Pesticides, widely used in modern agriculture, could potentially cause environmental pollution and affect human lives. Hence, the development of a highly sensitive sensing element to detect pesticide residues is crucial for food safety and ecosystem protection. Optical methods based on fluorescence properties provide an ideal approach for screening and quantification of these compounds in different medias including water, plant, and nutritional products. The development of fluorescence emitting carbon dot-based sensors for monitoring pesticides has attracted great attention in recent years. In comparison to other fluorophores, carbon dots have more promising optical features, higher quantum yields and better biocompatibility. This article aims to present a novel fluorescent sensing method of diazinon, glyphosate, and amicarbazone using plant-based carbon dots. A comprehensive characterization of carbon dots obtained from cauliflower was performed by methods including UV-visible, FTIR spectroscopy, fluorometry, AFM, DLS, and zeta sizer. Following this step, carbon dots were used to detect pesticides. The fluorescence quenching property of carbon dots has been utilized to identify detection limit of 0.25, 0.5, and 2 ng ml-1 for diazinon, amicarbazone, and glyphosate, respectively. Also, real sample study revealed that the detection of pesticides accompanied by our developed nano-sensor is repeatable and accurate. According to carbon dots specificity determination, the prepared nano sensor does not have the potential to identify "bromacil" and "dialen super" pesticides but the other three mentioned pesticides are detectable. The results confirm that synthesized green carbon dots are well qualified for application in food safety and environmental monitoring.

Background Breast cancer is one of the most challenging cancers among women which is considered one of the most lethal cancers to this date. From the time that cancer has been discovered, finding the best therapeutic method is still an ongoing process. As a novel therapeutic method, nanomedicine has brought a vast number of materials that could versatilely be used as a drug carrier. The purpose of this study is to develop a novel black pomegranate peel extract loaded with chitosan-coated magnetic nanoparticles to treat breast cancer cells. Results The morphology and size distribution of the nanoparticles studied by dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscopy, scanning, and transitional electron microscopy showed the spherical shape of the nanoparticles and their promising size range. Studies by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometer, and zeta sizer confirmed the synthesis, substantial crystallinity, magnetic potential of the nanoparticles, and their satisfactory stability. The DPPH assay revealed that the obtained black pomegranate peel extract has 60% free radical scavenging activity. The cytotoxicity studies by MTT and LDH assay carried out on NIH/3T3, MBA-MB-231, and 4T1 cells confirmed that the magnetic nanoparticles had no significant cytotoxicity on the cells. However, the drug-loaded nanoparticles could significantly eradicate cancerous cells which had more efficiency comparing to free drug. Furthermore, free drug and drug-loaded nanoparticles had no toxic effect on normal cells. Conclusion Owing to the results achieved from this study, the novel drug-loaded nanoparticles are compatible to be used for breast cancer treatment and could potentially be used for further in vivo studies.

Background: As cancers, especially breast cancer, have become the most lethal and concerning subject, new methods to promote therapies and achieve better results are strongly essential. Nanotechnology has offered a new approach to advocate the strategies being used and to vanquish their impediments. This article provides a review of the nanomaterials used most recently, mainly in breast cancer, for more effective and specific treatment. Methods: Documents were found in PubMed and Google Scholar using “nanomaterials” and “breast cancer” as the main keywords. Additionally, each individual nanomaterial with “liposomes”, “polymeric NPs”, “dendrimers”, “quantum dots”, “virus like nanoparticles” and “magnetic NPs” keywords were searched and selected after assessments such as publishers, journals impact and their relativities to the subject of the review.  Results: Six frequently used nanoparticles in breast cancer treatment including liposomes, polymeric NPs, dendrimers, VLPs, quantum dots, and magnetic NPs were selected to be discussed in this review. They all showed correlative results such as promoting drug maintenance, hydrophilicity, and accumulation in the tumor site by their specific cell targeting system and high cellular uptake. Each of these NPs has unique properties and disadvantages and therefore many in vitro and in vivo experiments have been carried out. Conclusion: Extensive research into in nanotechnology in medicine, especially in cancer, suggests that nanotechnology could be the dawn of a new era in cancer treatment and imaging.