35 research outputs found

    Curcumin-Functionalized Ag and ZnO Nanoparticles: A Nanotherapeutic Approach for Treating Infections in Diabetic Wounds

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    Chronic wounds, such as diabetic ulcers, remain a significant clinical challenge due to high infection risk and delayed healing. This study presents a comprehensive evaluation of a novel wound dressing incorporating curcumin-functionalized silver–zinc oxide (Ag-ZnO) nanoparticles. The formulation was rationally designed based on molecular docking simulations that identified curcumin as a high-affinity ligand for Staphylococcus aureus Protein A. The synthesized nanoparticles demonstrated potent, broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, achieving complete inhibition of multidrug-resistant pathogens, including MRSA, within 60 s. A critical comparative assessment, incorporating an unloaded Ag-ZnO nanoparticle control group, was conducted in both a rabbit wound model and a randomized clinical trial (n = 75 patients). This design confirmed that the enhanced wound-healing efficacy is specifically attributable to the synergistic effect of curcumin combined with the nanoparticles. The curcumin-loaded Ag-ZnO treatment group showed a statistically significant reduction in healing time compared to both standard care and unloaded nanoparticle controls (e.g., medium wounds: 19.6 days vs. 90.6, p < 0.001). These findings demonstrate that curcumin-functionalized Ag-ZnO nanoparticles offer a safe and highly effective therapeutic strategy, providing robust antibacterial action and significantly accelerated wound healing

    Core/Shell ZnO/TiO2, SiO2/TiO2, Al2O3/TiO2, and Al1.9Co0.1O3/TiO2 Nanoparticles for the Photodecomposition of Brilliant Blue E-4BA

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    The synthesis and characterization of ZnO/TiO2, SiO2/TiO2, Al2O3/TiO2, and Al1.9Co0.1O3/TiO2 core/shell nanoparticles (NPs) is reported. The NPs were used for photocatalytic degradation of brilliant blue E-4BA under UV and visible light irradiation, monitored by high-performance liquid chromatography and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The size of the NPs ranged from 10 to 30 nm for the core and an additional 3 nm for the TiO2 shell. Al2O3/TiO2 and Al1.9Co0.1O3/TiO2 showed superior degradation under UV and visible light compared to ZnO/TiO2 and SiO2/TiO2 with complete photodecomposition of 20 ppm dye in 20 min using a 10 mg/100 mL photocatalyst. The “Co-doped” Al1.9Co0.1O3/TiO2 NPs show the best performance under visible light irradiation, which is due to increased absorption in the visible range. DFT-calculated band structure calculations confirm the generation of additional electronic levels in the band gap of γ-Al2O3 through Co3+ ions. This indicates that Co-doping enhances the generation of electron–hole pairs after visible light irradiation

    High-efficiency upconversion process in cobalt and neodymium doped graphene QDs for biomedical applications

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    Abstract Multiphoton absorbing upconversion nanoparticles are emerging as bioimaging materials but are limited by the low quantum yield of their visible fluorescence. This article contains colloids of graphene quantum dots (GQDs), Neodymium, and Cobalt doped Graphene Quantum dots (Co-GQDs and Nd-GQDs) surrounded by carboxylic acids are synthesized which especially are suitable for bio applications; in this way, carboxylic acid groups exchanged by Amoxicillin as an antibiotic with bactericidal activity. The XRD diffraction method, TEM microscope, UV–Vis, and photoluminescence spectroscopies characterize the synthesized materials. The synthesized Quantum dots (QDs) exhibit upconversion properties and their emission is centered at 480 nm, but a red shift was observed with the increase of the excitation wavelength. In the emission spectra of synthesized QDs that can be related to the defect levels introduced by passivation of the QDs in the structure, the results show that with the interaction of the surface QDs with more carboxylic groups, the redshift is not observed. As the results indicate an increase in the intensity of upconversion emission is recorded for Co-GQDs and Nd-GQDs. The absolute quantum efficiency (QY) for Co-GQDs and Nd-GQDs were determined to be 41% and 100% more than GQDs respectively. DFT calculations indicate a strong bond between graphene and cobalt and Neodymium atoms. In doped materials, there are trap levels between the band gap of the GQDs which are responsible for increasing the intensity of the upconversion phenomenon
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