Controlling the dominant magnetic relaxation mechanisms for magnetic hyperthermia in bimagnetic core-shell nanoparticles

We report a simple and effective way to control the heat generation of a magnetic colloid under alternate magnetic fields by changing the shell composition of bimagnetic core-shell Fe 3 O 4 /Zn x Co 1-x Fe 2 O 4 nanoparticles. The core-shell structure constitutes a magnetically-coupled biphase system, with an effective anisotropy that can be tuned by the substitution of Co 2+ by Zn 2+ ions in the shell. Magnetic hyperthermia experiments of nanoparticles dispersed in hexane and butter oil showed that the magnetic relaxation is dominated by Brown relaxation mechanism in samples with higher anisotropy (i.e., larger concentration of Co within the shell) yielding high specific power absorption values in low viscosity media as hexane. Increasing the Zn concentration of the shell, diminishes the magnetic anisotropy, which results in a change to a Néel relaxation that dominates the process when the nanoparticles are dispersed in a high-viscosity medium. We demonstrate that tuning the Zn contents at the shell of these exchange-coupled core/shell nanoparticles provides a way to control the magnetic anisotropy without loss of saturation magnetization. This ability is an essential prerequisite for most biomedical applications, where high viscosities and capturing mechanisms are present. This journal i

Magnetic hyperthermia experiments with magnetic nanoparticles in clarified butter oil and paraffin: A thermodynamic analysis

In specific power absorption models for magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) experiments, the magnetic relaxation time of nanoparticles (NPs) is known to be a fundamental descriptor of the heating mechanisms. The relaxation time is mainly determined by the interplay between the magnetic properties of NPs and the rheological properties of NPs’ environment. Although the role of magnetism in MFH has been extensively studied, the thermal properties of the NP medium and their changes during MFH experiments have been underrated so far. Herein, we show that ZnxFe3-xO4 NPs dispersed through different media with phase transition in the temperature range of experiment as clarified butter oil (CBO) and paraffin. These systems show nonlinear behavior of the heating rate within the temperature range of MFH experiments. For CBO, a fast increase at ~306 K is associated with changes in the viscosity (¿(T)) and specific heat (cp(T)) of the medium at its melting temperature. This increment in the heating rate takes place around 318 K for paraffin. The magnetic and morphological characterization of NPs together with the observed agglomeration of NPs above 306 and 318 K for CBO and paraffin, respectively, indicate that the fast increase in MFH curves could not be associated with the change in the magnetic relaxation mechanism, with Neél relaxation being dominant. In fact, successive experimental runs performed up to temperatures below and above the CBO and paraffin melting points resulted in different MFH curves due to agglomeration of NPs driven by magnetic field inhomogeneity during the experiments. Our results highlight the relevance of the thermodynamic properties of the system NP-medium for an accurate measurement of the heating efficiency for in vitro and in vivo environments, where the thermal properties are largely variable within the temperature window of MFH experiments

Effect of sequential medium on in vitro culture of goat ovarian cortical tissue

A sequential medium was evaluated on the survival, activation and growth rates of caprine preantral follicles submitted to a long-term culture period, aiming to establish an ideal in vitro culture system. Ovarian fragments were cultured for 16 days in α-MEM+ alone or supplemented with hormones (GH and/or FSH) added sequentially on different days of culture. Ovarian fragments were cultured in the first (days 0–8) and second (days 8–16) halves of the culture period, generating 10 treatments: α-MEM+/α-MEM+, FSH/FSH, FSH/GH, FSH/FSH + GH, GH/GH, GH/FSH, GH/FSH + GH, FSH + GH/FSH + GH, FSH + GH/FSH and FSH + GH/GH. Follicle morphology, viability and ultrastructure were analyzed. After day 1 of culture, FSH treatments maintained the percentage of normal follicles similar to the fresh control. At day 16 of culture, the treatment FSH/GH showed the highest (P < 0.05) percentage of normal follicles. The ultrastructure of follicles was preserved in the fresh control and FSH/GH treatment. Follicles cultured with FSH/GH had a higher (P < 0.05) viability than α-MEM+; however the viability was lower (P < 0.05) when compared to the fresh control. The FSH/GH treatment showed the highest (P < 0.05) percentage of follicular activation and secondary follicle formation and produced the largest (P < 0.05) mean follicular diameter after 16 days of culture. In conclusion, a sequential medium supplemented with FSH followed by GH during a long-term culture maintains the survival, viability and ultrastructure of goat preantral follicles, and promotes activation and secondary follicles

Propolis extract as a feed additive of the Nile tilapia juveniles

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary propolis alcohol extract supplementation on growth performance, digestibility, intestinal morphometry, and physiologic parameters Nile tilápia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) juveniles. For performance experiment and intestinal morphometry, 120 fish averaging 1.41±0.3g were randomly distributed into 24 tanks (70L each) in a closed recirculation water system with constant aeration and biofilter. The animals were distributed into four treatments using a completely randomized design with six replicates per treatment. The treatments consisted of four pellet feeds with different alcohol propolis concentrations extract (AEP) (0.0, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5gkg-1). The performance experiment period was conducted for 45 days. For the digestibility experiment, an inert marker in the feed and the adapted Guelph feces collecting system were used. The results showed no differences in the performance parameters, crude protein apparent digestibility and dry matter of the feeds, intestinal morphometry, and physiologic parameters. However, there was an increasing linear effect on the energy digestibility with increasing PAE concentrations in the fish feed. The usage of the propolis extract supplementation levels of 1% is recommended for optimum effect on villus morphometry in Nile tilapia

Adjusting the Neel relaxation time of Fe3O4/ZnxCo1-xFe2O4 core/shell nanoparticles for optimal heat generation in magnetic hyperthermia

In this work it is shown a precise way to optimize the heat generation in high viscosity magnetic colloids, by adjusting the Neel relaxation time in core/shell bimagnetic nanoparticles, for magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) applications. To pursue this goal, Fe3O4/ZnxCo1-xFe2O4 core/shell nanoparticles were synthesized with 8.5 nm mean core diameter, encapsulated in a shell of similar to 1.1 nm of thickness, where the Zn atomic ratio (Zn/(Zn + Co) at%) changes from 33 to 68 at%. The magnetic measurements are consistent with a rigid interface coupling between the core and shell phases, where the effective magnetic anisotropy systematically decreases when the Zn concentration increases, without a significant change of the saturation magnetization. Experiments of MFH of 0.1 wt% of these particles dispersed in water, in Dulbecco modified Eagles minimal essential medium, and a high viscosity butter oil, result in a large specific loss power (SLP), up to 150 W g(-1), when the experiments are performed at 571 kHz and 200 Oe. The SLP was optimized adjusting the shell composition, showing a maximum for intermediate Zn concentration. This study shows a way to maximize the heat generation in viscous media like cytosol, for those biomedical applications that require smaller particle sizes

Effects of Zn Substitution in the Magnetic and Morphological Properties of Fe-Oxide-Based Core-Shell Nanoparticles Produced in a Single Chemical Synthesis

Magnetic, compositional, and morphological properties of Zn-Fe-oxide core-shell bimagnetic nanoparticles were studied for three samples with 0.00, 0.06, and 0.10 Zn/Fe ratios, as obtained from particle-induced X-ray emission analysis. The bimagnetic nanoparticles were produced in a one-step synthesis by the thermal decomposition of the respective acetylacetonates. The nanoparticles present an average particle size between 25 and 30 nm as inferred from transmission electron microscopy (TEM). High-resolution TEM images clearly show core-shell morphology for the particles in all samples. The core is composed by an antiferromagnetic (AFM) phase with a Wüstite (Fe1-yO) structure, whereas the shell is composed by a ZnxFe3-xO4 ferrimagnetic (FiM) spinel phase. Despite the low solubility of Zn in the Wüstite, electron energy-loss spectroscopy analysis indicates that Zn is distributed almost homogeneously in the whole nanoparticle. This result gives information on the formation mechanisms of the particle, indicating that the Wüstite is formed first, and the superficial oxidation results in the FiM ferrite phase with similar Zn concentration than the core. Magnetization and in-field Mössbauer spectroscopy of the Zn-richest nanoparticles indicate that the AFM phase is strongly coupled to the FiM structure of the ferrite shell, resulting in a bias field (HEB) appearing below TNFeO, with HEB values that depend on the core-shell relative proportion. Magnetic characterization also indicates a strong magnetic frustration for the samples with higher Zn concentration, even at low temperatures

Kinin b(1) receptor in adipocytes regulates glucose tolerance and predisposition to obesity

BACKGROUND: Kinins participate in the pathophysiology of obesity and type 2 diabetes by mechanisms which are not fully understood. Kinin B(1) receptor knockout mice (B(1) (-/-)) are leaner and exhibit improved insulin sensitivity. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we show that kinin B(1) receptors in adipocytes play a role in controlling whole body insulin action and glucose homeostasis. Adipocytes isolated from mouse white adipose tissue (WAT) constitutively express kinin B(1) receptors. In these cells, treatment with the B(1) receptor agonist des-Arg(9)-bradykinin improved insulin signaling, GLUT4 translocation, and glucose uptake. Adipocytes from B(1) (-/-) mice showed reduced GLUT4 expression and impaired glucose uptake at both basal and insulin-stimulated states. To investigate the consequences of these phenomena to whole body metabolism, we generated mice where the expression of the kinin B(1) receptor was limited to cells of the adipose tissue (aP2-B(1)/B(1) (-/-)). Similarly to B(1) (-/-) mice, aP2-B(1)/B(1) (-/-) mice were leaner than wild type controls. However, exclusive expression of the kinin B(1) receptor in adipose tissue completely rescued the improved systemic insulin sensitivity phenotype of B(1) (-/-) mice. Adipose tissue gene expression analysis also revealed that genes involved in insulin signaling were significantly affected by the presence of the kinin B(1) receptor in adipose tissue. In agreement, GLUT4 expression and glucose uptake were increased in fat tissue of aP2-B(1)/B(1) (-/-) when compared to B(1) (-/-) mice. When subjected to high fat diet, aP2-B(1)/B(1) (-/-) mice gained more weight than B(1) (-/-) littermates, becoming as obese as the wild types. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Thus, kinin B(1) receptor participates in the modulation of insulin action in adipocytes, contributing to systemic insulin sensitivity and predisposition to obesity

Primeiro levantamento de mosca das frutas (Diptera: Tephritidae) e diversidade de parasitoides entre frutos de myrtaceae em todo o Estado da Bahia, Brasil

The objective of this study was to evaluate the diversity of fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) species that use myrtaceous fruit, particularly guava, as hosts in several localities in the state of Bahia and to determine the infestation rates, pupal viability rates, and fruit fly-parasitoid associations. Sampling of myrtaceous fruit was carried out in 24 municipalities in different regions in the state of Bahia. Four fruit fly species, Anastrepha fraterculus, Anastrepha zenildae, Anastrepha sororcula, and Ceratitis capitata were obtained from the collected fruit. Three parasitoid species (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) emerged from Anastrepha larvae/pupae, Doryctobracon areolatus, Utetes anastrephae, and Asobara anastrephae. Doryctobracon areolatus emerged from A. fraterculus, A. sororcula and A. zenildae; Utetes anastrephae emerged from A. fraterculus and A. zenildae; and Asobara anastrephae emerged from A. fraterculus. Fruit fly and myrtaceous fruit associations are reported for the first time in several municipalities in the state of Bahia. A. zenildae was found infesting Syzygium malaccense for the first time in Brazil