A visible-light-controlled platform for prolonged drug release based on Ag-doped TiO₂ nanotubes with a hydrophobic layer

• Caihong Liang,
• Jiang Wen and
• Xiaoming Liao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1793–1801, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.170

• intensity (dark or under visible light) on the controlled drug delivery, with the release efficiency of amipicillin from the amphiphilic or normal nanotubes detected within a time scale of 120 min [25]. Our previous study [15] using a protein as a model drug and testing within 200 min of release (using the

Interaction-tailored organization of large-area colloidal assemblies

• Silvia Rizzato,
• Elisabetta Primiceri,
• Anna Grazia Monteduro,
• Adriano Colombelli,
• Angelo Leo,
• Maria Grazia Manera,
• Roberto Rella and
• Giuseppe Maruccio

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1582–1593, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.150

• high sensitivity of these oscillations to refractive index changes in the surrounding environment was exploited for monitoring binding events in real time and detecting gas [9][10], protein–ligand interactions, nucleic acid and protein conformational changes [11][12]. On the other hand, magnonic [13

Nanoporous silicon nitride-based membranes of controlled pore size, shape and areal density: Fabrication as well as electrophoretic and molecular filtering characterization

• Axel Seidenstücker,
• Stefan Beirle,
• Fabian Enderle,
• Paul Ziemann,
• Othmar Marti and
• Alfred Plettl

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1390–1398, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.131

• very low flow resistance of these porous membranes in ionic solutions as expected theoretically. Size-selective separation of protein molecules was demonstrated by real-time fluorescence microscopy. Keywords: ion transport; micellar technique; molecular filtration; nanopores; solid-state membrane

• areas on the CCD camera array imaging three detection volumes each being 450 µm apart from the membrane level and about 10 × 10 × 1 µm3 in size. A measurement starts by applying a droplet of a protein or protein mixture with a pipette to the cis channel and initiating the data acquisition. More

• , two experiments are reported: First the diffusion of a mixture of GFP (green fluorescent protein, mass 26.9 kDa) and TG (thyreoglobulin, mass 660–690 kDa) through the membrane is recorded. The green data points represent the time-dependent fluorescence intensity of GFP molecules that have passed the

Surface characterization of nanoparticles using near-field light scattering

• Eunsoo Yoo,
• Yizhong Liu,
• Chukwuazam A. Nwasike,
• Sebastian R. Freeman,
• Brian C. DiPaolo,
• Bernardo Cordovez and
• Amber L. Doiron

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1228–1238, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.114

• studies of reaction kinetics at the particle surface that result in changes in particle size, dielectric constant, or surface chemistry, which is of particular interest in protein adsorption to nanoparticles for biomedical applications. Results and Discussion Size, morphology, and elemental analysis of

• interest in protein or biomolecule binding to nanoparticles for biomedical applications. Experimental Materials for nanoparticle synthesis The metallic precursors iron(II) chloride (FeCl2), iron(III) chloride (FeCl3), N,N’-diisopropylcarbodiimide (DIC), 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP), dimethyl sulfoxide

Heterostuctures of 4-(chloromethyl)phenyltrichlorosilane and 5,10,15,20-tetra(4-pyridyl)-21H,23H-porphine prepared on Si(111) using particle lithography: Nanoscale characterization of the main steps of nanopatterning

• Phillip C. Chambers and
• Jayne C. Garno

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1211–1219, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.112

• triple-decker sandwich complex of phthalocyanine compounds prepared on graphite was studied using STM by Lei et al. [17]. A method of photocatalytic lithography was reported for making porphyrin surface structures that were applied for preparing protein arrays [18][19]. The assembly of porphyrins at

Review on nanoparticles and nanostructured materials: history, sources, toxicity and regulations

• Jaison Jeevanandam,
• Ahmed Barhoum,
• Yen S. Chan,
• Alain Dufresne and
• Michael K. Danquah

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1050–1074, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.98

• protein capsids were used to encapsulate drugs, genes, enzymes or proteins for targeted delivery with biocompatibility and bioavailability [128]. Recent research efforts have focused on using viral NPs as conjugation templates to produce novel nanostructures [129][130] and cages for compound encapsulation

• and protein that are aligned in a column and layers of calcite, forms the thin and strong eggshell. During the eggshell formation, the CaCO3 NPs begin as an amorphous mineral which is transformed by the c-type lectin proteins into ordered crystals. The crystal transformation is initiated by the

• with the extracellular matrix (ECM) within the stem cells includes influential stem cell behavior through sources of passive mechanical force. A wide structural protein spectrum and polysaccharides of different length scales with dominating nanometer-sized collagen fibrils strands of 35–60 nm diameter

Enzymatically promoted release of organic molecules linked to magnetic nanoparticles

• Chiara Lambruschini,
• Silvia Villa,
• Luca Banfi,
• Fabio Canepa,
• Fabio Morana,
• Annalisa Relini,
• Paola Riani,
• Renata Riva and
• Fulvio Silvetti

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 986–999, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.92

• plasminogen activator (u-PA), a protein associated with tumour invasion and metastasis [27][28]. This enzyme has been often used in TAP strategies [6][29][30][31], and the efficacy of this strategy in selective targeting of tumour cells has been demonstrated [32][33]. In this preliminary exploratory work we

Bioinspired self-healing materials: lessons from nature

• Joseph C. Cremaldi and
• Bharat Bhushan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 907–935, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.85

• been identified: Ca2+ binding to troponin-tropomyosin, phosphorylation of myosin by a (Ca2+) dependent kinase, and direct binding of the free Ca2+ to myosin. When regulated/deregulated the globular portion of the myosin protein attaches/detaches from the actin filament, causing the sliding motion. To

• themselves and secrete extracellular matrix that includes collagen. Collagen is a strong structural protein that forms the cartilage callus, which holds the bone stationary while the remodeling phase occurs. Remodeling entails the phase wherein osteoclasts, large and multinuclear cells, resorb bone at the

• typically from chitin, cuticle (a chitin–protein composite material), or calcium carbonate [67]. Figure 5A shows the various layers that compose the epidermis and exoskeleton [68]. Secretion of exoskeletal material adds to the exoskeleton’s thickness, growing the exoskeleton from within [26]. This very

Lyapunov estimation for high-speed demodulation in multifrequency atomic force microscopy

• David M. Harcombe,
• Michael G. Ruppert,
• Michael R. P. Ragazzon and
• Andrew J. Fleming

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 490–498, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.47

• harmonic methods have demonstrated the ability to image relatively large biological objects, such as cells [14][15], while bimodal AFM has successfully imaged properties of protein complexes [16]. Intermodulation AFM is a novel extension to the bimodal method that focuses on the mixing products of a

Engineering of oriented carbon nanotubes in composite materials

• Razieh Beigmoradi,
• Abdolreza Samimi and
• Davod Mohebbi-Kalhori

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 415–435, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.41

• the CNT diameter and length are critical parameters in protein corona formation and biocompatibility [11][12]. In another research investigating the effect of aligning CNTs in composite material structures, a remarkable improvement in the electrical properties of CNT composites was observed, as

Wafer-scale bioactive substrate patterning by chemical lift-off lithography

• Chong-You Chen,
• Chang-Ming Wang,
• Hsiang-Hua Li,
• Hong-Hseng Chan and
• Wei-Ssu Liao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 311–320, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.31

• achieved and delivers applications such as protein–ligand binding study and biological species sensing [7][8][9]. The other widely adopted system, the self-assembled monolayer (SAM), provides ease of operation and high stability under ambient conditions [10][11]. These approaches utilize the self

• were first exposed to 10 mg/mL BSA for 5 min to reduce nonspecific protein adsorption. The patterned surfaces were then treated with 50 μg/mL streptavidin solution for 20 min followed by 20 min of 10 μg/mL FITC-labelled antistreptavidin antibody incubation. These substrates were all rinsed with

• type of fabricated bioactive substrate lies on the anchoring of an active ligand, which can recognize a corresponding protein partner in the solution (Figure 2C). In order to minimize the protein nonspecific adsorption, an oligo(ethylene glycol) moiety containing TEG molecule is selected as the matrix

Liquid-crystalline nanoarchitectures for tissue engineering

• Baeckkyoung Sung and
• Min-Ho Kim

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 205–215, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.22

• [36] and drug delivery systems [37]. For tissue regeneration, the mostly studied biomaterials are collagen and chitin, which are, respectively, protein-based and glucose-based biopolymers [38][39]. When denatured, collagen and chitin can be transformed into gelatin and chitosan, respectively, which

• I, the major fibrous protein component in the extracellular matrix (ECM), has been shown to exhibit an isotropic-to-cholesteric phase transition (via the precholesteric phase) as the collagen concentration increases in acidic environments [43][44]. For example, solutions of type-I collagen triple

Strategy to discover full-length amyloid-beta peptide ligands using high-efficiency microarray technology

• Clelia Galati,
• Natalia Spinella,
• Lucio Renna,
• Danilo Milardi,
• Francesco Attanasio,
• Michele Francesco Maria Sciacca and
• Corrado Bongiorno

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2446–2453, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.243

• ribbon aggregates are clearly visible. Propensity of the epoxysilane HESs to immobilize peptides Silanization has been widely-used as a strategy to prepare optimal protein or DNA microarrays [25][26][40], the epoxide groups may bind peptide molecules through the reaction with the basic amino acid

Involvement of two uptake mechanisms of gold and iron oxide nanoparticles in a co-exposure scenario using mouse macrophages

• Dimitri Vanhecke,
• Dagmar A. Kuhn,
• Dorleta Jimenez de Aberasturi,
• Sandor Balog,
• Ana Milosevic,
• Dominic Urban,
• Diana Peckys,
• Niels de Jonge,
• Wolfgang J. Parak,
• Alke Petri-Fink and
• Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2396–2409, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.239

• inhibitor MDC. Inhibition of this pathway was also reported for the Fe-binding protein transferrin, whereas the uptake of non-biological (nano)particles such as polystyrene beads was not blocked [35]. However, the pathway was not exclusively clathrin-mediated because evidence of uptake is observed

Photobleaching of YOYO-1 in super-resolution single DNA fluorescence imaging

• Joseph R. Pyle and
• Jixin Chen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2296–2306, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.229

• ], DNA protein studies [6][7], and optical mapping [8][9][10]. YOYO-1 is a common dye chosen for these studies due to its favorable optical properties. YOYO-1 has a high extinction coefficient of 105 M−1 cm−1 [11] and strongly binds to DNA (binding constant 108–109 M−1) [12] with little sequence

Optical techniques for cervical neoplasia detection

• Tatiana Novikova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1844–1862, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.186

• by Bae and co-workers [54]. Using an optical imaging system they detected the enhancement of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) autofluorescence in tumor regions. This endogenous protein tends to accumulate in tumor tissue, and may help in effective localization and visualization of tumor lesions by PpIX

Methionine-mediated synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles and functionalization with gold quantum dots for theranostic applications

• Arūnas Jagminas,
• Agnė Mikalauskaitė,
• Vitalijus Karabanovas and
• Jūrate Vaičiūnienė

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1734–1741, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.174

• have a dramatic effect on the formation of the surface protein corona in the bloodstream that affects CoFe2O4@Met–Au NPs passive targeting and uptake into tumor cells. The elaborated functionalization of magnetic NPs with gold QDs represents a promising multi-task platform for linking magnetic NPs with

Uptake and intracellular accumulation of diamond nanoparticles – a metabolic and cytotoxic study

• Antonín Brož,
• Lucie Bačáková,
• Pavla Štenclová,
• Alexander Kromka and
• Štěpán Potocký

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1649–1657, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.165

• loose serum protein/ND aggregates or in cell debris. The well-spread osteoblasts are homogeneously and confluently distributed. Good cell adhesion and division confirms the viability of the cells with photoluminescent NDs (AR-40). Conclusion A comparison of cell viability with various types of NDs (HPHT

A nanocomplex of C₆₀ fullerene with cisplatin: design, characterization and toxicity

• Svitlana Prylutska,
• Svitlana Politenkova,
• Kateryna Afanasieva,
• Volodymyr Korolovych,
• Kateryna Bogutska,
• Andriy Sivolob,
• Larysa Skivka,
• Maxim Evstigneev,
• Viktor Kostjukov,
• Yuriy Prylutskyy and
• Uwe Ritter

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1494–1501, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.149

• mechanism of Cis action. After penetration into cell nuclei Cis may induce coordinate bonds between Pt and guanine bases in DNA that leads to intra- and inter-strand crosslinking. In addition, Cis interaction with nuclear proteins induces DNA–protein crosslinking. After cell lysis these crosslinks remain in

Low uptake of silica nanoparticles in Caco-2 intestinal epithelial barriers

• Dong Ye,
• Mattia Bramini,
• Delyan R. Hristov,
• Sha Wan,
• Anna Salvati,
• Christoffer Åberg and
• Kenneth A. Dawson

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1396–1406, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.141

• , with no signs of agglomeration, though naturally serum protein adsorption increases the sizes. Table 1 also shows auxiliary dispersion characterisation by dynamic light scattering (DLS), leading to the same conclusions. Nanoparticle dispersions were prepared with and without FBS protein in order to

• /mL 50 nm SiO2-NPs in the absence of serum (0% FBS; a and c) and presence of serum (10% FBS; b and d). The nanoparticles are shown in green. Lysosomes and nuclei were stained by Lysosomal-Associated Membrane Protein 1 (LAMP1) antibody (red) and DAPI (blue), respectively. Transmission electron

Micro- and nano-surface structures based on vapor-deposited polymers

• Hsien-Yeh Chen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1366–1374, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.138

• microstructures of PEG hydrogels [22]. In a separate report, this photodefinable polymer was used to pattern protein molecules using a photomask-assisted lithographical approach [23]. Recently, surface patterns were enabled via light-induced thiol-ene/thiol-yne reactions on a poly(4-vinyl-p-xylylene-co-p-xylylene

• restrictions in selecting substrate materials and geometries [69]. By using corona discharge treatment with gradually increasing power, the density of PEG was controlled with gradients to guide protein adsorption and platelet adhesion [70]. By also controlling polyatomic ion deposition to linearly increase the

• were employed to co-immobilize fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) and bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) and established reverse gradient distributions of the FGF-2 and BMP-2. Furthermore, these two growth factors gradients have demonstrated the corresponding biological activities toward both

Bright fluorescent silica-nanoparticle probes for high-resolution STED and confocal microscopy

• Isabella Tavernaro,
• Christian Cavelius,
• Henrike Peuschel and
• Annette Kraegeloh

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1283–1296, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.130

• amounts of salts, amino acids and proteins. In aqueous media, electrostatic repulsion contributes to particle stabilisation. In presence of salts at neutral pH values, this type of stabilisation might be ineffective. In contrast, the formation of a protein corona at the interface between particle surface

Evaluation of quantum dot conjugated antibodies for immunofluorescent labelling of cellular targets

• Jennifer E. Francis,
• David Mason and
• Raphaël Lévy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1238–1249, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.125

• -Ab) was tested against several primary IgG antibodies. The antigens were labelled simultaneously with a fluorescent dye coupled to a secondary antibody (Dye-Ab) and the Qdot-Ab. Although, the Dye-Ab labelled all of the intended target proteins, the Qdot-Ab was found bound to only some of the protein

• fixation of cells, followed by permeabilisation with a detergent. This creates pores in the cell membrane, allowing primary and secondary antibodies to gain access to the protein of interest. Qdots are an attractive alternative to traditional fluorescent dyes for ICC because they are much brighter and more

• fibrillary acidic proteins (GFAPs) [12], mortalin [23], erythrocytes [24], GRP78 protein [25], caveolin-1 [26], golgi [20], and nuclear HER2 targets [6]. The majority of this labelling, however, was done with in-house synthesised Qdots rather than commercially available Qdots [27]. The use of commercially

Nano-engineered skin mesenchymal stem cells: potential vehicles for tumour-targeted quantum-dot delivery

• Liga Saulite,
• Dominyka Dapkute,
• Karlis Pleiko,
• Ineta Popena,
• Simona Steponkiene,
• Ricardas Rotomskis and
• Una Riekstina

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1218–1230, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.123

• , which could be a desirable event in targeted tumour therapy. The optimal uptake conditions for NPs could depend on the particle size, surface modifications, protein corona, and recipient cell line. Previous studies have suggested the incubation of NIH3T3 mouse fibroblasts with 16 nM QDs for 6 h as the

• varies depending on the cell and particle type. One of the factors affecting uptake is the protein corona that forms around NPs in serum-containing medium. Protein aggregates decrease gold NP uptake depending on size and cell type [41]. In the present study, we analysed the QD uptake pathways under both

• through the anchoring of the clathrin and adaptor protein 2 (AP2) complex to endosomes, thereby preventing the assembly of coated pits at the inner plasma membrane [42]. In serum-free medium, QD uptake was decreased by CPZ and nystatin (Figure 7b,d). nystatin is an inhibitor of caveolin/lipid raft

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of cell lysates mixed with silver nanoparticles for tumor classification

• Mohamed Hassoun,
• Iwan W.Schie,
• Tatiana Tolstik,
• Sarmiza E. Stanca,
• Christoph Krafft and
• Juergen Popp

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1183–1190, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.120

• and metabolites appear at 723 and 1339 cm−1 and can be assigned to adenine ring-breathing modes [18][26][27]. Protein vibrations contribute to the band at 900 cm−1. The bands at 800 and 960 cm−1 can be assigned to CN stretching vibrations. Carbohydrates are represented by bands in the spectral region