Nanoparticle delivery to metastatic breast cancer cells by nanoengineered mesenchymal stem cells

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

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 321–332, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.32

• metastatic breast cancer cell line MDA-MD-231 and primary breast cancer cell line MCF7 to explore the transfer of quantum dots (QDs) to cancer cells. First, the optimal conditions for high-content QD loading in MSCs were established. Then, QD uptake in breast cancer cells was assessed after 24 h in a 3D co

• ; mesenchymal stem cells; quantum dots; spheroids; 3D cell culture; Introduction The recent progress in the development of nanoscale agents opens up new perspectives for targeted drug delivery in cancer diagnostics, imaging and therapy. However, once administered into the body, nanoparticles (NPs) are rapidly

• temperature. Flow cytometry data were acquired on a Guava EasyCyte 8HT flow cytometer and analysed by ExpressPro software (Millipore, MA, USA). Quantum dots Qdot® 655 ITK™ non-targeted carboxyl-coated quantum dots were purchased from Thermo Fisher Scientific, USA. The QDs are composed of a CdSe core and ZnS

Co-reductive fabrication of carbon nanodots with high quantum yield for bioimaging of bacteria

• Jiajun Wang,
• Xia Liu,
• Gesmi Milcovich,
• Tzu-Yu Chen,
• Edel Durack,
• Sarah Mallen,
• Yongming Ruan,
• Xuexiang Weng and
• Sarah P. Hudson

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 137–145, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.16

• . Currently, visual detection approaches are based on indirect methods related to bacterially secreted metabolites or imaging of bacterial colonies [4]. Furthermore, the staining techniques use either commercially available fluorescent dyes or semiconductor quantum dots [5]. Fluorescent dyes are expensive

• , instable and easily susceptible to photobleaching, while the semiconductor quantum dots are toxic and difficult to dissolve in water. Therefore, simple and inexpensive methods to visualize the morphological details of bacterial cells are highly needed. C-dots can thus be proposed as an innovative platform

• 2% to 24% following reduction with sodium borohydride (NaBH4). The same results were confirmed by Shen and Tian's group [15][16]. It was also reported that the fluorescence intensity of graphene quantum dots reduced by hydrazine hydrate (N2H4) can be enhanced to more than two times that of the

Review on optofluidic microreactors for artificial photosynthesis

• Xiaowen Huang,
• Jianchun Wang,
• Tenghao Li,
• Jianmei Wang,
• Min Xu,
• Weixing Yu,
• Abdel El Abed and
• Xuming Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 30–41, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.5

• splitting and CO2 reduction [80], but significant progress had already been made before it was combined with the optofluidics [81]. Park et al. developed CdS quantum-dot-sensitized TiO2 nanotube arrays for the photo-regeneration of nicotinamide cofactors [82]. They also used SiO2-supported CdS quantum dots

• . Park et al. presented an optofluidic device that incorporated quantum dots and redox enzymes for photo-enzymatic synthesis [88]. As shown in Figure 8, the microchannel was separated into two parts by a valve, the light-dependent reaction zone for NADH regeneration in the upstream of microchannel and

• light harvesting and the photosynthetic conversion of CO2 to acetic acid with the bacterial enzyme system. Adapted from [79], copyright 2016 American Association for the Advancement of Science. Microfluidic APS platform that incorporates quantum dots and redox enzymes for photoenzymatic synthesis. (A

Gas-sensing behaviour of ZnO/diamond nanostructures

• Marina Davydova,
• Alexandr Laposa,
• Jiri Smarhak,
• Alexander Kromka,
• Neda Neykova,
• Josef Nahlik,
• Jiri Kroutil,
• Jan Drahokoupil and
• Jan Voves

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 22–29, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.4

• cell electrodes, light emitting devices, quantum dots and gas sensors [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. The improvement in response of metal-oxide sensors has been observed by several authors, due to the formation of isolated functional layers on the one-dimensional nanostructure surface using metal

Thermo- and electro-optical properties of photonic liquid crystal fibers doped with gold nanoparticles

• Agata Siarkowska,
• Miłosz Chychłowski,
• Daniel Budaszewski,
• Bartłomiej Jankiewicz,
• Bartosz Bartosewicz and
• Tomasz R. Woliński

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2790–2801, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.278

• still could be (and for some applications need to be) improved. To accomplish this, LCs are being either stabilized by polymers [3] or doped with special materials such as nanotubes [4] and quantum dots [5]. Over the last few years nanoparticles (NPs) have been used to improve the electro-optics

Impact of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on purification and contamination of nematic liquid crystals

• Dmitrii Pavlovich Shcherbinin and
• Elena A. Konshina

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2766–2770, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.275

• ionic contamination was observed in LCs doped with carbon nanoparticles [21], semiconductor quantum dots [22], and metal NPs [23]. At the same time, the increase of ionic contamination due to doping with NPs was reported in other papers [24][25][26]. This contradiction was resolved by the theory

CdSe nanorod/TiO₂ nanoparticle heterojunctions with enhanced solar- and visible-light photocatalytic activity

• Fakher Laatar,
• Hatem Moussa,
• Halima Alem,
• Lavinia Balan,
• Emilien Girot,
• Ghouti Medjahdi,
• Hatem Ezzaouia and
• Raphaël Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2741–2752, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.273

• eV) and its band energies are located at relatively low potential. Despite the large number of reports describing the sensitization of TiO2 (used in the form of spherical particles, films, wires, tubes, etc.) with CdSe nanocrystals (generally quantum dots or spherical nanoclusters) [9][10][11][12][13

• to develop TiO2-based solar cells. Core/shell TiO2/CdSe NRs were also prepared by growing CdSe quantum dots onto TiO2 NRs at high temperature [42]. In this paper, we report an investigation on the synthesis of CdSe-NR-sensitized TiO2 nanoparticles and on the use of these materials for the degradation

• photodegradation. Finally, although the operating conditions and the structure of the pollutant were different from those used in this study, the CdSe NR/TiO2 nanoparticle photocatalyst favorably compares with catalysts engineered from CdSe quantum dots and TiO2 nanoparticles or nanotubes [9][11][12][22][26][31

Ferrocholesteric–ferronematic transitions induced by shear flow and magnetic field

• Dmitriy V. Makarov,
• Alexander A. Novikov and
• Alexander N. Zakhlevnykh

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2552–2561, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.255

• ; helix unwinding; liquid crystals; magnetic field; shear flow; Introduction The dispersing of nanoparticles of different nature (e.g., carbon nanotubes, ferromagnetic or ferroelectric particles, quantum dots, silica particles) into liquid crystals (LCs) leads to a change in the properties of the

PTFE-based microreactor system for the continuous synthesis of full-visible-spectrum emitting cesium lead halide perovskite nanocrystals

• Chengxi Zhang,
• Weiling Luan,
• Yuhang Yin and
• Fuqian Yang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2521–2529, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.252

• quantum dots synthesized with a Br/I ratio of 1:3, a slight blue shift was observed for reaction temperatures greater than 100 °C. This PTFE-based microreactor system provides the unique capability of continuously synthesizing high-quality perovskite nanocrystals that emit over the full visible spectrum

• with applications ranging from displays and optoelectronic devices. Keywords: cesium lead halide; microreactor system; nanocrystals; perovskite; photoluminescence; Introduction Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals, also known as quantum dots (QDs), have great potential in a variety of applications

• , including displays, solar cells, lasers, light-emitting diodes and white-light generation [1][2][3][4][5][6] due to their size-tunable optical and electrical properties and excellent ability to be processed in solution. Quantum dots have gained much attention due to their promising applications. There are

Dynamic behavior of a nematic liquid crystal mixed with CoFe₂O₄ ferromagnetic nanoparticles in a magnetic field

• Emil Petrescu,
• Cristina Cirtoaje and
• Cristina Stan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2467–2473, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.246

• , carbon nanotubes and quantum dots [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22], yielding modified optical properties [23][24][25]. The main advantages of nanoparticles are given by their small dimensions and unique physical properties that strongly affect the local nematic order [26]. This leads to significant

Hydrothermal synthesis of ZnO quantum dot/KNb₃O₈ nanosheet photocatalysts for reducing carbon dioxide to methanol

• Xiao Shao,
• Weiyue Xin and
• Xiaohong Yin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2264–2270, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.226

• , East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China 10.3762/bjnano.8.226 Abstract ZnO quantum dots and KNb3O8 nanosheets were synthesized by a two-step hydrothermal method for the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to methanol where isopropanol is simultaneously oxidized to acetone

• materials was evaluated by formation rate of methanol under UV light irradiation at ambient temperature and pressure. The methanol formation rate of pure KNb3O8 nanosheets was found to be 1257.21 μmol/g/h, and after deposition of 2 wt % ZnO quantum dots on the surface of KNb3O8 nanosheets, the methanol

• production rate was found to increase to 1539.77 μmol/g/h. Thus, the ZnO quantum dots obviously prompted separation of charge carriers, which was explained by a proposed mechanism for this photocatalytic reaction. Keywords: CO2 reduction; KNb3O8 nanosheets; methanol production; photocatalysis; ZnO quantum

Ta₂N₃ nanocrystals grown in Al₂O₃ thin layers

• Krešimir Salamon,
• Maja Buljan,
• Iva Šarić,
• Mladen Petravić and
• Sigrid Bernstorff

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2162–2170, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.215

• -assembly of semiconductor quantum dots in amorphous alumina or silica multilayers [18][19]. The key point of this deposition design is the insertion of dielectric layers, so called spacer layers, between all arbitrarily thick active metallic layers. In that way, upon annealing, the growth and final size of

Magnetic properties of optimized cobalt nanospheres grown by focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) on cantilever tips

• Soraya Sangiao,
• César Magén,
• Darius Mofakhami,
• Grégoire de Loubens and
• José María De Teresa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2106–2115, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.210

• -vortex-lattice pinning [17]; as well as (d) three-dimensional nanowires for magnetic domain-wall studies [18][19] and for remote magnetomechanical actuation [20], quantum dots for magnetic storage [21] and catalytic purposes [22], polygonal shapes for micromagnetic studies [23][24] and spin-ice

Optical techniques for cervical neoplasia detection

• Tatiana Novikova

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

• discriminate between HSIL and LSIL/normal tissues at various imaging depths was confirmed [80][81]. Nanotheranostics The rapid progress of nanotechnology had an important impact on cancer management research. The variety of new nanoscale platforms (gold nanoparticles, quantum dots, nanocages, carbon nanotubes

• unique molecular tumor marker [88]. The contrast agents consisting of a targeting agent conjugated with optically active labels (metal nanoparticles, quantum dots) can be used for in vivo imaging of this biomarker. Sokolov et al [89] reported the use of gold nanoparticles for the molecular targeted

• optical contrast between isolated gold particles and agglomerated gold particles in tumor tissue in both confocal reflectance and confocal fluorescence images of cervical tissue specimens [89]. In recent years many research groups explored the potential of using quantum dots (QDs) as inorganic

Synthesis and functionalization of NaGdF₄:Yb,Er@NaGdF₄ core–shell nanoparticles for possible application as multimodal contrast agents

• Dovile Baziulyte-Paulaviciene,
• Vitalijus Karabanovas,
• Marius Stasys,
• Greta Jarockyte,
• Vilius Poderys,
• Simas Sakirzanovas and
• Ricardas Rotomskis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1815–1824, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.183

• visible light, have been extensively investigated due to the advantages associated with their unique optical properties [1]. Compared with traditional semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) or organic fluorophores, UCNPs show superior features such as sharp emission peaks, low toxicity, high photochemical

• . The similar localization of Tween 80-coated nanoparticles was observed in MCF-7 cells as well. The same results of endocytic NP accumulation in cells was demonstrated in different studies with UCNPs [31], quantum dots [32], magnetic nanomaterials [33] and noble metal nanoparticles [34]. Cell viability

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

• magnetic NPs with gold quantum dots (QDs) containing more than 13.5% of Au+. Emphasis is put on the synthesis of magnetic NPs by co-precipitation using the amino acid methionine as NP growth-stabilizing agent capable to later reduce and attach gold species. The surface of these NPs can be further

• spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of as-formed CoFe2O4 NPs before and after decoration with gold QDs were applied. Keywords: functionalization; gold; magnetic nanoparticles; quantum dots; theranostics; Introduction In current

• magnetic resonance and fluorescent imaging, allow for a more rapid and precise screening of the oncological disease sites. This is frequently achieved by covering magnetic NPs with shells containing luminescent quantum dots (QDs) [2][3][4][5][6]. The target molecules can be attached to the surface of

Two-dimensional carbon-based nanocomposites for photocatalytic energy generation and environmental remediation applications

• Suneel Kumar,
• Ashish Kumar,
• Ashish Bahuguna,
• Vipul Sharma and
• Venkata Krishnan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1571–1600, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.159

Luminescent supramolecular hydrogels from a tripeptide and nitrogen-doped carbon nanodots

• Maria C. Cringoli,
• Slavko Kralj,
• Marina Kurbasic,
• Massimo Urban and
• Silvia Marchesan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1553–1562, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.157

• . Their properties allow them to have an important impact in biological and environmental applications as alternatives to traditional, toxic, semiconductor-based quantum dots (QDs). They can be employed as biosensors in bioimaging, drug delivery, and in the photoreduction of metals, since they have

Calcium fluoride based multifunctional nanoparticles for multimodal imaging

• Marion Straßer,
• Joachim H. X. Schrauth,
• Sofia Dembski,
• Daniel Haddad,
• Bernd Ahrens,
• Stefan Schweizer,
• Bastian Christ,
• Alevtina Cubukova,
• Marco Metzger,
• Heike Walles,
• Peter M. Jakob and
• Gerhard Sextl

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1484–1493, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.148

• imaging and diagnosis [2]. One possibility is the synthesis of core/shell-structured NPs. Core and shell materials can be matched individually to specific detection methods. For example, the coating of a magnetic core with silicates or polymer shells doped with organic fluorophores or quantum dots (QDs

Cationic PEGylated polycaprolactone nanoparticles carrying post-operation docetaxel for glioma treatment

• Cem Varan and
• Erem Bilensoy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1446–1456, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.144

• -time and also enhanced the concentration of BCNU in the brain tumor area [27]. In addition to drug delivery, core–shell nanoparticles such as magnetic nanoparticles [28], quantum dots [29], nanodiamonds [30], nanocrystals [31] and iron oxide nanoparticles [32] are studied as imaging and detection

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

• nanoparticles [24][25], silica nanoparticles [26] or quantum dots [27][28]. These fluorescent nanoparticles fulfil some of the specific requirements and overcome disadvantages of common organic fluorescent dyes [29]. Especially silica nanoparticles have proven useful, since silicon chemistry provides a

• low tendency to agglomerate, which makes them suitable for biological nanoparticle uptake experiments. Not only allows the presented synthesis method for the embedding of different kinds of fluorophores (proteins, quantum dots or metallic nanoclusters), but the method also provide the option to gain

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

• , United Kingdom 10.3762/bjnano.8.125 Abstract Semiconductor quantum dots (Qdots) have been utilised as probes in fluorescence microscopy and provide an alternative to fluorescent dyes and fluorescent proteins due to their brightness, photostability, and the possibility to excite different Qdots with a

• targets in the cytosol and could not reach the nucleus, even after extensive cell permeabilisation. Keywords: imaging; immunofluorescence; microscopy; nanoparticles; quantum dots; Introduction Quantum dots (Qdots) are nanometre-sized semiconductor nanocrystals that typically consist of a metallic core

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

• quantum dots QD655 were studied in human skin MSCs. The effect of QD on MSCs was examined using a cell viability assay, Ki67 expression analysis, and tri-lineage differentiation assay. The optimal conditions for QD uptake in MSCs were determined using flow cytometry. The QD uptake route in MSCs was

• suggest that QD-labelled MSCs could be used for targeted drug delivery studies. Keywords: endocytosis; mesenchymal stem cells; quantum dots; stem cell differentiation; Introduction Despite remarkable advances in targeted therapies of various human malignancies, cancer is one of the leading causes of

• , quantum dots (QDs) have demonstrated extensive application capabilities. High photostability and brightness, broad excitation and narrow fluorescence-emission spectra are some of the main properties required for the generation of new fluorescent nano-agents. The unique optical and electronic properties of

AgCl-doped CdSe quantum dots with near-IR photoluminescence

• Pavel A. Kotin,
• Sergey S. Bubenov,
• Natalia E. Mordvinova and
• Sergey G. Dorofeev

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1156–1166, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.117

• Abstract We report the synthesis of colloidal CdSe quantum dots doped with a novel Ag precursor: AgCl. The addition of AgCl causes dramatic changes in the morphology of synthesized nanocrystals from spherical nanoparticles to tetrapods and finally to large ellipsoidal nanoparticles. Ellipsoidal

• nanoparticles possess an intensive near-IR photoluminescence ranging up to 0.9 eV (ca. 1400 nm). In this article, we explain the reasons for the formation of the ellipsoidal nanoparticles as well as the peculiarities of the process. The structure, Ag content, and optical properties of quantum dots are also

• investigated. The optimal conditions for maximizing both the reaction yield and IR photoluminescence quantum yield are found. Keywords: Ag doping; CdSe quantum dots; doped semiconductor nanocrystals; IR photoluminescence; tetrapods; Introduction Colloidal quantum dots (QDs) have attracted considerable

ZnO nanoparticles sensitized by CuInZn_xS_2+x quantum dots as highly efficient solar light driven photocatalysts

• Florian Donat,
• Serge Corbel,
• Halima Alem,
• Steve Pontvianne,
• Lavinia Balan,
• Ghouti Medjahdi and
• Raphaël Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1080–1093, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.110

• (IJL), UMR CNRS 7198, BP 70239, 54506 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy Cedex, France Institut de Science des Matériaux de Mulhouse (IS2M), CNRS UMR 7361, 15 rue Jean Starcky, 68093 Mulhouse, France 10.3762/bjnano.8.110 Abstract Alloyed CuInZnxS2+x (ZCIS) quantum dots (QDs) were successfully associated to ZnO

• . The activity of the ZnO/ZCIS composite is retained at over 90% of its original value after ten successive photocatalytic runs, indicating its high stability and its potential for practical photocatalytic applications. Keywords: heterojunction; photocatalysis; quantum dots; reactive oxygen species

• ; singlet oxygen; ZCIS quantum dots; ZnO; Introduction Over the last twenty years, the field of photocatalysis has attracted wide attention due to the environmental and energy crisis. Photocatalysis is considered to be a green technology, allowing the degradation of numerous contaminants both in water and