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Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy =... Jul 2022Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) are composed of silicon dioxide, the most abundant compound on Earth, and are used widely in many applications including the food industry,... (Review)
Review
Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) are composed of silicon dioxide, the most abundant compound on Earth, and are used widely in many applications including the food industry, synthetic processes, medical diagnosis, and drug delivery due to their controllable particle size, large surface area, and great biocompatibility. Building on basic synthetic methods, convenient and economical strategies have been developed for the synthesis of SiNPs. Numerous studies have assessed the biomedical applications of SiNPs, including the surface and structural modification of SiNPs to target various cancers and diagnose diseases. However, studies on the in vitro and in vivo toxicity of SiNPs remain in the exploratory stage, and the toxicity mechanisms of SiNPs are poorly understood. This review covers recent studies on the biomedical applications of SiNPs, including their uses in drug delivery systems to diagnose and treat various diseases in the human body. SiNP toxicity is discussed in terms of the different systems of the human body and the individual organs in those systems. This comprehensive review includes both fundamental discoveries and exploratory progress in SiNP research that may lead to practical developments in the future.
Topics: Humans; Nanoparticles; Neoplasms; Particle Size; Silicon Dioxide
PubMed: 35594717
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113053 -
BioTechniques Jul 2020Emulsion PCR (ePCR) is an important technique that permits amplification of DNA molecules in physically separated picoliter-volume water-in-oil droplets, and thus avoids...
Emulsion PCR (ePCR) is an important technique that permits amplification of DNA molecules in physically separated picoliter-volume water-in-oil droplets, and thus avoids formation of unproductive chimeras and other artifacts between similar DNA sequences. However, the recovery of ePCR products involves repeated extraction with hazardous organic solvents followed by purification using silica-based columns, making the overall process cumbersome. In this benchmark, we have described a quick ePCR extraction protocol for the purification of ePCR products, which directly employs silica-based DNA purification columns; products purified using this method have been found to be compatible with gene cloning and next-generation sequencing applications. The method described here makes ePCR easy, safe and within the reach of every laboratory.
Topics: DNA; Emulsions; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Silicon Dioxide
PubMed: 32338528
DOI: 10.2144/btn-2019-0161 -
Chemical Reviews Jul 2022Two-dimensional (2D) ultrathin silica films have the potential to reach technological importance in electronics and catalysis. Several well-defined 2D-silica structures... (Review)
Review
Two-dimensional (2D) ultrathin silica films have the potential to reach technological importance in electronics and catalysis. Several well-defined 2D-silica structures have been synthesized so far. The silica bilayer represents a 2D material with SiO stoichiometry. It consists of precisely two layers of tetrahedral [SiO] building blocks, corner connected via oxygen bridges, thus forming a self-saturated silicon dioxide sheet with a thickness of ∼0.5 nm. Inspired by recent successful preparations and characterizations of these 2D-silica model systems, scientists now can forge novel concepts for realistic systems, particularly by atomic-scale studies with the most powerful and advanced surface science techniques and density functional theory calculations. This Review provides a solid introduction to these recent developments, breakthroughs, and implications on ultrathin 2D-silica films, including their atomic/electronic structures, chemical modifications, atom/molecule adsorptions, and catalytic reactivity properties, which can help to stimulate further investigations and understandings of these fundamentally important 2D materials.
Topics: Adsorption; Catalysis; Electronics; Silicon Dioxide; Surface Properties
PubMed: 35731806
DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00995 -
Redox Biology Feb 2023The metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a public health challenge, leading to a global increase in chronic liver disease. The respiratory exposure of...
The metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a public health challenge, leading to a global increase in chronic liver disease. The respiratory exposure of silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) has revealed to induce hepatotoxicity. However, its role in the pathogenesis and progression of MAFLD was severely under-studied. In this context, the hepatic impacts of SiNPs were investigated in vivo and in vitro through using ApoE mice and free fatty acid (FFA)-treated L02 hepatocytes. Histopathological examinations and biochemical analysis showed SiNPs exposure via intratracheal instillation aggravated hepatic steatosis, lipid vacuolation, inflammatory infiltration and even collagen deposition in ApoE mice, companied with increased hepatic ALT, AST and LDH levels. The enhanced fatty acid synthesis and inhibited fatty acid β-oxidation and lipid efflux may account for the increased hepatic TC/TG by SiNPs. Consistently, SiNPs induced lipid deposition and elevated TC in FFA-treated L02 cells. Further, the activation of hepatic oxidative stress was detected in vivo and in vitro, as evidenced by ROS accumulation, elevated MDA, declined GSH/GSSG and down-regulated Nrf2 signaling. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress was also triggered in response to SiNPs-induced lipid accumulation, as reflecting by the remarkable ER expansion and increased BIP expression. More importantly, an UPLC-MS-based metabolomics analysis revealed that SiNPs disturbed the hepatic metabolic profile in ApoE mice, prominently on amino acids and lipid metabolisms. In particular, the identified differential metabolites were strongly correlated to the activation of oxidative stress and ensuing hepatic TC/TG accumulation and liver injuries, contributing to the progression of liver diseases. Taken together, our study showed SiNPs promoted hepatic steatosis and liver damage, resulting in the aggravation of MAFLD progression. More importantly, the disturbed amino acids and lipid metabolisms-mediated oxidative stress was a key contributor to this phenomenon from a metabolic perspective.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Lipid Metabolism; Silicon Dioxide; Amino Acids; Chromatography, Liquid; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Oxidative Stress; Liver; Nanoparticles; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Lipids; Fatty Acids
PubMed: 36512914
DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2022.102569 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jul 2021Glass ionomer cements and resin-based composites are promising materials in restorative dentistry. However, their limited mechanical properties and the risk of... (Review)
Review
Glass ionomer cements and resin-based composites are promising materials in restorative dentistry. However, their limited mechanical properties and the risk of bulk/marginal fracture compromise their lifespan. Intensive research has been conducted to understand and develop new materials that can mimic the functional behavior of the oral cavity. Nanotechnological approaches have emerged to treat oral infections and become a part of scaffolds for tissue regeneration. Carbon nanotubes are promising materials to create multifunctional platforms for dental applications. This review provides a comprehensive survey of and information on the status of this state-of-the-art technology and describes the development of glass ionomers reinforced with carbon nanotubes possessing improved mechanical properties. The applications of carbon nanotubes in drug delivery and tissue engineering for healing infections and lesions of the oral cavity are also described. The review concludes with a summary of the current status and presents a vision of future applications of carbon nanotubes in the practice of dentistry.
Topics: Acrylic Resins; Drug Carriers; Humans; Materials Testing; Nanotubes, Carbon; Resin Cements; Silicon Dioxide; Surface Properties
PubMed: 34361575
DOI: 10.3390/molecules26154423 -
Theranostics 2020With the rapid development of nanotechnology, inorganic nanomaterials (NMs) have been widely applied in modern society. As human exposure to inorganic NMs is inevitable,... (Review)
Review
With the rapid development of nanotechnology, inorganic nanomaterials (NMs) have been widely applied in modern society. As human exposure to inorganic NMs is inevitable, comprehensive assessment of the safety of inorganic NMs is required. It is well known that autophagy plays dual roles in cell survival and cell death. Moreover, inorganic NMs have been proven to induce autophagy perturbation in cells. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of inorganic NMs-modulated autophagy is required for the safety assessment of inorganic NMs. This review presents an overview of a set of inorganic NMs, consisting of iron oxide NMs, silver NMs, gold NMs, carbon-based NMs, silica NMs, quantum dots, rare earth oxide NMs, zinc oxide NMs, alumina NMs, and titanium dioxide NMs, as well as how each modulates autophagy. This review emphasizes the potential mechanisms underlying NMs-induced autophagy perturbation, as well as the role of autophagy perturbation in cell fate determination. Furthermore, we also briefly review the potential roles of inorganic NMs-modulated autophagy in diagnosis and treatment of disease.
Topics: Animals; Autophagy; Carbon; Drug Carriers; Humans; Inorganic Chemicals; Metals; Nanoparticles; Oxides; Quantum Dots; Silicon Dioxide
PubMed: 32194863
DOI: 10.7150/thno.40414 -
Nanomedicine (London, England) Aug 2018Silicon-based materials and their oxides are widely used in drug delivery, dietary supplements, implants and dental fillers. Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) interact with... (Review)
Review
Silicon-based materials and their oxides are widely used in drug delivery, dietary supplements, implants and dental fillers. Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) interact with immunocompetent cells and induce immunotoxicity. However, the toxic effects of SiNPs on the immune system have been inadequately reviewed. The toxicity of SiNPs to the immune system depends on their physicochemical properties and the cell type. Assessments of immunotoxicity include determining cell dysfunctions, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. This review focuses on the immunotoxicity of SiNPs and investigates the underlying mechanisms. The main mechanisms were proinflammatory responses, oxidative stress and autophagy. Considering the toxicity of SiNPs, surface and shape modifications may mitigate the toxic effects of SiNPs, providing a new way to produce these nanomaterials with less toxic impaction.
Topics: Animals; Apoptosis; Autophagy; Cell Survival; DNA Damage; Humans; Immune System; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; Nanoparticles; Oxidative Stress; Silicon Dioxide; Toll-Like Receptors
PubMed: 30152253
DOI: 10.2217/nnm-2018-0076 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2019Electronics, and nanoelectronics in particular, represent one of the most promising branches of technology. The search for novel and more efficient materials seems to be... (Review)
Review
Electronics, and nanoelectronics in particular, represent one of the most promising branches of technology. The search for novel and more efficient materials seems to be natural here. Thus far, silicon-based devices have been monopolizing this domain. Indeed, it is justified since it allows for significant miniaturization of electronic elements by their densification in integrated circuits. Nevertheless, silicon has some restrictions. Since this material is applied in the bulk form, the miniaturization limit seems to be already reached. Moreover, smaller silicon-based elements (mainly processors) need much more energy and generate significantly more heat than their larger counterparts. In our opinion, the future belongs to nanostructured materials where a proper structure is obtained by means of bottom-up nanotechnology. A great example of a material utilizing nanostructuring is mesoporous silica, which, due to its outstanding properties, can find numerous applications in electronic devices. This focused review is devoted to the application of porous silica-based materials in electronics. We guide the reader through the development and most crucial findings of porous silica from its first synthesis in 1992 to the present. The article describes constant struggle of researchers to find better solutions to supercapacitors, lower the value or redox-active hybrids while maintaining robust mechanical properties. Finally, the last section refers to ultra-modern applications of silica such as molecular artificial neural networks or super-dense magnetic memory storage.
Topics: Electrical Equipment and Supplies; Nanostructures; Porosity; Silicon Dioxide
PubMed: 31261814
DOI: 10.3390/molecules24132395 -
Biology Letters Oct 2018The cell wall polymer callose catalyses the formation of silica and is heavily implicated in biological silicification in (horsetail) and (thale cress) Callose, a... (Review)
Review
The cell wall polymer callose catalyses the formation of silica and is heavily implicated in biological silicification in (horsetail) and (thale cress) Callose, a β-1,3-glucan, is an ideal partner for silicification, because its amorphous structure and ephemeral nature provide suitable microenvironments to support the condensation of silicic acid into silica. Herein, using scanning electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry and fluorescence, we provide further evidence of the cooperative nature of callose and silica in biological silicification in rice, an important crop plant and known silica accumulator. These new data along with recently published research enable us to propose a model to describe the intracellular events that together determine callose-driven biological silicification.
Topics: Glucans; Immunohistochemistry; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Optical Imaging; Oryza; Silicic Acid; Silicon Dioxide
PubMed: 30282746
DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2018.0338 -
Annals of Botany Jul 2023Silicon and aluminium oxides make the bulk of agricultural soils. Plants absorb dissolved silicon as silicic acid into their bodies through their roots. The silicic acid... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Silicon and aluminium oxides make the bulk of agricultural soils. Plants absorb dissolved silicon as silicic acid into their bodies through their roots. The silicic acid moves with transpiration to target tissues in the plant body, where it polymerizes into biogenic silica. Mostly, the mineral forms on a matrix of cell wall polymers to create a composite material. Historically, silica deposition (silicification) was supposed to occur once water evaporated from the plant surface, leaving behind an increased concentration of silicic acid within plant tissues. However, recent publications indicate that certain cell wall polymers and proteins initiate and control the extent of plant silicification.
SCOPE
Here we review recent publications on the polymers that scaffold the formation of biogenic plant silica, and propose a paradigm shift from spontaneous polymerization of silicic acid to dedicated active metabolic processes that control both the location and the extent of the mineralization.
CONCLUSION
Protein activity concentrates silicic acid beyond its saturation level. Polymeric structures at the cell wall stabilize the supersaturated silicic acid and allow its flow with the transpiration stream, or bind it and allow its initial condensation. Silica nucleation and further polymerization are enabled on a polymeric scaffold, which is embedded within the mineral. Deposition is terminated once free silicic acid is consumed or the chemical moieties for its binding are saturated.
Topics: Silicon Dioxide; Silicic Acid; Silicon; Plants; Polymers
PubMed: 37094329
DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad056