Selected Biomarkers Revealed Potential Skin Toxicity Caused by Certain Copper Compounds.

Copper is an essential mineral and plays important roles in skin growth and activity. Copper delivery through skin can provide beneficial effects but its potential to induce skin irritation reactions is often overlooked. Data on dermal toxicity caused by copper compounds is scant.

High durability and low toxicity antimicrobial coatings fabricated by quaternary ammonium silane copolymers.

Adhesion and subsequent growth of microorganisms on material surfaces are a major concern in many biomedical applications. Currently, various polymers are immobilized on material surfaces to prevent microbial colonization. However, there are several challenges with regard to the coating materials, including their inability to kill microorganisms, complexity of surface grafting, limited durability and toxicity towards humans.

Poly(vinyl alcohol) nanocomposites filled with poly(vinyl alcohol)-grafted graphene oxide.

We present a novel approach to the fabrication of advanced polymeric nanocomposites from poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) by incorporation of PVA-grafted graphene oxide. In this work, we have synthesized PVA-grafted graphene oxide (PVA-g-GO) for the strong interfacial adhesion of graphene oxide (GO) to the PVA matrix. It was found that the mechanical properties of PVA were greatly improved by incorporating PVA-g-GO.

Noncovalently functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes by chitosan-grafted reduced graphene oxide and their synergistic reinforcing effects in chitosan films.

Water-soluble chitosan-grafted reduced graphene oxide (CS-rGO) sheets are successfully synthesized via amidation reaction and chemical reduction. CS-rGO possesses not only remarkable graphitic property but also favorable water solubility, which is found to be able to effectively disperse multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in acidic solutions via noncovalent interaction. The efficiency of CS-rGO in dispersing MWCNTs is tested to be higher than that of plain graphene oxide (GO) and a commercial surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS).

Chitosan-functionalized graphene oxide as a nanocarrier for drug and gene delivery.

The covalent functionalization of graphene oxide (GO) with chitosan (CS) is successfully accomplished via a facile amidation process. The CS-grafted GO (GO-CS) sheets consist of about 64 wt.% CS, which imparts them with a good aqueous solubility and biocompatibility.

Functionalized carbon nanomaterials as nanocarriers for loading and delivery of a poorly water-soluble anticancer drug: a comparative study.

Carbon nanomaterials such as multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and graphene oxide (GO) have been functionalized by highly hydrophilic and biocompatible poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) for loading and delivery of an anticancer drug, camptothecin (CPT). For the first time, CPT was loaded onto MWCNT-PVA and GO-PVA through π-π interactions and its capability to kill human breast and skin cancer cells was investigated.

Thermo-responsive association of chitosan-graft-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) in aqueous solutions.

A comb-like dual hydrophilic graft chitosan copolymer, chitosan-graft-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (CS-g-PNIPAM), was synthesized by means of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and click chemistry. The thermo-responsive association behavior of the copolymer in dilute aqueous solutions has been investigated by laser light scattering (LLS), zeta potential, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The core-shell structured micelles with the hydrophobic PNIAPM as a core and the hydrophilic CS as a shell were formed at low pH (<4) and high temperature (>32 degrees C), whereas the obtained micelles became large aggregates and precipitated in alkaline solutions (pH > 7).

Influence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide on physicochemical properties and microstructures of chitosan-TPP nanoparticles in aqueous solutions.

The nanoparticles of chitosan (CS) were prepared using pentasodium triphosphate (TPP) as a crosslinking agent and the influences of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) on the physicochemical properties of the CS-TPP nanoparticles were first studied by laser light scattering, zeta potential, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The concentration played a significant role in controlling the particle size of CS and the overlap concentration c(*) was testified to be about 1.0 mg/mL.