Nanomedicines against Chagas disease: a critical review

• Maria Jose Morilla,
• Kajal Ghosal and
• Eder Lilia Romero

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 333–349, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.30

• cells, BNZ is reduced by oxygen-sensitive nitroreductases. During its anaerobic nitro reduction, primarily in the hepatic microsomal fraction, BNZ generates reactive metabolites that bind to the host’s DNA, proteins, and lipids. The nitro reduction also occurs in fecal matter, with an intensity that

• proteins, and prematurely release their cargos; also, they are phagocytosed by circulating monocytes or tissue macrophages to be degraded. This gives rise to the emergence of new modes of toxicity, including hemolysis, inflammation, oxidative stress, and impaired lysosomal or mitochondrial function. In the

Exploring the relationships between physiochemical properties of nanoparticles and cell damage to combat cancer growth using simple periodic table-based descriptors

• Joyita Roy and
• Kunal Roy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 297–309, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.27

• protein corona. The formation of a protein corona on the surface of NPs, which influences the interaction with cell membranes or proteins, is also associated with zeta potential and surface charge. Very limited studies have reported the influence of zeta potential, surface charge, hydrophobicity, and

• enhance the catalytic activity of Fenton/Fenton-like reactions, but can also result in cellular damage [16]. ROS can break down the basic components of the cell, including DNA, proteins, and lipids. ROS can cause double-strand breaks in DNA by converting guanine to 8-oxoguanine. This conversion can lead

• to mispairing with adenine, resulting in transversion mutations. Proteins can also be damaged when their amino acid side chains are oxidized by ROS. Exposure of lipids to ROS can result in lipid peroxidation, which can cause cell damage and generate reactive by-products that further damage the cell

Multiscale modelling of biomolecular corona formation on metallic surfaces

• Parinaz Mosaddeghi Amini,
• Ian Rouse,
• Julia Subbotina and
• Vladimir Lobaskin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 215–229, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.21

• modelling of the interaction between various surfaces, that is (100), (110), and (111), of fcc aluminum with the most abundant milk proteins and lactose. Our approach combines atomistic molecular dynamics, a coarse-grained model of protein adsorption, and kinetic Monte Carlo simulations to predict the

• protein corona composition in the deposited milk layer on aluminum surfaces. We consider a simplified model of milk, which is composed of the six most abundant milk proteins found in natural cow milk and lactose, which is the most abundant sugar found in dairy. Through our study, we ranked selected

• proteins and lactose adsorption affinities based on their corresponding interaction strength with aluminum surfaces and predicted the content of the naturally forming biomolecular corona. Our comprehensive investigation sheds light on the implications of aluminum in food processing and packaging

Nanocarrier systems loaded with IR780, iron oxide nanoparticles and chlorambucil for cancer theragnostics

• Phuong-Thao Dang-Luong,
• Hong-Phuc Nguyen,
• Loc Le-Tuan,
• Xuan-Thang Cao,
• Vy Tran-Anh and
• Hieu Vu Quang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 180–189, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.17

• DLS and PDI increased to approx. 280 nm and 0.24, respectively. The NPs were still well dispersed in cell culture media; however, the size increase suggested the adsorption of FBS proteins onto the NPs. The SEM results (Figure 1B) showed the actual size of the nanoparticles, which had a round shape of

• -life. When NPs are administered, they come into contact with blood cells and plasma proteins, which may cause adsorption or opsonization by serum proteins [35]. However, these proteins will have a reduced probability of interacting with our negatively charged nanoparticles, as most proteins are

Modification of graphene oxide and its effect on properties of natural rubber/graphene oxide nanocomposites

• Nghiem Thi Thuong,
• Le Dinh Quang,
• Vu Quoc Cuong,
• Cao Hong Ha,
• Nguyen Ba Lam and
• Seiichi Kawahara

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 168–179, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.16

• were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich. Vinyltriethoxysilanes, tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHPO), and urea were purchased from Tokyo Chemical Industry, Japan. Removal of proteins from natural rubber According to the method reported in [24], deproteinization of HANR was carried out using urea as a denaturing

Assessing phytotoxicity and tolerance levels of ZnO nanoparticles on Raphanus sativus: implications for widespread adoptions

• Pathirannahalage Sahan Samuditha,
• Nadeesh Madusanka Adassooriya and
• Nazeera Salim

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 115–125, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.11

• at 1000 mg/L. Conversely, at a concentration of 2000 mg/L, ZnO NPs significantly reduced soluble proteins and increased IAA levels, indicating toxicity and physiological stress. Plants treated with a dose of 10,000 mg/L exhibited wilting and yellowing by day 18 and did not survive until day 45. A

Nanotechnological approaches in the treatment of schistosomiasis: an overview

• Lucas Carvalho,
• Michelle Sarcinelli and
• Beatriz Patrício

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 13–25, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.2

• sublethal doses can cause alterations in parasite tegument [85]. Bee venom comprises various pharmacologically active components, including melittin (constituting more than 50% of total proteins) and a mixture of enzymes, cell-lytic peptides, proteases, and bioactive amines [86]. This mixture has

Fluorescent bioinspired albumin/polydopamine nanoparticles and their interactions with Escherichia coli cells

• Eloïse Equy,
• Jordana Hirtzel,
• Sophie Hellé,
• Béatrice Heurtault,
• Eric Mathieu,
• Morgane Rabineau,
• Vincent Ball and
• Lydie Ploux

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1208–1224, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.100

• ]. These properties can even be controlled by an external signal [17][18][19]. PDA NPs are formed upon oxidation in dopamine (DA) solutions with additives such as surfactants, polyelectrolytes, and proteins [14]. Eumelanin-like NPs with a diameter less than 20 nm have been obtained by this method. The

• structure of these albumin/PDA NPs has not been elucidated completely. It has been demonstrated that proteins are present in the NPs’ shell; they might also be present in the core (Figure 1d). Nevertheless, their potential both for fluorescent labelling of alive bacterial cells and as nanovector for

• between DA and BSA, which contains the KE diad and allows for the control of the NP formation [13]. During the synthesis, DA is added into the BSA solution, thus avoiding that the proteins come into contact with already formed PDA. Bergtold et al. proposed that the size control is exerted by the specific

Curcumin-loaded albumin submicron particles with potential as a cancer therapy: an in vitro study

• Nittiya Suwannasom,
• Netsai Sriaksorn,
• Chutamas Thepmalee,
• Krissana Khoothiam,
• Ausanai Prapan,
• Hans Bäumler and
• Chonthida Thephinlap

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1127–1140, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.93

• pharmacokinetic drawbacks such as poor water solubility resulting in low bioavailability, low absorption, rapid metabolism, and elimination [6][7]. The reported solubility of free CUR in distilled water at 25 °C is 1.34 µg/mL [8]. The conjugation of CUR with proteins has been confirmed to improve its aqueous

• Na2CO3 solutions in the presence of albumin [26][27]. This approach has been shown to have high effectiveness for entrapping various biopolymers (e.g., proteins and hemoglobin) into carbonate particles before dissolving with EDTA to obtain pure biopolymer submicron particles. The CCD technique is a

• albumin proteins [30]. CUR showed strong binding affinity towards HSA, likely at the tryptophan residue, which is present in the hydrophobic cavities of HSA [23][31]. The final CUR-HSA-MPs are obtained after dissolution of the MnCO3 template with EDTA. Characterization of CUR-HSA-MPs Dynamic light

Recognition mechanisms of hemoglobin particles by monocytes – CD163 may just be one

• Jonathan-Gabriel Nimz,
• Pichayut Rerkshanandana,
• Chiraphat Kloypan,
• Ulrich Kalus,
• Saranya Chaiwaree,
• Axel Pruß,
• Radostina Georgieva,
• Yu Xiong and
• Hans Bäumler

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1028–1040, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.85

• scavenging and consecutive increase in peripheral vascular resistance. Whether binding between cell surface proteins and Hb/HBOC can occur, and how high the corresponding affinity is, probably depends on modifications made to Hb. Intramolecular crosslinking has an impact, depending on whether the binding

• × 1015 molecules/mL. The average Hpx serum concentration of 0.6 g/L corresponds to 4.5 × 1015 molecules/mL. Thus, the dose of 60 g HBOC 201 is sufficient to bind the available Hp and Hpx, allowing subsequent doses of HBOCs to remain in circulation until these proteins are replenished. In case of infusion

• since both proteins are specific for monocytes. CD163 was tested because of its direct affinity to Hb. Also, we tested the effect of blocking CD204 (scavenger receptor A/SR-A). SR-A is a membrane protein occurring in the monocyte/macrophage lineage. Playing an important role in host defense, it exhibits

Antibody-conjugated nanoparticles for target-specific drug delivery of chemotherapeutics

• Mamta Kumari,
• Amitabha Acharya and
• Praveen Thaggikuppe Krishnamurthy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 912–926, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.75

• active targeting via the functionalization of ligands, such as antibodies or proteins, that interact with receptors overexpressed at the target site [5][6]. However, the movement of NPs is hampered by biological barriers such as endothelial, cellular, skin, and mucosal barriers, which obstruct their

• targeting capabilities [7]. Researchers focused their interest on understanding the obstructions that impede targeted drug delivery, and several advances have been made to develop NPs with enhanced ability to cross these barriers. Bio-pharmacological drugs, which include recombinant proteins, monoclonal

• NPs specifically bind to the cell surface proteins and deliver the drug cargo to tumor sites via passive or active targeting. As a result, the therapeutic ratio is improved. At the same time, the systemic toxicity is reduced and the therapeutic efficacy is increased [13]. Antibody-conjugated NPs

Biomimetics on the micro- and nanoscale – The 25th anniversary of the lotus effect

• Matthias Mail,
• Kerstin Koch,
• Thomas Speck,
• William M. Megill and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 850–856, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.69

• biological processes and surface interactions involved in the bioselective adhesion of mammalian cells. The second topic of the review was on repellence of microbes on protein-based material surfaces, highlighting the importance of materials made of recombinant spider silk proteins. Biomaterials that

Nanostructured lipid carriers containing benznidazole: physicochemical, biopharmaceutical and cellular in vitro studies

• Giuliana Muraca,
• María Esperanza Ruiz,
• Rocío C. Gambaro,
• Sebastián Scioli-Montoto,
• María Laura Sbaraglini,
• Gisel Padula,
• José Sebastián Cisneros,
• Cecilia Yamil Chain,
• Vera A. Álvarez,
• Cristián Huck-Iriart,
• Guillermo R. Castro,
• María Belén Piñero,
• Matias Ildebrando Marchetto,
• Catalina Alba Soto,
• Germán A. Islan and
• Alan Talevi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 804–818, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.66

• intrinsic toxicity of our nanoscale vehicle on T. cruzi may be linked to a modification of glycosylphosphatidylinositols (GPIs). Glycosylphosphatidylinositols are the main anchor complexes used by protozoans to bind to cell surface proteins. It covalently attaches to the C terminus of a protein connecting

Silver nanoparticles loaded on lactose/alginate: in situ synthesis, catalytic degradation, and pH-dependent antibacterial activity

• Nguyen Thi Thanh Tu,
• T. Lan-Anh Vo,
• T. Thu-Trang Ho,
• Kim-Phuong T. Dang,
• Van-Dung Le,
• Phan Nhat Minh,
• Chi-Hien Dang,
• Vinh-Thien Tran,
• Van-Su Dang,
• Tran Thi Kim Chi,
• Hieu Vu-Quang,
• Radek Fajgar,
• Thi-Lan-Huong Nguyen,
• Van-Dat Doan and
• Thanh-Danh Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 781–792, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.64

• antibacterial properties can serve as a source of silver ions. Another mechanism involves the electrostatic attraction between negatively charged microbial cells and positively charged AgNPs [25]. Because of their affinity to sulfur proteins and through electrostatic attraction, silver ions can bind to both

Metal-organic framework-based nanomaterials as opto-electrochemical sensors for the detection of antibiotics and hormones: A review

• Akeem Adeyemi Oladipo,
• Saba Derakhshan Oskouei and
• Mustafa Gazi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 631–673, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.52

• , proteins, aptamers, and immunoglobulins) to realise an analyte-specific reaction. Because of their modification with biomolecules, some electrochemical biosensors have shown higher specificity and selectivity than unmodified electrochemical sensors; nevertheless, they have shorter lifetimes and poorer

Suspension feeding in Copepoda (Crustacea) – a numerical model of setae acting in concert

• Alexander E. Filippov,
• Wencke Krings and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 603–615, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.50

• -resolution CLSM imaging or atomic force microscopy. As it was visualized by CLSM [55][56][57], the basal parts of some short and long setae appear to be relatively soft and seem to contain resilin or other proteins. This should influence the mobility of the rotating setae. To account for this in the

Nanoarchitectonics to entrap living cells in silica-based systems: encapsulations with yolk–shell and sepiolite nanomaterials

• Celia Martín-Morales,
• Jorge Fernández-Méndez,
• Pilar Aranda and
• Eduardo Ruiz-Hitzky

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 522–534, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.43

• bionanocomposites that display biomimetic and bioinspired characteristics, derived from their biological components (e.g., polysaccharides, proteins, nucleic acids, enzymes and viruses, etc.) and the inorganic network (e.g., silica and silicates, clay minerals and phosphates) [5][6][7][8]. More complex biohybrid

Plasmonic nanotechnology for photothermal applications – an evaluation

• A. R. Indhu,
• L. Keerthana and
• Gnanaprakash Dharmalingam

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 380–419, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.33

New trends in nanobiotechnology

• Pau-Loke Show,
• Kit Wayne Chew,
• Wee-Jun Ong,
• Sunita Varjani and
• Joon Ching Juan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 377–379, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.32

• the interaction between peptides with physiological proteins. Through the study, the selection and rapid design of peptides based on peptide binding sites, hydrogen bond number, and binding affinity were obtained. It was also concluded the potential role of these peptides in the prevention of

Quercetin- and caffeic acid-functionalized chitosan-capped colloidal silver nanoparticles: one-pot synthesis, characterization, and anticancer and antibacterial activities

• Akif Hakan Kurt,
• Elif Berna Olutas,
• Fatma Avcioglu,
• Hamza Karakuş,
• Mehmet Ali Sungur,
• Cansu Kara Oztabag and
• Muhammet Yıldırım

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 362–376, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.31

• medium [74]. Since NPs are exposed to various forces that affect their stability and size in such environments (containing electrolytes, proteins and lipids), they may tend to collapse and aggregate. Although no aggregation and turbidity were observed during the preparation stage with the naked eye and

The steep road to nonviral nanomedicines: Frequent challenges and culprits in designing nanoparticles for gene therapy

• Yao Yao,
• Yeongun Ko,
• Grant Grasman,
• Jeffery E. Raymond and
• Joerg Lahann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 351–361, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.30

• are assessed with the use of fluorescent-labeling carriers and the expression of fluorescent proteins (e.g., enhanced green fluorescent protein). Both of which are typically assessed by widefield fluorescent microscopy/confocal microscopy (referred to as “imaging”) and/or flow cytometry (Table 1

• of proteins after transfection. Because organelles (e.g., endosomes) are not uniformly distributed throughout the cell, these 2D imaging methods are rarely accurate for quantification of either uptake or transfection. Nevertheless, they still have been the methods of choice during the last five years

• particular type of NP can be measured using pharmacological inhibitors or genetic approaches that knockdown/knockout or transiently block the expression of key proteins involved in endocytosis [30]. Then, changes in NP uptake can be quantified and attributed to the significance of that pathway. Unfortunately

Polymer nanoparticles from low-energy nanoemulsions for biomedical applications

• Santiago Grijalvo and
• Carlos Rodriguez-Abreu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 339–350, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.29

• , proteins, vaccines, and nucleotides [2]. In spite of biodegradability and biocompatibility, some studies have also demonstrated a certain concentration-dependent toxicologic profile including a mild inflammatory response after treatment with PLGA nanoparticles [49]. Some authors have suggested that the

•  5) with viabilities higher than 70% for HeLa cells are promising candidates for gene therapy (e.g., gene vaccines). Protein binding on PLGA nanoparticles prepared from nanoemulsions has also been studied [62]. After incubation with human serum, afamin was one of the specific proteins bound to PLGA

Overview of mechanism and consequences of endothelial leakiness caused by metal and polymeric nanoparticles

• Magdalena Lasak and
• Karol Ciepluch

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 329–338, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.28

• determining vascular permeability are the intercellular junctions, which condition paracellular transport across the endothelium. There may be tight junctions between endothelial cells, mainly formed by occludin and claudin proteins. This type of connection is most characteristic of the central nervous system

• activation of mechanisms controlling the phosphorylation of proteins of intercellular junctions, which in turn opens the cell–cell junctions and creates gaps between the cells [13][17]. The use of appropriate vascular permeability stimulants can therefore be an effective solution in the treatment of diseases

• for the interaction with adherens junction proteins (e.g., VE-cadherin). The width of the endothelial gaps was ca. 22.5 nm [28]. Researchers observed that the interaction of the endothelium with NPs widens the existing gaps or induces new ones in the monolayer of vascular endothelial cells, thus

Bismuth-based nanostructured photocatalysts for the remediation of antibiotics and organic dyes

• Akeem Adeyemi Oladipo and
• Faisal Suleiman Mustafa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 291–321, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.26

• the environment in low concentrations (micrograms per litre to nanograms per litre), are persistent and bioactive, potentially posing a threat to the food chain. Macrolides, fluoroquinolones, and tetracycline also have an impact on the synthesis of mitochondrial proteins and chloroplasts in plants [48

Biocatalytic synthesis and ordered self-assembly of silica nanoparticles via a silica-binding peptide

• Mustafa Gungormus

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 280–290, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.25

• and proteins, have been demonstrated to be useful in the synthesis and self-assembly of inorganic nanostructures. Herein, we describe a simple Stöber-based method wherein both the synthesis and the self-assembly of SiO2 nanoparticles can be facilitated by a silica-binding peptide (SiBP). We

• monodisperse nanoparticles and to modify the surface properties to fully exploit the advantages offered by self-assembly. Biomolecules, such as peptides and proteins, have been demonstrated to be useful in the synthesis and self-assembly of inorganic nanostructures [15][16]. Herein, we have investigated the

• behavior of biosilicification-related proteins (BSRPs), such as silicateins and silaffins. BSRPs facilitate the formation of inorganic silica structures in marine organisms [27][28]. It has been reported that isolated silicateins and silaffins or certain repeating motifs of these proteins can facilitate