Metallic and Ceramic Nanomaterials: Synthesis and Its Therapeutic Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Metal- and ceramic-based nanomaterials have gained a lot of interest among researchers and are widely being used in pharmaceutical industries. In the biomedical field, nanoparticles are considered to be excellent carriers for drugs, genes, proteins and imaging agents. The unique size-dependent properties of these individual nanoparticles make them potential candidates for their application in different areas, ranging from environmental science to an emerging multidisciplinary field that includes chemistry, physics, biology and medicine. In pharmaceutical sciences, the controlled release of drugs is one of the most extensively explored areas of research, and in this field, stability, dosage, shape and size play vital roles. The choice of a suitable method to prepare nanoparticles, along with loading of a significant amount of drug(s) leads to the development of effective drug delivery systems (DDSs) which are being explored to a great extent. The use of nanoparticles in drug delivery systems has significant advantages, such as the increased stability and half-life of the drug carrier in circulation, required biodistribution, and passive or active targeting to the required site of action. A few properties of nanoparticles, such as their high stability, biocompatibility, larger loading/entrapment efficiency, the ease of their incorporation into both hydrophobic and hydrophilic systems and different routes of administration make them potential candidates over other carriers for use in controlled drug delivery and imaging systems. There are various types of nanoparticles, such as metallic, ceramic, magnetic, lipid and polymeric, which are influenced by different synthetic routes and surface modification. Drug-loaded/blank metallic and ceramic nanoparticles possess size- and morphology-dependent tunable applications, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-tumor activity. Researchers and scientists have also attempted to explore new therapeutic methods, such as photo-dynamic therapy (PDT), photo-thermal therapy (PTT), chemo-dynamic therapy (CDT) and immunotherapy (IMT), with high efficacy and minimized side effects. The development of new multifunctional metal- or ceramic-based nanoparticles for use in cancer therapy has attracted tremendous attention in the last two decades because of various advantages such as the reduced rate of recurrent tumors and minimized side effects. Several challenges have already been identified, such as proper control over particle size distribution, morphology, surface modification, biocompatibility, pore size, stability in cell culture media or in vivo fluids, safer dosage and many other factors. In the field of drug delivery, nanotechnology is providing us with solutions for the safer and more efficient administration of drugs compared to traditional medicine, thereby improving the drug pharmacokinetics and the therapeutic results.

This Special Issue aims to publish original research articles and reviews that focus on different routes for the synthesis of metal- and ceramic-based nanomaterials, their physico-chemical characterizations, and in vitro and in vivo studies in pharmaceutical sciences.

Dr. Nikesh Gupta
Prof. Dr. H.B. Bohidar
Guest Editors

Dr. Chetna Gupta
Guest Editor Assistant

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• nanoparticles
• drug delivery
• photo-thermal therapy (PTT)
• photo-dynamic therapy (PDT)
• sustained release
• anti-cancer
• anti-fungal
• anti-bacterial
• anti-inflammatory