Plasmon resonance associated with nanoparticles of gold can enable photothermal ablation of tissues or controlled drug release with exquisite temporal and spatial control. These technologies may support many applications of precision medicine. However, clinical implementations of these technologies will require new methods of intraoperative imaging and guidance. Near-infrared laser surgery is a prime example that relies on improved image guidance. Here we set forth applications of augmented microscopy in guiding surgical procedures employing plasmon resonant gold-coated liposomes. Absorption of near-infrared laser light is the first step in activation of various diagnostic and therapeutic functions of these novel functional nanoparticles. Therefore, we demonstrate examples of near-infrared visualization of the laser beam and gold-coated liposomes. The augmented microscope proves to be a promisingimage guidance platform for a range of image-guided medical procedures.

Les nano-objets ou nanoparticules sont des systèmes de taille nanométrique. Dans le domaine de l’oncologie, ils sont capables de transporter des agents anticancéreux et/ou des macromolécules comme des gènes ou des protéines, de sorte qu’ils s’accumulent préférentiellement dans le tissu tumoral. Ainsi, les nanoparticules ont pour but de diminuer la quantité de principe actif libre dans l’organisme, responsable de toxicités. Elles permettent en clinique d’améliorer la balance bénéfice/risque des agents de chimiothérapies conventionnels. Ce sont de véritables plateformes qui permettent de s’affranchir de certains excipients toxiques contenus dans la formulation du paclitaxel (Cremophor El). Ainsi, au cours de ce travail nous nous sommes intéressés dans un premier temps aux nanoparticules d’or (Au-NP) produites par ablation laser femtoseconde. Nous avons ainsi caractérisé ces Au-NP sur le plan physico-chimique et biologique, et mis en évidence leur internalisation et leur innocuité. Dans un deuxième temps, nous avons évalué l’efficacité pharmacologique de conjugués dendron-paclitaxel sur des cultures cellulaires 2D et 3D et mis en avant la libération prolongée intracellulaire du paclitaxel et son effet retard. Compte-tenu des propriétés observées, ces nanoparticules sont de bons candidats pour un futur développement. En effet, la liaison de ces deux nanostructures entre elles permettra l’obtention d’un nano-objet aux propriétés de théranostiques. / Nano-objects or nanoparticles can be readily fabricated with their size being controlled typically in the range of 1–100 nm. In the field of oncology, they can be used for drug delivery, as their composition/structure may be engineered to load anticancer drugs, macromolecules or proteins. Indeed, the delivery of anticancer drugs through a nanoparticle-based platform offers many attractive features. Nanoparticle-based drugs are synthetized to significantly improve the benefit/risk ratio of conventional chemotherapeutics. They allow overcoming some toxic excipients in the formulation of paclitaxel (Cremophor El). In this work, we first studied the physico-chemical and biological properties of Au-NPs synthetized by femtosecond laser ablation and we investigated their safety and cellular uptake. Second, we evaluated the anticancer activity of dendron-paclitaxel conjugates in 2D and 3D cell cultures and showed a delayed effect of this new formulation. Based on these results, the studied nanoparticles are good candidates for future development. By combining the two nano-objects, we will obtain nanoparticles with theranostic properties.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Apoptosis or programmed cell death is vital to the development of organisms as they maintain the balance between cell death and cell growth. Failure to activate apoptosis has been implicated in carcinogenesis and often results from the over expression of anti–cancer proteins such as the X–linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP). XIAP is over expresses in certain cancers and is a potent inhibitor of the initiator caspase 9 and effector caspases 3 and 7. The increased expression of XIAP in cancer cells result in the resistance to apoptosis. The control of XIAP is therefore considered as a target for anti–cancer drug development. Embelin or 2,5–dihydroxy–3–undecyl–1,4–benzoquinoine is a dihydroxyquinone compound that was previously shown to inhibit XIAP. This drug was discovered by structure based computational screening. The binding of embelin to XIAP displaces XIAP from caspases, consequently eliminating the inhibitory effect of XIAP on apoptosis. The objective of this study was to develop a gold nanoparticle that can be used for the targeted delivery of embelin to cancer cells thereby enhancing pro–apoptotic effects of the pro–apoptotic drug, ceramide. XIAP expression levels were investigated by Western blot analysis in a panel of human cancer cell lines available in the laboratory to identify two cell lines that can be used as low and high XIAP expression controls. Gold nanoparticles were synthesized and conjugated with embelin and a cancer targeting peptide with the amino acid sequence LTVSPWY. The biconjugated nanoparticles were used to co–treat MCF7 and HepG2 cells with ceramide. Apoptosis was quantified using flow cytometry. The uptake of gold nanoparticles was investigated using HR–TEM and ICP–OES. This study showed that gold nanoparticles conjugated with the LTVSPWY peptide is specifically targeted to and taken up by cancer cells. Gold nanoparticles conjugated with embelin promoted ceramide induced apoptotic cell death of cancer cells. However, it was observed that gold nanoparticles biconjugated with the LTVSPWY peptide and embelin failed to enhance the pro–apoptotic effects of ceramide. iii This study successfully demonstrated that gold nanoparticles conjugated with embelin could be used to enhance the effects of anti–cancer drugs using ceramide as an example.

There is a compelling need for the development of new sensory and neural prosthetic devices which are capable of more precise point stimulation. Current prosthetic devices suffer from the limitation of low spatial resolution due to the non-specific stimulation characteristics of electrical stimulation, i.e., the spread of electric fields generated. We present a visible light stimulation method for modulating the firing patterns of electrically-excitable cells using surface plasmon resonance phenomena. In in-vitro studies using gold (Au) nanoparticle-coated nanoelectrodes, we show that this method (substrate coated with nanoparticles) has potential for incorporating the technology into neural stimulation prosthetics, such as cochlear implants, with arbitrarily high spatial resolution. Au nanoparticles (NPs) were coated on micropipettes using aminosilane linkers; and these micropipettes were used for stimulating and inhibiting the action potential firing patterns of SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells and neonatal cardiomyocytes. Our findings pave the way for development of biomedical implants and neural testing devices using nanoelectrodes capable of temporally and spatially precise excitation and inhibition of electrically-excitable cellular activity.

This thesis studies the different ways in which the localized plasmon heating effect of gold nanostructures -activated by plasmon excitation via visible and/or NIR irradiation- can be used to obtain different outcomes following the nanofabrication of applicable devices. Both spatial and temporal control were obtained for each one of the systems developed upon the incorporation of plasmonic gold nanostructures. Spatial control was enabled in hybrid mesoporous drug delivery systems fabricated in this thesis through the localized surface plasmon heating effect that allowed the modification of the dynamics of diffusion of the cargo being delivered, thus giving rise to different rates of release that can be controlled by plasmon excitation. At the same time, the plasmon heating effect proved to be capable of controlling the start of the release by dismantling thermo-responsive gates previously incorporated, thus enabling also a wavelength-controlled feature that enhances the versatility of these systems. Spatial control was also conferred to the photo-patterning applications presented in this dissertation by influencing the degree of motility of gold nanorods (AuNRs) embedded in polymer matrices allowing them to self-assemble when the longitudinal plasmon of the incorporated nanostructures was excited; the patterns generated were quite robust and persisted for extended periods of time. Finally, the feature of spatial heating control was also conferred to catalysis. The Friedel-Crafts alkylation of anisole by benzyl chloride using spherical gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) supported on Nb2O5-based catalysts was performed at bulk temperatures below those necessary for the reaction to occur when using bare or modified Nb2O5; this was the result of the combination of bulk and localized plasmon heating produced -both- via plasmon excitation. This also demonstrates the possibility of using plasmon excitation as an alternative heat source in this type of reactions. By combining the plasmonic properties of metallic nanostructures with those granted by mesoporous materials, polymer matrices and Nb2O5-based materials it was possible to obtain light-activated systems endowed also with temporal control and wavelength control while preserving the original properties of each systems' components. Overall, the content of this thesis describes in detail the practical aspects of combining gold nanostructures with different materials and the rationale behind the development of systems with customized and controllable properties.

L'objectif est la mise au point d'une méthodologie de synthèse des nanoparticules d'or en présence du chitosane sous rayonnement permettant l'obtention d'objet de taille homogène et contrôlée. Dans ce but, nous mettrons l'accent sur l'étude des interactions entre les ions Au(III) et le chitosane en solution avant irradiation. En effet, la coordination entre des unités de glucosamine et l'ion Au(III) favorise la réduction de Au(III) en Au(0) et la formation de nanoparticules d'or. Cela est démontré clairement par l'étude de l'influence du pH sur la formation de nanoparticule lors du vieillissement des solutions d'HAuCl4 en présence de chitosane. Ce phénomène a été avance pour expliquer tout au moins partiellement, le mécanisme de la réduction des ions Au(III) en présence du chitosane sous rayonnement. Il s'agissait de définir si le mécanisme de réduction des ions Au(III) en ions Au(0) suivait un processus classique tels qu'il a été décrit dans les travaux de Belloni et de Henglein, ou si la présence de chitosane influe sur ce processus. L'élaboration des nanoparticules d'or en présence du chitosane utilisé comme agent stabilisant a été réalisée sous irradiation par faisceau d'électrons ou par rayonnement gamma. L'influence des paramètres de synthèse (rapport du [GLA]/[Au(III)], conditionnement des échantillons, effet de la dose d'irradiation, effet du débit de dose, rôle d'un piégeur de radicaux ou d'électrons solvatés) a ensuite été évaluée sur les propriétés caractéristiques des solutions de nanoparticules d'or (taille, charge, résonance plasmon de surface). L'activité catalytique des nanoparticules synthétisées a été testée vis-à-vis de la réaction de réduction du 4-nitrophénol en 4-aminophénol par NaBH4.Mots-clés : or, nanoparticules, chitosane, coordination, irradiation, faisceau d'électrons, rayonnement gamma, 4-nitrophénol. / The goal of this work is to develop a methodology for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles in the presence of chitosan under radiation to obtain a homogeneous object and controlled size. To reach this purpose, we will focus on the study of interactions between the ions Au(III) and chitosan in solution before irradiation. Indeed, the coordination between units of glucosamine and Au(III) promotes the reduction of Au(III) to Au(0) and the formation of gold nanoparticles. This is clearly demonstrated by the influence of pH on the formation of nanoparticles upon aging of HAuCl4 solutions in the presence of chitosan. This formulation has been used to explain the mechanism of reduction of Au(III) in the presence of chitosan in radiation. It was to define whether the reduction mechanism of ion Au(III) ions Au(0) followed a conventional process such as those described by the work of Belloni and Henglein, or if the presence of chitosan affects this process. The development of gold nanoparticles in the presence of chitosan used as a stabilizing agent was produced by the electron beam and gamma radiation. The influence of the synthesis parameters (report [GLA]/[Au (III)], sample conditioning, effect of irradiation dose, dose rate effect, role of a radical scavenger) on the characteristic gold nanoparticles was then evaluated (size, charge, surface plasmon resonance). The catalytic activity of these nanoparticles was tested towards the reduction reaction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol by NaBH4.Keywords: gold, nanoparticles, chitosan, coordination, irradiation, electron beam, gamma radiation, 4-nitrophenol.

L’objectif de ce travail est de proposer un mécanisme réactionnel pour l’oxydation aérobie d’hydrocarbures lourds, alcanes et alcènes, catalysée par les nanoparticules d’or. La co-oxydation du stilbène et du méthylcyclohexane est utilisée comme réaction modèle afin de comprendre les nombreux mécanismes mis en jeu. Le criblage initial d’une large gamme de catalyseurs d’or nous permet de mettre en évidence des effets de support dans cette réaction et d’établir un cahier des charges bien défini pour l’élaboration d’un catalyseur de référence. Une méthode chimique simple est mise au point pour préparer un tel catalyseur. Ce catalyseur, optimisé pour les réactions en milieux organiques apolaires, est ensuite utilisé pour réaliser des études macrocinétiques en variant de nombreux paramètres expérimentaux : température, concentration des réactifs, quantité de catalyseur. Un intermédiaire réactionnel clef, l’hydroperoxyde de méthylcyclohexane, est identifié. Après dosage, l’étude de l’évolution de sa concentration au cours du temps dans les différentes conditions de réaction permet de valider le mécanisme réactionnel existant et de mieux comprendre l’importance de certaines étapes élémentaires / The aim of this work is to propose a mechanism for the gold-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of bulky hydrocarbons, alkanes and alkenes. The co-oxidation of stilbene and methylcyclohexane is used as a model reaction to study different mechanisms which can take place simultaneously. After an initial screening of different gold catalysts in this reaction, essential characteristics of a reference catalyst for organic reactions in apolar media are identified. Based on these requirements, a straight-forward, chemical bottom-up method is designed to prepare this reference catalyst. This catalyst is used for macro-kinetic studies of the co-oxidation by modifying experimental parameters, such as temperature, alkane/alkene ratio, and reactants initial concentration. One key reaction intermediate, 1-methylcyclohexyl hydroperoxide, is identified. After titration, following the evolution of the concentration of this intermediate with time under the various reaction conditions considered validates the existing mechanism and highlight the importance of some elementary steps of the co-oxidation

Orientadores: Carlos Rettori, Pascoal José Giglio Pagliuso / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-22T06:56:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lesseux_GuilhermeGorgen_M.pdf: 14003739 bytes, checksum: b737fc7f0d847cdc75e895351974e1e2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: Compostos nanoestruturados têm atraído cada vez mais atenção do ponto de vista tecnológico devido às inúmeras possibilidades em termos de aplicação nas mais diversas áreas. Além da motivação em termos de aplicação, o aumento da proporção de átomos na superfície em relação ao volume e a redução da dimensionalidade nestes compostos trazem consigo novas questões em física. Com base nisso, o estudo científico sistemático destas questões é fundamental para o desenvolvimento da nanociência e da nanotecnologia de forma geral. No presente trabalho são estudadas propriedades magnéticas de três tipos de nanopartículas (NPs): i) NPs de Au assistidas por óxidos do tipo R2O3 (R = Er e Y) que exibem propriedades ferromagnéticas; ii) NPs metálicas, Au e Ag, com a impureza magnética Er3+ diluída permitindo assim a sondagem microscópica de propriedades físicas por Ressonância de Spin Eletrônico; iii) E, por fim, NPs de NaYF4 mono e codopadas com os íons de terras raras RE = Yb3+, Er3+ e Tm3+ nas quais foi possível verificar o fenômeno de upconversion. Com base em adaptação de métodos estabelecidos na literatura, [1_3] foi desenvolvida uma rota química para a obtenção de NPs de Au com propriedades ferromagnéticas acentuadas pela incorporação de óxidos. A partir da magnetização de saturação em 2 K e baseado em uma análise termogravimétrica (TGA) estimou-se um momento magnético efetivo de aproximadamente 0.2 µB por átomos de Au na superfície das NPs. Além da caracterização magnetometrica típica, observou-se uma linha intensa de ESR em banda-X desde 370 K até 4.2 K. Esta ressonância possui intensidade praticamente constante caracterizando a ressonância observada como ferromagnética (FMR). Estes resultados são interpretados com base na ligação entre a capa orgânica (capping), o óxido R2O3 e os átomos de Au gerando uma hibridização efetiva dos orbitais 5d-6s dos elétrons do Au. Esta hibridização seria, então, responsável por tornar a camada 5d do Au magnética devido a spins não compensados nos orbitais 5d. As NPs metálicas com impurezas de Er3+ foram obtidas por uma variação do método utilizado para as NPs de Au ferromagnéticas. Os valores de g e as estruturas hiperfinas observadas indicam que o íon Er3+ está em um sítio cúbico tanto nas partículas de Ag como nas de Au. Os espectros de ESR mostram que não há deslocamento de g e relaxação tipo Korringa devido à interação de troca entre os spins do Er3+ e os dos elétrons de condução, sugerindo assim que esta interação de troca não ocorre em NPs metálicas. Por fim, as NPs de NaYF4 dopadas com RE = Yb3+, Er3+ e Tm3+ foram obtidas por um método estabelecido na literatura. [4, 5] A incorporação, o estado de oxidação e a concentração dos íons magnéticos Er3+ e Yb3+ foram confirmados por medidas de magnetização dc e de ESR. Observou-se emissão visível no verde e no azul para amostras codopadas com 20%Yb3+ / 2%Er3+ e 30%Yb3+ / 0.5%Tm3+, respectivamente, devido ao fenômeno conhecido como upconversion / Abstract: Nanostructured compounds have attracted growing attention from the technological point of view due to numerous possibilities in terms of application in several areas. Besides, the large surface/volume atoms ratio and the reduced dimensionality of these nanocompounds raised new fundamental physical issues. Therefore, a detailed and systematic scientific study regarding these phenomena is crucial for the sake of nanoscience and nanotechnology development. In this dissertation, we thoroughly investigated the magnetic properties of three different types of nanoparticles (NPs): i) Au NPs assisted by oxides R2O3 (R = Er and Y) which present unexpected ferromagnetic properties; ii) diluted magnetic Er3+ impurities in Ag and Au NPs, which allow Electron Spin Resonance to study several microscopic local physical properties and, finally, iii) single and co-doped Yb3+, Er3+ and Tm3+ NaYF4 NPs that allowed to verify the up-conversion phenomena in these NPs. After adapting and improving already established methods reported in the literature, [1_3] we developed a novel chemical route to obtain Au-NPs with enhanced ferromagnetic properties by oxide incorporation. Based on the saturation magnetization at 2 K and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), we estimated an effective magnetic moment of µeff ¿ 0.2 µB per Au atom on the surface of the NPs. Besides the typical magnetometric characterization, we also carried out X-band ESR experiments. An intense ESR line was observed in the range of 4.2K = T = 370K with an integrated signal intensity which is almost constant in the entire T-range. Based on our results, the observed ESR signal is attributed to a ferromagnetic resonance (FMR). These results are discussed in terms of bonds between the NP-capping ligands and the Au atoms, which give rise to an effective hybridization between the 5d-6s electrons at the surface of the AuNPs. This hybridization might be the responsible mechanism for the Au 5d shell to become magnetic due to uncompensated spins in the 5d orbitals. The metallic Er3+ doped Ag and Au NPs were obtained by a slightly modified method used to get the ferromagnetic Au -NPs. The ESR g-values and observed hyperfine splitting indicate a cubic symmetry for the Er3+ ions in the Ag and Au NPs. Furthermore, we observed no g-shift and Korringa relaxation due to the exchange interaction between the magnetic rare-earth impurities and the conduction electron spins. This fact suggests that such an exchange interaction is negligible in metallic NPs. Finally, the Er3+, Yb3+ and Tm3+ doped NaYF4 NPs were obtained by a method already established in the literature. [4, 5] The incorporation of the Er3+ and Yb3+ ions as well as their oxidation state and concentration were confirmed by T-dependent magnetization and ESR measurements. For the co-doped NaYF4 NPs, we observed by naked eye the expected green and blue emitted lights of Yb/Er and Yb/Tm, respectively, due to a phenomenon known as upconversion / Mestrado / Física / Mestre em Física

The need of purified biomolecules, such as proteins or antibodies, has required the biopharmaceutical industries to look for new recovering solutions to reduce time and costs of bioseparations. In the last decade, the emergent field of membrane chromatography has gained attention as possible substituent of the common used protein A affinity chromatography for bioseparations. In this scenario, gold nanoparticles can be used as means for offering affinity, mainly because of their biocompatible and reversible binding behavior, together with their high surface area-to-volume ratio, which offers a large number of binding sites. This work introduces a new procedure for purification of monoclonal antibodies based on polymeric membranes functionalized with gold nanoparticles. This novel approach shortens the process of purification by promoting selective binding of antibodies, while separating a mixture of biomolecules during a filtration process. The effects of gold nanoparticles and the surrounding ligand on the proteins adsorption and filtration are investigated. The results confirm that the functionalization helps in inducing a selective binding, preventing the non-selective one, and it also improves the selectivity of the separation process.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Nature through billions of years of trial and error has produced an immeasurable amount of natural systems like plants, birds and animals. The intelligence of nature is hidden in these natural systems and researchers are turning towards “Nature’s intelligence” to find inspiration and advance novelty in the development of nanomaterials. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have unique optical, electronic and physicochemical features which has gained them popularity and widespread exploitation in various applications. The conventional methods used for AuNPs synthesis employs toxic chemicals which makes these NPs unsafe for biomedical applications. Hence, there is a search for new, ‘green’ and more cost effective methods for AuNPs synthesis. Plant extracts are regarded as a highly desirable system for nanoparticle synthesis due to their tremendous capability to produce a wide range of phytochemicals that can act as reducing agents. The main goal of this study was to synthesize AuNPs in a cost effective manner without the use of toxic chemicals in the synthesis process. Avocado seeds which are an agricultural waste by-product were used for the biosynthesis of AuNPs. The study reports on the synthesis optimization, characterization and activities of the biogenic AuNPs. The avocado seed extract mediated - AuNPs (AvoSE-AuNPs) were optimized by varying reaction parameters and characterized by UV-visible, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), Zetasizer and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The formation of AvoSE-AuNPs had an absorption maximum at 534 nm. HRTEM and DLS confirmed that the NPs were polydispersed and present in different shapes. The presence of phytochemical constituents on the AvoSE-AuNPs were confirmed by FTIR. Their potential antibacterial activity was tested on bacterial strains known to exhibit resistance to a number of current antibiotics. The catalytic activity of AvoSE-AuNPs was also assessed as a means to contribute to the development of new methods aimed at alleviating organic pollutants such as nitrophenols in the environment. The AvoSE-AuNPs demonstrated excellent catalytic activity in the reduction of 4-NP by NaBH4 as shown by the rapid decrease in the nitrophenolate absorption band at 400 nm and the appearance of new absorption band at 298 nm, revealing the formation of the 4-aminophenol. Furthermore, the rate constants calculated demonstrated that the reaction occurs faster in the presence AvoSEAuNPs. The AvoSE-AuNPs showed low significant cytotoxicity. Cell cycle analysis was conducted to further investigate the apparent exhibited toxicity of the AvoSE-AuNPs. The results showed that in both cell lines treated with AvoSE-AuNPs and AvoSE there was a ii | P a g e disruption in the regulation of cell cycle. Cell cycle analysis helped improve understanding of the low cytotoxicity observed by the MTT assay results. The results presented in this study clearly demonstrate the feasibility of using AvoSE for the synthesis of AuNPs. This study demonstrated that AvoSE mediated AuNPs synthesis is a greener alternative as it abides by the green chemistry principles. Furthermore, the study outcomes contributed to minimizing environmental pollution by finding use for agricultural waste and thus ultimately adding value to the field.