Nano-Biotechnology
Mehran Alavi; Michael R. Hamblin; M. R. Mozafari; Irwin Rose Alencar de Menezes; Henrique Douglas Melo Coutinho
Abstract
Bacterial infections can be caused by contamination of labile blood products with specific bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Hospital equipment, bio-protective equipment, delivery systems, and medical devices can be easily contaminated by microorganisms. Multidrug-resistant ...
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Bacterial infections can be caused by contamination of labile blood products with specific bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Hospital equipment, bio-protective equipment, delivery systems, and medical devices can be easily contaminated by microorganisms. Multidrug-resistant bacteria can survive on various organic or inorganic polymeric materials for more than 90 days. Inhibiting the growth and eradicating these microorganisms is vital in blood transfusion processes. Blood bags and other related medical devices can be improved by the incorporation of organic or inorganic nanomaterials, particularly silicon dioxide (SiO2) nanoparticles. The addition of solid organic or inorganic nanoparticles to synthetic polymers or biopolymers can provide new properties in addition to antimicrobial activity. Among these NPs, formulations composed of SiO2 nanoparticles and polymers have been shown to improve the mechanical and antimicrobial properties of catheters, prosthetic inserts, blood bags, and other medical devices SiO2 nanoparticles possess several advantages, including large-scale synthetic availability, simple one-pot synthesis methods, porous structure for loading antibacterial agents, good biocompatibility, and thermal stability. Plasticized polyvinyl chloride is the main polymer, which has been functionalized by these nanoparticles. In this review, we discuss the recent advances and challenges regarding the functionalization of polyvinyl chloride by SiO2 nanoparticles to hinder bacterial contaminations in blood products.
Nano-Biotechnology
Mehran Alavi; Mahendra Rai; Fleming Martinez; Danial Kahrizi; Haroon Khan; Irwin Rose Alencar de Menezes; Henrique Douglas Melo Coutinho; José Galberto Martins Costa
Abstract
The applications of nanoparticles in various practical fields, owing to their unique properties compared with bulk materials, have been occupying the minds of scientists for several decades. In this regard, a combination of pharmacology and nanotechnology has contributed to producing newer effective ...
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The applications of nanoparticles in various practical fields, owing to their unique properties compared with bulk materials, have been occupying the minds of scientists for several decades. In this regard, a combination of pharmacology and nanotechnology has contributed to producing newer effective anticancer and antimicrobial agents to inactivate resistant cancer cells and microorganisms, specifically multidrug-resistant ones. The physicochemical properties of nanoparticles based on metalloid, metal, and metal oxides such as selenium, silver, gold, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, copper oxide, platinum, and magnesium oxide, have been well known and referred to as anticancer and antimicrobial agents or carriers. The inactivation and eradication of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria may be mainly resulted from the oxidative damages in the bacterial medium. Overall, metalloid, metal and metal oxide NPs can be functionalized by other antibacterial or anticancer agents and biocompatible stabilizers to increase their efficiency in physiological conditions. However, the undesirable cytotoxicity of these nanoparticles in physiological conditions is the major hindrance to their application in the pharmaceutical industry and therapeutics. Nevertheless, it is expected that these problems will be solved in the near future. Therefore, the main objective of this review is to report an overview of the recent signs of progress in increasing anticancer and antibacterial mechanisms of metal and metal-based nanoparticles.
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