Antibacterial efficacy of iron oxide and silver nanoparticles against bacterial wilt pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum

In recent years, green synthesis methods of metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been attractive because of the more facile, cheaper, and appropriate features associated with biomolecules in MNPs biosynthesis. This research represented an easy, fast, and environmentally friendly method to biosynthesis of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONPs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by the Satureja hortensis leaf extract as stabilizer and reducer. The SPIONPs synthesized in co-precipitation method. The biosynthesized SPIONPs and AgNPs were studied their antifungal effects against three Botryosphaeriaceae plant pathogens, Botryosphaeria dothidea, Diplodia seriata, and Neofusicoccum parvum. UV-visible spectra (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (Fe-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM) analyses were used to evaluate the physicochemical properties and verify the formation of green synthesized SPIONPs and AgNPs. UV-Vis spectra revealed absorption peaks at 243 and 448 nm for SPIONs and 436 nm for AgNPs, respectively. Microscopic and XRD analysis showed that SPIONPs and AgNPs was found spherical in shape with an average particle size of SPIONPs and AgNPs 10 and 12 nm, respectively. The antifungal test against Botryosphaeriaceae species showed that SPIONPs and AgNPs possessantifungal properties against B. dothidea, D. seriata, and N. parvum. However, AgNPs exhibits greaterantifungal activity than SPIONPs. Theresultsof thecytotoxicitytests of SPIONs and AgNPs on the MCF-7 cell line showed that AgNPs was significantly more cytotoxictowardsthe MCF-7 cell line, whereas nosignificant cytotoxiceffect was recorded by SPIONs. Therefore, these biosynthesized MNPs could be substituted for toxic fungicides that are extensively applied in agriculture and contribute to environmental health and food safety.

Objective: The objective of the present study is the synthesis of iron oxide and silver nanoparticles using Simarouba glauca aqueous bark extract, characterization of the synthesized nanoparticles and evaluation of their antimicrobial, photocatalytic activity and cytotoxicity.
 Methods: The iron oxide and silver nanoparticles were synthesized using Simarouba glauca aqueous bark extract and crystal structures of the nanoparticles were determined by UV-Visible spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-ray Diffraction and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. The in vitro cytotoxicity of the silver nanoparticles was evaluated using Dalton’s lymphoma ascites cells. The antibacterial assay of the silver nanoparticles was conducted using agar well diffusion method.
 Results: The UV-Visible spectrum of iron oxide nanoparticle showed an absorption maximum at 280 nm and silver nanoparticles showed an absorption maximum at 436 nm. This is XRD pattern of iron oxide nanoparticles exhibited a characteristic peak at 26.85 is of maghemite the corresponding miller indices is (211) and the synthesized iron oxide nanoparticles are amorphous in nature. TEM image reveals the size of the synthesized iron oxide nanoparticles in the range of 26-30 nm and the size of silver nanoparticles is in the range of 120-140 nm.
 Green synthesized iron nanoparticles using Simarouba glauca bark extract effectively degraded methylene blue dye.
 Conclusion: This study showed that the synthesized iron oxide and silver nanoparticles using Simarouba glauca aqueous bark extract exhibited pronounced antibacterial, anticancer and photocatalytic activity and can be used in the textile industry and also as an external antiseptic in prevention and treatment of bacterial infections.

Objective To explore a novel long-circulating dual-receptor targeting and dual-modal molecular probe and investigate its physicochemical properties and targeting effect on breast cancer cells in vitro. Methods Dual-receptor targeting and dual-modal molecular probe RGD@BBN-lipo(QDs)-SPIO was synthesized in the following steps: long-circulating liposome was prepared by film dispersion method; water-soluble superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles and Quantum dots (QDs) were loaded in the hydrophilic and hydrophobic layer of liposome, respectively; RGD and BBN polypeptides were coupled on the former functional magnetic/fluorescent liposomes. Stability of the probe in different physiological solutions was investigated. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and particle size analyzer were used to measure nanoparticle sizes and the Zeta potential. Characterization of RGD and BBN was investigated through 1H-NMR and elemental analysis. The MRI T2 relaxivities (1/T2) of RGD@BBN-lipo(QDs)-SPIO was measured through T2 map scanning on 3.0 T MR system. HUV-EC-C cells were used for assessment of cells viability by MTS assay. Prussian blue staining and fluorescence imaging were carried out to determine the targeted breast cellular uptake of RGD@BBN-lipo(QDs)-SPIO nanoparticles. Results The targeting magnetic/fluorescent dual-model molecular probes appeared spherical or para-spherical, with a mean diameter of (118.2±3.9) nm,Zeta potential of (-24.78±1.68) mV,MR T2 magnetic relaxation rate of 0.498 1× 106 M -1·s -1.RGD and BBN polypeptides were successfully coupled on the former functionally magnetic/fluorescent liposomes with the bind rates of 33.05 % and 45.06 %, respectively. There was low cytotoxity of the molecular probe on human umbilical vein endothelical cells (HUV-EC-C) by MTS study. Prussian blue staining and fluorescence imaging studies showed that the RGD@BBN-lipo(QDs)-SPIO nanoparticles could target any αvβ3 or gastrin releasing peptide receptor overexpression breast cancer. Conclusions RGD@BBN-lipo (QDs)-SPIO is a novel long-circulating dual-receptor targeting and dual-modal molecular probe and has excellent physicochemical properties and stability, high T2 relaxivities and strong targeting effect on cancer cells and has laid a solid foundation for early diagnosis of breast cancer. Key words: Molecular probes; Magnetic resonance imaging; Breast neoplasms

A DNA hybridization system for labeling of neural stem cells with SPIO nanoparticles for MRI monitoring post-transplantation

The Super Paramagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (SPIONs) can bind drugs and act as drug-carriers. The magnetically active SPIONs can be used to deliver the drugs to the target through magnetic fields. The objective of the present work has been undertaken to study the stability, and binding behaviour of procaine with SPIONs and surfactant-coated SPIONs. Procaine is among the ester drugs and hydrolyses in the alkaline medium. The influence of SPIONs and surfactant-coated SPIONs on the rate of hydrolysis of procaine in alkaline medium may help to define the behaviour of the drug in the presence of these nanoparticles. The kinetic studies of procaine hydrolysis in the presence of SPIONs and surfactant-coated SPIONs were carried out spectrophotometrically. The concentrations of OH− ions were taken in excess over [procaine] to keep the reaction conditions under pseudo-first-order. The presence of SPIONs and the SPIONs coated with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide; CTABr and sodium dodecylsulphate; SDS surfactants displayed an inhibitive effect on the rate of hydrolysis of procaine. The synthesised nanoparticles were characterised using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The kψ-[surfactant] profile in the presence of SPIONs was discussed using the pseudophase model in which the reactants are considered to be distributed in the aqueous and micellar media. The rate constant for the procaine hydrolysis and the binding constants of procaine with coated and non-coated SPIONs have been calculated by analysing the data for the variation in the rate constant with the change in [surfactant], [SPIONs] and [surfactant-coated SPIONs].Graphic abstractThe studies on the rate of hydrolysis of procaine in the presence of SPIONs and surfactant-coated SPIONs shows inhibitive effects of NPs on the reaction. Procaine has good binding affinity with surfactant-coated SPIONs in comparison with the bare SPIONs.

Superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles have been widely used for stem cell labeling and tracking. Surface modification has been known to improve biocompatibility, biodistribution, and labeling efficiency of SPIO nanoparticles. However, the effects of amine (NH 3+)-surface-modified SPIO nanoparticles on proliferation and differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) remain unclear. The purpose of this study is to investigate how amine-surface-modified SPIO nanoparticles affected hMSCs. In this study, intracellular uptake and the contiguous presence of amine-surface-modified SPIO nanoparticles in hMSCs were demonstrated by Prussian blue staining, transmission electron microscopy and magnetic resonance imaging. Moreover, accelerated cell proliferation was found to be associated with cellular internalization of amine-surface-modified SPIO nanoparticles. The osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation potentials of hMSCs were impaired after treating with SPIO, while adipogenic potential was relatively unaffected. Altered cytokine production profile in hMSCs caused by amine-surface-modified SPIO nanoparticles may account for the increased proliferation and impaired differentiation potentials; concentrations of the growth factors in the SPIO-labeled condition medium including amphiregulin, glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor, heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor, as well as soluble form of macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor and SCF receptor, were higher than in the unlabeled-condition medium. In summary, although amine-surface-modified SPIO labeling is effective for cell tracking, properties of hMSCs may alter as a consequence and this needs to be taken into account when evaluating therapeutic efficacies of SPIO-labeled stem cells in vivo.

This study was designed to determine the effects of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) on the biological activity of a bacterial biofilm (Streptococcus mutans). Our hypothesis was that the diffusion of the SPIONs into biofilms would depend on their surface properties, which in turn would largely be determined by their surface functionality. Bare, positively charged and negatively charged SPIONs, with hydrodynamic diameters of 14.6 ± 1.4 nm, 20.4 ± 1.3 nm and 21.2 ± 1.6 nm were evaluated. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) and electrophoretic mobility (EPM) measurements were used to confirm that carboxylic functional groups predominated on the negatively charged SPIONS, whereas amine functional groups predominated on the positively charged particles. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed the morphology and sizes of SPIONs. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and EPM measurements indicated that the surfaces of the SPIONs were covered with biomolecules following their incubation with the biofilm. Bare SPIONs killed bacteria less than the positively charged SPIONs at the highest exposure concentrations, but the toxicity of the bare and positively charged SPIONs was the same for lower SPION concentrations. The positively charged SPIONs were more effective in killing bacteria than the negatively charged ones. Nonetheless, electrophoretic mobilities of all three SPIONs (negative, bare and positively charged) became more negative following incubation with the (negatively-charged) biofilm. Therefore, while the surface charge of SPIONS was important in determining their biological activity, the initial surface charge was not constant in the presence of the biofilm, leading eventually to SPIONS with fairly similar surface charges in situ. The study nonetheless suggests that the surface characteristics of the SPIONS is an important parameter controlling the efficiency of antimicrobial agents. The analysis of the CFU/mL values shows that the SPIONs have the same toxicity on bacteria in solution in comparison with that on the biofilm.

Technology advancements in synthesis and modification of nanoscale materials have advanced the development of different medical applications. Nanoparticles (NPs) have demonstrated promising potentials in diagnostic medicine especially for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Iron oxide, gold, and gadolinium NPs have been used in preclinical and clinical studies as contrast enhancing agents. Studies are ongoing to find the optimum parameters of these NPs as contrast agents (CAs) of MRI. This study aims to review the recent applications of iron oxide, gold, and gadolinium NPs as contrast enhancing agents in MRI for diagnosis of different disorders. The databases of PubMed (1980-2016), Web of Science (1980-2016), Scopus (1980-2016), and Google Scholar (1980-2016) were explored using the search terms “Nanoparticles,” “Contrast agents,” “Magnetic Resonance Imaging” and “disease.” The obtained results were screened for the title and abstract and comprehensively reviewed. MRI CAs are divided into T1 and T2 CAs, respectively, used for T1 and T2 weighted protocols in MRI. Iron oxide, gadolinium, and gold NPs are the most common CAs used in MRI. High magnetization values, small size, narrow particle size distribution are the main features of NPs as CAs in MRI. Gadolinium is the most common T1 CAs used in MRI. However, it is associated with toxicity which is a serious concern in patients with renal failure. Iron oxide NPs can be used for these patients. However, the main limitation of iron oxide NPs is limited relaxivity. The relaxivity strongly depends on the size of NP. Paramagnetic NPs serve as T1 CAs and super paramagnetic NPs as T2 CAs. Modulating the size of NPs is the main parameter to adjust different NPs for different MRI protocols. Recent years to overcome the problem of gadolinium and iron oxide NPs, different paramagnetic and super paramagnetic NPs are developed.

Green synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) is eco-friendly, biocompatible, cost-effective, and highly stable. In the present study, Citrus sinensis peel extract was utilized to the fabrication of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs). The fabricated SPIONs were first characterized using UV–Visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The UV–Vis spectra analysis displayed a peak at 259 nm due to the surface plasmon resonance. The FTIR spectrum showed bands at 3306 cm−1, and 1616 cm−1 revealed the protein’s involvement in the development and capping of NPs. TEM analysis indicated that green synthesized SPIONs were spherical in shape with particle size of 20–24 nm. Magnetization measurements indicate that the synthesized SPIONs exhibited superparamagnetic behavior at room temperature. The antimicrobial activity, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), antioxidant potential, anti-inflammatory effect, and catalytic degradation of methylene blue by SPIONs were investigated in this study. Results demonstrated that SPIONs had variable antimicrobial effect against different pathogenic multi-drug resistant bacteria. At the highest concentration (400 μg/mL), SPIONs showed inhibition zones (14.7–37.3 mm) against all the target isolates. Furthermore, the MIC of synthesized SPIONs against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Candida albicans were 3, 6.5, 6.5, 12.5, 50, 25 μg/mL, respectively. SPIONs exhibited strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and catalytic dye degradation activities. Interestingly, Fe3O4 SPIONs shows optimum magnetic hyperthermia (MHT) techniques under an alternating magnetic field (AMF) measured in specific absorption rate (SAR) of 164, 230, and 286 W/g at concentrations 1, 5, and 10 mg/mL, respectively. Additionally, these newly fabricated SPIONs virtually achieve significant execution under the AMF in fluid MHT and are suitable for biomedical applications.

Burns can result in infection, disability, psychosocial and economic issues. Advanced wound dressings like hydrogel absorb exudate and maintain moisture. Considering the antimicrobial properties of silver nanoparticles and iron oxide nanoparticles, the efficiency of cross-linked hydrogel loaded with chitosan-supported iron oxide and silver nanoparticles for burn wounds repair was investigated in animal model. Cellulose hydrogel dressing made from carboxymethylcellulose and hydroxyethylcellulose crosslinked with different concentrations of citric acid (10, 15, 20, and 30%) was produced. The physicochemical characteristics of the synthetized hydrogels including Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy, Thermal behavior, Swelling properties, and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) were evaluated. The silver nanoparticles and iron nanoparticles were produced and the characteristics, cytotoxicity, antimicrobial activities and their synergistic effect were investigated. After adding nanoparticles to hydrogels, the effects of the prepared wound dressings were investigated in a 14-day animal model of burn wound. The results showed that the mixture comprising 12.5 ppm AgNps, and IONPs at a concentration ≤100 ppm was non-cytotoxic. Moreover, the formulations with 20% CA had a swelling ratio of almost 250, 340, and 500 g/g at pHs of 5, 6.2, and 7.4 after one hour, which are lower than those of formulations with 5 and 10% CA. The total mass loss (59.31%) and the exothermic degradation happened in the range of 273–335 °C and its T m was observed at 318.52 °C for hydrogels with 20% CA. Thus, the dressing comprising 20% CA which was loaded with 12.5 ppm silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and 100 ppm iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) indicated better physicochemical, microbial and non-cytotoxic characteristics, and accelerated the process of wound healing after 14 days. It was concluded that the crosslinked hydrogel loaded with 12.5 ppm AgNPs and 100 ppm IONPs possesses great wound healing activity and could be regarded as an effective topical burn wound healing treatment.

Biogenic synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles via Skimmia laureola and their antibacterial efficacy against bacterial wilt pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum

To study the feasibility of MRI of human colon adenocarcinoma cell line (Lovo) labeled with superparamagnetic iron oxide(SPIO) nanoparticles in vitro. Lovo cells (5 × 10(5) and 1 × 10(6)) were cultured in medium containing different SPIO nanoparticles (50 microl and 500 microl). Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe cellular ultrastructure and to determine the uptake and distribution of particles in Lovo cells at 1-, 3-, 6-hours. MRI of Lovo cells was performed with T1WI, T2WI sequences. Unlabeled cells were used as controls. Uptake of SPIO nanoparticles occurred within 6 hours. On T1 weighted imaging, there was no significant difference in signal intensity between the experimental groups and the control group. On T2 weighted imaging, there was no significant difference in signal intensity between the experimental groups and the control group after culture of 1 h. Signal intensity began to decrease in 1 × 10(6) Lovo cells labeled with 500 microl SPIO nanoparticle after 3 hours culture. Signal intensity decreased in all the experimental groups after 6 hours culture. Human colon adenocarcinoma cell line (Lovo) can be labeled with SPIO nanoparticles, and the labeled cells can be imaged with MRI equipment.

The synthesis of nanoparticles using medicinal plants is a potential pathway for developing environmentally friendly drugs with minimal side effects. The aim of this study was to isolate heptadecyl-trans-p-coumarate from the medicinal plant, Artemisia afra, utilise it and its extract to synthesise silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) and iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe2O3NPs) that were evaluated for antibacterial and cytotoxic activity. AgNPs synthesised from the coumarate and extract were mostly spherical with an average size of 12 nm and 29 nm, respectively. ZnONPs were mostly rods, plates and spheres with average sizes of 31 nm (extract) and 22 nm (coumarate). Fe2O3NPs were hexagons and spheres with average sizes of 31 nm (extract) and 24 nm (coumarate). Nanoparticles improved the antibacterial activity of the extract and coumarate against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Chromobacterium violaceum and Staphylococcus aureus. Shape of nanoparticles influenced activity; rod-shaped ZnONPs and platelet-like Fe2O3NPs synthesised using the extract exhibited better antibacterial activity. Spherical ZnONPs synthesised using the coumarate and spherical AgNPs showed greater cytotoxicity. The results suggest a synergistic effect between the metal nanoparticles and capping agents. Overall, this study confirms the use of Artemisia afra for the biosynthesis of silver, zinc oxide and iron oxide nanoparticles.

Nanoparticles offer enhanced interactions with other materials owing to their enlarged surface area. This property makes them stronger, more stable and ideal for biomedical applications. Among the various synthetic methods for nanoparticles, biosynthetic method stands out due to its cost-effectiveness and environmentally friendly nature. In this context, we developed novel biosynthetic procedures for iron oxide and magnesium oxide nanoparticles using the extract of Hylocereus undatus (dragon fruit) peel, which acted as a reducing agent and capping agent. The biosynthesized nanoparticles were characterized using different techniques, such as ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) spectrophotometry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). To evaluate their anticancer properties, the nanoparticles were tested on HeLa cells (derived from human cervical carcinoma) and BHK-21 cells (obtained from baby hamster kidney fibroblasts) and compared with the negative control group (dimethyl sulfoxide) and standard group (Hylocereus undatus fruit peel extract). Results showed that only less than 5% HeLa cells survived in both cases, and less than 5% and 60% BHK-21 cells survived on administering magnesium oxide and iron oxide nanoparticles, respectively, which were quite better than the results obtained for the standard and negative control groups. This study reports a safe and rapid method for the biosynthesis of iron oxide and magnesium oxide nanoparticles using Hylocereus undatus fruit peel extract and demonstrates their potential as anticancer agents. These findings suggest that iron oxide and magnesium oxide nanoparticles warrant further investigation for the development of more effective and safe anticancer drug formulations.

Iron oxide (Fe2O3) nanoparticles were prepared by combination of sol-gel autocombustion and ultrasonic irradiation. The XRD pattern reveals that the crystallite size of sample is 36.7 nm and the phase identification shows hematite, syn has been crystalized. The morphology of the sample investigated by FESEM showed that particle size of the sample was about 76 nm. The optical property of Fe2O3 investigated by DRS showed that there may exist three energy band gaps in iron oxide nanoparticles . FT-IR technique was used to determine the functional group of product. In agreement to XRD results, the result of FT-IR revealed no organic residue in product. Photo catalyst nanoparticles were immobilized on the surface of glass slide using Doctor Blade method. Photocatalytic degradation of reactive red 4 (RR4) was investigated under UV light using iron oxide nanoparticles as catalyst. The kinetic of RR4 degradation under UV light irradiation in the presence of Fe2O3 as photocatalyst, and rate constant was determined. Experiments exhibited that Fe2O3 nanoparticles decomposed 52% of azo dye RR4 in solution duration 135 min. The photo catalytic reaction kinetic of RR4 degradation in the presence of Fe2O3 nanoparticles followed Langmuir-Hinshelwood model with the rate constant of about 0.005 min-1.