Synthesis of an enediyne carbon-allotrope surface for photo-thermal degradation of DNA.

The improper disposal of hospital waste products containing genetic materials poses a serious safety threat. We present herein an environmentally friendly technology using a graphene-based novel carbon-allotropic surface to remediate such wastes. The used carbon-allotrope is decorated with an enediyne (EDE-1) enriched aromatic pi-conjugated structure to create an efficient and active surface for cleaving DNA strands. Under controlled exposure of ultraviolet (UV) radiation and heat, the developed surface influences genetic degradation without disturbing the bacterial populations present downstream of the water treatment system. The designed material has been extensively characterized using physicochemical and biological tools. Our results indicate that this approach can possibly be introduced in large scale hospital waste disposal streams for remediating genetic hazards and thereby developing a portable self-contained system.

Intratumoral generation of photothermal gold nanoparticles through a vectorized biomineralization of ionic gold.

Various cancer cells have been demonstrated to have the capacity to form plasmonic gold nanoparticles when chloroauric acid is introduced to their cellular microenvironment. But their biomedical applications are limited, particularly considering the millimolar concentrations and longer incubation period of ionic gold. Here, we describe a simplistic method of intracellular biomineralization to produce plasmonic gold nanoparticles at micromolar concentrations within 30 min of application utilizing polyethylene glycol as delivery vector for ionic gold. We have characterized this process for intracellular gold nanoparticle formation, which progressively accumulates proteins as the ionic gold clusters migrate to the nucleus. This nano-vectorized application of ionic gold emphasizes its potential biomedical opportunities while reducing the quantity of ionic gold and required incubation time. To demonstrate its biomedical potential, we further induce in-situ biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles within MCF7 tumor mouse xenografts which is followed by its photothermal remediation.

Facile Chemical Strategy to Hydrophobically Modify Solid Nanoparticles Using Inverted Micelle-Based Multicapsule for Efficient Intracellular Delivery.

Theranostic nanoparticles have incredible potential for biomedical applications by enabling visual confirmation of therapeutic efficacy. Numerous issues challenge their clinical translation and are primarily related to the complex chemistry and scalability of synthesizing Nanoparticles. We report a 2-step chemical strategy for high-throughput intracellular delivery of organic and inorganic solid nanoparticles. This process takes an additional step beyond hydrophobic surface modification facilitated by inverted micelle transfer, toward the packing of multiple solid nanoparticles into a soft-shelled lipid capsule, termed the Nano-multicapsule (NMC). This technique is high yielding and does not require the complex purification steps in anaerobic/hydrophobic reactions for hydrophobic modification. To demonstrate the efficacy across different material compositions, we separately entrapped ∼10 nm gold and carbon nanoparticles (AuNP and CNP) within inverted micelles, and subsequently NMCs, then quantified their internalization in a human breast cancer cell line. For encapsulated AuNPs (NMC-AuNP), we confirmed greater cellular internalization of gold through ICP-OES and TEM analyses. Raman spectroscopic analysis of cells treated with encapsulated CNPs (NMC-CNP) also exhibited high degrees of uptake with apparent intracellular localization as opposed to free CNP treatment.

α-Amino Acid Rich Photophytonic Nanoparticles of Algal Origin Serendipitously Reveal Antimigratory Property against Cancer.

Spheroidal nanoparticles of algal ("phytonic") origin were synthesized and composed of carbonaceous architectures and surface-rich oxygenated functional groups. Nanoparticles were negatively charged and efficiently luminescent after ultraviolet-range excitation and called as "photophytonic" nanoparticles. A multitude of analytical techniques confirmed the rich profusion of hydroxyl, carboxylate, and amines at the nanoscale, while spectroscopic investigation indicated the presence of α-amines, a signature functionality present in amino acids. Confirmed via a series of biological assays, i.e., growth regression, antimigration, and protein-regression studies, photophytonic nanoparticles serendipitously revealed remarkable anticancer activity against various stages of breast cancer cells, barring the need for an encapsulated drug. We report that nanoparticles derived from algal biomass exhibit intrinsic antimigratory properties against cancer, likely due to the rich abundance of α-amino acids.

Multi-Shell Nano-CarboScavengers for Petroleum Spill Remediation.

Increasingly frequent petroleum contamination in water bodies continues to threaten our ecosystem, which lacks efficient and safe remediation tactics both on macro and nanoscales. Current nanomaterial and dispersant remediation methods neglect to investigate their adverse environmental and biological impact, which can lead to a synergistic chemical imbalance. In response to this rising threat, a highly efficient, environmentally friendly and biocompatible nano-dispersant has been developed comprising a multi-shelled nanoparticle termed 'Nano-CarboScavengers' (NCS) with native properties for facile recovery via booms and mesh tools. NCS treated different forms of petroleum oil (raw and distillate form) with considerable efficiency (80% and 91%, respectively) utilizing sequestration and dispersion abilities in tandem with a ~10:1 (oil: NCS; w/w) loading capacity. In extreme contrast with chemical dispersants, the NCS was found to be remarkably benign in in vitro and in vivo assays. Additionally, the carbonaceous nature of NCS broke down by human myeloperoxidase and horseradish peroxidase enzymes, revealing that incidental biological uptake can enzymatically digest the sugar based core.

Nano-Cesium for Anti-Cancer Properties: An Investigation into Cesium Induced Metabolic Interference.

The use of cesium chloride (CsCl) for cancer therapy ("high pH therapy") has been theorized to produce anticancer properties by raising intracellular pH to induce apoptosis. Although considered as "alternative medicine", little scientific evidence supports this theory. Alternatively, cells have no cesium ion (Cs+) mediated channels for clearance. Thus, such unstable electrochemical distributions have the severe potential to disrupt electrochemical dependent cellular processes, such as glucose cotransporters. Hence, a detailed investigation of pH changing effects and glucose uptake inhibition are warranted as a possible cesium-induced anticancer therapy. We developed and characterized cesium nanoparticles (38 ± 6 nm), termed NanoCs, for nanoparticle-mediated internalization of the ion, and compared its treatment to free CsCl. Our investigations suggest that neither NanoCs nor CsCl drastically changed the intracellular pH, negating the theory. Alternatively, NanoCs lead to a significant decrease in glucose uptake when compared to free CsCl, suggesting cesium inhibited glucose uptake. An apoptosis assay of observed cell death affirms that NanoCs leads tumor cells to initiate apoptosis rather than follow necrotic behavior. Furthermore, NanoCs lead to in vivo tumor regression, where H&E analysis confirmed apoptotic cell populations. Thus, NanoCs performed pH-independent anticancer therapy by inducing metabolic stasis.

(-)/(+)-Sparteine induced chirally-active carbon nanoparticles for enantioselective separation of racemic mixtures.

Chiral carbon nanoparticles (CCNPs) were developed by surface passivation using the chiral ligand (-)-sparteine or (+)-sparteine (denoted (-)-SP/CNP and (+)-SP/CNP, respectively). The chirality of the prepared CCNPs was demonstrated by circular dichroism and polarimetry and employed as an enantioselective separation platform for representative racemic mixtures.