Rapid Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Cymbopogan Citratus (Lemongrass) and its Antimicrobial Activity

The present study deals with the rapid green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using fresh leaves of Cymbopogan Citratus(Lemongrass). Silver nanoparticles were formed within 8～10 minutes by microwave irradiation using aqueous solution of Ag NO3(1 m M) with fresh leaves extract of Cymbopogan Citratus. The synthesized silver nanoparticles were characterized by using UV-visible spectrophotometer analysis, nanoparticle tracking analyzer, transmission electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray spectra. The antibacterial activity of these nanoparticles was studied against multiple drug resistant hospital isolates of E.coli, S.aureus,P.mirabilis and hospital isolates of S. typhi, K.pnuemoniae. Also, the antifungal activity of these nanoparticles was studied against C.albicans(hospital isolate) and A.niger(NCIM 616). The synergistic effect of silver nanoparticles along with antibiotics was also studied against multiple drug resistant hospital isolates and found to be effective. The extracellular synthesis of Silver nanoparticles using leaves of Cymbopogan Citratus appears to be rapid and eco-friendly.

Application of nanoparticle tracking analysis for characterising the fate of engineered nanoparticles in sediment-water systems

Novel applications of nanotechnology may lead to the release of engineered nanoparticles（ENPs）, which result in concerns over their potential environmental hazardous impact. It is essential for the research workers to be able to quantitatively characterise ENPs in the environment and subsequently to assist the risk assessment of the ENPs. This study hence explored the application of nanoparticle tracking system（NTA） to quantitatively describe the behaviour of the ENPs in natural sediment-water systems. The NTA allows the measurement of both particle number concentration（PNC） and particle size distribution（PSD） of the ENPs. The developed NTA method was applied to a range of gold and magnetite ENPs with a selection of surface properties. The results showed that the positively-charged ENPs interacted more strongly with the sediment than neutral and negatively-charged ENPs. It was also found that the citrate coated Au ENPs had a higher distribution percentage（53%） than 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid coated Au ENPs（20%） and citrate coated magnetite ENPs（21%）. The principles of the electrostatic interactions between hard（and soft） acids and bases（HSAB） are used to explain such behaviours; the hard base coating（i.e. citrate ions） will interact more strongly with hard acid（i.e. magnetite） than soft acid（i.e. gold）.The results indicate that NTA is a complementary method to existing approaches to characterise the fate and behaviour of ENPs in natural sediment.

Proteomics of serum exosomes identified fibulin-1 as a novel biomarker for mild cognitive impairment

Mild cognitive impairment(MCI)is a prodrome of Alzheimer’s disease pathology.Cognitive impairment patients often have a delayed diagnosis because there are no early symptoms or conventional diagnostic methods.Exosomes play a vital role in cell-to-cell communications and can act as promising biomarkers in diagnosing diseases.This study was designed to identify serum exosomal candidate proteins that may play roles in diagnosing MCI.Mass spectrometry coupled with tandem mass tag approach-based non-targeted proteomics was used to show the differentially expressed proteins in exosomes between MCI patients and healthy controls,and these differential proteins were validated using immunoblot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.Correlation of cognitive performance with the serum exosomal protein level was determined.Nanoparticle tracking analysis suggested that there was a higher serum exosome concentration and smaller exosome diameter in individuals with MCI compared with healthy controls.We identified 69 exosomal proteins that were differentially expressed between MCI patients and healthy controls using mass spectrometry analysis.Thirty-nine exosomal proteins were upregulated in MCI patients compared with those in control patients.Exosomal fibulin-1,with an area under the curve value of 0.81,may be a biomarker for an MCI diagnosis.The exosomal protein signature from MCI patients reflected the cell adhesion molecule category.In particular,higher exosomal fibulin-1 levels correlated with lower cognitive performance.Thus,this study revealed that exosomal fibulin-1 is a promising biomarker for diagnosing MCI.

Formation and stability of ultrasonic generated bulk nanobubbles

Although various and unique properties of bulk nanobubbles have drawn researchers＇ attention over the last few years,their formation and stabilization mechanism has remained unsolved. In this paper, we use ultrasonic methods to produce bulk nanobubbles in the pure water and give a comprehensive study on the bulk nanobubbles properties and generation. The ultrasonic wave gives rise to constant oscillation in water where positive and negative pressure appears alternately. With the induced cavitation and presence of dissolved air, the bulk nanobubbles formed. ＂Nanosight＂（which is a special instrument that combines dynamic light scattering with nanoparticle tracking analysis） was used to analyze the track and concentration of nanobubbles. Our results show that in our experiment, sufficient bulk nanobubbles were generated and we have proven they are not contaminations. We also found nanobubbles in the ultrasonic water change in both size and concentration with ultrasonic time.

Measurement and characterization of bulk nanobubbles by nanoparticle tracking analysis method

The size of the bulk nanobubbles(typically 100 nm-200 nm in diameter)is below the optical resolution of the typical microscopes,which makes it difficult to make a direct observation of them and differentiate between the nanoparticles and the nanobubbles.In this work,a nanoparticle tracking analysis(NTA)system is developed for tracking and sizing the bulk nanobubbles,and more broadly,the Brownian diffusing particles.We demonstrate the capabilities of the NTA in characterizing the nanoparticles through systematic validation of accuracy and resolution.We particularly exhibit its unique advantages in detecting the polydisperse nanoparticle populations.Then the nucleation and the thermodynamic stability of the bulk nanobubbles are systematically studied by the NTA system.The bulk nanobubbles smaller than 600 nm in size are generated via the ultrasonication method.It is shown that both the ultrasonic cavitation treatment time and amplitude,essentially,the energy input,favor the nucleation of the bulk nanobubbles with a more concentrated size distribution,a higher concentration,and a smaller hydrodynamic size.The temperature dependence of the bulk nanobubbles over a wide range from 25°C to 70°C is explored.It is found that the nanobubble first shrinks in size significantly and then the size keeps approximately constant with the increasing temperature,showing a narrow size distribution.The transition temperature is around 45°C.Further,as an open system,the NTA is a potential tool in the study of the dynamic behavior of the bulk nanobubbles in situ,such as the coalescence and the collapse.

Unveiling Cellular Internalization Dynamics of Single Gold Nanorods by Tracking Their Orientational and Translational Motions

Single nanoparticle tracking(SPT)is a unique and powerful tool to investigate the interaction between nanoparticles and cells,which is of considerable importance for nanotechnology applications in biomedical fields and in-depth understanding of biological activities.However,previous work typically focused on translations of single nanoparticles while they undergo both translational and rotational motions.In this study,we obtained both the translational and rotational dynamics of single gold nanorods during their cellular internalization process using dual-channel polarization microscopy.In particular,the azimuth and polar angles were integrated into a polar coordinate systemto obtain three general orientation distribution patterns,found to have a close relationship with the nanoparticle cellular internalization process and time-dependent alterations.Moreover,the patterns accompanied by trajectories,translational and rotational coefficients,the azimuth and polar angles,and other parameters provided a wealth of knowledge on the nanoparticle cellular internalization dynamics with unprecedented details.We observed that the gold nanorods could initially assume a tip-first quick rotation state with partially restricted orientations,then change to a strongly confined near-vertical insertion state with slight angular fluctuations,and eventually transform into a random and fast rotation state.Our methodology opens up a new avenue for a detailed understanding of biological processes.

Extracellular vesicles and reproduction-promotion of successful pregnancy

Extracellular vesicles （EVs） are membrane-bound complexes secreted from cells under both physiological and pathological conditions. They contain proteins, nucleic acids and lipids and act as messengers for cell-cell communication and signalling, particularly between immune cells. EV research is a rapidly evolving and expanding field, and it appears that all biological fluids contain very large numbers of EVs; they are produced from all cells that have been studied to date, and are known to have roles in several reproductive processes. This review analyses the evidence for the role of EVs throughout human reproduction, starting with the paternal and maternal gametes, followed by the establishment and continuation of successful pregnancies, with specific focus, where possible, on the interaction of EVs with the maternal immune system. Importantly, variations within the EV populations are identified in various reproductive disorders, such as pre-term labour and pre-eclampsia.