Cell-Permeable Au@ZnMoS₄ Core–Shell Nanoparticles: Toward a Novel Cellular Copper Detoxifying Drug for Wilson’s Disease

A layer-by-layer self-assembly method leads to the formation of Au@ZnMoS₄ core–shell nanoparticles (NPs). The PEGylated Au@ZnMoS₄ NPs are highly water-dispersible, exhibit no cytotoxicity, and can penetrate the cell membrane to selectively remove copper­(I) ions from HepG2 cells in the presence of other endogenous and biologically essential metal ions, including Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Mn²⁺, and Fe²⁺, demonstrating their potential as a novel intracellular copper detoxifying agent

Adsorption of Lead Ions from Aqueous Phase on Mesoporous Silica with P‑Containing Pendant Groups

Mesoporous silica materials with hydroxyphosphatoethyl pendant groups (POH-MS) were obtained by a two-step process: (1) block copolymer Pluronic P123-templated synthesis of mesoporous silica with diethylphosphatoethyl groups (DP-MS) by co-condensation of diethylphosphatoethyl triethoxysilane (DPTS) and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) under acidic conditions and (2) conversion of diethylphosphatoethyl into hydroxyphosphatoethyl groups upon suitable treatment with concentrated hydrochloric acid. The DP-MS samples obtained by using up to 20% of DPTS featured hexagonally ordered mesopores, narrow pore size distribution and high specific surface area. Conversion of DP-MS to mesoporous silica with hydroxyphosphatoethyl groups (POH-MS) resulted in the enlargement of the specific surface area, total porosity, and microporosity. High affinity of hydroxyphosphatoethyl groups toward lead ions (Pb²⁺) makes the POH-MS materials attractive sorbents for lead ions, which is reflected by high lead uptake reaching 272 mg of Pb²⁺ per gram of POH-MS. This study shows that the simple and effective co-condensation strategy assures high loading of P-containing groups showing high affinity toward lead ions, which is of great importance for removal of highly toxic lead ions from contaminated water

Synthesis, Characterization, and X‑ray Attenuation Properties of Ultrasmall BiOI Nanoparticles: Toward Renal Clearable Particulate CT Contrast Agents

A unique decelerated hydrolytic procedure is developed and reported here for the preparation of ultrasmall nanoparticles (NPs) of PVP-coated BiOI with a narrow size distribution, i.e., 2.8 ± 0.5 nm. The crystal structure of this compound is determined by X-ray powder diffraction using the bulk materials. The stability, cytotoxicity, and potential use of the PVP-coated ultrasmall BiOI NPs as a CT contrast agent are investigated. Because of the combined X-ray attenuation effect of bismuth and iodine, such NPs exhibit a CT value that is among the best of those of the inorganic nanoparticle-based CT contrast agents reported in the literature

Synthesis, Characterization, and X‑ray Attenuation Properties of Ultrasmall BiOI Nanoparticles: Toward Renal Clearable Particulate CT Contrast Agents

A unique decelerated hydrolytic procedure is developed and reported here for the preparation of ultrasmall nanoparticles (NPs) of PVP-coated BiOI with a narrow size distribution, i.e., 2.8 ± 0.5 nm. The crystal structure of this compound is determined by X-ray powder diffraction using the bulk materials. The stability, cytotoxicity, and potential use of the PVP-coated ultrasmall BiOI NPs as a CT contrast agent are investigated. Because of the combined X-ray attenuation effect of bismuth and iodine, such NPs exhibit a CT value that is among the best of those of the inorganic nanoparticle-based CT contrast agents reported in the literature

Cysteine-Assisted Tailoring of Adsorption Properties and Particle Size of Polymer and Carbon Spheres

A series of cysteine-stabilized phenolic resin-based polymer and carbon spheres were prepared by the modified Stöber method. Cysteine plays a very important role in the proposed one-pot synthesis of the aforementioned spheres; namely, it acts as a particle stabilizer and a source of heteroatoms (nitrogen and sulfur) that can be introduced into these spheres. The diameter of these spheres can be tuned in the range of 70–610 nm by adjusting the cysteine amount and reaction temperature. Since polymer spheres obtained in the presence of cysteine contain sulfur and nitrogen heteroatoms, they were tested for adsorption of copper ions. It is shown that adsorption isotherms recorded for copper ions can be well fitted by Langmuir equation, giving unprecedented adsorption capacities up to ∼65 mg/g

Selective Ion Exchange Governed by the Irving–Williams Series in K₂Zn₃[Fe(CN)₆]₂ Nanoparticles: Toward a Designer Prodrug for Wilson’s Disease

The principle of the Irving–Williams series is applied to the design of a novel prodrug based on K₂Zn₃[Fe­(CN)₆]₂ nanoparticles (ZnPB NPs) for Wilson’s disease (WD), a rare but fatal genetic disorder characterized by the accumulation of excess copper in the liver and other vital organs. The predetermined ion-exchange reaction rather than chelation between ZnPB NPs and copper ions leads to high selectivity of such NPs for copper in the presence of the other endogenous metal ions. Furthermore, ZnPB NPs are highly water-dispersible and noncytotoxic and can be readily internalized by cells to target intracellular copper ions for selective copper detoxification, suggesting their potential application as a new-generation treatment for WD

Gallium Analogue of Soluble Prussian Blue KGa[Fe(CN)₆]·<i>n</i>H₂O: Synthesis, Characterization, and Potential Biomedical Applications

The gallium analogue of the soluble Prussian blue with the formula KGa­[Fe­(CN)₆]·<i>n</i>H₂O is synthesized and structurally characterized. A simple aqueous synthetic procedure for preparing nanoparticles of this novel coordination polymer is reported. The stability, in vitro ion exchange with ferrous ions, cytotoxicity, and cellular uptake of such nanoparticles coated with poly­(vinylpyrrolidone) are investigated for potential applications of delivering Ga³⁺ ions into cells or removing iron from cells

Graphitic Mesoporous Carbons with Embedded Prussian Blue-Derived Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Synthesized by Soft Templating and Low-Temperature Graphitization

A series of highly graphitized mesoporous carbons was synthesized by self-assembly of polymeric carbon precursors and block copolymer template in the presence of poly­(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP)-coated Prussian blue (PB) nanoparticles used as a graphitization catalyst. Resorcinol and formaldehyde were used as carbon precursors, poly­(ethylene oxide)–poly­(propylene oxide)–poly­(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer (Pluronic F127) was employed as a soft template. The carbon precursors were polymerized in hydrophilic domains of block copolymer along with PVP-coated PB nanoparticles, followed by carbonization. This recipe gave carbons with cylindrical mesopores created by thermal decomposition of the soft template, and with PB-derived iron oxide nanoparticles. In addition, the presence of iron species catalyzed graphitization at relatively low temperature. The XRD and TEM measurements revealed that the resulting carbons obtained with smaller amounts of PB exhibited ordered mesostructures with relatively high degree of graphitization; however, exceedingly graphitic carbons with disordered mesopores were obtained with higher amounts of PB. Furthermore, wide-angle XRD measurements and TGA analysis provided evidence that graphitization took place at 600 °C, which is considered to be a very low temperature for the graphitization process. N₂ adsorption and TGA analysis showed that the aforementioned carbons exhibited high surface area (reaching 621 m²/g) and an extremely high percentage of graphitic domains (approaching 87%). Interestingly, the carbon prepared with larger amount of PB showed magnetic properties. Electrochemical measurements performed on these carbons for double layer capacitors showed somewhat rectangular shape of cyclic voltammetry (CV) curves with a large capacitance of 211 F/g in 1 M H₂SO₄ electrolyte

Biocompatible Nanoparticles of KGd(H₂O)₂[Fe(CN)₆]·H₂O with Extremely High <i>T</i>₁‑Weighted Relaxivity Owing to Two Water Molecules Directly Bound to the Gd(III) Center

A simple one-step method for preparing biocompatible nanoparticles of gadolinium ferrocyanide coordination polymer KGd­(H₂O)₂[Fe­(CN)₆]·H₂O is reported. The crystal structure of this coordination polymer is determined by X-ray powder diffraction using the bulk materials. The stability, cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, and MR phantom and cellular imaging studies suggest that this coordination-polymer structural platform offers a unique opportunity for developing the next generation of <i>T</i>₁-weighted contrast agents with high relaxivity as cellular MR probes for biological receptors or markers. Such high-relaxivity MR probes may hold potential in the study of molecular events and may be used for in vivo MR imaging in biomedical research and clinical applications