Search Results (146)

To overcome chondrosarcoma’s (CHS) high chemo- and radioresistance, we used polyethylene glycol-encapsulated iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) for the controlled delivery of the chemotherapeutic doxorubicin (IONP_DOX) to amplify the cytotoxicity of proton radiation therapy. Human 2D CHS SW1353 cells were treated with protons (linear energy transfer (LET): 1.6 and 12.6 keV/µm) with and without IONP_DOX. Cell survival was assayed using a clonogenic test, and genotoxicity was tested through the formation of micronuclei (MN) and γH2AX foci, respectively. Morphology together with spectral fingerprints of nuclei were measured using enhanced dark-field microscopy (EDFM) assembled with a hyperspectral imaging (HI) module and an axial scanning fluorescence module, as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy (EDX). Cell survival was also determined in 3D SW3153 spheroids following treatment with low-LET protons with/without the IONP_DOX compound. IONP_DOX increased radiosensitivity following proton irradiation at both LETs in correlation with DNA damage expressed as MN or γH2AX. The IONP_DOX–low-LET proton combination caused a more lethal effect compared to IONP_DOX–high-LET protons. CHS cell biological alterations were reflected by the modifications in the hyperspectral images and spectral profiles, emphasizing new possible spectroscopic markers of cancer therapy effects. Our findings show that the proposed treatment combination has the potential to improve the management of CHS. Full article

Water pollution from dyes is a major environmental challenge, demanding advanced materials for efficient degradation. In this study, we synthesized iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) using an aqueous extract of Senegalia catechu leaves and evaluated their photocatalytic activity in methylene blue (MB) dye degradation under sunlight irradiation. The IONPs were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy (UV–vis), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS). XRD pattern showed a highly crystalline structure with an average crystallite size of 34.7 nm, while SEM images revealed predominantly spherical particles with uneven surface texture. Photocatalytic efficiency exceeded 80% MB dye degradation after 120 min of sunlight exposure. Optimization of catalyst dose, pH, dye concentration, and other parameters is essential for maximizing degradation efficiency. The IONPs demonstrated reusability over four degradation cycles, retaining effective photocatalytic performance. This study underscores the potential of green-synthesized IONPs as eco-friendly photocatalysts for wastewater treatment and environmental remediation. Full article

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) are an ideal sorbent for magnetic dispersion extraction due to their superparamagnetic properties and developed and active surface. This work aims to use IONPs, obtained by chemical co-precipitation, to purify 100% acetone and 50% acetone extracts from hop cones (Humulus lupulus L.) obtained by ultrasonic-assisted solvent extraction. The extracts were purified from bitter acids (i.e., humulones, lupulones) to isolate xanthohumol. The sorption conditions were optimized depending on the composition of the extraction mixture, specifically the mass of IONPs and the time needed to achieve effective sorption using response surface methodology (RSM). An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to assess the adequacy of the developed model, and a good agreement was found between the experimental data and the proposed model. The polynomial equation describing the model is highly significant (p < 0.05), with a precision of Adeq (above 4). This indicates the usefulness of the polynomial regression model for prediction in experimental design. The final products of the purification for 100% acetone extracts and 50% acetone contain 40.58 ± 2.84 µg mL⁻¹ and 57.64 ± 0.83 µg mL⁻¹ of xanthohumol, respectively. The use of 50% acetone extract provides more favorable conditions due to the smaller amount of nanoparticles required for extract purification and a higher recovery of xanthohumol. The development of a reliable multivariate model allowed for the optimization of the extract purification process, resulting in high-purity xanthohumol from natural sources. Full article

Addressing the global problem of polluted water requires sustainable, efficient, and scalable remediation solutions, such as electrospun polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) membranes incorporating specific nanoadsorbents. The retention of contaminants depends on membrane swelling, morphology, and the adsorbent within the nanofiber. This study investigated the effect of relative humidity (RH) within the electrospinning chamber on the morphology of the resulting mats and how this affected the flow dynamics depending on whether or not the permeating liquid induced swelling in the membranes. An insolubilized PVA membrane was used as a hydrophilic filter model and a PVA membrane filled with iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) as a composite model (PVA + IONPs). The presence of IONPs increases the nanofiber diameter, which decreases when prepared under intermediate RH (IRH). Consequently, the nanofiber configuration, which is critical for filtration tortuosity, is influenced by RH. The initial swelling results in over 60% greater water flux through PVA + IONPs compared to PVA at an equivalent RH. This characterization helps to optimize membrane applications, highlighting that PVA + IONPs exhibit lower permeability values at IRH, indicating improved contaminant retention capabilities. Full article

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is growing into a major public health crisis worldwide. The reducing alternatives to conventional agents starve for novel antimicrobial agents. Due to their unique magnetic properties and excellent biocompatibility, iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) are the most preferable nanomaterials in biomedicine, including antibacterial therapy, primarily through reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. IONP characteristics, including their size, shape, surface charge, and superparamagnetism, influence their biodistribution and antibacterial activity. External magnetic fields, foreign metal doping, and surface, size, and shape modification improve the antibacterial effect of IONPs. Despite a few disadvantages, IONPs are expected to be promising antibacterial agents of a new generation. Full article

Photothermal therapy (PTT) can overcome cancer treatment resistance by enhancing the cell membrane permeability, facilitating drug accumulation, and promoting drug release within the tumor tissue. Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have emerged as effective agents for PTT due to their unique properties and biocompatibility. Approved for the treatment of anemia, as MRI contrast agents, and as magnetic hyperthermia mediators, IONPs also offer excellent light-to-heat conversion and can be manipulated using external magnetic fields for targeted accumulation in specific tissue. Optimizing parameters such as the laser wavelength, power density, shape, size, iron oxidation state, functionalization, and concentration is crucial for IONPs’ effectiveness. In addition to PTT, IONPs enhance other cancer treatment modalities. They improve tumor oxygenation, enhancing the efficacy of radiotherapy and photodynamic therapy. IONPs can also trigger ferroptosis, a programmed cell death pathway mediated by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation. Their magneto-mechanical effect allows them to exert a mechanical force on cancer cells to destroy tumors, minimizing the damage to healthy tissue. This review outlines strategies for the management of the photothermal performance and PTT efficiency with iron oxide nanoparticles, as well as synergies with other cancer therapies. Full article

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), particularly iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs), play a pivotal role in biomedical applications ranging from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enhancement and cancer hyperthermia treatments to biosensing. This study focuses on the synthesis, characterization, and application of IONPs with two different size distributions for frequency mixing magnetic detection (FMMD), a technique that leverages the nonlinear magnetization properties of MNPs for sensitive biosensing. IONPs are synthesized through thermal decomposition and subsequent growth steps. Our findings highlight the critical influence of IONP size on the FMMD signal, demonstrating that larger particles contribute dominantly to the FMMD signal. This research advances our understanding of IONP behavior, underscoring the importance of size in their application in advanced diagnostic tools. Full article

Nanoparticle (NP)-based solutions for oncotherapy promise an improved efficiency of the anticancer response, as well as higher comfort for the patient. The current advancements in cancer treatment based on nanotechnology exploit the ability of these systems to pass biological barriers to target the tumor cell, as well as tumor cell organelles. In particular, iron oxide NPs are being clinically employed in oncological management due to this ability. When designing an efficient anti-cancer therapy based on NPs, it is important to know and to modulate the phenomena which take place during the interaction of the NPs with the tumor cells, as well as the normal tissues. In this regard, our review is focused on highlighting different approaches to studying the internalization patterns of iron oxide NPs in simple and complex 2D and 3D in vitro cell models, as well as in living tissues, in order to investigate the functionality of an NP-based treatment. Full article

The overall 5-year survival rate of ovarian cancer (OC) is generally low as the disease is often diagnosed at an advanced stage of progression. To save lives, OC must be identified in its early stages when treatment is most effective. Early-stage OC causes the upregulation of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), making the molecule a promising biomarker for early-stage detection. An LPA assay can additionally stage the disease since LPA levels increase with OC progression. This work presents two methods that demonstrate the prospective application for detecting LPA: the electromagnetic piezoelectric acoustic sensor (EMPAS) and a chemiluminescence-based iron oxide nanoparticle (IONP) approach. Both methods incorporate the protein complex gelsolin–actin, which enables testing for detection of the biomarker as the binding of LPA to the complex results in the separation of gelsolin from actin. The EMPAS was characterized with contact angle goniometry and atomic force microscopy, while gelsolin–actin-functionalized IONPs were characterized with transmission electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In addition to characterization, LPA detection was demonstrated as a proof-of-concept in Milli-Q water, buffer, or human serum, highlighting various LPA assays that can be developed for the early-stage detection of OC. Full article

In this work, we report on the synthesis and investigation of new hybrid multifunctional iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) coated by coumarin-bound copolymer, which combine magneto- or photothermal heating with luminescent thermometry. A series of amphiphilic block copolymers, including Coum-C₁₁-PPhOx₂₇-PMOx₅₉ and Coum-C₁₁-PButOx₈-PMOx₄₂ bearing luminescent and photodimerizable coumarin moiety, as well as coumarin-free PPhOx₂₇-PMOx₅₇, were evaluated for their utility as luminescent thermometers and for encapsulating spherical 26 nm IONPs. The obtained IONP@Coum-C₁₁-PPhOx₂₇-PMOx₅₉ nano-objects are perfectly dispersible in water and able to provide macroscopic heating remotely triggered by an alternating current magnetic field (AMF) with a specific absorption rate (SAR) value of 240 W.g⁻¹ or laser irradiation with a photothermal conversion efficiency of η = 68%. On the other hand, they exhibit temperature-dependent emission of coumarin offering the function of luminescent thermometer, which operates in the visible region between 20 °C and 60 °C in water displaying a maximal relative thermal sensitivity (S_r) of 1.53%·°C⁻¹ at 60 °C. Full article

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) represent an important advance in the field of medicine with application in both diagnostic and drug delivery domains, offering a therapeutic approach that effectively overcomes physical and biological barriers. The current study aimed to assess whether oral administration of salicylic acid-functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles (SaIONPs) may exhibit beneficial effects in alleviating histological lesions in a murine monoiodoacetate (MIA) induced knee osteoarthritis model. In order to conduct our study, 15 Wistar male rats were randomly distributed into 3 work groups: Sham (S), MIA, and NP. At the end of the experiments, all animals were sacrificed for blood, knee, and liver sampling. Our results have shown that SaIONPs reached the targeted sites and also had a chondroprotective effect represented by less severe histological lesions regarding cellularity, altered structure morphology, and proteoglycan depletion across different layers of the knee joint cartilage tissue. Moreover, SaIONPs induced a decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA) and circulating Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) levels. The findings of this study suggest the therapeutic potential of SaIONPs knee osteoarthritis treatment; further studies are needed to establish a correlation between the administrated dose of SaIONPs and the improvement of the morphological and biochemical parameters. Full article

The techniques used to detect and quantify cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) vary considerably in terms of detection sensitivity, from the most sensitive, based on radioisotopes and mass spectrometry (MS) with limits of detection (LOD) in fg mL⁻¹, to fluorescence (FL) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensors with LOD values in the range of a few µg mL⁻¹. For accurate quantification of an analyte present at trace levels in complex biological matrices, a selective separation and enrichment step is required to overcome matrix interferences and ensure sufficient detection sensitivity. In this study, iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (IONPs) were used for the extraction and initial preconcentration of cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12). In the dependence of the magnetization on the H-field (hysteresis loop), no coercivity and remanence values were found at 300 K, indicating the superparamagnetic properties of the tested IONPs. Perfluorinated acids were used as amphiphilic agents to allow the sorption of cyanocobalamin onto the IONPs. FT-IR/ATR spectroscopy was used to confirm the sorption of cyanocobalamin on the IONPs. The influence of the addition of a homologous series of perfluorinated acids such as trifluoroacetic acid (TFAA), heptafluorobutyric acid (HFBA), and trichloroacetic acid (TCAA) to the extraction mixture was tested considering their type, mass, and time required for effective sorption. The adsorption kinetics and isotherm, described by the Freundlich and Langmuir equations, were analyzed. The maximum adsorption capacity (q_m) exceeded 6 mg g⁻¹ and was 8.9 mg g⁻¹ and 7.7 mg g⁻¹ for HFBA and TCAA, respectively, as the most efficient additives. After the desorption process using aqueous KH₂PO₄ solution, the sample was finally analyzed spectrophotometrically and chromatographically. The IONP-based method was successfully applied for the isolation of cyanocobalamin from human urine samples. The results showed that the developed approach is simple, cheap, accurate, and efficient for the determination of traces of cyanocobalamin in biological matrices. Full article

This work presents the green synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) using Baccharis salicifolia extract and their incorporation in mesoporous silica MCM-41, obtaining an MCM-41@IONP composite. The MCM-41@IONP composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nitrogen adsorption and desorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The use of the natural reducing agent Baccharis salicifolia resulted in nanoparticles with an average size of 31 nm. Furthermore, we showcase the application of the MCM-41@IONP nanocomposite in a metal–insulator–semiconductor (MIS) diode, which was fabricated at room temperature. The current–voltage and capacitance–voltage curves of the MIS diode were carefully measured and subjected to detailed analysis. The results demonstrate the potential utility of MCM-41@IONP nanocomposite-based MIS diodes, suggesting their applicability in the design of biosensors or as discrete components in electronic devices. Full article

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in plant pigments as readily available nutraceuticals. Photosynthetic pigments, specifically chlorophylls and carotenoids, renowned for their non-toxic antioxidant properties, are increasingly finding applications beyond their health-promoting attributes. Consequently, there is an ongoing need for cost-effective methods of isolation. This study employs a co-precipitation method to synthesize magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) confirms that an aqueous environment and oxidizing conditions yield nanosized iron oxide with particle sizes ranging from 80 to 140 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra indicate the presence of hydrous iron oxide FeO(OH) on the surface of the nanosized iron oxide. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area of obtained nanomaterial was 151.4 m² g⁻¹, with total pore volumes of pores 0.25 cm³ g⁻¹ STP. The material, designated as iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs), serves as an adsorbent for magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) and isolation of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, lutein) from extracts of higher green plants (Mentha piperita L., Urtica dioica L.). Sorption of chlorophyll a onto the nanoparticles is confirmed using UV–vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy (FT-IR/PAS), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Selective sorption of chlorophyll a requires a minimum of 3 g of IONPs per 12 mg of chlorophyll a, with acetone as the solvent, and is dependent on a storage time of 48 h. Extended contact time of IONPs with the acetone extract, i.e., 72 h, ensures the elimination of remaining components except lutein, with a spectral purity of 98%, recovered with over 90% efficiency. The mechanism of chlorophyll removal using IONPs relies on the interaction of the pigment’s carbonyl (C=O) groups with the adsorbent surface hydroxyl (–OH) groups. Based on molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, it has been proven that the selective adsorption of pigments is also influenced by more favorable dispersion interactions between acetone and chlorophyll in comparison with other solutes. An aqueous environment significantly promotes the removal of pigments; however, it results in a complete loss of selectivity. Full article

The promising physical and chemical properties of components of magnetic polymers could enable extending their intelligent behaviors to material applications. Indeed, investigation into magnetic nanofillers to ensure their uniform dispersion within the polymer matrix remains a great challenge at present. In this work, polyvinyl alcohol-stabilized iron oxide nanoparticles (PVA@IONPs) were prepared using ultrasonic-assisted coprecipitation at room temperature. It is possible to produce PVA@IONPs with desirable shapes and sizes, which would enable the control of their hyperthermia and photocatalytic performance under an external magnetic field. The saturation magnetization of PVA@IONPs (45.08 emu g⁻¹) was enhanced to the level of IONPs (41.93 emu g⁻¹). The PVA@IONPs showed good photocatalytic and outstanding self-heating behavior. The hydrogen yield was 60 mmole min⁻¹ g⁻¹ for photocatalyst PVA@IONPs under visible light with magnetic force. In addition, the PVA@IONPs exhibited a higher specific absorption rate (SAR) than IONPs under the same magnetic field conditions. The PVA@IONPs displayed superior self-heating and photocatalytic performances, rendering them appropriate materials for biomedical and environmental applications. Full article