The applicability of CMCht/PAMAM dendrimer nanoparticles for CNS applications was investigated. AFM and TEM observations revealed that the nanoparticles possessed a nanosphere-like shape with a size from 22.0 to 30.7 nm. The nanoparticles could be bound to fluorescent-probe FITC for tracing purposes. Post-natal hippocampal neurons and cortical glial cells were both able to internalize the FITC-...

BACKGROUND Advances in biomedical nanotechnology raise hopes in patient populations but may also raise questions regarding biodistribution and biocompatibility, especially during pregnancy. Special consideration must be given to the placenta as a biological barrier because a pregnant woman's exposure to nanoparticles could have significant effects on the fetus developing in the womb. Therefore,...

For the development of surface-functionalized gold nanoparticles as cellular probes and delivery agents, we have synthesized hetero-bifunctional poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG, MW 1500) having a thiol group on one terminus and a reactive functional group on the other for use as a flexible spacer. Coumarin, a model fluorescent dye, was conjugated to one end of the PEG spacer and gold nanoparticles w...

Fluorophore molecules can be monitored by fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy, which are highly useful and widely used techniques in cell biology, biochemistry, and medicine (e.g., biomarker analysis, immunoassays, cancer diagnosis). Several fluorescent micro- and nanoparticle systems based on block copolymer micelles and cross-linked polymer networks, quantum dots, π-conjugated polymers, ...

Near-infrared (NIR)-to-Visible upconversion fluorescent nanoparticles emit visible light upon NIR-light excitation, and are well suited for bioimaging, compared to the commonly used downconversionfluorescentmaterials.Thesenanoparticleshave advantages such as minimum photodamage to living organisms, weak background fluorescence, high detection sensitivity, and high light-penetration depth in tis...

Although fluorescence offers ultrasensitivity, real-world applications of fluorescence techniques encounter many practical problems. As a noninvasive means to investigate biomolecular mechanisms, pathways, and regulations in living cells, the intrinsic heterogeneity and inherent complexity of biological samples always generates optical interferences such as autofluorescence. Therefore, innovati...

Vaccination is considered to be most effective way of fighting infectious diseases like malaria etc [1]. N, N, N-trimethylchitosan (TMC) was synthesized from chitosan. Nanoparticles of the TMC were prepared in various media (milliQ water, Na2CO3 (pH 10.92), Na2HPO4 (pH 9.01) and alhydrogel beads which were characterized as adjuvant for possible vaccine delivery. The nanoparticles were analyzed ...

Tunable, ultra-pH responsive fluorescent nanoparticles with multichromatic emissions are highly valuable in a variety of biological studies, such as endocytic trafficking, endosome/lysosome maturation, and pH regulation in subcellular organelles. Small differences (e.g., <1 pH unit) and yet finely regulated physiological pH inside different endocytic compartments present a huge challenge to the...

Amplification-free detection of nucleic acids in complex biological samples is an important technology for clinical diagnostics, especially in the case where the detection is quantitative and highly sensitive. Here we present the detection of a synthetic DNA sequence from Herpes Simplex Virus-1 within swine cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), using a sandwich-like, magnetic nanoparticle pull-down assay....