Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs) and their various nanocomposites have emerged as powerful tools for environmental protection, particularly in water purification, air quality improvement, and pollutant degradation. These materials demonstrate exceptional adsorption capabilities for pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and dyes in wastewater treatment, as well as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and toxic gases in air purification. Our research specifically focuses on the application of Zn-MOF composites for wastewater remediation, investigating their adsorption efficiency and photocatalytic performance in removing hazardous contaminants. Through adsorption experiments and spectroscopic analysis, it was observed that Zn-MOF composites achieved a high removal efficiency for lead (Pb(II)) ions and for cadmium (Cd(II)) from industrial wastewater, outperforming conventional adsorbents. Additionally, ZIF-67 exhibited a high efficiency in relation to microplastic removal, while Ag@ZIF-8 composites demonstrated enhanced antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus, making them ideal for water disinfection applications. Furthermore, UiO-66 was effective in adsorbing organic pollutants and heavy metals, confirming its potential in large-scale wastewater treatment. Beyond water treatment, our study also explores MIL-101 for toxic gas sequestration, particularly CO₂ and SO₂ capture, contributing to industrial air purification efforts. These findings underscore the versatility and efficiency of MOF-based nanomaterials in environmental remediation, paving the way for scalable and sustainable solutions. While challenges remain in terms of cost-effectiveness and long-term stability, continued research on MOF optimization and functionalization will enhance their applicability in real-world environmental challenges

With rapid urbanization and industrialization, air pollution has become a global concern due to its harmful effects on public health and the environment. Among various pollutants, airborne particulate matter (PM) poses significant health risks. This study aims to develop sustainable filtration materials using cellulose acetate propionate (CAP) nanofibers modified with a Ag-rGO/[BMIM]BF₄ composite to effectively capture fine particulates. Electrospun nanofiber membranes were selected due to their small diameter, high surface area, and porosity, making them ideal for air filtration. The impact of electrospinning parameters, including solution concentration, collector-to-needle distance, flow rate, voltage, and duration, was analyzed to optimize the production process. The fabricated membranes were characterized using XRD, FTIR, EDX, BET, and SEM. The results showed that the absorption efficiency of a blank cellulose acetate proionate nanofiber membrane for particulate matter PM1.0, PM₁₀, and PM2.5 increased from 65.24%, 68.61%, and 68.42% to 99.05%, 96.07%, and 97.30% for cellulose acetate propionate nanofibers modified with 0.4 mg of Ag-rGO/[BMIM]BF₄, attributed to the high surface area, oxygen-functionalized surface, and nanoplatelet morphology of graphene oxide. The modified membranes exhibited a quality factor of 0.22927 Pa⁻¹. These findings demonstrate that the cellulose acetate propionate-loaded silver-reduced graphene oxide/[BMIM]BF₄ nanofiber filters offer a sustainable, high-efficiency solution for reducing air contamination and protecting human health.

Nanoparticles are becoming more popular as a result of their exceptional size-to-volume ratio, which enables them to perform a wide range of chemical reactions with a high degree of efficiency. The applications of such particles are quickly expanding in various sectors. However, traditional methods of synthesizing nanoparticles often involve the use of very toxic chemicals. Although these toxic chemicals may produce the useful target nanoparticles, the production of hazardous byproducts is inevitable. Thus, green synthesis has attracted great attention in the nanoscience area. Green synthesis processes always exclude toxic materials in synthesis procedures and use supplementary materials that are natural or less harmful. This study focuses on the synthesis of these materials without the use of toxic chemicals, and the production of nanoparticles from natural resources such as peel, leaf, petal of flowers, fruit, root, and so on. On one hand, these starting materials are cheap and safe; on the other hand, using these materials may reduce the impact of waste on the environment, as some of these materials tend to build waste. This study also focuses on the applications of such nanoparticles in a variety of industries. A few examples of these industries include the agriculture industry, the food industry, and the pharmaceutical sector.

Pillar[5]arenes are a new class of molecular receptors that have proven to be an effective drug delivery system overcoming drug resistance.
Cytotoxicity studies on MCF7, HUH7, and BEAS-2B cell lines "using MTT-test" revealed that the ester derivative of pillar[5]arene exhibited cytotoxic activity at concentrations ranging from 2.3 to 3.2 μM, whereas the betaine derivative showed activity at significantly higher concentrations (25.1 to 175.6 μM).
Real-time PCR established that pillar[5]arenes with ester moieties were found to significantly downregulate p21 gene expression in both MCF7 and BEAS-2B cell lines. Additionally, this compound upregulated MDM2 expression in MCF7 cells.
Despite eliciting a robust cellular response, the pillar[5]arenes demonstrated no clearly quantifiable antitumor activity. However, biological properties correlated with the spatial packing of macrocycles, which opens opportunities for 3D macrocyclic systems.

Introduction:

The utilisation of FeMnSi biodegradables in contemporary medical applications is a promising avenue of research due to their capacity to degrade in physiological environments in a controlled manner, thus obviating the need for secondary surgical procedures. The study of corrosion mechanisms and degradation dynamics in vitro is essential to predict their behaviour under real body conditions, with the aim of optimising implant compatibility and functionality. It is hypothesised that corrosion should follow a kinetic profile synchronised with the tissue healing process. This would prevent premature metal ion release or loss of structural integrity.

Methods:

The current work characterises a biodegradable FeMnSi alloy in terms of its corrosion mechanism in simulated body fluid (SBF). The alloy under investigation was analysed after 72 h of immersion by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). EDX (Energy Dispersive X-ray) and nano-FTIR techniques were employed to investigate the corrosion compounds. The pH of the immersion solution was evaluated in accordance with the fluctuations corresponding to the chemical reactions caused by liquid–metal interactions.

Results and discussion:

The results obtained demonstrate the behaviour of the alloys in SBF and corroborate the pH variation consequent to the formation of compounds over time. The results indicated that the surface oxidised following immersion, along with the oxygen (O) concentration increasing linearly with the sample's exposure to the liquid. In addition to oxygen, reactions with the medium revealed the presence of trace elements such as calcium (Ca), phosphorous (P), carbon (C), and chlorine (Cl).

Conclusions:

Post-immersion characterisation revealed the presence of nanoscale corrosion products on the alloy surface, demonstrating the progression of corrosion from the nanoscale to the macroscopic level.

Background: PLGA nanoparticles were found to be actively exocytosed from cells in a previous study in our lab. The exocytosis process can be modulated to increase the retention of nanoparticles within the cells so that the therapeutic efficacy of any drug encapsulated within the nanoparticles is increased. So, we wanted to know which membrane proteins are involved in the exocytosis process of the nanoparticles. The role of VAMP3 and VAMP7, two crucial membrane proteins associated mainly with constitutive and regulated secretion, respectively, in cells, was studied in the context of exocytosis of PLGA nanoparticles.

Materials and Methods: The siRNA-mediated knockdown of VAMP3 and VAMP7 genes was performed in the LN229 cancer cell line and the intracellular accumulation of PLGA nanoparticles was studied by fluorescence microscopy.

Results: There was no significant difference in the intracellular accumulation of the PLGA nanoparticles after siRNA-mediated knockdown of VAMP3 or VAMP7.

Conclusion: This study shows that VAMP3 and VAMP7, which serve as important membrane proteins associated with the conventional constitutive and regulated secretion of different molecules in cells, are not involved in the exocytosis/secretion of PLGA nanoparticles. So, the pathway of intracellular trafficking of PLGA nanoparticles needs to be deciphered as it appears to be a non-conventional one.

In cancer treatment, radiotherapy is an important approach for more than 70% of solid tumors, and it is of great significance, especially for glioblastoma multiforme. However, the radioresistance of tumor cells and the toxicity of radiation to normal tissues severely limit the efficacy of radiotherapy. Radiosensitizers also have difficulty functioning efficiently due to physiological barriers within the body. The nanodrug delivery system holds promise. for breaking through this bottleneck.
This study has developed an innovative peptide–radiosensitizer composite system, aiming to enhance the radiosensitivity of glioblastoma multiforme during radiotherapy. The core of this system is the peptide–metronidazole conjugate molecule, which integrates four functional modules: a targeting peptide segment capable of penetrating the blood–brain barrier, a cathepsin B cleavage sequence, a pH-sensitive self-assembling fragment, and metronidazole, a nitroimidazole radiosensitizer. In vivo, the radiosensitizer exhibits a multi-stage dynamic transformation; it forms a complex with heparin during systemic circulation to avoid immune clearance. After reaching the tumor site, heparinase causes the complex to depolymerize into small particles, thereby increasing the uptake by tumor cells. After entering the lysosome, it self-assembles into nanofibers, which damage the lysosomal membrane, block the AKT signaling pathway, inhibit autophagy, disintegrate the cytoskeleton, and synergize with radiotherapy to induce apoptosis of tumor cells. Experiments show that under a low-dose radiation of 6 Gy, the inhibition rate of this system against orthotopic glioma reaches 80%, and there is no intracranial metastasis. This research brings a new paradigm and a breakthrough direction for cancer radiotherapy.

Introduction: The gut microbiota is a key player in systemic health, modulating immune responses, metabolic pathways, and neural communication by way of the gut–brain, gut–immune, and gut–metabolic axes. Synbiotics, a combination of probiotics and prebiotics, provide synergistic advantages in re-establishing microbial balance. Their therapeutic promise, however, is jeopardized by limitations such as poor survival of probiotics across the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, poor bioavailability, and non-specific release. Nanotechnology introduces a new way to address these barriers and allow for targeted and controlled delivery of bioactive compounds.

Methods: This study reviews recent advances in the exciting fields of nano-encapsulation and nano-carrier-mediated delivery of prebiotics and probiotics in the context of the newly coined word "synbiotics". The different types of nanocarriers have been designed to co-encapsulate prebiotics with probiotics, including polymeric nanoparticles (PLGAs), liposomes, nanogels, and solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs). This study involves mechanisms to mitigate protection against gastric degradation, reasons for delivery at sites based on intestinal pH or microbial enzymatic sites, and provides a means of promoting colonization. We also examine the roles of microbiome sequencing and artificial intelligence (AI) in the customization of any nano-synbiotic formulation.

Results: Nano-synbiotics exhibited enhanced stabillity in the gastrointestinal tract, intestinal target release, and SCFA production, which ultimately resulted in improved gut colonization and systemic effects. Preclinical and early clinical evidence supports their use in the context of metabolic disease (e.g. obesity, type 2 diabetes), neurodegenerative disease (via the gut–brain axis), and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Personalized treatments based on the host microbiome profile and AI-aided analytics further augment their therapeutic value.

Conclusions: Nano-synbiotics provides personalized therapy, allowing gut microbiota modulation for systemic and personalized health interventions. The convergence of nanotechnology and microbiomics opens the door to next-generation biotherapeutics for addressing complex chronic diseases via the gut–systemic axis.

Blood proteins are the first biological components to interact with a material when it is introduced into an organism. Any alteration in the three-dimensional structure of these proteins can compromise their function. Moreover, the biological response to a material is significantly influenced by protein adsorption—not only in terms of the amount but also the type and structural conformation of the proteins involved [1].

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), on the other hand, are biomaterials with promising properties for medical applications. Motivated by this, we set out to study the behavior of a system composed of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and AgNPs.

In this work, we employed density and speed-of-sound measurements to calculate specific volume and adiabatic compressibility. In parallel, we used dynamic light scattering (DLS) and fluorescence spectroscopy to gain insights into protein conformation. The combined data suggest the presence of a balance between metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF) and surface energy transfer (SET) effects—both dependent on the distance between tryptophan (Trp) residues and the AgNPs [2].

Volumetric and compressibility analyses also revealed changes in the protein’s tertiary structure [3]. DLS results exhibited two distinct peaks: the first corresponding to BSA monomers in their native state and the second to larger aggregates, clearly indicating protein aggregation [4].

The 3D-PHydrogel project aims to develop a next-generation, sustainable hydrogel system that is 3D-printed and designed for the intelligent and targeted delivery of bioactive compounds derived from natural plant sources. The core innovation lies in incorporating essential oils (EOs) extracted via green technologies from wild bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) leaves collected from two regions in Cluj (Transylvania, Romania). These EOs will be embedded into biopolymer matrices composed of renewable resources such as starch (proso millet) and algae-derived materials (alginate). Using ionotropic gelation—a mild, environmentally friendly crosslinking technique—the 3D-PHydrogel project will focus on obtaining a biocompatible 3D hydrogel network capable of encapsulating and gradually releasing active compounds. This system could overcome current challenges related to compound stability, targeted delivery, and controlled release, particularly relevant for nanomedicine and bionanotechnology applications. The 3D-PHydrogel project will drive research combining sustainable and renewable materials available in natural and bioactive resources. Future validation of hydrogel’s functionality will be performed through in vitro assessments of antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal potential. The ultimate goal is to contribute to an eco-friendly, functional delivery platform for therapeutic and biomedical use.

Acknowledgement: This work is supported by a grant from the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research, CCCDI-UEFISCDI, project number PN-IV-P1-PCE-2023-1092.