Biomimetic chitosan with biocomposite nanomaterials for bone tissue repair and regeneration

• Se-Kwon Kim,
• Sesha Subramanian Murugan,
• Pandurang Appana Dalavi,
• Sebanti Gupta,
• Sukumaran Anil,
• Gi Hun Seong and
• Jayachandran Venkatesan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1051–1067, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.92

• phosphatase, bone morphogenic protein, runt-related transcription factor-2, bone sialoprotein, and osteocalcin. In vitro and in vivo studies highlight the scientific findings of antibacterial activity, tissue integration, stiffness, mechanical strength, and degradation behaviour of composite materials for

• , the gene RUNX2 upregulates the genes for collagen type I alpha 1 (ColIA1), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bone sialoprotein (BSP), bone gamma-carboxyglutamate protein (BGLAP), and osteocalcin (OCN), which are important for the regeneration process [34]. To mimic the natural bone function, the composite

• bone mimetic scaffolds [37]. Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) is one of the widely utilized growth factors for the treatment of bone-related diseases and defects [38][39]. Growth factors are responsible for bone formation which happens through the stimulation of different kinds of cells in our body

Bioselectivity of silk protein-based materials and their bio-inspired applications

• Hendrik Bargel,
• Vanessa T. Trossmann,
• Christoph Sommer and
• Thomas Scheibel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 902–921, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.81

• urgently requires new material concepts for preventing microbial infestation and biofilm formation. Thus, materials exhibiting microbial repellence or antimicrobial behaviour to reduce inflammation, while selectively enhancing regeneration in host tissues are of utmost interest. In this context, protein

• on biological processes and surface interactions involved in the bioselective adhesion of mammalian cells and repellence of microbes on protein-based material surfaces. In addition, it highlights the importance of materials made of recombinant spider silk proteins, focussing on the progress regarding

• bioselectivity. Keywords: antifouling; bacteriostatic; biofouling; bioselective cell adhesion; spider silk protein; Review 1 Introduction 1.1 Bioadhesive protein surfaces Biological adhesion is important for all organisms such as plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi, covering a wide range of biological aspects

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

• ligands by exponential enrichment” (SELEX). In this study, we select an aptamer (termed ZIKV60) by capillary electrophoresis SELEX (CE-SELEX) to the Zika virus non-structural protein 1 (NS1) and counterselection against the NS1 proteins of DENV (serotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4) and YFV. The ZIKV60 dissociation

• constant (Kd) is determined by enzyme-linked oligonucleotide assay (ELONA) and the aptamer specificity is evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. ZIKV60 shows a high binding affinity to the ZIKV NS1 protein with a Kd value of 2.28 ± 0.28 nM. The aptamer presents high specificity for

• ZIKV NS1 compared to NS1 of DENV and YFV. Furthermore, graphene field-effect transistor devices functionalized with ZIKV60 exhibit an evident identification of NS1 protein diluted in human serum. These results point to the applicability of biosensors based on the ZIKV60 aptamer for the differential

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

• for 0.5 h imaged under liquid conditions by AFM are shown in Figure 1. Incorporating lysozyme as a protein drug up to an initial loading of 3 mg per 20 mg gelatin resulted in particles with comparable size (242.67 ± 11.32 nm), size distribution (0.132 ± 0.04), and a negative zeta potential at neutral

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

• site of a given protein, due to the low cost, versatility, and ease to develop [16][17][18]. Current peptide design techniques involve the modification of peptides based on the ACE2 receptor to increase their binding affinity to the SARS-CoV-2 RBD and to prevent the virus from binding onto the ACE2

• , hydrogen bonds, and interactions of the selected ligand and protein docked complexes were analyzed by PyMOL (version 2.4) and LigPlot+ (version 2.2) [33][34]. Protein and ligand preparation for AutoDock Vina AutoDock Vina (1.1.2) software was employed for all docking experiments [21]. The X-ray diffraction

• crystal structure of SARS-CoV-2 RBD spike protein (PDB ID: 6VYB) was selected for this study. The molecules bound to the protein receptor molecule were removed. The RBD spike protein was prepared using AutoDock Tools to add polar hydrogen atoms, Kollman charges, and to remove water molecules. The active

Effects of substrate stiffness on the viscoelasticity and migration of prostate cancer cells examined by atomic force microscopy

• Xiaoqiong Tang,
• Yan Zhang,
• Jiangbing Mao,
• Yuhua Wang,
• Zhenghong Zhang,
• Zhengchao Wang and
• Hongqin Yang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 560–569, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.47

• elastography, whose imaging is based on the differences in stiffness between the lesion and the adjacent healthy tissue. It was found that an external environment with a high stiffness value promotes PC-3 cell migration and proliferation by inducing yes-associated protein and tafazzin (YAP/TAZ) nuclear

• that when we inhibit actin polymerisation with an actin-binding protein inhibitor, the actin fibrils fail to polymerise into bundles and the prostate cancer cells themselves have reduced elasticity values and increased viscosity values, thus reducing the migration ability of the prostate cancer cells

• with different stiffness. On stiff substrates, the F-actin cytoskeleton organized into bundles and increased the elasticity while the viscosity of PC-3 cells decreased to enhance their migration ability. Furthermore, the results of the treatment with the myosin-binding protein inhibitor suggested that

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

• substituents compared to PHEG-Tyr nanogel [25]. This assumption is also supported by the DH dependence (Figure 3a) showing a DH maximum at pH 7.4. Adsorption and release of BSA and AAT Next, optimization studies of in vitro loading of 125I-radiolabeled BSA as a model protein and its release from PHEG-Tyr and

Zinc oxide nanostructures for fluorescence and Raman signal enhancement: a review

• Ioana Marica,
• Fran Nekvapil,
• Maria Ștefan,
• Cosmin Farcău and
• Alexandra Falamaș

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 472–490, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.40

• fluorescence based on ZnO nanoscaled films is different from the metal enhancement. The use of ZnO nanosubstrates for enhanced biomedical detection has received great attention due to their optical properties and other great advantages. Early detection of disease markers and the measurement of specific protein

• were successfully used for the detection of relevant biological and biomedical proteins, such as bovine serum albumin and streptavidin, as well as to study the protein–protein interactions by enhanced fluorescence detection [117]. The ZnO nanoplatforms showed several key advantages, such as enhanced

• fluorescence emission of fluorophores emitting at different wavelengths, chemical inertness to the environmen, and simple assembly and fabrication. Moreover, the ZnO nanoplatforms can be covalently modified to host specific protein molecules of interest only and to present increased detection specificity of

Effect of sample treatment on the elastic modulus of locust cuticle obtained by nanoindentation

• Chuchu Li,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Hamed Rajabi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 404–410, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.33

• changes in the interaction of water molecules with the chitin of the cuticle after rehydration. Insect cuticle is a biological composite with a protein matrix and embedded chitin fibers [17]. It is the only biological composite that has been modelled successfully using the modified Voigt estimate of the

• Em and Vm are elastic modulus and volume fraction of the matrix, respectively. Most of the water in the cuticle is associated with the protein matrix, where free water can be added to or taken from [1]. Thus, the elastic modulus of the matrix might not show a difference between the fresh and

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

• the entrapment of the bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7) and basic fibroblast growth factor (BFGF) within chitosan NPs inhibited the initial burst release and allowed for the controlled release of growth factors and therefore, improved the osteogenic differentiation of stem cells [53]. In another

• maleilated chitosan hydrogel containing micro-/nanoparticles of methacrylated silk fibroin, a natural fibrous protein mimicking the collagen structure, improved the mechanical properties of nanocomposites fabricated for cartilage TE [60]. The development of a magnetic nanocomposite hydrogel from poly(vinyl

• because they are not biodegradable and provide a more stable matrix in which osteoblasts can proliferate and deposit new ECM. The integration of CNTs into a polymer matrix would increase surface roughness and activate the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway [128], which is responsible for

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

• Ismael Abu-Baker Amy Szuchmacher Blum Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada 10.3762/bjnano.13.30 Abstract The self-assembly of the tobacco mosaic virus coat protein is significantly altered in alcohol–water mixtures. Alcohol cosolvents stabilize the disk aggregate

• alcohol having the strongest effect and methanol the weakest. We discuss several effects that may contribute to preventing the protein–protein interactions between disks that are necessary to form helical rods. Keywords: alcohol; hydrophobic effect; protein assembly; self-assembly; tobacco mosaic virus

• applications [7][8]. Many viruses and VLPs form monodisperse particles due to the natural capsid protein symmetry and inter-subunit interactions, as well as interactions with encapsidated genetic material [9][10]. Viruses can be obtained in high yields by propagation in host organisms, and viral capsid

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

• , or monodispersity. Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) jetting is a probate method to formulate synthetic protein nanoparticles (SPNPs), but a systematic understanding of the influence of crucial processing parameters, such as protein composition, on nanoparticle morphologies is still missing. Here, we address

• this knowledge gap by evaluating formulation trends in SPNPs prepared by EHD jetting based on a series of carrier proteins and protein blends (hemoglobin, transferrin, mucin, or insulin). In general, blended SPNPs presented uniform populations with minimum diameters between 43 and 65 nm. Size

• , blended SPNPs displayed higher circularity and lower anisotropy, as compared to single-protein SPNPs. Secondary statistical analysis indicated that blended SPNPs generally present combined features of their constituents, with some properties driven by the dominant protein constituent. Our study suggests

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

• experimental approaches including semi-quantitative PCR, western blot and immunohistochemistry, the heat shock protein HSP70 to be upregulated in response to PTT, suggesting this chaperone protein could be a plausible underlying mechanism for the observed therapeutic outcome. Altogether, our results highlight

• the promise of Fe3O4 NPCs as a new PTT option to treat melanoma. Keywords: Fe3O4 nanoparticle clusters; heat shock protein 70; melanoma; near infrared; photothermal therapy; Introduction The global incidence of melanoma, one of the deadliest forms of cancer, has kept increasing annually over the

• NIR irradiation. HSP70 is frequently activated in response to heat stress, and earlier studies have found that it promotes apoptosis at least by eliciting antitumor immune responses [21]. This chaperone protein has been shown in our earlier study to be involved in mediating the photothermal effects of

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

• excretion [33]. When a TiO2 nanomaterial circulates through the body, certain biomolecules (such as proteins, phospholipids, or DNA contained in biological fluids or present in living cells) get adsorbed onto the surface of it very quickly, which is termed as “protein corona (PC)” formation. This protein

• integrin clustering and focal adhesion development. In this context, Chen et al. employed the adsorption of functional proteins (bone morphogenetic protein 2 and sclerostin antibody) to modify TiO2 nanotube arrays to repair bone fractures [35]. The PC alters biodistribution, biological identity and

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

• hydrophobic PVDF membrane to a hydrophilic membrane with a water contact angle of 22.72°. The nanohybrid membrane showed a dye removal efficiency of 88.9% and an adsorption capacity of 72.6 mg/g for IC [78]. Huong et al. developed a waste protein-immobilized cationic dye removal membrane from PAN. In this

Bacterial safety study of the production process of hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers

• Axel Steffen,
• Yu Xiong,
• Radostina Georgieva,
• Ulrich Kalus and
• Hans Bäumler

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 114–126, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.8

• /bjnano.13.8 Abstract Hemoglobin microparticles (HbMP) produced with a three-step procedure, including coprecipitation of hemoglobin with manganese carbonate, protein cross-linking, and dissolution of the carbonate template were shown to be suitable for application as artificial oxygen carriers. First

• the HbMP fabrication process to dissolve the manganese carbonate template to produce pure protein particles. EDTA is widely utilized in medical and biological applications. Because of its chelating properties, it is used as an anticoagulant in blood samples [27]. It has also long been used to

• inhibit DNA synthesis in bacteria, and similar effects are also seen on RNA and protein syntheses [44][45]. In addition, glutaraldehyde particularly acts on the outer layers of E. coli and cross-links lipoproteins and proteins there as well. This fixation of bacteria prevents the bacterial cells from

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

• was recorded using a UV–vis spectrophotometer (Shimadzu UV-3600 UV–vis–NIR spectrophotometer). A calibration curve was prepared with bovine serum albumin (BSA) at concentration values of 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 µg/mL in PBS to enable a correlation between the measured absorbance and protein

• to the outer cell surface (without activation of caspase 3) and also leakage of cytosolic lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) from the cells [55][56]. It has also been known that unmodified polyplexes can switch on the intrinsic apoptotic pathway by activating the box protein and therefore releasing the

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

• potential values is the interaction between NPs and serum proteins present in DMEM [30]. In cell culture media, NPs agglomerate with serum proteins and are therefore recruited in cells via the protein corona effect, which increases the bioavailability of NPs by many folds [31]. PMA-coated samples have a

• p53 is a tumor suppressor protein also known as the “guardian of the genome”. It is involved in downstream regulation of genes involved in apoptosis, DNA repair, and cell cycle arrest. Overexpression of p53 is triggered by stress stimuli, such as hypoxia, ROS, ionizing radiations, and carcinogens

• efflux chemotherapeutic drugs, a phenomenon known as MDR. P-glycoprotein belongs to the ABCB1 family of ABC proteins and is involved in the efflux of doxorubicin, paclitaxel, vincristine, rhodamine, and etoposide [63]. Conversely, multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1) is a member of the ABCC1

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

• function due to the collective behavior of aggregates [24]. However, protein and peptide assemblies exhibit disadvantages, such as difficulty in obtaining high quantities of materials, corresponding high costs, and in some cases polydispersity and purification limitations. When using proteins and peptides

• as functional materials it can be difficult to arrange assembled nanostructures at both microscopic and macroscopic scales [10]. Also, fine manipulation of noncovalent interactions and corresponding peptide and protein nanostructures remains a huge challenge [24]. Amino acids are the major components

• . However, using these simple building blocks to design attractive materials remains a challenge due to the simplicity of the amino acids [26]. Most articles about self-assembly focus on peptide and protein self-assembly [15][29]. Therefore, it is of great significance to systematically summarize the latest

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

• -cell lung cancer through the regulation of metastasis-associated protein 1 (MTA1), which is linked to tumor aggressiveness and metastasis, while its modulating effect is related to the suppression of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Curcumin also blocks pancreatic cancer metastases through PI3K/Akt/NF-ĸB

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

• from cancer research (25% enhanced absorption of the protein cancer drug AvastinTM compared with conventional hypodermic delivery) [14]. Incorporation of drug-loaded nanoparticles in dissolving microneedles also shows promise for dose concentration, for example using the antimicrobial carvacrol (CAR

The role of convolutional neural networks in scanning probe microscopy: a review

• Ido Azuri,
• Irit Rosenhek-Goldian,
• Neta Regev-Rudzki,
• Georg Fantner and
• Sidney R. Cohen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 878–901, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.66

• (segmentation) is used as a good reference for image analysis approaches, that is, cell counting or tracking, and protein localization [12]. The segmentation can be performed as a “semantic segmentation”, which classifies image pixels into specific categories, while “instance segmentation” additionally segments

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

• ) gas-filled structures that are stabilized by a lipid, surfactant, protein, or polymer shell, whose stiffness or rigidity can affect the final outcome of the MBs upon exposure to US [71][72][73]. During the cavitation event, backscattered energy leads to the expanding and shrinking of the MBs, which

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

• absolute telomere length (TL) measurement, and gene and protein assessment of the cells, respectively. It was found that 2.5 µg/mL Ag-NPs caused elongation of the telomeres and altered VEGF, C-TnI, VWF, SMA, GATA-4, TERT, and cyclin D protein and gene expression in the cardiomyogenically differentiated BM

• -MSCs. Also, there was a significant increase in the protein and gene expression of Wnt3 and β-catenin as main components of pathways. We concluded that Ag-NPs could change the in vitro expression of cardiac markers of BM-MSCs via the Wnt3/β-catenin signaling pathway. Keywords: bone marrow-derived MSCs

• that Ag-NPs induced mESCs cell cycle arrest at the G1 and S phases through inhibition of the hyperphosphorylation of Retinoblastoma protein [12]. Kalishwaralal et al. reported that Ag-NPs could inhibit cell proliferation, cell viability, and cell migration through activating caspase-3 and suppressing

Recent progress in magnetic applications for micro- and nanorobots

• Ke Xu,
• Shuang Xu and
• Fanan Wei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 744–755, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.58

• -assisted gene transfection. Magnetic MNRs containing nucleic acids were delivered to target cells by magnetic fields. This method could change gene function or protein expression, which is of great significance for future research on gene transfer and gene therapy. Table 1 summarizes the relevant