Magnetic nanoparticles coated with anacardic acid derived from cashew nut shell liquid

Magnetic nanoparticles functionalized with biomolecules have received special attention due to their various biomedical applications, such as drug delivery and magnetic hyperthermia treatment for cancer. In this study, we present the synthesis and characterization of new nanoparticles coated with anacardic acid derived from cashew nut shell liquid. The results showed that Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles coated with anacardic acid (AA-MAG) have superparamagnetic behavior and the magnetization is almost equal when compared with the pure Fe₃O₄. This coating provides stability by preventing the aggregation nanoparticles without losing its magnetization potential. The AA-MAG demonstrates excellent and fast magneto-temperature response which can be used as high-performance hyperthermia agents.     

Effect of solvent composition on the structural and magnetic properties of MnZn ferrite nanoparticles obtained by hydrothermal synthesis

Samples of manganese–zinc (MnZn) ferrites were successfully prepared by hydrothermal syntheses using different compositions of the reactive system (H₂O)_1?x :(EG) _x (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0), where EG = ethylene glycol. The samples were fully investigated by powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for both liquid and solid specimens, Mössbauer spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer, and transmission electron microscopy. All the MnZn ferrites presented spinel phase and average particle diameters between 3.1 and 12.1 nm. The increase in the x values results in a decrease in the particle sizes. The FTIR spectra performed in liquid phase showed significant interaction between EG and metallic precursors used in the synthesis. Magnetic features as for instance saturation magnetization (M _S) also decreases upon increasing the x values. In addition, all synthesized samples exhibited a superparamagnetic character at room temperature. The experimental methodology presented in this work is used to obtain superparamagnetic nanoparticles with controlled size (smaller than 13 nm) and morphology.     

Evaluation of antioxidant properties of a phosphorated cardanol compound on mineral oils (NH10 and NH20)

Studies on thermal-oxidative stability of a phosphorated antioxidant, synthesized from a natural and renewable resource cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) was investigated, using a classical thermoanalytical method-thermogravimetric (TG/DTG) in air atmosphere. Its use as an antioxidant agent on the mineral oils NH10 and NH20 was evaluated in comparative studied with a commercial product (diphenyl phosphate - Aldrich). The addition of 1.2-2.0 wt% of phosphorated cardanol compound to the mineral oils has improved their thermal-oxidative stability on 14-18 °C, respectively. The occurrence of major thermal degradation events at higher temperatures (T_max) on additivated oils is an excellent indication of the phosphorated cardanol compound antioxidant properties.     

Magnetic Nanosystem for Cancer Therapy Using Oncocalyxone A,an Antitomour Secondary Metabolite Isolated from a Brazilian Plant

This paper describes the investigation and development of a novel magnetic drug delivery nanosystem (labeled as MO-20) for cancer therapy. The drug employed was oncocalyxone A (onco A), which was isolated from Auxemma oncocalyx, an endemic Brazilian plant. It has a series of pharmacological properties: antioxidant, cytotoxic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antitumor and antiplatelet. Onco A was associated with magnetite nanoparticles in order to obtain magnetic properties. The components of MO-20 were characterized by XRD, FTIR, TGA, TEM and Magnetization curves. The MO-20 presented a size of about 30 nm and globular morphology. In addition, drug releasing experiments were performed, where it was observed the presence of the anomalous transport. The results found in this work showed the potential of onco A for future applications of the MO-20 as a new magnetic drug release nanosystem for cancer treatment.