Rapid synthesis of highly monodisperse AgSbS₂ nanocrystals: unveiling multifaceted activities in cancer therapy, antibacterial strategies, and antioxidant defense

• Funda Ulusu,
• Adem Sarilmaz,
• Yakup Ulusu,
• Faruk Ozel and
• Mahmut Kus

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 2105–2115, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.145

• compared to their pronounced impact on malignant cell lines, thereby establishing a differential selectivity profile. This differential efficacy suggests considerable potential for NCs to function as targeted therapeutic agents in cancer treatment, demonstrating promising selectivity towards cancerous

Toward clinical translation of carbon nanomaterials in anticancer drug delivery: the need for standardisation

• Michał Bartkowski,
• Francesco Calzaferri and
• Silvia Giordani

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 2092–2104, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.144

• enhancing therapeutic delivery, particularly in areas such as cancer treatment. This perspective highlights critical considerations in the development of CNM-based nanocarriers, spanning from initial design to clinical implementation. Keywords: carbon nanomaterials (CNMs); carbon nanoparticles (CNPs); drug

• -consuming production, and a lack of standardised methods for their characterisation. Nevertheless, growing research into CNM-based nanoformulations continues to address key challenges, underscoring their promise in enhancing therapeutic delivery; particularly in cancer treatment, where the global burden

• , nontraditional approach in cancer treatment and an active research area. In this approach, engineered NMs, acting as nanocarriers, selectively and specifically target cancer cells to deliver drug payloads. The NMs can distinguish between cancer cells and healthy cells; thereby minimising adverse effects

Advances of aptamers in esophageal cancer diagnosis, treatment and drug delivery

• Yang Fei,
• Hui Xu,
• Chunwei Zhang,
• Jingjing Wang and
• Yong Jin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1734–1750, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.121

• are also an important part of esophageal cancer treatment [23] and are considered to have some immune activation effects [24]. However, the unavoidable drug resistance problems of small-molecule drugs, their fast clearance rate, and a series of side effects caused by nonspecific use are serious

• , this synergistic strategy presents a promising approach to circumvent chemotherapy resistance in cancer treatment. In general, DNA aptamers have higher thermal stability, RNA aptamers are richer in secondary structure, and peptide aptamers are smaller in size and easier to enter cells [29]. Furthermore

• strategy for esophageal cancer and demonstrates the potential application of aptamer technology in esophageal cancer treatment. 5.2 Aptamer-functionalized drug nanocarriers A multifunctional strategy based on aptamer nanoformulation of chemotherapeutic drugs and gene therapy could protect chemotherapeutic

Prospects of nanotechnology and natural products for cancer and immunotherapy

• Jan Filipe Andrade Santos,
• Marcela Bernardes Brasileiro,
• Pamela Danielle Cavalcante Barreto,
• Ligiane Aranha Rocha and
• José Adão Carvalho Nascimento Júnior

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1644–1667, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.116

• T-lymphocyte associated protein 4), which inhibit T-cell activation, allowing cancer cells to escape immune-mediated destruction [8]. Immunotherapy shows promise as a cancer treatment approach, encompassing strategies such as monoclonal antibodies, immune checkpoint inhibitors, antitumor vaccines

• study employs a technology foresight approach based on patent analysis to provide a strategic overview of emerging trends in the application of nanotechnology to natural products for cancer treatment and immunotherapy. This method allows for the identification of innovation gaps, technological barriers

• Organization (WIPO) were used to carry out the search using the descriptors “nano* AND cancer AND natural product” for research associated with cancer treatment, while the descriptors “nano* AND immun* AND natural product” was implemented to analyze patents related to immunotherapy. Furthermore, a time filter

Ferroptosis induction by engineered liposomes for enhanced tumor therapy

• Alireza Ghasempour,
• Mohammad Amin Tokallou,
• Mohammad Reza Naderi Allaf,
• Mohsen Moradi,
• Hamideh Dehghan,
• Mahsa Sedighi,
• Mohammad-Ali Shahbazi and
• Fahimeh Lavi Arab

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1325–1349, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.97

Better together: biomimetic nanomedicines for high performance tumor therapy

• Imran Shair Mohammad,
• Gizem Kursunluoglu,
• Anup Kumar Patel,
• Hafiz Muhammad Ishaq,
• Cansu Umran Tunc,
• Dilek Kanarya,
• Mubashar Rehman,
• Omer Aydin and
• Yin Lifang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1246–1276, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.92

• 38040, Turkey Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, PR China 10.3762/bjnano.16.92 Abstract The emergence of nanotechnology offers a promising avenue for enhancing cancer treatment outcomes. In this context, biomimetic nanoparticles have

• utility, biomimetic nanoparticles hold great promise for advancing the field of cancer treatment. Keywords: biomimetic nanoparticles; homotypic binding; nanomaterials; targeted drug delivery; tumor therapy; Introduction Cancer is a complex disease, which involves numerous cells and their crosstalk with

• systems [1][2]. Cancer treatment has been revolutionized, yet cancer is treated with traditional methods, that is, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical intervention, accompanied by several lethal implications along with low solubility, poor bioavailability, and fatal off-target effects [3][4]. In

Piezoelectricity of hexagonal boron nitrides improves bone tissue generation as tested on osteoblasts

• Sevin Adiguzel,
• Nilay Cicek,
• Zehra Cobandede,
• Feray B. Misirlioglu,
• Hulya Yilmaz and
• Mustafa Culha

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1068–1081, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.78

• [30][31]. The piezoelectric property of 2D hBN arises from its noncentrosymmetric structure, supported by these van der Waals interactions [32]. The excellent biocompatibility of hBN makes it attractive for diverse applications, including cosmetics, drug delivery, cancer treatment, orthopedic implants

Polyurethane/silk fibroin-based electrospun membranes for wound healing and skin substitute applications

• Iqra Zainab,
• Zohra Naseem,
• Syeda Rubab Batool,
• Muhammad Waqas,
• Ahsan Nazir and
• Muhammad Anwaar Nazeer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 591–612, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.46

• power. These membranes were shown to ablate HepG2 cancer cells in vitro, revealing the prospect for localized cancer treatment [176]. Lv et al. created a new light-sensitive shape memory polyurethane (SMPU) by using micro/nanofibers of polydopamine (PDA)-coated poly(ε-caprolactone). The aim of this

Radiosensitizing properties of dual-functionalized carbon nanostructures loaded with temozolomide

• Radmila Milenkovska,
• Nikola Geskovski,
• Dushko Shalabalija,
• Ljubica Mihailova,
• Petre Makreski,
• Dushko Lukarski,
• Igor Stojkovski,
• Maja Simonoska Crcarevska and
• Kristina Mladenovska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 229–251, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.18

• . Such a trend was observed in a study of Jun et al. [47] in which MWCNTs conjugated with chitosan oligomers and with incorporated tea polyphenols for cancer treatment were irradiated by gamma rays from 60Co for 30 min with a dose of 1.5 Gy. The irradiation also led to changes in zeta potential to lower

Biomimetic nanocarriers: integrating natural functions for advanced therapeutic applications

• Hugo Felix Perini,
• Beatriz Sodré Matos,
• Carlo José Freire de Oliveira and
• Marcos Vinicius da Silva

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1619–1626, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.127

• advancements nanocarriers have brought to medical sciences, particularly in cancer treatment, several challenges remain for their widespread application. Issues such as cytotoxicity, difficulties in management, encapsulation, and in vivo release pose barriers to the application of nanocarriers [16][17]. In

• with cancer treatment offer numerous advantages, including immune evasion, targeting behavior, specific site accumulation, targeted delivery of drugs or genes, and reduced side effects. Studies involving inorganic nanocarriers with cell membrane coatings (CMC-NPs) have highlighted the importance of the

Hymenoptera and biomimetic surfaces: insights and innovations

• Vinicius Marques Lopez,
• Carlo Polidori and
• Rhainer Guillermo Ferreira

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1333–1352, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.107

• could greatly benefit from innovations inspired by these stridulation mechanisms. Ultrasound technology has demonstrated significant potential in diagnostic imaging and ultrasound-responsive drug delivery [181][182]. Ultrasound technology is particularly promising for cancer treatment and disease

Dual-functionalized architecture enables stable and tumor cell-specific SiO₂NPs in complex biological fluids

• Iris Renata Sousa Ribeiro,
• Raquel Frenedoso da Silva,
• Romênia Ramos Domingues,
• Adriana Franco Paes Leme and
• Mateus Borba Cardoso

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1238–1252, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.100

• exhibit heightened efficacy and reduced toxicity for medical purposes. Keywords: colloidal stability; complex media; functionalized nanoparticles; hemolysis; targeting tumor; Introduction In recent years, there has been a growing search for developing high-efficiency nanomedicines for cancer treatment

Realizing active targeting in cancer nanomedicine with ultrasmall nanoparticles

• André F. Lima,
• Giselle Z. Justo and
• Alioscka A. Sousa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1208–1226, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.98

• globular proteins, usNPs exhibit unique physicochemical properties and physiological behavior distinct from larger particles, including lack of protein corona formation, efficient renal clearance, and reduced recognition and sequestration by the reticuloendothelial system. In cancer treatment, usNPs

• functions [54][69][70][71][72][73][74][75]. Therefore, a thorough evaluation of their biocompatibility is necessary before advancing their clinical applications. In the context of cancer treatment, the efficient renal clearance and short blood elimination half-life of usNPs raise questions about their

• incorporation of active targeting strategies is expected to further enhance the selectivity and performance of usNPs for cancer treatment. By designing usNPs to target surface receptors on cancer cells, tumor retention can be improved by minimizing particle intravasation back to tumor blood vessels. Active

Recent updates in applications of nanomedicine for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis

• Damai Ria Setyawati,
• Fransiska Christydira Sekaringtyas,
• Riyona Desvy Pratiwi,
• A’liyatur Rosyidah,
• Rohimmahtunnissa Azhar,
• Nunik Gustini,
• Gita Syahputra,
• Idah Rosidah,
• Etik Mardliyati,
• Tarwadi and
• Sjaikhurrizal El Muttaqien

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1105–1116, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.89

• ingredients. Cancer nanomedicine represents the most extensively studied nanotechnology application in the field of pharmaceutics and pharmacology since the first nanodrug for cancer treatment, liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil®), has been approved by the FDA. The advancement of cancer nanomedicine and its

• regenerative medicine. Aiming to improve the treatment outcomes, new nanomedicinal drugs and formulations have been reported on an almost daily basis for targeting various diseases. Until now, most nanomedicine applications have focused primarily on drug delivery and theranostic nanoplatforms for cancer

• treatment. The enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, first described by Maeda and co-workers in 1986, allows for high accumulation of the drug nanocarriers via the leaky vasculature and the deficient lymphatic system around solid tumors, as illustrated in the right panel of Figure 1 [3][4][5

Unveiling the potential of alginate-based nanomaterials in sensing technology and smart delivery applications

• Shakhzodjon Uzokboev,
• Khojimukhammad Akhmadbekov,
• Ra’no Nuritdinova,
• Salah M. Tawfik and
• Yong-Ill Lee

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1077–1104, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.88

• therapy [78]. Alginate-based fully natural nanoparticles were developed and used for cancer treatment. Pakistani scientists investigated amygdalin in an alginate–chitosan-based matrix [79]. Amygdalin is a natural material and it has very strong anticancerous activity. Scientists achieved over 90% drug

Entry of nanoparticles into cells and tissues: status and challenges

• Kirsten Sandvig,
• Tore Geir Iversen and
• Tore Skotland

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1017–1029, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.83

• cancer treatment, the goal being to increase the fraction of injected drug delivered to the tumor and thereby improve the therapeutic effect and decrease side effects. Thus, we discuss how NPs are delivered to tumors and some challenges related to investigations of biodistribution, pharmacokinetics, and

• intravenous (i.v.) injection is required to benefit from NPs as therapeutics or imaging agents in an optimal way. Many different types of NPs have been made; for an overview, see [1]. Doxorubicin encapsulated in liposomes (Doxil®/Caelyx®) was the first NP-based drug approved for cancer treatment by the US

Therapeutic effect of F127-folate@PLGA/CHL/IR780 nanoparticles on folate receptor-expressing cancer cells

• Thi Ngoc Han Pham,
• Phuong-Thao Dang-Luong,
• Hong-Phuc Nguyen,
• Loc Le-Tuan,
• Xuan Thang Cao,
• Thanh-Danh Nguyen,
• Vy Tran Anh and
• Hieu Vu_Quang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 954–964, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.78

• cancer treatment. The bigger the nanoparticles, the faster they would be cleared by the mononuclear phagocyte system [41], while those smaller than 6 nm would be excreted into the Bowman space of the kidney [42]. In addition to size, nanoparticle charge is also crucial for boosting its circulation in the

• the chemotherapy drug CHL. IR780 exhibits fluorescence in the infrared region, which is suitable for pre-clinical applications [12][13]. CHL in cancer treatment attaches to the DNA double strands and prevents them from splitting, disrupting the division and proliferation of cancer cells [12][13

• in cancer treatment. Conclusion In this work, we designed F127-folate@PLGA nanoparticles capable of carrying CHL and IR780. The formulation approach has produced nanoparticles of extremely homogeneous size. The F127-folate polymer on the surface of nanoparticles made it easier for nanoparticles to

Electrospun nanofibers: building blocks for the repair of bone tissue

• Tuğrul Mert Serim,
• Gülin Amasya,
• Tuğba Eren-Böncü,
• Ceyda Tuba Şengel-Türk and
• Ayşe Nurten Özdemir

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 941–953, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.77

• the surface of the nanofibrous scaffolds increases the therapeutic response to the drugs by a controlled and sustained release in the targeted tissue [35]. (v) Their ability to carry different drugs in their structure reduces the risk of multidrug resistance in cancer treatment with dose-specific or

Radiofrequency enhances drug release from responsive nanoflowers for hepatocellular carcinoma therapy

• Yanyan Wen,
• Ningning Song,
• Yueyou Peng,
• Weiwei Wu,
• Qixiong Lin,
• Minjie Cui,
• Rongrong Li,
• Qiufeng Yu,
• Sixue Wu,
• Yongkang Liang,
• Wei Tian and
• Yanfeng Meng

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 569–579, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.49

• can alleviate tumor hypoxia and regulate TME to improve antitumor efficiency. In addition, PEG-modified NFs may significantly enhance passive targeting and retention via the EPR effect, thus enhancing their efficacy in cancer treatment [30]. The Fe3O4 NCs, Fe3O4 NCs-CUR layer nanoparticles (CUR-Fe NPs

Classification and application of metal-based nanoantioxidants in medicine and healthcare

• Nguyen Nhat Nam,
• Nguyen Khoi Song Tran,
• Tan Tai Nguyen,
• Nguyen Ngoc Trai,
• Nguyen Phuong Thuy,
• Hoang Dang Khoa Do,
• Nhu Hoa Thi Tran and
• Kieu The Loan Trinh

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 396–415, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.36

• ) concentration of 0.5 wt % for the successful formation of ferulic acid-loaded lipid-based nanoparticles [141]. The ferulic acid-loaded nanoparticles with improved bioavailability can be useful for skin care products and human skin cancer treatment [142][143][144]. Wound repair The skin is the outermost layer

• ]. Antioxidants contribute to cancer inhibition and cancer treatment by several mechanisms. First, nanoantioxidants reduce cancer initiation by protecting DNA molecules from oxidative stress and stimulating DNA repair. For example, platinum nanoparticles inhibited the growth of epithelial lung cancer cells by

Exploring the relationships between physiochemical properties of nanoparticles and cell damage to combat cancer growth using simple periodic table-based descriptors

• Joyita Roy and
• Kunal Roy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 297–309, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.27

• = 0.54) showing the stability and predictive ability of the model. Utilization of the metal oxide cell damage knowledge for cancer treatment NPs have shown immense potential in treating various diseases owing to their small size and high surface-to-volume ratio, which makes them effective drug delivery

Vinorelbine-loaded multifunctional magnetic nanoparticles as anticancer drug delivery systems: synthesis, characterization, and in vitro release study

• Zeynep Özcan and
• Afife Binnaz Hazar Yoruç

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 256–269, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.24

• , magnetic response, and controlled drug release with photothermal effect brings a different perspective to advanced cancer treatment research. Keywords: drug efficacy; iron oxide nanoparticles; photothermal; solvothermal method; Introduction Cancer is a widespread condition characterized by the

• where the synthesized nanostructure was exposed to NIR light, SN38-loaded nanoparticles effectively suppressed tumor growth chemotherapeutically and photothermally [29]. This promising result highlights the potential of the PEGylation of PDA nanoparticles for advanced cancer treatment strategies

• appropriate sizes exhibited controlled drug release capabilities. Thus, a controlled drug delivery system was established using VNB/PDA/Fe3O4 NPs, which exhibited high release at the tumor microenvironment pH 5.5 for potential application in cancer treatment. The impact of polymer thickness on drug release

Nanocarrier systems loaded with IR780, iron oxide nanoparticles and chlorambucil for cancer theragnostics

• Phuong-Thao Dang-Luong,
• Hong-Phuc Nguyen,
• Loc Le-Tuan,
• Xuan-Thang Cao,
• Vy Tran-Anh and
• Hieu Vu Quang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 180–189, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.17

• of these systems to serve as medication and imaging agent carriers for cancer treatment and diagnostics, respectively. Keywords: cancer; chlorambucil; F127-folate; IR780; iron oxide nanoparticles; PLGA; theragnostics; Introduction Theragnostic nanoparticles (NPs) are a diagnostic and therapeutic

• urinary obstruction [14]. In another study, PLGA SPIONs could transport chemotherapeutic agents for cancer treatment and diagnosis [15]. Therefore, the combination of PLGA and SPIONs promises a useful theragnostic system in our study. In addition to the encapsulation of SPIONs in PLGA employed for

• tumor treatment [27], and PLGA-chlorambucil nanoparticles have been developed for the treatment of breast cancer [28]. Due to the efficiency of CHL in cancer treatment, CHL has been used as a drug model in order to evaluate our formulated NPs. Therefore, in this study, we propose to develop a carrier

Antibody-conjugated nanoparticles for target-specific drug delivery of chemotherapeutics

• Mamta Kumari,
• Amitabha Acharya and
• Praveen Thaggikuppe Krishnamurthy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 912–926, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.75

• -conjugated NPs. In this review, recent studies regarding effects of the protein corona and the theranostic application of ACNPs are highlighted to provide an update of the current research for cancer treatment. Review Antibodies Antibodies are Y-shaped glycoproteins produced by B-lymphocytes. These react

• in cancer treatment, as this improves survival rates by approximately five years and also lowers the overall treatment cost. However, it is critical that diagnosis and treatment are extremely accurate, otherwise this would result in misdiagnosis and overtreatment. Unfortunately, the success rate for

• clinical studies is also very low because of the lack of efficacy. Hence, more advancements are required in the area of targeted delivery to benefit from the advantages of ACNPs in cancer treatment. Conclusion ACNPs are one of the emerging targeted delivery systems. They combine the advantages of NPs and

Nanoarchitectonics to entrap living cells in silica-based systems: encapsulations with yolk–shell and sepiolite nanomaterials

• Celia Martín-Morales,
• Jorge Fernández-Méndez,
• Pilar Aranda and
• Eduardo Ruiz-Hitzky

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 522–534, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.43

• for cancer treatment [31]. Results and Discussion Sepiolite–biopolymer microalgal biohybrids Sepiolite, a microfibrous hydrated magnesium silicate with the formula Si12O30Mg8(OH,F)4(H2O)4·8H2O [32][33][34], shows interesting surface properties and high viscosity [27][33][34][35]. These properties make