Non-invasive aerosol delivery and transport of gold nanoparticles to the brain

Targeted delivery of nanoscale carriers containing packaged payloads to the central nervous system has potential use in many diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Moreover, understanding of the bio-interactions of the engineered nanoparticles used for tissue-specific delivery by non-invasive delivery approaches are also of paramount interest. Here, we have examined this issue systematically in a relatively simple invertebrate model using insects. We synthesized 5 nm, positively charged gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and targeted their delivery using the electrospray aerosol generator. Our results revealed that after the exposure of synthesized aerosol to the insect antenna, AuNPs reached the brain within an hour. Nanoparticle accumulation in the brain increased linearly with the exposure time. Notably, electrophysiological recordings from neurons in the insect brain several hours after exposure did not show any significant alterations in their spontaneous and odor-evoked spiking properties. Taken together, our findings reveal that aerosolized delivery of nanoparticles can be an effective non-invasive approach for delivering nanoparticles to the brain, and also presents an approach to monitor the short-term nano-biointeractions

Nanotechnology: Interdisciplinary science of applications

Nanotechnology is the study of particle sizes between 1 and 100 nanometers at least at one dimension. Particle size reduced to nanometer length scale exhibit more surface area to volume size ratio and showing unusual properties makes them enable for systematic applications in engineering, biomedical, agricultural and allied sectors. Nanomaterial can create from bottom up or top down approaches using physical, chemical and biological mode of synthesis.Keywords: Nanotechnology, nanomaterial, nanobiotechnology, nanotech-applicationsAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(3), pp. 219-22

The role of natural products and their multitargeted approach to treat solid cancer

Natural products play a critical role in the discovery and development of numerous drugs for the treatment of various types of cancer. These phytochemicals have demonstrated anti-carcinogenic properties by interfering with the initiation, development, and progression of cancer through altering various mechanisms such as cellular proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Treating multifactorial diseases, such as cancer with agents targeting a single target, might lead to limited success and, in many cases, unsatisfactory outcomes. Various epidemiological studies have shown that the steady consumption of fruits and vegetables is intensely associated with a reduced risk of cancer. Since ancient period, plants, herbs, and other natural products have been used as healing agents. Likewise, most of the medicinal ingredients accessible today are originated from the natural resources. Regardless of achievements, developing bioactive compounds and drugs from natural products has remained challenging, in part because of the problem associated with large-scale sequestration and mechanistic understanding. With significant progress in the landscape of cancer therapy and the rising use of cutting-edge technologies, we may have come to a crossroads to review approaches to identify the potential natural products and investigate their therapeutic efficacy. In the present review, we summarize the recent developments in natural products-based cancer research and its application in generating novel systemic strategies with a focus on underlying molecular mechanisms in solid cancer

Comparative estimation of nitrogen in urea and its derivative products using TKN, CHNS and hand-held refractometer

AbstractIn this paper, a comparative analysis between the hand-held refractometer and other methods (TKN and CHNS) was accomplished for the estimation of nitrogen percentage (N%) in urea, nano urea fertilizer, and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) solution. In order to compare the performance of all methods/devices, the detection of N% in different concentrations of urea, nano urea, and DEF were evaluated in terms of their linearity. The most important finding of this study was that the refractometer-based device revealed a good linear coefficient up to 40% urea solution (R2 = 0.99918) among other approaches, which means the estimation of N% is more close to the theoretical value. Moreover, the refractometer has detected the urea, nano urea, and DEF samples within 3 s which were quite fast as compared to other tested methods and no requirement of any chemicals during the sample preparation and analyses. Thus, the finding of this study suggests that a hand-held urea refractometer-based portable device can be used for onsite N% determination by the fertilizer and DEF manufacturing industries and their customers due to its low cost, low power requirement, reliable estimation, rapid N% detection, and its environmental suitability.</jats:p

Not Available

Not AvailableDevelopment of reliable and ecofriendly green approach for synthesis of metallic nanoparticles biologically is an important step in the field of application of nanoscience and nanotechnology. The present paper reports the green approach for iron nanoparticle synthesis using Aspergillus oryzae TFR9 using FeCl3 as a precursor metal salt. Valid characterization techniques employed for biosynthesized iron nanoparticles including dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high resolution-transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) for morphological study. X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) spectrum confirmed the presence of elemental iron signal in high percentage. Apart from ecofriendliness and easy availability, low-cost biomass production will be more advantageous when compared to other chemical methods. Biosynthesis of iron nanoparticles using fungus has greater commercial viability that it may be used in agriculture, biomedicals and engineering sector.Not Availabl