Analysis and assessment of the occurrence, the fate and the behavior of nanomaterials in the environment

Nanomaterials have one dimension <100 nm and possess physico-chemical properties dictated by their unusually small size, large surface area, shape and chemical composition. New properties of nanomaterials have boosted their production and industrial applications in many fields (e.g., microelectronics, catalysis, fuel cells, materials science, textiles, biotechnology and medicine). In biomedical fields, nanomaterials are of the appropriate dimensions to interact with biological matter. However, they may also have negative effects on biological systems. Nanotechnology is a major, innovative, scientific and economic growth area, but the increasing production and use of nanomaterials have led to calls for more information regarding the potential impacts that their release may have on human health and the environment.This review addresses analytical approaches for characterization and quantification of nanomaterials in the environment and recent studies on their occurrence, fate and behavior.     

Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications: Production,Characterisations, Recent Trends and Difficulties

Designing of nanomaterials has now become a top-priority research goal with a view to developing specific applications in the biomedical fields. In fact, the recent trends in the literature show that there is a lack of in-depth reviews that specifically highlight the current knowledge based on the design and production of nanomaterials. Considerations of size, shape, surface charge and microstructures are important factors in this regard as they affect the performance of nanoparticles (NPs). These parameters are also found to be dependent on their synthesis methods. The characterisation techniques that have been used for the investigation of these nanomaterials are relatively different in their concepts, sample preparation methods and obtained results. Consequently, this review article aims to carry out an in-depth discussion on the recent trends on nanomaterials for biomedical engineering, with a particular emphasis on the choices of the nanomaterials, preparation methods/instruments and characterisations techniques used for designing of nanomaterials. Key applications of these nanomaterials, such as tissue regeneration, medication delivery and wound healing, are also discussed briefly. Covering this knowledge gap will result in a better understanding of the role of nanomaterial design and subsequent larger-scale applications in terms of both its potential and difficulties.     

Proteomic profiling of protein corona formed on the surface of nanomaterial

The formation of protein coronas on nanomaterial will significantly alter the surface properties of nanomaterial in biological systems and subsequently impact biological responses including signaling, cellular uptake, transport, and toxicity etc. It is of critical importance to understand the formation of protein coronas on the surface of nanomaterial. Analytical techniques, especially mass spectrometry-based proteomics methods, are playing a key role for the qualitative and quantitative analyses of protein coronas on nanomaterial. In this review, the proteomic approaches developed for the characterization of protein coronas on various nanomaterials are introduced with the emphasis on the mass spectrometry-based proteomic strategies.     

Construction and applications of DNA-based nanomaterials in cancer therapy

As a biologically active macromolecule, deoxyribonucleic acid(DNA) has the advantages of sequence programmability and structure controllability and can accurately transmit sequence information to specific biological functions. Facing the complex internal microenvironment and heterogeneity in tumor treatment, the construction and applications of DNA-based nanomaterials have become a focus point of research. In particular, the hybridization of DNA molecules with other materials endows DNA-based na...     

基于微生物体系合成无机纳米材料的研究进展

无机纳米材料在能源、生物医学等领域应用非常广泛,过去几十年间关于无机纳米材料合成方法的研究一直受到广泛关注。自然界中普遍存在的生物矿化过程赋予了生物体合成含有特殊结构和功能的无机纳米材料的能力。微生物体系合成的无机纳米材料具有环境友好、成本低廉、生物相容性好等优点,正成为纳米材料科学的一个重要研究领域。我们主要聚焦于微生物体系合成无机纳米材料的机理、影响因素、材料分类及其应用,总结了近年来关于微生物体系合成无机纳米材料的研究历程,并对该领域面临的挑战及未来的发展方向进行了展望。     

导电聚合物的纳米结构及其在生物医学领域的应用

由于表面效应、小尺寸效应和量子效应,使纳米结构的导电聚合物材料与传统聚合物材料相比,显示出更优越的性能。基于神经组织对电场和电刺激敏感性,使得导电聚合物纳米材料在生物医学应用方面很有前景。本文综述了纳米结构的导电聚合物的合成方法,及其在生物医学领域的应用。合成方法主要关注于硬模板法、软模板法和无模板自组装法,以及这些方法中导电聚合物纳米结构的形成机理。总结了具有纳米结构的导电聚合物,如纳米颗粒、纳米纤维和纳米管等作为神经电极涂层材料和生物传感器等方面的应用。     

甲壳素基新材料研究进展

甲壳素/壳聚糖良好的生物相容性、生物可降解性及独特的生理活性使其成为非常有应用价值的天然高分子材料,当前已成为新材料领域的研究热点.甲壳素/壳聚糖具有良好的可加工性能,可固定贵金属、半导体纳米材料等活性催化物质,同时其本身也具有催化作用,是一类绿色环境友好的高分子催化材料.良好的生物相容性和生物可降解性使甲壳素/壳聚糖...     

Recent progress in conductive polymeric materials for biomedical applications

Advanced polymeric materials undoubtedly constitute one of the most promising classes of new materials due to their intriguing electronic, optical, and redox properties. The incredible progress in this area has been driven by the development of novel synthetic procedures owing to the emergence of nanotechnology and by the large array of applications. In particular, hybridization of polymeric materials with nanomaterials has allowed the production of promising functional materials with tailored properties and functionalities for targeted biomedical applications. Consequently, sufficient researchers have carried out imperative studies on these advanced polymeric materials over the last decade. Beyond scientific and fundamental interest, such advanced materials are conspicuous from technological perspectives as well. In this review, we accentuate the proliferation of advanced polymeric materials in diverse biomedical applications.     

Synthetization and Functionalization of Natural,Polymer, and Quantum-Based Carbon Nanodots and Their Application in Biomedicine

Carbon nanodots (CNDs) are a developing branch of nanomaterials and nanoscience. This has generated much more interest in the field and class of biomedicine science by way of unique particular properties, such as high stability, great photoluminescence, easy green synthesis, and simple surface modification. Numerous applications, such as bioimaging, biosensing, and treatment, have made use of CNDs. This review describes the most recent developments in CND research and talks about major changes in the understanding of CNDs and their prospects as biomedical tools. The importance of this work lies in the ability of CNDs to overcome many of the limitations associated with traditional materials used in biomedicine, such as toxicity, poor biocompatibility, and limited functionality. Furthermore, the use of CNDs as drug carriers, imaging agents, and sensors has shown great potential in improving the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. The novelty of this work lies in the diversity of approaches used in the synthesis and functionalization of CNDs, and the unique properties of CNDs that make them versatile tools for biomedicine. In particular, the ability to tune the size, shape, and surface chemistry of CNDs allows for the creation of tailored materials with specific biomedical applications. The review also discusses the challenges and future prospects of CNDs in biomedicine, including the need for standardization and optimization of CND synthesis, functionalization, and characterization protocols.     

大孔道介孔氧化硅/碳基纳米材料的设计合成与应用

由于具有较大的孔道尺寸、 丰富的化学组成以及广阔的应用前景, 大孔道介孔纳米材料近年来引起了科研工作者的广泛关注. 分别利用复合胶束和无机纳米晶作为结构基元进行可控自组装的软模板法和硬模板法是合成这类大孔道介孔纳米材料最有效的两类方法. 本文总结了一系列基于不同类型软模板或硬模板共组装形成大孔道介孔纳米材料的合成方法和策略, 并讨论了所获得的大孔道介孔纳米材料在催化、 能量转换与存储以及生物医学中的应用. 最后, 对利用新型嵌段聚合物或复杂结构纳米晶合成大孔道介孔纳米材料的前景和挑战进行了展望.     

Green synthesis of biogenic metal nanoparticles by terrestrial and aquatic phototrophic and heterotrophic eukaryotes and biocompatible agents

The size, shape and controlled dispersity of nanoparticles play a vital role in determining the physical, chemical, optical and electronic properties attributing its applications in environmental, biotechnological and biomedical fields. Various physical and chemical processes have been exploited in the synthesis of several inorganic metal nanoparticles by wet and dry approaches viz., ultraviolet irradiation, aerosol technologies, lithography, laser ablation, ultrasonic fields, and photochemical reduction techniques. However, these methodologies remain expensive and involve the use of hazardous chemicals. Therefore, there is a growing concern for the development of alternative environment friendly and sustainable methods. Increasing awareness towards green chemistry and biological processes has led to a necessity to develop simple, cost-effective and eco-friendly procedures. Phototrophic eukaryotes such as plants, algae, and diatoms and heterotrophic human cell lines and some biocompatible agents have been reported to synthesize greener nanoparticles like cobalt, copper, silver, gold, bimetallic alloys, silica, palladium, platinum, iridium, magnetite and quantum dots. Owing to the diversity and sustainability, the use of phototrophic and heterotrophic eukaryotes and biocompatible agents for the synthesis of nanomaterials is yet to be fully explored. This review describes the recent advancements in the green synthesis and applications of metal nanoparticles by plants, aquatic autotrophs, human cell lines, biocompatible agents and biomolecules.     

Photochemical Synthesis of Gold and Silver Nanoparticles—A Review

Nanomaterials have supported important technological advances due to their unique properties and their applicability in various fields, such as biomedicine, catalysis, environment, energy, and electronics. This has triggered a tremendous increase in their demand. In turn, materials scientists have sought facile methods to produce nanomaterials of desired features, i.e., morphology, composition, colloidal stability, and surface chemistry, as these determine the targeted application. The advent of photoprocesses has enabled the easy, fast, scalable, and cost- and energy-effective production of metallic nanoparticles of controlled properties without the use of harmful reagents or sophisticated equipment. Herein, we overview the synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles via photochemical routes. We extensively discuss the effect of varying the experimental parameters, such as the pH, exposure time, and source of irradiation, the use or not of reductants and surfactants, reagents’ nature and concentration, on the outcomes of these noble nanoparticles, namely, their size, shape, and colloidal stability. The hypothetical mechanisms that govern these green processes are discussed whenever available. Finally, we mention their applications and insights for future developments.     

Evaluating engineered nanoparticles in natural waters

With the accelerating introduction of engineered nanomaterials into commercial products and their potential use in water-treatment processes, it is inevitable that these materials will ultimately reside at some level in our recreational and drinking waters, thereby creating a critical need to detect and to quantify them in those media.Much is known about the diversity of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) in the environment but almost nothing about their characterization and detection in the natural aquatic environment.There is no conventional treatment that can absolutely protect the consumer from exposure to ENPs either through recreational use or consumption of drinking waters. The question is whether this exposure poses a significant public health risk.Unfortunately, we are far from having methods to obtain data on occurrence levels, fate, and transport of ENPs in aquatic systems. Before a sound analytical approach can be developed, we need a fuller understanding of the nanomaterial domain which requires an evaluation of the matrix of source materials, their transformation in the natural aquatic environment, and their physical/chemical behavior that is specific to the water medium.We review characterization techniques that are used for identifying different types of ENP, and then, by extrapolation from isolation techniques appropriate for extracting ENPs from water, suggest approaches to analyzing them in a variety of waters.     

Mechanisms and measurements of nanomaterial-induced oxidative damage to DNA

Many of the current investigations on the environmental and human health risks of engineered nanomaterials focus on their short-term acute toxicity. However, the long-term chronic effects of nanomaterials on living systems, and in particular, on the genetic components of living systems, also warrant attention. An increasing number of nanomaterial safety studies include an assessment of genotoxicity as part of the overall risk evaluation. The potential of nanomaterials to directly or indirectly promote the formation of reactive oxygen species is one of the primary steps in their genotoxic repertoire. The subsequent modification of genomic DNA by reactive oxygen species could lead to the development of mutagenesis, carcinogenesis, or other age-related diseases if the DNA damage is not repaired. This review focuses on the interactions of nanomaterials with DNA and specifically on the capacity of some nanomaterials to induce oxidative damage to DNA. A critical assessment of the analytical methodology and the potential biochemical mechanisms involved in nanomaterial induction of oxidative damage to DNA is presented, results obtained for the various studies with each nanomaterial are compared, and recommendations for future research are discussed. Researchers should consider, among other experimental recommendations, (1) the application of more chromatography-based and mass-spectrometry-based analytical techniques to the assessment of oxidative damage to DNA to facilitate an enhanced understanding of DNA damage mechanisms and (2) the verification of cellular viability before conducting genotoxicity assays to reduce the impact of fragmented DNA, formed as a consequence of cell death, on DNA damage measurements.     

表面抗菌功能涂层的构建及在生物医用材料中的应用研究

近年来,生物医用材料在使用过程中产生的医源性感染问题层出不穷,对人们健康和生命造成严重威胁.表面抗菌涂层构建是解决该类医源性感染问题最有效的策略之一.目前,按照作用机制和功能不同将表面抗菌涂层分为接触式抗菌涂层、抗黏附抑菌涂层、抗黏附杀菌涂层以及智能抗菌涂层.表面抗菌涂层的构建不仅赋予了生物医用材料抗菌性能,有效解决了上述医源性感染问题,还可以提高材料的生物相容性,赋予其抗黏附、抗氧化、生物识别、传感等功能.本文旨在对目前表面抗菌涂层的种类、构建方法以及其在生物医用材料领域中的应用做一全面论述,为进一步开发高性能表面抗菌涂层并扩展其应用提供新思路.     

Nanoparticle size and surface chemistry determine serum protein adsorption and macrophage uptake

Delivery and toxicity are critical issues facing nanomedicine research. Currently, there is limited understanding and connection between the physicochemical properties of a nanomaterial and its interactions with a physiological system. As a result, it remains unclear how to optimally synthesize and chemically modify nanomaterials for in vivo applications. It has been suggested that the physicochemical properties of a nanomaterial after synthesis, known as its "synthetic identity", are not what a cell encounters in vivo. Adsorption of blood components and interactions with phagocytes can modify the size, aggregation state, and interfacial composition of a nanomaterial, giving it a distinct "biological identity". Here, we investigate the role of size and surface chemistry in mediating serum protein adsorption to gold nanoparticles and their subsequent uptake by macrophages. Using label-free liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, we find that over 70 different serum proteins are heterogeneously adsorbed to the surface of gold nanoparticles. The relative density of each of these adsorbed proteins depends on nanoparticle size and poly(ethylene glycol) grafting density. Variations in serum protein adsorption correlate with differences in the mechanism and efficiency of nanoparticle uptake by a macrophage cell line. Macrophages contribute to the poor efficiency of nanomaterial delivery into diseased tissues, redistribution of nanomaterials within the body, and potential toxicity. This study establishes principles for the rational design of clinically useful nanomaterials.     

Bioinspired and green synthesis of nanoparticles from plant extracts with antiviral and antimicrobial properties: A critical review

Currently green synthesis of nanoparticles has attained much interest because of their safe nature, environmentally benign, ease in manufacturing, and low production cost. It is a reliable process for developing a wide array of nanostructures such as metal salts from plants/fungal/bacterial extract and hybrid materials. Green synthesis of nanoparticles provided promising and sustainable alternative approach to conventional synthesis approaches. Recent studies demonstrated that nanoparticles are highly promising for antiviral and antimicrobial properties. Here in, the advancement in green synthesis of nanoparticles using natural compounds such as plant extracts, fruit juices and other relevant sources have been highlighted. A deep insight into antiviral and antimicrobial activities of these nanoparticles provided. These nanoparticles offer diverse opportunity to counter life threating viral and other antimicrobial infections. This review offers understanding of the recent data that provide the readers various strategies to design and develop advance nanomaterials via greener approach. Current challenges, critical overview and future outlook of the green synthesis of nanoparticles and possibilities of their effective and exotic exploration for antimicrobial and antiviral applications are summarized.     

Self-Powered Sensors: New Opportunities and Challenges from Two-Dimensional Nanomaterials

Nanomaterials have gained considerable attention over the last decade, finding applications in emerging fields such as wearable sensors, biomedical care, and implantable electronics. However, these applications require miniaturization operating with extremely low power levels to conveniently sense various signals anytime, anywhere, and show the information in various ways. From this perspective, a crucial field is technologies that can harvest energy from the environment as sustainable, self-sufficient, self-powered sensors. Here we revisit recent advances in various self-powered sensors: optical, chemical, biological, medical, and gas. A timely overview is provided of unconventional nanomaterial sensors operated by self-sufficient energy, focusing on the energy source classification and comparisons of studies including self-powered photovoltaic, piezoelectric, triboelectric, and thermoelectric technology. Integration of these self-operating systems and new applications for neuromorphic sensors are also reviewed. Furthermore, this review discusses opportunities and challenges from self-powered nanomaterial sensors with respect to their energy harvesting principles and sensing applications.     

Engineered Nanomaterial Assisted Signal‐amplification Strategies for Enhancing Analytical Performance of Electrochemical Biosensors

The design and development of modern biosensors for sensitive and selective detection of various biomarkers is important in diversified arenas including healthcare, environment, and food industries etc. The requirement of more robust and reliant biosensors lead to the development of various sensing modules. The nanomaterials having specific optical, electrical, and mechanical strength can pave the way towards development of ultrafast, robust, and miniaturized modules for biosensors. It can provide not only the point‐of‐care applicability but also has tremendous commercial as well as industrial justification. In order to improve the performance of the sensor systems, various nanostructure materials have been readily studied and applied for development of novel biosensors. In the last few years, researchers are engaged on harnessing the unique atomic and molecular properties of advance‐engineered materials including carbon nanotubes, graphene nanosheets, metal nanoparticles, metal oxide nanoparticles, and their nano‐conjugates. In view of such recent developments in nanomaterial engineering, the current review has been formulated emphasizing the role of these materials in surface engineering, biomolecule conjugation, and signal amplification for development of various ultrasensitive and robust biosensors having commercial as well as industrial viability. Attention is given on the electrochemical biosensors incorporating various nanomaterials and their conjugates. Importance of nanomaterials in the analytical performance of the various biosensor has also been discussed. To put a perceptive insights on the importance of various nanomaterials, an extended table is incorporated, which includes probe design, analyte, LOD, and dynamic range of various electrochemical biosensors.