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

• compounds; Introduction According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, approximately 9.5 million people worldwide die annually from malignant neoplasms [1]. Deaths are primarily due to cancer of the respiratory system (17%), liver (10%), colon and rectum (8%), breast (8%), and stomach (8

• , since it avoids bioavailability issues. However, this results in increased toxicity and side effects [3]. Therefore, one of the goals of new and/or improved cancer therapies is for the drug to only target malignant cells in sufficient concentrations and with minimal distribution to other tissues to

• avoid adverse effects as much as possible. Nanomedicine has recently emerged as an option for cancer treatments and the rationale for its use is based on various improvements seen when a nanosized material and/or drug is administered. It has been successfully used during diagnosis when controlled drug

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

• from cancer research (25% enhanced absorption of the protein cancer drug AvastinTM compared with conventional hypodermic delivery) [14]. Incorporation of drug-loaded nanoparticles in dissolving microneedles also shows promise for dose concentration, for example using the antimicrobial carvacrol (CAR

• skin diseases including cancer, via electrical impedance measurements [52]. Microneedle structure design Several factors should be considered when designing microneedles for skin penetration: (1) geometric features, such as length, diameter, tip size, and shape, (2) physical form: solid, hollow, side

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

• . reported that when the distance between the cell and the MB was increased to 5.5 µm, the exerted shear stress on the cell membrane suddenly decreased [78]. Schlicher et al. exposed prostate cancer cells (DU145) to 24 kHz US irradiation to investigate the cavitation events and the changes in the cell

• isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled bovine serum albumin (BSA), FITC-labeled 150, 500, and 2000 kDa dextrans into DU145 prostate cancer cells. They blocked the endocytosis mechanism to assess whether the endocytic pathway was upregulated during US exposure. They showed that all of these fluorescent molecules were

• findings suggested that cavitation is strongly dependent on the expansion, concentration, and size of the ADV-generated MBs close to the cellular membrane and also the cell–MB distance [119]. Acoustic droplet vaporization shows promise for spatial control and acceleration of the thermal ablation of cancer

Recent progress in actuation technologies of micro/nanorobots

• Ke Xu and
• Bing Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 756–765, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.59

• contrast, micro/nanorobots can operate non-invasively in small, inaccessible spaces and play an important role in biomedicine and other fields, such as targeted drug delivery to treat cancer [1][2][3][4][5][6], nanosurgery [7][8], and environmental treatment [9][10][11]. In 1959, Feynman [12] first

• swing and spiral motion. At the same time, by applying a suitable magnetic field, the nanoeel can be accurately guided to a target location for drug release. Under a magnetic field of 10 mT and 7 Hz, drug delivery to cancer cells could be achieved. The efficiency of killing cancer cells is 35% in the

• cancer, Wang et al. [22] developed a new type of micro/nanorobot, which can observe the state of cancer. This robot uses multi-stage magnetic tweezers for manipulation, which can precisely move in living cells. The multi-stage magnetic tweezers are composed of six magnetic poles and six coils, installed

Recent progress in magnetic applications for micro- and nanorobots

• Ke Xu,
• Shuang Xu and
• Fanan Wei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 744–755, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.58

• structure had a higher motion speed and could effectively suppress lateral drifting motion. In addition, MNRs with a hollow tubular structure [29], which could facilitate drug delivery and realize effective treatment of cancer by loading and releasing anticancer drugs, were proposed and fabricated. At the

• , with which cancer cells and non-cancerous cells can be distinguished. Furthermore, a cell sensor that uses MaBiDz for rapid detection and imaging of target mRNA biomarkers of metastatic breast cancer has been realized. Its function shows that it is likely to be used as a biomimetic organelle MNR in the

Fate and transformation of silver nanoparticles in different biological conditions

• Barbara Pem,
• Marija Ćurlin,
• Darija Domazet Jurašin,
• Valerije Vrček,
• Rinea Barbir,
• Vedran Micek,
• Raluca M. Fratila,
• Jesus M. de la Fuente and
• Ivana Vinković Vrček

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 665–679, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.53

• , which listed more than 100 AgNP-containing food products [4]. The biomedical use of AgNPs represents the largest proportion of the market share [1] encompassing antimicrobial coatings on medical devices (catheters, stents, implants), wound dressings, targeted drug delivery, cancer therapy and

• diluted in different biological media. Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge the Advanced Microscopy Laboratory (INMA-Universidad de Zaragoza) for the access to their instrumentation and expertise. Funding This study was based upon a collaborative work from COST Action CA 17140 "Cancer

The preparation temperature influences the physicochemical nature and activity of nanoceria

• Robert A. Yokel,
• Wendel Wohlleben,
• Johannes Georg Keller,
• Matthew L. Hancock,
• Jason M. Unrine,
• D. Allan Butterfield and
• Eric A. Grulke

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 525–540, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.43

• component, including cancer, radiation damage, bacterial infection, sepsis, wounds, stroke-induced ischemia, retinal degeneration, and neurodegenerative diseases [10]. Other reviews provide more information on nanoceria synthesis methods and the resulting physicochemical properties of the products as well

A review on nanostructured silver as a basic ingredient in medicine: physicochemical parameters and characterization

• Gabriel M. Misirli,
• Kishore Sridharan and
• Shirley M. P. Abrantes

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 440–461, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.36

• against a wide range of bacteria (i.e., Gram-negative [67], Gram-positive [31], and multiresistant bacteria (MR) [27][68][69][70][71]), fungi [69][72][73][74], and viruses [8][75][76][77] in addition to anti-inflammatory [78][79][80], anti-cancer [27][81], and anti-angiogenic properties [33][47][82

• ]. Silver has been widely used to heal ulcerative wounds and to treat burns. Due to the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties of AgNPs, these particles can prevent bacterial infection at the wound area and accelerate healing [27][83]. AgNPs have been shown to improve the efficacy of cancer

The impact of molecular tumor profiling on the design strategies for targeting myeloid leukemia and EGFR/CD44-positive solid tumors

• Nikola Geskovski,
• Nadica Matevska-Geshkovska,
• Simona Dimchevska Sazdovska,
• Marija Glavas Dodov,
• Kristina Mladenovska and
• Katerina Goracinova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 375–401, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.31

• , Doha, Qatar 10.3762/bjnano.12.31 Abstract Nanomedicine has emerged as a novel cancer treatment and diagnostic modality, whose design constantly evolves towards increasing the safety and efficacy of the chemotherapeutic and diagnostic protocols. Molecular diagnostics, which create a great amount of

• efficacy of the cancer treatment. This article will focus on novel design strategies for nanoscale drug delivery systems, based on the unique molecular signatures of myeloid leukemia and EGFR/CD44-positive solid tumors, and the impact of novel discoveries in molecular tumor profiles on future

• , which usually results in therapy failure and noticeable side effects. Nanomedicine has emerged as a novel cancer treatment and diagnostic modality, whose design constantly evolves towards increasing the safety and efficacy of the chemotherapeutic and diagnostic protocols. Recently, a novel generation of

Doxorubicin-loaded gold nanorods: a multifunctional chemo-photothermal nanoplatform for cancer management

• Uzma Azeem Awan,
• Abida Raza,
• Shaukat Ali,
• Rida Fatima Saeed and
• Nosheen Akhtar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 295–303, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.24

• Medical Toxicology Lab, Department of Zoology, Government College University Lahore, Lahore-54000, Pakistan 10.3762/bjnano.12.24 Abstract Two of the limitations associated with cancer treatment are the low efficacy and the high dose-related side effects of anticancer drugs. The purpose of the current

• based on chemotherapy and photothermal strategies appears to be a promising platform in cancer management. Keywords: chemotherapy; doxorubicin; gold nanorods; NIR laser; photothermal therapy; Introduction Despite the enormous advances in medical research, cancer is still the second most common cause

• of death worldwide from which 9.6 million people died in 2018 [1]. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the major types of liver cancer with high incidence of mortality [2]. Currently, there are a number of treatment modalities, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, irradiation

Differences in surface chemistry of iron oxide nanoparticles result in different routes of internalization

• Barbora Svitkova,
• Vlasta Zavisova,
• Veronika Nemethova,
• Martina Koneracka,
• Miroslava Kretova,
• Filip Razga,
• Monika Ursinyova and
• Alena Gabelova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 270–281, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.22

• Barbora Svitkova Vlasta Zavisova Veronika Nemethova Martina Koneracka Miroslava Kretova Filip Razga Monika Ursinyova Alena Gabelova Cancer Research Institute, Biomedical Research Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 845 05 Bratislava, Slovakia Institute of Experimental

• eligible for the targeted delivery of the drug-loaded particles to the tumor mass via an external magnetic field [2]. Furthermore, MNPs are promising biosensors [3] and antimicrobial tools [4], and they play an important role in the development of multifunctional theranostics to combat cancer [5]. MNPs are

• valuable in vitro model of human alveolar epithelial type-2 cells [21], which are considered as drivers of lung fibrosis [22] and lung tumor development [23]. Inhalation therapy represents a prospective non-invasive curative modality for lung cancer and a therapy for other lung illnesses [24]. Drug

The nanomorphology of cell surfaces of adhered osteoblasts

• Christian Voelkner,
• Mirco Wendt,
• Regina Lange,
• Max Ulbrich,
• Martina Gruening,
• Susanne Staehlke,
• Barbara Nebe,
• Ingo Barke and
• Sylvia Speller

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 242–256, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.20

• breast cancer cells [30], and on keratinocytes [35]. In general, these features are associated with migration, receptor internalization, and micropinocytosis [30][36][37]. Membrane ruffling is regulated by a distinct signaling pathway [38] and the supporting actin is denser and more cross-linked [35

• ] compared to flat membrane regions. Three types of ruffles can be discriminated, namely (linear) dorsal, peripheral, and circular dorsal ruffles [36]. Colocalization with hyaluronan synthase has been found in a breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) [30]. Usually the error current, that is, the deviation between

A review on the biological effects of nanomaterials on silkworm (Bombyx mori)

• Sandra Senyo Fometu,
• Guohua Wu,
• Lin Ma and
• Joan Shine Davids

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 190–202, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.15

• development, organogenesis, neuronal development, aging, inheritance, and cancer [84][85]. Aside from its rapid lifecycle, it is reported that the fruit fly produces genetically identical offspring when compared to mammalian models, which produce a smaller number of offspring at a time [86][87]. Also, the

Imaging of SARS-CoV-2 infected Vero E6 cells by helium ion microscopy

• Natalie Frese,
• Patrick Schmerer,
• Martin Wortmann,
• Matthias Schürmann,
• Matthias König,
• Michael Westphal,
• Friedemann Weber,
• Holger Sudhoff and
• Armin Gölzhäuser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 172–179, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.13

• field of cell biology for imaging various human and animal cells. These include cartilage [2], cancer [3], liver [4], kidney [5] and stem cells [6], as well as fibrin fibers [7]. To visualize viruses and their host organisms, HIM has so far been applied to image T4 phage-infected E. coli bacteria [8

Bio-imaging with the helium-ion microscope: A review

• Matthias Schmidt,
• James M. Byrne and
• Ilari J. Maasilta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1–23, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.1

• study published in the same year, Bazou et al. employed HIM to image human colon cancer cells (Caco2) [9]. The glutaraldehyde-fixed and freeze-dried cells were imaged by both HIM and SEM to enable the direct comparison between the two instruments. HIM analysis of gold-coated and uncoated samples showed

• , HIM provided high-resolution insight into the complex network of interactions of platelets with cancer cells [10]. In 2012, Berg-Foels et al. used transmission electron microscopy, SEM, and HIM to image rabbit cartilage samples [70]. The long depth of field provided by HIM renders the technique

• study regarding biological HIM imaging of a whole variety of biological samples, including plants, bacteria, cancer cells, and a nematode worm, Pristionchus pacificus. The imaging of that worm will be discussed later in the section “Nanofabrication” regarding its innovative use of the combination of

PEG/PEI-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes as delivery carriers for doxorubicin: synthesis, characterization, and in vitro evaluation

• Shuoye Yang,
• Zhenwei Wang,
• Yahong Ping,
• Yuying Miao,
• Yongmei Xiao,
• Lingbo Qu,
• Lu Zhang,
• Yuansen Hu and
• Jinshui Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1728–1741, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.155

• drugs. Keywords: antitumor activity; cellular uptake; PEG functionalization; PEI functionalization; poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG); polyethylenimine (PEI); single-walled carbon nanotubes; Introduction To date, chemotherapy is the most common therapy for cancer treatment. However, the inability of

• chemotherapeutic agents to distinguish cancer cells from normal cells due to nonspecific distribution and lack of selectivity results in severe toxic side effects for health [1][2]. Therefore, a variety of nanoscale delivery systems have been designed for the controlled release of chemotherapy drugs to decrease

• the distribution in normal tissues, and to improve the biological half-lives [3][4][5][6]. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted great interest for biomedical applications, including the delivery of bioactive molecules such as drugs, the targeted cancer therapy, and biological imaging, because of

Cardiomyocyte uptake mechanism of a hydroxyapatite nanoparticle mediated gene delivery system

• Hiroaki Komuro,
• Masahiro Yamazoe,
• Kosuke Nozaki,
• Akiko Nagai and
• Tetsuo Sasano

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1685–1692, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.150

• acquisition at inflammation sites. Further studies regarding the role of CaSR and its downstream signaling pathways in HL-1 cells are required. Although the HAp-based vector used here has a low transfection efficiency, it has already been used as a gene delivery system in in vivo cancer research experiments

Fabrication of nano/microstructures for SERS substrates using an electrochemical method

• Jingran Zhang,
• Tianqi Jia,
• Xiaoping Li,
• Junjie Yang,
• Zhengkai Li,
• Guangfeng Shi,
• Xinming Zhang and
• Zuobin Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1568–1576, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.139

• activation of the innate immune system [51]. However, excess lysozyme activity can increase the incidence of some diseases. In certain kinds of cancer, such as leukemia [52], excessive production of lysozyme is toxic and can induce organ disorder. Figure 7 shows the SERS spectra of lysozyme (10−6 mol·L−1 and

Electrokinetic characterization of synthetic protein nanoparticles

• Daniel F. Quevedo,
• Cody J. Lentz,
• Adriana Coll de Peña,
• Yazmin Hernandez,
• Nahal Habibi,
• Rikako Miki,
• Joerg Lahann and
• Blanca H. Lapizco-Encinas

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1556–1567, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.138

• vaccines [5][6]. Significant advances in self-assembled PNPs via protein engineering techniques have also been observed [7][8]. PNPs have successfully reached the clinic with nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane®), a PNP made of human serum albumin, which is being used for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer

• , non-small cell lung cancer, and pancreatic adenocarcinomas [9]. Current technologies allow for the synthesis of smart PNPs that release their active enzymatic load into oxidative environments [6]. A next step to further advance smart protein nanoparticle technologies is to develop a scalable method

Antimicrobial metal-based nanoparticles: a review on their synthesis, types and antimicrobial action

• Matías Guerrero Correa,
• Fernanda B. Martínez,
• Cristian Patiño Vidal,
• Camilo Streitt,
• Juan Escrig and
• Carol Lopez de Dicastillo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1450–1469, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.129

• NPs has been directed towards water disinfection, food packaging in addition to their known use as a UV filter to prevent skin cancer [114]. Lopez de Dicastillo et al. (2019) developed hollow TiO2 nanotubes and nanospheres with high antimicrobial activity through the combination of electrospinning and

• photocatalytic, electrochemical, and catalytic properties. Furthermore, NiO NPs exhibit anti-inflammatory properties, generating interest in the biomedical field to use these NPs as antibiotics or in cancer treatments [116][133]. NiO NPs synthesized from Eucalyptus globulus leaf extract showed excellent

Wafer-level integration of self-aligned high aspect ratio silicon 3D structures using the MACE method with Au, Pd, Pt, Cu, and Ir

• Mathias Franz,
• Romy Junghans,
• Paul Schmitt,
• Adriana Szeghalmi and
• Stefan E. Schulz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1439–1449, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.128

• platform and can be adapted to detect biomolecules [9]. Silicon nanowires are used as template for cancer sensors. The nanowires are implemented as gate in integrated sensing FETs [10][11]. A wide range of chemical sensors and biosensors benefit from porous silicon structures [12]. All these presented

Transient coating of γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles with glutamate for its delivery to and removal from brain nerve terminals

• Konstantin Paliienko,
• Artem Pastukhov,
• Michal Babič,
• Daniel Horák,
• Olga Vasylchenko and
• Tatiana Borisova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1381–1393, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.122

• identified. Glutamate-coated γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles can be used for glutamate delivery to the nervous system or for glutamate adsorption (but with lower effectiveness) in stroke, brain trauma, epilepsy, and cancer treatment following by its subsequent removal using a magnetic field. γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles with

• neurological disorders. Excessive ambient glutamate concentration is a characteristic feature of, among others, stroke, brain trauma, epilepsy, and seizure development. Superparamagnetic γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles are very promising in targeted drug delivery, cancer therapy, diagnostics, and hyperthermia treatment

• due to their magnetism and chemical stability [9][10][11][12][13]. Among a variety of other nanoparticles, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles are used for magnetic resonance imaging in cancer theranostics and magnetic hyperthermia [9][10][11][14]. Controlled magnetic fields can lead to induced

Ultrasensitive detection of cadmium ions using a microcantilever-based piezoresistive sensor for groundwater

• Dinesh Rotake,
• Anand Darji and
• Nitin Kale

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1242–1253, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.108

• degeneration, diarrhea, osteoporosis, renal dysfunction, cancer, anemia, and neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's disease [4][5]. The WHO has set a water contamination limit of 3 μg/L Cd(II) [6]. We conclude from the WHO limit that cadmium is hazardous, and smaller Cd

Influence of the magnetic nanoparticle coating on the magnetic relaxation time

• Mihaela Osaci and
• Matteo Cacciola

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1207–1216, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.105

• Abstract Colloidal systems consisting of monodomain superparamagnetic nanoparticles have been used in biomedical applications, such as the hyperthermia treatment for cancer. In this type of colloid, called a nanofluid, the nanoparticles tend to agglomeration. It has been shown experimentally that the

• relaxation time; nanoparticle coating; numerical simulation; stochastic Langevin dynamics method; superparamagnetic nanoparticles; Introduction One of the most important biomedical applications of colloidal magnetic nanoparticle systems is magnetic hyperthermia applied as an alternative for cancer treatment

• . Upon reaching the tumour, the magnetic nanoparticles are locally subjected to an alternating magnetic field, generating heat that kills the cancer cells [1]. The heat is generated due to two phenomena: Néel relaxation (an internal phenomenon driven by the rotation of the particle magnetic moment inside

Photothermally active nanoparticles as a promising tool for eliminating bacteria and biofilms

• Mykola Borzenkov,
• Piersandro Pallavicini,
• Angelo Taglietti,
• Laura D’Alfonso,
• Maddalena Collini and
• Giuseppe Chirico

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1134–1146, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.98

• less dependent on their size, shape and surrounding environment [35][40]. The photothermally active nanoparticles have vast potential for application in nanomedicine and biotechnology. The most important examples of their application are: hyperthermic cancer cell ablation and photothermally induced