Nanomaterials for PDT applications

Nanotechnologia obecna jest już w wielu dziedzinach nauki i gospodarki. Jednakże najważniejsze zastosowanie struktury submikronowe znajdują w elektronice i biotechnologii. Nanotechnologia stymuluje także rozwój medycyny. Duże zainteresowanie wzbudza zastosowanie nanoma-terialów do poprawy efektywności terapii fotodynamicznej. Niniejsza praca zawiera krótki przegląd metod polepszenia właściwości farmakokinetycznych fotouczulaczy stosowanych w PDT.Nanotechnology became popular in many fields of contemporary science and technology. The main areas of applications are in electronics and biotechnology. The developments in nanotechnology also stimulate the progress in medicine. There is an increasing interest in applications of nanomaterials for improving the efficacy of photodynamic therapy. The presented paper is a short survey of the methods proposed for optimizing the pharmacokinetic properties of PDT photosensitizers

Modern flow cytometry

Cytometria przepływowa jest bardzo obiecującą techniką badawczą i diagnostyczną, znajdującą zastosowanie w wielu dziedzinach nauki, medycyny i biotechnologii. Umożliwia ona zarówno charakterystykę jakościową, jak i ilościową badanych komórek. Cytometria przepływowa pozwala na opisanie populacji komórek, która może stanowić nawet mniej niż 1% badanej próbki. Dzięki rozwojowi techniki i biotechnologii współczesne cytometry pozwalają na jednoczesną analizę wielu parametrów badanych próbek. Pomiar jest szybki, a pozyskiwane dane można analizować wykorzystując ogólnie dostępne narzędzia i metody statystyczne. W niniejszym artykule omówiono zasadę działania oraz wybrane zastosowania współczesnej cytometrii przepływowej.Flow cytometry is a very promising diagnostic and research technique. It already has been employed in medicine, biotechnology and other industry branches. The method enables both qualitative and quantitative characterization of examined material. Flow cytometry allows to detect and describe cell subpopulations that may be even less than 1% of sample content. With the development of engineering and biotechnology modern flow cytometers enable simultaneous analysis of multiple parameters. The measurement is fast and the data collected can be analyzed using common tools and statistical methods. This article discusses the working principles and selected applications of modern flow cytometry

Nanotechnology for biomedical applications - enhancement of photodynamic activity by nanomaterials

Over the last two decades nanotechnology has become one of the most dynamically evolving field of research. The unique properties of nanomaterials, not disclosing at microscale, are examined and exploited to extend our understanding of the interactions taking place at atomic or molecular level. Those findings affect research in many areas, like e.g. alternative energy sources, electronics, physics and medicine. In this paper, the possibility of using nanomaterials for the enhancement of photodynamic activity, is discussed. A brief review on drug-delivery facilitating nanomaterials, regarding their characteristic features, is presented. An exemplary application of silver-doped nanomaterials for enhancement of photodynamic properties of two photosensitizers: Photolon and Protoporphyrin IX, is described. Influence of silver-doped nanomaterials addition on the fluorescence intensity of photosensitizers immobilized in silica-titania (SiO2-TiO2) sol was examined via VIS spectroscopy. Influence of sonication on the fluorescence enhancement was also investigated. It was demonstrated that the fluorescence enhancement of photosensitizers depends on the concentration of both: photosensitizer and silver-doped nanoparticles

Analysis of metal surfaces coated with europium-doped titanium dioxide by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

The surface passivation with titanium sol-gel coatings is a frequently used technique to control the adsorption of selected biological macromolecules and to reduce the exposure of the bulk material to biological matter. Due to the increasing number of new coating-preparation methods and new gel compositions with various types of additives, the quality and homogeneity determination of the surface covering is a critical factor affecting performance of any implanted material. While coating thickness is easy to determine, the homogeneity of the surface distribution of coating materials requires more elaborate methodologies. In the paper, the laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) based method, capable to quantitate the homogeneity and uniformity of the europium in titanium dioxide sol-gel coatings on stainless steel surfaces prepared with two different procedures: spin-coating and dip-coating, is presented. The emission intensity of titanium has been used to determine the coating thickness whereas the relative values of europium and titanium emission intensities provide data on the coating homogeneity. The obtained results show that the spin-coating technique provides better surface coverage with titanium dioxide. However, when the surface coating compositions were compared the dip-coating technique was more reliable