4 research outputs found
Nanomaterial-based approaches for prevention of biofilm-associated infections on medical devices and implants
Biofilm formation is a major problem in medical device-related infections leading to failure of implantbased therapies. Though various conventional approaches to counter biofilm formation like physical and/or mechanical removal, chemical removal, and the use of antimicrobials exist, they fail due to increased resistance of biofilms. This review discusses various nanomaterial-based approaches such as the use of metallic and metal oxide nanoparticles- and polymer-based nanocomposites, which are currently being developed for prevention and treatment of biofilms. Nanoparticles of transition metals and their oxides are toxic to microorganisms and exhibit their toxicity through the generation of reactive oxygen species at concentrations that are non-toxic to eukaryotic cells. Other approaches include the entrapment of bioactive agents in polymer/ceramic nanoparticles, for enhanced anti-biofilm activity due to the synergistic effect between them. These nanomaterial-based approaches could play an important role in control and eradication of biofilm related infections and complications associated with medical devices and implants
Self-Activated Fluorescent Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles: A Promising Agent for Bioimaging and Biolabeling
Bioimaging
has drastically transformed the field of medicine, and
made the process of diagnosis easy and fast. Visualization of complete
organ to complex biological processes has now become possible. Among
the various imaging processes, fluorescence imaging using nontoxic
fluorescent nanomaterials is advantageous for several beneficial features
including high sensitivity, minimal invasiveness, and safe detection
limit. In this study, we have synthesized and characterized a new
class of nontoxic, self-activated fluorescent hydroxyapatite nanoparticles
(fHAps) with different aspect ratios (thin-rods, short-rods, rods)
by changing the stabilizing agents (triethyl amine and acetyl acetone)
and solvents (water and dimethyl sulfoxide). fHAps showed excellent
fluorescence with a broad emission spectrum ranging from 350 to 750
nm and maximum at 502 nm. The presence of fluorescence was attributed
to the electronic transition in the asymmetric structure of fHAps
as confirmed by ESR spectroscopy and the absence of fluorescence in
symmetric HAp NPs. In addition to exceptional fluorescence behavior,
these NPs were found to be nontoxic in nature and could be easily
internalized in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems. We propose
that the fHAps provide a safe and a potential alternative to the current
fluorescent materials in use for biolabeling and bioimaging applications