Antioxidative and antiinflammatory activities of quercetin-loaded silica nanoparticles.

Utilizing the biological activities of compounds by encapsulating natural components in stable nanoparticles is an important strategy for a variety of biomedical and healthcare applications. In this study, quercetin-loaded silica nanoparticles were synthesized using an oil-in-water microemulsion method, which is a suitable system for producing functional nanoparticles of controlled size and shape. The resulting quercetin-loaded silica nanoparticles were spherical, highly monodispersed, and stable in an aqueous system.

Rapid detection of 6×-histidine-labeled recombinant proteins by immunochromatography using dye-labeled cellulose nanobeads.

A rapid and easy immunochromatography assay using dye-labeled cellulose nanobeads (CNBs) was developed to detect proteins with hexa-histidine tag (His-tag) to characterize recombinant proteins during purification. Recombinant ATG8 protein was used as a His-tagged protein, and ATG8-conjugated CNBs (A-CNBs) were prepared. The original ATG8 in the sample solution competed with A-CNBs for anti-His-tag antibodies spotted on to the strip resulting in an inverse relationship between ATG8 concentration and the colorimetric signal.

Protein-directed immobilization of phosphocholine ligands on a gold surface for multivalent C-reactive protein binding.

The preparation of a synthetic receptor for multivalent protein binding by a directed immobilization of bifunctional ligands was demonstrated using pentameric C-reactive protein (CRP) and a thiolated phosphocholine-containing ligand on a gold surface. CRP consisting of five identical, noncovalently linked subunits and having five phosphocholine-binding sites on the same face was complexed with 12-mercaptododecylphosphocholine. The complexes were reacted with a gold surface, which was blocked with BSA or 2-mercaptoethanol to avoid non-specific binding.

C-Reactive protein-directed immobilization of phosphocholine ligands on a solid surface.

The complexes of C-reactive protein (CRP) with its polymerizable phosphocholine ligands adsorbed at the styrene-water interface were polymerized. The molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) exhibited a binding affinity for CRP comparable to that of immobilized anti-CRP antibody. The determination of human serum CRP using the MIP-based sandwich immunoassay has been demonstrated.

A mesoporous silica nanoparticle with charge-convertible pore walls for efficient intracellular protein delivery.

We report a smart mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN) with a pore surface designed to undergo charge conversion in intracellular endosomal condition. The surface of mesopores in the silica nanoparticles was engineered to have pH-hydrolyzable citraconic amide. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analyses confirmed the successful modification of the pore surfaces.

Tumor specificity and therapeutic efficacy of photosensitizer-encapsulated glycol chitosan-based nanoparticles in tumor-bearing mice.

We reported the development of new nanoscale drug carriers, chitosan-based nanoparticles (CNPs) that can be used for photodynamic therapy. These carriers could encapsulate a photosensitizer, protophorphyrin IX (PpIX), and deliver it to tumor tissue. We already reported that CNPs presented the enhanced tumor target specificity in cancer therapy and imbibed various water insoluble anticancer agents into the hydrophobic multicores of nanoscale particles.

Development of photocatalytic TiO2 nanofibers by electrospinning and its application to degradation of dye pollutants.

We have developed photocatalytic TiO2 nanofibers for the treatment of organic pollutants by using electrospinning method. We found that the optimized electrospinning conditions (electric field and flow rate) were 0.9 kV cm(-1) and 50 microL min(-1).