Hydrophilic Silver Nanoparticles Loaded into Niosomes: Physical–Chemical Characterization in View of Biological Applications

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are widely used as antibacterial agents and anticancer drugs, but often their low stability limits their mass production and broad applications. The use of niosomes as a carrier to protect and envelop AgNPs gives a new perspective to solve these problems. In this study, AgNPs were functionalized with sodium 3-mercapto-1-propanesulfonate (3MPS) to induce hydrophilic behavior, improving loading in Tween 20 and Span 20 niosomes (NioTw20 and NioSp20, respectively). Entrapment efficiency was evaluated by UV analyses and is around 1–4%. Dimensions were investigated by means of dynamic light scattering (DLS) (<2RH> = 140 ± 4 nm and <2RH> = 251 ± 1 nm respectively for NioTw20 + AgNPs and NioSp20 + AgNPs) and were compared with those by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and small angle X ray scattering (SAXS) analyses. Stability was assessed in water up to 90 days, and both in bovine serum and human serum for up to 8 h. In order to characterize the local structure of niosomes, SAXS measurements have been performed on Tween 20 and Span 20 empty niosomes and loaded with AgNPs. The release profiles of hydrophilic probe calcein and lipophilic probe Nile Red were performed in HEPES buffer and in human serum. All these features contribute to conclude that the two systems, NioTw20 + AgNPs and NioSp20 + AgNPs, are suitable and promising in the field of biological applications.

Satureja montana L. Essential Oils: Chemical Profiles/Phytochemical Screening, Antimicrobial Activity and O/W NanoEmulsion Formulations

“…Aliquots were analyzed immediately after sampling. All release experiments were carried out in triplicate [36].…”

Silver Nanoparticles as Colorimetric Sensors for Water Pollutants

“…In the last ten years nanotechnology has enabled the enhancement of low dimensional materials properties proponing their use in several application fields, such as sensors [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12], optics [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22], energy [23][24][25][26], catalysis [27,28] and biotechnology [29][30][31][32][33][34]. Among others the noble metal nanomaterials were developed by bottom up approach with various morphologies such as spheres, cubes, stars, flowers and wires, showing significant chemical-physical properties that allow to unique interactions with the environment [35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42]. Researchers are amazed by the possibility to produce gold and silver nanoparticles with specific morphology and surface functionalization, leading to new properties [43][44][45].…”

Electrophoretic Deposition and Characteristics of Chitosan–Nanosilver Composite Coatings on a Nanotubular TiO2 Layer

“…The fundamental problem in the deposition of chitosan coatings is the perfect dispersion of nanosilver particles in such coatings. To introduce and maintain dispersion in an electrolyte, numerous surface dispersing agents are added to the bath, such as Tween 20, Tween 80, sodium dodecyl sulfate, trisodium citrate, and Span 20 [26][27][28][29][30]. Among these, polysorbate 20 (Tween 20) is often used for chitosan coatings because it provides a more stable, less aggregated suspension of metallic nanoparticles.…”