Bioinspired gold nanoparticles decorated reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite using Syzygium cumini seed extract: Evaluation of its biological applications

Enhancing Photothermal Therapy Against Breast Cancer Cells by Modulating the End Point of Gold Shell-Isolated Nanoparticles Using Nanostraw-Assisted Injection

Gold shell-isolated nanoparticles (AuSHINs) are promising photothermal therapy (PTT) agents for cancer treatment due to their excellent photoconversion efficiency, biocompatibility, colloidal stability, and tunable properties, including size, shape, and surface functionalization. However, their therapeutic efficacy in in vitro assays is often limited by poor cellular uptake and lysosomal entrapment, which can result in nanoparticle degradation and a reduction in PTT effectiveness. In this study, we demonstrate that nanostraw-assisted injection enhances the PTT efficacy of AuSHINs compared to the conventional incubation method, as evaluated in human breast cancer cell lines: adenocarcinoma cells (MDA-MB-231) and glandular carcinoma cells (MCF7). This enhancement is attributed to three differences between the delivery methods: nanoparticle internalization, intracellular targeting, and the progression of cell death pathways. Nanostraw injection resulted in approximately 10-fold higher internalization of AuSHINs compared to 0.5-h incubation. Confocal fluorescence microscopy revealed that AuSHINs delivered via conventional incubation predominantly localize within lysosomes, whereas those introduced through nanostraw-assisted injection primarily targeted the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), thus avoiding lysosomal degradation. This differential targeting led to approximately a 2-fold higher reduction in the viability of photoactivated breast cancer cells treated with nanostraw-delivered AuSHINs. Furthermore, nanostraw-assisted injection accelerated the initiation of apoptosis relative to incubation. PTT-induced cell death was more pronounced in MCF7 cells compared to MDA-MB-231 cells, reflecting the higher resistance to therapy of the latter. These findings highlight the potential of nanostraw-assisted injection to enhance PTT, and we now face the challenge of integrating it into in vivo delivery strategies.

Comprehensive Review on Fruit Seeds: Nutritional, Phytochemical, Nanotechnology, Toxicity, Food Biochemistry, and Biotechnology Perspective

Fruit seeds are leftovers from a variety of culinary sectors. They are generally unutilized and contribute greatly to global disposals. These seeds not only possess various nutritional attributes but also have many heath-beneficial properties. One way to make use of these seeds is to extract their bioactive components and create fortified food items. Nowadays, researchers are highly interested in creating innovative functional meals and food components from these unconventional resources. The main objective of this manuscript was to determine the usefulness of seed powder from 70 highly consumed fruits, including Apple, Apricot, Avocado, Banana, Blackberry, Blackcurrant, Blueberry, Cherry, Common plum, Cranberry, Gooseberry, Jackfruit, Jamun, Kiwi, Lemon, Mahua, Mango, Melon, Olive, Orange, and many more have been presented. The nutritional attributes, phytochemical composition, health advantages, nanotechnology applications, and toxicity of these fruit seeds have been fully depicted. This study also goes into in-depth detailing on creating useful food items out of these seeds, such as bakery goods, milk products, cereal-based goods, and meat products. It also identifies enzymes purified from these seeds along with their biochemical applications and any research openings in this area.

Physico-chemical and MR relaxometry study of bovine serum albumin-coated magneto-plasmonic nanoparticles designed for potential use in cancer nanotheranostics

PURPOSE

In recent years, the use of nanoparticles has been developed to improve MRI contrast. To improve the contrast agents in image-guided therapy by Multifunctional nanoparticles, in this study, we synthesized a theranostic magneto-plasmonic nanocomplex based on magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and bovine serum albumin-modified gold nanorod (Au@BSA-Fe3O4@CMD). The purpose of synthesizing these nanoparticles was to use them as MRI contrast agent and photothermal agents in in vitro and in vivo experiments.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Initially, the properties of the synthesized nanoparticles were investigated by methods such as DLS, TEM, FTIR. MTT assay was used to evaluate the toxicity of nanoparticles. Finally, to evaluate the contrast ability of nanoparticles, MRI images were taken in in vitro and in vivo conditions and then the images were analyzed.

RESULTS

MTT test results on CT26 cell line showed no significant cytotoxicity for Au@BSA-Fe3O4@CMD nanoparticles at concentrations up to 20 ppm. The in vitro results demonstrated that the Au@BSA-Fe3O4@CMD nanocomplex has high T2 relaxation rate and great relaxivities (r2 = 140.14 mM-1 s-1, r1 = 2.066 mM-1 s-1, r2/r1 = 67.83). For in vivo conditions, a decrease in T2 signal of 9.64 and 11.01, respectively, was observed for intratumoral and intraperitoneal injection of nanoparticles.

CONCLUSION

These in vitro and in vivo studies show that Au @ BSA-Fe3O4@CMD nanoparticles can significantly reduce the signal intensity of T2-weight MRI images, and therefore can offer significant potential as a theranostic platform for effective tumor MR imaging.

Recent advancement of bioinspired nanomaterials and their applications: A review

With the advancement in the field of nanotechnology, different approaches for the synthesis of nanomaterials have been formulated, among which the bioinspired or biomimetic nanoplatforms have been utilized for different biomedical applications. In this context, bioinspired or biomimetic nanoparticles (NPs) have been synthesized in which the inspiration for synthesis is taken from nature or its components. Innovations in bioengineering tools and bio-conjugation chemistry have enabled scientists to develop novel types of such nanoplatforms. They have several advantages over normal synthesis protocols. In this review, we 1) summarized nanomaterial types and their advancements in bioinspired nanotechnology therapies; 2) discussed the major types, novel preparation methods, and synthesis progress of NPs in current biomedical fields; 3) gave a brief account of the need for synthesizing NPs via a bioinspired route rather than their common route; 4) highlighted the updated information on the biomimetic synthesis of different types of NPs; and 5) provided future perspectives in the synthesis of novel NPs for their potential applications in biomedical sciences.

Biologically Derived Gold Nanoparticles and Their Applications

Nanotechnology is a rapidly evolving discipline as it has a wide variety of applications in several fields. They have been synthesized in a variety of ways. Traditional processes such as chemical and physical synthesis have limits, whether in the form of chemical contamination during synthesis operations or in subsequent applications and usage of more energy. Over the last decade, research has focused on establishing easy, nontoxic, clean, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly techniques for nanoparticle production. To achieve this goal, biological synthesis was created to close this gap. Biosynthesis of nanoparticles is a one-step process, and it is ecofriendly in nature. The metabolic activities of biological agents convert dissolved metal ions into nanometals. For biosynthesis of metal nanoparticles, various biological agents like plants, fungus, and bacteria are utilized. In this review paper, the aim is to provide a summary of contemporary research on the biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles and their applications in various domains have been discussed.

A Critical Review of the Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activities of Green-Synthesized Plant-Based Metallic Nanoparticles

Metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) produced by green synthesis using plant extracts have attracted huge interest in the scientific community due to their excellent antibacterial, antifungal and antibiofilm activities. To evaluate these pharmacological properties, several methods or protocols have been successfully developed and implemented. Although these protocols were mostly inspired by the guidelines from national and international regulatory bodies, they suffer from a glaring absence of standardization of the experimental conditions. This situation leads to a lack of reproducibility and comparability of data from different study settings. To minimize these problems, guidelines for the antimicrobial and antibiofilm evaluation of MNPs should be developed by specialists in the field. Being aware of the immensity of the workload and the efforts required to achieve this, we set out to undertake a meticulous literature review of different experimental protocols and laboratory conditions used for the antimicrobial and antibiofilm evaluation of MNPs that could be used as a basis for future guidelines. This review also brings together all the discrepancies resulting from the different experimental designs and emphasizes their impact on the biological activities as well as their interpretation. Finally, the paper proposes a general overview that requires extensive experimental investigations to set the stage for the future development of effective antimicrobial MNPs using green synthesis.

Catalytic and Medical Potential of a Phyto-Functionalized Reduced Graphene Oxide-Gold Nanocomposite Using Willow-Leaved Knotgrass

In the current study, a simple, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective reduced graphene oxide-gold nanoparticle (rGO-AuNP) nanocomposite was successfully phytosynthesized using the aqueous leaf extract of a common weed found on the Nile banks, Persicaria salicifolia, for the first time. The phytosynthesis of rGO-AuNPs was first confirmed via the color transformation from brown to black as well as throughvarious techniques such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy. Two UV-vis peaks at 275 and 530 nm were observed for the nanocomposite with a typical particle size of mostly spherical AuNPs of 15-20 nm. However, other shapes were occasionally detected including rods, triangles, and rhomboids. Existing phytoconstituents such as flavonoids and glycosides in the plant extract were suggested to be responsible for the phytosynthesis of rGO-AuNPs. The excellent catalytic efficacy of rGO-AuNPs against MB degradation was confirmed, and a high antibacterial efficiency against Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia was also confirmed. Promising antioxidant performance of rGO-AuNPs was also proved. Furthermore, it was concluded that rGO-AuNPs acquired higher efficiency than AuNPs synthesized from the same plant extract in all of the studied applications.

Facile fabricating of rGO and Au/rGO nanocomposites using Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes biomass for non-invasive approach in cancer therapy

In this study, we report a facile green-synthesis route for the fabrication of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) using biomass of Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes (B. oleracea). In addition, we have attempted to provide a green synthesis approach to prepare Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) on the surface of rGO by using stem extract of B. oleracea. The synthesized Au/rGO nanocomposite was evaluated using UV-visible and FTIR spectroscopy, XRD, Raman, FE-SEM, EDX, AFM and DLS techniques. The obtained results demonstrated that the synthesized Au NPs on the surface of rGO was spherical with sizes ranging about 12-18 nm. The Au/rGO NC was, also, developed as photo-synthesizer system for the photothermal therapy (PTT) of MCF7 breast cancer cells. The near-infrared (NIR) photothermal properties of Au/rGO NCs was evaluated using a continuous laser at 808 nm with power densities of 1 W.cm-2. Their photothermal efficacy on MCF7 breast cancer cells after optimizing the proper concentration of the NCs were evaluated by MTT assay, Cell cycle and DAPI staining. In addition, the potential of the synthesized Au/rGO NCs on reactive oxygen species generating and antioxidant activity were assessed by DPPH. Au/rGO NCs possess high capacity to light-to-heat conversion for absorption in range NIR light, and it is able to therapeutic effects on MCF7 cells at a low concentration. The maximum amount of cell death is 40.12% which was observed in treatment groups that received a combination of Au/rGO NCs and laser irradiation. The results demonstrate that the nanomaterials synthesized by green approach lead to efficient destruction of cancer cell and might thus serve as an excellent theranostic agent in Photothermal therapy applications.

Metal/metal oxide nanocomposites for bactericidal effect: A review

Many microbial species causing infectious disease all over the world became a social burden and creating threat among community. These microbes possess long lifetime, enhancing mortality and morbidity rate in affected organisms. In this condition, the treatment was ineffective and more chances of spreading of infection into other organisms. Hence, it is necessary to initiate infection control efforts and prevention activities against multidrug resistant microbes, to reduce the death rate of people. Seriously concerning towards this problem progress was shown in developing significant drugs with least side effects. Emergence of nanoparticles and its novelty showed effective role in targeting and destructing microbes well. Further, many research works have shown nanocomposites developed from nanoparticles coupled with other nanoparticles, polymers, carbon material acted as an exotic substance against microbes causing severe loss. However, metal and metal oxide nanocomposites have gained interest due to its small size and enhancing the surface contact with bacteria, producing damage to it. The bactericidal mechanism of metal and metal oxide nanocomposites involve in the production of reactive oxygen species which includes superoxide radical anions, hydrogen peroxide anions and hydrogen peroxide which interact with the cell wall of bacteria causing damage to the cell membrane in turn inhibiting the further growth of cell with leakage of internal cellular components, leading to death of bacteria. This review provides the detailed view on antibacterial activity of metal and metal oxide nanocomposite which possessed novelty due to its physiochemical changes.

Facile synthesis of reduced graphene oxide using Acalypha indica and Raphanus sativus extracts and their in vitro cytotoxicity activity against human breast (MCF-7) and lung (A549) cancer cell lines

In the present study, an eco-friendly approach is adapted for the synthesis of reduced graphene oxide (rGO's) by a simple hydrothermal reaction using two plant extracts namely Acalypha indica and Raphanus sativus. After the hydrothermal reaction, GO turns into a black color from brown color, which indicates the successful reduction of graphene oxide. Further, various characterization techniques such as UV-Vis spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray diffraction is used to confirm the physicochemical properties of synthesized rGO's. Raman analysis confirms the reduction of GO by noticing an increase in the I_D/I_G ratio significantly. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy clearly show the morphology and crystalline nature of rGO's. FT-IR spectrum confirms that the bioactive molecules of the plant extract (i.e. polyphenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, etc.) playing a key role in the elimination of oxygen groups from the GO surface. Further, the synthesized rGO's are tested for their potential against human lung and breast cancer cell lines. A significant cancer cell inhibition activity is obtained even in the less concentration of rGO's with IC₅₀ values for lung cancer cell lines are 38.46 µg/mL and 26.69 µg/mL for AIrGO and RSrGO, respectively. Similarly, IC₅₀ values for breast cancer cell lines are 35.97 µg/mL and 33.22 µg/mL for AIrGO and RSrGO, respectively.

Theranostic Nanoplatforms of Thiolated Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanosheets and Gold Nanoparticles

In this study, graphene oxide (GO) and reduced-thiolated GO (rGOSH) were used as 2D substrate to fabricate nanocomposites with nanoparticles of gold nanospheres (AuNS) or nanorods (AuNR), via in situ reduction of the metal salt precursor and seed-mediated growth processes. The plasmonic sensing capability of the gold-decorated nanosheets were scrutinized by UV-visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopy. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were performed in order to prove the actual reduction that occurred concomitantly with the thiolation of GO, the increase in the hydrophobic character as well as the size, and preferential gathering of the gold nanoparticles onto the nanosheet substrates, respectively. Moreover, the theoretical electronic and infrared absorption (UV-VIS and IR) spectra were calculated within a time-dependent approach of density functional theory (DFT). Eventually, in vitro cellular experiments on human neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y line) were carried out in order to evaluate the nanotoxicity of the nanocomposites by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide tetrazolium reduction (MTT) colorimetric assay. Results pointed out the promising potential of these hybrids as plasmonic theranostic platforms with different hydrophilic or hydrophobic features as well as cytotoxic effects against cancer cells.

Reactive Oxygen Species-Related Nanoparticle Toxicity in the Biomedical Field

The unique physicochemical characteristics of nanoparticles have recently gained increasing attention in a diverse set of applications, particularly in the biomedical field. However, concerns about the potential toxicological effects of nanoparticles remain, as they have a higher tendency to generate excessive amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Due to the strong oxidation potential, the excess ROS induced by nanoparticles can result in the damage of biomolecules and organelle structures and lead to protein oxidative carbonylation, lipid peroxidation, DNA/RNA breakage, and membrane structure destruction, which further cause necrosis, apoptosis, or even mutagenesis. This review aims to give a summary of the mechanisms and responsible for ROS generation by nanoparticles at the cellular level and provide insights into the mechanics of ROS-mediated biotoxicity. We summarize the literature on nanoparticle toxicity and suggest strategies to optimize nanoparticles for biomedical applications.

Biogenic Ceria Nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs) for Effective Photocatalytic and Cytotoxic Activity

Ceria nanoparticles (CeO₂ NPs) are generally considered in various functional applications, such as catalysts in fuel cells, sensors, and antioxidant and oxidase-like enzymes in the biological environment. The CeO₂ NPs were synthesized using the E. globulus leaf extract-mediated hydrothermal technique. The synthesized NPs were characterized by various analytical instruments including powder X-ray diffractometer (PXRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis. The XRD results showed an average NPs sizes of 13.7 nm. Cytotoxic study results showed an IC₅₀ value of 45.5 µg/L for A549 and 58.2 µg/L for HCT 116, indicating that CeO₂ NPs are more toxic to A549 compared to HCT116 cell lines. The generation of ROS was responsible for its cytotoxic activity against cancer cell lines. Specific surface area (40.96 m²/g) and pore diameter (7.8 nm) were measured using Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms. CeO₂ NPs with a high surface area were used as photocatalyst in degrading sunset yellow (SY) dye under UV-irradiation and 97.3% of the dye was degraded within 90 min. These results suggest that the synthesized CeO₂ NPs could be used as a good photocatalyst as well as a cytotoxic agent against human cancer cell lines.

Self-assembling of graphene oxide on carbon quantum dot loaded liposomes

This paper describes the design of stimuli-sensitive theranostic nanoparticles, composed of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) self-assembled on thermosensitive liposomes encapsulated doxorubicin (DOX) and carbon quantum dot (CQD) (CQD-DOX-rGO-Tlip). The rGO-Tlip particles have been observed to be flower-shaped objects. The thermoresponsive and theranostic potential of CQD-DOX-rGO-Tlips have been studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), ultraviolet visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescent assays. The chemo-photothermal potential of rGO-Tlip on MD-MB-231 cells during NIR laser irradiation has been examined using MTT assay. Also, the ability of rGO-Tlip to be taken up by MD-MB-231 cells has been studied using confocal microscopy and flowcytometry. The results indicate that CQD-DOX-rGO-Tlips achieve a synergistic effect between photothermal therapy and chemotherapy for cancer treatment. Furthermore, online monitoring drug release is accomplished by studying the emission intensity of CQD while DOX released.

Chemical fabrication of graphene oxide nanosheets attenuates biofilm formation of human clinical pathogens

Graphene oxide (GO) has been recently attracted considerable interest for its potential applications in physical, chemical and biological properties. In the present study, the GO nanosheets were prepared by a chemical exfoliation technique using a modified Hummers method. Initially, the prepared GO nanosheets were confirmed by UV-vis spectroscopy and further characterized by FE-SEM, Edax, HR-TEM and SAED that demonstrated the formation of GO nanosheets with few layers flat sheet structure with hexagonal lattice crystalline nature. The FTIR spectra revealed the presence of various oxygen containing functional groups has been produced from graphite plane by exfoliation technique. The prepared GO nanosheets showed excellent antibiotic resistant activity against planktonic bacteria and more effective to damage the established biofilms and inhibits the biofilm formation of human clinical pathogens like E. coli and P. aeruginosa. Further, the GO nanosheets were found to be non-toxic to normal mammalian cells and there are no apparent morphological changes were observed in control and treated cells. In conclusion, GO nanosheets were effectively preventing the formation of biofilms and kills the represent bacteria that suggested the GO nanosheets could be used for the prevention and treatment of biofilm-related infections.