Nanocarrier foliar uptake pathways affect delivery of active agents and plant physiological response.

Layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanoparticles enable foliar delivery of genetic material, herbicides, and nutrients to promote plant growth and yield. Understanding the foliar uptake route of nanoparticles is needed to maximize their effectiveness and avoid unwanted negative effects. In this study, we investigated how delivering layered double hydroxide ( = 37 ± 1.

methodology for engineered nanomaterial categorization according to number, nature and oxidative potential of reactive surface sites.

Methanol probe chemisorption quantifies the number of reactive sites at the surface of engineered nanomaterials, enabling normalization per reactive site in reactivity and toxicity tests, rather than per mass or physical surface area. Subsequent temperature-programmed surface reaction (TPSR) of chemisorbed methanol identifies the reactive nature of surface sites (acidic, basic, redox or combination thereof) and their reactivity. Complementary to the methanol assay, a dithiothreitol (DTT) probe oxidation reaction is used to evaluate the oxidation capacity.

Understanding the role of biomolecular coronas in human exposure to nanomaterials.

Nanomaterials (NMs) are increasingly used in medical treatments, electronics, and food additives. However, nanosafety-the possible adverse effects of NMs on human health-is an area of active research. This review provides an overview of the influence of biomolecular coronas on NM transformation following various exposure routes.

Uptake and physiological impacts of nanoplastics in trees with divergent water use strategies.

Anthropogenic contaminants can place significant stress on vegetation, especially when they are taken up into plants. Plastic pollution, including nanoplastics (NPs), could be detrimental to tree functioning, by causing, for example, oxidative stress or reducing photosynthesis. While a number of studies have explored the capacity of plants to take up NPs, few have simultaneously assessed the functional damage due to particulate matter uptake.

The pulmonary effects of nickel-containing nanoparticles: Cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, and their underlying mechanisms.

With the exponential growth of the nanotechnology field, the global nanotechnology market is on an upward track with fast-growing jobs. Nickel (Ni)-containing nanoparticles (NPs), an important class of transition metal nanoparticles, have been extensively used in industrial and biomedical fields due to their unique nanostructural, physical, and chemical properties. Millions of people have been/are going to be exposed to Ni-containing NPs in occupational and non-occupational settings.

Colloidal stabilization of hydrophobic InSe 2D nanosheets in a model environmental aqueous solution and their impact on MR-1.

Semiconductor InSe 2D nanomaterials have emerged as potential photoresponsive materials for broadly distributed photodetectors and wearable electronics technologies due to their high photoresponsivity and thermal stability. This paper addresses an environmental concern about the fate of InSe 2D nanosheets when disposed and released into the environment after use. Semiconducting materials are potentially reactive and often form environmentally damaging species, for example reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, when degraded.

Nature-Derived Gelatin-Based Antifungal Nanotherapeutics for combatting Biofilms.

Infections caused by fungi are emerging global health challenges that are exacerbated by the formation of fungal biofilms. Further challenges arise from environmental contamination with antifungal agents, which promotes environmental acquisition of antifungal resistance. We report the generation of an efficient, sustainable, all-natural antifungal nanotherapeutic based on the integration of an antimicrobial natural essential oil into a gelatin-based nanoemulsion platform.

The elemental fingerprint as a potential tool for tracking the fate of real-life model nanoplastics generated from plastic consumer products in environmental systems.

Metals and metalloids are widely used in producing plastic materials as fillers and pigments, which can be used to track the environmental fate of real-life nanoplastics in environmental and biological systems. Therefore, this study investigated the metal and metalloids concentrations and fingerprint in real-life model nanoplastics generated from new plastic products (NPP) and from environmentally aged ocean plastic fragments (NPO) using single particle-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SP-ICP-TOF-MS) and transmission electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (TEM-EDX). The new plastic products include polypropylene straws (PPS), polyethylene terephthalate bottles (PETEB), white low-density polyethylene bags (LDPEB), and polystyrene foam shipping material (PSF).

House Dust Mite Extract Forms a Der p 2 Corona on Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes: Implications for Allergic Airway Disease.

Multi-walled carbons nanotubes (MWCNTs) are used in materials for the construction, automotive, and aerospace industries. Workers and consumers are exposed to these materials via inhalation. Existing recommended exposure limits are based on MWCNT exposures that do not take into account more realistic co-exposures.

Submicron- and nanoplastic detection at low micro- to nanogram concentrations using gold nanostar-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates.

The presence of submicron- (1 μm-100 nm) and nanoplastic (<100 nm) particles within various sample matrices, ranging from marine environments to foods and beverages, has become a topic of increasing interest in recent years. Despite this interest, very few analytical techniques are known that allow for the detection of these small plastic particles in the low concentration ranges that they are anticipated to be present at. Research focused on optimizing surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) to enhance signal obtained in Raman spectroscopy has been shown to have great potential for the detection of plastic particles below conventional resolution limits.

Precursor- and waste-free synthesis of spark-ablated nanoparticles with enhanced photocatalytic activity and stability towards airborne organic pollutant degradation.

Photocatalyst synthesis typically involves multiple steps, expensive precursors, and solvents. In contrast, spark ablation offers a simple process of electrical discharges in a gap between two electrodes made from a desirable material. This enables a precursor- and waste-free generation of pure metal oxide nanoparticles or mixtures of various compositions.

Development of single-cell ICP-TOFMS to measure nanoplastics association with human cells.

Nanoplastics, solid polymer particles smaller than 1 μm, are suspected to be widely present in the environment, food and air, and may pose a potential threat to human health. Detecting nanoplastics in and associated with individual cells is crucial to understand their mechanisms of toxicity and potential harm. In this context, we developed a single-cell inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry (sc-ICP-TOFMS) method for the sensitive and rapid quantification of metal-doped model nanoplastics in human cells.

A cross-reactive plasmonic sensing array for drinking water assessment.

The continuous monitoring of remote drinking water purification systems is a global challenge with direct consequences for human and environmental health. Here, we utilise a "nano-tastebud" sensor comprised of eight chemically-tailored plasmonic metasurfaces, for testing the composition of drinking water. Through undertaking a full chemometric analysis of the water samples and likely contaminants we were able to optimise the sensor specification to create an array of suitable tastebuds.

Interaction of TiO nanoparticles with lung fluid proteins and the resulting macrophage inflammatory response.

Inhalation is a major exposure route to nanoparticles. Following inhalation, nanoparticles first interact with the lung lining fluid, a complex mixture of proteins, lipids, and mucins. We measure the concentration and composition of lung fluid proteins adsorbed on the surface of titanium dioxide (TiO) nanoparticles.

The Heterogeneous Diffusion of Polystyrene Nanoparticles and the Effect on the Expression of Quorum-Sensing Genes and EPS Production as a Function of Particle Charge and Biofilm Age.

Biofilms are abundantly present in both natural and engineered environmental systems and will likely influence broader particle fate and transport phenomena. While some developed models describe the interactions between nanoparticles and biofilms, studies are only beginning to uncover the complexity of nanoparticle diffusion patterns. With the knowledge of the nanoparticle potential to influence bacterial processes, more systematic studies are needed to uncover the dynamics of bacteria-nanoparticle interactions.

Fragmentation and release of pristine and functionalized carbon nanotubes from epoxy-nanocomposites during accelerated weathering.

There is an increasing volume of nano-enabled materials in the market. Once composites containing nano-additives are disposed of, weathering could deteriorate their structures, releasing nanoparticles and risking exposure of humans and aquatic organisms. Composite degradation due to environmental aging continues, including structural deterioration resulting in cracking, fragmentation, and release of microplastics and nano-additives to the environment.

Nanoscale heterogeneity of arsenic and selenium species in coal fly ash particles: analysis using enhanced spectroscopic imaging and speciation techniques.

Coal combustion byproducts are known to be enriched in arsenic (As) and selenium (Se). This enrichment is a concern during the handling, disposal, and reuse of the ash as both elements can be harmful to wildlife and humans if mobilized into water and soils. The leaching potential and bioaccessibility of As and Se in coal fly ash depends on the chemical forms of these elements and their association with the large variety of particles that comprise coal fly ash.

The mechanistic effects of human digestion on magnesium oxide nanoparticles: implications for probiotics Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG and Bifidobacterium bifidum VPI 1124.

The effects of nanoparticles (NPs) on the human gut microbiota are of high interest due to the link between the gut homeostasis and overall human health. The human intake of metal oxide NPs has increased due to its use in the food industry as food additives. Specifically, magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO-NPs) have been described as antimicrobial and antibiofilm.

Metabolic alterations in alga exposed to nTiO materials.

Nano-sized titanium dioxide (nTiO) is one of the most commonly used materials, however the knowledge about the molecular basis for metabolic and physiological changes in phytoplankton is yet to be explored. In the present study we use a combination of targeted metabolomics, transcriptomics and physiological response studies to decipher the metabolic perturbation in green alga exposed for 72 h to increasing concentrations (2, 20, 100 and 200 mg L) of nTiO with primary sizes of 5, 15 and 20 nm. Results show that the exposure to all three nTiO materials induced perturbation of the metabolism of amino acids, nucleotides, fatty acids, tricarboxylic acids, antioxidants but not in the photosynthesis.

Emerging investigator series: metal nanoparticles in freshwater: transformation, bioavailability and effects on invertebrates.

The increasing use of metal oxide-based nanoparticles (MNPs) and their release into the environment cast concerns about their environmental impacts. Massive efforts have been focused on environmental behaviours and ecotoxicities to figure out the potential threats posed by MNPs. This review systematically summarises and re-analyses published data about the MNP interactions and transformation processes in freshwater and the toxicological effects of MNPs on invertebrates.

Elucidating heterogeneous iron biomineralization patterns in a denitrifying As(iii)-oxidizing bacterium: implications for arsenic immobilization.

Anaerobic nitrate-dependent iron(ii) oxidation is a process common to many bacterial species, which promotes the formation of Fe(iii) minerals that can influence the fate of soil and groundwater pollutants, such as arsenic. Herein, we investigated simultaneous nitrate-dependent Fe(ii) and As(iii) oxidation by sp. strain ST3 with the aim of studying the Fe biominerals formed, their As immobilization capabilities and the metabolic effect on cells.

To form or not to form: PuO nanoparticles at acidic pH.

The aim of this study is to synthesize PuO nanoparticles (NPs) at low pH values and characterize the materials using laboratory and synchrotron-based methods. Properties of the PuO NPs formed under acidic conditions (pH 1-4) are explored here at the atomic scale. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) is applied to characterize the crystallinity, morphology and size of the particles.