From nature to nanomedicine: bioengineered metallic nanoparticles bridge the gap for medical applications.

The escalating global challenge of antimicrobial resistance demands innovative approaches. This review delves into the current status and future prospects of bioengineered metallic nanoparticles derived from natural sources as potent antimicrobial agents. The unique attributes of metallic nanoparticles and the abundance of natural resources have sparked a burgeoning field of research in combating microbial infections. A systematic review of the literature was conducted, encompassing a wide range of studies investigating the synthesis, characterization, and antimicrobial mechanisms of bioengineered metallic nanoparticles. Databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Springer, Taylor & Francis online and OpenAthen were extensively searched to compile a comprehensive overview of the topic. The synthesis methods, including green and sustainable approaches, were examined, as were the diverse biological sources used in nanoparticle fabrication. The amalgamation of metallic nanoparticles and natural products has yielded promising antimicrobial agents. Their multifaceted mechanisms, including membrane disruption, oxidative stress induction, and enzyme inhibition, render them effective against various pathogens, including drug-resistant strains. Moreover, the potential for targeted drug delivery systems using these nanoparticles has opened new avenues for personalized medicine. Bioengineered metallic nanoparticles derived from natural sources represent a dynamic frontier in the battle against microbial infections. The current status of research underscores their remarkable antimicrobial efficacy and multifaceted mechanisms of action. Future prospects are bright, with opportunities for scalability and cost-effectiveness through sustainable synthesis methods. However, addressing toxicity, regulatory hurdles, and environmental considerations remains crucial. In conclusion, this review highlights the evolving landscape of bioengineered metallic nanoparticles, offering valuable insights into their current status and their potential to revolutionize antimicrobial therapy in the future.

Three in-one fenestrated approaches of yolk-shell, silver-silica nanoparticles: A comparative study of antibacterial, antifungal and anti-cancerous applications.

Yolk-shell-based silica-coated silver nanoparticles are prominently used in the biomedical field aas well as bare silver nanoparticles for various biological applications. The present work narrates the synthesis and silica coating of metallic silver nanoparticles and investigates their antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancerous activity. Both synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by TEM, and SEM-EDX. The average size of silver nanoparticles was 50 nm, while after coating with silica, the average size of silica-coated silver nanoparticles was 80 nm. The nanoparticles' antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer properties were comparatively examined in vitro. Agar well diffusion method was employed to explore the antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus) and gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) at different concentrations and antifungal activity against Candida Albicans. To understand the minimum concentration of both nanoparticles, we employed the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) test, against bacterial and fungal strains, which was dose dependent. We learned that bare silver nanoparticles showed high antibacterial activity, whereas silica-coated silver nanoparticles surpassed their antifungal capability over bare silver nanoparticles against Candida albicans. The anticancer activity of the as-prepared nanoparticles was executed in opposition to the prostate cancer cell (PC-3) line by MTT assay, which showed meaningful activity. Following this, flow cytometry was also effectuated to learn about the number of apoptotic and necrotic cells. The results of this study demonstrate the dynamic anti-cancerous, antibacterial, and antifungal activities of bare silver nanoparticles and silica-coated silver nanoparticles for a long-lasting period.

Recent Overview of Resveratrol's Beneficial Effects and Its Nano-Delivery Systems.

Natural polyphenols have a wide variety of biological activities and are taken into account as healthcare materials. Resveratrol is one such natural polyphenol, belonging to a group known as stilbenoids (STBs). Resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene) is mainly found in grapes, wine, nuts, and berries. A wide range of biological activities has been demonstrated by resveratrol, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiviral, antifungal, and antiaging effects, and many more are still under research. However, as with many other plant-based polyphenol products, resveratrol suffers from low bioavailability once administered in vivo due to its susceptibility to rapid enzyme degradation by the body's innate immune system before it can exercise its therapeutic influence. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to ensure the best use of resveratrol by creating a proper resveratrol delivery system. Nanomedicine and nanodelivery systems utilize nanoscale materials as diagnostic tools or to deliver therapeutic agents in a controlled manner to specifically targeted locations. After a brief introduction about polyphenols, this review overviews the physicochemical characteristics of resveratrol, its beneficial effects, and recent advances on novel nanotechnological approaches for its delivery according to the type of nanocarrier utilized. Furthermore, the article summarizes the different potential applications of resveratrol as, for example, a therapeutic and disease-preventing anticancer and antiviral agent.

Recent advances and prospects of hyaluronan as a multifunctional therapeutic system.

Hyaluronan (HA) is a naturally occurring non-sulfated glycosaminoglycan (GAG), cell-surface-associated biopolymer and is the key component of tissue extracellular matrix (ECM). Along with remarkable physicochemical properties, HA also has multifaceted biological effects that include but not limited to ECM organization, immunomodulation, and various cellular processes. Environmental cues such as tissue injury, infection or cancer change downstream signaling functionalities of HA. Unlike native HA, the fragments of HA have diversified effects on inflammation, cancer, fibrosis, angiogenesis and autoimmune response. In this review, we aim to discuss HA as a therapeutic delivery system development process, source, biophysical-chemical properties, and associated biological pathways (especially via cell surface receptors) of native and fragmented HA. We also tried to address an overview of the potential role of HA (native HA vs fragments) in the modulation of inflammation, immune response and various cancer targeting delivery applications. This review will also highlight the HA based therapeutic systems, medical devices and future perspectives of various biomedical applications were discussed in detail.

Potential immuno-nanomedicine strategies to fight COVID-19 like pulmonary infections.

COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a pandemic. At the time of writing this (October 14, 2020), more than 38.4 million people have become affected, and 1.0 million people have died across the world. The death rate is undoubtedly correlated with the cytokine storm and other pathological pulmonary characteristics, as a result of which the lungs cannot provide sufficient oxygen to the body's vital organs. While diversified drugs have been tested as a first line therapy, the complexity of fatal cases has not been reduced so far, and the world is looking for a treatment to combat the virus. However, to date, and despite such promise, we have received very limited information about the potential of nanomedicine to fight against COVID-19 or as an adjunct therapy in the treatment regimen. Over the past two decades, various therapeutic strategies, including direct-acting antiviral drugs, immunomodulators, a few non-specific drugs (simple to complex), have been explored to treat Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), influenza, and sometimes the common flu, thus, correlating and developing specific drugs centric to COVID-19 is possible. This review article focuses on the pulmonary pathology caused by SARS-CoV-2 and other viral pathogens, highlighting possible nanomedicine therapeutic strategies that should be further tested immediately.

Two birds with one stone: oyster mushroom mediated bimetallic Au-Pt nanoparticles for agro-waste management and anticancer activity.

Agriculture has the most significant contribution in fulfilling the basic human need, sustaining life, and strengthening the economy of any country. To feed the exploding population of the world, there has been a quantum jump in the production of agricultural commodities, which has led to the production of a substantial considerable quantity of agricultural and agro-industrial wastes. The bulks of these wastes are lignocellulosic in nature and consist of three main polymeric constituents, i.e., cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, which are recalcitrant. The primary significant portions of these remain unutilized and are burnt in the field, leading to severe environmental aggression and wastage of resource. Farmers across the globe, including India, burn these agricultural wastes in their thousands of acre land, which contribute to spoiling the air quality index (AQI). This is very harmful, especially to children, pregnant women, old adults, and for patients suffering from respiratory diseases. The current manuscript sets up an agro-waste management platform by using paddy straw as a substrate for the production of nutritionally and medically rich oyster mushroom, Pleurotus florida (Pf) and which is further used in the green synthesis of bimetallic (gold-platinum) Au-Pt nanoparticle. Yield performance and biological efficiency of Pf were calculated from the degraded paddy straw. The green synthesized Au-Pt NPs were structurally characterized by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and zeta potential analysis. The prepared NPs showed a face-centered cubic crystal structure, icosahedral shape with a mean particle size of 16 nm. Furthermore, we examined the cytotoxic activity of Au-Pt NPs using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and apoptosis by propidium iodide assay. We found that Au-Pt NPs exerted apoptotic activity on the human colon cancer cell line (HCT 116) in a dose-dependent manner from 12.5 to 200 µg/mL. Overall, our findings create a prototype and open a new door to synthesizing functional nanoparticle by using oyster mushroom as the substrate for paddy straw agro-waste management and the applicability of Pf in the synthesis of eco-friendly Au-Pt NPs. This is the first kind of approach that kills two birds with one stone.

A robust electrochemical immunosensor based on core-shell nanostructured silica-coated silver for cancer (carcinoembryonic-antigen-CEA) diagnosis.

This work addresses the fabrication of an efficient, novel, and economically viable immunosensing armamentarium that will detect the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) typically associated with solid tumors (sarcomas, carcinomas, and lymphomas) and is used as a clinical tumor marker for all these malignancies. We synthesized silver nanoparticles by single-step chemical reduction and coated with silica using a modified Stober method to fabricate silica-coated silver core-shell nanoparticles. The morphologies, structure, and size of the nanoparticles were characterized by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), UV-Visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), respectively. The results indicated that the average size of Ag nanoparticles and silica-coated Ag nanoparticles is 50 nm and 80 nm, respectively. Our TEM results indicate that the silica-shell uniformly encapsulates silver core particles. Further, a disposable electrochemical immunosensor for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was proposed based on the antigen immobilized in a silica-coated silver core-shell nanoparticle film on the surface of an indium-tin-oxide (ITO) flat substrate. The morphological characteristics of the constructed biosensor were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical methods. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) were employed for the characterization of the proposed bioelectrode. The cyclic voltammogram appears to be more irreversible on silica coated silver core-shell nanoparticles. It is found that the fabricated immunosensor shows fast potentiometric response under the optimized conditions. The CEA could be determined in the linear range from 0.5 to 10 ng mL-1 with a detection limit of 0.01 ng mL-1 using the interface. The developed flat substrate of ITO for CEA detection (the model reagent) is a potentially promising immunosensing system, manifests good stability, and allows batch fabrication because of its economic feasibility.

Rapid eco-friendly synthesis, characterization, and cytotoxic study of trimetallic stable nanomedicine: A potential material for biomedical applications.

In the current scenario of the fight against cancer Integration of potential elements seems to be the best alternative since it overcomes the weaknesses of individuals and the combination of elements makes them formidable in the fight against the cancer war. Inspired by this objective and trusting our knowledge of paddy straw grown oyster mushroom, Pleurotus florida (Pf) mediated synthesis; a first-of-kind approach has been developed for the rapid synthesis of Au-Pt-Ag trimetallic nanoparticles (TMNPs). The developed method was successful, which was confirmed by Ultraviolet-Visible, X-ray diffraction, Transmission Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy. Specifically, prepared TMNPs have been studied for their stability and size as a primary prerequisite for nanomedicine. Finally, the stable nanomedicine developed has been assessed for its performance against the highly metastatic breast cancer cell line (mda-mb-231). The performance was assessed using MTT assay and morphological readings, which were integrated with the cell viability data. We also determined the IC50 value, which was far superior to individual components and motivated us to postulate the possible breast cancer cell killing mechanism of TMNPs. The present study unlocks the new paths for the mushroom-mediated environmentally friendly, economic synthesis of trimetallic nanoparticles, which can be effectively used in cancer nanomedicine.

Silk fibroin and silk-based biomaterial derivatives for ideal wound dressings.

Silk fibroin (SF) is derived from Bombyx mori silkworm cocoons and has been used in textiles and as a suture material for decades. More recently, SF has been used for various new biomedical applications, including as a wound dressing, owing to its excellent biological and mechanical properties. Specifically, the mechanical stiffness, versatility, biocompatibility, biodegradability, water vapour permeability and slight bactericidal properties make SF an excellent candidate biomaterial for wound dressing applications. The effectiveness of SF as a wound dressing has been tested and well-documented in vitro as well as in-vivo, as described here. Dressings based on SF are currently used for treating a wide variety of chronic and acute (e.g. burn) wounds. SF and its derivatives prepared as biomaterials are available as sponges, hydrogels, nanofibrous matrices, scaffolds, micro/nanoparticles, and films. The present review discusses the potential role of SF in wound dressing and its modulation for wound dressing applications. The comparison of SF based dressings with other natural polymers understands the readers, the scope and limitation of the subject in-depth.

Design of tunable gelatin-dopamine based bioadhesives.

Bioadhesives have a potential to modulate the wound closure process with significant biological outcomes. However, none of the currently commercialized adhesives are satisfactory in their performance. It is a challenging task to develop an adhesive system that can work on wet surface and enhances tissue repair and closure. In this study, we have fabricated a series of gelatin-dopamine (Gel-dop) conjugates and studied their adhesive properties after being chemically crosslinked using sodium periodate. The designed material was assessed for its adhesive properties including tensile, lap shear and peeling study by varying the degree of dopamine substitution. It was observed that the adhesive property has a direct correlation with increase in dopamine content until reaching a maximum and then a subsequent decrease. We tested the adhesive strength of the different formulations by varying the degree of substitution and compared against fibrin glue, which is considered as the gold standard of adhesives. The formulation with a moderate substitution degree demonstrated the optimal adhesive property than those formulations with lower and larger substitution degree. Further, the in vitro cytotoxicity study showed that this tunable Gel-dop adhesives are to non-cytotoxic, indicating a potential use in clinic applications. This study illustrates that adhesiveness can be regulated by changing the degree of dopamine substitution.

Pleurotus sajor-caju-Mediated Synthesis of Silver and Gold Nanoparticles Active against Colon Cancer Cell Lines: A New Era of Herbonanoceutics.

Herbal medicines are widely used worldwide and much appreciated because of their fewer side effects and the ability to fight diseases at the root cause. Active 'phyto' ingredients require a scientific approach and a mechanism to distribute components at the target site for better therapeutic results. Nanotechnology, on the other hand, has created new hope for cancer treatment but is still far from being proven in clinical settings. This article combines a unique approach to synthesis with the use of Pleurotus sajor-caju, followed by microwave irritation of silver and gold nanoparticles that ensures the capping of the active phyto ingredient and further enhances the effects of nanomedicine to fight colon cancer, thus opening a new era of what we call herbonanoceutics. The article also compares the characteristics and properties of silver (Au) and gold (Ag) nanoparticles synthesized by an in house developed novel microwave-assisted rapid green synthesis method. The as-prepared Ag NPs and Au NPs were compared using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Our comparative study revealed that both assemblies display face-centred cubic structures (FCCs) and are nanocrystalline in nature. The advantage of the approach was that the sizes of gold and silver were identical in range with a similar distribution pattern. This has helped us to study the activity against colon cancer cell line (HCT-116) without incoherence since size plays a key role in the application. More specifically, morphological changes, cell viability, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the fragmentation of DNA have been further reported to assess better the results obtained with the two metals. Our results suggest that the newly adopted synthesis method may ensure the dual benefits from phyto ingredients which further enhances the effectiveness of advanced nanomedicine.

Nanoparticles impact in biomedical waste management.

Effectual management of biomedical waste is obligatory for healthy human beings and for a safe environment. Mismanagement of biomedical waste is a community health problem. Safe and persistent methods for the management of biomedical waste are of vital importance. This article reviews the classification of biomedical waste, sources, colour-coding system of biomedical waste and salient features of biomedical waste rules in 2016, and the future prospective of nanoparticles. The untreated disposal of biomedical waste is associated with a huge amount of risk, so the efficient treatment for biomedical waste is most imperative. The review also highlights the current methods for disposal of biomedical waste, biological treatments given to biomedical waste water in the effluent treatment plant, and impacts due to the current method. Management of biomedical waste is a great challenge in developed and developing countries. To manage the biomedical waste there is a need for cost-effective, ecofriendly and less contaminating approaches for a greener and safe environment. The awareness regarding waste management is of great interest not only for the community but also for associated employees.

Biofilm formation to inhibition: Role of zinc oxide-based nanoparticles.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles have received much attention worldwide as they possess unique properties like varied morphology, large surface area to volume ratio, potent antibacterial activity, and biocompatibility. Biofilm contains homogenous or heterogeneous microorganisms that remain enclosed in a matrix of an extracellular polymeric substance on biotic or abiotic surfaces. Bacterial biofilm formed on medical devices such as central venous catheters, urinary catheters, prosthetic joints, cardiovascular implantable devices, dental implants, contact lenses, intrauterine contraceptive devices and breast implants cause persistent infections. Such biofilm-associated infections in medical implants cause serious problems for public health and affect the function of medical implants. So, there is an urgent need for the use of an antimicrobial agent that will inhibit biofilm, including such antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains as bacteria, to develop multiple drug-resistances resulting in failure of the antibiotic's action. The antimicrobial agent used should be ideal in terms of biocompatibility, antimicrobial activity, stability at different environmental conditions, with less sensitivity to the development of resistance towards micro-organisms, safe for in vivo and in vitro use, and remain non-hazardous to the environment, etc. The first objective of the review discusses the insights into the formation of biofilm on a medical device with the current strategies to inhibit. The second purpose is to review the recent progress in ZnO- based nanostructure including composites for antibacterial and anti-biofilm activities. This will offer a new opportunity for the application of Zinc oxide-based material in the prevention of biofilm on the medical devices.

Silica nano supra-assembly for the targeted delivery of therapeutic cargo to overcome chemoresistance in cancer.

Cancer cells become resistant over the period to chemotherapeutic drugs and pose a challenging impediment for oncologists in providing effective treatment. Nanomedicine allows to overcome chemoresistance and is the focus of our investigation. Silica nanostructures have been highlighted as an interesting drug delivery platform in vitro and in vivo applications. Here we show the validity of nanomedicine approach for targeted chemotherapeutic cargo delivery to overcome chemoresistance in cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. For demonstrating the concept, we functionalised ∼100 nm long porous silica nanoparticles (∼20 nm diameter ordered pore structure) by conjugating anticancer drug, cytochrome c enzyme and dual-function anticancer aptamer AS1411 in single supra-assembled nanocargos. The supra-assembly on the porous silica nanostructure allows for a high loading of catalytic enzyme cytochrome c, anticancer drug and aptamer. The silica supra-assembly is characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis. Conjugation of cargoes has been monitored at each step by UV-vis and Fluorescence spectroscopy. Finally, the constructed supra-assembled nanocarrier tested on chemoresistance colon cancer (HCT116) cells. A pH-responsive, intracellular theranostic cargo delivery has been achieved and the triple action of the nanocargo made an efficient killing of drug resistance colon cancer cells in vitro (∼ 92% cell death) through triplex therapy effects by supressing the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) level. Furthermore, in vivo animal toxicity studies demonstrated, the supra-assembled nanocargos have encouraging safety index to be used in cancer therapy and drug delivery applications.

Conversion of organic biomedical waste into potential fertilizer using isolated organisms from cow dung for a cleaner environment.

Management of organic biomedical waste is a global quandary, and it is becoming difficult to confront day by day. Conversion of organic biomedical waste into fertilizer is of great concern. In the present research, organic biomedical waste samples (blood swabs, dressing swabs, and used cotton) were collected then after cow dung was collected in sterile container and immediately transported to the laboratory and screened for any gastrointestinal infection by using routine microscopy for intestinal parasitic infection, routine bacterial culture, and fecal occult blood for any intestinal bleeding. Then after, the pure culture of organisms and fungus were prepared, and further samples were subjected to degradation for 288 h by using various organisms and fungus. Then after, the specific quantity of biomedical waste was subjected for incineration. The physicochemical parameters of biomedical waste samples were analyzed. Then treated samples were mixed with soil to confirm a role as potential fertilizer. Then after, tomato plantation was done and phytochemical parameters of tomato plant were analyzed. This study states that organic biomedical waste produces a sanitary and stable fertilizer.

Conversion of organic biomedical waste into value added product using green approach.

Sustainable organic biomedical waste management is a difficult challenge as this has become one of the serious hazardous wastes. Improper disposal of organic biomedical waste can lead to direct and indirect transmission of diseases. In the present research, the organic biomedical waste samples (32 g blood swabs, 12 g dressing swabs, and 6 g used cotton) were treated with Azadirachta indica ("Neem") and Nicotiana tabacum ("Tobacco") extracts at various concentrations and kept for 96-h degradation, followed by evaluation of physicochemical parameters. The physicochemical results of organic biomedical waste like pH of the experimental sets were within the optimum range and there was 63.33% of decrease of TDS, 86.15% and 95.30% reduction of BOD and COD, respectively was observed at the end of 96 h. The residues were mixed with 1000 g soil to confirm their role as a potential fertilizer. The physicochemical parameters of soil sample F6 (neem+tobacco) show an excellent result among all. The phytochemical parameters of a plant were also enhanced as compared to control. The soil samples and the tomato plants were also not polluted by the heavy metals, they are within the limit given by WHO. The present study deals with the conversion of organic biomedical waste into potential fertilizer by using plant extracts which can purely be financially profitable to the farmer.

Hybrid chitosan-ZnO nanoparticles coated with a sonochemical technique on silk fibroin-PVA composite film: A synergistic antibacterial activity.

The hybrid chitosan-ZnO nanoparticles (C@ZnO NPs) are synthesized and coated on Silk fibroin-polyvinyl alcohol (SF-PVA) composite film by a sonochemical coating process. These are systematically studied for their synergistic antibacterial activity and reported. The coated composite films show the excellent antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The composite films are characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) studies. The specific surface area and porosity are studied by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis under nitrogen gas adsorption. The swelling degree, mechanical property and cell viability study of coated and uncoated composite films are investigated. The results showed that the specific surface area, porosity, swelling degree, and mechanical property of coated composite films increased with increasing the concentrations of C@ZnO NPs on SF-PVA composite film. Cell viability study confirmed the cytocompatible nature of all the C@ZnO NPs coated composite films. Thus, obtained properties of composite films reveal the potential of this material which can be used as antibacterial wound dressing applications.

Synthesis and characterization of zinc oxide nanoparticles by using polyol chemistry for their antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity.

The present investigation deals with facile polyol mediated synthesis and characterization of ZnO nanoparticles and their antimicrobial activities against pathogenic microorganisms. The synthesis process was carried out by refluxing zinc acetate precursor in diethylene glycol(DEG) and triethylene glycol(TEG) in the presence and in the absence of sodium acetate for 2 h and 3 h. All synthesized ZnO nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV visible spectroscopy (UV), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) technique. All nanoparticles showed different degree of antibacterial and antibiofilm activity against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (NCIM 2654)and Gram-negative Proteus vulgaris (NCIM 2613). The antibacterial and antibiofilm activity was inversely proportional to the size of the synthesized ZnO nanoparticles. Among all prepared particles, ZnO nanoparticles with least size (~ 15 nm) prepared by refluxing zinc acetate dihydrate in diethylene glycol for 3 h exhibited remarkable antibacterial and antibiofilm activity which may serve as potential alternatives in biomedical application.

Comprehensive cytotoxicity studies of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles.

Recently lots of efforts have been taken to develop superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) for biomedical applications. So it is utmost necessary to have in depth knowledge of the toxicity occurred by this material. This article is designed in such way that it covers all the associated toxicity issues of SPIONs. It mainly emphasis on toxicity occurred at different levels including cellular alterations in the form of damage to nucleic acids due to oxidative stress and altered cellular response. In addition focus is been devoted for in vitro and in vivo toxicity of SPIONs, so that a better therapeutics can be designed. At the end the time dependent nature of toxicity and its ultimate faith inside the body is being discussed.