Direct Polyphenol Attachment on the Surfaces of Magnetite Nanoparticles, Using Vitis vinifera, Vaccinium corymbosum, or Punica granatum.

This study presents an alternative approach to directly synthesizing magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) in the presence of Vitis vinifera, Vaccinium corymbosum, and Punica granatum derived from natural sources (grapes, blueberries, and pomegranates, respectively). A modified co-precipitation method that combines phytochemical techniques was developed to produce semispherical MNPs that range in size from 7.7 to 8.8 nm and are coated with a ~1.5 nm thick layer of polyphenols. The observed structure, composition, and surface properties of the MNPs@polyphenols demonstrated the dual functionality of the phenolic groups as both reducing agents and capping molecules that are bonding with Fe ions on the surfaces of the MNPs via -OH groups. Magnetic force microscopy images revealed the uniaxial orientation of single magnetic domains (SMDs) associated with the inverse spinel structure of the magnetite (Fe3O4). The samples' inductive heating (H0 = 28.9 kA/m, f = 764 kHz), measured via the specific loss power (SLP) of the samples, yielded values of up to 187.2 W/g and showed the influence of the average particle size. A cell viability assessment was conducted via the MTT and NRu tests to estimate the metabolic and lysosomal activities of the MNPs@polyphenols in K562 (chronic myelogenous leukemia, ATCC) cells.

Processing and Physicochemical Properties of Magnetite Nanoparticles Coated with Curcuma longa L. Extract.

In this work, Curcuma longa L. extract has been used in the synthesis and direct coating of magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles ~12 nm, providing a surface layer of polyphenol groups (-OH and -COOH). This contributes to the development of nanocarriers and triggers different bio-applications. Curcuma longa L. is part of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae); the extracts of this plant contain a polyphenol structure compound, and it has an affinity to be linked to Fe ions. The nanoparticles' magnetization obtained corresponded to close hysteresis loop Ms = 8.81 emu/g, coercive field Hc = 26.67 Oe, and low remanence energy as iron oxide superparamagnetic nanoparticles (SPIONs). Furthermore, the synthesized nanoparticles (G-M@T) showed tunable single magnetic domain interactions with uniaxial anisotropy as addressable cores at 90-180°. Surface analysis revealed characteristic peaks of Fe 2p, O 1s, and C 1s. From the last one, it was possible to obtain the C-O, C=O, -OH bonds, achieving an acceptable connection with the HepG2 cell line. The G-M@T nanoparticles do not induce cell toxicity in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells or HepG2 cells in vitro, but they can increase the mitochondrial and lysosomal activity in HepG2 cells, probably related to an apoptotic cell death induction or to a stress response due to the high concentration of iron within the cell.

Kinetic study of delta-Ala induced porphyrins in mice using photoacoustic and fluorescence spectroscopies.

The production of delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-induced porphyrins in mice skin and blood was studied by photoacoustic and fluorescence spectroscopies. Mice were intraperitoneally administered with 30 mg/kg of ALA. The abdominal skin was subsequently excised at specific times within an 8-h interval and its absorption spectrum obtained by photoacoustics. The highest porphyrins concentration in skin, determined from the optical absorption of the Soret band at 410 nm, was found to occur nearly 2 h after ALA administration, but a first peak was also observed at approximately 15 min. Our hypothesis that the first peak represents the porphyrins content in blood vessels within the skin, whereas the second peak corresponds to porphyrins production in skin tissue, was confirmed by analysing the evolution of protoporphyrin IX content in plasma extracted intracardiacally. By finally applying phase resolved photoacoustic spectroscopy, we were able to evaluate the mean depth at which porphyrins are generated.