Polymeric Nanomaterials Research Articles

Advances in Engineered Polymer Nanoparticle Tracking Platforms towards Cancer Immunotherapy-Current Status and Future Perspectives.

Engineering polymeric nanoparticles for their shape, size, surface chemistry, and functionalization using various targeting molecules has shown improved biomedical applications for nanoparticles. Polymeric nanoparticles have created tremendous therapeutic platforms, particularly applications related to chemo- and immunotherapies in cancer. Recently advancements in immunotherapies have broadened this field in immunology and biomedical engineering, where “immunoengineering” creates solutions to target translational science. In this regard, the nanoengineering field has offered the various techniques necessary to manufacture and assemble multifunctional polymeric nanomaterial systems. These include nanoparticles functionalized using antibodies, small molecule ligands, targeted peptides, proteins, and other novel agents that trigger and encourage biological systems to accept the engineered materials as immune enhancers or as vaccines to elevate therapeutic functions. Strategies to engineer polymeric nanoparticles with therapeutic and targeting molecules can provide solutions for developing immune vaccines via maintaining the receptor storage in T- and B cells. Furthermore, cancer immunotherapy using polymeric nanomaterials can serve as a gold standard approach for treating primary and metastasized tumors. The current status of the limited availability of immuno-therapeutic drugs highlights the importance of polymeric nanomaterial platforms to improve the outcomes via delivering anticancer agents at localized sites, thereby enhancing the host immune response in cancer therapy. This review mainly focuses on the potential scientific enhancements and recent developments in cancer immunotherapies by explicitly discussing the role of polymeric nanocarriers as nano-vaccines. We also briefly discuss the role of multifunctional nanomaterials for their therapeutic impacts on translational clinical applications.

Construction of hollow polydopamine nanoparticle based drug sustainable release system and its application in bone regeneration

Nanomaterial-based drug sustainable release systems have been tentatively applied to bone regeneration. They, however, still face disadvantages of high toxicity, low biocompatibility, and low drug-load capacity. In view of the low toxicity and high biocompatibility of polymer nanomaterials and the excellent load capacity of hollow nanomaterials with high specific surface area, we evaluated the hollow polydopamine nanoparticles (HPDA NPs), in order to find an optimal system to effectively deliver the osteogenic drugs to improve treatment of bone defect. Data demonstrated that the HPDA NPs synthesized herein could efficiently load four types of osteogenic drugs and the drugs can effectively release from the HPDA NPs for a relatively longer time in vitro and in vivo with low toxicity and high biocompatibility. Results of qRT-PCR, ALP, and alizarin red S staining showed that drugs released from the HPDA NPs could promote osteogenic differentiation and proliferation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) in vitro. Image data from micro-CT and H&E staining showed that all four osteogenic drugs released from the HPDA NPs effectively promoted bone regeneration in the defect of tooth extraction fossa in vivo, especially tacrolimus. These results suggest that the HPDA NPs, the biodegradable hollow polymer nanoparticles with high drug load rate and sustainable release ability, have good prospect to treat the bone defect in future clinical practice.

WITHDRAWN: Precise engineering of Iguratimod and Rapamycin drugs loaded polymeric nanomaterials for the treatment of glioma cancer cells

Abstract Malignant glioma is among the worst kinds of brain cancer, and despite breakthroughs in therapy, patient prognosis remains dismal, with an average life of 15 months. Treatment with standard chemotherapy does not provide the appropriate medication dosage to the cancer location, owing to insufficient blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, especially hydrophilic drugs. The present study was to construct and assess the therapeutic efficacy of Iguratimod (IGU) and Rapamycin (RAPA) encapsulated-polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based nanomaterials (IGU/RAPA@NMs), which displayed inhibition of glioma cells proliferation in vitro. IGU/RAPA@NMs with an average size of 50–100 nm have fabricated using an improved double-emulsion (W/O/W) approach. The electron microscopic techniques have confirmed newly constructed IGU/RAPA@NMs morphology. Following successful synthesis, the anticancer properties of LN229 and U251 glioma cancer cell lines were assessed. The morphological and apoptosis biochemical studies including AO-EB (acridine bromide orange ethidium), nuclear staining. Importantly, choosing IGU/RAPA@NMs as a target nanomaterial, a suggestively improved safety profile relative to the animal model was confirmed, suggesting that these nanomaterials can be utilized as potential candidates for glioma cancer therapy and deserve further investigations.

Dual anticancer drug-loaded self-assembled nanomaterials delivery system for the treatment of prostate cancer

This study explains the engineering of polylactide-polyethylene succinate glycol nanomaterials (NMs), to achieve superior anticancer effectiveness in prostate cancer therapy as a carriers of crizotinib (CZT) and marizomib (MAR). We have shown that the block polymers and hydrophobic drugs can be self-assembled to construct a highly stable nanocarrier with highly adaptable to support the use of cancer medicines. The Drug Release analysis revealed that the interference in the hydrophobic cores of micelles was a continuous release series. In both PC3pip and LNCAP prostate cancer cells, CZT@MAR NMs demonstrated noticeable cytotoxic effects in a dose-responsive method. In addition, morphology analysis and the AO-EB and nuclear staining assay showed a higher effectiveness in prostate cancer for nanomaterials. The polymeric nanomaterials displayed a prominent existence in the cytoplasmic cell regions, which shows a characteristic cell uptake by endocytosis. A significant apoptosis, compared to free CZT@MAR apoptosis, was found in the FITC-Annexin V/PI staining-based apoptosis analysis. In this juncture, the alternative drug delivery mechanism for the improvement of CZT@MAR chemotherapeutic effectiveness in prostate cancer chemotherapy modification PLA nanoparticles.

Withdrawal: Quantitative Synthesis of Temperature-responsive Polymersomes by Multiblock Polymerization.

The current challenge for polymersomes is to prepare amphiphilic block polymers with not only well-defined molecular weight, but also precisely high-order multiblock structure in terms of the distribution of monomeric units along the chain. Here, we describe a synthesis of temperature-responsive polymersomes with precisely defined membrane structures using high-precision amphiphilic multiblock polymer via aqueous single electron transfer living radical polymerization (SET-LRP) in which poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) macromolecules are used as initiators. We develop a one-pot, rapid and multistep sequential polymerization process with yields >99% within 30 min for each block, giving access to a wide range of high-precision multiblock polymers with very narrow molecular weight distributions (Ð ≤ 1.14). Synthesized multiblock polymers are used to form nano-sized polymersomes which are highly promising as smart carriers for high loading and triggered release of biopharmaceutics such as pharmaceutical proteins and peptides. This synthesis approach is environmentally friendly, fully translation and thus represents a significant advance in the design and synthesis of a new generation of polymer nanomaterials with precisely defined structures, which is highly attractive for applications in nanotechnology.

A Review on Harnessing Nanomaterials as Promising Materials Interface

Nanoparticles (NPs) are strong colloidal particles with diameters ranging from 1nm–100 nm. They comprise of macromolecular materials and can be utilized therapeutically as adjuvant in immunizations or as medication transporters. In this paper two fundamental sorts of nanoparticles are discussed i.e., metallic nanoparticle and polymeric nanoparticle. Metallic nanoparticle is nano-sized metals with measurements (length, width, thickness) inside the size range of 1nm - 100nm. The properties, advantages, disadvantages and characteristics of metal nanomaterials are discussed in brief in this review. Polymers are the most common materials for constructing nanoparticle-based drug carriers. Polymers used to form nanoparticles can be both synthetic and natural polymers. This review summarizes the synthesis and fabrication of nanomaterials. It describes about synthesis of metallic and polymeric nanomaterials as well as synthesis of quantum dots. It gives insights of fabrication of nanomaterials. Applications of nanomaterials are also included in this review mainly focusing on biosensor, gas sensor, wastewater treatment and environmental applications. The tunable surface and optical properties of nanomaterials make the perfect contender for biosensing including the analysis of ailments, cellular imaging of cancerous cell and so on. Gas sensors have been utilized in numerous applications like monitoring the oxygen content in fuel mixture, observing food decay, health monitoring etc. Nanomaterials offer the potential for the productive expulsion of pollutants and biological contaminants thus extremely valuable in environment and wastewater treatment. Nanomaterials are highly recommended in future for these properties, mainly for their use in healthcare sector.

Analysis of bone metabolism mechanisms in postmenopausal females with type 2 diabetes and DKK1 gene polymorphisms and the effects of polymer nanomaterials on wound infection in patients

Diabetic patients are prone to abnormal bone metabolism. Menopausal women exhibit reduced estrogen secretion and bone absorption exceeds the rate of bone formation. Therefore, postmenopausal women with diabetes are even more likely to suffer from osteoporosis. Identifying the specific mechanism of abnormal bone metabolism in diabetic menopausal women will help reduce the risk of bone fractures. This study explored the specific mechanisms of bone metabolism disorders in menopausal women with type 2 diabetes in relation to genetic polymorphisms. We found that the distribution frequency of the CA genotype and A allele at the rs1373004 locus of the DKK1 gene in menopausal women with diabetes and abnormal bone mass were significantly lower compared with that in normal bone. The distribution of the GG genotype at the rs1528877 locus was also less frequent compared with those exhibiting normal bone mass. This suggests that the genotype and allele frequency distribution in the DKK1 gene at rs1373004 and RS1528877 in postmenopausal T2DM women is associated with glucose metabolism and bone metabolism. To analyze the efficacy of polylactic acid (PLA)/gelatin nanofibers on T2DM patients with infectious fractures, we compared various aspects of wound healing in patients treated with conventional therapy versus PLA/gelatin nanofibers. The results indicated that the number of days required for wound healing and the frequency of incisions in patients treated with PLA/gelatin nanofibers were significantly lower compared with those treated with conventional therapy (P < 0.05). The wound healing rate of patients treated with PLA/gelatin nanofibers was significantly higher compared with that of patients treated with conventional therapy on days 7, 14, 21, and 28 of treatment. Our findings indicate that PLA/gelatin nanofiber treatment can significantly promote fracture wound healing.

Review on Efficiency Enhancement Using Natural Extract Mediated Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cell for Sustainable Photovoltaics

Dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have turned a new horizon in energy research due to their widespread exploration over two decades by improving efficiency, cost‐effectiveness, and easy process than inorganic‐based solar cells. The major challenges are metal complexes on designing the cells and sustainability implications for further rapid expansion due to its toxicity. To overcome the problems associated with metal complexes, the dyes are extracted from bionatural sources such as flowers, fruits, barks, petals, roots, leaves, and beans of plants. These organic dyes are being nontoxic, cost‐effective, abundant, environmentally friendly, and easy to extract, which is made them extensively applicable for DSSC. Through this review, readers may get an idea about the effect in the efficiency of the solar cell by applying variable semiconductors, effects of solvents, variable light‐harvesting pigments, types of electrolytes, and modification of counter electrodes by certain polymeric materials or nanomaterials. Furthermore, the effects of methodology, processing temperature, and pH of the medium during synthesis on solar cell parameters, such as the efficiency of DSSC, are critically analyzed which are reported by other researchers.

A convergent synthetic platform for polymeric nanoparticle for the treatment of combination colorectal cancer therapy

In biomaterials and drug delivery, the development of polymeric therapies capable of the synchronized release of several therapeutic agents remains an important challenge. In this article, we describe the development of polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs) with precise molar ratios of Curcumin (CUR) and Methotrexate (MEX). The highly symmetric synthetic approach allows for the development of novel NPs-based combination therapeutic strategies for colorectal cancer. The fabricated CUR/MEX@PNPs were confirmed by transmission microscopy (TEM) and the size and polydispersity index were assessed through the dynamic light scattering (DLS). CUR and MEX were released slowly from the drug delivery without any burst impact. Furthermore, CUR/MEX@PNPs exhibited dose-responsive cytotoxic effects in CL40 and SW1417 cells, with a greater cell death ratio than that of free drugs. The drugs-loaded polymeric nanomaterials were more easily taken up by cancer cells in vitro, according to the cellular uptake analysis. The apoptotic features were confirmed by various fluorescence staining assay. The results of the fluorescent assay reveal that the nanomaterials remarkably induce apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells. Further, the apoptosis cell death mechanism was displayed that these nanomaterials significantly induce apoptosis in the targeted cancer cells. Overall, the current investigation confirmed that CUR/MEX@PNPs could be used to successfully combat colorectal cancers in the immediate future. Highlights We have developed the Curcumin (CUR) and Methotrexate (MEX) encapsulated polymeric nanoparticles (CUR/MEX@PNPs). CUR/MEX@PNPs confirmed by the various analytical methods. CUR/MEX@PNPs enhanced the in vitro proliferation against the colorectal cancer cells. Biochemical analysis results reveals that CUR/MEX@PNPs induce apoptosis. The apoptosis was confirmed by Annexin-V-FITC and PI for flow cytometry.

Fabrication of supramolecular nano-assembly irinotecan prodrug into polymeric nanomaterials for delivery in cervical carcinoma therapy

GLOBOCAN estimates in 2020 on the basis of occurrence, mortality, and development for 36 distinct types of tumor cells worldwide. Chemotherapy is the most preferred treatment for carcinoma, and also for hormonal, radiation, autoimmune, and genetic disorders. We propose a straightforward and cost-effective way to overcome the myriad barriers to the therapeutic potential of irinotecan (SN-38), including the rebuilding of medicines, targeting of supramolecular nanoassemblies, and therapeutic treatments. The drug SN-38 was capable by covalent combination of lipophilic linoleic acid by the end of carboxyl group action to provide an impulsive nanoassembly to extremely stable nanomaterials (NMs). The morphology of the recently synthesized SN-38-NM was tested by electron microscopy. The anticarcinoma properties of both HeLa and CaSki (cervical carcinoma lines) of SN-38 and SN-38-NMs were evaluated after successful synthesis. Further research on mechanistic cell death pathways showed that proliferation of cervical carcinoma cell lines was correlated with cells subjected to apoptosis, including AO/EB staining, nuclear staining, and flow cytometric studies. SN-38-NMs have higher biocompatibility in conjunction with free SN-38. This report describes SN-38-NMs as a positive and secure treatment device for cervical carcinoma, which requires further clinical assessment.

(Invited) Imaging and Modulating Brain Activity in the Second Near-Infrared Window with Carbon and Polymeric Nanomaterials

Optical approaches to image and modulate brain activity are limited in their penetration depth in live animals, owing to the strong scattering and absorption of photons in the visible spectrum. Carbon nanotubes and carbon-based polymers, in contrast, afford unique optical properties in the second near-infrared window (NIR-II window, 1000-1700 nm) with reduced scattering and absorption by the brain. In this talk, I will present my lab's latest work on the imaging and modulation of brain activity with carbon nanotubes and carbon-based polymeric nanoparticles in the live mouse brain. Specifically, the NIR-II window enables through-scalp imaging of brain vasculature and modulation of deep-brain neural activity in freely behaving animals via a minimally invasive, implant-free, and tether-free optical interface.

Development of Nanocomposite Film Comprising of Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) Incorporated with Bacterial Cellulose Nanocrystals and Magnetite Nanoparticles.

Nanocomposite film of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) incorporated with bacterial cellulose nanocrystals (BCNCs) and magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4) is reported in this study. The BCNC-Fe3O4 nanoparticles and PVA film was prepared by in situ synthesis technique using chemical co-precipitation. Different concentrations of BCNC-Fe3O4 (20%, 40% and 60% w/w) were mechanically dispersed in PVA solution to form the nanocomposite film. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of BCNC-Fe3O4 nanoparticles showed irregular particle sizes ranging from 4.93 to 30.44 nm with an average size distribution of 22.94 nm. The presence of characteristic functional groups of PVA, BCNC and Fe3O4 were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) attached energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) analysis revealed that, the iron content and magnetic property increased with increasing BCNC-Fe3O4 content. The saturation magnetizations (MS) value increased from 5.14 to 11.56 emu/g. The PVA/ BCNC-Fe3O4 at 60% showed the highest Young’s modulus value of 2.35 ± 0.16 GPa. The prepared film could be a promising polymeric nanomaterial for various magnetic-based applications and for the design of smart electronic devices.

Interfacial preparation of ferroelectric polymer nanostructures for electronic applications

Ferroelectric polymers are a family of crystalline polymers with reversible remanent polarization originating from their unique chemical structures and molecular packing. As an important ferroelectric polymer, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and its copolymers have been exploited for various applications, including nonvolatile memories, energy harvesters, and piezoelectric/pyroelectric sensors. To achieve better performance in PVDF-based devices, crystallization manipulation and controllable nanostructure formation are unavoidable and are of crucial importance. For this review, recent exploitation of the control of PVDF ferroelectric polymer crystallization at the nanoscale was specifically examined and summarized to provide insight into the future development of ferroelectric polymer nanomaterials. Ferroelectric polymers, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), and its copolymers have been exploited for various applications, including nonvolatile memories, energy harvesters, and piezoelectric/pyroelectric sensors. To achieve better performance in PVDF-based devices, crystallization manipulation and controllable nanostructure formation are unavoidable and are of crucial importance. For this review, recent exploitation of the control of PVDF ferroelectric polymer crystallization at the nanoscale was specifically examined and summarized to provide insight into the future development of ferroelectric polymer nanomaterials.

2-D self-healable polyaniline-polypyrrole nanoflakes based triboelectric nanogenerator for self-powered solar light photo detector with DFT study

This work demonstrates an easy and cost-effective synthesis of PANI-PPY conducting nanoflakes (NFs) with a self-healing capability. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis shows the minimum width of NFs as 30 nm, while HRTEM analysis confirms the shape, size, and semi-crystalline nature of the polymer. These PANI-PPY NFs were used to fabricate a contact separation mode triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) based self-powered photosensor which gave the maximum output voltage (149 V), maximum output current (16 µA), current density 0.56 µAcm−2, and power density 83.56 µWcm−2. Detailed literature survey shows the comparative study of PANI-PPY NF’s with other photo-sensing materials. This literature review highlights the tremendous ability of PANI-PPY to self-restore and ultra-fast self-powering nature. This work also demonstrates a very easy and cost-effective method to develop polymeric nanomaterials via temperature-assisted polymerization, which need only a stirrer with a hot plate. Theoretical analysis (DFT calculations using Gaussian 09 and Gauss view 05) shows a consistent increase in stability when the number of molecules in the polymer chains analyzed was increased. The developed self-healing triboelectric nanogenerators exhibited stable performance before and after healing.

Light-Triggered In Situ Gelation of Hydrogels using 2D Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS2 ) Nanoassemblies as Crosslink Epicenter.

Light-responsive biomaterials are an emerging class of materials used for developing noninvasive, noncontact, precise, and controllable biomedical devices. Long-wavelength near-infrared (NIR) radiation is an attractive light source for in situ gelation due to its higher penetration depth and minimum side effects. The conventional approach to obtain crosslinked biomaterials relies heavily on the use of a photoinitiator by generating reactive species when exposed to short-wavelength radiation, which is detrimental to surrounding cells and tissue. Here, a new class of NIR-triggered in situ gelation system based on defect-rich 2D molybdenum disulfide (MoS2 ) nanoassemblies and thiol-functionalized thermoresponsive polymer in the absence of a photoinitiator is introduced. Exposure to NIR radiation activates the dynamic polymer-nanomaterials interactions by leveraging the photothermal characteristics of MoS2 and intrinsic phase transition ability of the thermoresponsive polymer. Specifically, upon NIR exposure, MoS2 acts as a crosslink epicenter by connecting with multiple polymeric chains via defect-driven click chemistry. As a proof-of-concept, the utility of NIR-triggered in situ gelation is demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, the crosslinked gel exhibits the potential for NIR light-responsive release of encapsulated therapeutics. These light-responsive biomaterials have strong potential for a range of biomedical applications, including artificial muscle, smart actuators, 3D/4D printing, regenerative medicine, and therapeutic delivery.

Laboratory Investigation of the Composite of Slurry Seal Asphalt Reinforced by Hybrid Nanomaterials and Fiber

Abstract Slurry seals are a hard wearing surface for pavement preservation. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of nanomaterials and styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) latex on fatigue and rutting performance, wet cohesion properties, abrasive performance, and raveling resistance of the fiber-reinforced slurry seal. Firstly, the optimal slurry seal composition was determined under the effect of SBR polymer and synergistic nanomaterials. Results showed that simultaneous addition of nanolime and nanoclay significantly improves the fatigue life and rutting resistance of slurry seal mixtures. In addition, the simultaneous addition of nanomaterials reduces the amount of abrasion by about 63 % and significantly enhances the resistance of a slurry seal mixture. Moreover, the combination of nanomaterials, in particular, nanoclay, with 4 % modified asphalt binder, increases the raveling resistance and ultimately improves the friction resistance of the slurry seal. Finally, after comparing the performance of different mixtures, the slurry seal modified with polyester fiber with 8 % asphalt binder emulsion containing 6 % latex, 3 % nanoclay, and 3 % nanolime was determined as the optimum mixture. The analysis of variance showed that the nanomaterials have a significant effect on the fatigue and rutting properties, adhesion and cohesion resistance and abrasion performance of slurry seal at the confidence level of 95 %.

Segmented Poly(urea)urethane Nanoparticles: Size Optimization Using Taguchi Experimental Design and Nanoprecipitation Method

Background: Polymeric nanomaterials are important for developing drug delivery systems. The control of nanoparticle size, polydispersity, and morphology in these systems are important goals. Therefore, different strategies have been explored depending on the type of materials used. Objective: To prepare biodegradable segmented poly(urea)urethane nanoparticles and to optimize the nanoparticle size and polydispersity using an experimental design methodology. Methods: In this work, a biodegradable segmented poly(urea)urethane (SPUU) was synthesized. This polymer was used for nanoparticle preparation by the nanoprecipitation technique in the context of the experimental design methodology Taguchi L9. SPUU and nanoparticles were characterized using Fourier transformed infrared, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering. Results: This methodology produced polymeric nanoparticles with mean sizes in the range of 60 to 220 nm with polydispersity in the range of 0.077 to 0.233. The statistical analysis showed that the SPUU concentration and the stirring speed were the most influential parameters, while temperature, at the studied range, did not show a relevant effect. Conclusion: The analysis of Taguchi’s experimental design resulted in the optimization of parameters determining SPUU-NPs’ size. Nanoparticles from 60 nm of effective diameter were obtained at low polymer concentration and higher stirring speed.

Near-Infrared Light-, Magneto-, and pH-Responsive GO-Fe3O4/Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)/alginate Nanocomposite Hydrogel Microcapsules for Controlled Drug Release.

Responsive hydrogels have found widespread applications in biomedical science and engineering fields, especially for drug delivery. Despite the superior performance of responsive hydrogels, challenges still exist in drug-delivery efficiency when environmental stimuli are weak. Recently, the demand in the design of hydrogel-based drug delivery systems has stimulated considerable interest in the search for new strategies, for instance, the application of nanocomposite hydrogels for reinforcing the versatility and flexibility in controlled drug delivery. In this study, a novel and effective nanocomposite hydrogel microcapsule drug delivery system, which is composed of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and alginate interpenetrating polymer and GO-Fe3O4 nanomaterials, is developed to achieve NIR light-, magneto-, and pH-responsive drug release. The GO-Fe3O4 nanomaterials embedded in the interpenetrating polymer enable the PNIPAM hydrogel deswelling by raising temperature above the lower critical solution temperature under NIR light and alternating magnetic field, thus accelerating the release of doxorubicin. In addition, the introduction of alginate into PNIPAM hydrogels endows nanocomposite hydrogels (NCHs) with quick gelation property, enhanced mechanical property, and pH-responsive performance. The in vitro cytotoxicity assay confirmed that the NCH platform can effectively kill the cancer cells. This novel multiresponsive drug delivery system holds great promise for the treatment of diseases.

Nanodispersions of magnetic poly(vinyl pivalate) for biomedical applications: Synthesis and in vitro evaluation of its cytotoxicity in cancer cells

The development of polymeric nanomaterials, combining properties of polymers and superparamagnetic nanoparticles, has potential for biomedical applications, such as treatment of tumors through intravascular embolization and hyperthermia. Therefore, this work aims at development of a new magnetopolymeric fluid formed by magnetic nanoparticles of iron oxide (Fe3O4) coated with chemically modified oleic acid and which were uniformly dispersed in spherical nanoparticles of poly(vinyl pivalate) through in situ polymerization process via miniemulsion, synthesized using from 5.0 to 20.0 wt% of magnetic oxide in relation to vinyl pivalate content. Samples were characterized by infrared absorption vibration spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic light scattering, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Mössbauer spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer and magnetic induction heating test. Cytotoxicity was evaluated in vitro in B16F10 melanoma cancer cells, murine mammary adenocarcinoma (4T1-luciferase), NIH-3T3 fibroblast cells and human keratinocytes (HaCat). The magnetopolymeric fluids exhibited maximum conversions of approximately 82 %, hydrodynamic diameter of 180 nm, spherical morphology, preserved superparamagnetic behavior and glass transition temperature ranging from 56.2 to 62.5 °C. Cell viability tests demonstrated that nanocomposites presented low cytotoxicity to tumor and non-tumor cells at concentrations studied. These results suggest potential of magnetopolymeric fluids as an embolic agent for selective and complete obstruction of blood vessels of different sizes and capacity for treatment by hyperthermia.

Nanotechnology in Food Packaging and Storage: A Review

Moving towards globalization, food packaging requires longer storage time, quality control, and hygienic measures based on international standards. Nanotechnology can meet all these needs and implement the essential factors for packaging, storage, protection, marketing, distribution, and communications. Polymer nanotechnology can provide new food packag-ing materials with suitable mechanical, inhibitory, and antimicrobial properties along with nanosensors to track and control food conditions during transportation and storage. In this survey, the latest innovations and applications of nanomaterials in food packaging using improved, active, and smart nanotechnology are reviewed. Moreover, the current business situation, understanding of the health concept in these technologies, as well as the limitations of recently advanced polymer nano-materials that can effectively change the food packaging industry are discussed