Polyethyleneimine-oleic acid micelle-stabilized gold nanoparticles for reduction of 4-nitrophenol with enhanced performance

Gene Transfection Efficiency Improvement with Lipid Conjugated Cationic Carbon Dots

An ideal vehicle with a high transfection efficiency is crucial for gene delivery. In this study, a type of cationic carbon dot (CCD) known as APCDs were first prepared with arginine (Arg) and pentaethylenehexamine (PEHA) as precursors and conjugated with oleic acid (OA) for gene delivery. By tuning the mass ratio of APCDs to OA, APCDs-OA conjugates, namely, APCDs-0.5OA, APCDs-1.0OA, and APCDs-1.5OA were synthesized. All three amphiphilic APCDs-OA conjugates show high affinity to DNA through electrostatic interactions. APCDs-0.5OA exhibit strong binding with small interfering RNA (siRNA). After being internalized by Human Embryonic Kidney (HEK 293) and osteosarcoma (U2OS) cells, they could distribute in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus. With APCDs-OA conjugates as gene delivery vehicles, plasmid DNA (pDNA) that encodes the gene for the green fluorescence protein (GFP) can be successfully delivered in both HEK 293 and U2OS cells. The GFP expression levels mediated by APCDs-0.5OA and APCDs-1.0OA are ten times greater than that of PEI in HEK 293 cells. Furthermore, APCDs-0.5OA show prominent siRNA transfection efficiency, which is proven by the significantly downregulated expression of FANCA and FANCD2 proteins upon delivery of FANCA siRNA and FANCD2 siRNA into U2OS cells. In conclusion, our work demonstrates that conjugation of CCDs with a lipid structure such as OA significantly improves the gene transfection efficiency, providing a new idea about the designation of nonviral carriers in gene delivery systems.

Hybrid Lipid Nanocapsules: A Robust Platform for mRNA Delivery

The success of the mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 has garnered significant interest in the development of mRNA therapeutics against other diseases, but there remains a strong need for a stable and versatile delivery platform for these therapeutics. In this study, we report on a family of robust hybrid lipid nanocapsules (hLNCs) for the delivery of mRNA. The hLNCs are composed of kolliphore HS15, labrafac lipophile WL1349, 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DOPE), and a conjugate of oleic acid (OA) and polyethylenimines of varying size (PEI─0.8, 1.8, and 25 kDa). They are prepared by a solvent-free, temperature-phase inversion method, yielding an average size of ∼40 nm and a particle distribution index (PDI) < 0.2. We demonstrate that the PDI remains <0.2 over a wide pH range and in a wide range of medium. We further show that the PDI and the functionality of mRNA condensed on the particles are robust to drying in a sugar glass and subsequent rehydration. Finally, we demonstrate that mRNA-loaded hLNCs yield reasonable transfection in vitro and in vivo settings.

Polyethyleneimine-Oleic Acid Micelles-Stabilized Palladium Nanoparticles as Highly Efficient Catalyst to Treat Pollutants with Enhanced Performance

Water soluble organic molecular pollution endangers human life and health. It becomes necessary to develop highly stable noble metal nanoparticles without aggregation in solution to improve their catalytic performance in treating pollution. Polyethyleneimine (PEI)-based stable micelles have the potential to stabilize noble metal nanoparticles due to the positive charge of PEI. In this study, we synthesized the amphiphilic PEI-oleic acid molecule by acylation reaction. Amphiphilic PEI-oleic acid assembled into stable PEI-oleic acid micelles with a hydrodynamic diameter of about 196 nm and a zeta potential of about 34 mV. The PEI-oleic acid micelles-stabilized palladium nanoparticles (PO-PdNPs_n) were prepared by the reduction of sodium tetrachloropalladate using NaBH₄ and the palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) were anchored in the hydrophilic layer of the micelles. The prepared PO-PdNPs_n had a small size for PdNPs and good stability in solution. Noteworthily, PO-PdNPs₁₅₀ had the highest catalytic activity in reducing 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) (K_nor = 18.53 s⁻¹mM⁻¹) and oxidizing morin (K_nor = 143.57 s⁻¹M⁻¹) in aqueous solution than other previous catalysts. The enhanced property was attributed to the improving the stability of PdNPs by PEI-oleic acid micelles. The method described in this report has great potential to prepare many kinds of stable noble metal nanoparticles for treating aqueous pollution.

Binding of chloroaurate to polytyrosine-PEG micelles leads to an anti-Turkevich pattern of reduction

Here we report formation of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) in micelles of polytyrosine-PEG copolymers that combine the properties of a reducer and a stabilizer. The size and properties of the GNPs were tailored by the excess chloroaurate over the copolymer. The latter quickly formed non-covalent complexes with HAuCl4 and then slowly reduced it to form GNPs. 3 Tyr residues are consumed by reduction of one mole of chloroaurate. The size of the GNPs was controlled by the [Tyr]/[Au(iii)] molar ratio. Small GNPs with D ≅ 8 nm were formed at [Tyr]/[Au(iii)] = 0.5-1.5. 90% of these small GNPs remained bound to the copolymer and could be stored in a lyophilized state. Such polypeptide-gold hybrid materials produced at [Tyr]/[Au(iii)] = 0.5 demonstrated high activity in the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol by sodium borohydride. [Tyr]/[Au(iii)] = 5 led to the formation of large nanoplates (D ≅ 30-60 nm). Thus, in the polymer-based system the GNP size grew in line with the excess of the reducing agent in contrast to Turkevich synthesis of GNPs with citric acid, which also combines the functions of a stabilizer and a reducer. The difference results from the reduction of HAuCl4 in solution according to the Turkevich method and in the micelles of the amphiphilic polymer where the seed growth is limited by the amount of neighboring reducer.

Polyethyleneimine-Stabilized Platinum Nanoparticles as Peroxidase Mimic for Colorimetric Detection of Glucose

Colorimetric detection of glucose using enzyme-mimic nanoparticles (NPs) has been drawing great attention. However, many NPs lack good stability in solution, which results in reduced color change of substrates in colorimetric detection. Liner soluble macromolecules with high cationic density may be suitable candidates for the stabilization of NPs. Herein, we prepared polyethyleneimine-stabilized platinum NPs (Pt n -PEI NPs) for colorimetric detection of glucose. The platinum NPs (Pt NPs) used in this system had small size (from 3.21 to 3.70 nm) and narrow size distribution. Pt50-PEI NPs had high stability within one week with a hydrodynamic size of ∼25 nm and slightly positive zeta potential. Pt50-PEI NPs-catalyzed oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of H2O2, generating blue oxidized TMB (oxTMB), which indicated the peroxidase-like property of Pt50-PEI NPs. The optimal condition for this reaction was pH = 4.0 at 30 °C. More importantly, Pt50-PEI NPs were successfully used to detect glucose concentration by a colorimetric method with high selectivity. The established method had a linear concentration range from 10 to 5000 μM with a detection limit of 4.2 μM. For example, the concentration of glucose in saliva was tested to be 0.15 mM using our method. The high stability of Pt50-PEI NPs enhanced the high accessibility of the active center of Pt NPs for substrates and consequent excellent catalytic property. This established method has great potential to be used in various applications for glucose detection in the future.

Ginkgo biloba leaf polysaccharide stabilized palladium nanoparticles with enhanced peroxidase-like property for the colorimetric detection of glucose

Sensitive glucose detection based on nanoparticles is good for the prevention of illness in our bodies. However, many nanoparticles lack stability and biocompatibility, which restrict their sensitivity to glucose detection. Herein, stable and biocompatible Ginkgo biloba leaf polysaccharide (GBLP) stabilized palladium nanoparticles (Pd n -GBLP NPs) were prepared through a green method where GBLP was used as a reducing and stabilizing agent. The results of Pd n -GBLP NPs characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) confirmed the successful preparation of Pd n -GBLP NPs. TEM results indicated that the sizes of Pd NPs inside of Pd n -GBLP NPs (n = 41, 68, 91 and 137) were 7.61, 9.62, 11.10 and 13.13 nm, respectively. XPS confirmed the successful reduction of PdCl4 2- into Pd (0). Dynamic light scattering (DLS) results demonstrated the long-term stability of Pd n -GBLP NPs in different buffer solutions. Furthermore, Pd91-GBLP NPs were highly biocompatible after incubation (500 μg mL-1) with HeLa cells for 24 h. More importantly, Pd91-GBLP NPs had peroxidase-like properties and followed a ping-pong mechanism. The catalytic oxidation of substrate 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) into blue oxidized TMB (oxTMB) by Pd91-GBLP NPs was used to detect the glucose concentration. This colorimetric method had high selectivity, wide linear range from 2.5 to 700 μM and a low detection limit of 1 μM. This method also showed good accuracy for the detection of glucose concentrations in blood. The established method has great potential in biomedical detection in the future.

Ultra-small and biocompatible platinum nanoclusters with peroxidase-like activity for facile glucose detection in real samples

The highly sensitive glucose detection based on the peroxidase-like properties of nanoclusters has been gained great interest. In this work, Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae polysaccharide (PCRP) stabilized platinum nanoclusters (Pt-PCRP NCs) were prepared by a green method in which potassium tetrachloroplatinate and PCRP were simply mixed without addition of other agents. Platinum nanoclusters (Pt NCs) had ultra-small size of 1.26 ± 0.34 nm. The hydrodynamic size of Pt-PCRP NCs was 29.7 nm, and zeta potential of which was -12.0 mV. Pt-PCRP NCs showed high biocompatibility toward HeLa cells and red blood cells. In addition, Pt-PCRP NCs catalyzed the decomposition of H₂O₂ to produce •OH, which further oxidized colorless 3,3'5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to blue oxidized 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (oxTMB), exhibiting peroxidase-like property. The kinetics followed the Michaelis-Menten equation. More importantly, the colorimetric method for glucose detection using Pt-PCRP NCs had high selectivity and low detection limit for 0.38 μM. The established method based on Pt-PCRP NCs was used to precisely detect glucose detection in human serum, saliva, and sweat. Taken together, the prepared ultra-small and biocompatible Pt-PCRP NCs have good potential glucose applications in clinical diagnosis in the future.

Green synthesis of palladium nanoparticles using lentinan for catalytic activity and biological applications

The green synthesis of palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) for catalysis and biological applications has been gaining great interest. To replace complex plant extracts, lentinan (LNT) may be a good reducing and stabilizing agent. In this work, a simple and green method using LNT to reduce and stabilize palladium Pd NPs was verified. The resulting LNT stabilized palladium nanoparticles (Pd_n-LNT NPs) were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, DLS, TEM, and XPS. The results indicated that Pd NPs inside of Pd_n-LNT NPs had a small size (2.35–3.32 nm). Pd_n-LNT NPs were stable in solution for 7 days. In addition, Pd_n-LNT NPs had higher catalytic activity towards the reduction of 4-nitrophenol than other catalysts. More importantly, Pd_n-LNT NPs had negligible cytotoxicity towards cells and showed good antioxidant activity. Taken together, the prepared Pd_n-LNT NPs have great potential bio-related applications.

Lentinan stabilized palladium nanoparticles had high catalytic activity, negligible cytotoxicity and good antioxidant activity.

Biocompatible Dendrimer-Encapsulated Palladium Nanoparticles for Oxidation of Morin

Development of highly efficient catalysts to expedite the degradation of organic dyes has been drawing great attention. The aggregation of catalysts reduces the accessibility of catalytic centers for organic dyes and therefore decreases their catalytic ability. Herein, we report a facile method to prepare highly biocompatible and stable dendrimer-encapsulated palladium nanoparticles (Pd n -G5MCI NPs), which exhibit high catalytic efficiency for oxidation of morin. The biocompatible dendrimers were prepared via surface modification of G5 polyamidoamine (G5 PAMAM) dendrimers using maleic anhydride and l-cysteine. Then, they were incubated with disodium tetrachloropalladate, followed by reduction using sodium borohydride to generate Pd n -G5MCI NPs. Transmission electron microscopy results demonstrated that palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) inside Pd n -G5MCI had small diameters (1.77-2.35 nm) and monodisperse states. Dynamic light scattering results confirmed that Pd n -G5MCI NPs had good dispersion and high stability in water. Furthermore, MTT results demonstrated that Pd n -G5MCI NPs had high biocompatibility. More importantly, Pd n -G5MCI NPs successfully catalyzed the decomposition of H2O2 to the hydroxyl radical (•OH), and the generated •OH quickly oxidized morin. This reaction kinetics followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. Apparent rate constant (k app) is an important criterion for evaluating the catalytic rate. The concentrations of Pd n -G5MCI NPs and H2O2 were positively correlated with k app, whereas the correlation between the concentration of morin and k app was negative. The prepared Pd n -G5MCI NPs have great potential to catalyze the degradation of organic dyes in bio-related systems in the future.