Impact of Graphene Oxide Nanoparticles on In Vitro Development of a Mouse Preimplantation Embryo and Interaction With the Zona Pellucida.

The development of assisted reproductive technologies increases the likelihood of nanoparticles' (NPs) direct contact with gametes and embryos in in vitro conditions. Analyzing the influence of nanomaterials on the early mammalian embryo becomes increasingly relevant. This work is devoted to the effect of graphene oxide (GO) NPs on the in vitro development of mammalian embryos.

Fe-doped nanodiamond-based photo-Fenton catalyst for dual-modal fluorescence imaging and improved chemotherapeutic efficacy against tumor hypoxia.

The deficiency of oxygen in most solid tumors plays a profound role in their proliferation, metastasis, and invasion and contributes to their resistance to treatments such as radiation, chemotherapy, and photodynamic therapy (PDT). A therapeutic approach based on the Fenton reaction has received considerable interest as a means of treating cancer with ROS-based nano catalytic medicine, referred to as chemodynamic therapy (CDT). A range of modified treatment strategies are being explored to enhance both CDT and conventional methods of therapy.

Berberine mediated fluorescent gold nanoclusters in biomimetic erythrocyte ghosts as a nanocarrier for enhanced photodynamic treatment.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a well-established cancer treatment method that employs light to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) causing oxidative damage to cancer cells. Nevertheless, PDT encounters challenges due to its oxygen-dependent nature, which makes it less effective in hypoxic tumor environments. To address this issue, we have developed a novel nanocomposite known as AuNC@BBR@Ghost.

Vibrational and electrochemical studies of pectin-a candidate towards environmental friendly lithium-ion battery development.

Pectin polymers are considered for lithium-ion battery electrodes. To understand the performance of pectin as an applied buffer layer, the electrical, magnetic, and optical properties of pectin films are investigated. This work describes a methodology for creating pectin films, including both pristine pectin and Fe-doped pectin, which are optically translucent, and explores their potential for lithium-ion battery application.

Precise Sn-Doping Modulation for Optimizing CdWO Nanorod Photoluminescence.

The cadmium tungstate rods have been given much attention due to their potential for usage in numerous luminescent applications. We have prepared single crystalline Sn-doped CdSnWO (where x = 0, 1, 3, and 5%) nanorods (NRDs) and characterized them using refined X-ray diffraction and TEM analysis, revealing a monoclinic phase and a crystallite size that decreased from 62 to 38 nm as Sn concentration increased. Precise Sn doping modulation in CdWO NRDs causes surface recombination of electrons and holes, which causes the PL intensity to decrease as the Sn content rises.

Nanodiamond-Induced Thrombocytopenia in Mice Involve P-Selectin-Dependent Nlrp3 Inflammasome-Mediated Platelet Aggregation, Pyroptosis and Apoptosis.

Nanodiamond (ND) has been developed as a carrier to conduct various diagnostic and therapeutic uses. Safety is one of the major considerations, while the hemocompatibility of ND is not clearly addressed. Here we found that, compared to the other sizes of ND with relatively inert properties, treatments of 50 nm ND induced stronger platelet aggregation, platelet pyroptosis, apoptosis and thrombocytopenia in mice.

Multimodal bioimaging using nanodiamond and gold hybrid nanoparticles.

Hybrid core-shell nanodiamond-gold nanoparticles were synthesized and characterized as a novel multifunctional material with tunable and tailored properties for multifunctional biomedical applications. The combination of nanostructured gold and nanodiamond properties afford new options for optical labeling, imaging, sensing, and drug delivery, as well as targeted treatment. ND@Au core-shell nanoparticles composed of nanodiamond (ND) core doped with Si vacancies (SiV) and Au shell were synthesized and characterized in terms of their biomedical applications.

Multifunctional plasmonic gold nanostars for cancer diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Gold nanostar (AuNSt) has gained great attention in bioimaging and cancer therapy due to their tunable surface plasmon resonance across the visible-near infrared range. Photothermal treatment and imaging capabilities including fluorescence lifetime imaging at two-photon excitation (TP-FLIM) and dark-field microscopic imaging are considered in this work. Two types of AuNSts having plasmon absorption peaks centred at 600 and 750 nm wavelength were synthesized and studied.

Raman Spectroscopic Study of TiO Nanoparticles' Effects on the Hemoglobin State in Individual Red Blood Cells.

Titanium dioxide (TiO) is considered to be a nontoxic material and is widely used in a number of everyday products, such as sunscreen. TiO nanoparticles (NP) are also considered as prospective agents for photodynamic therapy and drug delivery. These applications require an understanding of the potential effects of TiO on the blood system and its components upon administration.

Opportunistic gill infection is associated with TiO2 nanoparticle-induced mortality in zebrafish.

The large amounts of engineered titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) that have been manufactured have inevitably been released into the ecosystem. Reports have suggested that TiO2 is a relatively inert material that has low toxicity to animals. However, as various types of NPs increasingly accumulate in the ocean, their effects on aquatic life-forms remain unclear.

Room Temperature Magnetic Memory Effect in Nanodiamond/γ-FeO Composites.

We report a room temperature magnetic memory effect (RT-MME) from magnetic nanodiamond (MND) (ND)/γ-FeO nanocomposites. The detailed crystal structural analysis of the diluted MND was performed by synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction, revealing the composite nature of MND having 99 and 1% weight fraction ND and γ-FeO phases, respectively. The magnetic measurements carried out using a DC SQUID magnetometer show the non-interacting superparamagnetic nature of γ-FeO nanoparticles in MND have a wide distribution in the blocking temperature.

Phase transformation and room temperature stabilization of various BiO nano-polymorphs: effect of oxygen-vacancy defects and reduced surface energy due to adsorbed carbon species.

We report the grain growth from the nanoscale to microscale and a transformation sequence from Bi →β-BiO→γ-BiO→α-BiO with the increase of annealing temperature. The room temperature (RT) stabilization of β-BiO nanoparticles (NPs) was attributed to the effect of reduced surface energy due to adsorbed carbon species, and oxygen vacancy defects may have played a significant role in the RT stabilization of γ-BiO NPs. An enhanced red emission band was evident from all the samples attributed to oxygen-vacancy defects formed during the growth process in contrast with the observed white emission band from the air annealed Bi ingots.

A review of recent advances in nanodiamond-mediated drug delivery in cancer.

Introduction: Nanodiamond (ND) refers to diamond particles with sizes from few to near 100 nanometers. For its superb physical, chemical and spectroscopic properties, it has been proposed and studied with the aims for bio imaging and drug delivery. Many modalities on conjugating drug molecules on ND to form ND-X for more efficient drug delivery have been demonstrated in the cellular and animal models.

Structural and Enhanced Optical Properties of Stabilized γ‒BiO Nanoparticles: Effect of Oxygen Ion Vacancies.

We report the synthesis of room temperature (RT) stabilized γ-BiO nanoparticles (NPs) at the expense of metallic Bi NPs through annealing in an ambient atmosphere. RT stability of the metastable γ-BiO NPs is confirmed using synchrotron radiation powder X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. γ-BiO NPs exhibited a strong red-band emission peaking at ~701 nm, covering 81% integrated intensity of photoluminescence spectra.

Optical Studies of Nanodiamond-Tissue Interaction: Skin Penetration and Localization.

In this work, several optical-spectroscopic methods have been used to visualize and investigate the penetration of diamond nanoparticles (NPs) of various sizes (3-150 nm), surface structures and fluorescence properties into the animal skin in vitro. Murine skin samples have been treated with nanodiamond (ND) water suspensions and studied using optical coherence tomography (OCT), confocal and two-photon fluorescence microscopy and fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM). An analysis of the optical properties of the used nanodiamonds (NDs) enables the selection of optimal optical methods or their combination for the study of nanodiamond-skin interaction.

Facile Amine Termination of Nanodiamond Particles and Their Surface Reaction Dynamics.

Nanodiamond synthesized by the detonation method is a composite of sp/sp carbon structures; amorphous and disordered-sp carbons populate the surface of a sp diamond core lattice. Because of the production process, various elemental impurities such as N, O, H, and so forth are inherent in interstitial sites or the surface carbon (sp/amorphous) network. Herein, the reaction dynamics on the surface of ultradisperse diamond (UDD) due to the surface transformation or reconstruction during annealing in vacuum with temperatures ranging from ambient to 800 °C is described.

Raman spectroscopy on live mouse early embryo while it continues to develop into blastocyst in vitro.

Laser based spectroscopic methods can be versatile tools in investigating early stage mammalian embryo structure and biochemical processes in live oocytes and embryos. The limiting factor for using the laser methods in embryological studies is the effect of laser irradiation on the ova. The aim of this work is to explore the optimal parameters of the laser exposure in Raman spectroscopic measurements applicable for studying live early embryos in vitro without impacting their developmental capability.

Role of cobalt cations in short range antiferromagnetic CoO nanoparticles: a thermal treatment approach to affecting phonon and magnetic properties.

We report the phonon and magnetic properties of various well-stabilized CoO nanoparticles. The net valence in cobalt (II)/(III) cation can be obtained by subtracting the Co ions in tetrahedral interstices and Co ions in the octahedral interstices, respectively, which will possess spatial inhomogeneity of its magnetic moment via Co in tetrahedra and Co in octahedral configurations in the normal spinel structure. Furthermore, the distribution of Co/Co governed by various external (magnetic field and temperature) and internal (particle size and slightly distorted CoO octahedra) sources, have led to phenomena such as a large redshift of phonon-phonon interaction and short-range magnetic correlation in the inverse spinel structure.

Spectroscopic Ellipsometry of Nanocrystalline Diamond Film Growth.

With the retention of many of the unrivaled properties of bulk diamond but in thin-film form, nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) has applications ranging from micro-/nano-electromechanical systems to tribological coatings. However, with Young's modulus, transparency, and thermal conductivity of films all dependent on the grain size and nondiamond content, compositional and structural analysis of the initial stages of diamond growth is required to optimize growth. Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) has therefore been applied to the characterization of 25-75 nm thick NCD samples atop nanodiamond-seeded silicon with a clear distinction between the nucleation and bulk growth regimes discernable.

Positive zeta potential of nanodiamonds.

In this paper, the origin of positive zeta potential exhibited by nanodiamond particles is explained. Positive zeta potentials in nano-structured carbons can be explained by the presence of graphitic planes at the surface, which leave oxygen-free Lewis sites and so promotes the suppression of acidic functional groups. Electron Microscopy and Raman Spectroscopy have been used to show that positive zeta potential of nanodiamond is only exhibited in the presence of sp carbon at the surface.

Nanodiamonds for Medical Applications: Interaction with Blood in Vitro and in Vivo.

Nanodiamonds (ND) have emerged to be a widely-discussed nanomaterial for their applications in biological studies and for medical diagnostics and treatment. The potentials have been successfully demonstrated in cellular and tissue models in vitro. For medical applications, further in vivo studies on various applications become important.

Nanodiamonds protect skin from ultraviolet B-induced damage in mice.

Background: Solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation causes various deleterious effects, and UV blockage is recommended for avoiding sunburn. Nanosized titanium dioxide and zinc oxide offer effective protection and enhance cosmetic appearance but entail health concerns regarding their photocatalytic activity, which generates reactive oxygen species. These concerns are absent in nanodiamonds (NDs).

Raman spectroscopic study on the excystation process in a single unicellular organism amoeba (Acanthamoeba polyphaga).

An in vivo Raman spectroscopic study of amoeba (Acanthamoeba polyphaga) is presented. The changes of the spectra during the amoeba cyst activation and excystation are analyzed. The spectra show the changes of the relative intensities of bands corresponding to protein, lipid, and carotenoid components during cyst activation.

Antibacterial effect of ultrafine nanodiamond against gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli.

We investigate the antibacterial effect of ultrafine nanodiamond particles with an average size of 5 nm against the gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli). UV-visible, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been employed to elucidate the nature of the interaction.

Biomedical applications of nanodiamonds in imaging and therapy.

Nanodiamonds have attracted remarkable scientific attention for bioimaging and therapeutic applications owing to their low toxicity with many cell lines, convenient surface properties and stable fluorescence without photobleaching. Newer techniques are being applied to enhance fluorescence. Interest is also growing in exploring the possibilities for modifying the nanodiamond surface and functionalities by attaching various biomolecules of interest for interaction with the targets.