Nanomaterials: Immunological Perspective

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 23826

Special Issue Editors

Wrightington, Wigan And Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, National Health Service, Wigan WN6 0SZ, UK
Interests: nanoparticles; biomaterials; drug delivery; cancer immunotherapy; magnetic nanoparticles; theranostics
Leicester School of Pharmacy and Leicester Institute for Pharmaceutical Innovation, De Montfort University, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK
Interests: peptide self-assembly; peptide nanofibrillar biomaterials; peptide therapeutics; nanomedicine; tissue engineering

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Immune system responses to xenobiotics, including nanomaterials, can be unpredictable and multifaceted as it is mediated by a complex network of immune cells, cytokines, antibodies, and complement proteins. Understanding how this vital system responds to nanomaterials is thus of utmost importance to provide better nanotechnological strategies for the treatment of immunological disorders, developing novel vaccine systems, cancer immune therapy, and for minimizing undesirable immunogenicity. This will guide nanomaterials engineers to develop next-generation systems with good nanosafety and controlled immunogenicity that can be tailored to meet the intended clinical needs.

Nanomaterials provide a versatile and tuneable platform that can potentially be used to manipulate immune responses by molecular design. Additionally, whether bioinspired nanomaterials can be designed to evade the immune system by learning lessons from pathogen strategies remains a challenge for developing safe nanomedicines. Although the interaction of nanomaterials with the immune system has potential threats, it represents a very promising exploitation strategy if well understood.

This Special Issue aims to capture the current knowledge in this area through reviews and original research articles, to provide critical dialogue in the field of nanomaterials safety and immunological applications. Contributions to this issue may focus on nanomedicine, nanosafety, and immunology in the academic, industrial, and clinical arena.

Dr. Yogita Patil-Sen
Dr. Mohamed Elsawy
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. Pharmaceutics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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

  • nanoparticles
  • biomaterials
  • cancer immunotherapy
  • immune stimulation
  • vaccines
  • nanotoxicity
  • immunogenicity
  • allergy

Published Papers (6 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

15 pages, 3898 KiB  
Article
Hyaluronic Acid-Glycine-Cholesterol Conjugate-Based Nanoemulsion as a Potent Vaccine Adjuvant for T Cell-Mediated Immunity
by Chih-An Lin, Hui-Min Ho, Parthiban Venkatesan, Chiung-Yi Huang, Yu-Jhen Cheng, Yu-Hsing Lin, Hua-Yang Lin, Tzu-Yang Chen, Ming-Hsi Huang and Ping-Shan Lai
Pharmaceutics 2021, 13(10), 1569; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13101569 - 27 Sep 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3045
Abstract
Clinical cases of allergic reaction that are due to excipients containing polyethylene glycol (PEG), a hydrophilic molecule commonly used in drug/vaccine formulations, has attracted much attention in recent years. In order to develop PEG-free adjuvants, we investigated the feasibility of natural ingredients in [...] Read more.
Clinical cases of allergic reaction that are due to excipients containing polyethylene glycol (PEG), a hydrophilic molecule commonly used in drug/vaccine formulations, has attracted much attention in recent years. In order to develop PEG-free adjuvants, we investigated the feasibility of natural ingredients in the human body such as hyaluronic acid in the form of hyaluronic acid-glycine cholesterol (HACH) conjugate as an excipient for vaccine formulation. Interestingly, HACH grafted with ~13 wt.% cholesterol has good water dispersity and can serve as an emulsifier to stabilize the squalene/water interfaces, yielding a milky white and isotropic emulsion (SQ@HACH) after being passed through a high-shear microfluidizer. Our results show that SQ@HACH particles possessed a unimodal average hydrodynamic diameter of approximately 190 nm measured by dynamic light scattering and exhibited good stability upon storage at 4 °C and 37 °C for over 20 weeks. The results of immunogenicity using a mouse model with ovalbumin (OVA) as the antigen revealed that SQ@HACH significantly enhanced antigen-specific immune responses, including the polarization of IgG antibodies, the cytokine secretions of T cells, and enhancement of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activation. Moreover, SQ@HACH revealed lower local inflammation and rapidly absorbing properties compared with AlPO4 after intramuscular injection in vivo, indicating the potential functions of the HA-derived conjugate as an excipient in vaccine formulations for enhancement of T cell-mediated immunity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials: Immunological Perspective)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

13 pages, 804 KiB  
Review
Immune-Modulating Lipid Nanomaterials for the Delivery of Biopharmaceuticals
by Songhee Kim, Boseung Choi, Yoojin Kim and Gayong Shim
Pharmaceutics 2023, 15(6), 1760; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15061760 - 18 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1883
Abstract
In recent years, with the approval of preventative vaccines for pandemics, lipid nanoparticles have become a prominent RNA delivery vehicle. The lack of long-lasting effects of non-viral vectors is an advantage for infectious disease vaccines. With the introduction of microfluidic processes that facilitate [...] Read more.
In recent years, with the approval of preventative vaccines for pandemics, lipid nanoparticles have become a prominent RNA delivery vehicle. The lack of long-lasting effects of non-viral vectors is an advantage for infectious disease vaccines. With the introduction of microfluidic processes that facilitate the encapsulation of nucleic acid cargo, lipid nanoparticles are being studied as delivery vehicles for various RNA-based biopharmaceuticals. In particular, using microfluidic chip-based fabrication processes, nucleic acids such as RNA and proteins can be effectively incorporated into lipid nanoparticles and utilized as delivery vehicles for various biopharmaceuticals. Due to the successful development of mRNA therapies, lipid nanoparticles have emerged as a promising approach for the delivery of biopharmaceuticals. Biopharmaceuticals of various types (DNA, mRNA, short RNA, proteins) possess expression mechanisms that are suitable for manufacturing personalized cancer vaccines, while also requiring formulation with lipid nanoparticles. In this review, we describe the basic design of lipid nanoparticles, the types of biopharmaceuticals used as carriers, and the microfluidic processes involved. We then present research cases focusing on lipid-nanoparticle-based immune modulation and discuss the current status of commercially available lipid nanoparticles, as well as future prospects for the development of lipid nanoparticles for immune regulation purposes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials: Immunological Perspective)
Show Figures

Figure 1

48 pages, 3546 KiB  
Review
Nanovaccine Delivery Approaches and Advanced Delivery Systems for the Prevention of Viral Infections: From Development to Clinical Application
by Ana Sara Cordeiro, Yogita Patil-Sen, Maitreyi Shivkumar, Ronak Patel, Abdulwahhab Khedr and Mohamed A. Elsawy
Pharmaceutics 2021, 13(12), 2091; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13122091 - 05 Dec 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 6673
Abstract
Viral infections causing pandemics and chronic diseases are the main culprits implicated in devastating global clinical and socioeconomic impacts, as clearly manifested during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Immunoprophylaxis via mass immunisation with vaccines has been shown to be an efficient strategy to control [...] Read more.
Viral infections causing pandemics and chronic diseases are the main culprits implicated in devastating global clinical and socioeconomic impacts, as clearly manifested during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Immunoprophylaxis via mass immunisation with vaccines has been shown to be an efficient strategy to control such viral infections, with the successful and recently accelerated development of different types of vaccines, thanks to the advanced biotechnological techniques involved in the upstream and downstream processing of these products. However, there is still much work to be done for the improvement of efficacy and safety when it comes to the choice of delivery systems, formulations, dosage form and route of administration, which are not only crucial for immunisation effectiveness, but also for vaccine stability, dose frequency, patient convenience and logistics for mass immunisation. In this review, we discuss the main vaccine delivery systems and associated challenges, as well as the recent success in developing nanomaterials-based and advanced delivery systems to tackle these challenges. Manufacturing and regulatory requirements for the development of these systems for successful clinical and marketing authorisation were also considered. Here, we comprehensively review nanovaccines from development to clinical application, which will be relevant to vaccine developers, regulators, and clinicians. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials: Immunological Perspective)
Show Figures

Figure 1

31 pages, 3038 KiB  
Review
Black Phosphorus, an Emerging Versatile Nanoplatform for Cancer Immunotherapy
by Hao Liu, Yijun Mei, Qingqing Zhao, Aining Zhang, Lu Tang, Hongbin Gao and Wei Wang
Pharmaceutics 2021, 13(9), 1344; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13091344 - 27 Aug 2021
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 3881
Abstract
Black phosphorus (BP) is one of the emerging versatile nanomaterials with outstanding biocompatibility and biodegradability, exhibiting great potential as a promising inorganic nanomaterial in the biomedical field. BP nanomaterials possess excellent ability for valid bio-conjugation and molecular loading in anticancer therapy. Generally, BP [...] Read more.
Black phosphorus (BP) is one of the emerging versatile nanomaterials with outstanding biocompatibility and biodegradability, exhibiting great potential as a promising inorganic nanomaterial in the biomedical field. BP nanomaterials possess excellent ability for valid bio-conjugation and molecular loading in anticancer therapy. Generally, BP nanomaterials can be classified into BP nanosheets (BPNSs) and BP quantum dots (BPQDs), both of which can be synthesized through various preparation routes. In addition, BP nanomaterials can be applied as photothermal agents (PTA) for the photothermal therapy (PTT) due to their high photothermal conversion efficiency and larger extinction coefficients. The generated local hyperpyrexia leads to thermal elimination of tumor. Besides, BP nanomaterials are capable of producing singlet oxygen, which enable its application as a photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy (PDT). Moreover, BP nanomaterials can be oxidized and degraded to nontoxic phosphonates and phosphate under physiological conditions, improving their safety as a nano drug carrier in cancer therapy. Recently, it has been reported that BP-based PTT is capable of activating immune responses and alleviating the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment by detection of T lymphocytes and various immunocytokines, indicating that BP-based nanocomposites not only serve as effective PTAs to ablate large solid tumors but also function as an immunomodulation agent to eliminate discrete tumorlets. Therefore, BP-mediated immunotherapy would provide more possibilities for synergistic cancer treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials: Immunological Perspective)
Show Figures

Figure 1

27 pages, 29320 KiB  
Review
Nanoparticles to Target and Treat Macrophages: The Ockham’s Concept?
by Mireia Medrano-Bosch, Alazne Moreno-Lanceta and Pedro Melgar-Lesmes
Pharmaceutics 2021, 13(9), 1340; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13091340 - 26 Aug 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4195
Abstract
Nanoparticles are nanomaterials with three external nanoscale dimensions and an average size ranging from 1 to 1000 nm. Nanoparticles have gained notoriety in technological advances due to their tunable physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. However, the administration of functionalized nanoparticles to living beings [...] Read more.
Nanoparticles are nanomaterials with three external nanoscale dimensions and an average size ranging from 1 to 1000 nm. Nanoparticles have gained notoriety in technological advances due to their tunable physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. However, the administration of functionalized nanoparticles to living beings is still challenging due to the rapid detection and blood and tissue clearance by the mononuclear phagocytic system. The major exponent of this system is the macrophage. Regardless the nanomaterial composition, macrophages can detect and incorporate foreign bodies by phagocytosis. Therefore, the simplest explanation is that any injected nanoparticle will be probably taken up by macrophages. This explains, in part, the natural accumulation of most nanoparticles in the spleen, lymph nodes, and liver (the main organs of the mononuclear phagocytic system). For this reason, recent investigations are devoted to design nanoparticles for specific macrophage targeting in diseased tissues. The aim of this review is to describe current strategies for the design of nanoparticles to target macrophages and to modulate their immunological function involved in different diseases with special emphasis on chronic inflammation, tissue regeneration, and cancer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials: Immunological Perspective)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

16 pages, 920 KiB  
Review
Firing up the Tumor Microenvironment with Nanoparticle-Based Therapies
by Yunfeng Pan, Xueru Song, Yue Wang and Jia Wei
Pharmaceutics 2021, 13(9), 1338; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13091338 - 26 Aug 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2554
Abstract
Therapies mobilizing host immunity against cancer cells have profoundly improved prognosis of cancer patients. However, efficacy of immunotherapies depends on local immune conditions. The “cold” tumor, which is characterized by lacking inflamed T cells, is insensitive to immunotherapy. Current strategies of improving the [...] Read more.
Therapies mobilizing host immunity against cancer cells have profoundly improved prognosis of cancer patients. However, efficacy of immunotherapies depends on local immune conditions. The “cold” tumor, which is characterized by lacking inflamed T cells, is insensitive to immunotherapy. Current strategies of improving the “cold” tumor microenvironment are far from satisfying. Nanoparticle-based therapies provide novel inspiration in firing up the tumor microenvironment. In this review, we presented progress and limitations of conventional immunotherapies. Then, we enumerate advantages of nanoparticle-based therapies in remodeling the “cold” tumor microenvironment. Finally, we discuss the prospect of nanoparticle-based therapies in clinical application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials: Immunological Perspective)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop