Cutting-edge progress and challenges in stimuli responsive hydrogel microenvironment for success in tissue engineering today.
The field of tissue engineering has numerous potential for modified therapeutic results and has been inspired by enhancements in bioengineering at the recent decades. The techniques of regenerating tissues and assembling functional paradigms that are responsible for repairing, maintaining, and revitalizing lost organs and tissues have affected the entire spectrum of health care studies. Strategies to combine bioactive molecules, biocompatible materials and cells are important for progressing the renewal of damaged tissues. Hydrogels have been utilized as one of the most popular cell substrate/carrier in tissue engineering since previous decades, respect to their potential to retain a 3D str…
Biodegradable nano-polymers as delivery vehicles for therapeutic small non-coding ribonucleic acids.
Nowadays, small non-coding Ribo Nucleic Acids (sncRNAs) such as siRNA, miRNA and shRNA are extremely serving to gene regulation. They are involved in many biological processes and in an increasing number of studies regarding a variety of application of sncRNAs toward human health and relieving diseases ranging from metabolic disorders to those involving various organ systems as well as different types of cancer. One of the most severe limitations for applying RNA interference technology is the absence of safe and effective carriers for in vivo delivery, including localizing the molecules to a specific site of interest and sustaining the presentation of the payloads for a controlled period o…
Hydrogel‐Based 3D Bioprinting for Bone and Cartilage Tissue Engineering
As a milestone in soft and hard tissue engineering, a precise control over the micropatterns of scaffolds has lightened new opportunities for the recapitulation of native body organs through three dimentional (3D) bioprinting approaches. Well-printable bioinks are prerequisites for the bioprinting of tissues/organs where hydrogels play a critical role. Despite the outstanding developments in 3D engineered microstructures, current printer devices suffer from the risk of exposing loaded living agents to mechanical (nozzle-based) and thermal (nozzle-free) stresses. Thus, tuning the rheological, physical, and mechanical properties of hydrogels is a promising solution to address these issues. Th…
Aptamers as smart ligands for nano-carriers targeting
The development of enhanced drug delivery systems is one of the most attractive fields of pharmaceutical sciences, as some of the highly effective chemo/biotherapeutics for cancer treatment can not be administrated due to their high toxicities for normal cells or low stability in physiological media. However, drugs that are currently not administrable will become valuable if specific cell-targeted drug carriers can protect the normal cells from adverse effects and also improve drug pharmacokinetics. Aptamers are attractive and promising biomaterials developed with high affinity and specificity against numerous valuable targets. They could act similar to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), and off…
Recent advancements in structural improvements of lateral flow assays towards point-of-care testing
Abstract Lateral flow assays (LFAs) provide some of the most attractive point-of-care instruments for broad applications with simple, rapid, user-friendly, and cost-effective characteristics. However, these technologies suffer from low sensitivity, the poor limit of detection, and just qualitative or semi-quantitative results that restrict their practical applications. Extensive research has been reported in this area involving sensitivity enhancement, multiplex analysis, the implementation for broad analytes, and development of novel electronic readers for quantitative analysis. This review presents recently reported works for the structural improvements of LFAs considering antibody immobi…
Biosensing of microcystins in water samples; recent advances
Safety and quality of water are significant matters for agriculture, animals and human health. Microcystins, as secondary metabolite of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and cyclic heptapeptide cyanotoxin, are one of the main marine toxins in continental aquatic ecosystems. More than 100 microcystins have been identified, of which MC-LR is the most important type due to its high toxicity and common detection in the environment. Climate change is an impressive factor with effects on cyanobacterial blooms as source of microcystins. The presence of this cyanotoxin in freshwater, drinking water, water reservoir supplies and food (vegetable, fish and shellfish) has created a common phenomenon in …
Carbon based nanomaterials for tissue engineering of bone: Building new bone on small black scaffolds: A review.
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Nanomaterial-based biosensors for detection of pathogenic virus
Viruses are real menace to human safety that cause devastating viral disease. The high prevalence of these diseases is due to improper detecting tools. Therefore, there is a remarkable demand to identify viruses in a fast, selective and accurate way. Several biosensors have been designed and commercialized for detection of pathogenic viruses. However, they present many challenges. Nanotechnology overcomes these challenges and performs direct detection of molecular targets in real time. In this overview, studies concerning nanotechnology-based biosensors for pathogenic virus detection have been summarized, paying special attention to biosensors based on graphene oxide, silica, carbon nanotub…
Preparation of Carbon-14 Labeled 2-(2-mercaptoacetamido)-3-phenylpropanoic Acid as Metallo-beta-lactamases Inhibitor (MBLI), for Coadministration with Beta-lactam Antibiotics.
Aim and Objective: Bacteria could become resistant to β-lactam antibiotics through production of β- lactamase enzymes like metallo-β-lactamase. 2-(2-mercaptoacetamido)-3-phenylpropanoic acid was reported as a model inhibitor for this enzyme. In order to elucidate the mechanism of action in the body’s internal environment, preparation of a labeled version of 2-(2-mercaptoacetamido)-3-phenylpropanoic acid finds importance. In this regard, we report a convenient synthetic pathway for preparation of carbon-14 labeled 2-(2- mercaptoacetamido)-3-phenylpropanoic acid. Materials and Methods: This study was initiated by using non-radioactive materials. Then, necessary characterization was performed…
Molecular beacon strategies for sensing purpose
Abstract The improvement of nucleic acid probes as vital molecular engineering devices will cause a noteworthy contribution to developments in bioimaging, biosensing, and disorders diagnosis. The molecular beacon (MB) which was designed by Tyagi and Kramer in 1996, are loop-stem hairpin-designed oligonucleotides armed with a quencher and a dye (also named reporter groups) at the 3′ or 5′ ends. This construction allows that MBs in the absence of their target complementary molecules do not fluoresce. Through hybridization with their specific targets a spontaneous configuration change on MBs occur and the dye and quencher separate from each other, resulting in emitting the fluorescence. MBs ar…
Strategies in DNA vaccine for melanoma cancer
According to reports of the international agency for cancer on research, although malignant melanoma shows less prevalence than nonmelanoma skin cancers, it is the major cause of skin cancer mortality. Given that, the production of effective vaccines to control melanoma is eminently required. In this regard, DNA-based vaccines have been extensively investigated for melanoma therapy. DNA vaccines are capable of inducing both cellular and humoral branches of immune responses. These vaccines possess some valuable advantages such as lack of severe side effects and high stability compared to conventional vaccination methods. The ongoing studies are focused on novel strategies in the development …
Development of biosensors for detection of alpha-fetoprotein: As a major biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma
Abstract Alpha-fetoprotein as a multifunctional glycoprotein with a dual regulatory role in cancer and fetal activities is belonging to an albuminoid gene family. Due to important biological activities of alpha-fetoprotein in the adjustment of cancer, the level of this biomarker, majorly in liver carcinomas, abnormally is elevated. Also, the probability of high-risk or low-risk patients for chromosomal abnormalities can be identified by the serum level of alpha-fetoprotein. The detection of biomarkers possesses an important role in prognosis and early diagnosis of cancer and other diseases. So, the development of accurate and sensitive methods for measurement of alpha-fetoprotein is of grea…
Recent advances in Nanomaterial-mediated Bio and immune sensors for detection of aflatoxin in food products
Abstract Aflatoxin is the most harmful mycotoxin which is ubiquitous in foods and agricultural supplies. Since the health of human population is largely determined by the condition of food-producing, contaminated foods and agricultural supplies with aflatoxin can put the safety of people in jeopardy and lead to some fatal disease. In 2003 estimated the annual cost of aflatoxin contamination in the U.S. at about $500 million strong concern for human life. There are a great demand for development of rapid, sensitive and specific methods for detection of aflatoxin at trace levels. The purpose of this review is limited to novel aflatoxin biosensors, paying special attention to those based on th…
Recent advances on portable sensing and biosensing assays applied for detection of main chemical and biological pollutant agents in water samples: A critical review
Abstract The quality analysis of water, pharmaceutical and environmental compounds is a basic subject for human health. The presence of low-quality drugs, biological toxins and chemical compounds in water or forbidden additives in the nourishments lead to irreversible problems in human health. Hence, multiple analytical approaches have been presented for investigating the quality of environmental, pharmaceutical, and food compounds and monitoring the detection of toxic compounds and pollutants in water. Sensing tools based on analytical strategies are required for identifying and quantifying the different pollutants including biological and chemical contaminants in water samples. Among diff…
Nanotechnology, and scaffold implantation for the effective repair of injured organs: An overview on hard tissue engineering
The tissue engineering of hard organs and tissues containing cartilage, teeth, and bones is a widely used and rapidly progressing field. One of the main features of hard organs and tissues is the mineralization of their extracellular matrices (ECM) to enable them to withstand pressure and weight. Recently, a variety of printing strategies have been developed to facilitate hard organ and tissue regeneration. Fundamentals in three-dimensional (3D) printing techniques are rapid prototyping, additive manufacturing, and layered built-up and solid-free construction. This strategy promises to replicate the multifaceted architecture of natural tissues. Nowadays, 3D bioprinting techniques have prove…
Recent advances of electrochemical and optical biosensors for detection of C-reactive protein as a major inflammatory biomarker
Abstract Early detection of inflammatory mediators including C-reactive protein (CRP) is of great diagnostic importance in many human diseases. CRP elevates very fast in conditions such as tissue injuries, infections, cancers, and renal and cardiovascular diseases. Conventional techniques for detecting CRP are based on antigen–antibody, agglutination, and precipitation reactions. Newer methods based on immunoturbidimetry and immunonephelometry are also time-consuming and relatively expensive. For solving these problems, highly efficient techniques based on CRP-biosensors have been introduced. Here, our aim was to summarize the features of recent biosensors for detection of CRP in biological…
Recent advances on nanomaterial based electrochemical and optical aptasensors for detection of cancer biomarkers
Abstract Cancer is a real menace to all societies globally since it is the leading cause of premature mortality in men and women. The incidence of malignancies is enhancing as a result of plenty factors. Physically and economically concerns that occur in cancers patients cannot be neglected. However, current diagnostic methods and cure duration do not fulfill patients requirements. Therefore, it is essential to detect and diagnose cancer biomarkers as soon as possible and overcome the current burdens. Novel aptasensors is emerging as one of the most promising strategies for early recognition of cancer. Aptamers an artificial DNA or RNA sequences, possess plenty of merits such as easy produc…
Nano-delivery system targeting to cancer stem cell cluster of differentiation biomarkers
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are one of the most important origins of cancer progression and metastasis. CSCs have unique self-renewal properties and diverse cell membrane receptors that induced the resistance to the conventional chemotherapeutic agents. Therefore, the therapeutic removal of CSCs could result in the cancer cure with lack of recurrence and metastasis. In this regard, targeting CSCs in accordance to their specific biomarkers is a talented attitude in cancer therapy. Various CSCs surface biomarkers have been described, which some of them exhibited similarities on different cancer cell types, while the others are cancer specific and have just been reported on one or a few types of …
Recent advances on application of peptide nucleic acids as a bioreceptor in biosensors development
Abstract The analogs of DNA are unique biomedical tools that are broadly utilized to develop different types of biosensors. Peptide nucleic acids (PNA) are an individual and notable class of nucleic acid analogs due to their unique, novel physicochemical and biochemical characteristics, stability and resistance to nuclease and protease enzymes, significant interactions with complementary strands and remarkable hybridization attributes. Therefore, they are employed in the preparation and fabrication of various types of functional biosensors. In other words, immobilization of PNA as an appropriate diagnostic probe on the surface of electrochemical and optical converters lead to the fabricatio…
Lateral flow assays (LFA) as an alternative medical diagnosis method for detection of virus species: The intertwine of nanotechnology with sensing strategies
Viruses are responsible for multiple infections in humans that impose huge health burdens on individuals and populations worldwide. Therefore, numerous diagnostic methods and strategies have been developed for prevention, management, and decreasing the burden of viral diseases, each having its advantages and limitations. Viral infections are commonly detected using serological and nucleic acid-based methods. However, these conventional and clinical approaches have some limitations that can be resolved by implementing other detector devices. Therefore, the search for sensitive, selective, portable, and costless approaches as efficient alternative clinical methods for point of care testing (P…
Recent advances in surface plasmon resonance biosensors for microRNAs detection
miRNAs are a large family of non-coding RNAs which play important roles in translational and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression and biological processes. Abnormal expression of miRNAs is related to the initiation and progression of different diseases which make them be promising candidates for early medical diagnostics. Thus, accurate detection of miRNAs has great significance for disorder diagnosis. Nevertheless, their intrinsic characteristics such as short sequence, low concentration and sequence homology challenge routine techniques. The detection assays need to be extremely sensitive and selective in small value of intricate RNA samples. Biosensor-based strategies have …
Recent advances on HIV DNA vaccines development: Stepwise improvements to clinical trials.
According to WHO (World Health Organization) reports, more than 770,000 people died from HIV and almost 1.7 million people becoming newly infected in the worldwide in 2018. Therefore, many attempts should be done to produce a forceful vaccine to control the AIDS. DNA-based vaccines have been investigated for HIV vaccination by researches during the recent 20 years. The DNA vaccines are novel approach for induction of both type of immune responses (cellular and humoral) in the host cells and have many advantages including high stability, fast and easy of fabrication and absence of severe side effects when compared with other vaccination methods. Recent studies have been focused on vaccine de…
Targeted cancer therapy through antibody fragments-decorated nanomedicines.
Active targeting in cancer nanomedicine, for improved delivery of agents and diagnose, has been reviewed as a successful way for facilitating active uptake of theranostic agents by the tumor cells. The application of a targeting moiety in the targeted carrier complexes can play an important role in differentiating between tumor and healthy tissues. The pharmaceutical carriers, as main part of complexes, can be polymeric nanoparticles, micelles, liposomes, nanogels and carbon nanotubes. The antibodies are among the natural ligands with highest affinity and specificity to target pharmaceutical nanoparticle conjugates. However, the limitations, such as size and long circulating half-lives, hin…
Recent progress in optical and electrochemical biosensors for sensing of Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin
Abstract Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxic protein which produced from Clostridium botulinum and related species and it block acetylcholine release from presynaptic nerve terminals at the neuromuscular junctions. This toxin is life threatening for millions of people and growing menace to society since causing human botulism. Enzymatic activity of Botulinum neurotoxin within the cell made it hazardous and lead to flaccid paralysis. However, there isn't any reliable and precise remedy for this toxin. Therefore, there is an urgent need for early detection of this toxin in a fast and meticulous way with a robust and cost-effective relationship for real-time monitoring of Botulinum neurotoxin. Sev…
Carbon based nanomaterials for the detection of narrow therapeutic index pharmaceuticals
Precise detection of important pharmaceuticals with narrow therapeutic index (NTI) is very critical as there is a small window between their effective dose and the doses at which the adverse reactions are very likely to appear. Regarding the fact that various pharmacokinetics will be plausible while considering pharmacogenetic factors and also differences between generic and brand name drugs, accurate detection of NTI will be more important. Current routine analytical techniques suffer from many drawbacks while using novel biosensors can bring up many advantages including fast detection, accuracy, low cost with simple and repeatable measurements. Recently the well-known carbon Nano-allotrop…
Monitoring of microRNA using molecular beacons approaches: Recent advances
Abstract Micro ribose nucleic acid (miRNA) recognition is of remarkable significance in the investigation of its functions as well as diagnosis of various diseases. The significance of miRNA itself is owing to the complex regulatory roles in several physiological processes and its close association with important diseases such as cardiovascular problems, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and different kinds of cancers. On the other hand, there are numerous challenges to conquer in the recognition of miRNA, consisting of low abundance, varied concentration range, small size, prolonged extraction process from cells and sequence resemblances. Traditional approaches for miRNA recognition do not mee…
Nano-materials for use in sensing of salmonella infections: Recent advances
Salmonella infectious diseases spreading every day through food have become a life-threatening problem for millions of people and growing menace to society. Health expert's estimate that the yearly cost of all the food borne diseases is approximately $5-6 billion. Traditional methodologies for salmonella analysis provide high reliability and very low limits of detection. Among them immunoassays and Nucleic acid-based assays provide results within 24h, but they are expensive, tedious and time consuming. So, there is an urgent need for development of rapid, robust and cost-effective alternative technologies for real-time monitoring of salmonella. Several biosensors have been designed and comm…
Advanced mechanotherapy: Biotensegrity for governing metastatic tumor cell fate via modulating the extracellular matrix.
Mechano-transduction is the procedure of mechanical stimulus translation via cells, among substrate shear flow, topography, and stiffness into a biochemical answer. TAZ and YAP are transcriptional coactivators which are recognized as relay proteins that promote mechano-transduction within the Hippo pathway. With regard to healthy cells in homeostasis, mechano-transduction regularly restricts proliferation, and TAZ and YAP are totally inactive. During cancer development a YAP/TAZ - stimulating positive response loop is formed between the growing tumor and the stiffening ECM. As tumor developments, local stromal and cancerous cells take advantage of mechanotransduction to enhance proliferatio…
Advances in detection of fastidious bacteria: From microscopic observation to molecular biosensors
Abstract Identification of pathogens and diagnosis of infections are important health challenges, especially in the case of fastidious bacteria which are those difficult-to-grow. A fastidious organism is any organism that has a complex nutritional requirement. Additionally, a fastidious microorganism will only grow when specific nutrients are included in the culture medium. These bacteria can cause serious diseases whose detection and monitoring is critical in many cases. The oldest detection methods are based on simple microscopy observation and staining, after culture on selective growth media, but often do not provide a clear answer. Some new molecular approaches, such as DNA-based seque…
Metal-organic frameworks conjugated with biomolecules as efficient platforms for development of biosensors
Abstract Recent developments in the field of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have renewed the interests of scientists to bring about a major breakthrough in this field soon. These particles consist of ultra-highly porous and tremendous internal surface areas with extraordinary variabilities that make them highly potent compounds in nanomedicine. Moreover, low weight, large free volumes, and multiple functionalities of these particles have made them extremely attractive for various applications. Along with a critical role in the adsorption and separation of different analytes, they also have an immense role in the development of biosensor platforms that are expected to pave the way for accur…
Nanomaterial-based cocaine aptasensors.
Up to now, many different methods have been developed for detection of cocaine, but most of these methods are usually time-consuming, tedious and require special or expensive equipment. Therefore, the development of simple, sensitive and rapid detection methods is necessary. In the last decade, aptamers have been used as a new biosensor platform for detection of cocaine in different samples. Aptamers are artificial single-stranded DNA or RNA oligonucleotides capable of binding to specific molecular targets with high affinity and if integrated to nanomaterials, it may lead in precise methods for cocaine detection in the common laboratories. In this review, recent advances and applications of…
Recent advances on aptamer-based biosensors to detection of platelet-derived growth factor.
Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-BB), a significant serum cytokine, is an important protein biomarker in diagnosis and recognition of cancer, which straightly rolled in proceeding of various cell transformations, including tumor growth and its development. Fibrosis, atherosclerosis are certain appalling diseases, which PDGF-BB is near to them. Generally, the expression amount of PDGF-BB increases in human life-threatening tumors serving as an indicator for tumor angiogenesis. Thus, identification and quantification of PDGF-BB in biomedical fields are particularly important. Affinity chromatography, immunohistochemical methods and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), conventional m…
Recent advances on development of portable biosensors for monitoring of biological contaminants in foods
Abstract Background There is a demand for easy, rapid and affordable analysis of biological contaminants in foods to guarantee their safety and quality. Most analysis of food contaminants is commonly performed in a limited number of samples in centralized laboratories by an expert technician. Therefore, developing of alternative techniques such as portable biosensors is of great significance. Scope and approach This review aims to discuss the recent advances in designing and applying of portable biosensors for the detection of biological food contaminants including bacteria, fungi and the related toxins. Also, the review deals briefly the basic knowledge of various portable biosensors which…
Recent advances on thermosensitive and pH-sensitive liposomes employed in controlled release
Nanotechnology has recently gained lots of interest in drug delivery due to its potential to improve the therapeutic outcomes of various diseases. Particularly, a wide range of different nano-sized vesicles has been investigated for drug delivery. Among them, one of the most attractive and well-investigated nanocarriers are liposomes. Although liposomes have several advantages such as low toxicity, biodegradability and biocompatibility as well as accumulate in tumor site via enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, inefficient drug delivery to the target cells could affect the therapeutic purpose of most of conventional liposomal formulations. Therefore, new systems of drug release…
Recent trends in rapid detection of influenza infections by bio and nanobiosensor
Abstract A literature update has been made about the progress and improvements in the use of biosensors for sensitive, rapid and specific detection of influenza virus. Background information about influenza virus and its structure together with a general discussion about the characteristics and significant aspects of different types of biosensors were used as a frame to put inside the main recent developments on the use of nanobiosensors for the detection of influenza virus. Working criteria of biosensors and their applications in different species of influenza virus diagnosis have been the primary concern of this review, which critically discusses the main advantages and limitations of stu…
Anti-bacterial activity of graphene oxide as a new weapon nanomaterial to combat multidrug-resistance bacteria.
Antibiotic resistance in microbial pathogens has become a serious health problem in the world. The increasing spread of hospital acquired infections especially in immunocompromised and cancer patients caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) microbial pathogens is restricting the choices for impressive antibiotic therapy. So many efforts have been made to develop new compounds with antimicrobial activity. In recent years, nanoparticles, particularly graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles have found many applications in various fields, including antibacterial action, pathogens bio detection, cancer therapy, and drug and gene delivery. The use of graphene oxide as an antibacterial agent for the treatme…
Sodium metabisulfite as a cytotoxic food additive induces apoptosis in HFFF2 cells
Sodium metabisulfite (SMB), an antioxidant agent, is extensively used as a preservative in food industry. The current study was aimed to clarify its potential toxic effects on human fetal foreskin fibroblasts (HFFF2) cells, in vitro. Subsequently, MTT results illustrated that exposure to SMB significantly (p 0.0001) decreased HFFF2 cell viability in a dose-dependent manner, and the concentration of 25 μM reduced cell survival rates to 50% as the half-maximal inhibitory concentration of SMB. It was further shown that SMB exerted this cytotoxic effect on HFFF2 cells through apoptosis induction. qRT-PCR and western blotting results showed that treatment of HFFF2 cells with this food additive …