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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, abbreviated as SARS-CoV-2, has been associated with the transmission of infectious COVID-19 disease through breathing and speech droplets emitted by infected carriers including asymptomatic cases. As part of SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic preparedness, we studied the transmission of aerosolized air mimicking the infected person releasing speech aerosol with droplets containing CorNPs using a vibrating mesh nebulizer as human patient simulator. Generally speech produces nanoaerosols with droplets of <5 μm in diameter that can travel distances longer than 1 m after release. It is assumed that speech aerosol droplets are a main element of the current Corona virus pandemic, unlike droplets larger than 5 m, which settle down within a 1 m radius. There are no systemic studies, which take into account speech-generated aerosol/droplet experimental validation and their aerodynamics/particle kinetics analysis. In this study, we cover these topics and explore role of residual water in aerosol droplet stability by exploring drying dynamics. Furthermore, a candle experiment was designed to determine whether air pollution might influence respiratory virus like nanoparticle transmission and air stability., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The present study demonstrates lignin (L), fragments of lignin (FL), and oxidized fragmented lignin (OFL) as templates for the synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) viz., lignin-ZnO (L-ZnO), hierarchical FL-ZnO, and OFL-ZnO NPs. The X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed the formation of phase pure ZnO NPs with a hexagonal wurtzite structure. Electron microscopy confirmed the hierarchical structures with one-dimensional arrays of ZnO NPs with an average particle diameter of 40 nm. The as-synthesized L-ZnO, FL-ZnO, and OFL-ZnO NPs were tested in-vitro for growth and virulence inhibition (morphogenesis and biofilm) in Candida albicans. L-ZnO, FL-ZnO, and OFL-ZnO NPs all inhibited growth and virulence. Growth and virulence inhibitions were highest (more than 90%, respectively at 125, 31.2, and 62.5 μg/mL) in presence of FL-ZnO NPs, indicating that the hierarchical FL-ZnO NPs were potent growth and virulence inhibiting agent than non-hierarchical ZnO NPs. Furthermore, the real-time polymerase chain (RT-PCR) was used to study the virulence inhibition molecular mechanisms of L-ZnO, FL-ZnO, and OFL-ZnO NPs. RT-PCR results showed that the downregulation of phr1, phr2, efg1, hwp1, ras1, als3 and als4, and the upregulation of bcy1, nrg1, and tup1 genes inhibited the virulence in C. albicans. Lastly, we also performed in-vitro test cell cytotoxicity on the cell line, mouse embryo 3T3L1, and in-vivo toxicity on Rats, which showed that FL-ZnO NPs were biocompatible and nontoxic., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors declare that there is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Compared to the classical chemicals, nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit unique properties, which lead to challenges in sample preparation and analysis. Fractionation techniques and, in particular, hollow fiber flow field flow fractionation (HF5) have recently become popular in the characterization and quantification of nanomaterials, because of their fine fractionation capability in the nanoscale-range. When dealing with NPs, a great drawback during fractionation is the loss of particles in the fractionation devices, tubing and connectors. There is a need for studies to systematically explore and assess the quality of the fractionation process. A combination of two complementary mass-based setups was used to determine particle loss in HF5. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) enabled the estimation of recovery rates for NPs after HF5 separation. Reciprocally, laser ablation ICP-MS (LA-ICP-MS) permitted the evaluation of particles retained on the hollow fiber. 15 nm Au-NPs in different concentrations were evaluated in this study and showed a recovery level for Au-NPs of 50 - 65% based on the applied concentrations after a complete HF5 separation run. Detection of sample deposition on the hollow fiber by LA-ICP-MS indicated a sample loss of about 8%. These findings are important for experiments relying on fractionation of low concentrated nanoparticulate samples., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

The interactions between pharmaceuticals and nanomaterials and its potentially resulting toxicological effects in living systems are only insufficiently investigated. In this study, two model compounds, acetaminophen, a pharmaceutical, and cerium dioxide, a manufactured nanomaterial, were investigated in combination and individually. Upon inhalation, cerium dioxide nanomaterials were shown to systemically translocate into other organs, such as the liver. Therefore we picked the human liver cell line HuH-7 cells as an in vitro system to investigate liver toxicity. Possible synergistic or antagonistic metabolic changes after co-exposure scenarios were investigated. Toxicological data of the water soluble tetrazolium (WST-1) assay for cell proliferation and genotoxicity assessment using the Comet assay were combined with an untargeted as well as a targeted lipidomics approach. We found an attenuated cytotoxicity and an altered metabolic profile in co-exposure experiments with cerium dioxide, indicating an interaction of both compounds at these endpoints. Single exposure against cerium dioxide showed a genotoxic effect in the Comet assay. Conversely, acetaminophen exhibited no genotoxic effect. Comet assay data do not indicate an enhancement of genotoxicity after co-exposure. The results obtained in this study highlight the advantage of investigating co-exposure scenarios, especially for bioactive substances.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a prime focus for clinicians to maintain the homeostatic function in health and deliver the theranostics in brain cancer and number of neurological diseases. The structural hierarchy and in situ biochemical signaling of BBB neurovascular unit have been primary targets to recapitulate into the in vitro modules. The microengineered perfusion systems and development in 3D cellular and organoid culture have given a major thrust to BBB research for neuropharmacology. In this review, we focus on revisiting the nanoparticles based bimolecular engineering to enable them to maneuver, control, target, and deliver the theranostic payloads across cellular BBB as nanorobots or nanobots. Subsequently we provide a brief outline of specific case studies addressing the payload delivery in brain tumor and neurological disorders (e.g., Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, etc.). In addition, we also address the opportunities and challenges across the nanorobots' development and design. Finally, we address how computationally powered machine learning (ML) tools and artificial intelligence (AI) can be partnered with robotics to predict and design the next generation nanorobots to interact and deliver across the BBB without causing damage, toxicity, or malfunctions. The content of this review could be references to multidisciplinary science to clinicians, roboticists, chemists, and bioengineers involved in cutting-edge pharmaceutical design and BBB research.

Recently, there has been growing attention and effort to search for new microbicidal drugs which present different mode of action from those already existing, as an alternative to the global threat of fungal and bacterial multi drug resistance (MDR). Here we propose biological synthesis of SnO₂ nanoparticles using mammalian cells as an economic and ecofriendly platform. This presents a novel biogenic method for SnO₂ synthesis using metal binding peptides extracted from MCF-7 human cancer cells, which induces the biomineralization of SnO₂ nanoparticles. A series of electron donor functional groups and metal binding sites in these peptides reacts with Sn 2+ ions and directs the growth of SnO₂ nanoparticles without addition of toxic redox and capping agents in the reaction system. Since peptides present reactive sites in aqueous solution at room temperature, a facile reaction environment can be easily achieved. Furthermore, by tuning the reactants' concentration and pH, the size, shape and 3D-structures of SnO₂ nanoparticles can be controlled. Peptides also ensure biocompatibility, and SnO₂ nanoparticles provide antibacterial properties, which broadens their applications in biomedical fields.

Engineered nanomaterials are increasingly used in domestic and commercial products due to the rapid growth and increasing public and industrial interests in nanotechnology. Undoubtedly there will be more exposure of living organisms and the environment to nanomaterials. Therefore, understanding the biophysicochemical interactions of nanoparticles with proteins, membranes, cells, DNA, and organelles at the nano-biointerface will help to control fundamental biological and dynamic colloidal forces to promote biocompatibility of the particles. In this article, we review how bio- and physicochemical surface characteristics at nanoscale govern particle biocompatibility for in vivo and in vitro models. We also revisit the promise and predictions gained from this understanding to design special types of nanoparticles, such as quantum dots (QDs) and superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs), for biomedical applications. This knowledge is essential not only from the perspective of safe use of nanomaterials, but also in paving the way for nontoxic interactions with biological systems. It paves the route for safe implementation of the materials in novel biomedical diagnostics and therapeutics. We also put forward an outlook and future perspective, which are largely "ignored parameters" in nanomedicine. In conclusion, emphasis on the systematic evaluation of nanomaterial toxicity in primary cells derived from vital organs and the need to develop an international consortium for a materialomics database is encouraged.

The blood brain barrier (BBB) maintains homeostasis by regulating the transport of chemicals at the brain interface. However, it is also one of the largest obstacles for drug delivery to the central nervous system (CNS). The utilization of nanoparticles as drug delivery vehicles is one potential solution to overcome this barrier. This review highlights the characteristics of the BBB that inhibit the passage of drugs to the brain, evaluates the efficiency of current in vitro models to mimic the BBB, and discusses the use of nanoparticles in both in vivo and in vitro models to enhance drug permeability across the barrier. In addition, this review describes factors that influence the passage of nanoparticles (type of polymers and surfactant coating, nanoparticle size) across the barrier. Protein opsonization and phagocytic activity of the reticuloendothelial system limits the amount of drug delivered to the brain, and this article summarizes methods to circumvent these issues. This paper also reviews literature covering opportunities and challenges provided with current applications of nanoparticle drug delivery systems for diseases of the brain, including cancer, HIV, and Alzheimer's disease.