Design of a new electrochemical aptasensor based on screen printed carbon electrode modified with gold nanoparticles for the detection of fumonisin B1 in maize flour.

A new aptasensor for detecting fumonisin B1 (FB1) in the maize samples was developed based on DNA- aptamer recognition and electrochemical technique. A thiol-modified single-stranded DNA (ss-HSDNA) was immobilized on a screen printed carbon electrode (SPCE) electrodeposited by gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The morphology and structure of SPCE and AuNPs/SPCE were evaluated via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The SEM results demonstrated that the SPCE had a flat sheet-like structure, and the AuNPs were homogeneously electrodeposited on the SPCE. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) experiments in the [Fe(CN)6]- 3/- 4 solution were conducted to investigate each step of electrode modification as well as aptasensor performance. Aptamer-FB1 interaction prevented the electron transfer permitting the determination of FB1 in the range of 0.5-500 ng/mL with a low detection limit (0.14 ng/mL). The designed aptasensor was also shown high selectivity, acceptable repeatability and reproducibility, good long-term stability, and excellent recovery. Furthermore, there was a strong correlation between the findings achieved via the designed aptasensor and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Therefore, a simple construction process and satisfactory electrochemical performance of the proposed aptasensor have a great potential for the detection of FB1 in maize samples.

Biocompatibility and nanostructured materials: applications in nanomedicine.

There has been huge interest in applications of nanomaterials in biomedical science, including diagnosis, drug delivery, and development of human organs. Number of these nanomaterials has been already studied in human or at pre-clinical trial. There is a growing concern on potential toxicity and adverse effects of nanomaterials on human health, including lack of standard method of assessment of toxicology of these materials. Our investigation indicated that the bare and small nanoparticle have higher toxicity than modified and bulk materials, respectively. In addition, spherical nanoparticles have less toxicity than rod nanoparticles due to immune response of body.

Nano-structures mediated co-delivery of therapeutic agents for glioblastoma treatment: A review.

Glioblastoma is a malignant brain tumor and leads to death in most patients. Chemotherapy is a common method for brain cancer in clinics. However, the recent advancements in the chemotherapy of brain tumors have not been efficient enough. With the advancement of nanotechnology, the used drugs can enhance chemotherapy efficiency and increase the access to brain cancers. Combination of therapeutic agents has been recently attracted great attention for glioblastoma chemotherapy. One of the early benefits of combination therapies is the high potential to provide synergistic effects and decrease adverse side effects associated with high doses of single anticancer drugs. Therefore, brain tumor treatments with combination drugs can be considered as a crucial approach for avoiding tumor growth. This review investigates current progress in nano-mediated co-delivery of therapeutic agents with focus on glioblastoma chemotherapy prognosis.