Exploring the biological application of Penicillium fimorum-derived silver nanoparticles: In vitro physicochemical, antifungal, biofilm inhibitory, antioxidant, anticoagulant, and thrombolytic performance.

This study showed the anti-candida, biofilm inhibitory, antioxidant, anticoagulant, and thrombolytic properties of biogenic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) fabricated by using the supernatant of Penicillium fimorum (GenBank accession number OQ568180) isolated from soil. The biogenic AgNPs were characterized by using different analytical techniques. A sharp surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak of the colloidal AgNPs at 429.5 nm in the UV-vis spectrum confirmed the fabrication of nanosized silver particles. The broth microdilution assay confirmed the anti-candida properties of AgNPs with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 4 µg mL-1. In the next step, the protein and DNA leakage assays as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay were performed to evaluate the possible anti-candida mechanisms of AgNPs representing an increase in the total protein and DNA of supernatant along with a climb-up in ROS levels in AgNPs-treated samples. Flow cytometry also confirmed a dose-dependent cell death in the AgNPs-treated samples. Further studies also confirmed the biofilm inhibitory performance of AgNPs against Candia albicans. The AgNPs at the concentrations of MIC and 4*MIC inhibited 79.68 ± 14.38% and 83.57 ± 3.41% of biofilm formation in C. albicans, respectively. Moreover, this study showed that the intrinsic pathway may play a significant role in the anticoagulant properties of AgNPs. In addition, the AgNPs at the concentration of 500 µg mL-1, represented 49.27%, and 73.96 ± 2.59% thrombolytic and DPPH radical scavenging potential, respectively. Promising biological performance of AgNPs suggests these nanomaterials as a good candidate for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications.

Nanobiotechnological approaches in antinociceptive therapy: Animal-based evidence for analgesic nanotherapeutics of bioengineered silver and gold nanomaterials.

Pain management is a major challenge in healthcare systems worldwide. Owing to undesirable side effects of current analgesic medications, there is an exceeding need to develop the effective alternative therapeutics. Nowadays, the application of nanomaterials is being highly considered, as their exceptional properties arising from the nanoscale dimensions are undeniable. With the increasing use of metal NPs, more biocompatible and costly methods of synthesis have been developed in which different biological rescores including microorganisms, plants and algae are employed. Nanobiotechnology-based synthesis of nanosized particles is an ecological approach offering safe production of nanoparticles (NPs) by biological resources eliminating the toxicity attributed to the conventional routes. This review provides an assessment of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as antinociceptive agents in recent studies. Living animal models (mice and rats) have been used for analyzing the effect of biogenic NPs on decreasing the nociceptive pain utilizing different methods such as acetic acid-induced writhing test, hot plate test, and formalin test. Potent analgesic activity exhibited by green fabricated AgNPs and AuNPs represents the bright future of nanotechnology in the management of pain and other social and medicinal issues followed by this unpleasant sensation. Moreover, there NPs showed a protective effects on liver, kidney, and body weight in animal models that make them attractive for clinical studies. However, further research is required to fully address the harmless antinociceptive effect of NPs for clinical usage.

Fabrication of a magnetic Mn(ii) cross-linked chitosan-amine/glutaraldehyde nanocomposite for the rapid degradation of dyes and aerobic selective oxidation of ethylbenzene.

Owing to the great demand for using sustainable, renewable, and widely available materials in catalytic systems for the conversion of waste/toxic material to high value-added and harmless products, biopolymers derived from natural sources have demonstrated great promise as an alternative to state-of-the-art materials that suffer from high costs and limitations. These have encouraged us to design and fabricate a new super magnetization of Mn-Fe3O4-SiO2/amine-glutaraldehyde/chitosan bio-composite (MIOSC-N-et-NH2@CS-Mn) for advanced/aerobic oxidation process. The morphological and chemical characterization of the as-prepared magnetic bio-composite was assessed using ICP-OES, DR UV-vis, BET, FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, EDS, and XPS techniques. The PMS + MIOSC-N-et-NH2@CS-Mn system was capable of degrading methylene orange (98.9% of removal efficiency) and selectively oxidizing ethylbenzene to acetophenone (conversion 93.70%, selectivity 95.10% and TOF 214.1 (103 h-1) within 8.0 min and 5.0 h, respectively. Moreover, MO was efficiently mineralized (TOC removal of ∼56.61) by MIOSC-N-et-NH2@CS-Mn with 60.4%, 5.20, 0.03 and 86.02% of the synergistic index, reaction stoichiometric efficiency, specific oxidant efficiency, and oxidant utilization ratio in wide pH ranges, respectively. An understanding of its vital parameters and relationship of catalytic activity with structural, environmental factors, leaching/heterogenicity test, long-term stability, inhibitory effect of anions in water matrix, economic study and response surface method (RSM) were evaluated in detail. Overall, the prepared catalyst could be employed as an environmentally friendly and low-cost candidate for the enhanced activation of PMS/O2 as an oxidant. Additionally, MIOSC-N-et-NH2@CS-Mn exhibited great stability, high recovery efficiency, and low metal leaching, which eliminated the harsh condition reaction and supplied practical application performance for water purification and selective aerobic oxidation of organic compounds.

Nanobiotechnological approaches in anticoagulant therapy: The role of bioengineered silver and gold nanomaterials.

Nanotechnology is a novel area that has exhibited various remarkable applications, mostly in medicine and industry, due to the unique properties coming with the nanoscale size. One of the notable medical uses of nanomaterials (NMs) that attracted enormous attention recently is their significant anticoagulant activity, preventing or reducing coagulation of blood, decreasing the risk of strokes, heart attacks, and other serious conditions. Despite successful in vitro experiments, in vivo analyses are yet to be confirmed and further research is required to fully prove the safety and efficacy of nanoparticles (NPs) and to introduce them as valid alternatives to conventional ineffective anticoagulants with various shortcomings and side-effects. NMs can be synthesized through two main routes, i.e., the bottom-up route as a more preferable method, and the top-down route. In numerous studies, biological fabrication of NPs, especially metal NPs, is highly suggested given its eco-friendly approach, in which different resources can be employed such as plants, fungi, bacteria, and algae. This review discusses the green synthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as two of the most useful metal NPs, and also their alloys in different studies focussing on their anticoagulant potential. Challenges and alternative approaches to the use of these NPs as anticoagulants have also been highlighted.

Super-magnetization of Co-pectin/gelatin biocomposite for selective synthesis vitamin K3: Design, fabrication and revealing role of the stabilizers.

High pollution and low productivity of the traditional method for synthesis of vitamin group K require an efficient, low-cost, and environmentally sustainable biocatalyst as a greener process. These have encouraged us to design and fabricate a series of novel Co NPs impregnated pectin-gelatin (Co@PTNC, Co@GTNC & Co@PT0.7GT0.3NC) and grafted pectin-gelatin modified magnetic beads (Co@MPT0.7GT0.3NC) by the in situ reduction-precipitation procedure and chemical application in the selective synthesis of vitamin K3 without any promoters or ligands. The chemical structure and morphological properties were fully characterized. Additionally, the influence of structural parameters (i.e., kind of stabilizer with different ratio (nPT/nGT), amount of Co loading, durability, size, distribution, and Leaching test) and operating parameters (i.e., reaction time, reaction temperature, nature of the solvent, and concentration of oxidant) on the efficacy of the biocatalysts was evaluated in detail. The green synthesis involves several advantages, like the heterogeneous nature of catalysts, environmentally-friendly and mild conditions, high recovery efficiency due to superparamagnetism, high activity, and the sustainable performance of the biocatalyst.

Carbamazepine removal from aqueous solution by synthesized reduced graphene oxide-nano zero valent iron (Fe0-rGO) composite: theory, process optimization, and coexisting drugs effects.

Synthesized Fe0-rGO nanocomposite with ratio of 1/1 (w/w) was prepared and has been used as adsorbent for the removal of Carbamazepine (CBZ) from aqueous solution. The adsorbent was characterized by various techniques such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) analyses. Linear experiments were performed to compare the best fitting isotherms and kinetics. The Freundlich isotherm (R2>0.90) and pseudo second order kinetic (R2>0.99) fitted well the experimental data. On the basis of the Langmuir isotherm, the maximum adsorption capacity of Fe0-rGO for CBZ was up to 50 mg g-1 at 30 °C. The pH, adsorbent dose, and initial concentration of CBZ were observed to be the leading parameters that affected the removal of CBZ considering the analysis of variance (ANOVA; p<0.05). The optimum process value of variables obtained by numerical optimization corresponds to pH 3.07, an adsorbent dose of 36.2 mg, an initial CBZ concentration of 5 mg L-1 and at 30.15 °C. The results of optimum conditions reveal that a maximum of 94% removal efficiency can be achieved; whereas, this phenomenon was independent of temperature (p-value>0.05). Moreover, Fe0-rGO can be used to remove diclofenac (DIC) and cetirizine (CTZ) simultaneously. To sum up, the Fe0-rGO is a promising adsorbent not only for the efficient removal of CBZ but also for the reduction of coexisting drugs in aqueous solution.

A biocompatible theranostic nanoplatform based on magnetic gadolinium-chelated polycyclodextrin: in vitro and in vivo studies.

A novel theranostic nanoplatform was prepared based on Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) coated with gadolinium ions decorated-polycyclodextrin (PCD) layer (Fe3O4@PCD-Gd) and employed for Curcumin (CUR) loading. The dissolution profile of CUR indicated a pH sensitive release manner. Fe3O4@PCD-Gd NPs exhibited no significant toxicity against both normal and cancerous cell lines (MCF 10A and 4T1, respectively); while the CUR-free NPs showed more toxicity against 4T1 than MCF 10A cells. In vivo anticancer study revealed appropriate capability of the system in tumor shrinking with no tissue toxicity and adverse effect on body weight. In vivo MR imaging of BALB/c mouse showed both T1 and T2 contrast enhancement on the tumor cells. Fe3O4@PCD-Gd/CUR NPs showed significant features as a promising multifunctional system having appropriate T1-T2 dual contrast enhancement and therapeutic efficacy in cancer theranostics.

Macrophage polarization in wound healing: role of aloe vera/chitosan nanohydrogel.

The balance between M1 and M2 macrophages plays an important role in wound healing. Interestingly, this immune response can be modulated by natural biomaterials such as chitosan nanohydrogel (Ch) and aloe vera (AV). Therefore, we aimed to improve wound recovery response by exploiting the potential healing properties of Ch and AV. Wounds were created in rats and were treated daily with either saline (control), AV, Ch, or different ratios of AV (volume):Ch (weight) (1:1), (2:1), and (3:1). M1 (iNOS, TNF-α) and M2 (CD163, TGF-ß) responses were analyzed at days 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28. Wound healing increased within the third and seventh days in AV-Ch (3:1) (P < 0.001 and P < 0.002, respectively). In the treated groups, immunohistochemistry of iNOS expression decreased on the third day (P < 0.0001) while CD163 increased (P < 0.0001) on the 3rd, 7th, and 14th days. The gene expression of TGF-ß decreased on the third day in AV group (P < 0.03) and on the 21st and 28th days in Ch-treated group (P < 0.00). TNF-α expression decreased in AV, Ch, and AV-Ch (3:1 v/w) on the 14th and 28th days (P < 0.00). TGF-ß and TNF-α proteins decreased on the 28th day compared to the control and AV-Ch (3:1 v/w), respectively. AV-Ch (1 and 3:1 v/w) and Ch resulted in optimum wound repair by decreasing M1 after 3 days and increasing M2 after 14. Thus, Ch nanohydrogel, especially in combination with 1:1 and 1:3 ratio to AV, could be a proper candidate for modulating macrophages in response to wound healing.

Synthesis and characterization of cobalt-supported catalysts on modified magnetic nanoparticle: Green and highly efficient heterogeneous nanocatalyst for selective oxidation of ethylbenzene, cyclohexene and oximes with molecular oxygen.

In this study, a new supported cobalt nanocatalyst has been described. The Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4 MNPs) modified by SiO2/aminopropyl trimethoxy silane/cyanuric chloride (Fe3O4@SiO2-APTMS/CC) utilized for anchoring metformin-cobalt complex (Fe3O4 Ms@SiO2-APTMS/CC/Met@Co(II)). The structure of novel complex well defined by elemental analysis, ICP, AAS, BET, FT-IR, EDX, SEM, TEM, DLS, XRD, TG-DTG, VSM and XPS. The catalytic efficiency of the synthesized cobalt nanocatalyst was studied in the oxidation of ethylbenzene (EB), cyclohexene (CYHE) and various oximes using molecular oxygen as ecofriendly oxidant and high catalytic activity and selectivity toward oxidation is observed. Selective aerobic oxidation of EB and CYHE and various oximes catalyzed by the cobalt nanocatalyst without any reducing agent by using N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI), gave acetophenone (AcPO), 2-cyclohexene-1-one and corresponding carbonyl compounds respectively, as major products. To achieve high level of efficiency of heterogeneous nanocatalyst, various parameters such as the ratio and amount of nanocatalyst/NHPI, reaction time, temperature and solvents were evaluated. The easily preparation from inexpensive and commercially available reagent, thermal stability, suitable performance in reusability, high efficiency and selectivity in oxidation reactions, short reaction time, easy recovery and separation from reaction mixture, are advantages of this novel catalyst.