Paper-based diagnostic chips for viral detection

Viruses cause various diseases in humans, and pose serious health risks to individuals and populations worldwide. As a result, various diagnostic procedures and methods have been developed to prevent, manage, and reduce the burden of viral diseases, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. Among these, paper-based diagnostic chips are becoming increasingly common because of their speed, accuracy, convenience, and economical and environmental friendliness. These paper-based diagnostic tests have ideal point-of-care (POC) diagnostic applications, particularly in personalized healthcare. Paper-based diagnostics have emerged as innovative and low-cost solutions for diagnosing viral diseases in remote and underdeveloped regions where traditional diagnostic methods are not readily available. These tests are easy to use, require minimal equipment, and can be performed by nonspecialized personnel, making them accessible even in resource-constrained settings. In this review, we discuss recent developments in paper-based diagnostic chips, the importance of improved methods for identifying viral pathogens, drawbacks of traditional detection techniques, and challenges and prospects of paper-based diagnostic chips for the detection of viruses.

Recent advances in using folate receptor 1 (FOLR1) for cancer diagnosis and treatment, with an emphasis on cancers that affect women

A glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored glycoprotein called the folate receptor 1 (FOLR1) facilitates the transportation of folate by mediating receptor-mediated endocytosis in response to ligand binding. While FOLR1 expression is typically restricted to the apical surfaces of the epithelium in the lung, kidney, and choroid plexus in healthy people, it is overexpressed in a number of solid tumours, including high-grade osteosarcoma, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and non-small cell lung cancer. As a result, FOLR1 has become an attractive target for cancer detection and therapy, particularly for cancers that affect women. A number of methods have been developed to target FOLR1 in cancer therapy, including the development of FOLR1-targeted imaging agents for cancer diagnosis and the use of folate conjugates to deliver cytotoxic agents to cancer cells that overexpress FOLR1. Therefore, we focus on the most recent developments in employing FOLR1 for cancer diagnosis and treatment in this review, particularly with regard to cancers that affect women.

Recent trends in diabetic wound healing with nanofibrous scaffolds

There is an emphasis in this review on nanofibrous scaffolds (NFSs) in diabetic wound healing, as well as their mechanisms and recent advancements. Diabetes-related complex wounds pose an important problem to humanity, due to the fact that their chronic nature can lead to serious complications including sepsis and amputations. Despite the fact that there are certain therapy options available for diabetic wound healing, these options are either ineffective or intrusive, making clinical intervention difficult. Clinical research is also challenged by the emergence of bacterial resistance to standard antibiotics. However, research into nanotechnology, in particular NFSs, is growing swiftly and has a positive impact on the treatment of diabetic wounds. For instance, SpinCare™, developed by Nanomedic Technologies Ltd, has successfully finished clinical testing and can re-epithelialize second-degree burns and chronic diabetic wounds in 7 and 14 days, respectively. In this review, we discussed homologous studies as well as other recent research studies on diabetic wound healing using NFSs.

Phthalate toxicity mechanisms: An update

Phthalates are one of the most widely used plasticizers in polymer products, and they are increasingly being exposed to people all over the world, generating health concerns. Phthalates are often used as excipients in controlled-release capsules and enteric coatings, and patients taking these drugs may be at risk. In both animals and human, phthalates are mainly responsible for testicular dysfunction, ovarian toxicity, reduction in steroidogenesis. In this regard, for a better understanding of the health concerns corresponding to phthalates and their metabolites, still more research is required. Significantly, multifarious forms of phthalates and their biomedical effects are need to be beneficial to investigate in the various tissues or organs. Based on these investigations, researchers can decipher their toxicity concerns and related mechanisms in the body after phthalate's exposure. This review summarizes the chemical interactions, mechanisms, and their biomedical applications of phthalates in animals and human.

Vinyl-functionalized polyphenolic-carbon dot-based fluorometric turn-off-on biosensor for the dual detection of mercury and cysteine and their in vivo sensing in zebrafish larvae

The fluorometric turn-off-on biosensor was developed for the ultra-sensitive detection of mercury (Hg²⁺) and cysteine (Cys) utilizing the highly fluorescent carbon dots (CDs). Herein, the sophisticated low-temperature reflux-mediated reaction was adopted using precursors namely citric acid (CA) and polyphenolic kaempferol (KMP) by using dimethylformamide (DMF) as a solvent. The resulting CDs (i.e., CKCDs) were in the highly negative charged groups (-OH) presented with a bright-orange fluorescence. These CKCDs were functionalized with 4-vinylaniline (4-VA) by employing EDC/NHS coupling reaction, which switched its photoluminescence (PL) towards the strong-blue colored emission and termed as V-CKCDs. The functionalized V-CKCDs can be capable enough to detect mercury via the strong electrostatic interactions between positively charged Hg²⁺ cations and negatively charged anions (-OH groups). Hence, an adequate fluorescence quenching was observed in V-CKCDs with the lowest concentrations of Hg²⁺ around 0.5 μM. Significantly, after adding the complex of V-CKCDs-Hg²⁺ to the Cys, the fluorescence enhancement was observed. This might be attributed from the strong interactions between Hg²⁺ in the fluorescence sensing system and thiol (-SH) moieties from the Cys. The developed V-CKCDs are highly sensitive for detecting Hg²⁺ and Cys, which showed detection limits of 10.6 and 42. 48 nM, respectively. Also, the in vivo studies were investigated in zebrafish larvae using V-CKCDs for the detection of Hg²⁺ and Cys. The V-CKCDs were investigated in the real water samples and human serum to detect Hg²⁺ and Cys, respectively.

Modernistic and Emerging Developments of Nanotechnology in Glioblastoma-Targeted Theranostic Applications

Brain tumors such as glioblastoma are typically associated with an unstoppable cell proliferation with aggressive infiltration behavior and a shortened life span. Though treatment options such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy are available in combating glioblastoma, satisfactory therapeutics are still not available due to the high impermeability of the blood–brain barrier. To address these concerns, recently, multifarious theranostics based on nanotechnology have been developed, which can deal with diagnosis and therapy together. The multifunctional nanomaterials find a strategic path against glioblastoma by adjoining novel thermal and magnetic therapy approaches. Their convenient combination of specific features such as real-time tracking, in-depth tissue penetration, drug-loading capacity, and contrasting performance is of great demand in the clinical investigation of glioblastoma. The potential benefits of nanomaterials including specificity, surface tunability, biodegradability, non-toxicity, ligand functionalization, and near-infrared (NIR) and photoacoustic (PA) imaging are sufficient in developing effective theranostics. This review discusses the recent developments in nanotechnology toward the diagnosis, drug delivery, and therapy regarding glioblastoma.

Synthesis of silver nanoparticles conjugated with kaempferol and hydrocortisone and an evaluation of their antibacterial effects

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have shown a wide range of antibacterial activities over the last 2 decades. Conjugated AgNPs have attracted much interest among researchers for their properties which allow alterations of their physicochemical and biological properties. In this study, two potential stabilizing agents, flavonoids (kaempferol) and corticosteroids (hydrocortisone), were employed in the preparation of silver conjugated kaempferol and hydrocortisone nanoparticles (i.e., KH-AgNPs). The as-synthesized KH-AgNPs demonstrated a uniform spherical morphology by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results along with excellent stability and also shown strong bactericidal properties against different bacterial strains, including Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus. The KH-AgNPs were characterized by UV-Visible and FTIR spectroscopy studies and powder X-ray diffraction analysis. The KH-AgNPs activity was further analyzed by reactive oxygen species, live/dead bacterial assays, lactate dehydrogenase, and lipid peroxidation assays. The results have demonstrated the better antibacterial efficacy of the nanoparticles.

Ruthenium(II)-curcumin liposome nanoparticles: Synthesis, characterization, and their effects against cervical cancer

Ruthenium complexes have increased the scope for improvement in current cancer treatment by replacing platinum-based drugs. However, to reduce metal-associated toxicity, a biocompatible flavonoid, such as curcumin, is indispensable, as it offers uncompensated therapeutic benefits through formation of complexes. In this study, we synthesized metal-based flavonoid complexes using ruthenium(II) and curcumin by adopting a convenient reflux reaction, represented as Ru-Cur complexes. These complexes were thoroughly characterized using ¹H, ¹³C NMR, XPS, FT-IR, and UV-vis spectroscopy. As curcumin is sparingly soluble in water and has poor chemical stability, we loaded Ru-Cur complexes into liposomes and further formed nanoparticles (NPs) using the thin layer evaporation method. These were named Ru-Cur loaded liposome nanoparticles (RCLNPs). The effects of RCLNPs on cell proliferation was investigated using human cervical cancer cell lines (HeLa). These RCLNPs exhibited significant cytotoxicity in HeLa cells. The anticancer properties of RCLNPs were studied using reactive oxygen species (ROS), LDH, and MTT assays as well as live-dead staining. Nuclear damage studies of RCLNPs were performed in HeLa cells using the Hoechst staining assay.

Recent trends in the utilization of LAMP for the diagnosis of viruses, bacteria, and allergens in food

Foodborne diseases are becoming major scientific struggles for both developing and developed countries. Most foodborne infections are caused by microbial pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and other food allergens. Hence early and accurate diagnosis of these foodborne pathogens is always preferable. To satisfy these concerns, plenty of isothermal amplification methodologies such as rolling circle amplification (RCA), helicase-dependent amplification (HDA), and recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) have been developed. Among these, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a widely usable, potential, and recognizable amplification technique achieved at a constant temperature around 60°C within 30–60 min by using only one kind of enzyme. As a robust gene amplification technique, it can be employed for the detection of bacteria, viruses, and other related food allergens. This technique has its own merits such as cost-effectiveness, facile manufacturing procedure, and consistency. In this chapter, we emphasize recent trends in designing the techniques, challenges, and the future prospects of LAMP in the detection of foodborne pathogens. These effective pathogen detection methods may offer potential benefits compared with existing conventional methods.

Preparation of shape-specific (trilateral and quadrilateral) carbon quantum dots towards multiple color emission

Little progress has been achieved relating to the preparation of shape-specific carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with a well-ordered edge structure and multi-color fluorescence from a single precursor by monitoring and controlling the reaction time. Selecting phloroglucinol (having suitable three-fold symmetry, C3h; symmetry elements: E, C3, C32, σh, S3, S3-1) as a precursor of CQDs is useful for monitoring the shape and structure of CQDs during dehydration mediated controlled growth, which assists to better focus on their formation and PL emission mechanism. We report the rapid synthesis of novel shape-specific (trilateral and quadrilateral) CQDs with multi-color fluorescence emission [blue (B-CQDs), green (G-CQDs), and yellow (Y-CQDs)] by controlling the reaction time. The mechanism of controlled bottom-up growth involves six-membered ring cyclization of the single precursor (phloroglucinol) through the elimination of neighboring active -OH and -H groups in a sulfuric acid medium. Interestingly, wide-range multi-color fluorescence emission of non-nitrogenous CQDs is achieved based on solvatochromism. We consider that the evolution of the tunable photoluminescence (PL) emission can be attributed to both the size of the conjugated domain and oxygen-/sulfur-containing edge electronic states. Furthermore, the multi-color fluorescence CQDs are successfully used as propitious fluorescent probes for multi-color cell (HeLa) and zebra fish larvae imaging owing to an effective intracellular distribution and good biocompatibility.

Synthesis and characterization of acetyl curcumin-loaded core/shell liposome nanoparticles via an electrospray process for drug delivery, and theranostic applications

Despite substantial advancements in divergent drug delivery systems (DDS), there is still room for novel and innovative nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery methodologies such as core/shell liposomes to deliver drugs in a kinetically controlled manner into the active site without any side effects. Herein, ((1E,6E)-3,5-dioxohepta-1,6-diene-1,7-diyl) bis (2-methoxy-4,1-phenylene) diacetate acetyl curcumin (AC)-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) core/shell liposome nanoparticles (ACPCSLNPs) were prepared using an electron spray method under an applied electric field, which facilitated the uniform formation of nano-sized liposome nanoparticles (LNPs). Then, kinetically controlled and sustained drug release profiles were investigated using the as-prepared ACPCSLNPs. Moreover, the inner polymeric core could not only induce the generation of electrostatic interactions between the polymer and drug molecules but could also affect the prominent repulsions between the polar head groups of lipids and the nonpolar drug molecules. As a result, the sustained maximum release of the drug molecules (~48.5%) into the system was observed over a long period (~4 days). Furthermore, cell cytotoxicity studies were conducted in a human cervical cancer cell line (HeLa) and a healthy human dermal fibroblast cell line (HDFa) by employing all AC loaded LNPs along with free drugs. Multicolor cell imaging was also observed in HeLa cells using ACPCSLNPs. Notably, more curcumin was released from the ACPCSLNPs than AC due to the presence of polar group attractions and polar-polar interactions between the lipid head groups and curcumin since curcumin is more soluble than AC in aqueous medium. In addition, the predictions of the release kinetic patterns were also investigated thoroughly using the exponential-based Korsmeyer-Peppas (K-P) and Higuchi models for drug-loaded LNPs and PLGA NPs, respectively.

Serum copper in long-term users of copper intrauterine devices

A study was undertaken to determine whether long-term use of a copper intrauterine device (IUD) was associated with any alteration in the serum copper levels and thereby whether absorption of copper from the device in utero could result in copper toxicity. Serial estimations in copper IUD wearers showed that there was no alteration in serum copper levels for a period of up to 24 months. The mean range and frequency distribution of serum copper levels in long-term copper IUD wearers was similar to that seen in the normal population. There was no difference in the mean 24-hour urinary copper excretion between the control group and the copper IUD wearers. Data suggest that the copper released from a copper IUD may not be readily absorbed from the uterine fluid. This hypothesis needs verification.