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An environmentally safe method - metal-vapor synthesis (MVS), was applied to produce iron nanoparticles (Fe NPs), which were conjugated with the drug methotrexate (MTX). The physicochemical properties and biological activity of the generated Fe NPs-MTX nanomaterials were analyzed. Transmission electron microscopy observations indicated that Fe NPs are stabilized in the form of aggregates with a size of 100 nm. The structure of these aggregates is similar to a -bunch of grapes-, which consists of metal particles ab...

Cyanobacteria are ancient photosynthetic organisms that under certain conditions (high temperature, eutrophication) can grow rapidly and form "cyanobacterial blooms". Very often, these blooms are accompanied by production of cyanotoxins, which in most cases are dangerous to the other organisms. Knowing the producers of cyanotoxins is of utmost importance, especially today when climate change has been shown to increase the frequency of toxic cyanobacterial blooms worldwide. The aim of the present study was to chara...

Gold and iron nanoparticles were generated via environmentally safe metal-vapor synthesis method applying acetone or toluene as organic dispersion medium. Biological properties of the nanoparticles were analyzed by the agar disc diffusion method using Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and via in vitro cytotoxicity assays with different human cell lines. The obtained results revealed distinct biological activity profiles of the studied specimens. Fe nanoparticles (Fe NPs) demonstrated inhibitory effects agai...

Cyanobacteria are a diverse group of photosynthetic bacteria found in a wide variety of habitats where they play crucial roles. They are one of the most morphologically diverse groups. The evolutionary relationships and the classification are poorly understood. The whole genome sequencing added a new dimension to our understanding of genomes of cyanobacteria and the genome-based phylogeny came into existence. The aim of this study was to conduct a genomic comparison of phylogenetically closely related filamentous ...

Cyanobacteria are the oldest prokaryotes with worldwide distribution. Some of them are able to produce secondary metabolites (including cyanotoxins), which can have different effects on the other phytoplankton species. It is speculated that production of cyanotoxins is an adaptation mechanism of the cyanobacteria to survive in diverse habitats inhibiting the growth of the competing aquatic biota. In certain environmental conditions, bloom forming cyanobacteria may exert rapidly their allelopathic potential and cha...