AN EASY METHOD TO SYNTHESIZE CARBON-COATED QUANTUM DOTS

Nano LIFE ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 03 (01) ◽  
pp. 1340006 ◽  
Author(s):  
STEPHEN A. VANCE ◽  
EFFAT ZEIDAN ◽  
LEE B. WILLIAMS ◽  
JOSEPH M. STAROBIN ◽  
MARINELLA G. SANDROS

This manuscript describes a general and simple method to carbon-coat quantum dots (QDs) using microwave-assisted technology. By coating QDs with carbohydrates, you extend their application for bioimaging (in vitro and in vivo) as the metal core is now shielded by a protective coating layer. XRD and TEM verified that nanoparticles were coated with a layer of carbon-based material (reduced sucrose). In addition, we demonstrated the versatility of this approach by coating other types of nanoparticles (i.e. gold). UV–Visible spectroscopic analysis presented a red shift in absorbance after carbon coating which further confirmed that the surface of these nanoparticles was modified. QDs emission wavelength was not altered but experienced an increase in intensity. The carbon-coated QDs and gold nanoparticles generated in this study measured 14 nm and 60 nm, respectively.

1973 ◽  
Vol 30 (01) ◽  
pp. 138-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher R. Muirhead

SummaryThe filter loop technique which measures platelet aggregation in vivo in the flowing-blood of the rat was compared to the optical density technique of Born which is carried out in vitro with platelet rich plasma. Using these two experimental models the effect on platelet aggregation of three known inhibitors sulfinpyrazone, dipyridamole and prostaglandin E1, and a novel compound 5-oxo-l-cyclopentene-l-heptanoic acid (AY-16, 804) was determined.The effects on platelet aggregation of the known inhibitors were consistent with information in the literature. Prostaglandin E1 was the most potent inhibitor in both techniques; sulfinpyrazone inhibited aggregation in both models but was less potent than prostaglandin E1. AY-16, 804 exhibited activity in vitro and in vivo similar to that of sulfinpyrazone. Dipyridamole did not inhibit platelet aggregation in vivo and did not inhibit aggregation in vitro in concentrations at which it remained soluble.The filter loop technique is a suitable model for measuring platelet aggregation in the flowing blood of the rat. It is a relatively simple method of determining aggregation and easily adapted to other species.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Velasco ◽  
Adriana Mota-Cobián ◽  
Jesús Mateo ◽  
Samuel España

Abstract Background Multi-tracer positron emission tomography (PET) imaging can be accomplished by applying multi-tracer compartment modeling. Recently, a method has been proposed in which the arterial input functions (AIFs) of the multi-tracer PET scan are explicitly derived. For that purpose, a gamma spectroscopic analysis is performed on blood samples manually withdrawn from the patient when at least one of the co-injected tracers is based on a non-pure positron emitter. Alternatively, these blood samples required for the spectroscopic analysis may be obtained and analyzed on site by an automated detection device, thus minimizing analysis time and radiation exposure of the operating personnel. In this work, a new automated blood sample detector based on silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) for single- and multi-tracer PET imaging is presented, characterized, and tested in vitro and in vivo. Results The detector presented in this work stores and analyzes on-the-fly single and coincidence detected events. A sensitivity of 22.6 cps/(kBq/mL) and 1.7 cps/(kBq/mL) was obtained for single and coincidence events respectively. An energy resolution of 35% full-width-half-maximum (FWHM) at 511 keV and a minimum detectable activity of 0.30 ± 0.08 kBq/mL in single mode were obtained. The in vivo AIFs obtained with the detector show an excellent Pearson’s correlation (r = 0.996, p < 0.0001) with the ones obtained from well counter analysis of discrete blood samples. Moreover, in vitro experiments demonstrate the capability of the detector to apply the gamma spectroscopic analysis on a mixture of 68Ga and 18F and separate the individual signal emitted from each one. Conclusions Characterization and in vivo evaluation under realistic experimental conditions showed that the detector proposed in this work offers excellent sensibility and stability. The device also showed to successfully separate individual signals emitted from a mixture of radioisotopes. Therefore, the blood sample detector presented in this study allows fully automatic AIFs measurements during single- and multi-tracer PET studies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 764-777
Author(s):  
Sumaira Naz ◽  
Muhammad Zahoor ◽  
Muhammad Naveed Umar ◽  
Saad Alghamdi ◽  
Muhammad Umar Khayam Sahibzada ◽  
...  

AbstractThioureas and their derivatives are organosulfur compounds having applications in numerous fields such as organic synthesis and pharmaceutical industries. Symmetric thiourea derivatives were synthesized by the reaction of various anilines with CS2. The synthesized compounds were characterized using the UV-visible and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic techniques. The compounds were screened for in vitro inhibition of α-amylase, α-glucosidase, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) enzymes and for their antibacterial and antioxidant potentials. These compounds were fed to Swiss male albino mice to evaluate their toxicological effects and potential to inhibit glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) inhibition. The antibacterial studies revealed that compound 4 was more active against the selected bacterial strains. Compound 1 was more active against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2’-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) free radicals, AChE, BuChE, and α-glucosidase. Compound 2 was more potent against α-amylase and G6Pase. Toxicity studies showed that compound 4 is safe as it exerted no toxic effect on any of the hematological and biochemical parameters or on liver histology of the experimental animals at any studied dose rate. The synthesized compounds showed promising antibacterial and antioxidant potential and were very active (both in vitro and in vivo) against G6Pase and moderately active against the other selected enzymes used in this study.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 8106
Author(s):  
Tianming Song ◽  
Yawei Qu ◽  
Zhe Ren ◽  
Shuang Yu ◽  
Mingjian Sun ◽  
...  

Despite the numerous available treatments for cancer, many patients succumb to side effects and reoccurrence. Zinc oxide (ZnO) quantum dots (QDs) are inexpensive inorganic nanomaterials with potential applications in photodynamic therapy. To verify the photoluminescence of ZnO QDs and determine their inhibitory effect on tumors, we synthesized and characterized ZnO QDs modified with polyvinylpyrrolidone. The photoluminescent properties and reactive oxygen species levels of these ZnO/PVP QDs were also measured. Finally, in vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to test their photodynamic therapeutic effects in SW480 cancer cells and female nude mice. Our results indicate that the ZnO QDs had good photoluminescence and exerted an obvious inhibitory effect on SW480 tumor cells. These findings illustrate the potential applications of ZnO QDs in the fields of photoluminescence and photodynamic therapy.


Crystals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1131
Author(s):  
Maricela Santana ◽  
Gonzalo Montoya ◽  
Raúl Herrera ◽  
Lía Hoz ◽  
Enrique Romo ◽  
...  

Dental cementum contains unique molecules that regulate the mineralization process in vitro and in vivo, such as cementum protein 1 (CEMP1). This protein possesses amino acid sequence motifs like the human recombinant CEMP1 with biological activity. This novel cementum protein 1-derived peptide (CEMP1-p3, from the CEMP1’s N-terminal domain: (QPLPKGCAAVKAEVGIPAPH), consists of 20 amino acids. Hydroxyapatite (HA) crystals could be obtained through the combination of the amorphous precursor phase and macromolecules such as proteins and peptides. We used a simple method to synthesize peptide/hydroxyapatite nanocomposites using OCP and CEMP1-p3. The characterization of the crystals through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), high--resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and Raman spectroscopy revealed that CEMP1-p3 transformed OCP into hydroxyapatite (HA) under constant ionic strength and in a buffered solution. CEMP1-p3 binds and highly adsorbs to OCP and is a potent growth stimulator of OCP crystals. CEMP1-p3 fosters the transformation of OCP into HA crystals with crystalline planes (300) and (004) that correspond to the cell of hexagonal HA. Octacalcium phosphate crystals treated with CEMP1-p3 grown in simulated physiological buffer acquired hexagonal arrangement corresponding to HA. These findings provide new insights into the potential application of CEMP1-p3 on possible biomimetic approaches to generate materials for the repair and regeneration of mineralized tissues, or restorative materials in the orthopedic field.


Theranostics ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (7) ◽  
pp. 723-733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui Hu ◽  
Wing-Cheung Law ◽  
Guimiao Lin ◽  
Ling Ye ◽  
Jianwei Liu ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (22) ◽  
pp. 12202
Author(s):  
Mariya Borovaya ◽  
Inna Horiunova ◽  
Svitlana Plokhovska ◽  
Nadia Pushkarova ◽  
Yaroslav Blume ◽  
...  

Ag-based quantum dots (QDs) are semiconductor nanomaterials with exclusive electrooptical properties ideally adaptable for various biotechnological, chemical, and medical applications. Silver-based semiconductor nanocrystals have developed rapidly over the past decades. They have become a promising luminescent functional material for in vivo and in vitro fluorescent studies due to their ability to emit at the near-infrared (NIR) wavelength. In this review, we discuss the basic features of Ag-based QDs, the current status of classic (chemical) and novel methods (“green” synthesis) used to produce these QDs. Additionally, the advantages of using such organisms as bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, algae, and plants for silver-based QDs biosynthesis have been discussed. The application of silver-based QDs as fluorophores for bioimaging application due to their fluorescence intensity, high quantum yield, fluorescent stability, and resistance to photobleaching has also been reviewed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Poon

AbstractArthroplasty implants e.g. hip, knee, spinal disc sustain relatively high compressive loading and friction wear, which lead to the formation of wear particles or debris between articulating surfaces. Despite advances in orthopaedic materials and surface treatments, the production of wear debris from any part of a joint arthroplasty implant is currently unavoidable. Implant wear debris induces host immune responses and inflammation, which causes patient pain and ultimately implant failure through progressive inflammation-mediated osteolysis and implant loosening, where the severity and rate of periprosthetic osteolysis depends on the material and physicochemical characteristics of the wear particles. Evaluating the cytotoxicity of implant wear particles is important for regulatory approved clinical application of arthroplasty implants, as is the study of cell-particle response pathways. However, the wear particles of polymeric materials commonly used for arthroplasty implants tend to float when placed in culture media, which limits their contact with cell cultures. This study reports a simple means of suspending wear particles in liquid medium using sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (NaCMC) to provide a more realistic proxy of the interaction between cells and tissues to wear particles in vivo, which are free-floating in synovial fluid within the joint cavity. Low concentrations of NaCMC dissolved in culture medium were found to be effective for suspending polymeric wear particles. Such suspensions may be used as more physiologically-relevant means for testing cellular responses to implant wear debris, as well as studying the combinative effects of shear and wear particle abrasion on cells in a dynamic culture environments such as perfused tissue-on-chip devices.


2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 351-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Herman Mansur ◽  
Rodrigo Oréfice ◽  
Marivalda Pereira ◽  
Zélia Lobato ◽  
Wander Vasconcelos ◽  
...  

The biomaterials research field has broadened in the last 3 decades, including replacement of diseased or damaged parts, assist in healing, correct and improve functional abnormality, drug delivery systems, immunological kits and biosensors. Proteins play crucial role in almost every biological system. They are involved in enzymatic catalysis, transport and storage, coordinated motion, mechanical support, immune protection, control of growth and cell differentiation among many others. The immobilization of proteins onto surface functionalized substrates has been one of the most promising areas in bioengineering field. It is important to note that the term immobilization can refer either to a temporary or to a permanent localization of the biomolecule on or within a support. Proteins have very particular chain configurations and conformations that promote high levels of specificity during chemical interactions. In the present work, we aimed to study the phenomenon of protein immobilization onto biomaterial with chemically engineered surface. We have tailored the surface of the porous gels of SiO2with 5 different silane surface modifying agents: tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), 3‒mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) and 3‒aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), 3‒glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) and 3‒isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane (ICPES). Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to characterize the presence of all specific chemical groups in the materials. The surface functionalized gels were then immersed in porcine insulin (PI) solutions for protein immobilization. The incorporation of protein within the gels was also monitored by FTIR spectroscopy. The kinetics of protein adsorption and desorption from the gel matrixin vitrotests were monitored by UV‒visible spectroscopy. We could not observe any evidence of denaturation of insulin after its desorption from gel matrices using UV‒visible spectroscopy technique.In vivotests with adult male rats were used to verify the immobilized insulin bioactivity after implantation of different biomaterial with functionalized surfaces. Plasma glucose levels were obtained by using the Glucose GOD‒ANA Colorimetric Assay. All surface modified materials have presented acute hypoglycemic peak response associated with the insulin bioactivity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (23) ◽  
pp. 9237
Author(s):  
Tamanna Azam ◽  
Jonathan Przybyla-Toscano ◽  
Florence Vignols ◽  
Jérémy Couturier ◽  
Nicolas Rouhier ◽  
...  

Iron-sulfur (Fe-S) proteins are crucial for many cellular functions, particularly those involving electron transfer and metabolic reactions. An essential monothiol glutaredoxin GRXS15 plays a key role in the maturation of plant mitochondrial Fe-S proteins. However, its specific molecular function is not clear, and may be different from that of the better characterized yeast and human orthologs, based on known properties. Hence, we report here a detailed characterization of the interactions between Arabidopsis thaliana GRXS15 and ISCA proteins using both in vivo and in vitro approaches. Yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation experiments demonstrated that GRXS15 interacts with each of the three plant mitochondrial ISCA1a/1b/2 proteins. UV-visible absorption/CD and resonance Raman spectroscopy demonstrated that coexpression of ISCA1a and ISCA2 resulted in samples with one [2Fe-2S]2+ cluster per ISCA1a/2 heterodimer, but cluster reconstitution using as-purified [2Fe-2S]-ISCA1a/2 resulted in a [4Fe-4S]2+ cluster-bound ISCA1a/2 heterodimer. Cluster transfer reactions monitored by UV-visible absorption and CD spectroscopy demonstrated that [2Fe-2S]-GRXS15 mediates [2Fe-2S]2+ cluster assembly on mitochondrial ferredoxin and [4Fe-4S]2+ cluster assembly on the ISCA1a/2 heterodimer in the presence of excess glutathione. This suggests that ISCA1a/2 is an assembler of [4Fe-4S]2+ clusters, via two-electron reductive coupling of two [2Fe-2S]2+ clusters. Overall, the results provide new insights into the roles of GRXS15 and ISCA1a/2 in effecting [2Fe-2S]2+ to [4Fe-4S]2+ cluster conversions for the maturation of client [4Fe-4S] cluster-containing proteins in plants.


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