DNA aptamer selection and construction of an aptasensor based on graphene FETs for Zika virus NS1 protein detection

• Nathalie B. F. Almeida,
• Thiago A. S. L. Sousa,
• Viviane C. F. Santos,
• Camila M. S. Lacerda,
• Thais G. Silva,
• Rafaella F. Q. Grenfell,
• Flavio Plentz and
• Antero S. R. Andrade

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 873–881, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.78

• , high-affinity nucleic acid aptamers have been developed for a wide variety of targets, such as proteins, peptides, viruses, and bacteria [11][12]. Generally, nucleic acid aptamers are developed in vitro by a molecular evolution process based on iterative selection–amplification steps known as

Gelatin nanoparticles with tunable mechanical properties: effect of crosslinking time and loading

• Agnes-Valencia Weiss,
• Daniel Schorr,
• Julia K. Metz,
• Metin Yildirim,
• Saeed Ahmad Khan and
• Marc Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 778–787, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.68

• macromolecules, such as proteins [12] and peptides [13], or in the field of gene delivery [14]. The surface charge of gelatin nanoparticles at physiological pH can be easily influenced by the choice of gelatin type [15]. Crosslinking of gelatin nanoparticles is still inevitable to obtain particles that are

Design and selection of peptides to block the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain by molecular docking

• Kendra Ramirez-Acosta,
• Ivan A. Rosales-Fuerte,
• J. Eduardo Perez-Sanchez,
• Alfredo Nuñez-Rivera,
• Josue Juarez and
• Ruben D. Cadena-Nava

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 699–711, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.62

• peptides to neutralize the infective mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 through the RBD is an interesting strategy. The binding ability of 104 peptides (University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Antimicrobial Peptide Database) to the RBD was assessed using molecular docking. Based on the molecular docking results

• , peptides with great affinity to the RBD were selected. The most common amino acids involved in the recognition of the RBD were identified to design novel peptides based on the number of hydrogen bonds that were formed. At physiological pH, these peptides are almost neutral and soluble in aqueous media

• . Interestingly, several peptides showed the capability to bind to the active surface area of the RBD of the Wuhan strain, as well as to the RBD of the Delta variant and other SARS-Cov-2 variants. Therefore, these peptides have promising potential in the treatment of the COVID-19 disease caused by different

Stimuli-responsive polypeptide nanogels for trypsin inhibition

• Petr Šálek,
• Jana Dvořáková,
• Sviatoslav Hladysh,
• Diana Oleshchuk,
• Ewa Pavlova,
• Jan Kučka and
• Vladimír Proks

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 538–548, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.45

• , soft hydrogel nanoparticles, have been proven efficient carriers of proteins or peptides preserving the biological activity of their payload [12][13][14]. For instance, Ozawa et al. introduced a nanogel from highly branched cyclic dextrin derivatives that trapped fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled

Micro- and nanotechnology in biomedical engineering for cartilage tissue regeneration in osteoarthritis

• Zahra Nabizadeh,
• Mahmoud Nasrollahzadeh,
• Hamed Daemi,
• Mohamadreza Baghaban Eslaminejad,
• Ali Akbar Shabani,
• Mehdi Dadashpour,
• Majid Mirmohammadkhani and
• Davood Nasrabadi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 363–389, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.31

• (NIPAm-AMPS) NPs for the delivery of cell penetrating anti-inflammatory peptides, which selectively target defective sites [66]. In this study, the results showed that an anti-inflammatory peptide-loaded NP could selectively and effectively reduce the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines within the

Alcohol-perturbed self-assembly of the tobacco mosaic virus coat protein

• Ismael Abu-Baker and
• Amy Szuchmacher Blum

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 355–362, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.30

• assembly of macromolecular components is well-established with many other systems, including lipids, synthetic polymers, and peptides, but has been the subject of few studies with virus-like particles [28][29][30][31]. Lauffer and Shalaby reported that glycine-based molecules promoted the polymerization of

Coordination-assembled myricetin nanoarchitectonics for sustainably scavenging free radicals

• Xiaoyan Ma,
• Haoning Gong,
• Kenji Ogino,
• Xuehai Yan and
• Ruirui Xing

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 284–291, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.23

• used for effectively scavenging multiple ROS. Metal-based nanomaterials, such as CeO2 and Fe3O4, have been widely applied for antioxidant therapy [10]. In addition, bioactive small-molecule compounds, such as bilirubin and curcumin, and antioxidant peptides such as glutathione (GSH) and casein

• antioxidant peptides by proteases. The combination of liposomes or polymers with different payload materials has been reported, for example, PEG-modified liposomes loaded with resveratrol, layer-by-layer-coated gelatin nanoparticles, or Gelucire-based solid lipid and polymeric micelles [14][15][16][17][18][19

Engineered titania nanomaterials in advanced clinical applications

• Padmavati Sahare,
• Paulina Govea Alvarez,
• Juan Manual Sanchez Yanez,
• Gabriel Luna-Bárcenas,
• Samik Chakraborty,
• Sujay Paul and
• Miriam Estevez

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 201–218, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.15

• shell for the selective and rapid capture of peptides from human serum and urine samples [17]. Many studies have been published on using TiO2 nanotubes as photoelectrochemical glucose sensors for health purposes [18][19][20]. The present review focuses on contemporary research of TiO2 nanoparticles and

Self-assembly of amino acids toward functional biomaterials

• Huan Ren,
• Lifang Wu,
• Lina Tan,
• Yanni Bao,
• Yuchen Ma,
• Yong Jin and
• Qianli Zou

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1140–1150, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.85

• Huan Ren Lifang Wu Lina Tan Yanni Bao Yuchen Ma Yong Jin Qianli Zou School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China 10.3762/bjnano.12.85 Abstract Biomolecules, such as proteins and peptides, can be self-assembled. They are widely distributed, easy to obtain, and biocompatible

• . However, the self-assembly of proteins and peptides has disadvantages, such as difficulty in obtaining high quantities of materials, high cost, polydispersity, and purification limitations. The difficulties in using proteins and peptides as functional materials make it more complicate to arrange assembled

• acids. Most of the review articles about self-assembly focus on large molecules, such as peptides and proteins. The preparation of complicated materials by self-assembly of amino acids has not yet been evaluated. Therefore, it is of great significance to systematically summarize the literature of amino

Use of nanosystems to improve the anticancer effects of curcumin

• Andrea M. Araya-Sibaja,
• Norma J. Salazar-López,
• Krissia Wilhelm Romero,
• José R. Vega-Baudrit,
• J. Abraham Domínguez-Avila,
• Carlos A. Velázquez Contreras,
• Ramón E. Robles-Zepeda,
• Mirtha Navarro-Hoyos and
• Gustavo A. González-Aguilar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1047–1062, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.78

• %) [2]. The most commonly used treatments involve chemotherapy, surgery, or a combination of both. Chemotherapy is based on the use of molecules such as doxorubicin, paclitaxel, cisplatin, and some proteins and peptides that induce cell death [3]. Conventional or low molecular weight chemotherapeutics

Comprehensive review on ultrasound-responsive theranostic nanomaterials: mechanisms, structures and medical applications

• Sepand Tehrani Fateh,
• Lida Moradi,
• Elmira Kohan,
• Michael R. Hamblin and
• Amin Shiralizadeh Dezfuli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 808–862, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.64

• weight molecules, such as nucleic acids, proteins, peptides, calcein, dextran [66][67][68][69][70], or gene complexes [67] via a process known as “sonoporation” or “transient cavitation”. Cavitation events are sometimes triggered by the effects of US on MBs. Microbubbles are micrometer-sized (1–10 µm

The impact of molecular tumor profiling on the design strategies for targeting myeloid leukemia and EGFR/CD44-positive solid tumors

• Nikola Geskovski,
• Nadica Matevska-Geshkovska,
• Simona Dimchevska Sazdovska,
• Marija Glavas Dodov,
• Kristina Mladenovska and
• Katerina Goracinova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 375–401, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.31

The nanomorphology of cell surfaces of adhered osteoblasts

• Christian Voelkner,
• Mirco Wendt,
• Regina Lange,
• Max Ulbrich,
• Martina Gruening,
• Susanne Staehlke,
• Barbara Nebe,
• Ingo Barke and
• Sylvia Speller

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 242–256, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.20

• surfaces, such as titanium and polyallylamine [3][4][5], gelatin–nanogold [6], polyelectrolytes and arginylglycylaspartic acid peptides [7], or extracellular matrix proteins [5][8][9]. Especially on the nonphysiological surfaces of permanent implants, the settling of cells and the swift formation of large

Gram-scale synthesis of splat-shaped Ag–TiO₂ nanocomposites for enhanced antimicrobial properties

• Mohammad Jaber,
• Asim Mushtaq,
• Kebiao Zhang,
• Jindan Wu,
• Dandan Luo,
• Zihan Yi,
• M. Zubair Iqbal and
• Xiangdong Kong

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1119–1125, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.96

• antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are highly toxic [4][5]. Recently, research in the field of nanotechnology has focused on trying to find solutions for some of the most serious environmental issues, such as energy conversion, and for the optimization of biomedical applications. Their small size, shape variability

A 3D-polyphenylalanine network inside porous alumina: Synthesis and characterization of an inorganic–organic composite membrane

• Jonathan Stott and
• Jörg J. Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 938–951, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.78

• provide additional information about the secondary structure of the grafted polypeptides on the outer surface. Usually secondary structure of peptides can be easily detected by IR due the position of the amide I band (C=O) [50][51][58][59][60][61][62][63]. However, a proper contact of the functionalized

Key for crossing the BBB with nanoparticles: the rational design

• Sonia M. Lombardo,
• Marc Schneider,
• Akif E. Türeli and
• Nazende Günday Türeli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 866–883, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.72

• cyanoacrylate) (PBCA) nanoparticles developed by Kreuter et al. in 1995. They enabled the successful delivery of the antinociceptive peptide dalargin in vivo [24]. Since then, numerous nanoparticle systems have been studied and optimized for brain delivery of small molecules and peptides [25]. Most of them are

• for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) [28][91][92][93][94][96]. It is also possible to cross the BBB by targeting active transporters such as the thiamine or glutathione transporters [98][99][100]. Some more advanced techniques have also been developed to find new targeting peptides for the BBB

• , such as the phage-display technique. This technique is an effective method for isolating novel peptides with specific binding properties. DNA sequences are inserted into bacteriophage genes, resulting in the expression of the encoded proteins on their surface. Biopanning is then used to isolate and

Identification of physicochemical properties that modulate nanoparticle aggregation in blood

• Ludovica Soddu,
• Duong N. Trinh,
• Eimear Dunne,
• Dermot Kenny,
• Giorgia Bernardini,
• Ida Kokalari,
• Arianna Marucco,
• Marco P. Monopoli and
• Ivana Fenoglio

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 550–567, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.44

• ) overnight at 37 °C. The peptides were then extracted from the gel matrix and prepared for MS analysis by using Pierce C18 Tips (Thermo Fisher) following the manufacturer's procedure. The peptide samples were analysed on a quadrupole Orbitrap (Q-Exactive, Thermo Scientific) mass spectrometer equipped with a

• and protein N-terminal acetylation. A maximum of two missed trypsin cleavages were allowed in the database search. The false discovery rate for both peptides and proteins was set at 1%. After that, the ProteinGroup file from Maxquant was processed, filtered and analysed with Perseus software to

Luminescent gold nanoclusters for bioimaging applications

• Nonappa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 533–546, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.42

• as ionic polymers, proteins or peptides [74][75][76]. Recently, Dichiarante et al. reported NIR-luminescent AuNCs bearing superfluorinated (SF) ligands with strong emission at 1050 nm with a quantum yield of 12% [77]. An extensive account of the PL of NCs is beyond the scope of this review and has

• electrostatic interaction was ruled out. Instead, the authors assumed that it might be a specific peptide motif of HSA that interacts with the bacterial cell wall. The trypsin digestion of Au-HSA NCs was studied and various fragments were identified using MALDI–MS. To confirm further whether the peptides can

• peptides are responsible for binding. However, there was no significant binding with only one of the peptides or only HSA. Similarly, sufficient binding was not observed when a control experiment was performed with Au-BSA NCs. The above experiments suggest that in Au-HSA NCs, HSA might adopt a conformation

Multilayer capsules made of weak polyelectrolytes: a review on the preparation, functionalization and applications in drug delivery

• Varsha Sharma and
• Anandhakumar Sundaramurthy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 508–532, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.41

• multilayer capsules as drug delivery vehicles [17]. They are capable of encapsulating all kinds of substances and/or molecules ranging from enzymes, nucleic acid, peptides, proteins, therapeutic drugs, biomolecules, fluorescent molecules and nanoparticles (NPs) in their hollow cavity [18]. This can be

• NPs, magnetic NPs, click moieties, smart polymers and biomolecules such as proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, and enzymes. Nanoparticle incorporation When NPs are embedded into the multilayer shell, the translocation, guiding and release of encapsulated cargo from the capsule is enabled by selectively

• such as proteins (e.g., antibodies, peptides, receptor molecules, etc.), lipids and carbohydrates have long been used for targeted delivery. The attachment of these ligands to the external multilayers can be achieved by covalent as well as noncovalent interactions. For example, the HuA33 antibody

Preparation and in vivo evaluation of glyco-gold nanoparticles carrying synthetic mycobacterial hexaarabinofuranoside

• Gennady L. Burygin,
• Polina I. Abronina,
• Nikita M. Podvalnyy,
• Sergey A. Staroverov,
• Leonid O. Kononov and
• Lev A. Dykman

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 480–493, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.39

• yet. Indeed, the direct conjugation of amino-functionalized antigenic glycans with pre-formed GNPs has not been reported yet, to the best of our knowledge. This is despite the fact that simple amines, amino acids and peptides [68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78], as well as diethylaminoethyl

• to prepare specific antibodies against carbohydrate antigens or epitopes of the bacterial pathogens S. pneumonia and B. mallei in combination with peptides or proteins that activated the immune response. Safari et al. [33][34] showed that the immunization of mice with glyco-GNPs containing the

• peptides/proteins). A low-molecular-mass glycan (hapten) alone, i.e., without carrier, cannot induce a cellular immune response and a possible specific immune response induced by the unconjugated hapten would be minimal and hardly detected. Fallarini et al. [113] showed that the nanoconjugates are taken up

Interactions at the cell membrane and pathways of internalization of nano-sized materials for nanomedicine

• Valentina Francia,
• Daphne Montizaan and
• Anna Salvati

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 338–353, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.25

• the cell membrane and the potential interaction with cell receptors (Figure 1). In order to control and affect these first events, nano-sized carriers can be modified with targeting moieties, such as peptides, proteins, or antibodies to specifically recognize receptors on the cell surface to achieve

Rational design of block copolymer self-assemblies in photodynamic therapy

• Maxime Demazeau,
• Laure Gibot,
• Anne-Françoise Mingotaud,
• Patricia Vicendo,
• Clément Roux and
• Barbara Lonetti

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 180–212, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.15

• , part 1 of this review showed the large variety of polymers used for PDT, going from aliphatic polyesters, polyacrylates to peptides or polysaccharides. The chemical structure will influence the crystallinity of the vector, its morphology (micelles, vesicles, or worm-like micelles), its stability ((bio

Internalization mechanisms of cell-penetrating peptides

• Ivana Ruseska and
• Andreas Zimmer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 101–123, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.10

• Ivana Ruseska Andreas Zimmer Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria 10.3762/bjnano.11.10 Abstract In today’s modern era of medicine, macromolecular compounds such as proteins, peptides and nucleic acids

• are dethroning small molecules as leading therapeutics. Given their immense potential, they are highly sought after. However, their application is limited mostly due to their poor in vivo stability, limited cellular uptake and insufficient target specificity. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) represent

• a major breakthrough for the transport of macromolecules. They have been shown to successfully deliver proteins, peptides, siRNAs and pDNA in different cell types. In general, CPPs are basic peptides with a positive charge at physiological pH. They are able to translocate membranes and gain entry to

Bombesin receptor-targeted liposomes for enhanced delivery to lung cancer cells

• Mohammad J. Akbar,
• Pâmela C. Lukasewicz Ferreira,
• Melania Giorgetti,
• Leanne Stokes and
• Christopher J. Morris

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2553–2562, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.246

• Mohammad J. Akbar Pamela C. Lukasewicz Ferreira Melania Giorgetti Leanne Stokes Christopher J. Morris School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK 10.3762/bjnano.10.246 Abstract Background: Gastrin-releasing peptide is a member of the bombesin family of peptides. Its cognate

• receptor, gastrin releasing peptide receptor (GRPR), is widely expressed in cancers of the lung, pancreas and ovaries. Gastrin releasing peptide (GRP) is an autocrine growth factor in small cell lung cancer, which has very poor patient outcomes. High affinity antagonist peptides have been developed for in

• . Flow cytometric and microscopic studies showed that fluorescently labelled cystabn-decorated liposomes accumulated more extensively in GRPR over-expressing cells than matched liposomes that contained no cystabn targeting motif. Conclusion: The use of GRPR antagonistic peptides for nanoparticle

Coating of upconversion nanoparticles with silica nanoshells of 5–250 nm thickness

• Cynthia Kembuan,
• Maysoon Saleh,
• Bastian Rühle,
• Ute Resch-Genger and
• Christina Graf

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2410–2421, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.231

• such as peptides, antibodies or nucleic acids for bioimaging applications or fluorescence assays. The growth of a mesoporous silica shell on a microporous silica shell can also be applied for the subsequent use of these nanomaterials for drug loading and delivery [69]. Experimental All syntheses were