Abstract
In the last decade, building biohybrid materials has gained considerable interest in the field of nanotechnology. This paper describes an original design for bionanoarchitectures with interesting properties and potential bioapplications. Multilamellar lipid vesicles (obtained by hydration of a dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine thin film) with and without cholesterol were labelled with a natural photopigment (chlorophyll a), which functioned as a sensor to detect modifications in the artificial lipid bilayers. These biomimetic membranes were used to build non-covalent structures with single-walled carbon nanotubes. Different biophysical methods were employed to characterize these biohybrids such as: UV–vis absorption and emission spectroscopy, zeta potential measurements, AFM and chemiluminescence techniques. The designed, carbon-based biohybrids exhibited good physical stability, good antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, and could be used as biocoating materials. As compared to the cholesterol-free samples, the cholesterol-containing hybrid structures demonstrated better stability (i.e., their zeta potential reached the value of −36.4 mV), more pronounced oxygen radical scavenging ability (affording an antioxidant activity of 73.25%) and enhanced biocidal ability, offering inhibition zones of 12.4, 11.3 and 10.2 mm in diameter, against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis, respectively.
Highlights
The “nanoworld” has long fascinated scientists due to the interesting properties that small-dimensional objects provide and the design of bionanohybrids has gained considerable interest in the fields of nanotechnology and biomedicine [1,2,3]
The formation of DPPC, multilamellar lipid vesicles was confirmed by Dynamic light scattering (DLS)
One can see that the cholesterol-containing artificial lipid bilayers have smaller dimensions (Zaverage = 567.6 ± 116.2; PDI = 0.322 ± 0.067) than liposomes without cholesterol (Zaverage = 609.8 ± 112.7; PDI = 0.397 ± 0.053)
Summary
The “nanoworld” has long fascinated scientists due to the interesting properties that small-dimensional objects provide (as compared to their bulk counterparts) and the design of bionanohybrids has gained considerable interest in the fields of nanotechnology and biomedicine [1,2,3]. One of the building blocks used to construct nanomaterials are carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which are allotropes of carbon with a unique nanostructure consisting of graphene sheets (layers of sp2-hybridized carbon atoms, perfectly hexagonally packed in a honeycomb network) rolled up into tubular shapes with a very large length/diameter ratio This structure gives the unusual properties of CNTs such as: high mechanical strength (due to C–C sp bonds, which is one of the strongest bonds), flexibility without breakage or damage, high elasticity, good electrical conductivity, and chemical stability. Applicability of CNTs in the biomedical field is complicated as they are completely insoluble in all solvents and are present as bundles They have a tendency to aggregate due to van der Waals forces, π–π stacking and hydrophobic interactions among individual CNTs, making them difficult for characterization, handling, and analytical investigations. These problems can be overcome by functionalization [8,9]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
