scholarly journals 44Ti diffusion labelling of commercially available, engineered TiO2 and SiO2 nanoparticles

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Uwe Holzwarth ◽  
Jessica Ponti

Abstract In realistic exposure scenarios, the detection and quantification of engineered nanoparticles in complex environmental or biological matrixes is a challenge since nanoparticle concentrations are frequently low and have to be discerned from a background that may contain the same elements in various chemical forms in much higher concentrations. The use of radiolabelled nanoparticles may overcome these difficulties offering high detection sensitivity without the necessity of complex sample preparation procedures. However, the labelling procedure must not alter the physicochemical and biological properties of the nanoparticles. In the present work, the radiolabelling of three different types of TiO2 nanoparticles with primary particle sizes between 5 nm and 26 nm with commercially available 44Ti has been investigated applying a simple diffusion heat treatment at 180 °C for 2.5 h on nanoparticles impregnated with a solution containing the 44Ti radiolabel. The same treatment has been investigated to radiolabel amorphous SiO2 nanoparticles with 44Ti. The radiolabels are stably integrated in the nanoparticle matrix, and the release is less than 0.1% in aqueous suspension at neutral pH for at least 4 weeks. The method appears to be fast and reliable. By transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering and ζ-potential measurements, only minor alterations of the nanoparticle size could be detected in the range of 1 to 2 nm.

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Briolay ◽  
Tacien Petithomme ◽  
Morgane Fouet ◽  
Nelly Nguyen-Pham ◽  
Christophe Blanquart ◽  
...  

Abstract Background As a complement to the clinical development of new anticancer molecules, innovations in therapeutic vectorization aim at solving issues related to tumor specificity and associated toxicities. Nanomedicine is a rapidly evolving field that offers various solutions to increase clinical efficacy and safety. Main Here are presented the recent advances for different types of nanovectors of chemical and biological nature, to identify the best suited for translational research projects. These nanovectors include different types of chemically engineered nanoparticles that now come in many different flavors of ‘smart’ drug delivery systems. Alternatives with enhanced biocompatibility and a better adaptability to new types of therapeutic molecules are the cell-derived extracellular vesicles and micro-organism-derived oncolytic viruses, virus-like particles and bacterial minicells. In the first part of the review, we describe their main physical, chemical and biological properties and their potential for personalized modifications. The second part focuses on presenting the recent literature on the use of the different families of nanovectors to deliver anticancer molecules for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, nucleic acid-based therapy, modulation of the tumor microenvironment and immunotherapy. Conclusion This review will help the readers to better appreciate the complexity of available nanovectors and to identify the most fitting “type” for efficient and specific delivery of diverse anticancer therapies.


Author(s):  
H. Mori ◽  
Y. Murata ◽  
H. Yoneyama ◽  
H. Fujita

Recently, a new sort of nano-composites has been prepared by incorporating such fine particles as metal oxide microcrystallites and organic polymers into the interlayer space of montmorillonite. Owing to their extremely large specific surface area, the nano-composites are finding wide application[1∼3]. However, the topographic features of the microstructures have not been elucidated as yet In the present work, the microstructures of iron oxide-pillared montmorillonite have been investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.Iron oxide-pillared montmorillonite was prepared through the procedure essentially the same as that reported by Yamanaka et al. Firstly, 0.125 M aqueous solution of trinuclear acetato-hydroxo iron(III) nitrate, [Fe3(OCOCH3)7 OH.2H2O]NO3, was prepared and then the solution was mixed with an aqueous suspension of 1 wt% clay by continuously stirring at 308 K. The final volume ratio of the latter aqueous solution to the former was 0.4. The clay used was sodium montmorillonite (Kunimine Industrial Co.), having a cation exchange capacity of 100 mequiv/100g. The montmorillonite in the mixed suspension was then centrifuged, followed by washing with deionized water. The washed samples were spread on glass plates, air dried, and then annealed at 673 K for 72 ks in air. The resultant film products were approximately 20 μm in thickness and brown in color.


Author(s):  
C. Stoeckert ◽  
B. Etherton ◽  
M. Beer ◽  
J. Gryder

The interpretation of the activity of catalysts requires information about the sizes of the metal particles, since this has implications for the number of surface atoms available for reaction. To determine the particle dimensions we used a high resolution STEM1. Such an instrument with its simple optical transfer function is far more suitable than a conventional transmission electron microscope for the establishment of particle sizes. We report here our study on the size and number distribution of Ir particles supported on Al2O3 and also examine simple geometric models for the shape of Ir particles.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (9) ◽  
pp. 1387-1404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karishma Biswas ◽  
Humaira Ilyas ◽  
Aritreyee Datta ◽  
Anirban Bhunia

Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs), within their realm incorporate a diverse group of structurally and functionally varied peptides, playing crucial roles in innate immunity. Over the last few decades, the field of AMP has seen a huge upsurge, mainly owing to the generation of the so-called drug resistant ‘superbugs’ as well as limitations associated with the existing antimicrobial agents. Due to their resilient biological properties, AMPs can very well form the sustainable alternative for nextgeneration therapeutic agents. Certain drawbacks associated with existing AMPs are, however, issues of major concern, circumventing which are imperative. These limitations mainly include proteolytic cleavage and hence poor stability inside the biological systems, reduced activity due to inadequate interaction with the microbial membrane, and ineffectiveness because of inappropriate delivery among others. In this context, the application of naturally occurring AMPs as an efficient prototype for generating various synthetic and designed counterparts has evolved as a new avenue in peptide-based therapy. Such designing approaches help to overcome the drawbacks of the parent AMPs while retaining the inherent activity. In this review, we summarize some of the basic NMR structure based approaches and techniques which aid in improving the activity of AMPs, using the example of a 16-residue dengue virus fusion protein derived peptide, VG16KRKP. Using first principle based designing technique and high resolution NMR-based structure characterization we validate different types of modifications of VG16KRKP, highlighting key motifs, which optimize its activity. The approaches and designing techniques presented can support our peers in their drug development work.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 429-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Casciaro ◽  
Francesca Ghirga ◽  
Deborah Quaglio ◽  
Maria Luisa Mangoni

Cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are an interesting class of gene-encoded molecules endowed with a broad-spectrum of anti-infective activity and immunomodulatory properties. They represent promising candidates for the development of new antibiotics, mainly due to their membraneperturbing mechanism of action that very rarely induces microbial resistance. However, bringing AMPs into the clinical field is hampered by some intrinsic limitations, encompassing low peptide bioavailability at the target site and high peptide susceptibility to proteolytic degradation. In this regard, nanotechnologies represent an innovative strategy to circumvent these issues. According to the literature, a large variety of nanoparticulate systems have been employed for drug-delivery, bioimaging, biosensors or nanoantibiotics. The possibility of conjugating different types of molecules, including AMPs, to these systems, allows the production of nanoformulations able to enhance the biological profile of the compound while reducing its cytotoxicity and prolonging its residence time. In this minireview, inorganic gold nanoparticles (NPs) and biodegradable polymeric NPs made of poly(lactide-coglycolide) are described with particular emphasis on examples of the conjugation of AMPs to them, to highlight the great potential of such nanoformulations as alternative antimicrobials.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1629
Author(s):  
Giulia Neri ◽  
Enza Fazio ◽  
Antonia Nostro ◽  
Placido Giuseppe Mineo ◽  
Angela Scala ◽  
...  

Münchnones are mesoionic oxazolium 5-oxides with azomethine ylide characteristics that provide pyrrole derivatives by a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition (1,3-DC) reaction with acetylenic dipolarophiles. Their reactivity was widely exploited for the synthesis of small molecules, but it was not yet investigated for the functionalization of graphene-based materials. Herein, we report our results on the preparation of münchnone functionalized graphene via cycloaddition reactions, followed by the spontaneous loss of carbon dioxide and its further chemical modification to silver/nisin nanocomposites to confer biological properties. A direct functionalization of graphite flakes into few-layers graphene decorated with pyrrole rings on the layer edge was achieved. The success of functionalization was confirmed by micro-Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The 1,3-DC reactions of münchnone dipole with graphene have been investigated using density functional theory to model graphene. Finally, we explored the reactivity and the processability of münchnone functionalized graphene to produce enriched nano biomaterials endowed with antimicrobial properties.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1397
Author(s):  
Bishwash Shrestha ◽  
Mohammadamin Ezazi ◽  
Gibum Kwon

Membrane-based separation technologies are the cornerstone of remediating unconventional water sources, including brackish and industrial or municipal wastewater, as they are relatively energy-efficient and versatile. However, membrane fouling by dissolved and suspended substances in the feed stream remains a primary challenge that currently prevents these membranes from being used in real practices. Thus, we directly address this challenge by applying a superhydrophilic and oleophobic coating to a commercial membrane surface which can be utilized to separate and desalinate an oil and saline water mixture, in addition to photocatalytically degrading the organic substances. We fabricated the photocatalytic membrane by coating a commercial membrane with an ultraviolet (UV) light-curable adhesive. Then, we sprayed it with a mixture of photocatalytic nitrogen-doped titania (N-TiO2) and perfluoro silane-grafted silica (F-SiO2) nanoparticles. The membrane was placed under a UV light, which resulted in a chemically heterogeneous surface with intercalating high and low surface energy regions (i.e., N-TiO2 and F-SiO2, respectively) that were securely bound to the commercial membrane surface. We demonstrated that the coated membrane could be utilized for continuous separation and desalination of an oil–saline water mixture and for simultaneous photocatalytic degradation of the organic substances adsorbed on the membrane surface upon visible light irradiation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nattaphop Noothuan ◽  
Kantamas Apitanyasai ◽  
Somsak Panha ◽  
Anchalee Tassanakajon

Abstract Objective Snails secrete different types of mucus that serve several functions, and are increasingly being exploited for medical and cosmetic applications. In this study, we explored the protein pattern and compared the biological properties of the mucus secreted from the mantle collar and foot of two snail species, Lissachatina fulica and Hemiplecta distincta. Result Protein profile showed a different pattern between the two species and between the two secretory parts. The mantle-specific protein bands were further characterized and among them was an antibacterial protein, achacin. Accordingly, the mucus from the mantle exhibited the higher antibacterial activity than that from the foot in both snail species. The mucus from H. distincta, first reported here, also showed antibacterial properties, but with a lower activity compared to that for L. fulica. Snail mucus also exhibited anti-tyrosinase activity and antioxidant activity but with no significant difference between the foot and mantle mucus. These results indicate some different protein compositions and biological activities of snail slime from the mantle and foot, which might be associated with their specific functions in the animal and are useful for medical applications.


Planta Medica ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerald J. Nair ◽  
Johannes van Staden

AbstractOver 600 alkaloids have to date been identified in the plant family Amaryllidaceae. These have been arranged into as many as 15 different groups based on their characteristic structural features. The vast majority of studies on the biological properties of Amaryllidaceae alkaloids have probed their anticancer potential. While most efforts have focused on the major alkaloid groups, the volume and diversity afforded by the minor alkaloid groups have promoted their usefulness as targets for cancer cell line screening purposes. This survey is an in-depth review of such activities described for around 90 representatives from 10 minor alkaloid groups of the Amaryllidaceae. These have been evaluated against over 60 cell lines categorized into 18 different types of cancer. The montanine and cripowellin groups were identified as the most potent, with some in the latter demonstrating low nanomolar level antiproliferative activities. Despite their challenging molecular architectures, the minor alkaloid groups have allowed for facile adjustments to be made to their structures, thereby altering the size, geometry, and electronics of the targets available for structure-activity relationship studies. Nevertheless, it was seen with a regular frequency that the parent alkaloids were better cytotoxic agents than the corresponding semisynthetic derivatives. There has also been significant interest in how the minor alkaloid groups manifest their effects in cancer cells. Among the various targets and pathways in which they were seen to mediate, their ability to induce apoptosis in cancer cells is most appealing.


2015 ◽  
Vol 641 ◽  
pp. 286-293
Author(s):  
Beata Leszczyńska-Madej ◽  
Maria W. Richert ◽  
Agnieszka Hotloś ◽  
Jacek Skiba

The present study attempts to apply Equal-Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP) to 99.99% pure copper. ECAP process was realized at room temperature for 4, 8 and 16 passes through route BC using a die having angle of 90°. The microstructure of the samples was investigated by means both light and transmission electron microscopy. Additionally the microhardness was measured and statistical analysis of the grains and subgrains was performed. Based on Kikuchi diffraction patterns misorientation was determined. There were some different types of bands in the microstructure after deformation. The shear bands, bands and in the submicron range the microshear bands and microbands are a characteristic feature of the microstructure of copper. Also characteristic was increasing of the number of bands with increasing of deformation and mutually crossing of the bands. The intersection of a bands and microbands leads to the formation of new grains with the large misorientation angle. The measured grain/subgrain size show, that the grain size is maintained at a similar level after each stage of deformation and is equal to d = 0.25 – 0.32 μm.


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