Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 311 in total

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  1. ZnO microstructures and nanostructures prepared by sol-gel hydrothermal technique
    Kamaruddin SA, Chan KY, Sahdan MZ, Rusop M, Saim H
    J Nanosci Nanotechnol, 2010 Sep;10(9):5618-22.
    PMID: 21133082
    Zinc oxide (ZnO) is an emerging material in large area electronic applications such as thin-film solar cells and transistors. We report on the fabrication and characterization of ZnO microstructures and nanostructures. The ZnO microstructures and nanostructures have been synthesized using sol-gel immerse technique on oxidized silicon substrates. Different precursor's concentrations ranging from 0.0001 M to 0.01 M (M=molarity) using zinc nitrate hexahydrate [Zn(NO3)2. 6H2O] and hexamethylenetetramine [C6H12N4] were employed in the synthesis of the ZnO structures. The surface morphologies were examined using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). In order to investigate the structural properties, the ZnO microstructures and nanostructures were measured using X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The optical properties of the ZnO structures were measured using photoluminescence (PL) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopies.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanostructures
  2. Fulltext ZnCr2O4 Nanoparticles: Facile Synthesis, Characterization, and Photocatalytic Properties
    Mousavi Z, Soofivand F, Esmaeili-Zare M, Salavati-Niasari M, Bagheri S
    Sci Rep, 2016 Feb 01;6:20071.
    PMID: 26832329 DOI: 10.1038/srep20071
    In this work, zinc chromite (ZnCr2O4) nanostructures have been synthesized through co-precipitation method. The effect of various parameters such as alkaline agent, pH value, and capping agent type was investigated on purity, particle size and morphology of samples. It was found that particle size and morphology of the products could be greatly influenced via these parameters. The synthesized products were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The superhydrophilicity of the calcined oxides was investigated by wetting experiments and a sessile drop technique which carried out at room temperature in air to determine the surface and interfacial interactions. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity of ZnCr2O4 nanoparticles was confirmed by degradation of anionic dyes such as Eosin-Y and phenol red under UV light irradiation. The obtained ZnCr2O4 nanoparticles exhibit a paramagnetic behavior although bulk ZnCr2O4 is antiferromagnetic, this change in magnetic property can be ascribed to finite size effects.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanostructures
  3. Fulltext Zerumbone-loaded nanostructured lipid carrier induces G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis via mitochondrial pathway in a human lymphoblastic leukemia cell line
    Rahman HS, Rasedee A, Abdul AB, Zeenathul NA, Othman HH, Yeap SK, et al.
    Int J Nanomedicine, 2014;9:527-38.
    PMID: 24549090 DOI: 10.2147/IJN.S54346
    This investigation evaluated the antileukemia properties of a zerumbone (ZER)-loaded nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) prepared by hot high-pressure homogenization techniques in an acute human lymphoblastic leukemia (Jurkat) cell line in vitro. The apoptogenic effect of the ZER-NLC on Jurkat cells was determined by fluorescent and electron microscopy, Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate, Tdt-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling assay, cell cycle analysis, and caspase activity. An MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay showed that ZER-NLC did not have adverse effects on normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. ZER-NLC arrested the Jurkat cells at G2/M phase with inactivation of cyclin B1 protein. The study also showed that the antiproliferative effect of ZER-NLC on Jurkat cells is through the intrinsic apoptotic pathway via activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9, release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria into the cytosol, and subsequent cleavage of poly (adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase (PARP). These findings show that the ZER-NLC is a potentially useful treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia in humans.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanostructures/administration & dosage*; Nanostructures/ultrastructure; Nanostructures/chemistry*
  4. Visible light responsive flower-like ZnO in photocatalytic antibacterial mechanism towards Enterococcus faecalis and Micrococcus luteus
    Quek JA, Lam SM, Sin JC, Mohamed AR
    J. Photochem. Photobiol. B, Biol., 2018 Oct;187:66-75.
    PMID: 30099271 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2018.07.030
    Flower-like ZnO micro/nanostructures were successfully fabricated via a surfactant-free co-precipitation method. The as-synthesized product was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS) and photoluminescence (PL) analyses. In the presence of visible light irradiation, the as-synthesized flower-like ZnO showed higher antibacterial activities against Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) and Micrococcus luteus (M. luteus) than that of commercial ZnO. The excellent antibacterial performance of synthesized flower-like ZnO was also observed via the bacterial morphological change, K+ ions leakage and protein leakage in extracellular suspension. In addition, the FTIR investigation on both treated bacteria further confirmed the bacterial membrane damage via cellular substance alteration. The enhancement of the antibacterial activity of synthesized ZnO can be attributed to the unique flower-like morphology which can increase the surface OH- groups and the quantity of photogenerated electron-hole pair available to participate in the photocatalytic reaction. The reactive oxidizing species (ROS) scavengers experiments showed that H2O2 played a main role in the photocatalytic antibacterial process. Our study showed that the synthesized flower-like ZnO micro/nanostructures can act as efficient antibacterial agents in the photocatalytic antibacterial process under visible light irradiation.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanostructures/chemistry
  5. Fulltext Virus like particles as a platform for cancer vaccine development
    Ong HK, Tan WS, Ho KL
    PeerJ, 2017;5:e4053.
    PMID: 29158984 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4053
    Cancers have killed millions of people in human history and are still posing a serious health problem worldwide. Therefore, there is an urgent need for developing preventive and therapeutic cancer vaccines. Among various cancer vaccine development platforms, virus-like particles (VLPs) offer several advantages. VLPs are multimeric nanostructures with morphology resembling that of native viruses and are mainly composed of surface structural proteins of viruses but are devoid of viral genetic materials rendering them neither infective nor replicative. In addition, they can be engineered to display multiple, highly ordered heterologous epitopes or peptides in order to optimize the antigenicity and immunogenicity of the displayed entities. Like native viruses, specific epitopes displayed on VLPs can be taken up, processed, and presented by antigen-presenting cells to elicit potent specific humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. Several studies also indicated that VLPs could overcome the immunosuppressive state of the tumor microenvironment and break self-tolerance to elicit strong cytotoxic lymphocyte activity, which is crucial for both virus clearance and destruction of cancerous cells. Collectively, these unique characteristics of VLPs make them optimal cancer vaccine candidates. This review discusses current progress in the development of VLP-based cancer vaccines and some potential drawbacks of VLPs in cancer vaccine development. Extracellular vesicles with close resembling to viral particles are also discussed and compared with VLPs as a platform in cancer vaccine developments.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanostructures
  6. Fulltext Urea and creatinine detection on nano-laminated gold thin film using Kretschmann-based surface plasmon resonance biosensor
    Menon PS, Said FA, Mei GS, Berhanuddin DD, Umar AA, Shaari S, et al.
    PLoS One, 2018;13(7):e0201228.
    PMID: 30052647 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201228
    This work investigates the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) response of 50-nm thick nano-laminated gold film using Kretschmann-based biosensing for detection of urea and creatinine in solution of various concentrations (non-enzymatic samples). Comparison was made with the presence of urease and creatininase enzymes in the urea and creatinine solutions (enzymatic samples), respectively. Angular interrogation technique was applied using optical wavelengths of 670 nm and 785 nm. The biosensor detects the presence of urea and creatinine at concentrations ranging from 50-800 mM for urea samples and 10-200 mM for creatinine samples. The purpose of studying the enzymatic sample was mainly to enhance the sensitivity of the sensor towards urea and creatinine in the samples. Upon exposure to 670 nm optical wavelength, the sensitivity of 1.4°/M was detected in non-enzymatic urea samples and 4°/M in non-enzymatic creatinine samples. On the other hand, sensor sensitivity as high as 16.2°/M in urea-urease samples and 10°/M in creatinine-creatininase samples was detected. The enhanced sensitivity possibly attributed to the increase in refractive index of analyte sensing layer due to urea-urease and creatinine-creatininase coupling activity. This work has successfully proved the design and demonstrated a proof-of-concept experiment using a low-cost and easy fabrication of Kretschmann based nano-laminated gold film SPR biosensor for detection of urea and creatinine using urease and creatininase enzymes.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanostructures
  7. Updated Regulatory Considerations for Nanomedicines
    Subin TS, Vijayan V, Kumar KJR
    Pharm Nanotechnol, 2017;5(3):180-191.
    PMID: 28641516 DOI: 10.2174/2211738505666170615095542
    BACKGROUND: Nanomedicine is a branch which deals with medicinal products, devices, nonbiological complex drugs and antibody-nanoparticle conjugates and general health products that are manufactured using nanotechnology.

    OBJECTIVE: Nano-medicine provides the same efficacies as traditional medicines owing to their improved solubility and bioavailability with reduced dosages. However, there are currently safety concerns due to the difficulties related to nanomaterial characterization; this might be the reason for unawareness of such medicines among the patients. The absence of clear regulatory guidelines further complicates matters, as it makes the path to registering them with regulatory bodies difficult. However, some products have overcome these obstacles and have been registered. While there are many international initiatives to harmonize the regulatory requirements and helps the industry to determine the most important characteristics that influence in vivo product performance.

    CONCLUSION: This review focuses on the various types of nanopharmaceuticals, and developments process with strategies tailored to upcoming regulations may satisfy the patients' needs.

    Matched MeSH terms: Nanostructures/therapeutic use; Nanostructures/chemistry
  8. Fulltext Unique wing scale photonics of male Rajah Brooke's birdwing butterflies
    Wilts BD, Giraldo MA, Stavenga DG
    Front. Zool., 2016;13:36.
    PMID: 27525030 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-016-0168-7
    BACKGROUND: Ultrastructures in butterfly wing scales can take many shapes, resulting in the often striking coloration of many butterflies due to interference of light. The plethora of coloration mechanisms is dazzling, but often only single mechanisms are described for specific animals.

    RESULTS: We have here investigated the male Rajah Brooke's birdwing, Trogonoptera brookiana, a large butterfly from Malaysia, which is marked by striking, colorful wing patterns. The dorsal side is decorated with large, iridescent green patterning, while the ventral side of the wings is primarily brown-black with small white, blue and green patches on the hindwings. Dense arrays of red hairs, creating a distinct collar as well as contrasting areas ventrally around the thorax, enhance the butterfly's beauty. The remarkable coloration is realized by a diverse number of intricate and complicated nanostructures in the hairs as well as the wing scales. The red collar hairs contain a broad-band absorbing pigment as well as UV-reflecting multilayers resembling the photonic structures of Morpho butterflies; the white wing patches consist of scales with prominent thin film reflectors; the blue patches have scales with ridge multilayers and these scales also have centrally concentrated melanin. The green wing areas consist of strongly curved scales, which possess a uniquely arranged photonic structure consisting of multilayers and melanin baffles that produces highly directional reflections.

    CONCLUSION: Rajah Brooke's birdwing employs a variety of structural and pigmentary coloration mechanisms to achieve its stunning optical appearance. The intriguing usage of order and disorder in related photonic structures in the butterfly wing scales may inspire novel optical materials as well as investigations into the development of these nanostructures in vivo.

    Matched MeSH terms: Nanostructures
  9. Ultrasonication-assisted synthesis of novel strontium based mixed phase structures for supercapattery devices
    Iqbal MZ, Khan A, Numan A, Haider SS, Iqbal J
    Ultrason Sonochem, 2019 Dec;59:104736.
    PMID: 31473424 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2019.104736
    An upsurge in sustainable energy demands has ultimately made supercapattery one of the important choice for energy storage, owing to highly advantageous energy density and long life span. In this work, novel strontium based mixed phased nanostructures were synthesized by using probe sonicator with sonication power 500 W at frequency of 20 kHz. The synthesized material was subsequently calcined at different temperature ranging from 200 to 800 °C. Structural and morphological analysis of the synthesized materials reveals the formation of mixed particle and rod like nanostructures with multiple crystal phases of strontium oxides and carbonates. Crystallinity, grain size and morphology of grown nanomaterials significantly improved with the increase of calcination temperature due to sufficient particle growth and low agglomeration. The electrochemical performance analysis confirms the redox activeness of the Sr-based electrode materials. Material calcined at 600 °C show high specific capacitance of 350 F g-1 and specific capacity of 175 C g-1 at current density of 0.3 A g-1 due to less particle agglomeration, good charge transfer and more contribution of electrochemical active sites for redox reactions. In addition, the developed supercapattery of Sr-based nanomaterials//activated carbon demonstrated high performance with maximum energy density of 21.8 Wh kg-1 and an excellent power density of 2400 W kg-1 for the lower and higher current densities. Furthermore, the supercapattery retain 87% of its capacity after continuous 3000 charge/discharge cycles. The device characteristics were further investigated by analyzing the capacitive and diffusion controlled contributions. The versatile strategy of developing mixed phased nanomaterials pave the way to synthesize other transition metal based nanomaterials with superior electrochemical performance for hybrid energy storage devices.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanostructures
  10. Fulltext Two-Dimensional, Hierarchical Ag-Doped TiO2 Nanocatalysts: Effect of the Metal Oxidation State on the Photocatalytic Properties
    Md Saad SK, Ali Umar A, Ali Umar MI, Tomitori M, Abd Rahman MY, Mat Salleh M, et al.
    ACS Omega, 2018 Mar 31;3(3):2579-2587.
    PMID: 31458546 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.8b00109
    This paper reports the synthesis of two-dimensional, hierarchical, porous, and (001)-faceted metal (Ag, Zn, and Al)-doped TiO2 nanostructures (TNSs) and the study of their photocatalytic activity. Two-dimensional metal-doped TNSs were synthesized using the hydrolysis of ammonium hexafluorotitanate in the presence of hexamethylenetetramine and metal precursors. Typical morphology of metal-doped TNSs is a hierarchical nanosheet that is composed of randomly stacked nanocubes (dimensions of up to 5 μm and 200 nm in edge length and thickness, respectively) and has dominant (001) facets exposed. Raman analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results indicated that the Ag doping, compared to Zn and Al, much improves the crystallinity degree and at the same time dramatically lowers the valence state binding energy of the TNS and provides an additional dopant oxidation state into the system for an enhanced electron-transfer process and surface reaction. These are assumed to enhance the photocatalytic of the TNS. In a model of photocatalytic reaction, that is, rhodamine B degradation, the AgTNS demonstrates a high photocatalytic activity by converting approximately 91% of rhodamine B within only 120 min, equivalent to a rate constant of 0.018 m-1 and ToN and ToF of 94 and 1.57 min-1, respectively, or 91.1 mmol mg-1 W-1 degradation when normalized to used light source intensity, which is approximately 2 times higher than the pristine TNS and several order higher when compared to Zn- and Al-doped TNSs. Improvement of the crystallinity degree, decrease in the defect density and the photogenerated electron and hole recombination, and increase of the oxygen vacancy in the AgTNS are found to be the key factors for the enhancement of the photocatalytic properties. This work provides a straightforward strategy for the preparation of high-energy (001) faceted, two-dimensional, hierarchical, and porous Ag-doped TNSs for potential use in photocatalysis and photoelectrochemical application.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanostructures
  11. Fulltext Two-Dimensional Non-Carbon Materials-Based Electrochemical Printed Sensors: An Updated Review
    Falina S, Anuar K, Shafiee SA, Juan JC, Manaf AA, Kawarada H, et al.
    Sensors (Basel), 2022 Dec 01;22(23).
    PMID: 36502059 DOI: 10.3390/s22239358
    Recently, there has been increasing interest in electrochemical printed sensors for a wide range of applications such as biomedical, pharmaceutical, food safety, and environmental fields. A major challenge is to obtain selective, sensitive, and reliable sensing platforms that can meet the stringent performance requirements of these application areas. Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials advances have accelerated the performance of electrochemical sensors towards more practical approaches. This review discusses the recent development of electrochemical printed sensors, with emphasis on the integration of non-carbon 2D materials as sensing platforms. A brief introduction to printed electrochemical sensors and electrochemical technique analysis are presented in the first section of this review. Subsequently, sensor surface functionalization and modification techniques including drop-casting, electrodeposition, and printing of functional ink are discussed. In the next section, we review recent insights into novel fabrication methodologies, electrochemical techniques, and sensors' performances of the most used transition metal dichalcogenides materials (such as MoS2, MoSe2, and WS2), MXenes, and hexagonal boron-nitride (hBN). Finally, the challenges that are faced by electrochemical printed sensors are highlighted in the conclusion. This review is not only useful to provide insights for researchers that are currently working in the related area, but also instructive to the ones new to this field.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanostructures*
  12. Fulltext Tunable synthesis and in situ growth of silicon-carbon mesostructures using impermeable plasma
    Yaghoubi A, Mélinon P
    Sci Rep, 2013;3:1083.
    PMID: 23330064 DOI: 10.1038/srep01083
    In recent years, plasma-assisted synthesis has been extensively used in large scale production of functional nano- and micro-scale materials for numerous applications in optoelectronics, photonics, plasmonics, magnetism and drug delivery, however systematic formation of these minuscule structures has remained a challenge. Here we demonstrate a new method to closely manipulate mesostructures in terms of size, composition and morphology by controlling permeability at the boundaries of an impermeable plasma surrounded by a blanket of neutrals. In situ and rapid growth of thin films in the core region due to ion screening is among other benefits of our method. Similarly we can take advantage of exceptional properties of plasma to control the morphology of the as deposited nanostructures. Probing the plasma at boundaries by means of observing the nanostructures, further provides interesting insights into the behaviour of gas-insulated plasmas with possible implications on efficacy of viscous heating and non-magnetic confinement.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanostructures/chemistry*
  13. Transistor-Based Biomolecule Sensors: Recent Technological Advancements and Future Prospects
    Murugasenapathi NK, Ghosh R, Ramanathan S, Ghosh S, Chinnappan A, Mohamed SAJ, et al.
    Crit Rev Anal Chem, 2023;53(5):1044-1065.
    PMID: 34788167 DOI: 10.1080/10408347.2021.2002133
    Transistor-based sensors have been widely recognized to be highly sensitive and reliable for point-of-care/bed-side diagnosis. In this line, a range of cutting-edge technologies has been generated to elevate the role of transistors for biomolecule detection. Detection of a wide range of clinical biomarkers has been reported using various configurations of transistors. The inordinate sensitivity of transistors to the field-effect imparts high sensitivity toward wide range of biomolecules. This overview has gleaned the present achievements with the technological advancements using high performance transistor-based sensors. This review encloses transistors incorporated with a variety of functional nanomaterials and organic elements for their excellence in selectivity and sensitivity. In addition, the technological advancements in fabrication of these microdevices or nanodevices and functionalization of the sensing elements have also been discussed. The technological gap in the realization of sensors in transistor platforms and the resulted scope for research has been discussed. Finally, foreseen technological advancements and future research perspectives are described.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanostructures*
  14. Toxicity assessment of reduced graphene oxide and titanium dioxide nanomaterials on gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria under normal laboratory lighting condition
    Ahmad NS, Abdullah N, Yasin FM
    Toxicol Rep, 2020;7:693-699.
    PMID: 32528857 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2020.04.015
    Toxicity effect of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanomaterials (NMs) on Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria was assessed. For both strains, study demonstrated that the toxicity was time and concentration dependent which led to reduction in growth rate and cell death. Upon NMs exposure, an instantaneous cell death in E. coli culture was observed. This is in contrast with B. subtilis, in which the culture growth remained in the log phase; however their growth rate constant,

    μ
    g

    was reduced by ∼70%. The discrepancy between E. coli and B. subtilis was due to strain-specific response upon contact with NMs. TEM, SEM and EDX analysis revealed direct physical surface-surface interaction, as evidence from the adherence of NMs on the cell surface.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanostructures
  15. Towards an eco-friendly deconstruction of agro-industrial biomass and preparation of renewable cellulose nanomaterials: A review
    Teo HL, Wahab RA
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2020 Oct 15;161:1414-1430.
    PMID: 32791266 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.08.076
    There is an array of methodologies to prepare nanocellulose (NC) and its fibrillated form (CNF) with enhanced physicochemical characteristics. However, acids, bases or organosolv treatments on biomass are far from green, and seriously threaten the environment. Current approach to produce NC/CNF from biomass should be revised and embrace the concept of sustainability and green chemistry. Although hydrothermal process, high-pressure homogenization, ball milling technique, deep eutectic solvent treatment, enzymatic hydrolysis etc., are the current techniques for producing NC, the route designs remain imperfect. Herein, this review highlights the latest methodologies in the pre-processing and isolating of NC/CNF from lignocellulose biomass, by largely focusing on related papers published in the past two years till date. This article also explores the latest advancements in environmentally friendly NC extraction techniques that cooperatively use ball milling and enzymatic hydrolytic routes as an eco-efficient way to produce NC/CNF, alongside the potential applications of the nano-sized celluloses.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanostructures/chemistry*
  16. Fulltext Topical piroxicam in vitro release and in vivo anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects from palm oil esters-based nanocream
    Abdulkarim MF, Abdullah GZ, Chitneni M, Salman IM, Ameer OZ, Yam MF, et al.
    Int J Nanomedicine, 2010 Nov 04;5:915-24.
    PMID: 21116332 DOI: 10.2147/IJN.S13305
    INTRODUCTION: During recent years, there has been growing interest in use of topical vehicle systems to assist in drug permeation through the skin. Drugs of interest are usually those that are problematic when given orally, such as piroxicam, a highly effective anti-inflammatory, anti-pyretic, and analgesic, but with the adverse effect of causing gastrointestinal ulcers. The present study investigated the in vitro and in vivo pharmacodynamic activity of a newly synthesized palm oil esters (POEs)-based nanocream containing piroxicam for topical delivery.

    METHODS: A ratio of 25:37:38 of POEs: external phase: surfactants (Tween 80:Span 20, in a ratio 80:20), respectively was selected as the basic composition for the production of a nanocream with ideal properties. Various nanocreams were prepared using phosphate-buffered saline as the external phase at three different pH values. The abilities of these formulae to deliver piroxicam were assessed in vitro using a Franz diffusion cell fitted with a cellulose acetate membrane and full thickness rat skin. These formulae were also evaluated in vivo by comparing their anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities with those of the currently marketed gel.

    RESULTS: After eight hours, nearly 100% of drug was transferred through the artificial membrane from the prepared formula F3 (phosphate-buffered saline at pH 7.4 as the external phase) and the marketed gel. The steady-state flux through rat skin of all formulae tested was higher than that of the marketed gel. Pharmacodynamically, nanocream formula F3 exhibited the highest anti- inflammatory and analgesic effects as compared with the other formulae.

    CONCLUSION: The nanocream containing the newly synthesized POEs was successful for trans-dermal delivery of piroxicam.

    Matched MeSH terms: Nanostructures/administration & dosage*; Nanostructures/chemistry*
  17. Fulltext Thymoquinone-loaded nanostructured lipid carrier exhibited cytotoxicity towards breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7) and cervical cancer cell lines (HeLa and SiHa)
    Ng WK, Saiful Yazan L, Yap LH, Wan Nor Hafiza WA, How CW, Abdullah R
    Biomed Res Int, 2015;2015:263131.
    PMID: 25632388 DOI: 10.1155/2015/263131
    Thymoquinone (TQ) has been shown to exhibit antitumor properties. Thymoquinone-loaded nanostructured lipid carrier (TQ-NLC) was developed to improve the bioavailability and cytotoxicity of TQ. This study was conducted to determine the cytotoxic effects of TQ-NLC on breast cancer (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7) and cervical cancer cell lines (HeLa and SiHa). TQ-NLC was prepared by applying the hot high pressure homogenization technique. The mean particle size of TQ-NLC was 35.66 ± 0.1235 nm with a narrow polydispersity index (PDI) lower than 0.25. The zeta potential of TQ-NLC was greater than -30 mV. Polysorbate 80 helps to increase the stability of TQ-NLC. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that TQ-NLC has a melting point of 56.73°C, which is lower than that of the bulk material. The encapsulation efficiency of TQ in TQ-NLC was 97.63 ± 0.1798% as determined by HPLC analysis. TQ-NLC exhibited antiproliferative activity towards all the cell lines in a dose-dependent manner which was most cytotoxic towards MDA-MB-231 cells. Cell shrinkage was noted following treatment of MDA-MB-231 cells with TQ-NLC with an increase of apoptotic cell population (P < 0.05). TQ-NLC also induced cell cycle arrest. TQ-NLC was most cytotoxic towards MDA-MB-231 cells. It induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the cells.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanostructures/ultrastructure; Nanostructures/chemistry*
  18. Fulltext Thymoquinone loaded in nanostructured lipid carrier showed enhanced anticancer activity in 4T1 tumor-bearing mice
    Ong YS, Saiful Yazan L, Ng WK, Abdullah R, Mustapha NM, Sapuan S, et al.
    Nanomedicine (Lond), 2018 07;13(13):1567-1582.
    PMID: 30028248 DOI: 10.2217/nnm-2017-0322
    AIM: To investigate the enhancement of anticancer activity of thymoquinone (TQ) by the use of nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) in 4T1 tumor-bearing female BALB/c mice.

    MATERIAL & METHODS: TQ was incorporated into NLC (TQNLC) by using high pressure homogenization. TQNLC and TQ were orally administered to the mice.

    RESULTS & CONCLUSION: TQNLC and TQ are potential chemotherapeutic drugs as they exhibited anticancer activity. The use of NLC as a carrier has enhanced the therapeutic property of TQ by increasing the survival rate of mice. The antimetastasis effect of TQNLC and TQ to the lungs was evidence by downregulation of MMP-2. TQNLC and TQ induced apoptosis via modulation of Bcl-2 and caspase-8 in the intrinsic apoptotic pathway.

    Matched MeSH terms: Nanostructures/administration & dosage; Nanostructures/chemistry
  19. Fulltext Three-Dimensional Printed Electrode and Its Novel Applications in Electronic Devices
    Foo CY, Lim HN, Mahdi MA, Wahid MH, Huang NM
    Sci Rep, 2018 May 09;8(1):7399.
    PMID: 29743664 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-25861-3
    Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology provides a novel approach to material fabrication for various applications because of its ability to create low-cost 3D printed platforms. In this study, a printable graphene-based conductive filament was employed to create a range of 3D printed electrodes (3DEs) using a commercial 3D printer. This printing technology provides a simplistic and low-cost approach, which eliminates the need for the ex-situ modification and post-treatment of the product. The conductive nature of the 3DEs provides numerous deposition platforms for electrochemical active nanomaterials such as graphene, polypyrrole, and cadmium sulfide, either through electrochemical or physical approaches. To provide proof-of-concept, these 3DEs were physiochemically and electrochemically evaluated and proficiently fabricated into a supercapacitor and photoelectrochemical sensor. The as-fabricated supercapacitor provided a good capacitance performance, with a specific capacitance of 98.37 Fg-1. In addition, these 3DEs were fabricated into a photoelectrochemical sensing platform. They had a photocurrent response that exceeded expectations (~724.1 μA) and a lower detection limit (0.05 μM) than an ITO/FTO glass electrode. By subsequently modifying the printing material and electrode architecture, this 3D printing approach could provide a facile and rapid manufacturing process for energy devices based on the conceptual design.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanostructures
  20. Fulltext Thermally-responsive Virus-like Particle for Targeted Delivery of Cancer Drug
    Thong QX, Biabanikhankahdani R, Ho KL, Alitheen NB, Tan WS
    Sci Rep, 2019 03 08;9(1):3945.
    PMID: 30850643 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40388-x
    Multifunctional nanocarriers displaying specific ligands and simultaneously response to stimuli offer great potentials for targeted and controlled drug delivery. Several synthetic thermally-responsive nanocarriers have been studied extensively for hyperthermia incorporated chemotherapy. However, no information is available on the application of virus-like particle (VLP) in thermally-controlled drug delivery systems. Here, we describe the development of a novel multifunctional nanovehicle based on the VLP of Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNVLP). Folic acid (FA) was covalently conjugated to lysine residues located on the surface of MrNVLP, while doxorubicin (Dox) was loaded inside the VLP using an infusion method. This thermally-responsive nanovehicle, namely FA-MrNVLP-Dox, released Dox in a sustained manner and the rate of drug release increased in response to a hyperthermia temperature at 43 °C. The FA-MrNVLP-Dox enhanced the delivery of Dox to HT29 cancer cells expressing high level of folate receptor (FR) as compared to CCD841CoN normal cells and HepG2 cancer cells, which express low levels of FR. As a result, FA-MrNVLP-Dox increased the cytotoxicity of Dox on HT29 cells, and decreased the drug's cytotoxicity on CCD841CoN and HepG2 cells. This study demonstrated the potential of FA-MrNVLP-Dox as a thermally-responsive nanovehicle for targeted delivery of Dox to cancer cells rich in FR.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanostructures/administration & dosage*
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