The study of the interactions between nanoparticles (NPs) and proteins has had a pivotal role in facilitating the understanding of biological effects and safe application of NPs after exposure to the physiological environment. Herein, for the first time, the interaction between L-methionine capped silver nanoparticles (AgMet), and bovine serum albumin (BSA) is investigated in order to predict the fate of AgMet after its contact with the most abundant blood transport protein. The detailed insights into the mechanism of interaction were achieved using different physicochemical techniques. The UV/Vis, TEM, and DLS were used for the characterization of the newly formed “entity”, while the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters were utilized to describe the adsorption process. Additionally, the fluorescence quenching and synchronous fluorescence studies enabled the prediction of the binding affinity and gave us insight into the influence of the adsorption on the conformation state of the BSA. According to the best of our knowledge, for the first time, we show that BSA can be used as an external stabilizer agent which is able to induce the peptization of previously agglomerated AgMet. We believe that the obtained results could contribute to further improvement of AgNPs’ performances as well as to the understanding of their in vivo behavior, which could contribute to their potential use in preclinical research studies.

Mercury’s severe toxicity and persistence demand fast, low-cost, and sustainable detection. In this work, a Juglans regia ethanolic extract is introduced as an efficient biogenic reducing and stabilizing agent for the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). This plant-mediated route enables environmentally friendly nanoparticle formation with suitable optical properties for sensing applications. To overcome the poor visual selectivity observed in the colloidal AgNPs suspension, the nanoparticles were immobilized onto filter paper to produce a solid-phase colorimetric sensor. The paper-based platform exhibited a highly selective response toward Hg²⁺, showing complete suppression of the yellow coloration exclusively in the presence of Hg²⁺, even when challenged with a 200-fold excess of potentially interfering ions. Quantitative colorimetric analysis revealed a broad linear detection range from 1 × 10⁻⁸ to 1 × 10⁻³ mol dm⁻³ and an excellent limit of detection of 1.065 × 10⁻⁸ mol dm⁻³, with visible color changes consistent with the calculated values. The sensor’s performance was further validated using real tap water samples, with recovery values ranging from 96% to 102%, confirming minimal matrix interference and reliable quantification. Altogether, this study demonstrates that Juglans regia-mediated AgNPs, integrated into a simple paper-based format, provide a fully green, low-cost, and portable platform for sensitive and selective on-site detection of Hg²⁺ in environmental waters.

Organophosphate pesticides (OPs) are widespread contaminants in agricultural and aquatic environments. Growing evidence indicates that even low-level, chronic exposure to OPs is associated with neurotoxic effects and long-term neurological risks. Over the past decade, substantial progress has been made in developing porous carbon materials capable of efficiently removing OPs from water, food systems, and other environmental matrices. However, adsorption studies have largely focused on equilibrium performance metrics rather than on conditions relevant to real exposure scenarios. This review introduces an exposure-oriented perspective for evaluating porous carbon materials for OP mitigation by linking adsorption science with exposure-driven neurotoxicity considerations. By analysing recent studies on OP adsorption, we demonstrate that equilibrium adsorption capacity alone is often a poor predictor of real-world exposure mitigation. Instead, adsorption kinetics at low concentrations, pore accessibility, and surface chemical heterogeneity emerge as key factors governing sustained OP sequestration. The review further highlights how hierarchical pore architectures and balanced surface functionalization can enhance adsorption efficiency under environmentally realistic conditions. By integrating environmental carbon research with exposure-relevant considerations, this work outlines design principles for carbon adsorbents to reduce long-term OP exposure and associated neurological risks.

Organophosphate pesticides are widely used agricultural chemicals that pose significant environmental and health risks due to their neurotoxicity, which is associated with inhibition of acetylcholinesterase. In this study, carbon materials derived from rabbit litter-based precursors were investigated as sustainable adsorbents for the removal of organophosphate pesticides from aqueous systems. The prepared materials exhibited a broad range of textural properties, with specific surface areas ranging from 10 to 487 m² g⁻¹, depending on the precursor composition. Adsorption experiments demonstrated measurable removal of chlorpyrifos, malathion, and dimethoate, with maximum adsorption capacities reaching 71.8 mg g⁻¹ for malathion, although adsorption performance varied among materials, indicating a combined influence of pore accessibility and surface chemical heterogeneity. Evaluation of acetylcholinesterase inhibition before and after adsorption showed a consistent decrease in enzyme inhibition across all systems, with values reduced from 40% to as low as 20% for chlorpyrifos, from 35% to as low as 11% for malathion, and from 20% to as low as 10% for dimethoate, indicating a reduction in the neurotoxic potential of the treated solutions. In addition, the genotoxicity of the carbon materials varied with their structural and compositional characteristics, underscoring the importance of considering both adsorption performance and biological interactions. These findings demonstrate that waste-derived carbon materials can contribute to the removal of organophosphate contaminants while simultaneously reducing their associated neurotoxic effects.

Mercury is among the most hazardous heavy metals in aquatic systems due to its toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation, posing significant risks to ecosystems and human health. This study presents a sustainable, and low-cost approach for Hg2+ detection based on green-synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). AgNPs were prepared using an ethanolic extract of Juglans regia as a natural reducing and stabilizing agent and immobilized onto filter paper to fabricate a portable colorimetric sensor for Hg2+ detection. The sensing mechanism is based on the specific interaction between Hg2+ and AgNPs, producing a distinct color change visible to the naked eye. The sensor exhibited a linear detection range from 1×10-3 to 1×10-8 mol dm-3, with a limit of detection of 1.065×10-8 mol dm-3. The proposed platform offers eco-friendly synthesis, low production cost, portability, and instrument-free operation, making it a promising candidate for rapid on-site monitoring of Hg2+ contamination in water.

Biomass-derived porous carbons are promising sustainable adsorbents for wastewater treatment. However, most reported materials require chemical activation, while the relationships between biomass precursor, pore structure, adsorption mechanism, and regeneration remain insufficiently understood. In this work, non-activated carbon materials were prepared from Juglans regia (JR) and Allium sativum (AS) biomass by pyrolysis at 400 and 900 °C and evaluated for the removal of methylene blue (MB), rhodamine B (RB), crystal violet (CV), and malachite green (MG). Carbonization at 900 °C markedly enhanced porosity, yielding a surface area of 790 m² g⁻¹ for JR900 and 177 m² g⁻¹ for AS900, together with predominantly microporous structures and negatively charged surfaces at neutral pH. The pseudo-second-order model best described adsorption kinetics, while intraparticle diffusion analysis indicated a multistep adsorption process. Equilibrium data were well fitted by both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. JR900 exhibited the highest adsorption capacities for MB (321 mg g⁻¹) and RB (304 mg g⁻¹), whereas AS900 showed superior performance toward MG (278 mg g⁻¹). Stable dynamic filtration, efficient regeneration, and nearly complete dye recovery demonstrate the potential of these non-activated biomass-derived carbons for sustainable dye removal and recovery from water.