Human serum albumin nanoparticles have been utilized as drug delivery systems for a variety of medical applications. Since ultra-small superparamagnetic particles of iron oxide (USPIO) are used as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging, their encapsulation into the protein matrix enables the synthesis of diagnostic and theranostic agents by surface modification and co-encapsulation of ac...

In this article, we address the design of innovative human serum albumin (HSA)-based nanoparticles loaded with silencing RNA and grafted with gadolinium complexes having average sizes ranging from ca. 50 to 150 nm according to the siRNA/HSA composition. The non-covalent siRNA/HSA assembly is formed on isobutyramide-modified mesoporous silica and the self-supported HSA-based nanoparticles are ob...

Nanomedicine requires in-depth knowledge of nanoparticle-protein interactions. These interactions are studied with methods limited to large or fluorescently labelled nanoparticles as they rely on scattering or fluorescence-correlation signals. Here, we have developed a method based on analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) as an absorbance-based, label-free tool to determine dissociation constant...

The alternating magnetic field was discovered to be capable of inducing the fibrous aggregation of magnetic nanoparticles. However, this anisotropic aggregation may be unfavorable for practical applications. Here, we reported that the adsorption of BSA (bovine serum albumin) on the surfaces of magnetic nanoparticles can effectively make the fibrous aggregation of γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles turn into...

Semiconductor nanoparticles (quantum dots) are promising fluorescent markers, but it is very little known about interaction of quantum dots with biological molecules. In this study, interaction of CdTe quantum dots coated with thioglycolic acid (TGA) with bovine serum albumin was investigated. Steady state spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering m...

Thiol group functionalized silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles (Si-MNPs@SH) were synthesized for rapid and selective magnetic field-based separation of mixed proteins. The highest adsorption efficiencies of binary proteins, bovine serum albumin (BSA; 66 kDa; pI = 4.65) and lysozyme (LYZ; 14.3 kDa; pI = 11) were shown at the pH values corresponding to their own pI in the single-component protei...

The effects of chloride on dissolution and toxicity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been well studied. However, their intermediate shapes during the transition have not been illustrated to-date. Herein, the chloride-induced shape transformation process of AgNPs under long-term, low-concentration conditions is explored. A unique triangular Ag-AgCl heterostructure is observed. The structure ...

Selective localization of biomolecules at the hot spots of a plasmonic nanoparticle is an attractive strategy to exploit the light-matter interaction due to the high field concentration. Current approaches for hot spot targeting are time-consuming and involve prior knowledge of the hot spots. Multiphoton plasmonic lithography is employed to rapidly immobilize bovine serum albumin (BSA) hydrogel...

A double nanohole in a metal film can optically trap nanoparticles such as polystyrene/silica spheres, encapsulated quantum dots and up-converting nanoparticles. Here we study the dynamics of trapped particles, showing a skewed distribution and low roll-off frequency that are indicative of Kramers-hopping at the nanoscale. Numerical simulations of trapped particles show a double-well potential ...

(1) Background: Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) is the principal pathogen involved in the formation of dental caries. Other systemic diseases have also been associated with specific S. mutans serotypes (c, e, f, and k). Silver nanoparticles (SNP) have been demonstrated to have good antibacterial effects against S. mutans; therefore, limited studies have evaluated the antimicrobial activity of ...