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

• = 365 nm, λem = 482 nm for SPION@bPEI). The fluorescence microscopy images were obtained by using an Olympus-excellence RT Life Science microscope (λexc = 488 nm, λem = 510 nm for GFP). Results and Discussion Delivery of therapeutic PIC to cancer cells with SPION@bPEI and in vitro optical imaging Highly

Alteration of nanomechanical properties of pancreatic cancer cells through anticancer drug treatment revealed by atomic force microscopy

• Xiaoteng Liang,
• Shuai Liu,
• Xiuchao Wang,
• Dan Xia and
• Qiang Li

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1372–1379, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.101

• regulation of cell activity, and hence to the health level of organisms. Here, the morphology and mechanical properties of normal pancreatic cells (HDPE6-C7) and pancreatic cancer cells (AsPC-1, MIA PaCa-2, BxPC-3) were studied by atomic force microscopy. In addition, the mechanical properties of MIA PaCa-2

• after treatment with different concentrations of doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) were also investigated. The results show the Young's modulus of normal cells is greater than that of three kinds of cancer cells. The Young's modulus of more aggressive cancer cell AsPC-1 is smaller than that of less

• properties; pancreatic cancer cells; Introduction Pancreatic cancer is a highly malignant tumor [1] with the highest mortality rate (ca. 100%) and the lowest 5-year survival rate (≤5%) when all stages are combined [2][3]. Since no significant symptoms appear until the late stage of pancreatic cancer, the

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

• controls. The efficient retention of polymer-functionalized NPs in cancer cells, with the help of the EPR effect and a leaky vasculature system (pore diameter = 100 nm–2 µm) [7], reduces their nonspecific biological interactions with plasma proteins, contributing to a higher bioavailability [37]. SRB

• showed viability up to 80%, indicating excellent biocompatibility of amphiphilic polymers at a lower dose in vitro. IC50 concentrations of functionalized MFe2O4 NPs in cancer cells To determine IC50 concentrations of drug-loaded NPs and their effect on the metabolic activity of HepG2 and HT144 cells, MTT

• in each replicate and compared to NTC (Figure 5b). Spinel ferrite NPs have been reported to cause cytotoxicity in cancer cells, mediated via ROS production, increased transcription of p53 and apoptotic genes (caspase 3 and 9, Bax), and downregulation of the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 gene, leading to

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

• cancer cells [50]. Furthermore, naphthalimide (NI) derivatives can also be used as end-capping materials for amino acids. Naphthalimide has unique photophysical properties and photostability as a luminescent material for aggregation-induced emission (AIE), which can display high emission properties in

• were used for the selective sensing of Fe3+ within cancer cells and imaging of Fe3+ [54]. Amino-acid-coordinated self-assembly. Coordination-driven self-assembly is a supramolecular self-assembly method based on metal-coordination bond formation, which has the advantages of fewer steps, fast final

• coordination of Mn2+, Fmoc-ʟ-L, and Ce6, a yield of 36 wt % can be obtained. After the uptake of FMC NPs by cancer cells, Mn2+ and Ce6 can be released in response to intracellular high levels of glutathione (GSH). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results showed an almost complete elimination of the tumor three

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

• cancer cells (HCT116) by promoting cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase [49]. A CUR nanocrystal has been successfully prepared using melt sonocrystallization, in which its therapeutic potential was evidenced according to in vitro cytotoxicity studies against a human oral cancer cell line (KB). The results

• propose that their CUR nanoemulsion can inhibit tumor growth and metastasis, with a particular focus on patients who have undergone surgery to have them excised. Inostroza et al. [112] report significant effectiveness of a CUR oil-in-water nanoemulsion against gastric cancer cells (AGS). CUR-based

• against cancer cells [126]. Curcumin-loaded MNP (94.2 µg/mg of nanoparticles) were assayed against MDA-MB-231 cells. They contained iron oxide and β-cyclodextrin and were coated with Pluronic F68 polymer (polyethylene oxide-co-polypropylene oxide-co-polyethylene oxide) with an average size of 9 nm

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

• -frequency ultrasound is mostly associated with mechanical effects [143]. During hyperthermia, the target tumor tissue is exposed to a high temperature above 47 °C, and thermal ablation occurs by direct destruction of the cancer cells. After sub-ablative local hyperthermia involving a slight increase in the

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

• 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

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

• , 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

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

• synthesis of nucleic acids required for DNA replication, while taxanes and vinca alkaloids interfere with the polymerization/depolymerization of the microtubules thus inhibiting mitosis [8]. However, in addition to cancer cells, all of these drugs also affect the normal/healthy tissues with cells that

• delivery of a wide variety of therapeutic molecules to cancer cells. This allows the molecules to reach critical tissue compartments, such as the BM and lymph nodes, which are otherwise inaccessible to the drugs. Targeting specific surface-exposed moieties of the cancer cell subpopulations is considered as

• cells, which could be used as potential targets for a NDDS-based therapeutic approach (Table 1). The folate receptor is usually overexpressed in all cancer cells and the high frequency (ca. 70%) of folate receptor (FR) β expression in CML and AML relative to normal hematopoietic cells suggests the

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

• urgently needed to kill cancerous cells without damaging normal cells or tissues. One approach is to selectively remove cancer cells using the advanced drug delivery systems. These carrier systems hold sufficient amounts of the drug with prolonged circulation time and sustained drug release at the tumor

• external stimulus [13]. Additionally, the NIR light-induced heat can improve the sensitivity of cancer cells towards chemotherapeutic agents by increasing blood vessel dilation and membrane permeability. These findings provide an incentive to combine photothermal therapy and chemotherapy for cancer

• -conjugated gold nanorods are highly biocompatible vehicles for sustained drug delivery, reduce cardiotoxicity in vivo, and have high photothermal efficacy [34]. A previous report showed that DOX-loaded tiopronin-coated gold nanoparticles (Au-TIOP-DOX) had a better efficacy in killing cancer cells than free

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

• the protein corona in terms of the amount and specificity of proteins adsorbed from the serum, overall affecting the final size of the nanoparticles in the biological fluid [46]. Because the cellular entry mechanism of identical nanoparticles can differ between cancer cells and non-malignant cells [47

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

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

• 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

• can induce cell apoptosis with ratios of 9.2% and 11.3% at 50 and 100 μg·mL−1, respectively. The apoptosis ratios of carboxylated or functionalized SWCNTs are lower (Figure 10E,F). It can be concluded that drug-loaded CNT carriers can cause the death of cancer cells through apoptosis after delivering

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

• . 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

Applications of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in drug and therapeutic delivery, and biotechnological advancements

• Maria Suciu,
• Corina M. Ionescu,
• Alexandra Ciorita,
• Septimiu C. Tripon,
• Dragos Nica,
• Hani Al-Salami and
• Lucian Barbu-Tudoran

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1092–1109, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.94

• occurred [84]. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-coated SPIONs showed an unexpected effect on human breast cancer cells (BT-474) in vitro. At concentrations between 10 and 100 µg/mL, for up to three days, nanoparticles doubled the metabolic activity and the population number of cancer cells. Only at

• very important for medical applications. These properties depend on the methods used, targeted organs/tissues, image resolution, administration way and dosage, and toxicity [116]. Fakhar-e-Alam and collaborators [117] observed that above a certain dose cancer cells develop a resistance to ligand

• of 48 °C (after 1 h treatment at 15 mT and 150 kHz) and effectively killing breast cancer cells [145]. A high surface absorption rate can be obtained by increasing the frequency of the magnetic field, but that can only be done in a biologically safe limit, determined by Brezovich and Atkinson [146

Examination of the relationship between viscoelastic properties and the invasion of ovarian cancer cells by atomic force microscopy

• Mengdan Chen,
• Jinshu Zeng,
• Weiwei Ruan,
• Zhenghong Zhang,
• Yuhua Wang,
• Shusen Xie,
• Zhengchao Wang and
• Hongqin Yang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 568–582, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.45

• The mechanical properties of cells could serve as an indicator for disease progression and early cancer diagnosis. This study utilized atomic force microscopy (AFM) to measure the viscoelastic properties of ovarian cancer cells and then examined the association with the invasion of ovarian cancer at

• the level of living single cells. Elasticity and viscosity of the ovarian cancer cells OVCAR-3 and HO-8910 are significantly lower than those of the human ovarian surface epithelial cell (HOSEpiC) control. Further examination found a dramatic increase of migration/invasion and an obvious decease of

• significantly related with the elasticity of the cells. An increase of elasticity and a decrease of invasion were found in OVCAR-3 and HO-8910 cells after Ech treatment. Together, this study clearly demonstrated the association of viscoelastic properties with the invasion of ovarian cancer cells and shed a

Luminescent gold nanoclusters for bioimaging applications

• Nonappa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 533–546, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.42

• allowed for plasmonic and magnetic resonance, and luminescence in a single composite system for plasmonic photothermal therapy (PPTT). The bioimaging capability of the plasmonic magneto-luminescent multifunctional nanocarrier (PML-MF) systems were studied in vitro using three types of cancer cells, namely

• potential for photothermal therapy. While PML-MF alone was not toxic to healthy HEK cell lines, the treatment with DPML-MF showed a similar antiproliferative effect on healthy cell lines as that of cancerous cells. Therefore, the selective killing of cancer cells was not achieved. The superparamagnetic

• therapy [93]. The toxicity studies using human oesophageal squamous cancer cells (EC1) showed that when [Au8(C21H27O2)8] was used at a concentration near its IC10 value, the luminescence of the incubated samples increased from 0 to 8 h. The luminescence, however, disappeared after 24 h indicating

Multilayer capsules made of weak polyelectrolytes: a review on the preparation, functionalization and applications in drug delivery

• Varsha Sharma and
• Anandhakumar Sundaramurthy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 508–532, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.41

• intensity of radiation successfully breaks the shell and releases the loaded cargo, high intensity leads to the generation of high heat, which helps in destroying the surrounding cancer cells. Even though the advantages of NP incorporation in capsules have been immense, similar work in weak PE assemblies is

• drug-loaded PVPAlk capsules were even shown to overcome multidrug resistance with Dox and paclitaxel against LIM1899 colorectal cancer cells [98]. A new kind of dual (pH and redox) responsive, charge shifting click capsules based on poly(2-diisopropylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDPA) were also fabricated

• specific to A33 antigens expressed on colorectal cancer cells were adsorbed on capsules from a buffer at pH 7.4 [102]. Both electrostatic and hydrogen bonding contributed to the binding of antibodies to the capsule external layer and to retaining their immunological activity. As mentioned in the previous

Brome mosaic virus-like particles as siRNA nanocarriers for biomedical purposes

• Alfredo Nuñez-Rivera,
• Pierrick G. J. Fournier,
• Danna L. Arellano,
• Ana G. Rodriguez-Hernandez,
• Rafael Vazquez-Duhalt and
• Ruben D. Cadena-Nava

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 372–382, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.28

• the breast cancer cells. Representative confocal microscopy images showed NanoOrange fluorescence inside the cells (Figure 1A). It is important to point out that the capsids are able to internalize efficiently into tumor cells without any functionalization. The cell internalization has been quantified

• cancer cells was prepared at a concentration of 2 × 106 cells/mL in PBS. 4T1 cells were then inoculated in the left, upper (or 2nd) mammary fat pad (105 cells in 50 µL) of 8-week old Balb/C female mice. One week after the inoculation, palpable tumors were detected in all the mice that were divided into

Poly(1-vinylimidazole) polyplexes as novel therapeutic gene carriers for lung cancer therapy

• Gayathri Kandasamy,
• Elena N. Danilovtseva,
• Vadim V. Annenkov and
• Uma Maheswari Krishnan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 354–369, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.26

• efficiency of the formed complexes in A549 lung cancer cells. The polyplex formed was found to exhibit 66% complexation efficiency. The complexation was confirmed by gel retardation assays, FTIR and thermal analysis. The blank PVI polymer was not toxic to cells. The polyplex was found to exhibit excellent

• internalization and escaped the endosome effectively. The polyplex was more effective than free siRNA in silencing VEGF in lung cancer cells. The silencing of VEGF was quantified using Western blot and was also reflected in the depletion of HIF-1α levels in the cells treated with the polyplex. VEGF silencing by

• that have been connected to the proliferation and invasion of lung cancer cells. These results indicate that the PVI complexes can be an effective agent to counter lung cancer. Keywords: anti-VEGF siRNA; gene silencing; lung cancer; microarray; poly(1-vinylimidazole); small interfering RNA (siRNA

Using gold nanoparticles to detect single-nucleotide polymorphisms: toward liquid biopsy

• María Sanromán Iglesias and
• Marek Grzelczak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 263–284, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.20

• necrosis [40][41][42][43][44]. Moreover, in solid malignancies, circulating tumor DNA differs from cell-free DNA by somatic mutations [18][46][47]. In leukemia, for example, the increased amount of cfDNA originates from cancer cells. Nonetheless, four main types of gene alterations occurring in cfDNA are

Rational design of block copolymer self-assemblies in photodynamic therapy

• Maxime Demazeau,
• Laure Gibot,
• Anne-Françoise Mingotaud,
• Patricia Vicendo,
• Clément Roux and
• Barbara Lonetti

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 180–212, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.15

• proposed to overcome the drug resistance of cancer cells. Indeed, it induced membrane permeability of the endo-lysosome and particle disassembly after white-light irradiation thus triggering the release of doxorubicin in the cytosol [96]. In the study by Zheng et al. [100] the AIE fluorophore is used as

• a hydrophilic shell for micelle stabilization, and the derivatized polylysin (Plys) acts as a hydrophobic core to load the photosensitizer (BODIPY), while PMAGP mainly serves to direct the target delivery to hepatoma cancer cells. Folate (FA) has been extensively studied as a targeting moiety [116

• production efficiency was improved. Polymer self-assemblies containing catalase [68] or MnO2 nanoparticles [65][69] have been developed as they can catalytically decompose endogenous H2O2 present in the tumor environment thus increasing the oxygen level in cancer cells. The electrostatic interactions between

Molecular architectonics of DNA for functional nanoarchitectures

• Debasis Ghosh,
• Lakshmi P. Datta and
• Thimmaiah Govindaraju

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 124–140, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.11

• construction of a DNA origami-based nanorobot for the cargo delivery of payloads into cancer cells [56]. The autonomous DNA nanorobot was constructed using a nucleolin-binding DNA aptamer and was loaded with thrombin protease. The nucleolin protein was overexpressed in tumor-associated endothelial cells, which

• -functionalized iron oxide nanoparticle system was capable of selectively targeting the cancer cells and, potentially, to act as an MRI contrast agent. The programmability of the DNA tetrahedrons provided an opportunity to conjugate other functional nucleic acid sequences, viz., DNA, siRNA, or DNAzymes, to serve

• the ECL quenching via formation of hydrogen peroxide. Kim and co-workers developed an innovative approach of intercalation of the anticancer drug doxorubicin within the DNA tetrahedron that showed improved therapeutic efficacy in drug-resistant breast cancer cells [70]. The doxorubicin-encapsulated

Advanced hybrid nanomaterials

• Andreas Taubert,
• Fabrice Leroux,
• Pierre Rabu and
• Verónica de Zea Bermudez

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2563–2567, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.247

• is simultaneously employed as a contrast agent in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and for local heating therapy using magnetic particle hyperthermia [33]. In vitro hyperthermia tests showed efficiency in inoculating mouse breast cancer cells. Another study reports the use of alendronate-coated gold

• nanoparticles [34]. The resulting gold–alendronate nanoplatform combines antitumor activity through drug delivery and photothermal therapy, as illustrated in vitro on the inhibition of prostate cancer cells. In the field of hybrid coordination networks, new lanthanide-based networks synthesized by a solvo