Nanomedicine Research Journal
Volume:2 Issue: 2, Spring 2017

In this work, pomegranate juice was used as a capping agent for self- assembly to form particles-like Au nanostructures in the presence of AuHCl4.3H2O as aurate source. Besides, to investigate the concentration effect of pomegranate juice as the green capping agent on the morphology and particle size of final products several experiments were performed.

The as-synthesized products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Fourier transformation infrared (FT-IR). Au nanostructures exhibited stronger antibacterial properties against Gram-negative bacteria (Salmonella typhi and Escherichia coli) than against Gram-positive bacteria (Staphyloccocus aureus and Staphyloccocus epidermidis).

Microwave irradiation provides a rapid and green method for the synthesis of AuNP. It favors the formation of small and uniform nanoparticles through a fast and homogeneous nucleation and crystallization. Both AuNPs nanocomposites showed antibacterial activity that is stronger against Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli and S. typhi) than against Gram-positive bacteria, (S. aureus and S. epidermidis)

This rapid method of microwave radiation as compared to the classical  synthesis, showed promising results in terms of size distribution, surface area, pore diameter and pore volume.

In this work, CuO- NiO nano-composites were synthesized via free-surfactant co-precipitation method and then their physiochemical properties, as well as cytotoxicity and antifungal effects, were studied. The structural and optical properties of CuO-NiO nanostructures were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Atomic force microscope (AFM), UV–Vis absorption, and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) techniques. MTT assay was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of nanostructures. The cubical structure of CuO- NiO nano-composites was confirmed by the XRD technique. The optical study of the samples by UV-Vis indicted a blue shift in absorption wavelength with decreasing particle size due to quantum size effect. The super magnetic behavior of CuO-NiO nano composites after calcination was confirmed by magnetic characterization instrument. Finally, the results of cytotoxicity evaluation of CuO-NiO nano-composites at the lower concentrations on Breast cancer MDA cell lines demonstrate no significant toxicity. Minimum inhibitory concentration range and Minimum fungicidal concentration of nanoparticle were determined 0.97-15.62, 7.81µg/ml and for fluconazole were 1.75-25 µg/ml and 12.58 µg/ml, respectively. The study result of antimicrobialof CuO-NiO nano composites indicated an MIC90 antifungal activity with a concentration of 3.90µg/ml against vaginal isolates of C. albicans. The results of cytotoxicity study of nano-composites at concentration of 50µg/ml and 10µg/ml on the cell line of Breast cancer MDA was equivalent to %60 and %80, respectively.

Since the electric field is the main driving force in electrospinning systems, the modeling and analysis of electric field distribution are critical to the nanofibers production. The aim of this study was modeling of the electric field and investigating the various parameters on polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers morphology and diameter. The electric field profile at the nozzle and electrospinning zone was evaluated by Finite Element Method. The morphology and diameter of nanofibers were examined by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results of the electric field analysis indicated that the electric field was concentrated at the tip of the nozzle. Moreover, in the spinning direction, the electric field was concentrated at the surface of the spinneret and decayed rapidly toward the surface of the collector. Increasing polymer solution concentration from 7 to 11wt.% led to increasing nanofibers diameter form 77.76 ± 19.44 to 202.42 ± 36.85. Base on our results, it could be concluded that concentration of the electric field at the tip of the nozzle is high and initiates jet and nanofibers formation. PAN nanofibers can be transformed to carbon nanofibers which have various applications in biomedicine.

Evaluation of nanomaterials interaction with blood ingredients is a part of preclinical risk assessment of newly-synthesized materials, especially for nano-sized pharmaceuticals which are intravenously administrated. The red blood cells (RBCs) are susceptible to oxidative stress damage. This study was designed to evaluate induced oxidative hematotoxic effect of nano ZnO, Fe3O4, and nano SiO2 on human red blood cells in vitro.

Blood samples were collected from healthy male volunteers. RBCs were exposed to different concentrations (50, 100, 250mg/ml) of nano ZnO, nano Fe3O4, and nano SiO2 at 4°C for 24hours. Lipid peroxidation and intracellular Glutathione (GSH) level were studied as the biomarkers of oxidative stress.

The results showed that the lipid peroxidation had significantly increased. However, after exposure to nanoparticles, the GSH level of RBCs considerably decreased compared to the controls (p

Electrospinning of chitosan/polyethylene oxide (CS/PEO) nanofibers with the addition of cefazolin to create nanofibers with antimicrobial properties were examined. Polymeric nanofibers including CS/PEO and CS/PEO /cefazolin, were produced by electrospinning method. The range of nanofiber was 60-100 nm in diameter and measured with ImageJ software. The morphology of electrospun nanofibers was studied with use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moreover, the chemical structures of the nanofibers were evaluated by FT-IR. The drug release of nanofibers was also investigated by UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The antibacterial activity of scaffolds was tested by two type bacteria including Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The healing ability of nanofibers was studied on the rat’s wound. The SEM images indicated that the addition of cefazolin as much as 1wt% brings about the best nanofiber. Also, the morphology of electrospun nanofiber is dependent on the viscosity of the solution and the ratio of CS /PEO/cefazolin. According to the results of cefazolin releasing from nanofibers, the best results were obtained in the presence of CS /PEO/1wt%cefazolin nanofibers as healing sample. In animal studies, the effect of nanofibers was studied in the burn wound healing of rats and improvement of the wound was observed by nanofibers containing 1%wt cefazolin. According to these results, it seems that CS /PEO/1wt% cefazolin nanofiber is a good choice as a wound covering agent and hold more moisture in its structure thus the surface of wound remain wet during the healing process that prevent from nanofiber sticking to the wound surface.

The main aim of current research was to develop a novel magnetically responsive hydrogel by radical polymerization of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) on acryl amide (Am) using N,N'-methylene bis acrylamide  (MBA)  as a crosslinking agent, potassium persulfate (KPS) as a free radical initiator, and  magnetic montmorillonite ( mMT)  nanoclay as nano-filler.

The new product (CMC-g-Am/mMT) was characterized by FT-IR, XRD, TEM, SEM, and VSM techniques. Drug loading and release efficiency were evaluated by Diclofenac Sodium (DS) as a model drug.

SEM results demonstrated that magnetic nanoclay (mMT) can cause a rough morphology. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicated the formation of MNPs into the montmorillonite clay structure with the final average particle size of around 100 nm. Furthermore, according to the in vitro drug release profiles, the maximum cumulative release was around 79% at pH=7.4 under applied magnetic field.

The results indicate that the prepared CMC-g-Am/mMT platform can be used for delivery of drugs to the colon by applying an external magnetic field.

This study considered the combination of chitosan nanoparticles with antioxidant-antibacterial fraction extracted from Lactobacillus casei and investigation of possible increasing of antibacterial activity of the fraction in hybrid nanoparticle and the effect of the fraction on the stability of chitosan nanoparticles. Extraction of Antioxidant antibacterial material from Lactobacillus casei supernatant was done by thin layer chromatography fractionation. For determination of antioxidant and antibacterial activity of fraction, DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay and Minimum Inhibition Concentration (MIC) by micro-well dilution method was used, respectively. For chitosan nanoparticles (Cs NPs) formation, the ionic gelation method was used and the ratio of Tripolyphosphate pentasodium (TPP): chitosan was optimized. For Antioxidant fraction loaded chitosan nanoparticles, the fraction is physically incorporated into the chitosan nanoparticles. Particle morphology was monitored by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). One polar fraction by Rf = 0.03 has a strong antibacterial activity that shows terpenoids characterization. Chitosan nanoparticle loaded antioxidant-antibacterial material has longer life span while compare to Cs-NPs alone. The antioxidant-antibacterial material was released relatively slowly from the CS NPs. the antibacterial trait of the fraction was increased about 8-16 times after combination with Cs NPs. Combination of Cs NPs with antioxidant-antibacterail fraction isolated from Lactobacillus casei increase the Cs NPs stability and antibacterial activity of the fraction was enhanced considerably, also.

Tissue engineering represents a new approach to solve the current complications of the heart valve replacements by offering viable valve prosthesis with growth and remodeling capability. In this project, electrospinning and dip coating techniques were used to fabricate heart valve constructs from medical grade polyurethane (PU).

First, a mold of tricuspid valve was dip coated in a PU solution, except for its valvular parts. Then, PU nanofibers were electrospun on the dip coated mold to form the valves.  The morphology and diameter of nanofibers were investigated by SEM and contact angle measurements were done to evaluate the wettability of scaffolds. Thereafter, a tensile tester machine was used to assess mechanical properties of nanofibrous scaffolds. Then, the HUVEC cell line was cultured on the surface of scaffolds.

The SEM images showed the proper nanofibrous structure of the prepared scaffolds. Also, the obtained structure demonstrated appropriate tensile properties. Based on direct and indirect MTT, DAPI staining and SEM results, nanofibers were biocompatible and cells attached to the surface of the scaffolds, properly.

This study demonstrated polyurethane-based nanofibrous scaffolds for engineering artificial heart valve. The presented scaffold provides temporary support for cells prior to generation of extracellular matrix (ECM).