Current Nanomaterials - Volume 3, Issue 2, 2018

Nanoliposomes, or submicron bilayer phospholipid vesicles, are a novel tool to encapsulate and deliver the active pharmaceutical ingredients. The listing of active substances for integration into nanoliposomes is enormous, varying from pharmaceuticals to nutraceuticals and cosmetics. Due to their biocompatible and biodegradable nature, besides their nanosize, nanoliposomes have applications in diverse areas, like cancer nanotherapy, cosmetics, gene delivery and agricultural food technology. Nanoliposomes have the capability of improving the efficacy of active agents by recuperating there in vitro-in vivo solubility, bioavailability, stability and prevent unnecessary interactions between molecules. Targeting by nanoliposomes depends on the types of the cells to achieve active drug concentrations for favorable therapeutic effectiveness at the desired target site and minimizing undesirable effects on healthy tissues and cells. This article sums up the existing studies that have described the nanoliposomal particles as carriers to transport a variety of pharmaceutical agents, properties, methods of preparation, and analysis.

Background: Drug delivery is an important aspect especially in the new era of therapeutics. Most drugs have poor permeability across the biological membrane. Some drugs show very low bioavailability and poor water solubility. An oral route for administration of the drug is quite challenging because of the biochemical barriers involved in the oral administration of drug. Researchers have developed different oral formulations that release the drug in the suitable manner but achieving therapeutic concentration is quite difficult task. Objective: To develop nanocarrier based drug delivery system associated with drug bioavailability and solubility. Method: In this review, the different polymers (synthetic, semisynthetic and natural) used for polymeric nano drug delivery system have been discussed. Along with the polymeric nanoparticles, the review also reflects on metal nanoparticles and lipid nanoparticles conjugation with drug. Matrix or resrvoir system formed by this conjugation helps to acheive desired bioavailability in oral drug delivery. Solvent evaporation, spray drying, nanoprecipitation, coacervation etc. are few techniques used for the preparation of carrier based oral drug nanoparticles. Conclusion: Formulation of oral nanoparticulate carrier drug delivery will show improved therapeutic efficiency, minimizing the adverse effect. Oral administration is a preferred route and has better patient compliance in nanoparticulate form. The different nanocarriers provide vital application suitability in drug delivery.

Synthesis of nanoparticles is an extensive area for the scientists and plant-mediated biological synthesis is one of the green approaches attracted to the researchers. Objective: This experiment revealed the biological synthesis of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) using aqueous extract mixture of two plants named bark extract of Moringa pterygo sperma (Sargavo) and root extract of Boerhavia diffusa (Saatodi/Punarnava). Method: Biomolecules present in the plants act as a reducing agent as well as a capping agent. In this reduction reaction, copper (II) metal reduced by biomolecules present in plants leads to the formation of CuNPs. Biosynthesized CuNPs characterized by spectral analysis (XRD, FTIR, UVvisible) and imaging microscopy (FEG-SEM with EDS and HR-TEM). Results: X-ray Diffraction spectroscopy revealed that crystalline CuNPs possess face centred cubic structure with an average size 2.20 nm. Fourier Transmission Infra-red spectroscopy showed that biomolecules like proteins are responsible for the reduction of metal ion and forming encapsulating layer on the metal ions (capping of CuNPs). Morphology of the CuNPs studied using Field Electron Gun Scanning Electron Microscopy (FEGSEM) and showed an irregular spherical shape. Elemental composition and purity of the CuNPs were analysed by Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). High- Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy revealed that the size of the CuNPs was 2 to10 nm. Antibacterial study of the biosynthesized CuNPs was examined against gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria using agar well diffusion method and CuNPs exhibited an excellent inhibition zone against the mentioned bacteria.

Background: In this paper, the liquid-solid adsorption of Cadmium (II) is performed using magnetic nanoparticles that are based on maghemite nanoparticles (γ-Fe2O3), prepared by coprecipitation route. The adsorption procedure was carried out in batch mode and some parameters, such as time, initial metal concentration, initial pH solution, and weight of magnetic nanoparticles, were studied in order to assess the performance of maghemite in removing the ions Cd2+. Results: The adsorption equilibrium time was reached after shaking for 30 minutes. The maximum adsorption reached 100% at 10-3 mol.L-1 for 0.05g of magnetic nanoparticles. The results obtained showed that the initial pH value is an important parameter that affects the removal of Cd2+. Indeed, it was noted that the removal efficiency increases as the pH of the solution goes up. The kinetic and equilibrium studies were carried out, and the equilibrium data obtained were analyzed using the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The Langmuir isotherm showed a better fit for cadmium adsorption. The elution of Cd2+ was performed using 0.1 mol.L-1 sulfuric acid, and more than 90% of Cd2+ was desorbed after shaking for 90 minutes. Conclusion: The experimental capacity obtained was 52.63 mg g-1. Maghemite nanoparticles can be regenerated for uses, the cadmium can be concentrated in a small volume that facilitates waste discharge. In perspective, a study will be conducted on nanoparticles of maghemites to serve as a transport agent under the action of a magnetic field of drugs at the place to be treated.

Background: In recent years, development of noble-metal-free catalysts for CO oxidation at lower temperatures has attracted both the scientific and industrial community. Nanosized dopedceria (CeO2) catalyst found huge application in this process because of its unique facile redox ability, oxygen storage/release capacity, cost-effectiveness, and less toxicity. Objective: The aim of the present work is to comparatively study the effect of doping Mn alone and Fe together with Mn in CeO2 on the physicochemical properties and correlate the findings with their respective catalytic activity. Method: A simple and facile co-precipitation method was employed to synthesize the un-doped, Mndoped as well as Mn/Fe co-doped ceria nanocomposites. Results: XRD and Raman results indicated the formation of solid solution with a cubic phase, and TEM-HREM studies disclosed the nanosized nature of the particles. The co-doping of Mn and Fe into ceria lattice leads to enhance the structural defects, such as the concentration of surface Ce3+ ions, oxygen vacancies, etc., as validated by XPS, Raman, and O2-TPD techniques. Conclusion: The catalytic CO oxidation activity of Mn/Fe co-doped CeO2 is significantly higher as compared to the un-doped and Mn-doped CeO2. This improved activity of Mn/Fe co-doped CeO2 is ascribed to the collective properties such as larger surface area, smaller particle size, a higher amount of surface Ce3+ species (oxygen vacancies), and enhanced reducibility. Further, this catalyst showed an excellent stability towards CO oxidation in the time-on-stream experiment of 40 h.

Background: Palladium nanoparticles grafted on mesoporous silica catalysts were successfully prepared by wet impregnation method. Method: In this method, palladium was reduced and stabilized by single reductive stabilizer using triethylaluminum (TEAL) or diethyl aluminum chloride (DEAC) and deposited on SiO2 support. The prepared catalysts were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), BET surface area, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) and H2- chemisorption studies. Performance of catalysts was tested for hydrogenation of nitrobenzene and substituted aromatics in the liquid phase under atmospheric pressure at different temperatures. Results: High activity and selectivity was observed with a turn over frequency of 8.62 X 104 h-1. The H2-chemisorption studies shows that palladium dispersion was 40 %. Furthermore, the catalyst could be easily recovered from reaction mixture and was recycled three times without any significant loss in the activity.

Background: The antibacterial activity of copper oxide nanoparticles is noticed to have good biocompatibility and it finds multiple biomedical applications, disinfections, catalyst etc. Therefore, synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles in a cost effective method and their application for understanding microbial activity towards various bacteria associated to living being including human has gained significant attention to the researchers. Objective: The aim of the present investigation is to synthesize copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles (NPs) with a cost effective method and its characterization though XRD, FTIR and FE-SEM for undersanding their size, morphology and moieties. The main purpose of the work is to understand the concentration dependent antibacterial effect of CuO NPs against Escherichia coli. Method: Copper oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical precipitation method. The NPs were characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infra Red Spectrocopy (FTIR), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) for the confirmation of the size and shape, and presence of different moieties and CuO of the synthesized NPs. The antimicrobial activity is performed against E-coli with different concentraction of CuO to test the nanotoxicity of CuO nanoparticles. Results: The XRD pattern reveals the crystallite size of synthesized CuO as 14.48 nm. The FTIR result confirms the presence of C-H bending and NO3 - stretching, and peaks between 400-510 cm–1 represents the presence of Cu-O stretching. SEM showed the synthesized CuO NPs are round in shape and particles were found to be in the range of 80-100 nm. The antibacterial study of CuO against E. coli shows their enhanced activity in terms of zone of inhibition, with the increasing inhibition concentration. Conclusion: The synthesis of CuO nanoparticles by chemical precipitation method is facile and costeffective, and also can produced NPs in large quantity. XRD, FTIR and FESEM characterizations shows the size and shape, and confirms the purities in synthesized NPs. The promising antibacterial activity of CuO vindicates its possible usefulness in various biomedical applications.