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1.
Considering the Effects of Microbiome and Diet on SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Nanotechnology Roles.
Kalantar-Zadeh, K, Ward, SA, Kalantar-Zadeh, K, El-Omar, EM
ACS nano. 2020;(5):5179-5182
Abstract
The impact of dietary patterns and the commensal microbiome on susceptibility to and severity of infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus has been largely ignored to date. In this Perspective, we present a rationale for an urgent need to investigate this possible impact and therapeutic options for COVID-19 based on dietary and microbiome modifications. The mitigating role of nanotechnology with relation to the impact of SARS-CoV-2 virus is highlighted.
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2.
Probing the Electron Transfer between iLOV Protein and Ag Nanoparticles.
Ran, X, Zhang, Q, Zhang, Y, Chen, J, Wei, Z, He, Y, Guo, L
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). 2020;(11)
Abstract
Nanomaterials have been widely used in biomedical sciences; however, the mechanism of interaction between nanoparticles and biomolecules is still not fully understood. In the present study, we report the interaction mechanism between differently sized Ag nanoparticles and the improved light-oxygen-voltage (iLOV) protein. The steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence results demonstrated that the fluorescence intensity and lifetime of the iLOV protein decreased upon its adsorption onto Ag nanoparticles, and this decrease was dependent upon nanoparticle size. Further, we showed that the decrease of fluorescence intensity and lifetime arose from electron transfer between iLOV and Ag nanoparticles. Moreover, through point mutation and controlled experimentation, we demonstrated for the first time that electron transfer between iLOV and Ag nanoparticles is mediated by the tryptophan residue in the iLOV protein. These results are of great importance in revealing the function of iLOV protein as it applies to biomolecular sensors, the field of nano-photonics, and the interaction mechanism between the protein and nanoparticles.
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3.
Independent Tuning of Nano-Ligand Frequency and Sequences Regulates the Adhesion and Differentiation of Stem Cells.
Min, S, Jeon, YS, Jung, HJ, Khatua, C, Li, N, Bae, G, Choi, H, Hong, H, Shin, JE, Ko, MJ, et al
Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.). 2020;(40):e2004300
Abstract
The native extracellular matrix (ECM) can exhibit heterogeneous nano-sequences periodically displaying ligands to regulate complex cell-material interactions in vivo. Herein, an ECM-emulating heterogeneous barcoding system, including ligand-bearing Au and ligand-free Fe nano-segments, is developed to independently present tunable frequency and sequences in nano-segments of cell-adhesive RGD ligand. Specifically, similar exposed surface areas of total Fe and Au nano-segments are designed. Fe segments are used for substrate coupling of nanobarcodes and as ligand-free nano-segments and Au segments for ligand coating while maintaining both nanoscale (local) and macroscale (total) ligand density constant in all groups. Low nano-ligand frequency in the same sequences and terminally sequenced nano-ligands at the same frequency independently facilitate focal adhesion and mechanosensing of stem cells, which are collectively effective both in vitro and in vivo, thereby inducing stem cell differentiation. The Fe/RGD-Au nanobarcode implants exhibit high stability and no local and systemic toxicity in various tissues and organs in vivo. This work sheds novel insight into designing biomaterials with heterogeneous nano-ligand sequences at terminal sides and/or low frequency to facilitate cellular adhesion. Tuning the electrodeposition conditions can allow synthesis of unlimited combinations of ligand nano-sequences and frequencies, magnetic elements, and bioactive ligands to remotely regulate numerous host cells in vivo.
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4.
A review on ameliorative green nanotechnological approaches in diabetes management.
Bhardwaj, M, Yadav, P, Dalal, S, Kataria, SK
Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie. 2020;:110198
Abstract
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder which results in increase of blood glucose level mainly due to insufficient insulin secretion or body fails to respond to secreted insulin from pancreatic cells. Diabetes is mainly the third cause of death worldwide after cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Nanotechnology is an emerging area in pharmaceutical sciences as nanoparticles are reported to increase the efficacy of drugs derived from plant resources by their target specific activity. The nanomaterials synthesized from plant resources have regulatory potential in control of certain diseases with minimum or no side effects. The review focuses on the reported antidiabetic potential of different metallic and other nanoparticles mainly silver, zinc oxide, gold, copper, selenium, chitosan and iron oxide, synthesized using different plant resources as various secondary metabolites like saponins, flavonoids, steroids, alkaloids, tannins. The green nanotechnological approach reported their antibiabetic potential as magic molecules in understanding various therapeutic processes and manipulated significantly regulatory mechanism/s pertaining to management of diabetes through pancreatic α-amylase, intestinal α-glucosidase, insulin action, glucose uptake in different in vivo and in vitro systems. The additional inputs of nanotechnological approaches regarding further exploration of herbal chemical potential may lead to consideration of certain novel magic drug molecules and may act as an advantage in management of diabetes for betterment of mankind.
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5.
Relevance of Nanotechnology in Solving Oral Drug Delivery Challenges: A Perspective Review.
Dhadde, SB, Patil, JS, Chandakavathe, BN, Thippeswamy, BS, Kavatekar, MG
Critical reviews in therapeutic drug carrier systems. 2020;(5):407-434
Abstract
Nanotechnology is opening up new opportunities in drug delivery, including oral delivery, and it may reduce toxicity and increase drug ability. Presently, researchers are expanding their knowledge in the development of oral nanomedicine to extend the scope of oral drug delivery and exhibit excellent platforms for drug transportation, target, and controlled release. The present review is an attempt to define updated oral nanostructured systems for the delivery of a wide range of drugs. The review also focuses on the use of different polymeric and other materials, technologies adopted, and benefits/drawbacks of delivery systems.
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6.
Nano-enabled personalized nutrition: Developing multicomponent-bioactive colloidal delivery systems.
McClements, DJ
Advances in colloid and interface science. 2020;:102211
Abstract
There is growing interest in the production of foods and beverages with nutrient and nutraceutical profiles tailored to an individual's specific nutritional requirements. In principle, these personalized nutrition products are formulated based on the genetics, epigenetics, metabolism, microbiome, phenotype, lifestyle, age, gender, and health status of a person. A challenge in this area is to create customized functional food and beverage products that contain the required combination of bioactive agents, such as lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, nutraceuticals, prebiotics and probiotics. Nanotechnology may facilitate the development of these kind of products since it can be used to encapsulate one or more bioactive agent in a single colloidal delivery system. This delivery system may contain one or more different kinds of colloidal particle, specifically designed to protect each nutrient in the food, but then deliver it in a bioavailable form after ingestion. This review article provides an overview of the different kinds of bioactives that need to be delivered, as well as some of the challenges associated with incorporating them into functional foods and beverages. It then highlights how nanotech-enabled colloidal delivery systems can be developed to encapsulate multiple bioactive agents in a form suitable for functional food applications, particularly in the personalized nutrition field.
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7.
Nanomaterials: new weapons in a crusade against phytopathogens.
Rajwade, JM, Chikte, RG, Paknikar, KM
Applied microbiology and biotechnology. 2020;(4):1437-1461
Abstract
Bacteria, fungi, viruses, and nematodes are the major causal agents of plant diseases. These phytopathogens are responsible for about 10-40% losses in productivity and quality of food crops and horticultural produce. Although eradication of pathogens is not possible, control of plant diseases has been an area of continuous improvement/research. Use of antimicrobials, bacteriophages, and biocontrol agents, natural and synthetic agrochemicals along with best farm management practices constitute integrated measures for disease control. However, the quest for new materials continues due to pesticide resistance in the pathogens, emergence of new serotypes, and accumulation of high quantities of agrochemical contaminants in the ecosystem and associated environmental hazards, specificity of biocontrol agents, succession of pathogens during the plant growth phase, etc. The emergence of "nanotechnology," a multidisciplinary field of research, has provided a plethora of nanomaterials for potential applications in the agricultural sector. Control of plant diseases requires agents that reduce the pathogen to manageable levels, tools for early-stage detection of pathogen, and compounds that elicit immune response in the host plants. Nanomaterials have in fact been assessed for their utility in all these approaches for disease control. The present review discusses nanomaterials for controlling phytopathogens, nanomaterials in plant disease diagnostics, and nanomaterials as elicitors of the plant immune system. These nanomaterials thus represent new weapons in the fight against the phytopathogens. Recent studies indicate that nanomaterials will be a crucial component in the agroecosystem.
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8.
Nanobiotechnology approaches for engineering smart plant sensors.
Giraldo, JP, Wu, H, Newkirk, GM, Kruss, S
Nature nanotechnology. 2019;(6):541-553
Abstract
Nanobiotechnology has the potential to enable smart plant sensors that communicate with and actuate electronic devices for improving plant productivity, optimize and automate water and agrochemical allocation, and enable high-throughput plant chemical phenotyping. Reducing crop loss due to environmental and pathogen-related stresses, improving resource use efficiency and selecting optimal plant traits are major challenges in plant agriculture industries worldwide. New technologies are required to accurately monitor, in real time and with high spatial and temporal resolution, plant physiological and developmental responses to their microenvironment. Nanomaterials are allowing the translation of plant chemical signals into digital information that can be monitored by standoff electronic devices. Herein, we discuss the design and interfacing of smart nanobiotechnology-based sensors that report plant signalling molecules associated with health status to agricultural and phenotyping devices via optical, wireless or electrical signals. We describe how nanomaterial-mediated delivery of genetically encoded sensors can act as tools for research and development of smart plant sensors. We assess performance parameters of smart nanobiotechnology-based sensors in plants (for example, resolution, sensitivity, accuracy and durability) including in vivo optical nanosensors and wearable nanoelectronic sensors. To conclude, we present an integrated and prospective vision on how nanotechnology could enable smart plant sensors that communicate with and actuate electronic devices for monitoring and optimizing individual plant productivity and resource use.
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9.
Electrochemically Exfoliated High-Quality 2H-MoS2 for Multiflake Thin Film Flexible Biosensors.
Zhang, P, Yang, S, Pineda-Gómez, R, Ibarlucea, B, Ma, J, Lohe, MR, Akbar, TF, Baraban, L, Cuniberti, G, Feng, X
Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany). 2019;(23):e1901265
Abstract
2D molybdenum disulfide (MoS2 ) gives a new inspiration for the field of nanoelectronics, photovoltaics, and sensorics. However, the most common processing technology, e.g., liquid-phase based scalable exfoliation used for device fabrication, leads to the number of shortcomings that impede their large area production and integration. Major challenges are associated with the small size and low concentration of MoS2 flakes, as well as insufficient control over their physical properties, e.g., internal heterogeneity of the metallic and semiconducting phases. Here it is demonstrated that large semiconducting MoS2 sheets (with dimensions up to 50 µm) can be obtained by a facile cathodic exfoliation approach in nonaqueous electrolyte. The synthetic process avoids surface oxidation thus preserving the MoS2 sheets with intact crystalline structure. It is further demonstrated at the proof-of-concept level, a solution-processed large area (60 × 60 µm) flexible Ebola biosensor, based on a MoS2 thin film (6 µm thickness) fabricated via restacking of the multiple flakes on the polyimide substrate. The experimental results reveal a low detection limit (in femtomolar-picomolar range) of the fabricated sensor devices. The presented exfoliation method opens up new opportunities for fabrication of large arrays of multifunctional biomedical devices based on novel 2D materials.
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10.
Ultrasound-assisted preparation of different nanocarriers loaded with food bioactive ingredients.
Koshani, R, Jafari, SM
Advances in colloid and interface science. 2019;:123-146
Abstract
Developing green and facile approaches to produce nanostructures suitable for bioactives, nanoencapsulation faces some challenges in the nutraceutical and food bioactive industries due to potential risks arising from nanomaterials fabrication and consumption. High-intensity ultrasound is an effective technology to generate different bio-based structures in sub-micron or nanometer scale. This technique owing to some intrinsic advantages such as safety, straightforward operation, energy efficiency, and scale-up potential, as well as, ability to control over size and morpHology has stood out among various nanosynthetic routes. Ultrasonically-provided energy is mainly transferred to the droplets and particles via acoustic cavitation (which is formation, growth, and implosive collapse of bubbles in solvent). This review provides an outlook on the fundamentals of ultrasonication and some applicable setups in nanoencapsulation. Different kinds of nanostructures based on surfactants, lipids, proteins and carbohydrates formed by sonication, along with their advantages and disadvantages are assessed from the viewpoint of stability, particle size, and process impacts on some functionalities. The gastrointestinal fate and safety issues of ultrasonically prepared nanostructures are also discussed. Sonication, itself or in combination with other encapsulation approaches, alongside biopolymers generate nano-engineered carriers with enough stability, small particle sizes, and a low polydispersity. The nano-sized systems improve techno-functional activities of encapsulated bioactive agents including stability, solubility, dissolution, availability, controlled and targeted release profile in vitro and in vivo plus other bioactive properties such as antioxidant and antimicrobial capacities. Ultrasonically prepared nanocarriers show a great potential in fortifying food products with desired bioactive components, especially for the industrial applications.