Polymer nanoparticles from low-energy nanoemulsions for biomedical applications

• Santiago Grijalvo and
• Carlos Rodriguez-Abreu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 339–350, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.29

•  5) with viabilities higher than 70% for HeLa cells are promising candidates for gene therapy (e.g., gene vaccines). Protein binding on PLGA nanoparticles prepared from nanoemulsions has also been studied [62]. After incubation with human serum, afamin was one of the specific proteins bound to PLGA

Overview of mechanism and consequences of endothelial leakiness caused by metal and polymeric nanoparticles

• Magdalena Lasak and
• Karol Ciepluch

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 329–338, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.28

• from the EPR effect and active targeting strategies may increase the efficacy of the therapy. Nevertheless, the accumulation in other, non-targeted organs indicates the existence of a method of NP transport through the endothelium other than EPR [26][28][29][32]. Sindhwani et al. identified an active

• independent of the tumor stage. Therefore, NanoEL can be used in the early stages of cancer without requiring the EPR effect. Early diagnosis and treatment when the tumor has accumulated only a few mutations is a key determinant in the effectiveness of the therapy. Moreover, earlier diagnosis and treatment

Recent progress in cancer cell membrane-based nanoparticles for biomedical applications

• Qixiong Lin,
• Yueyou Peng,
• Yanyan Wen,
• Xiaoqiong Li,
• Donglian Du,
• Weibin Dai,
• Wei Tian and
• Yanfeng Meng

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 262–279, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.24

• clinical translation prospects, and the associated challenges are discussed. Keywords: cancer cell biomimetics; nanoparticles; precision medicine; targeted therapy; theranostic nanomedicine; Review 1 Introduction Biomimetic nanotechnology, an emerging interdisciplinary field, involves different

• necessary to customize treatments to maximize the benefit of the treatment for the patient at the lowest cost. Cancer cell membranes hold great promise for personalized precision therapy because of their unique homologous targeting properties and immune evasion capabilities. Cancer cell membrane-based

• summarized in Table 1 and described in detail in the following sections. 3.1 Malignant neoplasms Insufficient targeting of tumor tissue has hindered patients from further benefiting from therapy. Exploiting the homotypic aggregation behavior during initiation and progression of solid tumors [31], biomimetic

Nanotechnology – a robust tool for fighting the challenges of drug resistance in non-small cell lung cancer

• Filip Gorachinov,
• Fatima Mraiche,
• Diala Alhaj Moustafa,
• Ola Hishari,
• Yomna Ismail,
• Jensa Joseph,
• Maja Simonoska Crcarevska,
• Marija Glavas Dodov,
• Nikola Geskovski and
• Katerina Goracinova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 240–261, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.23

• therapy, leading to the rapid exhaustion of standard molecularly targeted therapeutic options against mutant variants. Attacking multiple molecular targets within one or several signaling pathways by co-delivery of multiple agents is a viable strategy for overcoming and preventing resistance to EGFR TKIs

• intracellular internalization, and bring advantages over conventional nanocarriers. Keywords: co-delivery nanoparticles; combinatorial therapy; EGFR TKI resistance; non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); overcoming and preventing resistance; Introduction Among the malignant diseases, lung cancer takes the lead

• treatments because of their ability to target specific molecular abnormalities associated with NSCLC cells [8][9][10][11][12][13]. Unlike traditional chemotherapy, which interferes with cell division and kills rapidly dividing cells, molecularly targeted therapy is directed towards somatic genome mutations

Cyclodextrins as eminent constituents in nanoarchitectonics for drug delivery systems

• Makoto Komiyama

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 218–232, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.21

• delivery of chemical drugs Light irradiation is an eminent stimulus for the on–off control of drug delivery since light can be strictly focused to target sites and irradiated only when necessary. These two factors facilitate the precise spatiotemporal control of the therapy and minimize undesired side

• delivered to a target site, the therapy should be more efficient than a unimodal therapy. For such a co-delivery, CyD-based nanoarchitectures are very convenient since well-defined structures of CyDs allow for the precise molecular design of nanoarchitectures in which the desired nucleic acid drugs are

• S–S linkages by intracellular glutathione (GSH). As the result, both gene editing by sgRNA/Cas9 and gene silencing by the antisense DNA cooperatively suppressed the PLK1 gene, providing remarkable antitumor activity. 4 CyD-based nanoarchitectures for effective photodynamic therapy Photodynamic

Concentration-dependent photothermal conversion efficiency of gold nanoparticles under near-infrared laser and broadband irradiation

• Vikas,
• Raj Kumar and
• Sanjeev Soni

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 205–217, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.20

• ]. Localized heat generation through GNPs under irradiation can be used for hyperthermia treatment of tumors, termed plasmonic photothermal therapy (PPTT) [7][8][9][10][11]. The net temperature rise of a GNP-containing medium highly depends on shape and size of the GNPs, the dielectric constant of the medium

Facile preparation of Au- and BODIPY-grafted lipid nanoparticles for synergized photothermal therapy

• Yuran Wang,
• Xudong Li,
• Haijun Chen and
• Yu Gao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1432–1444, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.118

• Synthesis and Function Discovery (Fujian Province University), Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, Fujian, China 10.3762/bjnano.13.118 Abstract Gold nanoparticles with large size exhibit preferable properties for photothermal therapy (PTT). However, the prolonged tissue retention and slow elimination of gold

• synergistic PTT in the treatment of cancer and other diseases. Keywords: BODIPY; gold nanoparticles; lipid nanoparticles; photothermal therapy; synergism; Introduction Photothermal therapy (PTT) relies on photothermal agents (PTAs) to convert light into heat energy to burn cancer cells. Due to its spatial

• specificity and minimal invasiveness, it has attracted a great deal of attention as complementary modality for conventional cancer therapy options [1]. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) can absorb light and generate heat from light absorption because of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) phenomenon and the tunable

Orally administered docetaxel-loaded chitosan-decorated cationic PLGA nanoparticles for intestinal tumors: formulation, comprehensive in vitro characterization, and release kinetics

• Sedat Ünal,
• Osman Doğan and
• Yeşim Aktaş

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1393–1407, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.115

• -/microscale systems [25]. Chitosan is a natural biopolymer that is widely used in oral nanoparticulate formulations to provide increased drug concentration in the colon and to achieve improved therapy for the colon [26][27][28]. The degradation of chitosan occurs through the lysis of glycosidic bonds by the

Microneedle-based ocular drug delivery systems – recent advances and challenges

• Piotr Gadziński,
• Anna Froelich,
• Monika Wojtyłko,
• Antoni Białek,
• Julia Krysztofiak and
• Tomasz Osmałek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1167–1184, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.98

• inappropriate or late therapy, irreversible changes may occur [26]. It is also worth mentioning the very high global annual costs of therapies reaching up to US$ 250 billion [14], though it has to be kept in mind that the incidence rate is closely related to such factors as gender, age, life quality, and socio

• disadvantage is the need for frequent dosing, which can be troublesome. Hence, the treatment regimen is rarely followed, leading to a reduction in the effectiveness of the therapy [58][59]. Therefore, apart from designing the vehicle/base composition, drugs are often incorporated into appropriate carriers or

• /). Microscopic image of the MNs obtained by Amer and Chen. Figure 6 was adapted from [178], M. Amer; R. K. Chen, "Hydrogel-Forming Microneedle Arrays for Sustained and Controlled Ocular Drug Delivery", Journal of Engineering and Science in Medical Diagnostics and Therapy, with permission from ASME. Copyright

Recent advances in green carbon dots (2015–2022): synthesis, metal ion sensing, and biological applications

• Aisha Kanwal,
• Naheed Bibi,
• Sajjad Hyder,
• Arif Muhammad,
• Hao Ren,
• Jiangtao Liu and
• Zhongli Lei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1068–1107, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.93

• nanomaterials has proved to be useful for applications in a variety of disciplines, including chemical or biological sensing, bioimaging, drug delivery, photodynamic therapy, electrocatalysis, and photocatalysis, with advantages over commonly used semiconductor dots or conventional fluorescent probes such as

Detection and imaging of Hg(II) in vivo using glutathione-functionalized gold nanoparticles

• Gufeng Li,
• Shaoqing Li,
• Rui Wang,
• Min Yang,
• Lizhu Zhang,
• Yanli Zhang,
• Wenrong Yang and
• Hongbin Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 549–559, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.46

• biocompatibility, large specific surface area, and remarkable photoelectric properties [1][2][3]. Among them, gold nanoparticles (GNPs) have been frequently employed for drug delivery, sensing, imaging, and photodynamic therapy owing to their high extinction coefficient, distinct optical properties, excellent

Ciprofloxacin-loaded dissolving polymeric microneedles as a potential therapeutic for the treatment of S. aureus skin infections

• Sharif Abdelghany,
• Walhan Alshaer,
• Yazan Al Thaher,
• Maram Al Fawares,
• Amal G. Al-Bakri,
• Saja Zuriekat and
• Randa SH. Mansour

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 517–527, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.43

• Sharif Abdelghany Walhan Alshaer Yazan Al Thaher Maram Al Fawares Amal G. Al-Bakri Saja Zuriekat Randa SH. Mansour School of Pharmacy, University of Jordan, Amman, 11942, Jordan Cell Therapy Center, University of Jordan, Amman, 11942, Jordan Faculty of Pharmacy, Philadelphia University, Amman

Design and characterization of polymeric microneedles containing extracts of Brazilian green propolis

• Camila Felix Vecchi,
• Rafaela Said dos Santos,
• Jéssica Bassi da Silva and
• Marcos Luciano Bruschi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 503–516, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.42

• permeation mechanism [6][9][10]. Nanocarriers can be used together with polymeric MNs in a synergistic therapy. The nanocarriers can immediately come into contact with the stratum corneum with the help of polymeric MNs, enhancing the transdermal drug delivery of the drugs. Furthermore, these polymeric MNs

Coordination-assembled myricetin nanoarchitectonics for sustainably scavenging free radicals

• Xiaoyan Ma,
• Haoning Gong,
• Kenji Ogino,
• Xuehai Yan and
• Ruirui Xing

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 284–291, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.23

• used for effectively scavenging multiple ROS. Metal-based nanomaterials, such as CeO2 and Fe3O4, have been widely applied for antioxidant therapy [10]. In addition, bioactive small-molecule compounds, such as bilirubin and curcumin, and antioxidant peptides such as glutathione (GSH) and casein

Systematic studies into uniform synthetic protein nanoparticles

• Nahal Habibi,
• Ava Mauser,
• Jeffery E. Raymond and
• Joerg Lahann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 274–283, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.22

• , particularly as a combination therapy [10]. To leverage the endogenous properties of albumin, nab technology uses a high-pressure manufacturing process to force hydrophobic drugs into the internal hydrophobic pockets of human serum albumin (HSA) [11]. This leads to the formation of albumin-bound, paclitaxel

Photothermal ablation of murine melanomas by Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle clusters

• Xue Wang,
• Lili Xuan and
• Ying Pan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 255–264, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.20

• development of resistance. Here, we fabricated Fe3O4 nanoparticle clusters (NPCs), which have drawn widespread attention, and investigated their role in the treatment of melanoma by photothermal therapy (PTT). Scanning electron microscopy imaging shows that our synthesized NPCs are spherical with an average

• the promise of Fe3O4 NPCs as a new PTT option to treat melanoma. Keywords: Fe3O4 nanoparticle clusters; heat shock protein 70; melanoma; near infrared; photothermal therapy; Introduction The global incidence of melanoma, one of the deadliest forms of cancer, has kept increasing annually over the

• past decades at an accelerating rate [1]. Depending on the features of melanomas, therapeutic options include surgical resection, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, photodynamic therapy and several others. Although these treatments could initially meet therapeutic needs, their efficacies commonly drop

Engineered titania nanomaterials in advanced clinical applications

• Padmavati Sahare,
• Paulina Govea Alvarez,
• Juan Manual Sanchez Yanez,
• Gabriel Luna-Bárcenas,
• Samik Chakraborty,
• Sujay Paul and
• Miriam Estevez

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 201–218, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.15

• reported by Rehman [8], who used the photodynamic properties of TiO2 for killing HeLa cancer cells. The hydrophobic nature of photosensitizers commonly used in photodynamic therapy led to selectivity and aggregation issues that jeopardize their effectiveness. Therefore, TiO2 nanoparticles (nps), which

• conversion efficiency and by an accumulation of photosensitizers in tumor sites. ROS-related cancer therapeutics such as photodynamic therapy, sonodynamic therapy, and chemical dynamic therapy showed great potential to significantly enhance the precision and efficacy of cancer therapeutics [14]. Neoplastic

• cells containing TiO2 nps undergo oxidative degeneration upon light irradiation under the influence of generated ROS and, therefore, these nps are considered as a potent photosensitizer in anticancer photodynamic therapy and the photodynamic inactivation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria [15]. TiO2

Theranostic potential of self-luminescent branched polyethyleneimine-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles

• Rouhollah Khodadust,
• Ozlem Unal and
• Havva Yagci Acar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 82–95, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.6

• selective uptake and hence the targeting ability of Erb-tagged nanoparticles. Altogether, this study proves luminescent, cationic, and small SPION@bPEI nanoparticles as strong candidates for imaging and gene therapy. Keywords: Erbitux; photoluminescence; polyethyleneimine; polyinosinic–polycytidylic acid

• and a positive surface charge. The former is very important for the pharmacokinetics of nanoparticles and needed for long blood circulation time, especially when a molecular targeting is aimed [36][37][38]. The latter is essential for the highly popular gene therapy, especially in the treatment of

Biocompatibility and cytotoxicity in vitro of surface-functionalized drug-loaded spinel ferrite nanoparticles

• Sadaf Mushtaq,
• Khuram Shahzad,
• Tariq Saeed,
• Anwar Ul-Hamid,
• Bilal Haider Abbasi,
• Nafees Ahmad,
• Waqas Khalid,
• Muhammad Atif,
• Zulqurnain Ali and
• Rashda Abbasi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1339–1364, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.99

• spheroid diameter and up to 74 ± 8.9% of cell death after two weeks. In addition, they also inhibited multidrug resistance (MDR) pump activity in both cell lines suggesting effectivity in MDR cancers. Among the tested MFe2O4 NPs, CFO nanocarriers were the most favorable for targeted cancer therapy due to

• ]. Conventional treatment strategies for cancer, including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, lack the ability to selectively target neoplastic tissue, which results in systemic toxicity [3]. For these reasons, the focus of the field was transferred to nanomedicine which enables targeted therapy and reduces

• stability, magnetic properties (coercivity = 883 and saturation magnetization = 56 emu/g), and specificity towards cancer cells support CFO nanocarriers as promising candidates for targeted cancer therapy domains. However, further investigations regarding pathway analysis, in vivo cytotoxicity, and magnetic

Self-assembly of amino acids toward functional biomaterials

• Huan Ren,
• Lifang Wu,
• Lina Tan,
• Yanni Bao,
• Yuchen Ma,
• Yong Jin and
• Qianli Zou

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1140–1150, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.85

• been shown that a novel protein-based nanoparticle with enhanced photothermal effect has been obtained for antitumor therapy using metal ions, proteins, and photosensitizers as building blocks [69]. The integration of metal ions significantly improved the structural stability and photothermal

• properties of the nanoparticles [69]. The use of amino acids coordinated with metal ions and the encapsulation of guest molecule photosensitizers have also achieved encouraging results. Zhang et al. [70] developed an antitumor photodynamic therapy (PDT) nanoparticle based on the coordination of modified

• , facilitating tumor therapy. Selective tumor accumulation was still observed up to 12 h in mice injected with fluorescently labeled (FL-labeled) B-Cur NPs or S-Cur NPs, while mice injected with FL-labeled curcumin showed no significant tumor accumulation after 4 h. In addition, antitumor activity experiments

pH-driven enhancement of anti-tubercular drug loading on iron oxide nanoparticles for drug delivery in macrophages

• Karishma Berta Cotta,
• Sarika Mehra and
• Rajdip Bandyopadhyaya

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1127–1139, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.84

• biocompatibility and magnetic properties, have found applications in drug delivery, magnetic resonance imaging and treatment of iron deficiencies [3][4][5][6]. The property of hyperthermia has been found to be beneficial in localized drug release, particularly in cancer therapy [7]. In anti-cancer therapy, IONPs

Use of nanosystems to improve the anticancer effects of curcumin

• Andrea M. Araya-Sibaja,
• Norma J. Salazar-López,
• Krissia Wilhelm Romero,
• José R. Vega-Baudrit,
• J. Abraham Domínguez-Avila,
• Carlos A. Velázquez Contreras,
• Ramón E. Robles-Zepeda,
• Mirtha Navarro-Hoyos and
• Gustavo A. González-Aguilar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1047–1062, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.78

• that respond to external stimuli (i.e., magnetic nanoparticles and photodynamic therapy). Previous studies showed that the effects of CUR were improved when loaded into nanosystems as compared to the free compound, as well as synergist effects when it is co-administrated alongside with other molecules

• solubility, lack of specificity, high toxicity, poor therapy index, and multidrug resistance are other related drawbacks [6][7]. Orally administered chemotherapy is currently unsuitable due to the low bioavailability of chemotherapeutic agents [8], making intravenous the only viable route of administration

• anticancer activity, including liposomes, nanoemulsions, nanocrystals, nanosuspensions, and polymeric nanoparticles, as well as dual effect nanosystems which respond to external stimuli (mainly magnetic nanoparticles and photodynamic therapy), in addition to internal ones. Furthermore, key design factors

An overview of microneedle applications, materials, and fabrication methods

• Zahra Faraji Rad,
• Philip D. Prewett and
• Graham J. Davies

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1034–1046, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.77

• is not limited to biological fluid extraction or vaccine and drug delivery. For example, silicon microneedles with heights of 320 and 400 µm were fabricated for in vivo human gene therapy [35]. Microneedles have also been used for treatment of hypertension in hemodynamic and cardiovascular disorders

Comprehensive review on ultrasound-responsive theranostic nanomaterials: mechanisms, structures and medical applications

• Sepand Tehrani Fateh,
• Lida Moradi,
• Elmira Kohan,
• Michael R. Hamblin and
• Amin Shiralizadeh Dezfuli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 808–862, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.64

• therapy; sonoporation; theranostics; ultrasound; ultrasound responsive nanomaterials; Review Introduction Smart drug delivery vehicles It is well known that the administration of most anticancer drugs can produce considerable systemic toxicity, which in some cases can be dose-limiting. Whether oral

• any leakage before ultrasonication. They should then release the cargo after US stimulation and also, in some cases, have the ability to be monitored via imaging modalities. Many US-responsive NPs have been reported as part of theranostic systems, which can be used for both therapy and imaging at the

• cancer therapy [123]. Furthermore, ADV-generated MBs can provide contrast-enhanced imaging and increase the temperature during HIFU therapy due to the cavitation produced when using ultrasound contrast agents [115]. ADV-generated MBs with the proper density can facilitate uniform HIFU ablative treatment

Silver nanoparticles induce the cardiomyogenic differentiation of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells via telomere length extension

• Khosro Adibkia,
• Ali Ehsani,
• Asma Jodaei,
• Ezzatollah Fathi,
• Raheleh Farahzadi and
• Mohammad Barzegar-Jalali

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 786–797, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.62

• recently gained much attention in cell therapy regarding the repair of damaged heart tissue [3]. In regenerative medicine, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) and cardiac progenitor cells play a remarkable role in the regeneration of the myocardium [4]. Experimental studies related to the role of

• expediting stem cell therapy [7], scientists are trying hard to facilitate the differentiation of MSCs into other types of cardiac cells, including endothelial or smooth muscle cells, in vitro. Meanwhile, the use of 3-dimensional (3D) culture and nanomaterials for cell survival and preservation has attracted

• ). Discussion MSCs, as multipotent cells, have unique features, such as self-renewal and multilineage differentiation potential, which can be utilized for cell-based therapy [21][22]; however, these features are relatively weak when compared to other stem cells, that is, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs