While significant progress has been made in the treatment and management of cancer, challenges remain because of the complexity and the heterogeneous nature of the disease. The improvement that has been seen in survival rates reflects advancements not only in treatment, but also in early stage detection and diagnostics for certain cancers. In particular, early stage detection and treatment of cancer before it has metastasized to other organs has resulted in a dramatic improvement in patient survival rates. One area of research that has shown considerable promise in further advancing diagnostics and early cancer detection is nanotechnology. Specifically, semiconductor and metal nanoparticles have great potential to provide advanced technology platforms for ultrasensitive and multiplexed detection of disease markers and probe disease on the molecular level. Because they are in the same size regime as biological molecules, these nanoparticles exhibit unique interactions with proteins, nucleic acids and other biomarkers of interest for detecting and diagnosing disease. However, high-quality nanoparticles are often unsuited for use in complex biological environments because of their coatings and surface chemistry. In this work, we describe the design and development of polymer-coated nanoparticle imaging agents for use in blood, cell and tissue diagnostic applications. Low-molecular weight, amphiphilic polymers capable of noncovalent interactions with nanoparticle surface ligands and the aqueous environment were synthesized and characterized for use in nanoparticle coating applications. We demonstrate that the hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions between the nanoparticle surface, the amphiphilic polymer and the aqueous solvent were able to drive the coating and water solubilization of quantum dots. Novel nanoparticle synthetic techniques were also developed using the amphiphilic polymers in a one-pot method to make high quality semiconductor and gold nanoparticles and stabilize and encapsulate the particles for transfer into water. Using the polymer functional groups as multidentate ligands, nanoparticles were synthesized with a high degree of size control and increased stability. In addition, by performing the synthesis in a noncoordinating amphiphilic solvent such as polyethylene glycol, nanoparticles were immediately transferred to water with the excess polymer forming a water soluble coating. Next, nanoparticle surface charge and how it relates to the nonspecific binding of nanoparticles in cells, tissues and other complex biological samples was studied. We have found that highly charged (negative and positive) particles exhibit significant nonspecific binding to biomolecules and other cellular components in biological environments. By reducing the surface charge through the incorporation of hydroxyl functional groups, we have nearly eliminated the nonspecific binding of quantum dots in blood, cells and tissues. Moreover, through crosslinking and altering the surface chemistry of the polymer-coated quantum dots, we have increased the stability of the nanoparticles while maintaining a small hydrodynamic size. Finally, we have investigated the use of the low-binding, hydroxyl quantum dots in tissue staining applications, where nonspecific binding presents a considerable challenge to detection sensitivity and specificity. A number of biomolecule conjugation techniques were examined for the coupling of quantum dots to antibody targeting molecules and preliminary staining experiments were performed.

Orientador: Nelson Eduardo Duran Caballero / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Quimica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-14T21:56:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Gaspari_PriscylaDanielyMarcato_D.pdf: 6273192 bytes, checksum: db4849654c2571f8912e25f768fdb43b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Resumo: O objetivo deste projeto foi a preparação e a caracterização de sistemas micro e nanoestruturados no carreamento de diferentes substâncias. Micro e nanopartículas poliméricas, nanopartículas lipídicas sólidas (NLS) e nanopartículas de prata assim como duas substâncias com diferentes solubilidades: um modelo de tripeptídeo (glutationa) hidrofílico e um filtro solar hidrofóbico (benzofenona-3) foram estudados. O objetivo deste trabalho foi a produção de uma plataforma de sistema micro e nanoestruturados com aplicação cosmética e farmacológica. Para isto, diferentes polímeros e lipídios foram estudados na preparação das partículas. Os métodos de preparação dos sistemas foram dependentes da solubilidade dos ativos assim como do tipo de material de cobertura. O método utilizado na preparação de nanopartículas de alginato/quitosana foi gelificação iônica. Para os polímeros poli(e-caprolactona) (PCL) e poli(hidroxibutirato-co-3-hidroxivalerato) (PHBV) foram utilizados os métodos de nanoprecipitação e emulsão (dupla ou simples) e evaporação de solvente. As NLS foram preparadas pelo método de homogeneização à alta pressão a quente e as nanopartículas de prata foram preparadas pelo método biossintético utilizando o fungo Fusarium oxysporum. A eficiência de encapsulamento do ativo hidrofílico glutationa foi dependente do tipo de nanoestrutura utilizada no seu encapsulamento. A maior eficiência de encapsulamento da glutationa foi de 35% em NLS-revestidas com quitosana e em nanopartículas de PCL. Em relação ao ativo lipofílico benzofenona-3, uma alta eficiência de encapsulamento (maior que 95%) foi verificada independente da micro ou nanoestrutura utilizada. Além disto, todas as partículas mostraram-se reprodutíveis e estáveis por até 1 mês e meio. Nos estudos de permeação em pele humana foi observado que as micropartículas de PHBV penetraram menos na pele do que as NLS devido, provavelmente, a diferença de diâmetro e flexibilidade destas duas partículas. Em relação às nanopartículas de prata, foi observado, por espectroscopia de UV-VIS que, em 28 horas, houve a formação das nanopartículas de prata estabilizadas por proteínas do fungo com diâmetro médio de 5 nm. Os tecidos de algodão e poliéster impregnados com estas partículas apresentaram atividade antimicrobiana frente a diversas bactérias Grampositiva e Gram-negativa. / Abstract: The aim of this project was preparation and characterization of micro and nanostructured system as carriers of different substances. Polymeric micro and nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and silver nanoparticles as well as two substances with different solubilities: a model of hydrophilic tripeptide (glutathione) and a hydrophobic sunscreen (benzophenone-3) were studied. The goal of this work was also the production of micro and nanostructured system platform for cosmetic and pharmacological application. For that, different polymers and lipids were studied in the particles preparation. The particles preparation methods were dependents on active solubility as well as the kind of coverage material. The method of ionic gelation in alginate/chitosan nanoparticles preparation was used. For the polymers poly(e-caprolactone) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) were used nanoprecipitation and emulsion (double or simple) and solvent evaporation methods. SLN were prepared by hot high pressure homogenization method and silver nanoparticles by biosynthetic method with fungi Fusarium oxysporum. The encapsulation efficiency of hydrophilic active glutathione was dependent of the kind of nanostructure used in its encapsulation. The biggest encapsulation efficiency for glutathione was 35% in NLScovered with chitosan and in PCL nanoparticles. Regarding the lipophilic active benzophenone-3, high encapsulation efficiency (greater than 95%) was found independently of micro or nanostructure used. Furthermore, all particles were reproducible and stable at least for up to 1 month and half. In human skin permeation studies was observed that PHBV microparticles penetrated less in the skin than SLN, due to probably, to the difference in the diameter and flexibility of these two particles. Regarding the silver nanoparticles, it was observed, by UV-VIS spectroscopy that, in 28 hours, there was the formation of silver nanoparticles stabilized by proteins of the fungi with average size of 5 nm. The cotton and polyester fabrics impregnated with these particles exhibit antimicrobial activity against several bacteria Gram-positive and Gram-negative. / Doutorado / Físico-Química / Doutor em Ciências

No description available.

Nanotechnology is blossoming into one of the premiere technologies of this century, but the key to its progress lies in developing more efficient nanosynthesis methods. Variations in synthetic technique, however, can cause variations in size, structure, and surface characteristics, thereby altering the physical properties and functionality of the particles. Careful structural characterizations are thus essential for understanding the properties and appropriate applications for particles produced by new synthetic techniques.In this work, a new ‘solvent-deficient’ method is presented for the synthesis of an unprecedentedly wide range of metal oxide nanomaterials including at least one metal oxide from each group in Groups 3-4, 6-15, and the Lanthanides. XRD, BET, and TEM structural characterizations as well as chemical purity analyses of the products are given. The intermediates associated with the method are also investigated, allowing the reaction parameters to be rationalized and culminating in a proposed mechanism for the reaction. Several of the reaction intermediates are themselves useful products, expanding the range of this already versatile method. Optimized synthesis parameters as well as structural characterizations are presented for one such intermediate product, the iron oxyhydroxide called ferrihydrite.The Al2O3 nanoparticles produced by the new method show promise in catalyst support applications, and the synthesis and structural analysis (XRD, X-ray PDF, 27Al NMR, TG/DTA-MS) of these nanoparticles is provided. The XRD, PDF, and NMR analyses reveal that the initial boehmite-like phase transforms to the catalytically useful gamma-Al2O3 phase at unusually low temperatures (300-400°C), but boehmite-like local structure defects remain which heal slowly with increasing temperature up to 800°C. The ‘pure’ gamma-Al2O3 may still contain randomized, non-cubic, local structure distortions, and it transforms directly to alpha-Al2O3 at ~1050°C. To rationalize the local structure and the absence of the delta- and theta-Al2O3 phases during the alpha-phase transition, relationships between the many Al2O3 phases are presented via innovative symmetry-mode analyses, revealing a potential quazi-topotactic mechanism for the gamma-to-alpha transition.To stabilize the gamma-Al2O3 phase to higher temperatures for catalyst applications, 3 wt% of a lanthanum dopant was added via a new, 1-pot process based on the new solvent-deficient method. This process is described and X-ray PDF, TEM, 27Al NMR, and EXAFS analyses of the La-doped gamma-Al2O3 nanoparticles reveal that the dopant resides as isolated, adsorbed atoms on the gamma-Al2O3 surface. The first coordination shell of the isolated La is increasingly La2O3-like as calcination temperature increases but changes drastically to be more LaAlO3-like after the alpha-phase transition, which is delayed ~100°C by the La dopant. Combining the EXAFS, PDF, NMR, and symmetry-mode analyses, we provide new insight into the mechanism of stabilization provided by the La dopant.

No description available.

No description available.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Chemistry / Viktor Chikan / Colloidal semiconductor nanoparticles will be important and practical next generation materials that can be cheaply manufactured. The objective of this project is to gain more inside into chemistry is used to control the formation and assembly of semiconductor nanoparticles (NPs). As a model system CdSe and CdTe nanoparticles are used in this work. The growth kinetics, aggregation dynamics, and heterogeneous growth of NPs by using novel tools such as; in-situ monitored fluorescence and absorption techniques, time-resolved and static fluorescence spectroscopy, TEM (transmission electron microscopy), and numerical simulations are studied. This study can be divided into the following four parts. The first part presents experimental observation of the quantized growth of CdTe quantum dots (QD). The high-temperature absorption spectra indicate the evolution of multiple peaks corresponding to various sizes of QDs. The observed aggregation is driven by dipole-dipole interaction of NPs. The second part is an investigation of the aggregation dynamics of magic-sized CdTe quantum dots and how this process can be controlled. It is shown that the growth kinetics of the QDs is very sensitive to the Cd/Te ratio. Cd-rich conditions form very different aggregation pattern due to the lack of formation of magic-sized nanoparticles. Simulations also suggest that the formation mechanism is mainly coalescence of the particles rather than the ‘neck formation’ within the CdTe aggregates. The next part investigates the growth of NPs in the presence of two distinctly sized NPs in the bimodal growth regime via numerical simulations. The bimodal distribution (or quantized Ostwald ripening) technique is found to be a slower process than the repeated injection technique to focus the size distribution of NPs. Slower growth will reduce inhomogeneity in a scaled-up production of NPs. The last part focuses on the effect of addition of doping on vii heterogeneous growth and the growth kinetics. The low temperature synthesis lacks the heterogeneous growth regime. However, as the temperature is increased to 120 0C, two different sizes emerge. Addition of In dopants seems to accelerate the growth kinetics and the magic sized NPs in the solution possess a negative anisotropy that is most likely due to supperlatice formation of magic-sized NPs.

Histopathology studies of metal nanoparticles (NPs) compared to traditional forms of metal in fish are scarce. Additionally, it is unclear whether metal nanoparticles cause greater or different pathologies compared to other forms of metal. The current study aimed to assess the pathological effects of Cu-NPs and TiO2 NPs on rainbow trout via various routes of exposure and, where appropriate, to compare them to either the equivalent dissolved metal salts or bulk powder forms. The first experiment showed that waterborne exposure to Cu-NPs and CuSO4 caused similar types of organ pathologies and alteration in the spleen content, however there were some material-type effects in the incidence injuries; with Cu-NPs in some organs by causing more injury in the intestine, liver, and brain when compared to effects caused by the equivalent concentration of CuSO4. Lowering water pH did have an effect on the toxicity of Cu-NPs and dissolved Cu in trout, and the results illustrated that both Cu treatments are more toxic at pH 5 than pH 7 by causing more physiological and pathological changes, although both CuSO4 and Cu-NP treatments showed similar types of organ lesions. Waterborne exposure to TiO2 NPs and bulk forms of TiO2 showed similar types of organ pathologies and alteration in the spleen contents, but there was a material-type effect in some organs (more injury with the bulk treatment than the NP form). After 96 h following intravenous injections of bulk or TiO2 NPs in trout, organs showed similar types of pathologies; except the spleen and kidney which showed a material-type effects (more injury with NPs than the bulk forms). This could be attributed to the highest Ti accumulation from the TiO2 NP treatment in the kidney and spleens, or to the role of these organs in filtrating the circulating blood. Overall, this thesis demonstrates that metal-NPs produced similar types of organ pathologies to traditional forms of metals through different routes of exposure, but there were some material-type effects on the incidence of injuries in some organs. The results have also added some understanding on the fate, and effects of NPs by identifying the target organs involved. Some of the nano-specific effects may need to be given extra consideration in environmental and human health risk assessments.

This dissertation presents the development of an alternative aptamer screening process, Competition-Induced Selection of Ligands (CISL), and its use in screening for ssDNA aptamers for gold substrates. Gold substrates are presented as the nonnucleotide target for implementing CISL as a novel aptamer screening approach. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the in vitro selection of oligonucleotide aptamers, the polymerase chain reaction that is a key step in the aptamer screening process, the synthesis and properties of gold nanoparticles and the biomolecule-mediated formation of inorganic nanoparticles. Chapter 2 presents the goals and objectives of this thesis along with an organizational overview of the dissertation. Chapter 3 describes the experimental techniques and optimizations pertinent to the development of the CISL aptamer screening process. Chapter 4 investigates the effects of various nucleic acid additions during the seed-mediated growth of gold nanoparticles. Chapter 5 discusses the use of CISL in screening for ssDNA aptamer candidates for spherical gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and the primary and secondary structure analysis of identified sequences. Chapter 6 presents the use of CISL in screening for ssDNA aptamer candidates for planar gold substrates (PlanarAu) and also includes primary and secondary structure analysis of identified sequences accompanied with an incubation study to provide a “frequency” ranking of aptamers as adsorbate species on PlanarAu. Chapter 7 offers concluding remarks and ideas for future expansion and applications of this work.

published_or_final_version / Surgery / Master / Master of Philosophy