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Surface Modification of Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications

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A special issue of Surfaces (ISSN 2571-9637).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 20543

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Mukhtar H. Ahmed

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Guest Editor

SISAF Drug Delivery Nanotechnology, Ulster University, Belfast, UK
Interests: development of nanoparticles for drug delivery; surface modification of biomaterials; surface characterization; thin film deposition; PECVD; XPS

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last couple of decades, novel inorganic nanoparticles such as silver, gold, titanium, zinc, silica, and other nanoparticles have become increasingly more prominent within biomedicine and more specifically drug delivery. This is due to their unique physical and chemical properties, which include their large surface area, small particle size, and optical, electrical, and magnetic properties.

To optimize the strategies of nanoparticles in biomedical applications, it is necessary to control the synthesis and surface modification of the nanoparticles precisely in order to improve their biocompatibility by increasing their stability in various physiological conditions, reducing the in-vivo toxicity to the minimum level to also avoid the premature release of the drug and prevent nonspecific interactions.

The common protocols for surface functionalization, and surface modifications of such nanoparticles, can be performed using different strategies, including ligand exchange, coating with polymers, encapsulation, carbodiimide chemistry, and producing bilayers or liposomes using biological compounds.

For this purpose, this Special Issue aims to collect a combination of articles that are strongly focused on new developments in the synthesis and characterization of novel functionalized inorganic nanoparticles for better biomedical applications precisely in the drug delivery system.

Dr. Mukhtar H. Ahmed
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Surfaces is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

nanoparticles
drug delivery system
biomedical applications
surface morphology
surface characterization
surface modification
liposomes
micelles

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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7 pages, 2109 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Eco-Friendly Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Pulsed Plasma in Liquid: Effect of Surfactants

by Yubiao Niu, Emil Omurzak, Rongsheng Cai, Dinara Syrgakbek kyzy, Zhanarbek Zhasnakunov, Abduraim Satyvaldiev and Richard E. Palmer

Surfaces 2022, 5(1), 202-208; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/surfaces5010013 - 02 Mar 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2669

Abstract

Silver (Ag) nanoparticles were successfully prepared by using the in-liquid pulsed plasma technique. This method is based on a low voltage, pulsed spark discharge in a dielectric liquid. We explore the effect of the protecting ligands, specifically Cetyl Trimethylammonium Bromide (CTAB), Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and Sodium n-Dodecyl Sulphate (SDS), used as surfactant materials to prevent nanoparticle aggregation. The X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) patterns of the samples confirm the face-centered cubic crystalline structure of Ag nanoparticles with the presence of Ag₂O skin. Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) reveals that spherically shaped Ag nanoparticles with a diameter of 2.2 ± 0.8 nm were synthesised in aqueous solution with PVP surfactant. Similarly, silver nanoparticles with a peak diameter of 1.9 ± 0.4 nm were obtained with SDS surfactant. A broad size distribution was found in the case of CTAB surfactant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification of Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications)

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11 pages, 2853 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ultra-Sensitive Immuno-Sensing Platform Based on Gold-Coated Interdigitated Electrodes for the Detection of Parathion

by Shalini Nagabooshanam, Souradeep Roy, Shikha Wadhwa, Ashish Mathur, Satheesh Krishnamurthy and Lalit Mohan Bharadwaj

Surfaces 2022, 5(1), 165-175; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/surfaces5010009 - 12 Feb 2022

Viewed by 2332

Abstract

Pesticides are unavoidable in agriculture to protect crops from pests and insects. Organophosphates (OPs) are a class of pesticides that are more harmful because of the irreversible inhibition reaction with acetylcholinesterase enzyme, thereby posing serious health hazards in human beings. In the present work, a sensitive and selective immuno-sensing platform is developed using gold inter-digitized electrodes (Au-IDEs) as substrates, integrated with a microfluidic platform having the microfluidic well capacity of 10 µL. Au-IDE having digit width of 10 µm and gap length of 5 µm was used in this study. The surface morphological analysis by field-effect scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed the direct information regarding the modification of Au-IDEs with anti-parathion (Anti-PT) antibodies. In SEM analysis, it was seen that the Au-IDE surface was smooth in contrast to the Anti-PT modified surface, which is supported by the AFM studies showing the surface roughness of ~2.02 nm for Au-IDE surface and ~15.86 nm for Anti-PT modified surface. Further, Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopic analysis confirms the immobilization of Anti-PT by the bond vibrations upon the successive modification of Au-IDE with -OH groups, amine groups after modifying with APTES, and the amide bond formation after incubation in Anti-PT antibody. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was carried out for the electrochemical characterization and for testing the sensing performances of the fabricated electrode. The developed immuno-sensor provided a linear range of detection from 0.5 pg/L^–1 µg/L, with a limit of detection (LoD) of 0.66 ng/L and sensitivity of 4.1 MΩ/ngL⁻¹/cm². The sensor response was also examined with real samples (pomegranate juice) with good accuracy, exhibiting a shelf life of 25 days. The miniaturized sensing platform, along with its better sensing performance, has huge potential to be integrated into portable electronics, leading to suitable field applications of pesticide screening devices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification of Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications)

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22 pages, 8094 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of the Therapeutic Efficacy of Silver Nanoparticles against Secondary Cystic Echinococcosis in BALB/c Mice

by Samir Mustafa Hamad, Bushra Hussain Shnawa, Parwin Jalal Jalil and Mukhtar H. Ahmed

Surfaces 2022, 5(1), 91-112; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/surfaces5010004 - 03 Jan 2022

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3366

Abstract

Background: Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a highly prevalent parasitic disease resulting from the hydatid cyst of Echinococcus granulosus. It is also described as a zoonotic disease and considered a neglected tropical infection. Aim: This study assessed the antiparasitic activity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), against E. granulosus infection in BALB/c mice. Methods: The green synthesis of AgNPs was accomplished using Zizyphus spina-christi leaves. AgNPs were orally administered to BALB/c mice for acute short-term toxicity evaluation, in doses of 50 mg, 100 mg, 200 mg, and 300 mg/kg, and observations for toxic signs were carried out at 24, 48 h, and 14 days, continuously. Moreover, a total of 20 mice divided into two groups were intraperitoneally administered with 1500 viable protoscoleces for secondary hydatidosis infection. Results: The results showed that AgNPs did not induce any adverse effects or signs and no death, in either group of mice. The histopathological findings in the liver, kidneys, and intestine of the mice administered with AgNPs revealed mild histological effects compared with the control ones. The treated-infected mice showed a change in the appearance of the liver hydatid cysts from hyaline to milky cloudy compared with the untreated infected mice. Conclusion: Biosynthesized AgNPs showed anti-hydatic effects and are suggested as anti-echinococcal cyst treatment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification of Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications)

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11 pages, 2436 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Naringenin Release to Biomembrane Models by Incorporation into Nanoparticles. Experimental Evidence Using Differential Scanning Calorimetry

by Cristina Torrisi, Marco Di Guardia, Francesco Castelli and Maria Grazia Sarpietro

Surfaces 2021, 4(4), 295-305; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/surfaces4040025 - 29 Nov 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2937

Abstract

Naringenin (4′,5,7-trihydroxyflavanone-7-rhamnoglucosideor naringenin-7-rhamnoglucoside), a flavonoid present in large quantities in citrus, has different beneficial effects on human health as an antioxidant, free radical scavenger, anti-inflammatory, carbohydrate metabolism promoter, and immune system modulator. Different studies have shown that this substance also has a hypoglycemic and antihypertensive effect, reduces cholesterol and triglycerides, and plays an important protective role in the heart tissue; moreover, it provides neuroprotection against various neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and unpredictable chronic stress-induced depression. Despite these advantages, Naringenin is poorly absorbed, and the small percentage absorbed is rapidly degraded by the liver, as a result losing its activity. Several approaches have been attempted to overcome these obstacles, among them, nanotechnology, with the use of Drug Delivery Systems (DDS) as Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLN) and Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLC). DDS can, in fact, improve the drug bioavailability. The aim of this study was to develop and characterize SLN and NLC containing Naringenin and to evaluate the ability of these nanoparticles to release Naringenin at the cell level using biomembrane models represented by Multilamellar Vesicles (MLV). These studies were performed using Differential Scanning Calorimetry, a powerful technique to detect the interaction of drugs and delivery systems with MLV. It was shown that Naringenin could be better incorporated into NLC with respect to SLN and that Naringenin could be released by NLC into the biomembrane model. Therefore, suggesting the administration of Naringenin loaded into nanoparticles could help avoid the disadvantages associated with the use of the free molecule. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification of Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications)

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Review

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24 pages, 2300 KiB

Open AccessReview

Biogenic Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles, Characterization and Their Applications—A Review

by Shani Raj, Rohini Trivedi and Vineet Soni

Surfaces 2022, 5(1), 67-90; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/surfaces5010003 - 31 Dec 2021

Cited by 40 | Viewed by 8138

Abstract

With the growing awareness for the need of sustainable environment, the importance of synthesizing and the application of green nanoparticles has gained special focus. Among various metal nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have gain significant attention. AgNPs are synthesized conventionally by physical and chemical methods using chemicals such as reducing agents, which are hazardous to environment due to their toxic properties, provoking a serious concern to create and develop environment friendly methods. Thus, biological alternatives are emerging to fill gaps, such as green syntheses that use biological molecules taken from plant sources in the form of extracts, which have shown to be superior to chemical and physical approaches. These biological molecules derived from plants are assembled in a highly regulated manner to make them suitable for metal nanoparticle synthesis. The current review outlines the wide plant diversity that may be used to prepare a rapid and single-step procedure with a green path over the traditional ones, as well as their antifungal activity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification of Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications)

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