The revelation of glucose adsorption mechanisms on hierarchical metal-organic frameworks using a surface plasmon resonance sensor.

The gold layer on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor chip cannot detect small molecules, such as glucose without the use of specific receptors. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are useful in biosensing technologies for capturing and co-localizing enzymes and receptors with the target biomolecule. In many previous studies, the properties of the MOFs were often ignored, with these studies focusing on the selection of appropriate receptors. To take advantage of the unique properties of MOFs in biosensors, one must also consider the technique and transducer used because these aspects will strongly influence the detection mechanism. In this work, we have investigated for the first time, the applications of hierarchical metal-BDC (M-BDC) MOFs for glucose detection using the SPR technique without the use of specific receptors. The underlying interactions and adsorption mechanisms were analyzed using adsorption isotherm and kinetic models. The sensing measurements show that the SPR chips functionalized with M-BDC MOFs exhibit higher sensitivity and lower limit of detection (LOD). Specifically, the sensitivity follows the order of Zr-BDC > Cu-BDC > Mn-BDC > Ni-BDC > bare Au SPR chips with the LOD in the order of Zr-BDC < Mn-BDC < Ni-BDC < Cu-BDC < bare Au SPR chips. The selectivity test results reveal that Zr-BDC exhibits a decent selectivity to glucose in the presence of other interfering compounds, such as ascorbic acid, uric acid, maltose, and urea. These results demonstrate the promising potential of MOFs for SPR biosensing.

Carbon nanotube-decorated hierarchical porous nickel/carbon hybrid derived from nickel-based metal-organic framework for enhanced methyl blue adsorption.

This work reports the incorporation of coordinated water into Ni-BTC nanorods (Ni-BTC-O) which induces their structural transformation to Ni-BTC nanofibres (Ni-BTC-F). The carbonization of the Ni-BTC nanofibres at 600 °C results in the formation of carbon nanotube (CNT)-decorated hierarchical porous nickel/carbon hybrid (labelled as Ni/C-600) with enlarged pores. In contrast, the Ni/C hybrid obtained from the carbonization of the original (unmodified) Ni-BTC nanorods (Ni-BTC-O) at 600 °C (labelled as Ni-BTC-O-600) exhibits smaller pore size and does not show the formation of CNTs. The Ni/C-600 hybrid derived from Ni-BTC-F shows a very high adsorption capacity of 686.8 mg g-1 toward methyl blue (MB) dye. This is approximately 4.8 times higher than the adsorption capacity of Ni-BTC-O-600 (144.1 mg g-1). The higher adsorption performance of Ni/C-600 relative to Ni-BTC-O-600 can be attributed to its larger pore volume, hierarchical porosity, and additional adsorption sites provided by the CNTs. In addition, the Ni/C-600 hybrid can maintain 90% of its adsorption capacity after 5 consecutive cycles, demonstrating its potential as an efficient and recyclable adsorbent for MB dye.

Dendrimers in vaccine delivery: Recent progress and advances.

Dendrimers are well-defined, highly branched, multivalent and monodisperse molecules which host a range of attractive, yet functional, chemical and biological characteristics. A dendrimers accessible surface groups enable coupling to different functional moieties (e.g., antibodies, peptides, proteins, etc), which is further assisted by the dendrimers tailored size and surface charge. This adaptability allows for the preparation of molecularly precise vaccines with highly specific and predictable properties, and in conjunction with a dendrimers immune stimulating (adjuvanting) property, makes dendrimers attractive substrates for biomedical applications, including vaccines. This review highlights the structural and synthetic evolution of dendrimers throughout history, detailing the dendrimers role as both an adjuvant and carrier system for vaccine antigens, in addition to reviewing the development of commercially available vaccines for use in humans.

An overview of drug delivery vehicles for cancer treatment: Nanocarriers and nanoparticles including photovoltaic nanoparticles.

Cancer is a complicated disease for which finding a cure presents challenges. In recent decades, new ways to treat cancer are being sought; one being nanomedicine, which manipulates nanoparticles to target a cancer and release drugs directly to the cancer cells. A number of cancer treatments based on nanomedicine are under way and mostly are in preclinical trials owing to challenges in administration, safety, and effectiveness. One alternative method for drug delivery is the use of photovoltaic nanoparticles, which has the potential to deliver drugs via light activation. The concepts are based on standard photovoltaic cell that holds opposite charges on its surfaces and releases drugs when charge intensity or polarity changes upon photo-stimulation such as from a laser source or sunlight. This review will cover some recent progress in cancer treatment using nanoparticles, including photovoltaic nanoparticles.

An overview of antifungal peptides derived from insect.

Fungi are not classified as plants or animals. They resemble plants in many ways but do not produce chlorophyll or make their own food photosynthetically like plants. Fungi are useful for the production of beer, bread, medicine, etc. More complex than viruses or bacteria; fungi can be destructive human pathogens responsible for various diseases in humans. Most people have a strong natural immunity against fungal infection. However, fungi can cause diseases when this immunity breaks down. In the last few years, fungal infection has increased strikingly and has been accompanied by a rise in the number of deaths of cancer patients, transplant recipients, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients owing to fungal infections. The growth rate of fungi is very slow and quite difficult to identify. A series of molecules with antifungal activity against different strains of fungi have been found in insects, which can be of great importance to tackle human diseases. Insects secrete such compounds, which can be peptides, as a part of their immune defense reactions. Active antifungal peptides developed by insects to rapidly eliminate infectious pathogens are considered a component of the defense munitions. This review focuses on naturally occurring antifungal peptides from insects and their challenges to be used as armaments against human diseases.