Insights into antibiotic-carrier interactions in the silk-fibroin-based nanoparticles and considerations on the formulation process greenness are limited. Hence, this work developed and characterized polyethylene glycol-functionalized silk fibroin nanoparticles for oral delivery of cefotaxime (PEG/SFPs-CTX), with a focus on the in silico simulations and process greenness. The particles were formulated by the two methods of co-condensation and adsorption. Dependent on the processes, the particles possessed spherical shape, smooth/rough surfaces, nanosize (170-650 nm), negative charge (-23 to -30 mV), and drug entrapment efficiency of ∼50%. The system rapidly absorbed the drug within 30 min, followed second-order kinetics, and significantly controlled the drug release rate in the simulated gastrointestinal system, which could bypass the stomach acidic pH. Interestingly, in silico docking revealed that CTX mostly bound strongly and noncovalently with fibroin, particularly at glutamic acid, via hydrogen bonds, van der Waals forces, and π-π interactions, while PEG enhanced the stability of the system. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the complex's stability under physiological conditions. Lastly, life cycle assessment analysis showed that both formulation methods were environmental friendly, with limited impacts on the ecosystem, and the adsorption method was "greener" than the co-condensation method.

Anthocyanins, natural antioxidants found in Clitoria ternatea L. flowers, exhibit instability when exposed to high temperatures. Therefore, to heat-protect the anthocyanins, this investigation produced C. ternatea extract-loaded polymeric (polyethylenimine (PEI) or poly-(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)) functionalized silk fibroin nanoparticles using a green/sustainable process. The nanoparticles were effectively generated using a simple green one-pot desolvation method with simple ingredient mixing, with entrapment efficiencies (>80%), nanosizes (200-800 nm), spherical shapes, and appropriate chemical interactions. Using the standard 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) antioxidant method, the C. ternatea flower extract possessed an IC₅₀ of 0.46 ± 0.09 μg/mL, which was much better than that of standard ascorbic acid (3.94 ± 0.48 μg/mL). The nanoparticles exhibited excellent antioxidant activity (0.65 ± 0.12 μg/mL), comparable to that of the free extract. Interestingly, as analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry, the extract was efficiently protected under high-temperature conditions by being encapsulated in the nanoparticle system. After 4 h of incubation at 70 °C, the DPPH scavenging efficiency of the extract-loaded nanoparticles was ∼85%, whereas that of the free extract was only ∼17%. In addition, the sustainability and environmental impacts of the formulation process were assessed using life cycle assessment (LCA), which showed that our green method was not harmful to the environment in terms of all critical aspects of ecotoxicity, acidification, and, especially, climate change. In conclusion, the polymeric functionalized fibroin nanoparticles could be a potential system for protecting encapsulated drugs/extracts, and the novel one-pot green process for nanoparticle formulation could provide insights for future research.

In this study, a novel material, AuPt/graphene quantum dots nanocomposites (AuPt/GQDs NCPs), that have unique optical properties were successfully synthesized. The simple seed-growth method was used to synthesize Au nanoparticles (Au NPs), and these nanoparticles were combined with Pt to form AuPt nanodendrites, which have a unique core–shell structure. In addition, AuPt was distributed over GQDs prepared through a simple “green” approach from an inexpensive natural source of flour. AuPt/GQDs NCPs were analyzed for morphology, properties, and composition by methods, such as UV-vis, FTIR, EDX, and XRD spectroscopies, as well as TEM and SEM. Furthermore, an AuPt/GQDs NCPs substrate was also employed to test glucose detection by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The results showed that the optical intensity of AuPt/GQDs NCPs is linearly correlated with glucose concentration from 10⁻¹⁰–1 M, with an extremely low limit of detection (LOD ∼10⁻¹⁰ M) with wavelength excitation at 340 nm, showing the promising potential of the synthesized material for glucose detection. Based on these results, the application can be oriented for the detection of pigments and antigens in the diagnosis and early detection of dangerous diseases by means of luminescence spectroscopy.

Multifunctional materials have become one of the most interesting research subjects in recent years. Hydroxylapatite (HAp) coating on the surface of iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles allow to obtain material with adsorbable and magnetic properties. This study aims to salvage recycled eggshell to successfully produce adsorbent nanoparticles and evaluate treatment ability of methylene blue (MB) dyes in water. The magnetic nanomaterial was synthesized by a simple and inexpensive method. The X-ray diffraction technique was employed to characterize the structure of nanoparticles. The as-synthesized nanoparticles were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy technique to determine the presence of functional groups and bonds in the molecule. The surface morphology of as-synthesized Fe3O4/HAp nanoparticles was studied by transmission electron microscopy. The magnetic properties of Fe3O4 nanoparticles and Fe3O4/HAp nanoparticles were evaluated by vibrating sample magnetometer technique. The typical synthesized-HAp were dispersed rod-like particles with about 10 nm in width and 50 nm in length, the other part of final material was dispersed in spherical shape and their magnetism was 16.2 emu.g-1. The adsorption of MB was conducted with 89.6% yield at pH 8.