Nucleic acid extraction and purification are crucial steps in sample preparation for multiple diagnostic procedures. Routine methodologies of DNA isolation require benchtop equipment (e.g., centrifuges) and labor-intensive steps. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) as solid-phase sorbents could simplify this procedure. A wide range of surface coatings employs various molecular interactions between dsDNA and magnetic nano-sorbents. However, a reliable, comparative evaluation of their performance is complex. In this work, selected Fe₃O₄ modifications, i.e., polyethyleneimine, gold, silica, and graphene derivatives, were comprehensively evaluated for applications in dsDNA extraction. A family of single batch nanoparticles was compared in terms of morphology (STEM), composition (ICP-MS/MS and elemental analysis), surface coating (UV-Vis, TGA, FTIR), and MNP charge (ζ-potential). ICP-MS/MS was also used to unify MNPs concentration allowing a reliable assessment of individual coatings on DNA extraction. Moreover, studies on adsorption medium (monovalent vs. divalent ions) and extraction buffer composition were carried out. As a result, essential relationships between nanoparticle coatings and DNA adsorption efficiencies have been noticed. Fe₃O₄@PEI MNPs turned out to be the most efficient nano sorbents. The optimized composition of the extraction buffer (medium containing 0.1 mM EDTA) helped avoid problems with Fe³⁺ stripping, which improved the validity of the spectroscopic determination of DNA recovery.

Inefficient drug administration into cancer cells is related to the chemoresistance of cancer cells caused by genetic mutations including genes involved in drug transport, enzyme metabolism, and/or DNA damage repair. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the properties of platinum (NP-Pt), graphene oxide (GO), and the nanocomplex of GO functionalized with platinum nanoparticles (GO-NP-Pt) against several genetically, phenotypically, and metabolically different cancer cell lines: Colo205, HT-29, HTC-116, SW480, HepG2, MCF-7, LNCaP, and Hela B. The anticancer effects toward the cancer cell lines were evaluated by 2,3-bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxyanilide salt (XTT) and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) assays and measurements of cell apoptosis and morphology deformations. The NP-Pt and GO could effectively be introduced to cancer cells, but more effective delivery was observed after GO-NP-Pt treatment. The delivery of the GO-NP-Pt nanocomplex significantly decreased the viability of Colo 205 and HepG2 cells, but did not increase the cytotoxicity of other investigated cancer cells. The nanocomplex GO-NP-Pt also significantly increased the apoptosis of Colo 205 and HepG2 cancer cells. The obtained results suggest that the nanocomplex GO-NP-Pt is a remarkable nanostructure that can improve the delivery of Pt nanoparticles into cancer cells and has potential anticancer applications.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanoparticles containing various bioactive cargos—e.g., proteins, RNAs, and lipids—that are released into the environment by all cell types. They are involved in, amongst other functions, intercellular communication. This article presents studies on EVs produced by the probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745. The size distribution and concentration of EVs in the liquid culture of yeast were estimated. Moreover, the vesicles of S. boulardii were tested for their cytotoxicity against three model human intestinal cell lines. This study did not show any significant negative effect of yeast EVs on these cells under tested conditions. In addition, EVs of S. boulardii were verified for their ability to internalize in vitro with human cells and transfer their cargo. The yeast vesicles were loaded with doxorubicin, an anticancer agent, and added to the cellular cultures. Subsequently, microscopic observations revealed that these EVs transferred the compound to human intestinal cell lines. A cytotoxicity test confirmed the activity of the transferred doxorubicin. Detailed information about the proteins present in EVs might be important in terms of exploring yeast EVs as carriers of active molecules. Thus, proteomic analysis of the EV content was also conducted within the present study, and it allowed the identification of 541 proteins after matching them to the Saccharomyces Genome Database (SGD). Altogether, this study provides strong evidence that the EVs of the probiotic CNCM I-745 strain could be considered a drug delivery system.