The synthesis of poly(methyl methacrylate-co-methacryloxysuccinimide-graft-poly(ethylene glycol)) (PMMA-co-PMASI-g-PEG) via living free radical polymerization provides a convenient route to well-defined amphiphilic graft copolymers having a controllable number of reactive functional groups, variable length PEG grafts, and low polydispersity. These copolymers were shown to form PMMA-core/PEG-she...

With the development of science and technology, new applications about nanoparticles should be explored to achieve full-scale knowledge. Therefore, in this work, the toxicity and potential application of raw cadmium sulfide nanoparticles (CdS) in vivo were further studied through ICP-OES and CTs. Surprisingly, CdS exhibited an excellent photographic property, except for finding the accumulation...

Mesoporous-silica-coated Gd2O3:Eu/silica nanoparticles were synthesized by a multistep chemical process and characterized by XRD, TEM and N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms in terms of size, morphology and porosity. The core Gd2O3:Eu obtained by this method was highly luminescent upon excitation, giving the function of cell imaging upon incubation with the human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cells....

Apoptosis is a genetically encoded cell death program that involves different processes occurring on molecular and sub-cellular levels. Here we report on its new features--the increased accumulation of fluorescent carbon nanoparticles (CDots) in cells and their changed distribution within cell interior, which can witness on altered mechanisms of their translocation through the membrane. The com...

Increasing production and application of nanomaterials raises significant questions regarding the potential for cellular entry and toxicity of nanoparticles. It was observed that the presence of serum reduces the cellular association of 20 nm carboxylate-modified fluorescent polystyrene beads up to 20-fold, relative to cells incubated in serum-free media. Analysis by confocal microscopy demonst...

Bacteria are essential components of all natural and many engineered systems. The most active fractions of bacteria are now recognized to occur as biofilms, where cells are attached and surrounded by a secreted matrix of "sticky" extracellular polymeric substances. Recent investigations have established that significant accumulation of nanoparticles (NPs) occurs in aquatic biofilms. These studi...

Use of metal nanoparticles in biological system has recently been recognised although little is known about their possible effects on plant growth and development. Nanoparticles accumulation, translocation, growth response and stress modulation in plant system is not well understood. Plants exposed to gold and gold nanoparticles have been demonstrated to exhibit both positive and negative effec...

We designed and synthesized novel theranostic nanoparticles that showed the considerable potential for clinical use in targeted therapy, and non-invasive real-time monitoring of tumors by MRI. Our nanoparticles were ultra-small with superparamagnetic iron oxide cores, conjugated to erlotinib (FeDC-E NPs). Such smart targeted nanoparticles have the preference to release the drug intracellularly ...

Nanoparticles are particles with lengths that range from 1 to 100 nm. They are increasingly being manufactured and used for commercial purpose because of their novel and unique physicochemical properties. Although nanotechnology-based products are generally thought to be at a pre-competitive stage, an increasing number of products and materials are becoming commercially available. Human exposur...

The uptake of lipoproteins by macrophages is a critical step in the development of atherosclerotic lesions. Cultured monocyte-derived macrophages take up large amounts of native LDL by receptor-independent fluid-phase pinocytosis, either constitutively or in response to specific activating stimuli, depending on the macrophage phenotype. We therefore sought to determine whether fluid-phase pinoc...