Novel phenylalanine-modified magnetic ferroferric oxide nanoparticles for ciprofloxacin removal from aqueous solution.

The pollution of natural water bodies by pharmaceutical compounds has led to serious concerns regarding ecological and public health safety. In this study, novel recyclable phenylalanine (Phe)-modified magnetic ferroferric oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4@Phe NPs) were successfully synthesized for the first time using a simple one-pot method to remove ciprofloxacin (CIP) from aqueous solutions. Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@Phe NPs were characterized using different techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Turbiscan analysis and vibrating-sample magnetometry (VSM). The results show that Fe3O4 NPs are fully encapsulated by Phe, exhibiting an average diameter of 200 nm, a high specific surface area (35.79 m2 g-1), good dispersion and superparamagnetic properties. The effects of Phe content, initial pH and ionic strength on CIP adsorption onto Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@Phe NPs are investigated. The maximal adsorption capacity of CIP onto Fe3O4@Phe NPs is determined to be 49.27 mg g-1. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms show that the adsorption process follows the pseudo-second-order-kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models, respectively. This indicates that the adsorption involves a rate-controlled monolayer chemisorption process. The regeneration experiments show that Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@Phe NPs exhibit good reusability for CIP adsorption. Adsorption mechanisms include electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding, hydrophobicity and π-π interactions. This study presents a promising strategy for the design and preparation of multifunctional nanoparticles to remove contaminants from the environment.

Preparation of eugenol nanoemulsions for antibacterial activities.

Eugenol is a versatile plant essential oil, but its high volatility and low water solubility greatly limit its application. Accordingly, this study prepared eugenol nanoemulsions by a high-speed shearing technique. Through visual inspection and a series of characterizations, including dynamic light scattering, and confocal laser scanning microscopy, the optimized formula was determined to be 5% (w/w) oil phase (eugenol) and 8% (w/w) surfactant (Tween-80), and the optimized shearing time was 5 min. The optimized nanoemulsion had good stability, small droplets (85 nm), and uniform distribution. At a concentration of 0.02 mg µL-1, the nanoemulsion showed strong inhibition against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed severe deformation and membrane rupture of both bacteria treated by the nanoemulsion. This result was further confirmed by the leakage of proteins in both bacteria after treatment. The results of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) measurements indicated that the increased levels of ROS in both bacteria treated by the nanoemulsion triggered lipid peroxidation, thus increasing the MDA levels, ultimately causing changes in cell membrane permeability and disruption of the membrane structure. In addition, the nanoemulsion had a small effect on the proliferation and apoptosis of hepatocytes (L02) and lung cells (BEAS-2B), indicating its good biocompatibility. In this study, we developed a novel eugenol nanoemulsion with high stability and good biological activity, which may provide a promising and effective method for wound treatment in the healthcare area.