Current Chinese Science - Volume 3, Issue 5, 2023

Because of its miscellaneous properties, developing less environmentally hazardous and trustworthy methodologies has become one of the most crucial steps toward synthesizing nanoparticles (NPs) among researchers and scientists. In this direction, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs or SNPs) have gained much attention because of their anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties, potential toxicity, and unusual physicochemical features. Concerning the toxicity of silver nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles may prove to be an essential tool against many drugresistant microorganisms and substitutes for antibiotics. However, the synthesis of AgNPs using conventional methods had a toxic impact and caused much damage to the ecosystem. Researchers have used various production techniques to prevent the adverse effects of toxic chemicals, including algae, bacteria, fungi, and plants. This review study has covered recent advancements in green synthetic methodologies for synthesizing AgNPs. This insight provides a comprehensive overview of key findings in the green synthesis of Ag nanoparticles and attempts to focus on factors affecting their synthesis, characterization, applications, potential toxic impact on living organisms, merits/ demerits, and prospects.

International attention has been directed toward superhydrophobic nanocomposite coatings for a great variety of industrial applications. Nowadays, graphene-based self-cleaning coatings represent the most important examination arenas. This study reviews the superhydrophobicity fundamentals, graphene-based nanocomposite fabrication and applications for self-cleaning surfaces. These efforts have stimulated the modeling of recently structured surfaces via a micro-nano binary system. The controlled preparation of nanoscale orientation, configuration, arrangement, and direction along the architectural composite building blocks would result in air-entrapping capacity along the surface grooves. Polymer/graphene nanocomposites with novel and intriguing designs have offered efficient self-cleaning surfaces. These nano-surfaces have a rough structure, low surface free energy, and are hydrophobic materials. To improve the self-cleaning ability, several graphene/ inorganic nanofiller hybrids are dispersed in polymeric resins. The review covered the creation of graphene compounds, interactions with polymers, and uses of the resulting nanocomposites. It highlights the efficacy of controlling the nanostructured design mechanisms for self-cleaning applications. The applications of superhydrophobic materials developed using graphene-related nanocomposites for self-cleaning marine antifouling surfaces are the focus of this study. Stability, as well as long-standing durability, represents vital advantages for developing eco-friendly superhydrophobic alternatives. This review concludes with a discussion of the field's current and future advancements. It is expected to serve as a cutting-edge research hub for the creation of a durable and sustainable self-cleaning coating.

Amphiphilic copolymers (ACPs) are widely recognized due to their self-organizing micellar characteristics in an aqueous medium and their extensive application potential in bioactive molecule delivery. However, their use in agriculture is still limited with some scattered research studies, especially on the delivery of pesticides for crop protection. Hence, the present study comprehensively summarizes these research findings mainly focusing on synthesis, selfassembly, and release properties of pesticide nanoformulations prepared using poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based ACPs. PEG-based ACPs are synthesized using linker molecules through a simple esterification reaction in the presence of an acid catalyst or an enzyme. However, multistep reactions are noticed in the synthesis of ACPs employing biopolymers, like chitosan-based ACPs. On spontaneous emulsification, ACPs develop nanomicelles (~10-300 nm), and their micellar characteristics are highly dependent on the nature of the blocks. The polymeric micellar barrier of ACPs also leads to the slow release of entrapped pesticide molecules from these nanomicelles with diffusion as the dominant release mechanism. Hence, the field appraisal of these ACPs-based pesticide nanoformulations has shown reduced pesticide doses as compared to the conventional formulations. However, despite these stated advantages, ACPs-based pesticide nanoformulations are yet to reach their full potential, which might be due to several key researchable gaps, like a lack of ACPs with high pesticide loading capacity, lack of biosafety data, environmental fate details, etc. The use of ACPs is still gaining pace in formulating pesticides and being proven as a smart material for targeted pesticide delivery to attain sustainable agriculture with a promise to reduce environmental hazards due to pesticide application.

Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are comprised of tissue matter within the brain possessing anomalous vascular architecture. In totality, the dilated appearance of the cavernoma takes on a mulberry-like shape contributed by the shape and relation to vascular and capillary elements. Analyzing its pathophysiology along with its molecular and genetic pathways plays a vital role in whether or not a patient receives GKRS, medical management, or Surgery, the most invasive of procedures. To avoid neurological trauma, microsurgical resection of cavernomas can be guided by the novel clinical application of a 3D Slicer with Sina/MosoCam. When cavernomas present in deep lesions with poor accessibility, gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery (GKSR) is recommended. For asymptomatic and non-multilobal lesions, medical and symptom management is deemed standard, such as antiepileptic therapy. The two-hit hypothesis serves to explain the mutations in three key genes that are most pertinent to the progression of cavernomas: CCM1/KRIT1, CCM2/Malcavernin, and CCM3/PDCD10. Various exon deletions and frameshift mutations can cause dysfunction in vascular structure through loss and gain of function mutations. MEKK3 and KLF2/4 are involved in a protein kinase signaling cycle that promotes abnormal angiogenesis and cavernoma formation. In terms of potential treatments, RhoKinase inhibitors have shown to decrease endothelial to mesenchymal transition and CCM lesion development in mice models. All in all, understanding the research behind the molecular genetics in CCMs can foster personalized medicine and potentially create new neurosurgical and medicative treatments.

Background: Osteoporosis has become a global public health problem, and Pueraria Lobata (PL) is a potential drug for treating osteoporosis. Methods: Firstly, the components of PL were detected and identified based on UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS. In addition, we used network pharmacology to study the potential mechanism of PL in treating osteoporosis. Result: A total of 48 compounds, including 38 isoflavones, 6 puerosides, and 4 others, were identified by UHPLC-Q Exactive-Orbitrap MS. The network of the pharmacological analysis revealed that 28 compounds of PL regulated 19 pathways through 27 targets, including estrogen signaling pathway and NF-kappa B signaling pathway, etc. Conclusion: This study used LC-MS combined with network pharmacology to identify the compounds of PL and their mechanism of intervention in osteoporosis, which provides a scientific basis for PL to become a functional food for preventing osteoporosis.