ABSTRACT
Plasmonic photo-thermal therapy (PPTT) is a minimally invasive, drug-free, therapy based on the properties of noble metal nanoparticles, able to convert a bio-transparent electromagnetic radiation into heat. PPTT has been used against cancer and other diseases. Herein, we demonstrate an antimicrobial methodology based on the properties of gold nanorods (GNRs). Under a resonant laser irradiation GNRs become highly efficient light to heat nano-converters extremely useful for PPTT applications. The concept here is to assess the antimicrobial effect of easy to synthesize, suitably purified, water-dispersible GNRs on Escherichia coli bacteria. A control on the GNRs concentration used for the process has been demonstrated critical in order to rule out cytotoxic effects on the cells, and still to be able to generate, under a near infrared illumination, an adequate amount of heat suited to increase the temperature up to ≈50 °C in about 5 min. Viability experiments evidenced that the proposed system accomplished a killing efficiency suitable to reducing the Escherichia coli population of about 2 log CFU (colony-forming unit).
ABSTRACT
Antibiotic resistance refers to when microorganisms survive and grow in the presence of specific antibiotics, a phenomenon mainly related to the indiscriminate widespread use and abuse of antibiotics. In this framework, thanks to the design and fabrication of original functional nanomaterials, nanotechnology offers a powerful weapon against several diseases such as cancer and pathogenic illness. Smart nanomaterials, such as metallic nanoparticles and semiconductor nanocrystals, enable the realization of novel drug-free medical therapies for fighting against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In the light of the latest developments, we highlight the outstanding capabilities of several nanotechnology-inspired approaches to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Chemically functionalized silver and titanium dioxide nanoparticles have been employed for their intrinsic toxicity, which enables them to exhibit an antimicrobial activity while, in a different approach, photo-thermal properties of metallic nanoparticles have been theoretically studied and experimentally tested against several temperature sensitive (mesophilic) bacteria. We also show that it is possible to combine a highly localized targeting with a plasmonic-based heating therapy by properly functionalizing nanoparticle surfaces with covalently linked antibodies. As a perspective, the utilization of properly engineered and chemically functionalized nanomaterials opens a new roads for realizing antibiotic free treatments against pathogens and related diseases.
ABSTRACT
Plasmonic metallic nanoparticles (NPs) represent a relevant class of nanomaterials, which is able to achieve light localization down to nanoscale by exploiting a phenomenon called Localized Plasmon Resonance. In the last few years, NPs have been proposed to trigger DNA release or enhance ablation of diseased tissues, while minimizing damage to healthy tissues. In view of the therapeutic relevance of such plasmonic NPs; a detailed characterization of the electrostatic interaction between positively charged gold nanorods (GNRs) and a negatively charged whole-genome DNA solution is reported. The preparation of the hybrid biosystem has been investigated as a function of DNA concentration by means of ζ-potential; hydrodynamic diameter and gel electrophoresis analysis. The results have pointed out the specific conditions to achieve the most promising GNRs/DNA complex and its photo-thermal properties have been investigated. The overall study allows to envisage the possibility to ingeniously combine plasmonic and biological materials and, thus, enable design and development of an original non invasive all-optical methodology for monitoring photo-induced temperature variation with high sensitivity.
ABSTRACT
Multifunctional colloidal micro and nano-particles with controlled architectures have very promising properties for applications in bio and nanotechnologies. Here we report on the unique dichotomous dynamical behaviour of chiral spherical microparticles, either fluid or solid, manipulated by polarized optical tweezers. The particles are created using a reactive mesogen mixed with a chiral dopant to form cholesteric liquid crystal droplets in water emulsion. The photopolymerization enables the chiral supramolecular configurations to be frozen in solid particles. Different internal architectures in the supramolecular structures, guided by the interfacial chemistry, enable optically isotropic or anisotropic spherical objects to be obtained. For particles having radial configuration of the cholesteric helices, we show that light can exert either a repulsive or attractive force depending on the handedness of its circular polarization, due to the unique selective reflection property of the cholesteric phase. On the other hand, very exotic dynamics is observed in the case of anisotropic chiral particles. Depending on the light handedness, they behave like Janus spherical particles with dissimilar optical properties, meaning that the surface of the dielectric particles is partly transparent and partly reflecting. We foresee interesting potential applications in micro and optofluidics, microphotonics and materials science.
ABSTRACT
We report an optical switch based on a diffraction grating by combining PDMS microstructures with a photo-responsive Nematic Liquid Crystal (NLC). The grating was realized via replica molding and was subsequently coated with a thin SiO layer. SiO induced a full planar alignment of the liquid crystal. The induced parallel alignment of the LC reduces the response time of the structure by approximately an order of magnitude compared to the same structures without SiO. We explored the effect of the pump intensity on the transmission properties and time response of the switch and identified a strong dependence on the probe polarization, due to the full planar alignment in this structure. The aforementioned inclusion of the SiO layer enables enhanced performance of optical devices based on the fusion of nematogens with soft and flexible substrates.
ABSTRACT
Solid chiral microspheres with unique and multifunctional optical properties are produced from cholesteric liquid crystal-water emulsions using photopolymerization processes. These self-organizing microspheres exhibit different internal configurations of helicoidal structures with radial, conical or cylindrical geometries, depending on the physicochemical characteristics of the precursor liquid crystal emulsion.
