Biological Macromolecules and Nanoparticles Self-Assembling Carrier for Therapeutic Delivery

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanomedicine and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2024 | Viewed by 2773

Special Issue Editors


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1. Dipartimento di Scienze Biotecnologiche di Base Cliniche Intensivologiche e Perioperatorie, Sezione di Biochimica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
2. Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli—IRCCS, Rome, Italy
Interests: cell–material interactions; drug delivery; biological characterization of nano- and micromaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
1. Dipartimento di Scienze Biotecnologiche di Base Cliniche Intensivologiche e Perioperatorie, Sezione di Biochimica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 29010 Rome, Italy
2. Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli—IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Interests: drug design; drug delivery; protein interactions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
Interests: drug delivery; polymeric delivery systems; nanoplatforms; sustained drug release; scaffolds; implants; tissue engineering; wound healing; brain targeting; pulmonary delivery; cancer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The term "self-assembly" was adopted by chemists to describe the ordered arrangement of molecules; however, this term has recently come to include the synthesis of compounds that can be manipulated at the molecular level. Self-assembly technology has made it possible to design and develop new devices that can interact with cells. Consequently, this technique has attracted much attention from researchers, who aim to produce nanostructures and nanomaterials for drug delivery.

The exploitation of nanotechnology for therapeutic applications possesses benefits such as enhanced drug targeting, better cellular penetration, reduced side effects, and hence, improved therapeutic effects. These merits are mainly attributed to the small size of the formed nanostructures.

This Special Issue aims to explore the merging of self-assembly and nanotechnology techniques, a combination that can enhance the therapeutic efficacy and reduce the toxicity of loaded drugs. Achieving these ambitious goals is only possible thanks to the interaction between chemists, biologists, clinicians, and material scientists.

In this Special Issue, we invite scholars to submit original and review articles including (but not limited to) the research progress and applications of different types of self-assembled nano-drug delivery systems that have therapeutic potential in the field of biomedicine.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Giuseppina Nocca
Dr. Alessandro Arcovito
Prof. Dr. Nermeen Adel Elkasabgy
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • self-assembly
  • nanotechnology
  • proteins
  • biological macromolecules
  • drug delivery
  • therapeutic applications

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2540 KiB  
Article
Combined Delivery of miR-15/16 through Humanized Ferritin Nanocages for the Treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
by Francesca Romana Liberati, Sara Di Russo, Lorenzo Barolo, Giovanna Peruzzi, Maria Vittoria Farina, Sharon Spizzichino, Federica Di Fonzo, Deborah Quaglio, Luca Pisano, Bruno Botta, Alessandra Giorgi, Alberto Boffi, Francesca Cutruzzolà, Alessio Paone and Paola Baiocco
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(3), 402; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16030402 - 14 Mar 2024
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Abstract
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a widespread type of leukemia that predominantly targets B lymphocytes, undermining the balance between cell proliferation and apoptosis. In healthy B cells, miR-15/16, a tandem of microRNAs, functions as a tumor suppressor, curbing the expression of the antiapoptotic [...] Read more.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a widespread type of leukemia that predominantly targets B lymphocytes, undermining the balance between cell proliferation and apoptosis. In healthy B cells, miR-15/16, a tandem of microRNAs, functions as a tumor suppressor, curbing the expression of the antiapoptotic B cell lymphoma 2 protein (Bcl-2). Conversely, in CLL patients, a recurring deletion on chromosome 13q14, home to the miR15-a and miR16-1 genes, results in Bcl-2 overexpression, thereby fostering the onset of the pathology. In the present research, a novel approach utilizing humanized ferritin-based nanoparticles was employed to successfully deliver miR15-a and miR-16-1 into MEG01 cells, a model characterized by the classic CLL deletion and overexpression of the human ferritin receptor (TfR1). The loaded miR15-a and miR16-1, housed within modified HumAfFt, were efficiently internalized via the MEG01 cells and properly directed into the cytoplasm. Impressively, the concurrent application of miR15-a and miR16-1 demonstrated a robust capacity to induce apoptosis through the reduction in Bcl-2 expression levels. This technology, employing RNA-loaded ferritin nanoparticles, hints at promising directions in the battle against CLL, bridging the substantial gap left by traditional transfection agents and indicating a pathway that may offer hope for more effective treatments. Full article
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Review

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34 pages, 3862 KiB  
Review
Cellulosic Textiles—An Appealing Trend for Different Pharmaceutical Applications
by Giuseppina Nocca, Alessandro Arcovito, Nermeen A. Elkasabgy, Mona Basha, Noah Giacon, Elena Mazzinelli, Mohammed S. Abdel-Maksoud and Rabab Kamel
Pharmaceutics 2023, 15(12), 2738; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15122738 - 06 Dec 2023
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Abstract
Cellulose, the most abundant biopolymer in nature, is derived from various sources. The production of pharmaceutical textiles based on cellulose represents a growing sector. In medicated textiles, textile and pharmaceutical sciences are integrated to develop new healthcare approaches aiming to improve patient compliance. [...] Read more.
Cellulose, the most abundant biopolymer in nature, is derived from various sources. The production of pharmaceutical textiles based on cellulose represents a growing sector. In medicated textiles, textile and pharmaceutical sciences are integrated to develop new healthcare approaches aiming to improve patient compliance. Through the possibility of cellulose functionalization, pharmaceutical textiles can broaden the applications of cellulose in the biomedical field. This narrative review aims to illustrate both the methods of extraction and preparation of cellulose fibers, with a particular focus on nanocellulose, and diverse pharmaceutical applications like tissue restoration and antimicrobial, antiviral, and wound healing applications. Additionally, the merging between fabricated cellulosic textiles with drugs, metal nanoparticles, and plant-derived and synthetic materials are also illustrated. Moreover, new emerging technologies and the use of smart medicated textiles (3D and 4D cellulosic textiles) are not far from those within the review scope. In each section, the review outlines some of the limitations in the use of cellulose textiles, indicating scientific research that provides significant contributions to overcome them. This review also points out the faced challenges and possible solutions in a trial to present an overview on all issues related to the use of cellulose for the production of pharmaceutical textiles. Full article
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