Research on green production methods for metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) is growing, with the objective to overcome the potential hazards of these chemicals for a safer environment. In this study, facile, ecofriendly synthesis of copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles was successfully achieved using aqueous extract of Pterospermum acerifolium leaves. P. acerifolium-fabricated CuO nanoparticles were f...

BACKGROUND Understanding how nanomaterials are distributed in the body after exposure is important for assessing whether they are safe. In this study, we investigated the behavior and accumulation of nanoscaled and submicron-scaled zinc oxide (ZnO) particles in the body using optical imaging following oral exposure. METHODS To trace these nanoparticles in the body, ZnO nanoparticles were conj...

Ongoing progress in nanotechnologies has led to their implementation for in vivo diagnostic and therapy. Thus, the main applications of inorganic nanoparticles are imaging for diagnosis and cell tracking, photothermal and drug-delivery therapies. Following nanoparticles in vivo administration, the systemic circulation can distribute them to every body organ and tissue. Precise characterization ...

Gold nanoparticles coated with oppositely charged polyelectrolytes, such as polyallylamine hydrochloride and polystyrenesulfonate, were examined for potential inhibition of prion protein aggregation and prion (PrPSc) conversion and replication. Different coatings, finishing with a positive or negative layer, were tested, and different numbers of layers were investigated for their ability to int...

Stevia rebaudiana Bert. is a medicinal plant with anti-oxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal and antiviral drug properties which contains two valuable secondary metabolites, stevioside and rebadioside A, with very high sweetness capacity. In this research hairy roots were produced from S. rebaudiana leaf disks using two strains of 15834 and A4 A. rhizogenes. Then, the best hairy root line...

We introduce biodegradable hollow silica nanocapsules embedding arrays of 3 nm gold nanoparticles. The silica shell degrades in full serum in a few hours, potentially allowing the clearance of the capsules and their contents by the efficient renal pathway, and thereby overcoming accumulation issues typical of metal nanoparticles.

BACKGROUND Precisely targeted nanoparticle delivery is critically important for therapeutic applications. However, our knowledge on how the distinct physical and chemical properties of nanoparticles determine tissue penetration through physiological barriers, accumulation in specific cells and tissues, and clearance from selected organs has remained rather limited. In the recent study, spectral...

The effect of functionalized nickel (Ni) nanoparticles capped with positively charged tetraheptylammonium on cellular uptake of drug quercetin into hepatocellular carcinoma cells (SMMC-7721) has been explored in this study via microscopy and electrochemical characterization as well as MTT assay. Meanwhile, the influence of Ni nanoparticles and/or quercetin on cell proliferation has been further...

Monocytes are actively recruited from the circulation into developing atherosclerotic plaques. In the plaque, monocytes differentiate into macrophages and eventually form foam cells. Continued accumulation of foam cells can lead to plaque rupture and subsequent myocardial infarction. X-ray computed tomography (CT) is the best modality to image the coronary arteries non-invasively, therefore we ...