Silver Nanoparticle Surface Chemistry Determines Interactions with Human Serum Albumin and Cytotoxic Responses in Human Liver Cells

Silver nanoparticles in plant health: Physiological response to phytotoxicity and oxidative stress

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have gained significant attention in various fields due to their unique properties, but their release into the environment has raised concerns about their environmental and biological impacts. Silver nanoparticles can enter plants following their exposure to roots or via stomata following foliar exposure. Upon penetrating the plant cells, AgNPs interact with cellular components and alter physiological and biochemical processes. One of the key concerns associated with plant exposure to AgNPs is the potential of these materials to induce oxidative stress. Silver nanoparticles can also suppress plant growth and development by disrupting essential plant physiological processes, such as photosynthesis, nutrient uptake, water transport, and hormonal regulation. In crop plants, these disruptions may, in turn, affect the productivity and quality of the harvested components and therefore represent a potential threat to agricultural productivity and ecosystem stability. Understanding the phytotoxic effects of AgNPs is crucial for assessing their environmental implications and guiding the development of safe nanomaterials. By delving into the phytotoxic effects of AgNPs, this review contributes to the existing knowledge regarding their environmental risks and promotes the advancement of sustainable nanotechnological practices.

Antimicrobial activity of metal-based nanoparticles: a mini-review

The resistance of pathogenic microorganisms to antibiotics is one of the main problems of world health. Of particular concern are multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. Infections caused by these microorganisms affect the appearance of acute or chronic diseases. In this regard, modern technologies, such as nanomaterials (NMs), especially promising nanoparticles (NPs), can possess antimicrobial properties or improve the effectiveness and delivery of known antibiotics. Their diversity and characteristics, combined with surface functionalization, enable multivalent interactions with microbial biomolecules. This article presents an overview of the most current research on replacing antibiotics with NPs, including the prospects and risks involved.

Understanding the Interaction Mechanism between the Epinephrine Neurotransmitter and Small Gold Nanoclusters (Aun; n = 6, 8, and 10): A Computational Insight

In this study, the interaction between the neurotransmitter epinephrine and small gold nanoclusters (AunNCs) with n = 6, 8, and 10 is described by density functional theory calculations. The interaction of Au6, Au8, and Au10 nanoclusters with epinephrine is governed by Au-X (X = N and O) anchoring bonding and Au···H-X conventional hydrogen bonding. The interaction mechanism of epinephrine with gold nanoclusters is investigated in terms of electronic energy and geometrical properties. The adsorption energy values for the most favorable configurations of Au6NC@epinephrine, Au8NC@epinephrine, and Au10NC@epinephrine were calculated to be -17.45, -17.86, and -16.07 kcal/mol, respectively, in the gas phase. The results indicate a significant interaction of epinephrine with AunNCs and point to the application of the biomolecular complex AunNC@epinephrine in the fields of biosensing, drug delivery, bioimaging, and other applications. In addition, some important electronic properties, namely, the energy gap between HOMO and LUMO, the Fermi level, and the work function, were computed. The effect of aqueous media on adsorption energy and electronic parameters for the most favorable configurations was also studied to explore the influence of physical biological conditions.

In silico investigation on interaction of small Ag6 nano-particle cluster with tyramine neurotransmitter

The interaction of tyramine neurotransmitter with silver nano-particle (Ag6) cluster is explored in terms of the molecular structure, electronic properties and NBO analysis of tyramine-AgNPs bio-molecular conjugate. The adsorption mechanism of tyramine onto the Ag6 cluster has been investigated through computing of the electronic and geometrical properties in addition to the adsorption energies in various possible configurations. The magnitude of adsorption energy corresponding to the most favorable tyramine-Ag6 bio-molecular conjugate has been computed to be - 14.36 kcal/mol in the gas phase, which infers a good adsorption of tyramine with AgNPs cluster suggesting the practical applications of tyramine-AgNPs bio-molecular conjugates in bio-sensing, drug delivery, bio-imaging and other applications. Different electronic properties such as the energy gap of HOMO-LUMO, Fermi level and work function have been investigated in detail. Moreover, the effect of aqueous media on adsorption energy and electronic properties of the most favorable tyramine-AgNPs bio-molecular conjugate is investigated in order to understand the impact of the real biological situation.

Biosynthesis and Characterization of Silver Nanoparticles Using Tribulus terrestris Seeds: Revealed Promising Antidiabetic Potentials

Green synthesis is the most effective and environmentally friendly way to produce nanoparticles. The present research aimed at the biosynthesizing of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using Tribulus terrestris seed extract as the reducing and stabilizing agent and investigating their anti-diabetic properties. Fourier transformation infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV-Vis spectroscopy were used to analyze the synthesized silver nanoparticles from Tribulus terrestris (TT-AgNPs). The spectroscopic characterization revealed a surface Plasmon resonance band at 380 nm, which verified the development of TT-AgNPs. The transmittance peaks were observed at 596, 1450, 1631, 2856, 2921, and 3422 cm^-1 through the FTIR spectrophotometer. The XRD spectrum showed four distinct diffraction peaks in the 2θ range at 20° to 60°. Intense peaks were at 26.32°, 30.70°, 44.70°, 56.07°, 53.75°, 66.28°, and 75.32°. The SEM analysis revealed that the prepared TT-AgNPs were clustered loosely with a smooth and spherical structure and were of relatively uniform size. The in vitro antidiabetic potential of TT-AgNPs was assessed by using glucose yeast uptake, glucose adsorption, and alpha-amylase assays. TT-AgNPs showed the highest activity (78.45 ± 0.84%) of glucose uptake by yeast at 80 µg/mL. In the glucose adsorption assay, the highest activity of TT-AgNPs was 10.40 ± 0.52% at 30 mM, while in the alpha-amylase assay, TT-AgNPs exhibited the maximum activity of 75.68 ± 0.11% at 100 µg/mL. The results indicate a substantial anti-diabetic effect of the TT-AgNPs. Furthermore, the in vivo antidiabetic study was performed on TT-AgNPs in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. After receiving TT-AgNPs treatment for 30 days, the mice were sacrificed for biochemical and histological analyses of pancreatic and liver samples, which demonstrated a good improvement when compared to the control group. Mice treated with TT-AgNPs showed a significant drop in blood sugar levels, showing that the biosynthesized TT-AgNPs have effective anti-diabetic properties.