Description of Release Process of Doxorubicin from Modified Carbon Nanotubes.

The article discusses the release process of doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) from multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The studies described a probable mechanism of release and actions between the surface of functionalized MWCNTs and anticancer drugs. The surface of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been modified via treatment in nitric acid to optimize the adsorption and release process. The modification efficiency and physicochemical properties of the MWCNTs+DOX system were analyzed by using SEM, TEM, EDS, FTIR, Raman Spectroscopy and UV-Vis methods. Based on computer simulations at pH 7.4 and the experiment at pH 5.4, the kinetics and the mechanism of DOX release from MWNT were discussed. It has been experimentally observed that the acidic pH (5.4) is appropriate for the efficient release of the drug from CNTs. It was noted that under acidic pH conditions, which is typical for the tumour microenvironment almost 90% of the drug was released in a relatively short time. The kinetics models based on different mathematical functions were used to describe the release mechanism of drugs from MWCNTs. Our studies indicated that the best fit of experimental kinetic curves of release has been observed for the Power-law model and the fitted parameters suggest that the drug release mechanism of DOX from MWCNTs is controlled by Fickian diffusion. Molecular dynamics simulations, on the other hand, have shown that in a neutral pH solution, which is close to the blood pH, the release process does not occur keeping the aggregation level constant. The presented studies have shown that MWCNTs are promising carriers of anticancer drugs that, depending on the surface modification, can exhibit different adsorption mechanisms and release.

Effect of MWCNTs on Wear Behavior of Epoxy Resin for Aircraft Applications.

The aim of the study is to assess the effect of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the wear behavior of MWCNT-doped epoxy resin. In this study, a laminating resin system designed to meet the standards for motor planes was modified with MWCNTs at mass fractions from 0.0 wt.% to 2.0 wt.%. The properties of the carbon nanotubes were determined in Raman spectroscopy and HR-TEM. An examination of wear behavior was conducted on a linear abraser with a visual inspection on an optical microscope and SEM imaging, mass loss measurement, and evaluation of the wear volume on a profilometer. Moreover, the mechanical properties of MWCNTs/epoxy nanocomposite were evaluated through a tensile test and Shore D hardness test. The study shows that the best wear resistance is achieved for the mass percentage between 0.25 wt.% and 0.5 wt.%. For the same range, the tensile strength reaches the highest values and the hardness the lowest values. Together with surface imaging and a topography analysis, this allowed describing the wear behavior in the friction node and the importance of the properties of the epoxy nanocomposite.

Groove-patterned surfaces induce morphological changes in cells of neuronal origin.

It is already known that cells respond strongly to topography and chemistry of 2D surfaces. In this work we study cell-material interactions; in particular, we investigated the attachment and alignment of SH-SY5Y cells of neuronal origin on grooved-patterns made from Silicon (Si) and Gold (Au). The Au-Si groove-pattern stimulated 93% of SH-SY5Y cells to differentiate into neuroblast-like type (N-type) in 2 days and outgrown neurites exhibited strong anisotropy along the grooves with 90% of cells having one or two neurites. In comparison, random distribution of morphology type, neurite number, and alignment were observed on control flat surfaces (Si and Au). We further show that designed Au-Si groove-patterns can be used to form reversed groove patterns on polycarolactone surface via soft lithography approach. Sixty-nine percentage of SH-SY5Y cells aligned along the obtained reversed groove patterns of the same dimensional characteristics to Si-Au grooves. In particular, this work demonstrated that the Au-Si grooves pattern stimulates neurite polarity, elongation, and morphological differentiation of neuroblastoma cells without any exogenous supply of growth factors or stimulants in just 2 days, which can lead to selective procedure of obtaining homologous population of neuron-like cells for future nerve regeneration therapies.

GQDs-MSNs nanocomposite nanoparticles for simultaneous intracellular drug delivery and fluorescent imaging.

Although number of stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems based on mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have been developed, the simultaneous real-time monitoring of carrier in order to guarantee proper drug targeting still remains as a challenge. GQDs-MSNs nanocomposite nanoparticles composed of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) and MSNs are proposed as efficient doxorubicin delivery and fluorescent imaging agent, allowing to monitor intracellular localization of a carrier and drug diffusion route from the carrier. Graphene quantum dots (average diameter 3.65 ± 0.81 nm) as a fluorescent agent were chemically immobilized onto mesoporous silica nanoparticles (average diameter 44.08 ± 7.18 nm) and loaded with doxorubicin. The structure, morphology, chemical composition, and optical properties as well as drug release behavior of doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded GQDs-MSNs were investigated. Then, the in vitro cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, and intracellular localization studies were carried out. Prepared GQDs-MSNs form stable suspensions exhibiting excitation-dependent photoluminescence (PL) behavior. These nanocomposite nanoparticles can be easily DOX-loaded and show pH- and temperature-dependent release behavior. Cytotoxicity studies proved that GQDs-MSNs nanocomposite nanoparticles are nontoxic; however, when loaded with drug, they enable the therapeutic activity of DOX via its active delivery and release. GQDs-MSNs owing to their fluorescent properties and efficient in vitro cellular internalization via caveolae/lipid raft-dependent endocytosis show a high potential for the optical imaging, including the simultaneous real-time optical tracking of the loaded drug during its delivery and release. Graphical abstractᅟ.

ZnS coating for enhanced environmental stability and improved properties of ZnO thin films.

Low environmental stability of ZnO nanostructures in hydrophilic systems is a crucial factor limiting their practical applications. ZnO nanomaterials need surface passivation with different water-insoluble compounds. This study describes a one-step passivation process of polycrystalline ZnO films with ZnS as a facile method of ZnO surface coating. A simple sulfidation reaction was carried out in gas-phase H2S and it resulted in formation of a ZnS thin layer on the ZnO surface. The ZnS layer not only inhibited the ZnO dissolving process in water but additionally improved its mechanical and electrical properties. After the passivation process, ZnO/ZnS films remained stable in water for over seven days. The electrical conductivity of the ZnO films increased about 500-fold as a result of surface defect passivation and the removal of oxygen molecules which can trap free carriers. The nanohardness and Young's modulus of the samples increased about 64% and 14%, respectively after the ZnS coating formation. Nanowear tests performed using nanoindentation methods revealed reduced values of surface displacements for the ZnO/ZnS system. Moreover, both ZnO and ZnO/ZnS films showed antimicrobial properties against Escherichia coli.

Raman imaging of layered soft contact lenses.

BACKGROUND: Daily disposable contact lenses are gaining in popularity among practitioners and wearers for the improved ocular health and subjective outcomes they offer. Recently a novel daily disposable contact lens material with water gradient technology was introduced. Delefilcon A lenses consist of a 33% water content silicone hydrogel core and an outer hydrogel layer which is totally free of silicone and contains 80% water. METHODS: The aim of the present study was to confirm the layered structure of delefilcon A contact lenses. Thickness of hydrogel coating on the silicone hydrogel core was assessed using Raman spectroscopy. To investigate the layered structure of the material, depth spectra of the lenses were recorded. RESULTS: The results obtained suggest that at about 6 µm a boundary between the hydrogel layer and silicone hydrogel core exists, which is in good agreement with the manufacturer's data. CONCLUSIONS: Data collected in this experiment confirm a water gradient at the delefilcon A lens surface.

Discrimination of Apple Liqueurs (Nalewka) Using a Voltammetric Electronic Tongue, UV-Vis and Raman Spectroscopy.

The capability of a phthalocyanine-based voltammetric electronic tongue to analyze strong alcoholic beverages has been evaluated and compared with the performance of spectroscopic techniques coupled to chemometrics. Nalewka Polish liqueurs prepared from five apple varieties have been used as a model of strong liqueurs. Principal Component Analysis has demonstrated that the best discrimination between liqueurs prepared from different apple varieties is achieved using the e-tongue and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Raman spectra coupled to chemometrics have not been efficient in discriminating liqueurs. The calculated Euclidean distances and the k-Nearest Neighbors algorithm (kNN) confirmed these results. The main advantage of the e-tongue is that, using PLS-1, good correlations have been found simultaneously with the phenolic content measured by the Folin-Ciocalteu method (R² of 0.97 in calibration and R² of 0.93 in validation) and also with the density, a marker of the alcoholic content method (R² of 0.93 in calibration and R² of 0.88 in validation). UV-Vis coupled with chemometrics has shown good correlations only with the phenolic content (R² of 0.99 in calibration and R² of 0.99 in validation) but correlations with the alcoholic content were low. Raman coupled with chemometrics has shown good correlations only with density (R² of 0.96 in calibration and R² of 0.85 in validation). In summary, from the three holistic methods evaluated to analyze strong alcoholic liqueurs, the voltammetric electronic tongue using phthalocyanines as sensing elements is superior to Raman or UV-Vis techniques because it shows an excellent discrimination capability and remarkable correlations with both antioxidant capacity and alcoholic content-the most important parameters to be measured in this type of liqueurs.