Production and characterization of biocompatible nanofibrous scaffolds made ofß-sitosterolloaded polyvinyl alcohol/tragacanth gum composites.

Electrospun polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and tragacanth gum (TG) were used to develop nanofibrous scaffolds containing poorly water-solubleß-Sitosterol (ß-S). Different concentrations and ratios of the polymeric composite includingß-S (10% w v-1) in PVA (8% w v-1) combined with TG (0.5 and 1% w v-1) were prepared and electrospun. The synthesis method includes four electrospinning parameters of solution concentration, feeding rate, voltage, and distance of the collector to the tip of the needle, which are independently optimized to achieve uniform nanofibers with a desirable mean diameter for cell culture. The collected nanofibers were characterized by SEM, FTIR, and XRD measurements. A contact angle measurement described the hydrophilicity of the scaffold. MTT test was carried out on the obtained nanofibers containing L929 normal fibroblast cells. The mechanical strength, porosity, and deterioration of the scaffolds were well discussed. The mean nanofiber diameters ranged from 63 ± 20 nm to 97 ± 46 nm. The nanofibers loaded withß-S were freely soluble in water and displayed a remarkable biocompatible nature. The cultured cells illustrated sheet-like stretched growth morphology and penetrated the nanofibrous pores of the PVA/ß-S/TG scaffolds. The dissolution was related to submicron-level recrystallization ofß-S with sufficient conditions for culturing L929 cells. It was concluded that electrospinning is a promising technique for poorly water-solubleß-S formulations that could be used in biomedical applications.

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Glaucium corniculatum (L.) Curtis extract and evaluation of its antibacterial activity.

The metal nanoparticles, due to interesting features such as electrical, optical, chemical and magnetic properties, have been investigated repeatedly. Also, the mentioned nanoparticles have specific uses in terms of their antibacterial activity. The biosynthesis method is more appropriate than the chemical method for producing the nanoparticles because it does not need any special facilities; it is also economically affordable. In the current study, the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were obtained by using a very simple and low-cost method via Glaucium corniculatum (L.) Curtis plant extract. The characteristics of the AgNPs were investigated using techniques including: X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The SEM and TEM images showed that the nanoparticles had a spherical shape, and the mean diameter of them was 53.7 and 45 nm, respectively. The results of the disc diffusion test used for measuring the anti-bacterial activity of the synthesised nanoparticles indicated that the formed nanoparticles possessed a suitable anti-bacterial activity.

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles with the Arial part of Dorema ammoniacum D. extract by antimicrobial analysis.

Silver nanoparticles (SNPs) were synthesised by using the Arial part extract of Dorema ammoniacum D. and characterised by employing UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. Transmission electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy were applied to investigate the morphological structure of the bio-synthesised SNPs. The antimicrobial activity of SNPs was studied against Gram positive (Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium) bacteria by employing the disk diffusion agar process. An extremely antimicrobial effect was observed for SNPs. Utilising D. ammoniacum D. as a mediator for the synthesis of SNPs helped to save time and cost.

A ternary nanofibrous scaffold potential for central nerve system tissue engineering.

In the present research, a ternary polycaprolactone (PCL)/gelatin/fibrinogen nanofibrous scaffold for tissue engineering application was developed. Through this combination, PCL improved the scaffold mechanical properties; meanwhile, gelatin and fibrinogen provided more hydrophilicity and cell proliferation. Three types of nanofibrous scaffolds containing different fibrinogen contents were prepared and characterized. Morphological study of the nanofibers showed that the prepared nanofibers were smooth, uniform without any formation of beads with a significant reduction in nanofiber diameter after incorporation of fibrinogen. The chemical characterization of the scaffolds confirmed that no chemical reaction occurred between the scaffold components. The tensile test results of the scaffolds showed that increasing in fibrinogen content led to a decrease in mechanical properties. Furthermore, adipose-derived stem cells were employed to evaluate cell-scaffold interaction. Cell culture results indicated that higher cell proliferation occurred for the higher amount of fibrinogen. Statistical analysis was also carried out to evaluate the significant difference for the obtained results of water droplet contact angle and cell culture. Therefore, the results confirmed that PCL/gel/fibrinogen scaffold has a good potential for tissue engineering applications including central nerve system tissue engineering. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A:2394-2401, 2018.

A Paper-Based Analytical Device Based on Combination of Thin Film Microextraction and Reflection Scanometry for Sensitive Colorimetric Determination of Ni(II) in Aqueous Matrix.

In this research, the thin film microextraction method was applied for the extraction of Ni(II) ion from aqueous matrixes. Chemically modified cellulosic filter paper with phosphorus was used as a thin film extractor. After extraction, the thin film was treated with a solution of dimethylglyoxime. The colored film was captured by flatbed scanner and the absorbance of the images was extracted by some suitable software. Under the optimum conditions and at the pH 7.0, with the sample volume of 100 mL, the stirring rate of 800 rpm, and the extraction time of 50 min, the calibration curve was obtained in the range of 0.05-5 mg/L Ni(II) (R2 = 0.989). Limit and relative standard deviation were achieved to be 18 µg/L and less than 6.7%, respectively. Relative recoveries were obtained in the range of 87%-105%. Finally, the proposed method was found to be simple and cost-effective, with adequate analytical performance for the rapid detection of Ni(II) in river and wastewater samples.

Biocompatible biodegradable polycaprolactone/basil seed mucilage scaffold for cell culture.

In this study, a polymer obtained from the basil seed mucilage (BSM) in combination with polycaprolactone (PCL), was used in the 2D scaffold production process for cell culture. First, combinations of two polymers with different ratios and concentrations were prepared and electrospun. Among these samples, a sample with a BSM/PCL ratio of 2/3 was used to perform different tests due to its fibre uniformity and appropriate diameter. The Fourier transform infrared spectrometer test was carried out to chemically analyse the scaffold, the X-ray diffraction test to determine the crystallinity of the scaffold, and the contact angle test to determine the hydrophilicity of the scaffold. The strength, porosity, and degradation percentage of the scaffold were also studied. With appropriate conditions of the scaffold for cell culture determined, Vero epithelial cells were cultured on the scaffold. Results obtained from cell culture indicated that the adhesion of the scaffold was suitable for the appropriate growth cells.

Determination of Xylene and Toluene by Solid-Phase Microextraction Using Au Nanoparticles-Thiol Silane Film Coupled to Ion Mobility Spectrometry.

A simple, rapid and sensitive method for analysis of xylene and toluene was developed using the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) combined with ion mobilityspectrometry (IMS). Gold nanoparticles-thiol silane film (Au NPs-TSF) was applied as a newsorbent for SPME. Thiol silane film was formed on the surface of a stainless steel wire through incorporating Au nanoparticles during synthesis using sol-gel technique. The extraction properties of the fiber to xylene and toluene were examined, using a SPME device and thermal desorption ininjection port of IMS. The calibration graphs were linear in the range of 1.10-32.0 and 16.0-112.0 ppb for xylene and toluene, respectively. The detection limits for xylene and toluene were 0.7 and 8.0 ppb, respectively. The proposed method was applied without any considerable sample pretreatment and it was found to be simple enough to be strongly recommended for real sample analysis.

A novel method for the determination of three volatile organic compounds in exhaled breath by solid-phase microextraction-ion mobility spectrometry.

A method was carried out for the quantitative determination of the concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using solid-phase microextraction and ion mobility spectrometry (SPME-IMS). This method was optimized and evaluated. The best results were obtained at sorption temperature 70 °C, desorption temperature 200 °C, and extraction time 15 min. Under the optimized conditions, the linear dynamic range was found to be 0.01-4.0 ppb (R(2) > 0.995), 2.3-400 ppm (R(2) > 0.994), and 2.5-76 ppb (R(2) > 0.998) for acetone, acetaldehyde, and acetonitrile, respectively. The detection limits for acetone, acetaldehyde, and acetonitrile were 0.001 ppb, 0.18 ppm, and 0.22 ppb, respectively. As a practical application, the method was applied for the determination of acetone, acetaldehyde, and acetonitrile in human breath matrix. Therefore, the proposed method was found to be effective and simple enough to be strongly recommended for real sample analysis.