Use of Micronization and Complex Coacervation to Preserve Antioxidant Properties of Flavonoids.

The plant flavonoids taxifolin and rutin are among the best known and best studied antioxidants. In addition to their antioxidant properties, other pharmacobiological properties have been established for these substances. At the same time, taxifolin and rutin are chemically labile.

Photoinduced Antibacterial Activity and Cytotoxicity of CdS Stabilized on Mesoporous Aluminosilicates and Silicates.

Inactivation of bacteria under the influence of visible light in presence of nanostructured materials is an alternative approach to overcome the serious problem of the growing resistance of pathogenic bacteria to antibiotics. Cadmium sulfide quantum dots are superefficient photocatalytic material suitable for visible light transformation. In this work, CdS nanoparticles with size of less than 10 nm (QDs) were synthesized on the surface of natural and synthetic mesoporous aluminosilicates and silicates (halloysite nanotubes, MCM-41, MCM-41/Halloysite, SBA-15).

The Effect of Ultrasonic Water Treatment on the Change in the Microstructure of Wheat Grain, Dough, and Wheat Flour Bread.

Visualization of the microstructure of the food matrix of both raw materials and the final product is one of the keys to understanding the processes occurring during its formation. It is the fixation of the results at the microlevel that allows us to form a hypothesis and then confirm it with the obtained array of experimental data. The presented study is aimed at studying the effect of ultrasonic water treatment on the change in the microstructure of wheat grain during its humidification.

Forskolin-Loaded Halloysite Nanotubes as Osteoconductive Additive for the Biopolymer Tissue Engineering Scaffolds.

Here we report the use of forskolin-modified halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) as a dopant for biopolymer porous hydrogel scaffolds to impart osteoinductive properties. Forskolin is a labdane diterpenoid isolated from the Indian Coleus plant. This small molecule is widely used as a supplement in molecular biology for cell differentiation.

Revisiting the Cytotoxicity of Cationic Polyelectrolytes as a Principal Component in Layer-by-Layer Assembly Fabrication.

Polycations are an essential part of layer-by-layer (LbL)-assembled drug delivery systems, especially for gene delivery. In addition, they are used for other related applications, such as cell surface engineering. As a result, an assessment of the cytotoxicity of polycations and elucidation of the mechanisms of polycation toxicity is of paramount importance.

Selective Cytotoxic Activity of Prodigiosin@halloysite Nanoformulation.

Prodigiosin, a bioactive secondary metabolite produced by , is an effective proapoptotic agent against various cancer cell lines, with little or no toxicity toward normal cells. The hydrophobicity of prodigiosin limits its use for medical and biotechnological applications, these limitations, however, can be overcome by using nanoscale drug carriers, resulting in promising formulations for target delivery systems with great potential for anticancer therapy. Here we report on prodigiosin-loaded halloysite-based nanoformulation and its effects on viability of malignant and non-malignant cells.

Halloysite Nanoclay/Biopolymers Composite Materials in Tissue Engineering.

Biocompatible materials for the fabrication of tissue substitutes are crucially important in the advancement of modern medicinal biotechnology. These materials, to serve their function, should be similar in physical, chemical, biological, and structural properties to native tissues which they are aimed to mimic. The porosity of artificial scaffolds is essential for normal nutrient transmission to cells, gas diffusion, and cell attachment and proliferation.

Spatial manipulation of magnetically-responsive nanoparticle engineered human neuronal progenitor cells.

Here we report a detailed investigation of the interaction of neuronal progenitor cells and neurons with polyelectrolyte-stabilized magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles. Human neuronal progenitor and neurons were differentiated in vitro from fibroblast-derived induced pluripotent stem cells. The cytotoxic effects of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) were determined on human skin fibroblasts and neuronal progenitor cells.

Cryogel composites based on hyaluronic acid and halloysite nanotubes as scaffold for tissue engineering.

We present here preparation of mechanically strong and biocompatible cryogel composites based on hyaluronic acid (HA) and halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) of various compositions, and their applications as scaffold for different cell growing media. Uniaxial compression tests reveal that the incorporation of HNTs into HA cryogels leads to a ~2.5-fold increase in their Young moduli, e.

Paclitaxel Encapsulated in Halloysite Clay Nanotubes for Intestinal and Intracellular Delivery.

Naturally formed halloysite tubules have a length of 1 μm and lumens with a diameter of 12-15 nm which can be loaded with drugs. Halloysite's biocompatibility allows for its safe delivering to cells at a concentration of up to 0.5 mg/mL.

Species-specific differences in peroxisome proliferation, catalase, and SOD2 upregulation as well as toxicity in human, mouse, and rat hepatoma cells induced by the explosive and environmental pollutant 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene.

2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT) has been widely used as an explosive substance and its toxicity is still of interest as it persisted in polluted areas. TNT is metabolized in hepatocytes which are prone to its toxicity. Since analysis of the human liver or hepatocytes is restricted due to ethical reasons, we investigated the effects of TNT on cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, peroxisome proliferation, and antioxidative enzymes in human (HepG2), mouse (Hepa 1-6), and rat (H4IIEC3) hepatoma cell lines.

Clay nanotube-biopolymer composite scaffolds for tissue engineering.

Porous biopolymer hydrogels doped at 3-6 wt% with 50 nm diameter/0.8 μm long natural clay nanotubes were produced without any cross-linkers using the freeze-drying method. The enhancement of mechanical strength (doubled pick load), higher water uptake and thermal properties in chitosan-gelatine-agarose hydrogels doped with halloysite was demonstrated.

Enzyme-activated intracellular drug delivery with tubule clay nanoformulation.

Fabrication of stimuli-triggered drug delivery vehicle s is an important milestone in treating cancer. Here we demonstrate the selective anticancer drug delivery into human cells with biocompatible 50-nm diameter halloysite nanotube carriers. Physically-adsorbed dextrin end stoppers secure the intercellular release of brilliant green.

Nano-labelled cells-a functional tool in biomedical applications.

Nanotechnology offers an unprecedented number of opportunities for biomedical research, utilizing the unusual functionalities of nanosized materials. Here we describe the recent advances in fabrication and utilization of nanoparticle-labelled cells. We present a brief overview of the most promising techniques, namely layer-by-layer polyelectrolyte assembly on cells and intracellular and extracellular labelling with magnetic nanoparticles.

Surface-modified magnetic human cells for scaffold-free tissue engineering.

We report the magnetically-facilitated scaffold-free assembly of lung tissue mimicking two-layered multicellular clusters. Polymer-stabilized magnetic nanoparticles were deposited on surfaces of viable human cells (A549 and skin fibroblasts), allowing the formation of two-layered porous tissue prototypes.