title: Decrystallization of Crystals Using Gold "Nano-Bullets" and the Metal-Assisted and Microwave-Accelerated Decrystallization Technique.
abstract: Gout is caused by the overproduction of uric acid and the inefficient metabolism of dietary purines in humans. Current treatments of gout, which include anti-inflammatory drugs, cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, and systemic glucocorticoids, have harmful side-effects. Our research laboratory has recently introduced an innovative approach for the decrystallization of biological and chemical crystals using the Metal-Assisted and Microwave-Accelerated Evaporative Decrystallization (MAMAD) technique. In the MAMAD technique, microwave energy is used to heat and activate gold nanoparticles that behave as "nano-bullets" to rapidly disrupt the crystal structure of biological crystals placed on planar surfaces. In this study, crystals of various sizes and compositions were studied as models for tophaceous gout at different stages (i.e., uric acid as small crystals (~10-100 μm) and l-alanine as medium (~300 μm) and large crystals (~4400 μm). Our results showed that the use of the MAMAD technique resulted in the reduction of the size and number of uric acid and l-alanine crystals up to >40% when exposed to intermittent microwave heating (up to 20 W power at 8 GHz) in the presence of 20 nm gold nanoparticles up to 120 s. This study demonstrates that the MAMAD technique can be potentially used as an alternative therapeutic method for the treatment of gout by effective decrystallization of large crystals, similar in size to those that often occur in gout.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Morgan State University, 1700 East Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA. nitho9@morgan.edu.
authors.forename: Nishone
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Morgan State University, 1700 East Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA. zaboo2@morgan.edu.
authors.forename: Zainab
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Boone-Kukoyi
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Morgan State University, 1700 East Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA. rasho4@morgan.edu.
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shortt
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Morgan State University, 1700 East Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA. calan1@morgan.edu.
authors.forename: Carisse
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lansiquot
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Morgan State University, 1700 East Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA. brkio1@morgan.edu.
authors.forename: Bridgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kioko
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Morgan State University, 1700 East Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA. enbon1@morgan.edu.
authors.forename: Enock
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bonyi
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Morgan State University, 1700 East Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA. salih.toker@morgan.edu.
authors.forename: Salih
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Toker
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, Morgan State University, 1700 East Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA. birol.ozturk@morgan.edu.
authors.forename: Birol
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ozturk
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Morgan State University, 1700 East Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA. Kadir.Aslan@morgan.edu.
authors.forename: Kadir
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aslan
mesh_terms: D000409:Alanine / Q000737:chemistry*; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical / Q000379:methods; D003460:Crystallization; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006073:Gout / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D008872:Microwaves; D010316:Particle Size; D013678:Technology, Pharmaceutical / Q000379:methods*; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D014527:Uric Acid; D006046:Gold; D000409:Alanine
keywords: ">l-alanine; emblation microwave; gold nanoparticles; gout; metal-assisted and microwave-accelerated evaporative de-crystallization; uric acid