Disease, trauma, and aging account for a significant number of clinical disorders. Regenerative medicine is emerging as a very promising therapeutic option. The design and development of new cell-customized biomaterials able to mimic ECM functionalities represent one of the major strategy to control the cell fate and stimulate tissue regeneration. Recently, hydrogels have received a considerable interest for their use in the modulation and control of cell fate during regeneration processes. Several synthetic bioresponsive hydrogels are being developed in order to facilitate cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions. In this review new strategies and future perspectives of such synthetic cell microenvironment will be highlighted.

The high hydrophobicity of fullerenes and the resulting formation of aggregates in aqueous solutions hamper the possibility of their exploitation in many technological applications. Noncovalent bioconjugation of fullerenes with proteins is an emerging approach for their dispersion in aqueous media. Contrary to covalent functionalization, bioconjugation preserves the physicochemical properties of the carbon nanostructure. The unique photophysical and photochemical properties of fullerenes are then fully accessible for applications in nanomedicine, sensoristic, biocatalysis and materials science fields. However, proteins are not universal carriers. Their stability depends on the biological conditions for which they have evolved. Here we present two model systems based on pepsin and trypsin. These proteins have opposite net charge at physiological pH. They recognize and disperse C₆₀ in water. UV-Vis spectroscopy, zeta-potential and atomic force microscopy analysis demonstrates that the hybrids are well dispersed and stable in a wide range of pH’s and ionic strengths. A previously validated modelling approach identifies the protein-binding pocket involved in the interaction with C₆₀. Computational predictions, combined with experimental investigations, provide powerful tools to design tailor-made C₆₀@proteins bioconjugates for specific applications.

Background: Combinatorial therapy- “nano antibiotics” is an emerging field in nanoscience. In this present investigation, we attempted to combine the green synthesized noble metal nanoparticle and the antibiotic Streptomycin to form bio-conjugated nanoparticles. The newly synthesized Nano antibiotics acted as the antibiotic carrier, functioned as cargo, and delivered the antibiotic. Methods: Comparative studies between the noble metal nanoparticles were attempted for the first time on the grounds of their antibacterial activity. The antibacterial activity of the three noble metal nanoparticles was assessed against Streptomycin-resistant Bacillus sp.; the results obtained proved that silver nanoparticles were a potent antibacterial agent. Still, no antibacterial activity was exerted by gold, and platinum nanoparticles were for the Streptomycin-resistant strain Bacillus sp. To our surprise, the gold and platinum fabricated/bio-conjugated nanoparticle with the antibiotic showed 100% antibacterial activity, whose antibacterial activity was zero when functioning as a nanoparticle alone. Results: The combinatorial therapy of two different clauses of drugs majorly increased antibacterial activity. It enhanced the antibiotic to overcome the resistance exhibited by the bacterial pathogen, and the possible mechanism is elucidated in the present study. Also, an attempt has been made to assess the nanotoxicity of the nano-bioconjugates on RBC and compare their hemocompatibility. The results obtained in the current investigation demonstrate the enhanced antibacterial activity of the green synthesized nanoparticles conjugated with the streptomycin; their efficacy for combinational therapy against resistance in pathogenic organisms highlights the novelty of the work and the comparative study of three different noble metals nanoparticles (Ag, Au, Pt) from single agro-waste for the first time.

The increasing popularity of porphyrins and hydroporphyrins for application in a variety of biomedical (photodynamic therapy, fluorescence tagging and imaging, photoacoustic imaging) and technical (chemosensing, catalysis, light harvesting) applications is also associated with the growing number of methodologies that enable their solubilization in aqueous media. Natively, the vast majority of synthetic porphyrinic compounds are not water-soluble. Moreover, any water-solubility imposes several restrictions on the synthetic chemist on when to install solubilizing groups in the synthetic sequence, and how to isolate and purify these compounds. This review summarizes the chemical modifications to render synthetic porphyrins water-soluble, with a focus on the work since 2000. Where available, practical data such as solubility, indicators for the degree of aggregation, and special notes for the practicioner are listed. We hope that this review will guide synthetic chemists through the many strategies known to make porphyrins and hydroporphyrins water soluble.

A series of cysteine-based perfluoroaromatic (hexafluorobenzene (I) and decafluorobiphenyl (II) were synthesized and established as a chemoselective and available core to simple or more complex systems since small molecules to biomolecules with interesting properties. As proof of concept of the potential application of perfluorinated derivatives as non-cleavable linkers, some antibody-perfluorinated conjugates were prepared via thiol, demonstrating that the bioconjugation process doesn’t affect to the macromolecular entity. Besides, some molecular properties of synthesized compounds are evaluated using a combination of spectroscopic characterization (FT-IR and 19F-NMR chemical shifts) and theoretical calculations. Moreover, molecular Docking was also developed to predict cysteine-based hexafluorobenzene and decafluorobiphenyl derivatives’ affinity against topoisomerase Il and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2). The results suggested that mainly cysteine-based decafluorobiphenyl derivatives could be potential topoisomerase II α and COX-2 inhibitors, becoming potential anticancer agents and candidates for anti-inflammatory treatment.