Recent advances in green carbon dots (2015–2022): synthesis, metal ion sensing, and biological applications

• Aisha Kanwal,
• Naheed Bibi,
• Sajjad Hyder,
• Arif Muhammad,
• Hao Ren,
• Jiangtao Liu and
• Zhongli Lei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1068–1107, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.93

Design of a biomimetic, small-scale artificial leaf surface for the study of environmental interactions

• Miriam Anna Huth,
• Axel Huth,
• Lukas Schreiber and
• Kerstin Koch

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 944–957, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.83

• application and uptake, Peirce et al. [78] investigated the retention of applied water droplets on wheat leaves. In this study, high CAs and very low CAH were also found, which indicates the ability for self-cleaning. However, the investigated plants were cultivated in the greenhouse. Weather-related damage

• cell development, (4) resistance to mechanical stress, (5) control of water loss, (6) control of solute uptake, (7) protection from hazardous radiation, (8) reduction of spore, bacterial, and viral attachment, (9) self-cleaning ability (modified after [9]). Schematic drawing of the device for wax

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

• system is usually tested intensively in vitro using cell culture-based assays before application in in vivo studies. Depending on the particle material, the mechanical properties will be influenced, also modulating potentially the particle–cell interaction. For polymeric particles, a higher uptake for

• internalization, the stiffer particles show significantly faster kinetics [6]. Similar results could be shown in an experimental approach by Hui et al. in a study with silica nanocapsules. Softer particles showed a greater deformation, resulting in a slower and less efficient uptake for softer particles [7

• ]. Contrarily, nanoparticles composed of a lipid bilayer with cores of different crosslinking extent showed higher uptake of softer particles in MCF-7 cells, which was thought to be due to a melting process of particles with the cell membrane that consumed less energy than endocytosis [8]. Regarding the in vivo

Recent advances in nanoarchitectures of monocrystalline coordination polymers through confined assembly

• Lingling Xia,
• Qinyue Wang and
• Ming Hu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 763–777, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.67

• increased by using these materials as positive electrodes. The networks can also help to accelerate ion transfer in coordination polymers. When the Prussian blue nanocrystals contain a double-network PAAm/PAMPS hydrogel, the uptake of Cs+ ions from solution could be as high as 397 mg·g−1, which is very

• acidic environment. Enhanced cell toxicity was found by encapsulating the doxorubicin drug into ZIF-8 crystals because intracellular uptake was facilitated. When multiple cargos were required, this strategy showed good feasibility. Multiple molecules could be simultaneously encapsulated during formation

• with considerable mechanical strength. For instance, DUT-134(Cu) plates could be assembled into carpets and tubes through face-to-face or edge-to-face alignment [150]. The carpets and tubes showed excellent performance as air filter. The uptake of H2S by the carpets is 6–7 times higher than that of

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

• uptake, or macrophage recognition [42][43][44][45][46]. It is important to note that RBD residues from Glu484 to Tyr505, Arg403 to Tyr421, and Tyr449 to Ala475 are involved in the docking of the APD peptides, as was previously reported by Othman and co-workers [6]. Figure 2 shows the mapping of these

Detection and imaging of Hg(II) in vivo using glutathione-functionalized gold nanoparticles

• Gufeng Li,
• Shaoqing Li,
• Rui Wang,
• Min Yang,
• Lizhu Zhang,
• Yanli Zhang,
• Wenrong Yang and
• Hongbin Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 549–559, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.46

• living cells was observed gradually (Figure 6b and Figure 6e), indicating that GSH-Rh6G2 and GNPs-GSH-Rh6G2 could enter the cells and that the release of RGCOOH was triggered by intracellular Hg2+. Importantly, we found that the cellular uptake of GNPs-GSH-Rh6G2 was higher than that of GSH-Rh6G2. This

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

• Nα-Lys-NG nanogels were performed. 125I-radiolabeled BSA was loaded onto PHEG-Tyr nanogel at pH 4.7 and 25 °C as PHEG-Tyr nanogel exhibits the most swollen state and a negative charge under these conditions (Figure 2). The uptake of BSA was found to be more efficient at or below the isoelectric point

The role of sulfonate groups and hydrogen bonding in the proton conductivity of two coordination networks

• Ali Javed,
• Felix Steinke,
• Stephan Wöhlbrandt,
• Hana Bunzen,
• Norbert Stock and
• Michael Tiemann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 437–443, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.36

• increases from 4.9 × 10−10 S·cm−1 at 70% r.h. to 2.0 × 10−8 S·cm−1 at 90% r.h. (non-activated sample, 22 °C). Activation only leads to a very slight change in conductivity (9.9 × 10−9 S·cm−1 at 90% r.h., see Table 1). These findings suggest that proton mobility is mostly governed by the (reversible) uptake

Systematic studies into uniform synthetic protein nanoparticles

• Nahal Habibi,
• Ava Mauser,
• Jeffery E. Raymond and
• Joerg Lahann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 274–283, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.22

• response at the cellular level. Several studies [28][29][30] have shown that considerations such as aspect ratio, stiffness/deformability, and particle surface roughness (deviation of circularity) can have a comparable impact on cellular uptake and/or endosomal escape. Hence, it is important to incorporate

Photothermal ablation of murine melanomas by Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle clusters

• Xue Wang,
• Lili Xuan and
• Ying Pan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 255–264, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.20

• . Photothermal ablation of tumor cells in vitro The dissolution behavior of our finely dispersed Fe3O4 NPCs was confirmed by DLS results (Figure 1d,e). Furthermore, the successful uptake of Fe3O4-based nanoparticles by A375 cells has been verified in our previous report [4]. Thus, to test the therapeutic effect

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

• -functionalized, or post-synthetically modified by adding various surfactants or dopants or organic molecules. The size of the nanomaterial also determines the type of immune response elicited by the body (endocytosis/cellular uptake) [21]. Xu et al. reported that the size of the pores is an essential parameter

• dendrimer nps as well as inorganic nanoscale drug carriers are currently used for drug delivery [101]. Almost all of them show higher bioavailability as their uptake mechanism is by absorptive endocytosis, and the slow release of drugs in the blood circulatory system efficiently maintains the level of

• cervical tumors by incorporating zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) as photosensitizer into TiO2 nps. The result showed a higher cellular uptake of ZnPc-TiO2 and an increased PDT efficiency compared ot Zn alone [114]. Since photocatalytic absorption generally occurs at the surface, surface modification acts as the

A comprehensive review on electrospun nanohybrid membranes for wastewater treatment

• Senuri Kumarage,
• Imalka Munaweera and
• Nilwala Kottegoda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 137–159, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.10

• maximum As5+ uptake capacity of around 21.32 mg/g has been attained by the membrane and 70% of the initial adsorption capacity has been regenerated by a diluted alkaline solution [64]. Transportation, food processing, and petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries are the major culprits responsible for

Theranostic potential of self-luminescent branched polyethyleneimine-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles

• Rouhollah Khodadust,
• Ozlem Unal and
• Havva Yagci Acar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 82–95, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.6

• selective uptake and hence the targeting ability of Erb-tagged nanoparticles. Altogether, this study proves luminescent, cationic, and small SPION@bPEI nanoparticles as strong candidates for imaging and gene therapy. Keywords: Erbitux; photoluminescence; polyethyleneimine; polyinosinic–polycytidylic acid

• expected. HeLa cells are known to have a very low level of EGFR expression [66]. Hence, Erb tagging slightly enhanced particle uptake and GFP transfection compared to untagged nanoparticles. As expected, Erb tagging did not improve the transfection efficiency of EGFR-negative MCF7 cells, confirming the

Measurement of polarization effects in dual-phase ceria-based oxygen permeation membranes using Kelvin probe force microscopy

• Kerstin Neuhaus,
• Christina Schmidt,
• Liudmila Fischer,
• Wilhelm Albert Meulenberg,
• Ke Ran,
• Joachim Mayer and
• Stefan Baumann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1380–1391, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.102

• % FeCo2O4 (CSO-FC2O) as electron-conductive phase in order to, first, locally change the defect chemistry of the material and, then, study the relaxation to the original surface potential state during uptake/release of oxygen from/to the surrounding air. By using an AFM tip as an electron-conductive

Biocompatibility and cytotoxicity in vitro of surface-functionalized drug-loaded spinel ferrite nanoparticles

• Sadaf Mushtaq,
• Khuram Shahzad,
• Tariq Saeed,
• Anwar Ul-Hamid,
• Bilal Haider Abbasi,
• Nafees Ahmad,
• Waqas Khalid,
• Muhammad Atif,
• Zulqurnain Ali and
• Rashda Abbasi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1339–1364, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.99

• interaction between NPs a plasma membrane associated proteins [55]. In addition, the charge of polymeric coatings also governs NP uptake by cells. Positively charged polymers have been reported to enhance genotoxicity due to better internalization of NPs via the plasma membrane (electrostatic interaction) and

Identifying diverse metal oxide nanomaterials with lethal effects on embryonic zebrafish using machine learning

• Richard Liam Marchese Robinson,
• Haralambos Sarimveis,
• Philip Doganis,
• Xiaodong Jia,
• Marianna Kotzabasaki,
• Christiana Gousiadou,
• Stacey Lynn Harper and
• Terry Wilkins

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1297–1325, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.97

• characteristics related to intermolecular interactions, which could affect agglomeration or uptake by cells, and reactivity, which could trigger toxicity. (Dummy values, lower than the minimum of observed values, were inserted where the corresponding coating was absent, in keeping with recommended practice [45

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

• coordination of Mn2+, Fmoc-ʟ-L, and Ce6, a yield of 36 wt % can be obtained. After the uptake of FMC NPs by cancer cells, Mn2+ and Ce6 can be released in response to intracellular high levels of glutathione (GSH). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results showed an almost complete elimination of the tumor three

• time. However, a weak fluorescence signal was observed in the tumor site of the mice treated with free Ce6. Designing nanoplatforms responsive to pH, enzymes, and photothermal stimuli is critical to enhance cellular uptake and control PS release [79][80][81]. Nanoplatforms responsive to pH undergo

• conformational changes through various mechanisms, such as protonation, charge inversion, or chemical bond cleavage, promoting tumor-specific cellular uptake or drug release [82]. Sun et al. [83] coupled tryptophan-glycine (WG) to hydrophobic porphyrins (P) by an amidation reaction to obtain pH-responsive

pH-driven enhancement of anti-tubercular drug loading on iron oxide nanoparticles for drug delivery in macrophages

• Karishma Berta Cotta,
• Sarika Mehra and
• Rajdip Bandyopadhyaya

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1127–1139, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.84

• imparts multiple benefits – improved IONP stability, enhanced drug coating, higher drug uptake in macrophages at reduced toxicity and slower drug release. Keywords: drug-nanoparticle interactions; drug uptake; intra-macrophage; iron oxide nanoparticles; norfloxacin; Introduction Nanoparticles have taken

• have also proven to be beneficial in overcoming multidrug resistance by enabling an increased drug uptake [8]. Similarly, physical combination of stabilized IONPs and anti-tuberculosis drugs improve intracellular drug accumulation through efflux pump inhibition [9] or by enhanced membrane

• shown resistance towards these drugs, too. Use of iron oxide nanoparticles as drug delivery agents could assist the uptake of drugs and thus, overcome drug resistance [8][9][10]. Fluoroquinolones are known to form complexes with metal ions through bidentate or unidentate co-ordination bonds [22]. Thus

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

• characteristic of the tumor microenvironment (pH 6.5) and subcellular endosomes (pH 5.0). Regarding its apoptotic effects, a high anticancer activity was found when assayed against a breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231), an effect that was accompanied by an enhanced cellular uptake in cells that overexpressed

• the expulsion of the bioactive compound and, therefore, a rapid initial release [66]. Curcumin-loaded SLN were tested in vitro against MDA-MB-231 cells, which revealed a significantly higher cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, and induced apoptosis, as compared to F-CUR [67]. Curcumin-based SLN have shown

• receptors), while the enhanced effect of permeation and retention was considered for passive targeting. Results showed improved in vitro cellular uptake, targeting capability, and cytotoxicity against the human colon cancer cell line HCT116, which was related to early apoptosis after 24 h of incubation. On

An overview of microneedle applications, materials, and fabrication methods

• Zahra Faraji Rad,
• Philip D. Prewett and
• Graham J. Davies

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1034–1046, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.77

• skin to give greater immune response and more efficient use of the antigen [12]. Such enhanced responses are a likely requirement of future uptake of microneedle delivery systems due to their small active area. Fortunately, there are encouraging data from recent coronavirus-related research [13] and

The role of deep eutectic solvents and carrageenan in synthesizing biocompatible anisotropic metal nanoparticles

• Nabojit Das,
• Akash Kumar and
• Raja Gopal Rayavarapu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 924–938, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.69

• microscopy revealed fundamental and mechanistic information regarding nanoparticle–cell interactions and their uptake into cell organelles. The metal content within the cells was determined via ICP-MS. Cell toxicity of nanoparticles depends on their size, shape, surface chemistry (predominantly determined by

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

• the MBs, leading to the term “microstream”. Depending on the US intensity, the oscillating MBs come into close proximity with the cells and induce stresses on the cell membrane [75]. Consequently, the triggered shear forces cause disruption of the cell membrane and increase intracellular uptake of

• cytoplasm through simple diffusion. Moreover, these stresses can activate cellular stress signaling pathways [83]. Previous studies have concluded that two mechanisms could be involved in US-mediated drug delivery and cell uptake of impermeable molecules: sonoporation and increased endocytosis [84][85

• ]. However, a few studies have demonstrated that the endocytosis pathway is the main mechanism for the delivery of large molecules mediated by US [33][84][85]. Schlicher et al. investigated the uptake and transfer of different molecular weight fluorescent molecules, including calcein, fluorescein

Silver nanoparticles induce the cardiomyogenic differentiation of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells via telomere length extension

• Khosro Adibkia,
• Ali Ehsani,
• Asma Jodaei,
• Ezzatollah Fathi,
• Raheleh Farahzadi and
• Mohammad Barzegar-Jalali

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 786–797, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.62

• culture medium outside the cells [11]. According to a previous study by Fröhlich et al., the access of Ag-NPs into other organelles depends on the particle size [32]. In the same way, Berry et al. demonstrated that the uptake of NPs is limited by the dimensions of the nuclear pores. Gold nanoparticles (Au

Fate and transformation of silver nanoparticles in different biological conditions

• Barbara Pem,
• Marija Ćurlin,
• Darija Domazet Jurašin,
• Valerije Vrček,
• Rinea Barbir,
• Vedran Micek,
• Raluca M. Fratila,
• Jesus M. de la Fuente and
• Ivana Vinković Vrček

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 665–679, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.53

• with biological structures and affect their uptake, toxicokinetics, and toxicodynamics [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Therefore, any change in those properties will have consequences on the biological fate of AgNPs. No matter how well the properties of pristine AgNPs were tuned during production they

• are created by several pathways, including partial AgNPs dissolution in the gastric fluid, uptake and systemic transport of ionic and nanoparticulate Ag as thiol and selenium complexes, and final deposition in the near-skin regions [15]. Especially important is the process of interaction with thiols

• pathways have not yet been systematically investigated and remain unclear. Here we aimed to examine the biotransformation of differently coated AgNPs [39] simulating real body conditions after oral uptake. The systematic work presented here addresses not only the evolution of various types of AgNPs in

The preparation temperature influences the physicochemical nature and activity of nanoceria

• Robert A. Yokel,
• Wendel Wohlleben,
• Johannes Georg Keller,
• Matthew L. Hancock,
• Jason M. Unrine,
• D. Allan Butterfield and
• Eric A. Grulke

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 525–540, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.43

• nanomaterials (ENMs), which could profoundly influence their biological effects, is not well understood. After uptake into phagolysosomes, which have a pH value of ca. 4.5, there is the potential for dissolution, changing the physicochemical, and potentially the biological, identity of ENMs. Nanoceria are a

• charge. The particles do not pass through a 0.2 micrometer MWCO filter, suggesting that they were quite large, which may have affected cell uptake. The results illustrate an effect of nanoceria dissolution on its biological identity. Nanoceria reactivity Nanoceria reactivity increased as the content of