Formulation and characterization of nano-curcumin fortified milk cream powder through microfluidization and spray drying.

In the present investigation, novel nano-curcumin enriched milk cream powder (CP) was formulated using microfluidization (at 100 MPa/2 passes) followed by spray drying (at three different temperatures: 150, 170 and 190 °C) with sodium caseinate (N) and gum arabic (G) as encapsulating materials. The effect of processing and encapsulating materials on the powder functionalities, particle size, encapsulation efficiency, morphology, fluorescence properties, bioaccessibility and cytotoxicity were studied. Results showed that NCP (spray dried at 190 °C) had significantly higher yield (68 %), encapsulation efficiency (EE) (93 %), and lower particle size (724 nm) than that of GCP. Fluorescence spectra of the powders revealed characteristic 'blue shift' phenomenon indicating better encapsulation and protection of the nano-curcumin corroborating EE results. SEM images showed distinctive features of NCP and GCP; wherein, NCP had shrivelled and irregular surface as compared to the GCP which exhibited round shape and smooth surface. TEM results confirmed that curcumin particles were in the nano-scale (50-250 nm) for both NCP and GCP. In vitro simulated digestion showed significantly high (88.48 %) curcumin bioaccessibility of NCP plus remarkable inhibition of HepG2 cells; whereas, no cytotoxicity was observed in Caco-2 cells by MTT assay. Formulation's applicability was shown by reconstituting powders as a 'cream spread' wherein high sensory acceptability observed. Sodium caseinate was found to be an excellent delivery vehicle for the fortification of nano-curcumin in the cream powder. To our knowledge, this is the first report of formulating a novel nano-curcumin fortified cream powder which has tremendous potential as a functional food ingredient.

Nanotechnology in Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics: A Review.

Cancer is the uncontrolled proliferation of cells that involves accumulation of genetic mutations by different types of mutagens including physical, chemical, and biological. Consequently, normal cell cycles get interrupted. Immunological assays, histopathological tests, polymerase chain reaction, computed tomography, magnetic resonance, and radiation therapy are some conventional techniques for cancer diagnostics. However, these techniques are not only expensive, time-consuming, tedious but also toxic to healthy cells. Therefore, these limitations are overcome by nanodevices that show high sensitivity, selectivity, rapidity, and cost-effectiveness in the detection of cancer biomarkers. Electrochemical biosensors are more efficient in the early diagnosis of cancers that help in patients' effective and timely treatment. Distinct types of nanotools viz. inorganic, organic, and polymeric nanomaterials are used in cancer therapeutics. Nano approaches have shown many advantages: they are site-specific, require meager amounts of drugs, limited toxicity, avoid drug resistance, and are more efficient, sensitive, and reliable. Therefore, future research should focus on developing highly inventive nanotools for the diagnosis and therapeutics of cancers.

Detection and remediation of pollutants to maintain ecosustainability employing nanotechnology: A review.

Environmental deterioration due to anthropogenic activities is a threat to sustainable, clean and green environment. Accumulation of hazardous chemicals pollutes soil, water and air and thus significantly affects all the ecosystems. This article highlight the challenges associated with various conventional techniques such as filtration, absorption, flocculation, coagulation, chromatographic and mass spectroscopic techniques. Environmental nanotechnology has provided an innovative frontier to combat the aforesaid issues of sustainable environment by reducing the non-requisite use of raw materials, electricity, excessive use of agrochemicals and release of industrial effluents into water bodies. Various nanotechnology based approaches including surface enhance scattering, surface plasmon resonance; and distinct types of nanoparticles like silver, silicon oxide and zinc oxide have contributed significantly in detection of environmental pollutants. Biosensing technology has also gained significant attention for detection and remediation of pollutants. Furthermore, nanoparticles of gold, ferric oxide and manganese oxide have been used for the on-site remediation of antibiotics, organic dyes, pesticides, and heavy metals. Recently, green nanomaterials have been given more attention to address toxicity issues of chemically synthesized nanomaterials. Hence, nanotechnology has provided a platform with tremendous applications to have sustainable environment for present as well as future generations. This review article will help to understand the fundamentals for achieving the goals of sustainable development, and healthy environment.

An overview of nanomaterial based biosensors for detection of Aflatoxin B1 toxicity in foods.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is one of the most potent mycotoxin contaminating several foods and feeds. It suppresses immunity and consequently increases mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, teratogenicity, hepatotoxicity, embryonic toxicity and increasing morbidity and mortality. Continuous exposure of AFB1 causes liver damage and thus increases the prevalence of cirrhosis and hepatic cancer. This article was planned to provide understanding of AFB1 toxicity and provides future directions for fabrication of cost effective and user-friendly nanomaterials based analytical devices. In the present article various conventional (chromatographic & spectroscopic), modern (PCR & immunoassays) and nanomaterials based biosensing techniques (electrochemical, optical, piezoelectrical and microfluidic) are discussed alongwith their merits and demerits. Nanomaterials based amperometric biosensors are found to be more stable, selective and cost-effective analytical devices in comparison to other biosensors. But many unresolved issues about their stability, toxicity and metabolic fate needs further studies. In-depth studies are needed for development of advanced nanomaterials integrated biosensors for specific, sensitive and fast monitoring of AFB1 toxicity in foods. Integration of biosensing system with micro array technology for simultaneous and automated detection of multiple AFs in real samples is also needed. Concerted efforts are also required to reduce their possible hazardous consequences of nanomaterials based biosensors.

CRISPR: A new paradigm of theranostics.

Infectious and hereditary diseases are the primary cause of human mortality globally. Applications of conventional techniques require significant improvement in sensitivity and specificity in therapeutics. However, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) is an innovative genome editing technology which has provided a significant therapeutic tool exhibiting high sensitivity, fast and precise investigation of distinct pathogens in an epidemic. CRISPR technology has also facilitated the understanding of the biology and therapeutic mechanism of cancer and several other hereditary diseases. Researchers have used the CRISPR technology as a theranostic approach for a wide range of diseases causing pathogens including distinct bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites and genetic mutations as well. In this review article, besides various therapeutic applications of infectious and hereditary diseases we have also explained the structure and mechanism of CRISPR tools and role of CRISPR integrated biosensing technology in provoking diagnostic applications.

Enzyme nanoparticles and their biosensing applications: A review.

Enzyme nanoparticles (ENPs) are the aggregates of enzymes in the nano scale (10-100 nm). These ENPs have been characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-Visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Enzymes are the biocatalysts exhibiting substrate specificity, catalytic activity, regulator of various metabolic reactions under mild conditions and hence, used as industrial catalysts efficiently. Due to these extraordinary properties of enzymes, they have been used for the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. However, direct application to enzymes has increased the chances of degradation and thus lowers the performance of analytical devices. Therefore these limitations have been overcome by synthesizing the nanoparticles (NPs) of enzyme. As ENPs have exhibited extraordinary properties such as large surface to volume ratio, unique optical, thermal and chemical than native enzymes. ENPs based biosensor work optimally within 2-300s, pH range 5.0-6.0 and temperature 3.5-45°C. The linear range of ENPs based biosensor varies between 0.0001 and 100000 µM and detection limit 0.0002-550 µM. These biosensors have been used for the diagnosis of various diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, renal disorders, diabetes, environment monitoring, and biochemical engineering and reused up to 8-200 times over a period of 60-240 days while stored dry at 4°C. Therefore, the future research should be focused to understand the interaction of ENPs with their analyte and further improvement and commercialization of ENPs based biosensor are discussed. Present review article deciphers the various methods of ENPs preparation, their characterization and ENPs based biosensors.