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Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) are promising drug carriers for cancer therapy. Their functionalization with ligands for specific tissue/cell targeting and stimuli-responsive cap materials for sealing drugs within the pores of MSNs is extensively studied for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. The objective of the present work was to establish MSNs as ideal nanocarriers of anticancer drugs such as 5-FU and silymarin by exploiting characteristics such as their large surface area, pore size, and biocompatibility. Furthermore, coating with various biopolymeric materials such as carboxymethyl chitosan-dopamine and hyaluronic acid-folic acid on their surface would allow them to play the role of ligands in the process of active targeting to tumor cells in which there is an overexpression of specific receptors for them. From the results obtained, it emerged, in fact, that these hybrid nanoparticles not only inhibit the growth of glioblastoma and breast cancer cells, but also act as pH-responsive release systems potentially useful as release vectors in tumor environments.
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Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes are technologies used in the oil and gas industry to maximize the extraction of residual oil from reservoirs after primary and secondary recovery methods have been carried out. The injection into the reservoir of surface-active substances capable of reducing the surface tension between oil and the rock surface should favor its extraction with significant economic repercussions. However, the most commonly used surfactants in EOR are derived from petroleum, and their use can have negative environmental impacts, such as toxicity and persistence in the environment. Biosurfactants on the other hand, are derived from renewable resources and are biodegradable, making them potentially more sustainable and environmentally friendly. The present review intends to offer an updated overview of the most significant results available in scientific literature on the potential application of biosurfactants in the context of EOR processes. Aspects such as production strategies, techniques for characterizing the mechanisms of action and the pros and cons of the application of biosurfactants as a principal method for EOR will be illustrated and discussed in detail. Optimized concepts such as the HLD in biosurfactant choice and design for EOR are also discussed. The scientific findings that are illustrated and reviewed in this paper show why general emphasis needs to be placed on the development and adoption of biosurfactants in EOR as a substantial contribution to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly oil and gas industry.
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Antracenos , Petróleo , Industrias , Tensión SuperficialRESUMEN
Prussian blue (PB) was immobilized in alginate capsules. The composite sorbent was used for the recovery of Tl(I) ions from slightly acidic solutions: optimum pH being close to 4. The sorption isotherm can be described by the bi-site Langmuir sorption isotherm. This means that the metal ion can be bound through two different sorption sites: one having a strong affinity for Tl(I) (probably PB), the other having a lower affinity (probably the encapsulating material). The kinetics are described by either the pseudo-second order rate equation or the Crank's equation (resistance to intraparticle diffusion). The ionic strength (increased by addition of NaCl, KCl or CaCl2) slightly decreased sorption capacity. The SEM-EDX analysis of PB-alginate capsules (before and after Tl(I) sorption) shows that the PB is homogeneously distributed in the capsules and that all reactive groups remain available for metal binding.
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Alginatos/química , Ferrocianuros/química , Talio/aislamiento & purificación , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/aislamiento & purificación , Adsorción , Cápsulas , Ácido Glucurónico/química , Ácidos Hexurónicos/química , Concentración de Iones de Hidrógeno , Cinética , Microscopía Electrónica de Rastreo , Concentración Osmolar , Espectrometría por Rayos X , TermodinámicaRESUMEN
Ammonium molybdophosphate and Phozir (alone or in combination) have been encapsulated in alginate beads for the synthesis of rubidium sorbents. SEM and SEM-EDX analyses confirm the homogeneity of the sorbents in terms of composition and metal binding. AMP sorbent is less sensitive to pH than Phozir, and optimum pH is close to pH 3 for the binding of Rb(I). The Langmuir equation fitted well sorption isotherms and the maximum sorption capacities were in the range 0.65-0.74 mmol Rb g(-1). The resistance to intraparticle diffusion contributes to control uptake kinetics (effect of particle size) though the presence of solid inorganic particles reduces the impact of drying alginate capsules (preventing the collapse of the porous structure during the drying step). Breakthrough curves demonstrate the potential of these sorbents for the dynamic sorption of Rb(I) while using ammonium chloride (combined to nitric acid) allows recovering Rb(I) from loaded sorbents.
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Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have been proposed as DNA and drug delivery carriers, as well as efficient tools for fluorescent cell tracking. The major limitation is that MSNs enter cells regardless of a target-specific functionalization. Here we show that non functionalized MSNs, synthesized using a PEG surfactant-based interfacial synthesis procedure, do not enter cells, while a highly specific, receptor mediated, cellular internalization of folic acid (FOL) grafted MSNs (MSN-FOL), occurs exclusively in folate receptor (FR) expressing cells. Neither the classical clathrin pathway nor macropinocytosis is involved in the MSN endocytic process, while fluorescent MSNs (MSN-FITC) enter cells through aspecific, caveolae-mediated, endocytosis. Moreover, internalized particles seem to be mostly exocytosed from cells within 96 h. Finally, cisplatin (Cp) loaded MSN-FOL were tested on cancerous FR-positive (HeLa) or normal FR-negative (HEK293) cells. A strong growth arrest was observed only in HeLa cells treated with MSN-FOL-Cp. The results presented here show that our mesoporous nanoparticles do not enter cells unless opportunely functionalized, suggesting that they could represent a promising vehicle for drug targeting applications.
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Antineoplásicos/farmacocinética , Portadores de Fármacos/farmacocinética , Nanopartículas/química , Neoplasias/tratamiento farmacológico , Neoplasias/metabolismo , Polietilenglicoles/química , Dióxido de Silicio/química , Animales , Caveolina 1/metabolismo , Línea Celular Tumoral , Cisplatino/farmacocinética , Clatrina/metabolismo , Portadores de Fármacos/química , Sistemas de Liberación de Medicamentos/métodos , Fluoresceína-5-Isotiocianato/química , Ácido Fólico/química , Ácido Fólico/farmacocinética , Transportadores de Ácido Fólico/metabolismo , Células HEK293 , Células HeLa , Humanos , Ratones , Microscopía Electrónica de Transmisión , Modelos Biológicos , Tamaño de la Partícula , Tensoactivos/químicaRESUMEN
Antineoplastic methotrexate has been loaded through different soaking procedures on silica-based mesoporous materials and, successively, released mimicking an oral administration. The materials were prepared using a self-assembly mechanism in the presence of cationic surfactants with alkyl chain of 16, 12, and 10 carbon atoms in the synthesis mixture to obtain different pore diameter in the porous structure. Mesoporous materials were prepared as pure silica sample and in the presence of Al(OH)(3) in the synthesis mixture. Only alumina-silica samples were able to load methotrexate. The amounts of drug loaded and the in vitro release kinetics are a function of the pore size of the materials.
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Sistemas de Liberación de Medicamentos/métodos , Metotrexato/administración & dosificación , Compuestos de Silicona/química , Hidróxido de Aluminio/química , Cetrimonio , Compuestos de Cetrimonio/química , Preparaciones de Acción Retardada/administración & dosificación , Preparaciones de Acción Retardada/química , Preparaciones de Acción Retardada/farmacocinética , Concentración de Iones de Hidrógeno , Metotrexato/química , Metotrexato/farmacocinética , Nitrógeno/química , Compuestos de Amonio Cuaternario/química , Compuestos de Silicona/síntesis química , Dióxido de Silicio/síntesis química , Dióxido de Silicio/química , Hidróxido de Sodio/química , Difracción de Rayos XRESUMEN
The present manuscript describes a biomarker capturing strategy based on nanoporous silica particles. The method is shown to enrich the yield of species in the low-molecular weight proteome (LMWP), allowing detection of small peptides in the low-nanomolar range. Plasma samples were exposed to the silica particles, and the captured molecular species were profiled using MALDI-TOF. Mass spectra of the silica-treated human plasma samples showed a significant enrichment in MALDI-TOF protein profiles in the LMWP. Preliminary results indicated good level of reproducibility in plasma profiles with CVs on peak heights ranging from 6.3 to 14.7%. The MALDI-TOF signature changed significantly when the characteristics of the nanoporous silica were altered. The facile sample pretreatment before MS analysis, coupled to the potential for tailoring the surface properties of silica supports, hold promise for improving the recovery of low-abundance serum biomarkers.
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Nanotubos/química , Proteoma , Dióxido de Silicio/química , Biomarcadores/sangre , Biomarcadores/química , Humanos , Espectrometría de Masa por Láser de Matriz Asistida de Ionización DesorciónRESUMEN
A mesoporous material based on aluminosilicate mixture was studied to investigate its ability to include drugs and then release them. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents such as diflunisal, naproxen, ibuprofen and its sodium salt have been used in this study. The preparation of the mesoporous material and its characterization by X-ray, N2 absorption-desorption isotherm, and thermogravimetry analysis have been described. Drug loading was performed by a soaking procedure. Drug-loaded matrices were characterized for entrapped drug amount, water absorption ability, and thermogravimetric behavior. Drug release studies also were performed at pH 1.1 and 6.8 mimicking gastrointestinal fluids. Experimental results showed that this type of matrix is able to trap the bioactive agents by a soaking procedure and, then, to release them in conditions mimicking the biological fluids. Also, the high affinity of these matrices for water makes them potentially biocompatible. Release data suggest that the matrix impregnated with diflunisal offers good potential as a system for the modified drug release.