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Microbiology Spectrum Oct 2014Spores of various Bacillus and Clostridium species are among the most resistant life forms known. Since the spores of some species are causative agents of much food... (Review)
Review
Spores of various Bacillus and Clostridium species are among the most resistant life forms known. Since the spores of some species are causative agents of much food spoilage, food poisoning, and human disease, and the spores of Bacillus anthracis are a major bioweapon, there is much interest in the mechanisms of spore resistance and how these spores can be killed. This article will discuss the factors involved in spore resistance to agents such as wet and dry heat, desiccation, UV and γ-radiation, enzymes that hydrolyze bacterial cell walls, and a variety of toxic chemicals, including genotoxic agents, oxidizing agents, aldehydes, acid, and alkali. These resistance factors include the outer layers of the spore, such as the thick proteinaceous coat that detoxifies reactive chemicals; the relatively impermeable inner spore membrane that restricts access of toxic chemicals to the spore core containing the spore's DNA and most enzymes; the low water content and high level of dipicolinic acid in the spore core that protect core macromolecules from the effects of heat and desiccation; the saturation of spore DNA with a novel group of proteins that protect the DNA against heat, genotoxic chemicals, and radiation; and the repair of radiation damage to DNA when spores germinate and return to life. Despite their extreme resistance, spores can be killed, including by damage to DNA, crucial spore proteins, the spore's inner membrane, and one or more components of the spore germination apparatus.
Topics: Bacillus; Clostridium; Desiccation; Enzymes; Hot Temperature; Inorganic Chemicals; Microbial Viability; Organic Chemicals; Spores, Bacterial
PubMed: 26104355
DOI: 10.1128/microbiolspec.TBS-0003-2012 -
Topics in Current Chemistry (Cham) Mar 2020DNA nanotechnology, based on sequence-specific DNA recognition, could allow programmed self-assembly of sophisticated nanostructures with molecular precision. Extension... (Review)
Review
DNA nanotechnology, based on sequence-specific DNA recognition, could allow programmed self-assembly of sophisticated nanostructures with molecular precision. Extension of this technique to the preparation of broader types of nanomaterials would significantly improve nanofabrication technique to lower nanometer scale and even achieve single molecule operation. Using such exquisite DNA nanostructures as templates, chemical synthesis of polymer and inorganic nanomaterials could also be programmed with unprecedented accuracy and flexibility. This review summarizes recent advances in the synthesis and assembly of polymer and inorganic nanomaterials using DNA nanostructures as templates, and discusses the current challenges and future outlook of DNA templated nanotechnology.
Topics: Animals; DNA; Inorganic Chemicals; Liposomes; Nanostructures; Nanotechnology; Polymers
PubMed: 32146596
DOI: 10.1007/s41061-020-0292-x -
International Journal of Molecular... Nov 2021Antibiotics are being less effective, which leads to high mortality in patients with infections and a high cost for the recovery of health, and the projections that are... (Review)
Review
Antibiotics are being less effective, which leads to high mortality in patients with infections and a high cost for the recovery of health, and the projections that are had for the future are not very encouraging which has led to consider antimicrobial resistance as a global health problem and to be the object of study by researchers. Although resistance to antibiotics occurs naturally, its appearance and spread have been increasing rapidly due to the inappropriate use of antibiotics in recent decades. A bacterium becomes resistant due to the transfer of genes encoding antibiotic resistance. Bacteria constantly mutate; therefore, their defense mechanisms mutate, as well. Nanotechnology plays a key role in antimicrobial resistance due to materials modified at the nanometer scale, allowing large numbers of molecules to assemble to have a dynamic interface. These nanomaterials act as carriers, and their design is mainly focused on introducing the temporal and spatial release of the payload of antibiotics. In addition, they generate new antimicrobial modalities for the bacteria, which are not capable of protecting themselves. So, nanoparticles are an adjunct mechanism to improve drug potency by reducing overall antibiotic exposure. These nanostructures can overcome cell barriers and deliver antibiotics to the cytoplasm to inhibit bacteria. This work aims to give a general vision between the antibiotics, the nanoparticles used as carriers, bacteria resistance, and the possible mechanisms that occur between them.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacteria; Bacterial Infections; Drug Carriers; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Humans; Inorganic Chemicals; Nanoparticles
PubMed: 34884695
DOI: 10.3390/ijms222312890 -
Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews Jan 2022Careful assessment of the biological fate and immune response of inorganic nanoparticles is crucial for use of such carriers in drug delivery and other biomedical... (Review)
Review
Careful assessment of the biological fate and immune response of inorganic nanoparticles is crucial for use of such carriers in drug delivery and other biomedical applications. Many studies have elucidated the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the interaction of inorganic nanoparticles with the components of the immune system. The biodegradation and dissolution of inorganic nanoparticles can influence their ensuing immune response. While the immunological properties of inorganic nanoparticles as a function of their physicochemical properties have been investigated in detail, little attention has been paid to the immune adverse effects towards the degradation products of these nanoparticles. To fill this gap, we herein summarize the cellular mechanisms of immune response to inorganic nanoparticles and their degradation products with specific focus on immune cells. We also accentuate the importance of designing new methods and instruments for the in situ characterization of inorganic nanoparticles in order to assess their safety as a result of degradation. This review further sheds light on factors that need to be considered in the design of safe and effective inorganic nanoparticles for use in delivery of bioactive and imaging agents.
Topics: Drug Delivery Systems; Humans; Immune System; Immunity; Inorganic Chemicals; Nanoparticles
PubMed: 34740764
DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2021.114022 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jul 2017Clinoptilolite is a natural mineral with exceptional physical characteristics resulting from its special crystal structure, mainstreamed into a large zeolite group... (Review)
Review
Clinoptilolite is a natural mineral with exceptional physical characteristics resulting from its special crystal structure, mainstreamed into a large zeolite group called heulandites. An overall view of the research related to the synthesis, modification and application of synthetic clinoptilolite is presented. A single phase of clinoptilolite can be hydrothermally synthesized for 1-10 days in an autoclave from various silica, alumina, and alkali sources with initial Si/Al ratio from 3.0 to 5.0 at a temperature range from 120 to 195 °C. Crystallization rate and crystallinity of clinoptilolite can be improved by seeding. The modification of clinoptilolite has received noticeable attention from the research community, since modified forms have specific properties and therefore their area of application has been broadening. This paper provides a review of the use of organic compounds such as quarter alkyl ammonium, polymer, amine and inorganic species used in the modification process, discusses the processes and mechanisms of clinoptilolite modification, and identifies research gaps and new perspectives.
Topics: Crystallization; Organic Chemicals; Temperature; Zeolites
PubMed: 28677630
DOI: 10.3390/molecules22071107 -
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 -
Bioconjugate Chemistry Jan 2017Light has many desirable properties as the stimulus for triggerable drug delivery systems. Inorganic nanomaterials are often key components in transducing light into... (Review)
Review
Light has many desirable properties as the stimulus for triggerable drug delivery systems. Inorganic nanomaterials are often key components in transducing light into drug delivery events. The nature of the light and the inorganic materials can affect the efficacy and safety of the drug delivery system.
Topics: Animals; Drug Delivery Systems; Inorganic Chemicals; Light; Mice; Nanostructures
PubMed: 27661196
DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.6b00448 -
Metallomics : Integrated Biometal... Apr 2021Artificial metal base pairs have become increasingly important in nucleic acids chemistry due to their high thermal stability, water solubility, orthogonality to natural... (Review)
Review
Artificial metal base pairs have become increasingly important in nucleic acids chemistry due to their high thermal stability, water solubility, orthogonality to natural base pairs, and low cost of production. These interesting properties combined with ease of chemical and enzymatic synthesis have prompted their use in several practical applications, including the construction of nanomolecular devices, ions sensors, and metal nanowires. Chemical synthesis of metal base pairs is highly efficient and enables the rapid screening of novel metal base pair candidates. However, chemical synthesis is limited to rather short oligonucleotides and requires rather important synthetic efforts. Herein, we discuss recent progress made for the enzymatic construction of metal base pairs that can alleviate some of these limitations. First, we highlight the possibility of generating metal base pairs using canonical nucleotides and then describe how modified nucleotides can be used in this context. We also provide a description of the main analytical techniques used for the analysis of the nature and the formation of metal base pairs together with relevant examples of their applications.
Topics: Base Pairing; Coordination Complexes; DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase; Metals; Nucleic Acids
PubMed: 33791776
DOI: 10.1093/mtomcs/mfab016 -
Genes Jan 2022The genome sequences of several legume species are now available allowing the comparison of the nitrogen (N) transporter inventories with non-legume species. A survey of... (Review)
Review
The genome sequences of several legume species are now available allowing the comparison of the nitrogen (N) transporter inventories with non-legume species. A survey of the genes encoding inorganic N transporters and the sensing and assimilatory families in pea, revealed similar numbers of genes encoding the primary N assimilatory enzymes to those in other types of plants. Interestingly, we find that pea and have fewer members of the NRT2 nitrate transporter family. We suggest that this difference may result from a decreased dependency on soil nitrate acquisition, as legumes have the capacity to derive N from a symbiotic relationship with diazotrophs. Comparison with , indicates that only one of three NRT2s in pea is likely to be functional, possibly indicating less N uptake before nodule formation and N-fixation starts. Pea seeds are large, containing generous amounts of N-rich storage proteins providing a reserve that helps seedling establishment and this may also explain why fewer high affinity nitrate transporters are required. The capacity for nitrate accumulation in the vacuole is another component of assimilation, as it can provide a storage reservoir that supplies the plant when soil N is depleted. Comparing published pea tissue nitrate concentrations with other plants, we find that there is less accumulation of nitrate, even in non-nodulated plants, and that suggests a lower capacity for vacuolar storage. The long-distance transported form of organic N in the phloem is known to be specialized in legumes, with increased amounts of organic N molecules transported, like ureides, allantoin, asparagine and amides in pea. We suggest that, in general, the lower tissue and phloem nitrate levels compared with non-legumes may also result in less requirement for high affinity nitrate transporters. The pattern of N transporter and assimilatory enzyme distribution in pea is discussed and compared with non-legumes with the aim of identifying future breeding targets.
Topics: Inorganic Chemicals; Ion Transport; Nitrogen; Pisum sativum; Plant Proteins
PubMed: 35052498
DOI: 10.3390/genes13010158 -
International Wound Journal Dec 2019There are many chemicals that can cause burns. Although they are generally acidic and basic in nature, there are more than one million known chemical compounds, of which... (Review)
Review
There are many chemicals that can cause burns. Although they are generally acidic and basic in nature, there are more than one million known chemical compounds, of which 300 have been declared highly hazardous chemical substances by the National Fire Protection Society. Chemical burns account for approximately 10.7% of all burn injuries and 30% of deaths because of burns. Chemicals can be classified as acid, alkali, organic, and inorganic compounds. Acids act by denaturing and coagulating proteins. Alkaline burns cause deeper burns than acid burns.
Topics: Acetic Acid; Acetone; Air Bags; Burns, Chemical; Caustics; Cyanoacrylates; Humans; Hydrocarbons; Hydroquinones; Sodium Hydroxide
PubMed: 31446674
DOI: 10.1111/iwj.13193