title: Microwave Heating of Synthetic Skin Samples for Potential Treatment of Gout Using the Metal-Assisted and Microwave-Accelerated Decrystallization Technique.
abstract: Physical stability of synthetic skin samples during their exposure to microwave heating was investigated to demonstrate the use of the metal-assisted and microwave-accelerated decrystallization (MAMAD) technique for potential biomedical applications. In this regard, optical microscopy and temperature measurements were employed for the qualitative and quantitative assessment of damage to synthetic skin samples during 20 s intermittent microwave heating using a monomode microwave source (at 8 GHz, 2-20 W) up to 120 s. The extent of damage to synthetic skin samples, assessed by the change in the surface area of skin samples, was negligible for microwave power of ≤7 W and more extensive damage (>50%) to skin samples occurred when exposed to >7 W at initial temperature range of 20-39 °C. The initial temperature of synthetic skin samples significantly affected the extent of change in temperature of synthetic skin samples during their exposure to microwave heating. The proof of principle use of the MAMAD technique was demonstrated for the decrystallization of a model biological crystal (l-alanine) placed under synthetic skin samples in the presence of gold nanoparticles. Our results showed that the size (initial size ∼850 μm) of l-alanine crystals can be reduced up to 60% in 120 s without damage to synthetic skin samples using the MAMAD technique. Finite-difference time-domain-based simulations of the electric field distribution of an 8 GHz monomode microwave radiation showed that synthetic skin samples are predicted to absorb ∼92.2% of the microwave radiation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, Morgan State University , 1700 East Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, Maryland 21251, United States.
authors.forename: Salih
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Toker
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, Morgan State University , 1700 East Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, Maryland 21251, United States.
authors.forename: Zainab
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Boone-Kukoyi
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, Morgan State University , 1700 East Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, Maryland 21251, United States.
authors.forename: Nishone
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, Morgan State University , 1700 East Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, Maryland 21251, United States.
authors.forename: Hillary
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ajifa
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, Morgan State University , 1700 East Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, Maryland 21251, United States.
authors.forename: Travis
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Clement
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, Morgan State University , 1700 East Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, Maryland 21251, United States.
authors.forename: Birol
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ozturk
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, Morgan State University , 1700 East Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, Maryland 21251, United States.
authors.forename: Kadir
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aslan