UV-Accelerated Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticle-Pluronic Nanocomposites for X-ray Computed Tomography Contrast Enhancement.

Eco-friendly chemical methods using FDA-approved Pluronic F127 (PLU) block copolymer have garnered much attention for simultaneously forming and stabilizing Au nanoparticles (AuNPs). Given the remarkable properties of AuNPs for usage in various fields, especially in biomedicine, we performed a systematic study to synthesize AuNP-PLU nanocomposites under optimized conditions using UV irradiation for accelerating the reaction. The use of UV irradiation at 254 nm resulted in several advantages over the control method conducted under ambient light (control).

Phosphate Capture Enhancement Using Designed Iron Oxide-Based Nanostructures.

Phosphates in high concentrations are harmful pollutants for the environment, and new and cheap solutions are currently needed for phosphate removal from polluted liquid media. Iron oxide nanoparticles show a promising capacity for removing phosphates from polluted media and can be easily separated from polluted media under an external magnetic field. However, they have to display a high surface area allowing high removal pollutant capacity while preserving their magnetic properties.

Novel iron oxide nanocarriers loading finasteride or dutasteride: Enhanced skin penetration for topical treatment of alopecia.

In the present study, iron oxide nanoparticles, in the form of maghemite core coated with lauric acid (ION), were synthesized and loaded with finasteride (FIN) or dutasteride (DUT) as a novel drug delivery system for the topical treatment of alopecia. Additionally, developed formulations (FIN-ION and DUT-ION) were completely elaborated with components involved in the follicle metabolism, i.e.