Advances in Nano-Functional Materials in Targeted Thrombolytic Drug Delivery.

Thrombotic disease has been listed as the third most fatal vascular disease in the world. After decades of development, clinical thrombolytic drugs still cannot avoid the occurrence of adverse reactions such as bleeding. A number of studies have shown that the application of various nano-functional materials in thrombus-targeted drug delivery, combined with external stimuli, such as magnetic, near-infrared light, ultrasound, etc., enrich the drugs in the thrombus site and use the properties of nano-functional materials for collaborative thrombolysis, which can effectively reduce adverse reactions such as bleeding and improve thrombolysis efficiency. In this paper, the research progress of organic nanomaterials, inorganic nanomaterials, and biomimetic nanomaterials for drug delivery is briefly reviewed.

Micro- and nanoformulations of antibiotics against Brucella.

Brucellosis, a zoonotic intracellular bacterial infection primarily transmitted through the consumption of unpasteurized milk from infected animals, remains a challenging condition to clinically control. This is mainly because of the limited effectiveness of conventional antibiotics in targeting intracellular Brucella. Micro- and nanoformulations of antibiotics, whether used as a mono- or combination therapy, have the potential to reduce the antibiotic doses required and treatment duration. Extensive research has been conducted on various organic, semiorganic, and inorganic nanomaterials with different morphologies, such as nanoparticles (NPs), nanotubes, nanowires, and nanobelts. Metal/metal oxide, lipidic, polymeric, and carbonic NPs have been widely explored to overcome the limitations of traditional formulations. In this review, we discuss the advances and challenges of these novel formulations based on recent investigations.

Applications of drug delivery systems, organic, and inorganic nanomaterials in wound healing.

The skin is known to be the largest organ in the human body, while also being exposed to environmental elements. This indicates that skin is highly susceptible to physical infliction, as well as damage resulting from medical conditions such as obesity and diabetes. The wound management costs in hospitals and clinics are expected to rise globally over the coming years, which provides pressure for more wound healing aids readily available in the market. Recently, nanomaterials have been gaining traction for their potential applications in various fields, including wound healing. Here, we discuss various inorganic nanoparticles such as silver, titanium dioxide, copper oxide, cerium oxide, MXenes, PLGA, PEG, and silica nanoparticles with their respective roles in improving wound healing progression. In addition, organic nanomaterials for wound healing such as collagen, chitosan, curcumin, dendrimers, graphene and its derivative graphene oxide were also further discussed. Various forms of nanoparticle drug delivery systems like nanohydrogels, nanoliposomes, nanofilms, and nanoemulsions were discussed in their function to deliver therapeutic agents to wound sites in a controlled manner.

Designed and synthesizedde novoANTPABA-PDI nanomaterial as an acceptor in inverted solar cell at ambient atmosphere.

In this work, a novel soluble and air-stable electron acceptor containing perylenediimide moiety named ANTPABA-PDI was designed and synthesized with band gap 1.78eV and that was used as non-fullerene acceptor material. ANTPABA-PDI possess not only good solubility but also much lower LUMO (lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) energy level. Furthermore, its excellent electron acceptor capability also supported by density functional theory calculation which validates the experimental observations. Inverted organic solar cell has been fabricated using ANTPABA-PDI along with P3HT as standard donor material in ambient atmosphere. The device, after characterization in open air, exhibited a power conversion efficiency of 1.70%. This is the first ever PDI based organic solar cell that has been fabricated completely in ambient atmosphere. The characterizations of the device have also been performed in ambient atmosphere. This kind of stable organic material can easily be used in fabricating organic solar cell and therefore it can be used as the best alternative as non-fullerene acceptor materials.

Advanced bioactive nanomaterials for diagnosis and treatment of major chronic diseases.

With the rapid innovation of nanoscience and technology, nanomaterials have also been deeply applied in the medical and health industry and become one of the innovative methods to treat many diseases. In recent years, bioactive nanomaterials have attracted extensive attention and have made some progress in the treatment of some major chronic diseases, such as nervous system diseases and various malignant tumors. Bioactive nanomaterials depend on their physical and chemical properties (crystal structure, surface charge, surface functional groups, morphology, and size, etc.) and direct produce biological activity and play to the role of the treatment of diseases, compared with the traditional nanometer pharmaceutical preparations, biological active nano materials don't exert effects through drug release, way more directly, also is expected to be more effective for the treatment of diseases. However, further studies are needed in the evaluation of biological effects, fate in vivo, structure-activity relationship and clinical transformation of bionanomaterials. Based on the latest research reports, this paper reviews the application of bioactive nanomaterials in the diagnosis and treatment of major chronic diseases and analyzes the technical challenges and key scientific issues faced by bioactive nanomaterials in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, to provide suggestions for the future development of this field.

Occurrence and risk assessment of fullerene colloidal nanoparticles by ultrasonic-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography in surface waters.

This paper presents a developed analytical technique for risk assessment of colloidal fullerene in surface waters by ultrasonic-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid extraction (UADLLE) and high-performance liquid chromatography ultraviolet-visible detector (HPLC-UV). Fullerene colloidal nanoparticles were synthesised and characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). Ultrasonication step, disperser solvent, and sodium chloride salt enhance the surface area of fullerene derivative aggregates for better contact and lowers the solubility of fullerene derivative to the aqueous solution, respectively promoting mass transfer of fullerene from aqueous into the organic phase. Several extraction parameters were optimized, and the optimal conditions were established: 5 mL toluene as extraction solvent (2 cycles); 200 mL water sample; 1% sodium chloride salt; 15 min ultrasonication, and 400 µL methanol as disperser solvent. The mean absolute recoveries established in drinking water, wastewater, and river water were 117%, 103%, and 93%, respectively. The proposed analytical technique was linear in the ranges between 0.25 µg L-1 - 250 µg L-1 with an r-squared of 0.9958. The limit of detection (LOD) determined from the signal-to-noise ratio of 3 was 0.11 µg L-1 and the limit of quantification (LOQ) from a signal-to-noise ratio of 10 was 0.38 µg L-1. The precision ranges from 2% to 11% and accuracy percent error ranged from 7%-14% for spiked concentration levels of 0.25 µg L-1, 50 µg L-1, and 250 µg L-1. The measured environmental concentration (MECs) for the fullerene in water samples ranged from not detected to 10.54 µg L-1 and ecological assessment showed the concentration level of the fullerene can pose risk. Overall, according to the author's knowledge, this is the earlier work on the occurrence and risk assessment of fullerene colloidal nanoparticles (C61-PCBM) in potable and wastewater on the African continent.

Role of the Magnetic Anisotropy in Atomic-Spin Sensing of 1D Molecular Chains.

One-dimensional metal-organic chains often possess a complex magnetic structure susceptible to modification by alteration of their chemical composition. The possibility to tune their magnetic properties provides an interesting playground to explore quasi-particle interactions in low-dimensional systems. Despite the great effort invested so far, a detailed understanding of the interactions governing the electronic and magnetic properties of the low-dimensional systems is still incomplete. One of the reasons is the limited ability to characterize their magnetic properties at the atomic scale. Here, we provide a comprehensive study of the magnetic properties of metal-organic one-dimensional (1D) coordination polymers consisting of 2,5-diamino-1,4-benzoquinonediimine ligands coordinated with Co or Cr atoms synthesized under ultrahigh-vacuum conditions on a Au(111) surface. A combination of integral X-ray spectroscopy with local-probe inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy corroborated by multiplet analysis, density functional theory, and inelastic electron tunneling simulations enables us to obtain essential information about their magnetic structures, including the spin magnitude and orientation at the magnetic atoms, as well as the magnetic anisotropy.

Recent Developments and Current Applications of Organic Nanomaterials in Cartilage Repair.

Regeneration of cartilage is difficult due to the unique microstructure, unique multizone organization, and avascular nature of cartilage tissue. The development of nanomaterials and nanofabrication technologies holds great promise for the repair and regeneration of injured or degenerated cartilage tissue. Nanomaterials have structural components smaller than 100 nm in at least one dimension and exhibit unique properties due to their nanoscale structure and high specific surface area. The unique properties of nanomaterials include, but are not limited to, increased chemical reactivity, mechanical strength, degradability, and biocompatibility. As an emerging nanomaterial, organic nanocomposites can mimic natural cartilage in terms of microstructure, physicochemical, mechanical, and biological properties. The integration of organic nanomaterials is expected to develop scaffolds that better mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) environment of cartilage to enhance scaffold-cell interactions and improve the functionality of engineered tissue constructs. Next-generation hydrogel technology and bioprinting can be used not only for healing cartilage injury areas but also for extensive osteoarthritic degenerative changes within the joint. Although more challenges need to be solved before they can be translated into full-fledged commercial products, nano-organic composites remain very promising candidates for the future development of cartilage tissue engineering.

Synthesis of carbon dots-based covalent organic nanomaterial as stationary phase for open tubular capillary electrochromatography.

The transformation of zero-dimensional carbon dots (CDs) to cross-linked nanomaterials is rare. In this work, a novel carbon dots-based covalent organic nanomaterial (CON CDs-TAPB) consisted of 1,3,5-tris(4-aminophenyl)-benzene (TAPB) and carbon dots (CDs) through facile Schiff-base reaction was synthesized and then employed as a stationary phase for open-tubular capillary electrochromatography (OT-CEC). The CON CDs-TAPB and the CDs-TAPB coated column were characterized through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-spectra experiments and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Thanks to CON CDs-TAPB unique structure and abundant accessibility and interaction sites, the prepared column exhibited a satisfactory separation ability towards analytes including parabens, phenolic compounds. Among all analytes, the highest column efficiency was over 1.6 × 105 plates·m-1. In addition, affording methylbenzene loading capacity of 156.9 pmole, surpassing most of those materials-based OT-CEC reported thus far. Thus, the prepared carbon dots-based covalent organic nanomaterial (CON CDs-TAPB) gave a potential as a stationary phase in the separation science.

Modulating the glycemic response of starch-based foods using organic nanomaterials: strategies and opportunities.

Traditionally, diverse natural bioactive compounds (polyphenols, proteins, fatty acids, dietary fibers) are used as inhibitors of starch digestive enzymes for lowering glycemic index (GI) and preventing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In recent years, organic nanomaterials (ONMs) have drawn a great attention because of their ability to overcome the stability and solubility issues of bioactive. This review aimed to elucidate the implications of ONMs in lowering GI and as encapsulating agents of enzymes inhibitors. The major ONMs are presented. The mechanisms underlying the inhibition of enzymes, the stability within the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and safety of ONMs are also provided. As a result of encapsulation of bioactive in ONMs, a more pronounced inhibition of enzymes was observed compared to un-encapsulated bioactive. More importantly, the lower the size of ONMs, the higher their inhibitory effects due to facile binding with enzymes. Additionally, in vivo studies exhibited the potentiality of ONMs for protection and sustained release of insulin for GI management. Overall, regulating the GI using ONMs could be a safe, robust and viable alternative compared to synthetic drugs (acarbose and voglibose) and un-encapsulated bioactive. Future researches should prioritize ONMs in real food products and evaluate their safety on a case-by-case basis.

Organic Nanoparticles Based on D-A-D Small Molecule: Self-Assembly, Photophysical Properties, and Synergistic Photodynamic/Photothermal Effects.

Cancer is one of the major diseases threatening human health. Traditional cancer treatments have notable side-effects as they can damage the immune system. Recently, phototherapy, as a potential strategy for clinical cancer therapy, has received wide attention due to its minimal invasiveness and high efficiency. Herein, a small organic molecule (PTA) with a D-A-D structure was prepared via a Sonogashira coupling reaction between the electron-withdrawing dibromo-perylenediimide and electron-donating 4-ethynyl-N,N-diphenylaniline. The amphiphilic organic molecule was then transformed into nanoparticles (PTA-NPs) through the self-assembling method. Upon laser irradiation at 635 nm, PTA-NPs displayed a high photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE = 43%) together with efficient reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. The fluorescence images also indicated the production of ROS in cancer cells with PTA-NPs. In addition, the biocompatibility and photocytotoxicity of PTA-NPs were evaluated by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and live/dead cell co-staining test. Therefore, the as-prepared organic nanomaterials were demonstrated as promising nanomaterials for cancer phototherapy in the clinic.

A review on nanomaterials and nanohybrids based bio-nanocomposites for food packaging.

With an increasing demand for a novel, eco-friendly, high-performance packaging material "bio-nanocomposites" has attracted great attention in recent years. The review article aims at to evaluating recent innovation in bio-nanocomposites for food packaging applications. The current trends and research over the last three years of the various bio-nanocomposites including inorganic, organic nanomaterials, and nanohybrids, which are suitable as food packaging materials due to their advanced properties such as high mechanical, thermal, barrier, antimicrobial, and antioxidant are described in detail. In addition, the legislation, migration studies, and SWOT analysis on bio-nanocomposite film have been discussed. It has been observed that the multifunctional properties of the bio-nanocomposite materials, has the potential to improve the quality and safety of the food together with no /or fewer negative impact on the environment. However, more studies need to be performed on bio-nanocomposite materials to determine the migration levels and formulate relevant legislation.

GSH-Sensitive Nanoscale Mn3+-Sealed Coordination Particles as Activatable Drug Delivery Systems for Synergistic Photodynamic-Chemo Therapy.

Activatable nanoscale drug delivery systems (NDDSs) are promising in maximizing cancer specificity and anticancer efficacy, and a multifunctional metal-organic nanomaterial is one of the new star NDDSs which requires further exploration. Herein, a novel DOX@MnCPs/PEG NDDSs were constructed by first synthesizing Mn3+-sealed coordination particles (MnCPs), modified with a targeted PEGylated polymer, and then loading anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). MnCPs were prepared from the assembly of Mn3+ ions and hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME) molecules. Furthermore, MnCPs had an average size of ∼100 nm and a large surface area (∼52.6 m2 g-1) and porosity (∼3.6 nm). After the loading of DOX, DOX@MnCPs/PEG exhibited a high DOX-loading efficacy of 27.2%, and they reacted with glutathione (GSH) to confer structural collapse, leading to the production of Mn2+ ions for enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), free HMME for augmented photodynamic effect, and free DOX for chemotherapy. As a consequence, these DOX@MnCPs/PEG NDDSs after intravenous injection showed efficient tumor homing and then exerted an obvious suppression for tumor growth rate by synergistic photodynamic-chemo therapy in vivo. Importantly, most of the DOX@MnCPs/PEG NDDSs could be gradually cleared through the renal pathway, and the remaining part could slowly be metabolized via the feces, enabling high biosafety. Therefore, this work provides a type of GSH-sensitive NDDS with biosafety, caner specificity, and multifunctionality for high synergistic treatment efficacy.

Liquid-phase exfoliation of black sesame to create a nanoplatform for in vitro photoluminescence and photothermal therapy.

Aim: The present study aims to apply the facile liquid-phase exfoliation (LPE) strategy to fabricate 2D organic materials and thus to broaden the family of biocompatible and multifunctional 2D materials. Materials & methods: 2D material-organic melanin and cellulose nanosheets were synthesized from black sesame hull using LPE. Photoluminescence and photothermal properties of the nanosheets were assessed, as well as stability and cell killing ability. Results: The prepared 2D nanoplatform exhibited broad and multiple photoluminescent emission bands. It also demonstrated efficient photothermal cancer therapy with excellent biocompatibility. Conclusion: The present study could open an avenue in exfoliating organic materials using the LPE strategy. This could make the fabrication of multifunctional 2D organic materials more efficient and broaden the family of biocompatible 2D nanomaterials.

A Simple Strategy to Fabricate Phthalocyanine-Encapsulated Nanodots for Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Antitumor Phototherapy.

Photothermal agents can transfer the absorbed light to heat energy, offering a noninvasive and controllable method to kill tumor cells and tissues. Here, we develop a simple and high-output strategy to prepare photothermal nanodots (MnPc-NDs) by the self-assembly and carbonization of manganese phthalocyanine. The aggregation of phthalocyanine molecules in the nanodots induces an efficient photothermal conversion. Thanks to the high thermal stability of phthalocyanine, the macrocycle is well preserved in the core of nanodots under the controlled hydrothermal temperature. Moreover, the as-prepared MnPc-NDs disperse well in aqueous solution with an average nanoscale size around 60 nm. The intense absorption in near-infrared (NIR) region, along with efficient reactive oxygen generation, high photothermal conversion efficiency (η = 59.8%), and excellent magnetic resonance contrast performances of MnPc-NDs endow them with great potential for MRI-guided cancer phototherapy. Therefore, the contribution provides a facile way to develop theranostic MnPc-NDs for precise and efficient cancer imaging and therapy.

Self-Assembled Organic Nanomaterials for Drug Delivery, Bioimaging, and Cancer Therapy.

Over the past few decades, tremendous progress has been made in the development of engineering nanomaterials, which opened new horizons in the field of diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. In particular, self-assembled organic nanomaterials with intriguing features including delicate structure tailoring, facile processability, low cost, and excellent biocompatibility have shown outstanding potential in biomedical applications because of the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect and multifunctional properties. In this review, we briefly introduce distinctive merits of self-assembled organic nanomaterials for biomedical applications. The main focus will be placed on summarizing recent advances in self-assembled organic nanomedicine for drug delivery, bioimaging, and cancer phototherapy, followed by highlighting a critical perspective on further development of self-assembled organic nanomaterials for future clinical translation. We believe that the above themes will appeal to researchers from different fields, including material, chemical, and biological sciences, as well as pharmaceutics.

Nanomaterials for Healthcare Biosensing Applications.

In recent years, an increasing number of nanomaterials have been explored for their applications in biomedical diagnostics, making their applications in healthcare biosensing a rapidly evolving field. Nanomaterials introduce versatility to the sensing platforms and may even allow mobility between different detection mechanisms. The prospect of a combination of different nanomaterials allows an exploitation of their synergistic additive and novel properties for sensor development. This paper covers more than 290 research works since 2015, elaborating the diverse roles played by various nanomaterials in the biosensing field. Hence, we provide a comprehensive review of the healthcare sensing applications of nanomaterials, covering carbon allotrope-based, inorganic, and organic nanomaterials. These sensing systems are able to detect a wide variety of clinically relevant molecules, like nucleic acids, viruses, bacteria, cancer antigens, pharmaceuticals and narcotic drugs, toxins, contaminants, as well as entire cells in various sensing media, ranging from buffers to more complex environments such as urine, blood or sputum. Thus, the latest advancements reviewed in this paper hold tremendous potential for the application of nanomaterials in the early screening of diseases and point-of-care testing.

Design and preparation of organic nanomaterials using self-assembled peptoids.

The self-assembly and self-organization of peptoids, peptidomimetic polymers composed of N-substituted glycine monomers, can result in a plethora of well-defined organic nanostructures. Such classes of nanomaterials represent highly interesting functional platforms for many applications, for example, drug delivery, sensing, and catalysis. The main advantages of using self-assembling peptoids to engineer organic nanostructures include their chemical diversity, biocompatibility, enzymatic stability, and ease of synthesis. The goal of this review is to present a comprehensive summary of the most relevant studies regarding the self-assembling process of peptoids into zero-, one-, and two-dimensional nanostructures, with a focus on their mechanism of formation and their potential applications.

Supramolecular Organogels Based on N-Benzyl, N'-Acylbispidinols.

The acylation of unsymmetrical N-benzylbispidinols in aromatic solvents without an external base led to the formation of supramolecular gels, which possess different thicknesses and degrees of stability depending on the substituents in para-positions of the benzylic group as well as on the nature of the acylating agent and of the solvent used. Structural features of the native gels as well as of their dried forms were studied by complementary techniques including Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and small-angle X-ray scattering and diffraction (SAXS). Structures of the key crystalline compounds were established by X-ray diffraction. An analysis of the obtained data allowed speculation on the crucial structural and condition factors that governed the gel formation. The most important factors were as follows: (i) absence of base, either external or internal; (ii) presence of HCl; (iii) presence of carbonyl and hydroxyl groups to allow hydrogen bonding; and (iv) presence of two (hetero)aromatic rings at both sides of the molecule. The hydrogen bonding involving amide carbonyl, hydroxyl at position 9, and, very probably, ammonium N-H⁺ and Cl- anion appears to be responsible for the formation of infinite molecular chains required for the first step of gel formation. Subsequent lateral cooperation of molecular chains into fibers occurred, presumably, due to the aromatic π-π-stacking interactions. Supercritical carbon dioxide drying of the organogels gave rise to aerogels with morphologies different from that of air-dried samples.

Thioflavin T-Amyloid Hybrid Nanostructure for Biocatalytic Photosynthesis.

Amyloidogenic peptides can self-assemble into highly ordered nanostructures consisting of cross ß-sheet-rich networks that exhibit unique physicochemical properties and high stability. Light-harvesting amyloid nanofibrils are constructed by employing insulin as a building block and thioflavin T (ThT) as a amyloid-specific photosensitizer. The ability of the self-assembled amyloid scaffold to accommodate and align ThT in high density on its surface allows for efficient energy transfer from the chromophores to the catalytic units in a similar way to natural photosystems. Insulin nanofibrils significantly enhance the photoactivity of ThT by inhibiting nonradiative conformational relaxation around the central CC bonds and narrowing the distance between ThT molecules that are bound to the ß-sheet-rich amyloid structure. It is demonstrated that the ThT-amyloid hybrid nanostructure is suitable for biocatalytic solar-to-chemical conversion by integrating the light-harvesting amyloid module (for nicotinamide cofactor regeneration) with a redox biocatalytic module (for enzymatic reduction).