been studied as metal-based drugs that may be used for biomedical applications due to the fact of their biocompatibility. Their physicochemical properties, which depend on synthesis techniques involving physical, chemical, biological, and microfluidic reactor methods affect biological activity in vitro and in vivo. Advanced tool-based physicochemical characterization is required to identify the biological and toxicological effects of ZnO nanoparticles. These nanoparticles have variable morphologies and can be molded into three-dimensional structures to enhance their performance. Zinc oxide nanoparticles have shown therapeutic activity against cancer, diabetes, microbial infection, and inflammation. They have also shown the potential to aid in wound healing and can be used for imaging tools and sensors. In this review, we discuss the synthesis techniques, physicochemical characteristics, evaluation tools, techniques used to generate three-dimensional structures, and the various biomedical applications of ZnO nanoparticles.

MicroRNA sensors based on gold nanoparticles

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small regulatory RNAs, the dysregulation of which has been associated with the progression of several human diseases, including cancer. Interestingly, these molecules can be used as biomarkers for early disease diagnosis and can be found in a variety of body fluids and tissue samples. However, their specific properties and very low concentrations make their detection rather challenging. In this regard, current detection methods are complex, cost-ineffective, and of limited application in point-of-care settings or resource-limited facilities. Recently, nanotechnology-based approaches have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional miRNA detection methods and paved the way for research towards sensitive, fast, and low-cost detection systems. In particular, due to their exceptional properties, the use of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) has significantly improved the performance of miRNA biosensors. This review discusses the application of AuNPs in different miRNA sensor modalities, commenting on recently reported examples. A practical overview of each modality is provided, highlighting their future use in clinical diagnosis. Graphical abstract ᅟ.

Zebrafish as a Model to Evaluate Nanoparticle Toxicity

Nanoparticles are increasingly being developed for in vivo use, from targeted drug delivery to diagnostics, where they have enormous potential, while they are also being used for a variety of applications that can result in environmental exposure for humans. Understanding how specific nanoparticles interact with cells and cell systems is essential to gauge their safety with respect to either clinical or environmental exposure. Zebrafish is being increasingly employed as a model to evaluate nanoparticle biocompatibility. This review describes this model and how it can be used to assess nanoparticle toxicity at multiple levels, including mortality, teratogenicity, immunotoxicity, genotoxicity, as well as alterations in reproduction, behavior and a range of other physiological readouts. This review also provides an overview of studies using this model to assess the toxicity of metal, metal oxide and carbon-based nanoparticles. It is anticipated that this information will inform research aimed at developing biocompatible nanoparticles for a range of uses.

Zero-dimensional, one-dimensional, two-dimensional and three-dimensional biomaterials for cell fate regulation

The interaction of biological cells with artificial biomaterials is one of the most important issues in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The interaction is strongly governed by physical and chemical properties of the materials and displayed with differentiated cellular behaviors, including cell self-renewal, differentiation, reprogramming, dedifferentiation, or transdifferentiation as a result. A number of engineered biomaterials with micro- or nano-structures have been developed to mimic structural components of cell niche and specific function of extra cellular matrix (ECM) over past two decades. In this review article, we briefly introduce the fabrication of biomaterials and their classification into zero-dimensional (0D), one-dimensional (1D), two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) ones. More importantly, the influence of different biomaterials on inducing cell self-renewal, differentiation, reprogramming, dedifferentiation, and transdifferentiation was discussed based on the progress at 0D, 1D, 2D and 3D levels, following which the current research limitations and research perspectives were provided.

Experimental and Theoretical Studies on Corrosion Inhibition of Niobium and Tantalum Surfaces by Carboxylated Graphene Oxide

The corrosion of two different metals, niobium and tantalum, in aqueous sulfuric acid solution has been studied in the presence and absence of carboxylated graphene oxide. Potentiodynamic measurements indicate that this nanomaterial inhibits corrosion due to its adsorption on the metal surfaces. The adsorbed layer of carboxylated graphene hinders two electrochemical reactions: the oxidation of the metal and the transport of metal ions from the metal to the solution but also hydrogen evolution reaction by acting as a protective barrier. The adsorption behavior at the molecular level of the carboxylated graphene oxide with respect to Nb, NbO, Ta, and TaO (111) surfaces is also investigated using Molecular Dynamic and Monte Carlo calculations.

N-doped graphene-carbon nanotube hybrid networks attaching with gold nanoparticles for glucose non-enzymatic sensor

Herein, we successfully developed a novel three dimensional (3D) opened networks based on nitrogen doped graphene‑carbon nanotubes attaching with gold nanoparticles (N-GR-CNTs/AuNPs) to apply for non-enzymatic glucose determination. It was demonstrated that the N-GR-CNTs/AuNPs modified electrode exhibited good behavior for glucose detection with a long linear range of 2 μM to 19.6 mM, high sensitivity of 0.9824 μA·mM^-1·cm^-2, low detection limit of 500 nM, and negligible interference effect. The high performance of the N-GR-CNTs/AuNPs based sensor was assumed due to the outstanding catalytic activity of AuNPs well dispersing on N-GR-CNTs networks, which exhibited as a perfect supporting scaffold due to the enhanced electrical conductivity and large surface area. The obtained results indicated that the N-GR-CNTs/AuNPs hybrid is highly promising for sensitive and selective detection of glucose in sensor application.

Multifunctional nanoparticles with controllable dimensions and tripled orthogonal reactivity

Multifunctional nanoparticles featuring three distinct and orthogonal functionalities for performing catalyst-free click reactions of azide-alkyne and maleimide-thiol and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) are fabricated using a simple chemical vapor deposition copolymerization approach with the flexibility to control the particle size and geometry.

Impact of albumin based approaches in nanomedicine: Imaging, targeting and drug delivery

A major challenge in the field of nanomedicine is to transform laboratory innovations into commercially successful clinical products. In this campaign, a variety of nanoenabled approaches have been designed and investigated for their role in biomedical applications. The advantages associated with the unique structure of albumin imparts it with the ability to interact with variety of molecules, while the functional groups present on their surface provide base for large number of modifications making it as an ideal nanocarrier system. So far, a variety of albumin based nanoenabled approaches have been intensively exploited for effective diagnosis and personalized medicine, among them some have successfully completed their journey from lab bench to marketed products. This review focuses on the recent most promising advancement in the field of albumin based nanoenabled approaches for various biomedical applications and their potential use in cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Template-based syntheses for shape controlled nanostructures

A variety of nanostructured materials are produced through template-based synthesis methods, including zero-dimensional, one-dimensional, and two-dimensional structures. These span different forms such as nanoparticles, nanowires, nanotubes, nanoflakes, and nanosheets. Many physical characteristics of these materials such as the shape and size can be finely controlled through template selection and as a result, their properties as well. Reviewed here are several examples of these nanomaterials, with emphasis specifically on the templates and synthesis routes used to produce the final nanostructures. In the first section, the templates have been discussed while in the second section, their corresponding synthesis methods have been briefly reviewed, and lastly in the third section, applications of the materials themselves are highlighted. Some examples of the templates frequently encountered are organic structure directing agents, surfactants, polymers, carbon frameworks, colloidal sol-gels, inorganic frameworks, and nanoporous membranes. Synthesis methods that adopt these templates include emulsion-based routes and template-filling approaches, such as self-assembly, electrodeposition, electroless deposition, vapor deposition, and other methods including layer-by-layer and lithography. Template-based synthesized nanomaterials are frequently encountered in select fields such as solar energy, thermoelectric materials, catalysis, biomedical applications, and magnetowetting of surfaces.

Molecular dynamics simulation of doxorubicin adsorption on a bundle of functionalized CNT

In this study, molecular dynamics simulation is used to investigate the adsorption of an anticancer drug, doxorubicin, on bundles of functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in an aqueous solution. Carboxylic group has been selected as the functional group. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed for both separated systems containing a SWNT bundle and a functionalized carbon nanotube bundle, and results are compared with existing experimental data. MD results show that doxorubicin can be adsorbed on CNTs using different methods such as entrapment within CNT bundle, attachment to the side wall of the CNT, and adsorption on the CNT inner cavity. For functionalized CNT, the adsorption of drugs on the functional groups is essential for predicting the enhancement of drug loading on the functionalized nanotubes. Furthermore, the adsorption behavior of doxorubicin on CNTs is fitted with Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The results show that Langmuir model can predict the adsorption behavior of doxorubicin on CNTs more accurately than Freundlich model does. As predicted by this isotherm model, the adsorption process of doxorubicin on CNTs is relatively difficult, but it can be improved by increasing the functional groups on the CNTs surface.

Self-assembled Targeting of Cancer Cells by Iron(III)-doped, Silica Nanoparticles

Iron(III)-doped silica nanoshells are shown to possess an in vitro cell-receptor mediated targeting functionality for endocytosis. Compared to plain silica nanoparticles, iron enriched ones are shown to be target-specific, a property that makes them potentially better vehicles for applications, such as drug delivery and tumor imaging, by making them more selective and thereby reducing the nanoparticle dose. Iron(III) in the nanoshells can interact with endogenous transferrin, a serum protein found in mammalian cell culture media, which subsequently promotes transport of the nanoshells into cells by the transferrin receptor-mediated endocytosis pathway. The enhanced uptake of the iron(III)-doped nanoshells relative to undoped silica nanoshells by a transferrin receptor-mediated pathway was established using fluorescence and confocal microscopy in an epithelial breast cancer cell line. This process was also confirmed using fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) measurements that show competitive blocking of nanoparticle uptake by added holo-transferrin.