Chitosan/Gamma-Alumina/Fe3O4@5-FU nanostructures as promising nanocarriers: physiochemical characterization and toxicity activity

Today, cancer treatment is an important issue in the medical world due to the challenges and side effects of ongoing treatment procedures. Current methods can be replaced with targeted nano-drug delivery systems to overcome such side effects. In the present work, an intelligent nano-system consisting of Chitosan (Ch)/Gamma alumina (gamma Al)/Fe3O4 and 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) was synthesized and designed for the first time in order to influence the Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) cell line in the treatment of breast cancer. Physico-chemical characterization of the nanocarriers was carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM analysis revealed smooth and homogeneous spherical nanoparticles. The high stability of the nanoparticles and their narrow size distribution was confirmed by DLS. The results of the loading study demonstrated that these nano-systems cause controlled, stable, and pH-sensitive release in cancerous environments with an inactive targeting mechanism. Finally, the results of MTT and flow cytometry tests indicated that this nano-system increased the rate of apoptosis induction on cancerous masses and could be an effective alternative to current treatments

ZnO/CeO₂ Nanocomposites:Metal-Organic Framework-Mediated Synthesis, Characterization, and Estimation of Cellular Toxicity toward Liver Cancer Cells

The Zinc-doped cerium oxide nanocomposite (ZnO/CeO2 NC) was synthesized using a metal-organic framework as a precursor through the combustion method. It was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive analysis (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and ξ-potential. The PXRD demonstrated the successful synthesis of ZnO/CeO2 NC with a crystallite size of 31.9 nm. FESEM and TEM images displayed hexagonal and spherical morphologies, and the solid-phase size was 65.03 ± 30.86 nm for ZnO/CeO2 NCs. DLS, TEM, and FESEM showed that the NCs have a high tendency for agglomeration/aggregation in both aqueous media and solid phase. The anticancer attributes of ZnO/CeO2 NC were investigated against Liver cancer cells (HepG2), which showed inhibition of cancer cell growth on a concentration-dependent gradient. The cell toxicity effects of ZnO/CeO2 nanocomposites were also studied toward NIH-3T3, in which the data displayed the lower toxicity of NC compared to the HepG2 cell line

Two-dimensional graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets and their derivatives for diagnosis and detection applications

The early diagnosis of certain fatal diseases is vital for preventing severe consequences and contributes to a more effective treatment. Despite numerous conventional methods to realize this goal, employing nanobiosensors is a novel approach that provides a fast and precise detection. Recently, nanomaterials have been widely applied as biosensors with distinctive features. Graphite phase carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is a two-dimensional (2D) carbon-based nanostructure that has received attention in biosensing. Biocompatibility, biodegradability, semiconductivity, high photoluminescence yield, low-cost synthesis, easy production process, antimicrobial activity, and high stability are prominent properties that have rendered g-C3N4 a promising candidate to be used in electrochemical, optical, and other kinds of biosensors. This review presents the g-C3N4 unique features, synthesis methods, and g-C3N4-based nanomaterials. In addition, recent relevant studies on using g-C3N4 in biosensors in regard to improving treatment pathways are reviewed

Application of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in photothermal and photodynamic therapy of cancer: An updated and comprehensive review

The usage of nanoparticles (NPs) in treating and diagnosing many diseases, especially cancer, has been investigated in recent studies. The primary purpose of using nanotechnology in cancer treatment is to design a specific NPs-based drug delivery system to target cells. Thanks to their slow degradation, controlled release, optimum surface functionaity, and high optical absorbance, NPs can be used as agents for photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT). In this connection, the efficiency of the treatment increases, and the side effects are reduced. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is one of the most basic materials in daily life that represents tremendous photocatalyst activity. Recently, several functionalized biodegradable polymers were recently designed for TiO2 NP-based photothermal and photodynamic therapies. These photosensitizers can be modified by attaching dyes, targeting molecules, and drug molecules. Although these modifications resulted in and have shown enhanced water dispersibility and biocompatibility, TiO2 NPs possess the disadvantage of inducing oxidative stress, leading to the diminution of cellular antioxidants. The wide bandgap of TiO2 limits its absorption merely to the ultra-violet (UV) and not the NIR light region, which provides deep optical imaging of cancer tissue. In addition, the UV-stimulated TiO2 was successfully applied for phototherapy of skin cancers and yielded undesirable outcomes when applied to most deep-tissue tumors. This updated review contains numerous reports on the PDT and PTT applications of TiO2 NPs. More highly efficient functionalized biodegradable polymers exhibiting a non-toxic profile should be prepared regarding the TiO2 NP-based photothermal and photodynamic therapies to overcome the obstacles of traditional TiO2 NPs and, therefore, broaden the use of these nanostructures for further biomedical purposes