Uniform Spherical Particles Research Articles

Antibacterial and anti-biofilm activities of gold-curcumin nanohybrids and its polydopamine form upon photo-sonotherapy of Staphylococcus aureus infected implants: In vitro and animal model studies

Implant-related infections are among the major post-surgery problems, and treatment of these infections is challenging due to the formation of biofilms by microorganisms such as Staphylococcus aureus. Herein, a novel gold-curcumin nanohybrid (GCNH) was synthesized for the first time and characterized. GCNH had a band gap energy of 2.41 eV, a zeta potential of −15 mV, and comprised uniform spherical particles with a mean diameter of 8 ± 2 nm. The biological macromolecule of polydopamine was then coated on GCNH to prepare a gold-curcumin-polydopamine nanohybrid (GCDNH). The nanohybrids were employed as novel dual photo-sonosensitizers for bacterial eradication by near-infrared (NIR) light and ultrasound (US) irradiations. GCNH and GCDNH represented photothermal conversion efficiencies of 26 and 32 %, respectively, and GCDNH represented a hemolysis rate of 2.3 % under both near-infrared (NIR) light and ultrasound (US) irradiations. NIR light and US irradiations (photo-sonotherapy) of Staphylococcus aureus using GCDNH depicted anti-bacterial and anti-biofilm efficiencies of 98 and 99 %, respectively, in synergistic manners, which are higher or as high as other sensitizers reported previously. The mechanism of photo-sonotherapy was related to generation of high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and protein and nucleic acid leakages. In an in vivo infection model, NIR light and US irradiations annihilated Staphylococcus aureus on GCDNH-covered implants with high efficiency, without causing damage to normal tissues.

Evaluation of concentration and characterization of potential toxic elements and fluorine in ambient air dust from Iran’s industrial capital: A health risk assessment using Monte Carlo simulation

The emission and adsorption of mineral elements to dust from geogenic and anthropogenic sources are health challenges in residential areas. This study investigated, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, the presence of potentially toxic elements (PTEs), rare earth elements (REE) and fluorine (F) in collected dust samples from central Iran. Their associated health risks were estimated based on the Monte Carlo simulation. Results show that the morphology of the collected dust was uniform spherical particles and the predominant elements were Si and Ca. The highest concentration of PTEs was for Ca (mean: 36574 mg/kg) and Fe (mean: 30189 mg/kg) and the mean concentrations of As, Ni, Pb, Mn and Zn exceeded World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, likely due to the anthropogenic activities such as metal melt factories. Fluorine averaged 159.4 mg/kg, and some detected elements originated from industrial and natural sources. The 5th, 50th, and 95th percentiles of the estimated Hazard Index (HI) were 0.13, 0.43, and 0.77, respectively, in adults and 1.00, 3.03, and 5.99, respectively, in children. The carcinogenic risk (LTCR) for adults and children exceeded the safety range (1 × 10−4), and their highest percentile was calculated at about 2.03 × 10−4 and 1.83 × 10−4, respectively. Furthermore, Ni was the most effective elements in LTCR. As a consequence, findings suggest a high potential carcinogenic risk due to the emission of dust in central Iran, especially for children, and the controlling of possible sources would benefit public health.

Facile synthesis of super-microporous mesoporous MgO-ZrO2 composites and their adsorption properties for CO2

The composite adsorbents with super-microporous mesoporous structure were synthesized via one-step process. The results showed that the composite adsorbents exhibited uniform spherical particles which formed uniform pore size distribution in the range of 1.48–4.15 nm. When the molar ratio of magnesium to zirconium is 0.5, the composite adsorbent showed the biggest CO2 adsorption capacity of 3.01 mmol/g at the adsorption temperature of 75 ℃ and the intake flow rate of 60 mL/min with the fixed-bed catalytic reaction device under atmospheric pressure. After three cycle tests, the adsorption capacity of the adsorbent for CO2 was still 97.3 %, indicating that good adsorption stability.

Nucleus-targeting DNase I self-assembly delivery system guided by pirarubicin for programmed multi-drugs release and combined anticancer therapy

The cell nucleus serves as the pivotal command center of living cells, and delivering therapeutic agents directly into the nucleus can result in highly efficient anti-tumor eradication of cancer cells. However, nucleus-targeting drug delivery is very difficult due to the presence of numerous biological barriers. Here, three antitumor drugs (DNase I, ICG: indocyanine green, and THP: pirarubicin) were sequentially triggered protein self-assembly to produce a nucleus-targeting and programmed responsive multi-drugs delivery system (DIT). DIT consisted of uniform spherical particles with a size of 282 ± 7.7 nm. The acidic microenvironment of tumors and near-infrared light could successively trigger DIT for the programmed release of three drugs, enabling targeted delivery to the tumor. THP served as a nucleus-guiding molecule and a chemotherapy drug. Through THP-guided DIT, DNase I was successfully delivered to the nucleus of tumor cells and killed them by degrading their DNA. Tumor acidic microenvironment had the ability to induce DIT, leading to the aggregation of sufficient ICG in the tumor tissues. This provided an opportunity for the photothermal therapy of ICG. Hence, three drugs were cleverly combined using a simple method to achieve multi-drugs targeted delivery and highly effective combined anticancer therapy.

Nano polysaccharides derived from aloe vera and guar gum as a potential fat replacer for a promising approach to healthier cake production

In recent years, there increment demand for healthier food options that can replace high-fat ingredients in bakery products without compromising their taste and texture. This research was focused on a formulation study of the blend of nano polysaccharides derived from aloe vera and guar gum at various concentrations. This study selected the blend concentration of 1 % aloe vera mucilage (AM) and 1 % guar gum (GG) due to its optimal gelling properties. Different magnetic stirring time durations were employed to formulate AGB (aloe vera guar gum blend). The particle size of AGB revealed the lowest nanoparticle size (761.03 ± 62 nm) with a stirring time of 4 h. The FTIR analysis found the presence of monomer sugars in AGB nano polysaccharide powder such as mannose, arabinose, and glucose. The thermogram results displayed an endothermic peak for all samples with a glass transition temperature (Tg) between 16 and 50 °C. The SEM image of the AGB indicated uniform spherical particles. The AGB powder exhibited good functional properties. The antimicrobial activity of AGB powder against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans was 22.32 ± 0.02, 21.56 ± 0.02, and 19.33 ± 0.33 mm, respectively. Furthermore, the effects of different levels of vegetable fat replacement with AGB powder on cake sensory properties, thermal stability, and texture characteristics were also examined. Notably, the cake containing a 50 % substitution of vegetable fat with AGB (C50) supplied desirable physicochemical, textural, and sensory properties. These results can provide advantages for the development of fat replacers in bakery products.

Novel Carbon Dots Derived from Moutan Cortex Significantly Improve the Solubility and Bioavailability of Mangiferin.

Mangiferin (MA), a bioactive C-glucosyl xanthone with a wide range of interesting therapeutic properties, has recently attracted considerable attention. However, its application in biomedicine is limited by poor solubility and bioavailability. Carbon dots (CDs), novel nanomaterials, have immense promise as carriers for improving the biopharmaceutical properties of active components because of their outstanding characteristics. In this study, a novel water-soluble carbon dot (MC-CDs) was prepared for the first time from an aqueous extract of Moutan Cortex Carbonisata, and characterized by various spectroscopies, zeta potential and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The toxicity effect was investigated using the CCK-8 assay in vitro. In addition, the potential of MC-CDs as carriers for improving the pharmacokinetic parameters was evaluated in vivo. The results indicated that MC-CDs with a uniform spherical particle size of 1-5 nm were successfully prepared, which significantly increased the solubility of MA in water. The MC-CDs exhibited low toxicity in HT-22 cells. Most importantly, the MC-CDs effectively affected the pharmacokinetic parameters of MA in normal rats. UPLC-MS analysis indicated that the area under the maximum blood concentration of MA from mangiferin-MC-CDs (MA-MC-CDs) was 1.6-fold higher than that from the MA suspension liquid (MA control) after oral administration at a dose of 20 mg/kg. Moutan Cortex-derived novel CDs exhibited superior performance in improving the solubility and bioavailability of MA. This study not only opens new possibilities for the future clinical application of MA but also provides evidence for the development of green biological carbon dots as a drug delivery system to improve the biopharmaceutical properties of insoluble drugs.

Woody biomass derived nano lignin-enabled membrane with high structural stability for efficient wastewater treatment

The application of renewable and functional group-enriched lignin has recently gained massive popularity in wastewater treatment applications. Herein, woody biomass-derived organosolv lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) with uniform colloidal spherical morphology and average particle size (⁓150 nm) were synthesized via a simple and facile anti-solvent nanoprecipitation technique and used for the fabrication of ultrafiltration nanocomposite membrane. Upon the addition of LNPs to polyether sulfone (PES) matrix, the LNPs-impregnated membrane exhibited a thinner surface layer that induced low resistance to water flow, high pore density (83.2 ± 0.9%) with uniformly distributed pores, wider and well-connected internal macrovoids with higher sub-layer porosity, and a higher negative surface charge (−29.8 mV). These structural features hence contributed to high stable permeation flux (92.3 L m−2 h−1) and higher removal efficiencies (> 95%) for treating cationic (methylene blue) and anionic (methylene orange) dyes over a wide range of environmentally relevant pH conditions. The electrostatic interactions between the charged membrane surface and dye species revealed the underlying mechanism for higher dye rejection through the PES-LNP membrane. Finally, the structural stability analysis confirmed the complete incorporation/immobilization of LNPs within the PES matrix, making it ready for real-world applications in wastewater treatment.

Deprotonation-assisted electrochemical synthesis of copper nitrotriazole with excellent ignition performance

Electrochemical synthesis serves as a green and efficient method with great application potential. However, it has not been extensively applied in the synthesis of energetic materials. Nitrogen-rich heterocyclic compounds, as a new generation of energetic materials, enjoy advantages such as eco-friendliness, high energy output, and excellent safety performance. This study reports the electrochemical cathodic synthesis of copper nitrotriazole [Cu(NTz)2] using copper chloride and 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazole as a reaction substrate and triethylamine as a deprotonation agent. The obtained Cu(NTz)2 comprises uniform spherical particles of nano lamellae. As the dosage of triethylamine increased from 50 μL to 150 μL, Cu(NTz)2 gradually grew into compact solid spherical particles, significantly increasing the energy output. Notably, the heat release increased from 711 J g−1 to 1301 J g−1, accompanied by a significant positive elevation of ignition performance and peak combustion pressure in the process of confined combustion. This greatly boosted the energetic performance of Cu(NTz)2. Moreover, Cu(NTz)2 demonstrates insensitivity to electrostatic discharge (E50＞225 mJ) and friction (FS＞360 N), suggesting excellent safety performance. Owing to its outstanding energetic and safety performance, Cu(NTz)2 boasts great potential for application as pyrotechnic compositions, including military gas-producing and incendiary agents. Moreover, it has been corroborated that Cu(NTz)2 can be applied as a micro ignitor.

Recovery of silver in the form of value-added spherical silver powder from spent Ag-Al2O3 catalyst by a novel clean method

The spent Ag-Al2O3 catalyst is an important silver secondary resource due to its high content of Ag. However, the most commonly used nitric acid leaching method produces toxic and harmful NOx gases. Herein, a novel clean method was proposed to treat the spent Ag-Al2O3 catalyst using the green leaching agent cerium ammonium nitrate instead of nitric acid to effectively avoid the generation of toxic NOx gases. More importantly, value-added monodisperse micro-sized uniform spherical particles were synthesized directly from the leaching solution by a simple chemical reduction method. The influence of leaching conditions on the leaching ratio of Ag and leaching kinetics were discussed in detail. The response surface methodology was applied to optimize the synthesis parameters of silver powder and explore the interactions between the synthesis process parameters. Under the optimal leaching parameters, the leaching ratio of Ag reached 99.69 %. The leaching kinetic analysis of leaching indicated that the leaching reaction of spent Ag-Al2O3 catalyst was controlled by chemical reaction. By the response surface methodology design, a fitted mathematical model of the particle size for silver powder and the optimum synthesis parameters of silver powder were obtained. The optimum synthesis parameters of silver powder were as follows: [Fe2+] = 1.08 mol/L, [Ag+] = 1.01 mol/L, and dispersant dosage of 2.05 wt%. The average experimental particle size of 1.337 μm was very close to the predicted value of 1.343 μm obtained from the fitted model, indicating that the fitted model of particle size for silver powders was very good. This process not only provides a clean and value-added method for recycling the spent Ag-Al2O3 catalyst, but also helps to promote the balanced and high-value utilization of high-abundance cerium.

AS1411 aptamer tagged PEGylated liposomes as a smart nanocarrier for tumor-specific delivery of Withaferin A for mitigating pulmonary metastasis

Metastasis is the most challenging health problem contributing to about 90 % of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Metastatic tumors are highly aggressive and resistant to the most available therapeutic options. Hence, innovative therapeutic approaches are required to target metastatic tumors selectively. In this study, we prepared AS1411 functionalized Withaferin A loaded PEGylated nanoliposomes (ALW) and investigated its therapeutic effect in B16F10 induced in pulmonary metastasis mice models. The prepared formulations' size and morphological properties were evaluated using dynamic light scattering system and Transmission electron microscope. ALW had spherical-shaped nanosized particles with a size of 118 nm and an encapsulation efficacy of 82.5 %. TEM analysis data indicated that ALW has excellent dispersibility and uniform spherical nano-size particles. ALW inhibited cell viability, and induced cell apoptosis of B16F10. In vivo, the pulmonary metastasis study in C57BL/6 mice revealed that the ALW significantly (p < 0.01) improved the encapsulated WA anti-metastatic activity and survival rate compared to WA or LW treated groups. ALW significantly (p < 0.01) downregulated the levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β and significantly reduced the lung collagen hydroxyproline, hexosamine, and uronic acid content in metastatic tumor bearing animals compared to WA or LW. Gene expression levels of MMPs and NF-κB were downregulated in ALW treated metastatic pulmonary tumor-bearing mice. These findings demonstrate that the AS1411 functionalized Withaferin A loaded PEGylated nanoliposomes could be a promising nanoliposomal formulation for targeting metastatic tumors.

Effect of particle size of the Ni/SiO2 hollow spheres on the activity for reduction of 4-nitrophenol

ABSTRACT In this study, we investigated the effect of Ni/SiO2 hollow spheres (HS) particle size on the activity for 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) reduction. The SiO2 HS, which serves as Ni support was synthesised by sol-gel method using polystyrene (PS) particles with various diameters. TEM images show that the diameters of the SiO2 HS were 330, 445, and 490 nm. To prepare the Ni/SiO2 HS, Ni particles were immobilised by the impregnation method. SEM images of the Ni/SiO2 HS with a diameter of 330 nm show uniform spherical particles. The Ni were confirmed the surface of SiO2 HS using the EDX. Meanwhile, small particles with irregular shapes were observed in the Ni/SiO2 HS with diameters of 445 and 490 nm. The reaction for 4-nitrophenol reduction was evaluated using the obtained samples. We found that the sample with a diameter of 330 nm shows high activity. Additionally, we reveal that the SiO2 HS enhances the activity by adsorbing the 4-NP.

Thermal energy storage performance of magnesium-based hydrated salts impregnated with activated alumina

ABSTRACT A new thermochemical heat storage composite was prepared for the first time by vacuum impregnation using activated alumina (AA) as the porous matrix and magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) and magnesium chloride (MgCl2) as the heat storage material. The salt content of composites obtained by the vacuum impregnation method was 8.31% higher than that of atmospheric impregnation method. The adsorption and heat storage performance were investigated, the AA − 20 wt% MgSO4 (AS-20) and AA − 20 wt% MgCl2 (AC-20) were outstanding from the single-salt-impregnated composites, especially AS-20 with the heat storage density (HSD) increased by 20.7% compared with atmospheric immersion method. Morphological tests and composition analyses were indicated that the hydrated salt was evenly impregnated into the uniform spherical particles AA matrix. A binary mixed-salt (MgSO4-MgCl2) impregnated AA composites were also prepared, and the sample with the MgSO4:MgCl2 mass ratio of 20:80 in the 20 wt% solution (ASC-20) exhibited the better performance. The adsorption capacity of ASC-20 was 0.301 g/g, the kinetics constant (k s ) was 0.01 s−1, and the HSD was 554 kJ/kg, which were higher than those obtained by single-salt composite and atmospheric impregnation methods. In particular, the k s value of ASC-20 was increased by more than 10 times compared to previous studies. After 10 cycles of testing, the HSD of ASC-20 decreased by 12.5%, and no fracture occurred in the globular particles, showing good thermal stability and structural stability. The new composites obtained by this method is conducive to system application.

Preparation of a Sunitinib loaded microemulsion for ocular delivery and evaluation for the treatment of corneal neovascularization in vitro and in vivo.

Background: Corneal neovascularization (CNV) is a pathological condition that can disrupt corneal transparency, thus harming visual acuity. However, there is no effective drug to treat CNV. Sunitinib (STB), a small-molecule multiple receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, was shown to have an effect on CNV. The purpose of this study was to develop an STB microemulsion (STB-ME) eye drop to inhibit CNV by topical application. Methods: We successfully prepared an STB-ME by the phase inversion emulsification method, and the physicochemical properties of STB-MEs were investigated. The short-term storage stability, cytotoxicity to human corneal epithelial cells, drug release, ocular irritation, ocular pharmacokinetics and the inhibitory effect on CNV were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Results: The optimal formulation of STB-ME is composed of oleic acid, CRH 40, Transcutol P, water and sodium hyaluronate (SH). It is a uniform spherical particle with a mean droplet size of 18.74 ± 0.09nm and a polydispersity index of 0.196 ± 0.004. In the in vitro drug release results, STB-ME showed sustained release and was best fitted by a Korsmeyer-Peppas model (R 2 = 0.9960). The results of the ocular pharmacokinetics in rabbits showed that the formulation containing SH increased the bioavailability in the cornea (2.47-fold) and conjunctiva (2.14-fold). STB-ME (0.05% and 0.1%), administered topically, suppressed alkali burn-induced CNV in mice more effectively than saline, and high-dose (0.1%) STB-ME had similar efficacy to dexamethasone (0.025%). Conclusion: This study provides a promising formulation of STB-ME for the inhibition of CNV by topical administration, which has the excellent characteristics of effectiveness, sustained release and high ocular bioavailability.

Evolution of an Electrochemically Inactive Metal–Organic Framework to Reticulated Porous Carbon Particles with High Supercapacitance

An iron-containing porphyrin-based porous metal–organic framework (PPMOF) has been synthesized and subsequently pyrolyzed to obtain the carbon structure with homogeneous distribution of nitrogen. The pyrolysis is carried out at different temperatures and in the presence of two different environments; in argon to obtain PPMOF-Ar-700, PPMOF-Ar-800, and PPMOF-Ar-900, and in nitrogen to obtain PPMOF-N-800. The motivation here is to study the change in the electrochemical properties that take place on conversion of the metal–organic framework to its corresponding carbons. The materials have been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption/desorption, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy, among others. It was observed that PPMOF almost did not show any electrochemical response and was unstable, whereas the carbonized frameworks showed good supercapacitive behavior and stability. The surface area increases from 353 to 838 m2·g–1, when the pyrolysis gas is switched over from nitrogen to argon. It also results in the formation of uniform smooth spherical particles in PPMOF-Ar-800, in contrast to agglomerated broken particles in PPMOF-N-800. PPMOF-Ar-800 shows a remarkable specific capacitance value of 500 F·g–1 at a current density of 1 A·g–1 which is retained at a high value of 111 F·g–1 at a very high current density of 50 A·g–1 in galvanostatic charge/discharge studies, whereas for PPMOF-N-800, the specific capacitance is 400 F·g–1 at 1 A·g–1 and its discharge time is also shorter than that for PPMOF-Ar-800. This indicates that the pyrolysis environment plays a crucial role in the formation and stabilization of the carbon structures.

Electrochemical performances investigation of bismuth selenide Bi2Se3 layer for capacitors application

Bismuth selenide (Bi2Se3) layers have proved useful as electrode materials for capacitors. This material was prepared via electrodeposition method with the different deposition time and characterized by X-ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscopy, and Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy techniques. It is found that the films of Bi2Se3 provoke the formation of a biphasic, orthorhombic and rhombohedral crystal structure, with uniform spherical particles. Furthermore, the electrochemical properties of Bi2Se3 were investigated using cyclic voltammetry, chronopotentiometry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in 1 M HNO3 aqueous electrolyte. Galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements deliver a specific capacitance of 49.7 mF g−1 which leads to a specific energy density of 0.0034 Wh kg−1 and specific power of up to 5 kW kg−1 at a current of 0.01 A g−1. The electrochemical impedance data were fitted with an equivalent circuit containing a constant phase element and fitted parameters were calculated.

Codelivery of TRAIL and Mitomycin C via Liposomes Shows Improved Antitumor Effect on TRAIL-Resistant Tumors.

Although tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) constitutes a promising antitumor drug, tumor resistance to TRAIL has become a major obstacle in its clinical application. Mitomycin C (MMC) is an effective TRAIL-resistant tumor sensitizer, which indicates a potential utility of combination therapy. However, the efficacy of this combination therapy is limited owing to its short half-life and the cumulative toxicity of MMC. To address these issues, we successfully developed a multifunctional liposome (MTLPs) with human TRAIL protein on the surface and MMC encapsulated in the internal aqueous phase to codeliver TRAIL and MMC. MTLPs are uniform spherical particles that exhibit efficient cellular uptake by HT-29 TRAIL-resistant tumor cells, thereby inducing a stronger killing effect compared with control groups. In vivo assays revealed that MTLPs efficiently accumulated in tumors and safely achieved 97.8% tumor suppression via the synergistic effect of TRAIL and MMC in an HT-29 tumor xenograft model while ensuring biosafety. These results suggest that the liposomal codelivery of TRAIL and MMC provides a novel approach to overcome TRAIL-resistant tumors.

Fabrication of a curcumin encapsulated bioengineered nano-cocktail formulation for stimuli-responsive targeted therapeutic delivery to enhance anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-bacterial properties in sepsis management

This study aimed to fabricate an eco-friendly functionalized chitosan (CS) nanocarrier to establish a pH-responsive drug delivery system for the treatment of sepsis. Curcumin (Cur) and cerium oxide (CeO2) were loaded onto an octenylsuccinic anhydride (OSA)-functionalized CS nanoformulation (Cur@Ce/OCS) to achieve an effective nanocarrier (NC) for sepsis treatment. The physicochemical characteristics of the developed nanocarriers were determined using various characterization techniques. The developed CeO2-OCS nanoformulation has been showed effective anti-bacterial activity (∼97%) against G+ and G− bacterial pathogens, and also have improved drug loading (94% ± 2), and encapsulation efficiency (89.8% ± 1.5), with uniform spherical particles having an average diameter of between 100 and 150 nm. The in vivo experimental results establish that Cur-loaded Ce/OCS NPs could have enhanced therapeutic potential against lung infection model by reducing bacterial burden and extensively decreasing inflammatory responses in sepsis model. Additionally, we determined the in vivo biosafety of the nanoformulations by histological observation of different mouse organs (heart, liver, spleen, and kidney), and observed no signs of toxicity in the treatment groups. The findings of this study clearly demonstrate the therapeutic potential of pH-sensitive nanoplatforms in the management of infectious sepsis.

PH-responsive delivery of Platinum-based drugs through the surface modification of heparin on mesoporous silica nanoparticles

Although Platinum-based drugs such as cisplatin, carboplatin, oxaliplatin play vital roles in chemotherapy treatment of various malignant tumors, their application and clinical efficiency are limited due to the toxicity and resistance. In this study, a drug delivery system based on mesoporous silica nanoparticles modified with heparin, a polymer consists of excessive amounts of carboxylic groups being able to coordinate with platin atoms, was fabricated to ensure a sustainable and pH-responsive release of Platinum-based drug. Heparin modified MSNs (MSN-Hep) were synthesized by Stober method, conjugated via primary amine group on particles’ surface, and then characterized. SEM images showed high uniform spherical particles with 89.03 ± 4.49 nm in diameter. After modification, loading capacity of MSN-Hep was 131 mg cisplatin (a model Platinum-based drug) per 1 g MSN-Hep, twice as the bare MSNs’ figure. The amount of drug released in pH 5.8 (tumor microenvironment) was significantly higher compared to that of drug released in pH 7.4 (physiological environment). Finally, Resazurin assay indicated that MSN-Hep was a biocompatible nanocarrier which had no toxicity on MCF-7 cells. These results demonstrated that MSN-Hep could be a great potential nanocarrier in chemotherapy with effectively loading ability and sustained release of Platinum-based drugs with pH response.

Bioengineered synthesis of phytochemical-adorned green silver oxide (Ag2O) nanoparticles via Mentha pulegium and Ficus carica extracts with high antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal activities

Silver oxide nanoparticles have various biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. However, conventional nanofabrication of Ag2O is associated with the use of toxic chemicals and organic solvents. To circumvent this hurdle, herein silver oxide quantum dots (Ag2O-QDs) were synthesized quickly (3 min) via the use of ultrasonic irradiation and plant-extract. Additionally, due to ultrasonic irradiation's effect on cell-wall destruction and augmentation of extraction efficiency, ultrasonic was also used in the preparation of Mentha pulegium and Ficus carica extracts (10 min, r.t) as natural eco-friendly reducing/capping agents. The UV–Vis result indicated a broad absorption peak at 400–500 nm. TEM/SEM analysis showed that ultrasound introduced a uniform spherical particle and significantly reduced particle size compared to the conventional heating method (∼ 9 nm vs. ∼ 100 nm). Silver and oxygen elements were found in the bio-synthesized Ag2O by EDS. The FTIR and phenol/flavonoid tests revealed the presence of phenol and flavonoid associated with the nanoparticles. Moreover, nanoparticles exhibited antioxidant/antibacterial/antifungal activities. The MIC and MBC results showed the Ag2O QDs synthesized with M. pulegium extract have the highest antibacterial activity against E. coli (MBC = MIC:15.6 ppm), which were significantly different from uncoated nanoparticles (MBC = MIC:500 ppm). The data reflects the role of phyto-synthesized Ag2O-QDs using ultrasonic-irradiation to develop versatile and green biomedical products.

Synthesis, Characterization of Low Molecular Weight Chitosan Selenium Nanoparticles and Its Effect on DSS-Induced Ulcerative Colitis in Mice.

Selenium nanoparticles have attracted extensive attention due to their good bioavailability and activity. In the present study, a new form of selenium nanoparticle (Low molecular weight chitosan selenium nanoparticles (LCS-SeNPs)) were synthesized in a system of sodium selenite and acetic acid. The size, element state, morphology and elementary composition of LCS-SeNPs were characterized by using various spectroscopic and microscopic measurements. The protection of LCS-SeNPs against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction and the inherent mechanisms of this process were investigated. The results showed that LCS-SeNPs, with an average diameter of 198 nm, zero-valent and orange-red relatively uniform spherical particles were prepared. LCS-SeNPs were mainly composed of C, N, O and Se elements, of which Se accounted for 39.03% of the four elements C, N, O and Se. LCS-SeNPs reduced colon injury and inflammation symptoms and improved intestinal barrier dysfunction. LCS-SeNPs significantly reduced serum and colonic inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 levels. Moreover, LCS-SeNPs remarkably increased antioxidant enzyme GSH-Px levels in serum and colonic tissue. Further studies on inflammatory pathways showed that LCS-SeNPs alleviated DSS-induced colitis through the NF-κB signaling pathway, and relieved inflammatory associated oxidative stress through the Nrf2 signaling pathway. Our findings suggested that LCS-SeNPs are a promising selenium species with potential applications in the treatment of oxidative stress related inflammatory intestinal diseases.