Date of Award

8-12-2015

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Applied Science

First Advisor

Alexandru Biris

Abstract

Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary field of science. The merger of nanotechnology and biotechnology has led to the introduction of a new field of science called bionanotechnology. Bionanotechnology employs extremely small, engineered materials to perform tasks within biological systems. This new technology has benefits in many different sectors, including cancer fighting, disease detection, and medical imaging. The application of nanotechnology in biology and medicine offers exciting new possibilities. A nanoparticle (NP) --an extremely small, two- or three -dimensional object having a size ranging from 1-100nm--is the type of nanomaterial utilized in bionanotechnology applications. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) are the most commonly used due to their unique chemical and physical properties. The study of different chemical and physical nanoparticle properties is important because it will improve our understanding of how nanomaterials interact with cells, in addition to providing the information necessary to develop NPs for biomedical, cytotoxicological, and pharmaceutical research. A variety of optical visualization systems, such as the light microscope and fluorescent microscope, have been used to assess nanoparticles' interactions with biological systems. However, these instruments provide only a limited level of information concerning cell-nanomaterial interactions within bio-systems. The electron microscope offers the exciting possibility of revealing high levels of detail and significant knowledge about a nanomaterial's behavior inside biological systems. This dissertation addresses some applications of nanotechnology in biological systems. The cytotoxicity of the nanoparticles used in this study is also discussed. Electron microscopy was used as the main analytical technique to characterize the nanoparticles and to uncover the concentration-dependent mechanisms by which AuNPs internalize inside mouse osteoblastic cells (MC3T3-E1). Magnetic nanoparticles--with small sizes that enable them to penetrate inside cells and the ability to convert external electromagnetic energy into heat--are also highly desirable for nanomedical applications. In this study iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) were utilized as heat mediators in hyperthermia treatment to destroy human breast adenocarcinoma cancer cells (MCF-7). Furthermore, we also investigated the use of specific bio-functionalization to direct the delivery of IONPs to subcellular organelles, e.g., the nucleus- a technique that could be used for bio-medical applications.

Download

Included in

Biology Commons

Share

COinS