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Nanomaterials
Special Issues
Nanotransporters for Drug Delivery and Precise Medicine
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Nanotransporters for Drug Delivery and Precise Medicine

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Biology and Medicines".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 November 2023) | Viewed by 6529

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Anca Dinischiotu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
Interests: nanotoxicology; drug delivery systems; tissue engineering; nano-biointerfaces; nanoimaging
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Mihaela Balas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
Interests: nanoparticles; antioxidants; lipid peroxidation; nanobiotechnology; quantum dots; nanomaterials; drug resistance; cancer cell biology; 3D cell culture

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

To achieve the therapeutic effect of a pharmaceutical compound, several drug delivery systems can be formulated in order to generate controlled release and/or targeted delivery. Nanotransporters are the most advanced tools designed to deliver active compounds to a specific target site (cells or tissues) in a controlled manner, with minimum side effects. Due to the customizable parameters (composition, size, shape, surface) and targeted action, nanoparticle-based delivery systems represent promising candidates for precision medicine. These can be designed to deliver adequate treatments to the right patients at the right time, based on the individual unique genetic and molecular profile, seeking to minimize the limitations of conventional therapies. Different types of nanoparticles, such as organic (polymer and liposomes-based, dendrimers), inorganic (metallic and metallic oxide and silica-based, carbon nanotubes, quantum dots), and hybrid, are used toward this aim. Surface modifications can be used to modulate the drug’s pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, stability, absorption, and dosage, and to facilitate the transport of diverse biomolecules and synergistic drug combinations at the particular target site. Furthermore, regulation of the chemical and physical properties of nanoparticles and drugs can enable the accurate control of the loading effect and release kinetics. Drug delivery systems can also regulate immune function, reshape the tumor microenvironment, and inhibit molecules located in critical nodes of signaling pathways in cancer cells, thus increasing the success rate of precision medicine and benefiting patients. However, some disadvantages may lead to the risk of particle aggregation, toxicity, or drug resistance.

This Special Issue aims to present the recent advances in designing nanocarriers for drug transportation, from their nature and functionalization to mechanisms of targeted drug delivery and current limitations, thereby outlining progress in precision medicine. We are pleased to invite authors to contribute original research and review articles on the aforesaid subject. Research topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Design strategies;
  • Surface functionalization;
  • Targeting mechanisms of drug-nanotransporters;
  • Strategies for controlled drug release and site-specific delivery;
  • Applications of drug-nanotransporters in precision medicine;
  • Molecular mechanisms targeted by drug delivery systems;
  • Inhibitors of pro-oncogenic signaling pathways.

Dr. Anca Dinischiotu
Dr. Mihaela Balas
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • drug delivery
  • nanoparticles
  • optimized formulation
  • functionalization
  • specific target
  • toxicity
  • combination therapy
  • cancer signaling pathways

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2970 KiB  
Article
Nanoscale Structure of Lipid–Gemini Surfactant Mixed Monolayers Resolved with AFM and KPFM Microscopy
by Robert D. E. Henderson, Nanqin Mei, Yue Xu, Ravi Gaikwad, Shawn Wettig and Zoya Leonenko
Nanomaterials 2024, 14(7), 572; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14070572 - 26 Mar 2024
Viewed by 695
Abstract
Drug delivery vehicles composed of lipids and gemini surfactants (GS) are promising in gene therapy. Tuning the composition and properties of the delivery vehicle is important for the efficient load and delivery of DNA fragments (genes). In this paper, we studied novel gene [...] Read more.
Drug delivery vehicles composed of lipids and gemini surfactants (GS) are promising in gene therapy. Tuning the composition and properties of the delivery vehicle is important for the efficient load and delivery of DNA fragments (genes). In this paper, we studied novel gene delivery systems composed of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC), 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-3-phosphocholine (DPPC), and GS of the type N,N-bis(dimethylalkyl)-α,ω-alkanediammonium dibromide at different ratios. The nanoscale properties of the mixed DOPC–DPPC–GS monolayers on the surface of the gene delivery system were studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). We demonstrate that lipid–GS mixed monolayers result in the formation of nanoscale domains that vary in size, height, and electrical surface potential. We show that the presence of GS can impart significant changes to the domain topography and electrical surface potential compared to monolayers composed of lipids alone. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanotransporters for Drug Delivery and Precise Medicine)
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16 pages, 3328 KiB  
Article
Dextran-Coated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Loaded with 5-Fluorouracil for Drug-Delivery Applications
by Daniela Predoi, Mihaela Balas, Madalina Andreea Badea, Steluta Carmen Ciobanu, Nicolas Buton and Anca Dinischiotu
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(12), 1811; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13121811 - 06 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3623
Abstract
This study aims to design and test different formulations composed of dextran-coated iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) loaded with 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) with varying nanoparticle:drug ratios on colorectal cancer cells. The stable suspension of IONPs s was synthesized by the adapted co-precipitation method. The stable [...] Read more.
This study aims to design and test different formulations composed of dextran-coated iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) loaded with 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) with varying nanoparticle:drug ratios on colorectal cancer cells. The stable suspension of IONPs s was synthesized by the adapted co-precipitation method. The stable suspension of IONPs was mixed with a solution of dextran and 5-FU solubilized in a saline solution. The final suspensions with optimized ratios of IONP:5-FU in the final suspension were 0.5:1, 1:1, and 1.5:1. The information on the morphology and size distribution of the IONPs suspension and IONP loads with 5-FU was obtained using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The presence of 5-FU and dextran on the surface of the IONPs was highlighted by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) studies. The determination of the surface charge of the nanoparticles in the final suspensions of IONP:5-FU was achieved by measuring the zeta potential (ζ). The hydrodynamic diameter of the resulting suspensions of IONP:5-FU was determined by dynamic light scattering (DLS). A cytocompatibility analysis was performed using Caco-2 (human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma) cells. In this research, our goal was to find a relationship between the formulation ratio of nanoparticles and drug, and the cellular response after exposure, as a strategy to increase the efficacy of this drug-delivery system. The nanoparticle uptake and antitumor activity, including modulation of oxidative stress, apoptosis, and proliferation biomarkers, were analyzed. The present study showed that the nanoformulation with the ratio IONP:5-FU 1.5:1 had the highest anti-tumor efficiency. Moreover, decreased MCM-2 expression in Caco-2 cells exposed to dextran-coated iron oxide nanoparticles loaded with 5-FU was demonstrated for the first time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanotransporters for Drug Delivery and Precise Medicine)
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14 pages, 5395 KiB  
Article
Synthesis of Microwave Functionalized, Nanostructured Polylactic Co-Glycolic Acid (nfPLGA) for Incorporation into Hydrophobic Dexamethasone to Enhance Dissolution
by Mohammad Saiful Islam and Somenath Mitra
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(5), 943; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13050943 - 05 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1639
Abstract
The low solubility and slow dissolution of hydrophobic drugs is a major challenge for the pharmaceutical industry. In this paper, we present the synthesis of surface-functionalized poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles for incorporation into corticosteroid dexamethasone to improve its in vitro dissolution profile. The [...] Read more.
The low solubility and slow dissolution of hydrophobic drugs is a major challenge for the pharmaceutical industry. In this paper, we present the synthesis of surface-functionalized poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles for incorporation into corticosteroid dexamethasone to improve its in vitro dissolution profile. The PLGA crystals were mixed with a strong acid mixture, and their microwave-assisted reaction led to a high degree of oxidation. The resulting nanostructured, functionalized PLGA (nfPLGA), was quite water-dispersible compared to the original PLGA, which was non-dispersible. SEM-EDS analysis showed 53% surface oxygen concentration in the nfPLGA compared to the original PLGA, which had only 25%. The nfPLGA was incorporated into dexamethasone (DXM) crystals via antisolvent precipitation. Based on SEM, RAMAN, XRD, TGA and DSC measurements, the nfPLGA-incorporated composites retained their original crystal structures and polymorphs. The solubility of DXM after nfPLGA incorporation (DXM–nfPLGA) increased from 6.21 mg/L to as high as 87.1 mg/L and formed a relatively stable suspension with a zeta potential of −44.3 mV. Octanol–water partitioning also showed a similar trend as the logP reduced from 1.96 for pure DXM to 0.24 for DXM–nfPLGA. In vitro dissolution testing showed 14.0 times higher aqueous dissolution of DXM–nfPLGA compared to pure DXM. The time for 50% (T50) and 80% (T80) of gastro medium dissolution decreased significantly for the nfPLGA composites; T50 reduced from 57.0 to 18.0 min and T80 reduced from unachievable to 35.0 min. Overall, the PLGA, which is an FDA-approved, bioabsorbable polymer, can be used to enhance the dissolution of hydrophobic pharmaceuticals and this can lead to higher efficacy and lower required dosage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanotransporters for Drug Delivery and Precise Medicine)
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