Antibacterial activity of a silver-incorporated vancomycin-modified mesoporous silica against methicillin-resistant .

Since conventional antibiotics are almost ineffective on methicillin-resistant (MRSA) strains, designing their antibacterial alternatives is necessary. Besides, the use of vancomycin is applied for specific detection of the bacteria. Silver-incorporated vancomycin-modified mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs@Van@Ag NPs) were designed for detection and treatment of MRSA bacteria.

Engineering Photo-Cross-Linkable MXene-Based Hydrogels: Durable Conductive Biomaterials for Electroactive Tissues and Interfaces.

Light-cured conductive hydrogels have attracted immense interest in the regeneration of electroactive tissues and bioelectronic interfaces. Despite the unique properties of MXene (MX), its light-blocking effect in the range of 300-600 nm hinders the efficient cross-linking of photocurable hydrogels. In this study, we investigated the photo-cross-linking process of MX-gelatin methacrylate (GelMa) composites with different types of photoinitiators and MX concentrations to prepare biocompatible, injectable, conductive, and photocurable composite hydrogels.

Simultaneous detection of mercury and cadmium ions: A colorimetric method in aqueous media.

Hg and Cd are the two most toxic heavy metal ions that could be found in aqueous solutions. In this study, a chemosensor based on 5-(4-((4-nitrophenyl) diazenyl) phenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiol (DOT) was reported to detect these ions simultaneously. DOT showed high selectivity towards Hg ion by changing the color of the solution from beige to gold-yellow at different concentrations of Hg ion.

Synthesis and characterization of stimuli responsive micelles from chitosan, starch, and alginate based on graft copolymers with polylactide-poly(methacrylic acid) and polylactide- poly[2(dimethyl amino)ethyl methacrylate] side chains.

The primary objective of this paper is to serve as a comprehensive study on the synthesis of stimulus-sensitive micelles based on polysaccharides. In pursuit of this goal, functionalization with polylactide (PLA) was used as the water-resistance part and poly[2(Dimethyl amino)ethyl methacrylate] (PDMAEMA) or poly(methacrylic acid) (PMA) were employed as the stimulus-sensitive part to create micelles with a simple structure. FTIR and HNMR measurements were utilized to characterize the functionalized polysaccharides.

A light-responsive wound dressing hydrogel: Gelatin based self-healing interpenetrated network with metal-ligand interaction by ferric citrate.

Interpenetrated network (IPN) hydrogels with desired mechanical properties were prepared based on gelatin. A copolymer of dimethyl aminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) with 2-Acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS) in gelatin was chemically cross-linked with methylene bis acrylamide (MBA) to form a semi-IPN hydrogel. Also, IPN hydrogel is fabricated from the AMPS-co-DMAEMA and gelatin in the presence of ferric ions with both chemical and physical cross-linkers.

Synthesis and characterization of dual light/temperature-responsive supramolecular injectable hydrogel based on host-guest interaction between azobenzene and starch-grafted β-cyclodextrin: Melanoma therapy with paclitaxel.

Injectable stimuli-responsive hydrogels could offer an opportunity for local administration at the tumor site and a sustained drug release. In this paper, a copolymer of azobenzene derivative and N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAM) was synthesized, which are performed as light- and thermo-sensitive parts, respectively. The DAS@SCD/NIPAZO hydrogel was prepared upon the establishment of host-guest interactions between the hydrophobic core of CD and azobenzene moiety.

Magnetite embedded κ-carrageenan-based double network nanocomposite hydrogel with two-way shape memory properties for flexible electronics and magnetic actuators.

Shape memory hydrogels attract increasing attention as flexible strain sensors due to their shape recovery property that can improve the lifetime of the sensor. Herein, we have designed a magnetic shape memory hydrogel based on FeO nanoparticles, carrageenan, and poly (acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) with self-adhesive and conductive properties. The resulting double network hydrogel showed promising actuator and strain sensor applications.

Electrospun Ag-decorated reduced GO-graft-chitosan composite nanofibers with visible light photocatalytic activity for antibacterial performance.

The treatment of water contaminated by bacteria is becoming a necessity. The nanomaterials possessing both intrinsic antibacterial properties and photocatalytic activity are excellent candidates for water disinfection. The powdered form of nanomaterials can be aggregated while embedding the nanomaterials into the NFs can overcome the limitation and enhance the photocatalytic activity and transition from UV-light to visiblelight.

Thermally Conductive and Superhydrophobic Polyurethane Sponge for Solar-Assisted Separation of High-Viscosity Crude Oil from Water.

The rapid and effective separation of high-viscosity heavy crude oil from seawater is a worldwide challenge. Herein, an ultralow density, photothermal, superhydrophobic, and thermally conductive polyurethane/polyaniline/hexagonal boron nitride@FeO/polyacrylic-oleic acid resin sponge (PU/PANI/h-BN@FeO/AR) was fabricated with a water contact angle (WCA) of 158°, thermal conductivity of 0.76 W m K, density of 0.

Magnetic, thermally stable, and superhydrophobic polyurethane sponge: A high efficient adsorbent for separation of the marine oil spill pollution.

Herein, we demonstrated a facile method for the fabrication of magnetic and superhydrophobic polyurethane sponge with water contact angle of 159° as an adsorbent for cleanup the marine oil spill pollution. For this aim, a polyurethane sponge was coated with carbon black (CB), hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN)@FeO, and acrylic resin and then characterized by different techniques. Owing to the chemical and thermal stability of h-BN and CB, the modified sponge was stable under corrosive conditions (pH = 1-14 and salt solutions) and at different temperatures (-12 °C-105 °C).

An advancement in the synthesis of nano Pd@magnetic amine-Functionalized UiO-66-NH catalyst for cyanation and O-arylation reactions.

The magnetic MOF-based catalytic system has been reported here to be an efficient catalyst for synthesis of benzonitriles and diarylethers of aryl halides under optimal conditions. The MOF catalyst was built based on magnetic nanoparticles and UiO-66-NH which further modified with 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine and 5-phenyl tetrazole at the same time and the catalyst structure was confirmed by various techniques. This new modification has been applied to increase anchoring palladium into the support.

Biohybrid oxidized alginate/myocardial extracellular matrix injectable hydrogels with improved electromechanical properties for cardiac tissue engineering.

Injectable hydrogels which mimic the physicochemical and electromechanical properties of cardiac tissue is advantageous for cardiac tissue engineering. Here, a newly-developed in situ forming double-network hydrogel derived from biological macromolecules (oxidized alginate (OA) and myocardial extracellular matrix (ECM)) with improved mechanical properties and electrical conductivity was optimized. 3-(2-aminoethyl amino) propyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS)-functionalized reduced graphene oxide (Amine-rGO) was added to this system with varied concentrations to promote electromechanical properties of the hydrogel.

In situ synthesized TiO-polyurethane nanocomposite for bypass graft application: In vitro endothelialization and degradation.

The in vitro endothelial response of human umbilical vein endothelial cells was investigated on a poly (caprolactone)-based polyurethane surface vs an in situ TiO-polyurethane nanocomposite surface, which has been produced as scaffolds for artificial vascular graft. The in situ synthesis of TiO nanoparticles in polyurethane provided surface properties that facilitated cellular adhesion, cell sensing, cell probing and especially cell migration. Cells on the nanocomposite surface have elongated morphology and were able to produce more extracellular matrix.

A facile green synthesis of MgCoFeO nanomaterials with robust catalytic performance in the synthesis of pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidinedione and their bis-derivatives.

In this study, an efficient, rapid and simple plant-mediated green sol-gel auto-combustion procedure was presented to synthesis magnesium-cobalt ferrite (MgCoFeO) nanocatalyst using an aqueous extract of apple skins as a chelating/combustion agent. The catalyst was assessed by multiple techniques, including FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDS, elemental mapping, TGA-DTA and VSM. Then, the catalytic potential of the as-prepared MgCoFeO nanocatalyst was examined in the three-component condensation reaction of 1,3-dimethyl barbituric acid, aldehydes and malononitrile for the one-pot synthesis of pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidinedione and their bis-derivatives.

Polymeric carriers for enhanced delivery of probiotics.

Probiotics are live microorganisms (usually bacteria), which are defined by their ability to confer health benefits to the host, if administered adequately. Probiotics are not only used as health supplements but have also been applied in various attempts to prevent and treat gastrointestinal (GI) and non-gastrointestinal diseases such as diarrhea, colon cancer, obesity, diabetes, and inflammation. One of the challenges in the use of probiotics is putative loss of viability by the time of administration.

Burgeoning Polymer Nano Blends for Improved Controlled Drug Release: A Review.

With continual rapid developments in the biomedical field and understanding of the important mechanisms and pharmacokinetics of biological molecules, controlled drug delivery systems (CDDSs) have been at the forefront over conventional drug delivery systems. Over the past several years, scientists have placed boundless energy and time into exploiting a wide variety of excipients, particularly diverse polymers, both natural and synthetic. More recently, the development of nano polymer blends has achieved noteworthy attention due to their amazing properties, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability and more importantly, their pivotal role in controlled and sustained drug release in vitro and in vivo.

A pH-sensitive carrier based-on modified hollow mesoporous carbon nanospheres with calcium-latched gate for drug delivery.

A novel nanocarrier based-on hollow mesoporous carbon nanospheres (HMCNs) with primary amines on its surface, a large cavity, and good hydrophilicity was synthesized by a hydrothermal reaction. The primary amine functionalities on the mesoporous carbon were used as the initiation sites for growing poly (epichlorohydrin) (PCH) chains. The chlorine groups in the side chain of PCH were replaced with imidazole as the pendant groups.

Synthesis of micelles based on chitosan functionalized with gold nanorods as a light sensitive drug delivery vehicle.

This study aims to design photo-triggered micelles by using a natural base polymer. Chitosan was functionalized with thiourea, and in the next step, it was modified by grafting poly(l-lactide), poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), and poly(acrylamide) in determined ratio to form thermo-sensitive micelles. The sulfur content of chitosan@thiourea was measured about 2%.

pH and thermal dual-responsive poly(NIPAM-co-GMA)-coated magnetic nanoparticles via surface-initiated RAFT polymerization for controlled drug delivery.

Herein, a novel type of multifunctional magnetic nanoparticles with dual thermal and pH-responsive behavior was fabricated as the carrier for delivery of doxorubicin (DOX). FeO@SiO magnetic nanoparticles, were grafted with polymer brushes consisting of poly (NIPAM-co-GMA) (PNG) chains via surface initiated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (SI-RAFT) polymerization. The polymer brushes were then modified with hydrazine groups as DOX binding sites.

Injectable chitosan/κ-carrageenan hydrogel designed with au nanoparticles: A conductive scaffold for tissue engineering demands.

Scaffolds for tissue engineering of specific sites such as cardiac, nerve, and bone tissues need a comprehensive design of three dimensional materials that covers all aspects of chemical composition and physical structures, required for regeneration of desired cells. Hydrogels, possessing highly hydrated and interconnected structures, are promising materials for tissue engineering applications. Improvement of an injectable hydrogel from biocompatible polysaccharides and poly‑N‑isopropyl acryl amide enriched with Au nanoparticles are the main goal of this study.

Synthesis and characterization of magnetic hybrid nanomaterials via RAFT polymerization: A pH sensitive drug delivery system.

Herein, a facile and versatile method for the synthesis of a novel magnetic nanocarrier via surface- initiated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization is introduced. At first, RAFT agent was successfully attached to the surface of FeO nanoparticles and, then, poly (glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) chains were grown and anchored onto the surface of FeO nanoparticles. At the end, hydrazine (Hy) groups were introduced to the PGMA chains via reaction between epoxy rings and hydrazine molecules.

Codelivery of Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Drugs by Graphene-Decorated Magnetic Dendrimers.

In this study, a nanocarrier was prepared for the codelivery of a hydrophilic drug (doxorubicin) and a hydrophobic drug (curcumin) to cancer cells. In this nanocarrier, the edges of graphene oxide sheets were decorated with a magnetic-functionalized polyamidoamine dendrimer with hydrazone groups at the end of the polymer. The edge functionalization of graphene sheets not only improved the solubility and dispersibility of graphene sheets but also imparted the magnetic properties to the nanocarrier.

Covalent Immobilization of Cellulase Using Magnetic Poly(ionic liquid) Support: Improvement of the Enzyme Activity and Stability.

A magnetic nanocomposite was prepared by entrapment of FeO nanoparticles into the cross-linked ionic liquid/epoxy type polymer. The resulting support was used for covalent immobilization of cellulase through the reaction with epoxy groups. The ionic surface of the support improved the adsorption of enzyme, and a large amount of enzyme (106.

Smart and Fragrant Garment via Surface Modification of Cotton Fabric With Cinnamon Oil/Stimuli Responsive PNIPAAm/Chitosan Nano Hydrogels.

This paper deals with obtaining aromatherapic textiles via applying stimuli-responsive poly N-isopropyl acryl amide (PNIPAAm) /chitosan (PNCS) nano hydrogels containing cinnamon oil on cotton fabric and looks into the treated fabric characteristics as an antibacterial and temperature/pH responsive fabric. The semi-batch surfactant-free dispersion polymerization method was proposed to the synthesis of PNCS nano particles. The incorporation of modified β -cyclodextrin ( β -CD) into the PNCS nanohydrogel was performed in order to prepare a hydrophobic(cinnamon oil) carrier embedded in stimuli-responsive nanohydrogel.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles with bilayer coating of poly(acrylic acid-co-itaconic acid) and human serum albumin (HSA): A pH-sensitive carrier for gemcitabine delivery.

Novel bilayer coated mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MCM-41) based on pH sensitive poly(acrylic acid-co-itaconic acid) and human serum albumin (HSA) was designed for controlled delivery of gemcitabine (anticancer drug) to cancer cells. The shell around the mesoporous silica has bilayer structure. Poly(acrylic acid-co-itaconic acid) was used as pH-sensitive inner shell and human serum albumin, HSA, was used as outer shell.