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The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic requires the development of effective vaccines consisting of formulations able to induce safe and neutralizing humoral and cellular responses, particularly in the respiratory system. Since nanomaterials can serve as efficient antigen delivery carriers and immunostimulatory agents, their exploration and use in vaccinology have led to the production of nanovaccines, specifically, conjugates comprising antigens, nanocarriers, and adjuvants that can render highly effective immunization agents. This chapter covers vaccines under development and in present use, general considerations on nanomaterials that can be used as nanocarriers, and recently reported nanovaccines targeting SARS-CoV-2 that result in attractive immunization models already implemented in test animals and generating promising immune-protective effects. A revision of such developments is presented here, identifying improvements to these approaches. Moreover, we include perspectives on the development of anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines taking advantage of such precedents.

Arsenic contamination of groundwater is a significant problem in countries like Mexico, where San Luis Potosi is among the regions registering severe levels of it. Bioremediation with microalgae capable to absorb and metabolize metals or metalloids like arsenic reduces their toxicity and is a cost-effective approach compared to physical-chemical processes. We evaluated the capability of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to remove arsenate and compared it with an acr3-modified recombinant strain, which we produced by transforming the wild-type strain with Agrobacterium tumefaciens using the construct pARR1 including a synthetic, optimized acr3 gene from Pteris vittata, a hyper-accumulator of arsenic. We monitored the growth of both strains in media with arsenate, containing a standard or a 10-fold decreased amount of phosphate. Comparing both strains in media initially with 0.5, 1, and 1.5 mg/L of arsenate, the acr3-modified strain removed 1.5 to 3 times more arsenic than the wild-type strain. Moreover, the arsenic uptake rate increased 1.2 to 2.3 times when growing the acr3-modified strain in media with decreased phosphate, while the uptake rate for the wild-type strain scarcely changed under the same conditions. These results confirm the expression of the acr3 gene in C. reinhardtii and its potential application to remove arsenic.

The development of vaccines is a crucial response against the COVID-19 pandemic and innovative nanovaccines could increase the potential to address this remarkable challenge. In the present study a B cell epitope (S461–493) from the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 was selected and its immunogenicity validated in sheep. This synthetic peptide was coupled to gold nanoparticles (AuNP) functionalized with SH-PEG-NH2 via glutaraldehyde-mediated coupling to obtain the AuNP-S461–493 candidate, which showed in s.c.-immunized mice a superior immunogenicity (IgG responses) when compared to soluble S461–493; and lead to increased expression of relevant cytokines in splenocytes cultures. Interestingly, the response triggered by AuNP-S461–493 was similar in magnitude to that induced using a conventional strong adjuvant (Freund's adjuvant). This study provides a platform for the development of AuNP-based nanovaccines targeting specific SARS-CoV-2 epitopes., Graphical Abstract An antigenic peptide from SARS-CoV-2 was selected to prepare a gold nanoparticles-based conjugate (AuNP-S461–493), whose immunogenicity was assessed in mice, revealing an enhanced humoral response when compared with the soluble peptide.Unlabelled Image

Bioremediation with genetically modified microalgae is becoming an alternative to remove metalloids and metals such as cadmium, a contaminant produced in industrial processes and found in domestic waste. Its removal is important in several countries including Mexico, where the San Luis Potosi region has elevated levels of it. We generated a construct with a synthetic gene for γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase and employed it in the chloroplast transformation of

Bioremediation with genetically modified microalgae is becoming an alternative to remove metalloids and metals such as cadmium, a contaminant produced in industrial processes and found in domestic waste. Its removal is important in several countries including Mexico, where the San Luis Potosi region has elevated levels of it. We generated a construct with a synthetic gene for γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase and employed it in the chloroplast transformation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. In dose-response kinetics with media containing from 1 to 20 mg/L of cadmium, both the transplastomic clone and the wild-type strain grew similarly, but the former removed up to 32% more cadmium. While the growth of both decreased with higher concentrations of cadmium, the transplastomic clone removed 20 ± 9% more than the wild-type strain. Compared to the wild-type strain, in the transplastomic clone the activity of glutathione S-transferase and the intracellular glutathione increased up to 2.1 and 1.9 times, respectively, in media with 2.5 and 10 mg/mL of cadmium. While 20 mg/L of cadmium inhibited the growth of both, the transplastomic clone gradually duplicated. These results confirm the expression of the synthetic gene gshA in the transformed strain as revealed in its increased removal uptake and metabolic response.

Gold nanoshells are particles usually composed of a spherical silica core coated with a thin gold layer. Their chemical and optical properties make them suitable and attractive for medical applications, namely cancer treatment and diagnosis, as they have been studied for biosensing, imaging, and photothermal ablation. For their synthesis, most of the reported methods are based on the first reported by Oldenburg et al. In this method, silica nanoparticles are first produced and then modified to incorporate amino groups aimed to adsorb small gold clusters, which in turn act as the nucleation sites for the reduction of additional gold until complete gold shells are formed. In this review, we examine some common conditions to synthesize gold nanoshells based on this process, along with important aspects that need to be followed to ensure the production of gold nanoshells having homogeneous size and shape that render suspensions with consistent properties in the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Since the customary method is laborious and time-consuming, three additional processes intended to simplify or reduce some steps are described as well. Finally, fundamental aspects on the chemistry of the synthesis and their variations involved in all the revised processes are also presented. Figures from our own findings are included to support these descriptions. Please notice that this review focuses on the synthesis; other reviews focus in optical properties and applications.

Noble metal nanoparticles have received much attention due to their interesting properties that make them useful in different technical fields. Metallic nanoparticles with optical properties in the near infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum are of great importance for biological applications, in particular photothermal therapy, as it is greatly enhanced by metallic nanoparticles. However, despite the large amount of work that has been done with metallic nanoparticles for thermal therapy, there is a reduced amount of scientific reports about the photothermal stability of most studied nanoparticles. In this work, hollow Au–Ag bimetallic nanoparticles were synthesized via galvanic replacement reaction, with optical properties that can be tuned systematically along the visible and near infrared region of the spectrum, by changing the pH before the synthesis of the templates and by controlling the amount of gold added for the synthesis of the nanoshells. The synthesized nanoparticles exhibit good photothermal properties when illuminated with an 808 nm laser light. An increase of temperature of nearly 20 °C is achieved after 15 minutes of irradiation. Moreover, the Au–Ag nanoparticles show good reusability even after ten heating/cooling cycles. The nanoparticles also retain their optical properties after 12 hours of continuous irradiation and are able to maintain their photothermal characteristics of increasing the temperature at the same levels during the entire process.

The formulation and characterization of gentamicin-loaded microspheres as a delivery system targeting enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli K88 (E. coli K88) was investigated. Glycated albumin with lactose (BSA-glucose-β (4-1) galactose) was used as the microsphere matrix (MS-Lac) and gentamicin included as the transported antibiotic. The proposed target strategy was that exposed galactoses of MS-Lac could be specifically recognized by E. coli K88 adhesins, and the delivery of gentamicin would inhibit bacterial growth. Lactosylated microspheres (MS-Lac1, MS-Lac2 and MS-Lac3) were obtained using a water-in-oil emulsion, containing gentamicin, followed by crosslinking with different concentrations of glutaraldehyde. Electron microscopy displayed spherical particles with a mean size of 10–17 µm. In vitro release of gentamicin from MS-Lac was best fitted to a first order model, and the antibacterial activity of encapsulated and free gentamicin was comparable. MS-Lac treatments were recognized by plant galactose-specific lectins from Ricinus communis and Sophora japonica and by E. coli K88 adhesins. Results indicate MS-Lac1, produced with 4.2 mg/mL of crosslinker, as the best treatment and that lactosylated microsphere are promising platforms to obtain an active, targeted system against E. coli K88 infections.

The easiest way to make polymers able to specifically recognize a target molecule consists of copolymerizing functional monomers and a cross-linker around a molecular template. This method affords a rigid material bearing high affinity binding sites, namely a synthetic receptor or antibody mimic, known as the “molecularly imprinted polymer” (MIP). MIPs find applications in many fields where a specific molecular recognition process is involved, and to suit their application there is a constant need for engineering their physical forms and synthetic methods, with photo-structuring being particularly attractive. Herein we report for the first time the use of a photo-iniferter precipitation polymerization for the synthesis of MIPs under low-power visible light. Microspheres imprinted with testosterone as model targets were synthesized under either blue or green light, and the living fragments on their surface were further used for chain extension with model poly-(ethylene glycol methacrylate phosphate) brushes by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, demonstrating the versatility of this approach.

The kinetics of the thermal hydrolysis of the fructans of Agave salmiana were determined during the cooking step of mezcal production in a pilot autoclave. Thermal hydrolysis was achieved at different temperatures and cooking times, ranging from 96 to 116 °C and from 20 to 80 h. A simple kinetic model of the depolymerization of fructans to monomers and other reducing sugars and of the degradation of reducing sugars to furans [principally 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural, HMF] was developed. From this model, the rate constants of the reactions were calculated, as well as the pre-exponential factors and activation energies of the Arrhenius equation. The model was found to fit the experimental data well. The tradeoff between a maximum fructan hydrolysis and a critical furan concentration in allowing for the best ethanol yield during fermentation was investigated. The results indicated that the thermal hydrolysis of agave was optimal, from the point of view of ethanol yield in the ensuing fermentation, in the temperature range of 106-116 °C and the cooking range time of 6-14 h. The optimal conditions corresponded to a fructan hydrolysis of 80%, producing syrups with furan and reducing sugar concentrations of 1 ± 0.1 and 110 ± 10 g/L, respectively.