A Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and Nano-Al2O3 Based Composite Coating with a Bacteriostatic Effect against E. coli and Low Cytotoxicity

The Influence of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and Salt Stress on the Morphological and Some Biochemical Characteristics of Solanum lycopersicum L. Plants

Salinity reduces crop yields and quality, causing global economic losses. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) improve plant physiological and metabolic processes and abiotic stress resistance. This study examined the effects of foliar ZnO-NPs at 75 and 150 mg/L on tomato Kecskeméti 549 plants to alleviate salt stress caused by 150 mM NaCl. The precipitation procedure produced ZnO-NPs that were characterized using UV-VIS, TEM, STEM, DLS, EDAX, Zeta potential, and FTIR. The study assessed TPCs, TFCs, total hydrolyzable sugars, total free amino acids, protein, proline, H2O2, and MDA along with plant height, stem width, leaf area, and SPAD values. The polyphenolic burden was also measured by HPLC. With salt stress, plant growth and chlorophyll content decreased significantly. The growth and development of tomato plants changed by applying the ZnO-NPs. Dosages of ZnO-NPs had a significant effect across treatments. ZnO-NPs also increased chlorophyll, reduced stress markers, and released phenolic chemicals and proteins in the leaves of tomatoes. ZnO-NPs reduce salt stress by promoting the uptake of minerals. ZnO-NPs had beneficial effects on tomato plants when subjected to salt stress, making them an alternate technique to boost resilience in saline soils or low-quality irrigation water. This study examined how foliar application of chemically synthesized ZnO-NPs to the leaves affected biochemistry, morphology, and phenolic compound synthesis with and without NaCl.

A review on metal/metal oxide nanoparticles in food processing and packaging

Consuming hygienic and secure food has become challenging for everyone. The preservation of excess food without negatively affecting its nutritional values, shelf life, freshness, or effectiveness would undoubtedly strengthen the food industry. Nanotechnology is a new and intriguing technology that is currently being implemented in the food industry. Metal-based nanomaterials have considerable potential for use in packaging and food processing. These materials have many advanced physical and chemical characteristics. Since these materials are increasingly being used in food applications, there are certain negative health consequences related to their toxicity when swallowed through food. In this article, we have addressed the introduction and applications of metal/metal oxide nanoparticles (MNPs), food processing and food packaging, applications of MNPs-based materials in food processing and food packaging, health hazards, and future perspectives.

A Review of the Antibacterial, Fungicidal and Antiviral Properties of Selenium Nanoparticles

The resistance of microorganisms to antimicrobial drugs is an important problem worldwide. To solve this problem, active searches for antimicrobial components, approaches and therapies are being carried out. Selenium nanoparticles have high potential for antimicrobial activity. The relevance of their application is indisputable, which can be noted due to the significant increase in publications on the topic over the past decade. This review of research publications aims to provide the reader with up-to-date information on the antimicrobial properties of selenium nanoparticles, including susceptible microorganisms, the mechanisms of action of nanoparticles on bacteria and the effect of nanoparticle properties on their antimicrobial activity. This review describes the most complete information on the antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal effects of selenium nanoparticles.

Investigation of Aggregation and Disaggregation of Self-Assembling Nano-Sized Clusters Consisting of Individual Iron Oxide Nanoparticles upon Interaction with HEWL Protein Molecules

In this paper, iron oxide nanoparticles coated with trisodium citrate were obtained. Nanoparticles self-assembling stable clusters were ~10 and 50-80 nm in size, consisting of NPs 3 nm in size. The stability was controlled by using multi-angle dynamic light scattering and the zeta potential, which was -32 ± 2 mV. Clusters from TSC-IONPs can be destroyed when interacting with a hen egg-white lysozyme. After the destruction of the nanoparticles and proteins, aggregates are formed quickly, within 5-10 min. Their sizes depend on the concentration of the lysozyme and nanoparticles and can reach micron sizes. It is shown that individual protein molecules can be isolated from the formed aggregates under shaking. Such aggregation was observed by several methods: multi-angle dynamic light scattering, optical absorption, fluorescence spectroscopy, TEM, and optical microscopy. It is important to note that the concentrations of NPs at which the protein aggregation took place were also toxic to cells. There was a sharp decrease in the survival of mouse fibroblasts (Fe concentration ~75-100 μM), while the ratio of apoptotic to all dead cells increased. Additionally, at low concentrations of NPs, an increase in cell size was observed.