Light-powered, artificial molecular pumps: a minimalistic approach

• Giulio Ragazzon,
• Massimo Baroncini,
• Serena Silvi,
• Margherita Venturi and
• Alberto Credi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2096–2104, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.214

• ]. Indeed, owing to the progress in molecular biology, we know that living beings are endowed with biomolecules that can replicate genetic material, transport substances inside cells or across membranes, and can be switched on and off in response to external stimuli [3]. Other classes of proteins

Optimized design of a nanostructured SPCE-based multipurpose biosensing platform formed by ferrocene-tethered electrochemically-deposited cauliflower-shaped gold nanoparticles

• Wicem Argoubi,
• Maroua Saadaoui,
• Sami Ben Aoun and
• Noureddine Raouafi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1840–1852, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.187

• recent works support the fact the electron-transfer rates can be enhanced by the conformational changes especially of long alkyl chains and biomolecules used to tether ferrocene to a gold surface [31][32][33][34]. The current variation stopped at high concentration because of the saturation of all the

Towards multifunctional inorganic materials: biopolymeric templates

• Claudia Steinem and
• Joachim Bill

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1698–1699, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.172

• Forschungsgemeinschaft in Germany. Correspondingly, this Thematic Series addresses multifunctional, inorganic materials generated by templating with biomolecules. The reader of this series will gain a comprehensive overview about the general ideas and principles of biopolymeric templating by means of selected examples

Synthesis, characterization and in vitro biocompatibility study of Au/TMC/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposites as a promising, nontoxic system for biomedical applications

• Hanieh Shirazi,
• Maryam Daneshpour,
• Soheila Kashanian and
• Kobra Omidfar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1677–1689, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.170

• biocompatibility), they can be utilized as catalysts, labels, and as a protective substrate, especially for immobilization of biomolecules in various fields of modern science [29][30]. Au nanoparticles are extensively used in the design and construction of fuel cells and many types of sensors (e.g

Fulleropeptide esters as potential self-assembled antioxidants

• Mira S. Bjelaković,
• Tatjana J. Kop,
• Jelena Đorđević and
• Dragana R. Milić

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1065–1071, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.107

• contribution to the development of carriers for biomolecules [21]. Higashi and co-workers have reported the aggregation properties and a high superoxide scavenging activity of fullerene–poly(Glu)peptide nanoparticles as self-assembled structures [22]. Fullerene C60 and fulleropyrrolidine derivatives showed

A simple approach to the synthesis of Cu_1.8S dendrites with thiamine hydrochloride as a sulfur source and structure-directing agent

• Xiaoliang Yan,
• Sha Li,
• Yun-xiang Pan,
• Zhi Yang and
• Xuguang Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 881–885, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.90

• -friendly preparation of metal sulfide nano/micro-materials is sought for. Biomolecules have been widely used as a sulfur sources and structure-directing agents in the synthesis of metal sulfides [11][12]. Kim et al. used 2-mercaptoethanol to synthesize high-aspect ratio and single-crystalline nanowires of

• investigated the morphology evolution of Cu1.8S as a function of the hydrothermal process time. Burford et al. reported that the functional groups in biomolecules, e.g., –NH2, –COOH, and –S–, are strongly inclined to interact with inorganic cations based on a mass spectrometry study [13]. This indicates that

• metal ions could interact with biomolecules to form stable complexes. In this experiment, copper nitrate and thiamine hydrochloride is dissolved in water to form a mixture in which Cu2+ ions coordinate with thiamine hydrochloride to form a complex. When the mixture was sealed and kept at 180 °C under

Protein corona – from molecular adsorption to physiological complexity

• Lennart Treuel,
• Dominic Docter,
• Michael Maskos and
• Roland H. Stauber

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 857–873, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.88

• Hospital of Mainz, Langenbeckstrasse 1, 55101 Mainz, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.6.88 Abstract In biological environments, nanoparticles are enshrouded by a layer of biomolecules, predominantly proteins, mediating its subsequent interactions with cells. Detecting this protein corona, understanding its

• to high electrolyte concentrations and sometimes even due to interaction with biomolecules. Not only do the subsequent agglomeration processes lead to a loss of accessible surface area, they also lead to changes in diffusion properties and, in case of larger agglomerates, give rise to sedimentation

Influence of gold, silver and gold–silver alloy nanoparticles on germ cell function and embryo development

• Ulrike Taylor,
• Daniela Tiedemann,
• Christoph Rehbock,
• Wilfried A. Kues,
• Stephan Barcikowski and
• Detlef Rath

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 651–664, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.66

• medical and consumer products. Gold and silver nanoparticles play an important role in the current increase of nanoparticle usage. However, our understanding concerning possible side effects of this increased exposure to particles, which are frequently in the same size regime as medium sized biomolecules

• ) and oligonucleotide conjugated AuNP (diameter 7.3 nm, 94 biomolecules per particle, Zeta potential −32 mV) which were tested by using bovine sperm, as well as bovine serum albumin (BSA) coated gold (diameter 6–20 nm), silver (diameter 11 nm; AgNP) and various gold silver alloy nanoparticles (silver

• ]. The ex situ method is an alternative approach where the ablation site is physically separated from bioconjugation [80]. To this end laser ablation is carried out in a flow through reactor, while biomolecules are added at specified time delays. Innate to the in situ bioconjugation method is a distinct

Silica micro/nanospheres for theranostics: from bimodal MRI and fluorescent imaging probes to cancer therapy

• Shanka Walia and
• Amitabha Acharya

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 546–558, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.57

• materials [8], for controlled delivery [9], and in biotechnology for the controlled release of biomolecules such as small drugs [10], therapeutic proteins [11], antibiotics [12], and antibodies [13]. In MRI, the relative difference of the signal intensity between two adjoining tissues can be improved by

Hollow plasmonic antennas for broadband SERS spectroscopy

• Gabriele C. Messina,
• Mario Malerba,
• Pierfrancesco Zilio,
• Ermanno Miele,
• Michele Dipalo,
• Lorenzo Ferrara and
• Francesco De Angelis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 492–498, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.50

• be considered that some of the biomolecules of interest are present in very low concentrations. Therefore, monitoring such an environment requires techniques that can offer both flexibility and high sensitivity for all cases. In other words, the investigation of the biological functions of living

• ][18] and magnetic field enhancement [19]. In these various disciplines, the rise of a trend targeting high performance spectroscopy techniques for biomolecules and cells can be recognized. Raman spectroscopy has already been implemented for whole live cell imaging [20] as well as its biological

Biological responses to nanoscale particles

• Reinhard Zellner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 380–382, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.37

• . The key differences are (i) an increased relative surface area and (ii) quantum size effects. Since the growth, catalytic activity and the various interactions with molecules (including biomolecules) occur at the surface of nanoparticles, a given mass of material in nanoparticle form will be much more

• potential biomolecules and cells, thus creating a large parameter space to be examined. With these shortcomings in mind, we initiated a national Priority Program (Schwerpunktprogramm SPP1313) in Germany in 2007 at the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) entitled, “Biological Responses to Nanoscale

• conjugates of biomolecules, magnetism, radioactivity, Janus particles and core–shell particles were combined. In particular, the use of fluorescently labeled particles has become one of the preferred tools to track nanoparticles inside cells and tissue. When nanoparticles are exposed to biological fluids

Overview about the localization of nanoparticles in tissue and cellular context by different imaging techniques

• Anja Ostrowski,
• Daniel Nordmeyer,
• Alexander Boreham,
• Cornelia Holzhausen,
• Lars Mundhenk,
• Christina Graf,
• Martina C. Meinke,
• Annika Vogt,
• Sabrina Hadam,
• Jürgen Lademann,
• Eckart Rühl,
• Ulrike Alexiev and
• Achim D. Gruber

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 263–280, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.25

• bioapplications are typically composed of a semiconductor core (e.g., cadmium sulfide), an outer shell of a higher band semiconducting material (e.g., zinc sulfide) and a surface functionalization which may consist of various hydrophilic organic molecules including biomolecules or polymers [86]. QD with their

• [126]. However, one disadvantage is that only low signal intensities are emitted by biomolecules themselves [132]. Advanced Raman techniques, such as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS), and stimulated Raman spectroscopy (SRS) have been used in the

Tailoring the ligand shell for the control of cellular uptake and optical properties of nanocrystals

• Johannes Ostermann,
• Christian Schmidtke,
• Christopher Wolter,
• Jan-Philip Merkl,
• Hauke Kloust and
• Horst Weller

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 232–242, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.22

• based on specific chemical groups like amines, carboxyl and hydroxyl functions [31]. Functional groups are not only useful for typical coupling strategies of biomolecules, but also for the determination of the surface properties of the final nanocontainers. Differently charged particles show different

Functionalization of α-synuclein fibrils

• Simona Povilonienė,
• Vida Časaitė,
• Virginijus Bukauskas,
• Arūnas Šetkus,
• Juozas Staniulis and
• Rolandas Meškys

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 124–133, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.12

• factors including temperature, pH, and ionic strength. An incubation temperature of 4 °C was chosen to preserve the neutravidin-conjugated nanoparticles. Discussion Self-assembling biomolecules such as DNA, peptides or proteins are of special interest in the design and construction of nanoscale materials

Proinflammatory and cytotoxic response to nanoparticles in precision-cut lung slices

• Stephanie Hirn,
• Nadine Haberl,
• Kateryna Loza,
• Matthias Epple,
• Wolfgang G. Kreyling,
• Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser,
• Markus Rehberg and
• Fritz Krombach

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2440–2449, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.253

• -NPs were shown to dissolve after immersion in water in the presence of oxygen under the release of Ag+ ions [30][41]. However, their dissolution in biological environments is still poorly understood and will be influenced by the presence of biomolecules such as proteins [42][43]. Taken together, the

Functionalized polystyrene nanoparticles as a platform for studying bio–nano interactions

• Cornelia Loos,
• Tatiana Syrovets,
• Anna Musyanovych,
• Volker Mailänder,
• Katharina Landfester,
• G. Ulrich Nienhaus and
• Thomas Simmet

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2403–2412, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.250

• effects on cell growth [4]. Nanoparticles Nanoparticles, limited in size to 100 nm in either two or three dimensions [18], fill the gap between molecules and bulk material and between biomolecules and cells. The atoms located at the surface of a nanoparticle have less neighbors than atoms of a bulk

Nanoparticle interactions with live cells: Quantitative fluorescence microscopy of nanoparticle size effects

• Li Shang,
• Karin Nienhaus,
• Xiue Jiang,
• Linxiao Yang,
• Katharina Landfester,
• Volker Mailänder,
• Thomas Simmet and
• G. Ulrich Nienhaus

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2388–2397, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.248

• machinery. An interesting aspect in this process is that, in the biological milieu, the NPs typically adsorb dissolved biomolecules, so that they are enshrouded by a so-called ‘protein corona’ [6][7][8]. NPs interact with cells via this layer of biomolecules, at least during the initial encounter, so that

• vesicle contains receptor proteins that recognize specific chemical groups on the biomolecules to be internalized. It is finally pinched off so as to generate a vesicle in the cytoplasm that contains the internalized material (Figure 1). Different pinocytosis mechanisms are being distinguished, depending

Inorganic Janus particles for biomedical applications

• Isabel Schick,
• Steffen Lorenz,
• Dominik Gehrig,
• Stefan Tenzer,
• Wiebke Storck,
• Karl Fischer,
• Dennis Strand,
• Frédéric Laquai and
• Wolfgang Tremel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2346–2362, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.244

• solvents [2], specificity towards small molecules or larger biomolecules [3], suppression of nonspecific adsorption [4], adjustment of net electric charge [5], to electrochemical activity [6]. Although it has been shown that synthetic and natural systems share a number of similarities, the degree of

• based on the little two photon-cross-section of most biomolecules leading to less auto-fluorescence, enhanced penetration depth within biological samples by tuning the excitation light to the biological window, near IR range 700–1000 nm. Furthermore, the effect of photobleaching can be reduced by

• an aqueous environment. This is a key point regarding the use of nanoparticles for biomedical applications for sensing biomolecules, cells, and diagnosis of diseases, and intracellular delivery [99][100][101]. There are different surface modification strategies, such as ligand exchange to bind

Nanobioarchitectures based on chlorophyll photopigment, artificial lipid bilayers and carbon nanotubes

• Marcela Elisabeta Barbinta-Patrascu,
• Stefan Marian Iordache,
• Ana Maria Iordache,
• Nicoleta Badea and
• Camelia Ungureanu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2316–2325, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.240

• pristine and f-CNTs do not induce toxicity in mice [14][15][16][17]. On the other hand, biocoating SWCNTs with biomolecules such as phospholipids conveys biocompatibility and less toxicity to carbon nanotubes. Moreover, SWCNTs are characterized by less accumulation in body as compared to multi-walled

Localized surface plasmon resonances in nanostructures to enhance nonlinear vibrational spectroscopies: towards an astonishing molecular sensitivity

• Dan Lis and
• Francesca Cecchet

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2275–2292, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.237

• enhancement. Nonetheless, these results underlined that the TIR configuration offers undisputable advantages for surface-enhanced SFG spectroscopy. To go further, Tourillon et al. applied this hybrid configuration to demonstrate the label-free recognition of biomolecules, namely in the case of the avidin

Advances in NO₂ sensing with individual single-walled carbon nanotube transistors

• Kiran Chikkadi,
• Matthias Muoth,
• Cosmin Roman,
• Miroslav Haluska and
• Christofer Hierold

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2179–2191, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.227

• attached to their surface. This property has generated interest for their application in sensing gases, chemicals and biomolecules. With over a decade of research, a clearer picture of the interactions between the carbon nanotube and its surroundings has been achieved. In this review, we intend to

Modification of a single-molecule AFM probe with highly defined surface functionality

• Fei Long,
• Bin Cao,
• Ashok Khanal,
• Shiyue Fang and
• Reza Shahbazian-Yassar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2122–2128, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.221

• is also called a ‘click’ reaction, has been widely used for surface functionalization and linking of biomolecules [17]. The reaction is compatible with a wide variety of polar functional groups that commonly exist in biomolecules and is highly efficient in various solvents. Chen and co-authors

Sequence-dependent electrical response of ssDNA-decorated carbon nanotube, field-effect transistors to dopamine

• Hari Krishna Salila Vijayalal Mohan,
• Jianing An and
• Lianxi Zheng

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2113–2121, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.220

• sensors [1][2][3]. Of the numerous biomolecules, detection of dopamine (DA) is critical because of its high clinical importance in various brain functions such as learning, memory formation, message transfer in the central nervous system and understanding the pathological processes of Parkinson’s disease

Effect of channel length on the electrical response of carbon nanotube field-effect transistors to deoxyribonucleic acid hybridization

• Hari Krishna Salila Vijayalal Mohan,
• Jianing An,
• Yani Zhang,
• Chee How Wong and
• Lianxi Zheng

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2081–2091, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.217

• comparable to the size of single biomolecules, and to the electrostatic screening length in physiological solutions, which offers high sensitivity because of their large specific area; ii) their tubular structure allows fabrication of ultrasensitive, single nanotube-based devices; and iii) their excellent

Effect of silver nanoparticles on human mesenchymal stem cell differentiation

• Christina Sengstock,
• Jörg Diendorf,
• Matthias Epple,
• Thomas A. Schildhauer and
• Manfred Köller

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2058–2069, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.214

• rapidly to biomolecules, such as DNA [27], negatively charged cell-wall components and the sulfhydryl groups of metabolic enzymes [7][28][29], which results in the inhibition of DNA-replication, an increase in membrane permeability and the disturbance of different metabolic pathways [30]. In contrast to