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In colloidal methods, the morphology of nanoparticles (size and shape) as well as their stability can be controlled by changing the concentration of the substrate, stabilizer, adding inorganic salts, changing the reducer/substrate molar ratio, and changing the pH and reaction time. The synthesis of silver nanoparticles was carried out according to the modified Lee and Meisel method in a wide pH range (from 2.0 to 11.0) using citric acid and malic acid, without adding any additives or stabilizers. Keeping the same reaction conditions as the concentration of acid and silver ions, temperature, and heating time, it was possible to determine the relationship between the reaction pH, the type of acid, and the size of the silver nanoparticles formed. Obtained colloids were analyzed by UV-Vis spectroscopy and investigated by means of Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). The study showed that the colloids reduced with citric acid and malic acid are stable over time for a minimum of seven weeks. We observed that reactions occurred for citric acid from pH 6.0 to 11.0 and for malic acid from pH 7.0 to 11.0. The average size of the quasi-spherical nanoparticles changed with pH due to the increase of reaction rate.

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The research focused on the investigation of curcumin encapsulated in hydrogenated soy phosphatidylcholine liposomes and its increased photoactive properties in photodynamic therapy (PDT). The goal of this study was two-fold: to emphasize the role of a natural photoactive plant-based derivative in the liposomal formulation as an easily bioavailable, alternative photosensitizer (PS) for the use in PDT of skin malignancies. Furthermore, the goal includes to prove the decreased cytotoxicity of phototoxic agents loaded in liposomes toward normal skin cells. Research was conducted on melanoma (MugMel2), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC-25), and normal human keratinocytes (HaCaT) cell lines. The assessment of viability with MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) evaluated cell death after exposure to blue light irradiation after 4 h of pre-incubation with free and encapsulated curcumin. Additionally, the wound healing assay, flow cytometry, and immunocytochemistry to detect apoptosis were performed. The malignant cells revealed increased phototoxicity after the therapy in comparison to normal cells. Moreover, liposome curcumin-based photodynamic therapy showed an increased ratio of apoptotic and necrotic cells. The study also demonstrated that nanocurcumin significantly decreased malignant cell motility following PDT treatment. Acquired results suggest that liposomal formulation of a poor soluble natural compound may improve photosensitizing properties of curcumin-mediated PDT treatment in skin cancers and reduce toxicity in normal keratinocytes.

Binary complexes of tartaric acid with lanthanide(III) ions were investigated. The studies have been performed in aqueous solution using the potentiometric method with computer analysis of the data for detection of the complexes set, determination of the stability constants of these compounds. The mode of the coordination of complexes found was determined using spectroscopy, which shows: Infrared, circular dichroism, ultraviolet, visible as well as luminescence spectroscopy. The overall stability constants of the complexes as well as the equilibrium constants of the reaction were determined. Analysis of the equilibrium constants of the reactions and spectroscopic data allowed the effectiveness of the carboxyl groups in the process of complex formation.

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