Green functionalized nanomaterials: Fundamentals and future opportunities

: The pace at which nanotheranostic technology for human disease is evolving has accelerated exponentially over the past five years. Nanotechnology is committed to utilizing the intrinsic properties of materials and structures at submicroscopic-scale measures. Indeed, there is generally a profound influence of reducing physical dimensions of particulates and devices on their physico-chemical characteristics, biological properties, and performance. The exploration of nature’s components to work effectively as nanoscaffolds or nanodevices represents a tremendous and growing interest in medicine for various applications (e.g., biosensing, tunable control and targeted drug release, tissue engineering). Several nanotheranostic approaches (i.e., diagnostic plus therapeutic using nanoscale) conferring unique features are constantly progressing and overcoming all the limitations of conventional medicines including specificity, efficacy, solubility, sensitivity, biodegradability, biocompatibility, stability, interactions at subcellular levels. : This review introduces two major aspects of nanotechnology as an innovative and challenging theranostic strategy or solution: (i) the most intriguing (bare and functionalized) nanomaterials with their respective advantages and drawbacks; (ii) the current and promising multifunctional “smart” nanodevices.

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Functionalized Chitosan Nanomaterials: A Jammer for Quorum Sensing

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13152533 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (15) ◽

pp. 2533

Author(s):

Moupriya Nag ◽

Dibyajit Lahiri ◽

Dipro Mukherjee ◽

Ritwik Banerjee ◽

Sayantani Garai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drug Resistance ◽

Quorum Sensing ◽

Targeted Delivery ◽

Direct Interaction ◽

Orthodontic Appliances ◽

Chronic Infections ◽

Functionalized Nanomaterials ◽

Low Toxicity ◽

Novel Target ◽

Positively Charged

The biggest challenge in the present-day healthcare scenario is the rapid emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance due to the rampant use of antibiotics in daily therapeutics. Such drug resistance is associated with the enhancement of microbial virulence and the acquisition of the ability to evade the host’s immune response under the shelter of a biofilm. Quorum sensing (QS) is the mechanism by which the microbial colonies in a biofilm modulate and intercept communication without direct interaction. Hence, the eradication of biofilms through hindering this communication will lead to the successful management of drug resistance and may be a novel target for antimicrobial chemotherapy. Chitosan shows microbicidal activities by acting electrostatically with its positively charged amino groups, which interact with anionic moieties on microbial species, causing enhanced membrane permeability and eventual cell death. Therefore, nanoparticles (NPs) prepared with chitosan possess a positive surface charge and mucoadhesive properties that can adhere to microbial mucus membranes and release their drug load in a constant release manner. As the success in therapeutics depends on the targeted delivery of drugs, chitosan nanomaterial, which displays low toxicity, can be safely used for eradicating a biofilm through attenuating the quorum sensing (QS). Since the anti-biofilm potential of chitosan and its nano-derivatives are reported for various microorganisms, these can be used as attractive tools for combating chronic infections and for the preparation of functionalized nanomaterials for different medical devices, such as orthodontic appliances. This mini-review focuses on the mechanism of the downregulation of quorum sensing using functionalized chitosan nanomaterials and the future prospects of its applications.

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Topological, chemical and electro-optical characteristics of riboflavin-doped artificial and natural DNA thin films

Royal Society Open Science ◽

10.1098/rsos.171179 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 171179 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Bramaramba Gnapareddy ◽

Sreekantha Reddy Dugasani ◽

Junyoung Son ◽

Sung Ha Park

Keyword(s):

Thin Films ◽

Photonic Devices ◽

Uv Absorption ◽

Optical Characteristics ◽

Force Microscopy ◽

Atomic Force ◽

Functionalized Nanomaterials ◽

Amorphous Structures ◽

The Fourier Transform ◽

Immense Potential

DNA is considered as a useful building bio-material, and it serves as an efficient template to align functionalized nanomaterials. Riboflavin (RF)-doped synthetic double-crossover DNA (DX-DNA) lattices and natural salmon DNA (SDNA) thin films were constructed using substrate-assisted growth and drop-casting methods, respectively, and their topological, chemical and electro-optical characteristics were evaluated. The critical doping concentrations of RF ([RF] C , approx. 5 mM) at given concentrations of DX-DNA and SDNA were obtained by observing the phase transition (from crystalline to amorphous structures) of DX-DNA and precipitation of SDNA in solution above [RF] C . [RF] C are verified by analysing the atomic force microscopy images for DX-DNA and current, absorbance and photoluminescence (PL) for SDNA. We study the physical characteristics of RF-embedded SDNA thin films, using the Fourier transform infrared spectrum to understand the interaction between the RF and DNA molecules, current to evaluate the conductance, absorption to understand the RF binding to the DNA and PL to analyse the energy transfer between the RF and DNA. The current and UV absorption band of SDNA thin films decrease up to [RF] C followed by an increase above [RF] C . By contrast, the PL intensity illustrates the reverse trend, as compared to the current and UV absorption behaviour as a function of the varying [RF]. Owing to the intense PL characteristic of RF, the DNA lattices and thin films with RF might offer immense potential to develop efficient bio-sensors and useful bio-photonic devices.

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