Comprehensive review on ultrasound-responsive theranostic nanomaterials: mechanisms, structures and medical applications

• Sepand Tehrani Fateh,
• Lida Moradi,
• Elmira Kohan,
• Michael R. Hamblin and
• Amin Shiralizadeh Dezfuli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 808–862, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.64

Doxorubicin-loaded gold nanorods: a multifunctional chemo-photothermal nanoplatform for cancer management

• Uzma Azeem Awan,
• Abida Raza,
• Shaukat Ali,
• Rida Fatima Saeed and
• Nosheen Akhtar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 295–303, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.24

• site [11]. Nanotechnology provides a means to overcome these hurdles as nanocarriers, which improve the pharmacological properties of free drugs, contribute to enhanced therapeutic efficacy in physiological environment [12]. Nanocarriers as multifunctional tumor targeting and therapeutic agents exhibit

• may be responsible for the laser-triggered release of DOX. These findings are consistent with previous studies [23]. PSS-GNRs nanocomplex biocompatibility Dose-dependent biocompatibility and cytotoxicity efficiency of the nanocarriers were measured in vitro. The efficiency of the GNRs in mediating

• biocompatibility of nanocarriers [23]. Analysis of hemoglobin released from RBCs after incubation in a suspension of PSS-GNRs showed less than 20% hemolysis at a concentration of 1000 μg/mL (Figure 4b). The experiments revealed a good biocompatibility of PSS-GNRs, which was quantified by the concentration of

Differences in surface chemistry of iron oxide nanoparticles result in different routes of internalization

• Barbora Svitkova,
• Vlasta Zavisova,
• Veronika Nemethova,
• Martina Koneracka,
• Miroslava Kretova,
• Filip Razga,
• Monika Ursinyova and
• Alena Gabelova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 270–281, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.22

• surface charge), cell membrane properties (fluidity, type of receptors, and receptor density), and cell type [30][31][32]. For biomedical applications, the optimal size of nanocarriers is in the range of 95–200 nm because of the higher accumulation rate in tumors [33][34]. Spherical nanoparticles (NPs) in

PEG/PEI-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes as delivery carriers for doxorubicin: synthesis, characterization, and in vitro evaluation

• Shuoye Yang,
• Zhenwei Wang,
• Yahong Ping,
• Yuying Miao,
• Yongmei Xiao,
• Lingbo Qu,
• Lu Zhang,
• Yuansen Hu and
• Jinshui Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1728–1741, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.155

• . In this study, raw SWCNTs were purified with different oxidizing acids, and the resulting shortened CNTs were conjugated with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and polyethylenimine (PEI). The different nanocarriers, that is, CNTs-COOH (CNTs), CNTs-PEG and CNTs-PEG-PEI, were systematically characterized and

• attributed to their good dispersibility and comparably higher affinity to tumor cells due to the difunctionalization. In summary, the PEG- and PEI-conjugated CNTs may be used as novel nanocarriers and the findings will contribute to the rational design of multifunctional delivery vehicles for anticancer

• functionalization was supposed to attenuate the premature removal and loss of nanocarriers, and also to improve the targeting to the tumor site. The physical and chemical properties of CNTs-PEG-PEI were systematically characterized and doxorubicin (DOX), one of the most potent anticancer drugs applied in

Applications of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in drug and therapeutic delivery, and biotechnological advancements

• Maria Suciu,
• Corina M. Ionescu,
• Alexandra Ciorita,
• Septimiu C. Tripon,
• Dragos Nica,
• Hani Al-Salami and
• Lucian Barbu-Tudoran

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1092–1109, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.94

• infiltrated these macrophages in spheroids of tumor cells and destroyed the cells by hyperthermia in vitro [125]. Moghimi et al. [124] found that liposomes and polymeric nanospheres used as nanocarriers are also opsonized, which promotes their clearance by macrophage activation. The opsonization also leads to

Key for crossing the BBB with nanoparticles: the rational design

• Sonia M. Lombardo,
• Marc Schneider,
• Akif E. Türeli and
• Nazende Günday Türeli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 866–883, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.72

• surgery and are therefore highly invasive. They are mostly used to treat glioblastomas or other brain tumors. Another way to reach the brain by bypassing the BBB is the intranasal route. After reaching the nasal cavity, a drug loaded inside nanocarriers can be transported along the olfactory bulb

Luminescent gold nanoclusters for bioimaging applications

• Nonappa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 533–546, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.42

• –nanocluster agglomerates as luminescent nanocarriers for imaging and combination therapy [89][90]. Core–shell nanoparticles consisting of oleic acid-capped superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs, d = 6.7 ± 1.2 nm) were used (Figure 5A). The IONPs were subsequently coated with a gold shell using the

• , HeLa, HepG2 and A375, as well as a normal HEK cell line (Figure 5B). Confocal imaging confirmed the internalization of the nanocarriers. After incubating the cell lines with sodium azide, there was a decrease by 82% of uptake of the nanocarriers, suggesting that the internalization is through

• endocytosis. The superparamagnetic nature of the PML-MF allowed for the magnetic targeting of the nanocarriers. Further, the ability of BSA to encapsulate drug molecules was explored to load doxorubicin (DPML-MF) in the nanocarriers. The release kinetics of doxorubicin studied at pH 7.4 and 4.4 were found to

Brome mosaic virus-like particles as siRNA nanocarriers for biomedical purposes

• Alfredo Nuñez-Rivera,
• Pierrick G. J. Fournier,
• Danna L. Arellano,
• Ana G. Rodriguez-Hernandez,
• Rafael Vazquez-Duhalt and
• Ruben D. Cadena-Nava

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 372–382, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.28

• virus (CCMV) are novel potential nanocarriers for different therapies in nanomedicine. In this work, BMV and CCMV were loaded with a fluorophore and assayed on breast tumor cells. The viruses BMV and CCMV were internalized into breast tumor cells. Both viruses, BMV and CCMV, did not show cytotoxic

• chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV); nanocarriers; plant virus-like particles (VLPs); siRNA delivery; small interfering RNA (siRNA); Introduction Despite many efforts taken, the efficient and specific delivery of therapeutic molecules to tumor cells is still a unsolved challenge. Cancer therapies are often

• properties of biomedical interest are demonstrated, such as biocompatibility, tumor cell internalization, and their efficiency as nanocarriers for siRNA delivery. In addition, the capacity of the BMV and CCMV viruses to modulate the immune response in vitro was also analyzed. Results and Discussion Cell

Interactions at the cell membrane and pathways of internalization of nano-sized materials for nanomedicine

• Valentina Francia,
• Daphne Montizaan and
• Anna Salvati

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 338–353, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.25

• corresponding receptors [23][24], or hyaluronic acid, which directs nanocarriers to CD44-overexpressing tumour cells [25], among many others. While many new targeted nanomedicines are developed, just few of them are currently present on the market [6]. In fact, achieving efficient targeting in vivo remains a

Rational design of block copolymer self-assemblies in photodynamic therapy

• Maxime Demazeau,
• Laure Gibot,
• Anne-Françoise Mingotaud,
• Patricia Vicendo,
• Clément Roux and
• Barbara Lonetti

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 180–212, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.15

• , exploiting only the size of the therapeutics, and is usually referred to as passive targeting. At that time, researchers got on the lead to develop intravenous nanocarriers of appropriate size (typically 20–200 nm) to benefit from this EPR effect without being cleared too rapidly through kidneys [4]. This

• implied a required blood circulation time of at least 24–48 h, which is the time necessary for the EPR effect to occur [5]. However, the first nanocarriers were observed to be rapidly cleared from the body or accumulated in the liver or the spleen [4]. The reason was that they were detected as foreign

• parallel to this development of stealth nanocarriers, polymer chemistry had progressed strongly with the emergence of controlled polymerization. After the discovery of so-called living polymerization (polymerization without any transfer nor any termination reaction) in the 1950’s, the development of

Internalization mechanisms of cell-penetrating peptides

• Ivana Ruseska and
• Andreas Zimmer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 101–123, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.10

• differentiation. However, when it comes to the internalization of nanocarriers such as CPPs, their physicochemical properties and surface reactivates are also important [54]. It is now generally recognized that CPPs at low concentration, and when conjugated to cargo, are taken up by cells in an energy-dependent

The different ways to chitosan/hyaluronic acid nanoparticles: templated vs direct complexation. Influence of particle preparation on morphology, cell uptake and silencing efficiency

• Arianna Gennari,
• Julio M. Rios de la Rosa,
• Erwin Hohn,
• Maria Pelliccia,
• Enrique Lallana,
• Roberto Donno,
• Annalisa Tirella and
• Nicola Tirelli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2594–2608, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.250

• -based cationic nanocarriers [40][41]. Next, we analysed the nanoparticle uptake in the two cell lines for up to 24 h; we tracked the fluorescence associated to nanoparticles in cell lysates, which accounts for both membrane-bound and internalized materials [10]. We used fluorescently labelled chitosan

Advanced hybrid nanomaterials

• Andreas Taubert,
• Fabrice Leroux,
• Pierre Rabu and
• Verónica de Zea Bermudez

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2563–2567, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.247

• -art, as well as potential further developments, are reviewed in “Targeting strategies for improving the efficacy of nanomedicine in oncology” [32]. Nanocarriers for drugs were also decorated with suitable moieties to tune their affinity with specific biological membranes. More sophisticated strategies

Bombesin receptor-targeted liposomes for enhanced delivery to lung cancer cells

• Mohammad J. Akbar,
• Pâmela C. Lukasewicz Ferreira,
• Melania Giorgetti,
• Leanne Stokes and
• Christopher J. Morris

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2553–2562, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.246

• , leading to accumulation of nanocarriers in the tumour. A diversity of targeting ligands has been explored, including antibodies, proteins, peptides and aptamers. Targeted nanoparticles such as HER2-targeted MM-302 [14], transferrin receptor-targeted CALAA-01 [15], and prostate-specific membrane antigen

• these nanocarriers, particularly with regards to their efficiency of carrying chemotherapeutic agents into the cell. Poor intracellular accumulation of nanocarriers can be improved through targeted and triggered drug release, for example through the incorporation of temperature-sensitive [32] or light

Frontiers in pharmaceutical nanotechnology

• Matthias G. Wacker

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2538–2540, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.244

• Matthias G. Wacker National University of Singapore, Faculty of Science, Department of Pharmacy, 6 Science Drive 2, 117546 Singapore 10.3762/bjnano.10.244 Keywords: drug delivery; nanocarriers; nanomedicines; nanotheranostics; pharmaceutical nanotechnology; Today, pharmaceutical nanotechnology

pH-Controlled fluorescence switching in water-dispersed polymer brushes grafted to modified boron nitride nanotubes for cellular imaging

• Saban Kalay,
• Yurij Stetsyshyn,
• Volodymyr Donchak,
• Khrystyna Harhay,
• Ostap Lishchynskyi,
• Halyna Ohar,
• Yuriy Panchenko,
• Stanislav Voronov and
• Mustafa Çulha

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2428–2439, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.233

• potentially be used not only for cellular imaging but also as “smart” surfaces, nanotransducers and nanocarriers. Experimental Materials Pyridine and other organic solvents were purified as reported by Riddick et al. [46]. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-9) was supplied by Merck Chemical Co.; acrylic acid and

• )-functionalized BNNTs is excellent and they can potentially be used in biomedical applications. We plan to continue to explore this new hybrid in our future studies not only as a pH-switchable label but also as “smart” surfaces and nanocarriers. Conclusion pH-Switchable, fluorescent, hybrid, water-dispersed

• great potential in biomedical applications as “smart” surfaces, nanocarriers and fluorescent labels. Suspensions of native BNNTs (a) and P(AA-co-FA)-functionalized BNNTs (b) obtained at a concentration of 1 mg/mL in distilled water after 2 min of sonic bath treatment. TGA curves of pristine BNNTs (a

Serum type and concentration both affect the protein-corona composition of PLGA nanoparticles

• Katrin Partikel,
• Robin Korte,
• Dennis Mulac,
• Hans-Ulrich Humpf and
• Klaus Langer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1002–1015, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.101

• defining the biological identity of nanocarriers. Therefore, the results obtained in animal models are not directly applicable to humans. For example, due to the higher number of opsonins in the corona after NP incubation with human serum, one may expect a reduced circulation time in human patients [11

Polydopamine-coated Au nanorods for targeted fluorescent cell imaging and photothermal therapy

• Boris N. Khlebtsov,
• Andrey M. Burov,
• Timofey E. Pylaev and
• Nikolai G. Khlebtsov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 794–803, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.79

• -light illumination due to the presence of R123 molecules. Additionally, nanoparticles can selectively accumulate in the cancer cells because of targeting to folate receptors. Folate-mediated cell imaging Efficient cellular uptake of nanocarriers is significant to ensure the therapeutic efficacy of

Targeting strategies for improving the efficacy of nanomedicine in oncology

• Gonzalo Villaverde and
• Alejandro Baeza

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 168–181, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.16

• , Spain Dpto. Materiales y Producción Aeroespacial, ETSI Aeronáutica y del Espacio, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040-Madrid, Spain 10.3762/bjnano.10.16 Abstract The use of nanoparticles as drug carriers has provided a powerful weapon in the fight against cancer. These nanocarriers are able to

• their action specifically to the malignant cells. The selectivity improvement yielded by these nanocarriers provided a significative enhancement in the efficacy of the transported drug, while the apparition of side effects in the host was reduced. Additionally, it is possible to incorporate targeting

• targeting strategies. In this review, recent advances in the development of targeted nanoparticles will be described with the aim to present the current state of the art of this technology and its huge potential in the oncological field. Keywords: antitumoral therapy; nanomedicine; smart nanocarriers

Enhanced antineoplastic/therapeutic efficacy using 5-fluorouracil-loaded calcium phosphate nanoparticles

• Shanid Mohiyuddin,
• Saba Naqvi and
• Gopinath Packirisamy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2499–2515, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.233

• upon CaP@5-FU NP treatment. Likewise, the cell cycle analysis was performed to confirm the enhanced apoptotic induction. Our study concludes that the calcium phosphate nanocarriers system, i.e. CaP@5-FU NPs, has higher antineoplastic potential as compared to 5-FU alone and can be used as an improved

• for hepatoma targeted delivery of docetaxel with lactose as the targeting molecule [7]. Curcumin-loaded organically modified silica nanoparticles (ORMOSIL) were studied to check the potential anticancer property of ORMOSIL nanocarriers [8]. However, in some instances, after nanoparticle formation, the

Atomic-level characterization and cilostazol affinity of poly(lactic acid) nanoparticles conjugated with differentially charged hydrophilic molecules

• María Francisca Matus,
• Martín Ludueña,
• Cristian Vilos,
• Iván Palomo and
• Marcelo M. Mariscal

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1328–1338, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.126

• these nanocarriers and the prediction of the polymer–drug interactions, which provided a better insight into structural features that could affect the effectiveness of drug loading. We employed blind docking to predict NP–drug affinity testing on an antiaggregant compound, cilostazol. The results

Development of polycationic amphiphilic cyclodextrin nanoparticles for anticancer drug delivery

• Gamze Varan,
• Juan M. Benito,
• Carmen Ortiz Mellet and
• Erem Bilensoy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1457–1468, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.145

• , delivering the drug bound to the nanocarriers in a considerably lower dose to target tissue. Cyclodextrins (CDs) are cyclic oligosaccharides obtained through enzymatic degradation of starch. The most frequently used CDs in the pharmaceutical field are α-CD, β-CD and γ-CD having 6, 7 and 8 subunits

• optimized for selection of organic solvent, ratio of organic phase to aqueous phase and surfactant concentration to obtain monodisperse particles with a diameter range around 80 to 125 nm. Intended as chemotherapeutic nanocarriers, various PCX-loaded amphiphilic CD nanoparticles were also evaluated for

Carbon nanomaterials sensitize prostate cancer cells to docetaxel and mitomycin C via induction of apoptosis and inhibition of proliferation

• Kati Erdmann,
• Jessica Ringel,
• Silke Hampel,
• Manfred P. Wirth and
• Susanne Fuessel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1307–1317, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.132

• blood flow, leaky vasculature and impaired lymphatic drainage of the tumor tissue [9][10]. Therefore, a combination of low-molecular chemotherapeutics with suitable nanocarriers could enhance the drug accumulation and retention in the tumor tissue. Furthermore, a local and precise administration of such

• can probably be further diminished for in vivo testing. Furthermore, the toxicity of carbon nanomaterials might depend on the route of administration with systemically applied nanocarriers being the most toxic [33][42]. In in vivo animal studies the adverse effects of systemically applied CNTs

Tight junction between endothelial cells: the interaction between nanoparticles and blood vessels

• Yue Zhang and
• Wan-Xi Yang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 675–684, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.60

• , while a significant change occurred in myoblasts after 4 h [87]. Recent studies revealed that hydrodynamic conditions influence the endothelial endocytosis of nanocarriers. By using nanocarriers targeted to PECAM-1, the authors found a flow-stimulated endocytosis of nanocarriers through eliciting

Novel roles for well-known players: from tobacco mosaic virus pests to enzymatically active assemblies

• Claudia Koch,
• Fabian J. Eber,
• Carlos Azucena,
• Alexander Förste,
• Stefan Walheim,
• Thomas Schimmel,
• Alexander M. Bittner,
• Holger Jeske,
• Hartmut Gliemann,
• Sabine Eiben,
• Fania C. Geiger and
• Christina Wege

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 613–629, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.54

• enzyme and antibody moieties installed [87][132][134] or engineered [133] at high surface densities on TMV nanocarriers, miniaturized sensor devices might be among the layouts worth extensive testing. Research on microfluidic lab-on-a-chip biodetection systems started in the end of the 20th century, and

• procedure might lead towards tight spatial control over the positions of the enzyme nanocarriers, which could be of high interest also for basic research on prerequisites for efficient enzymatic cooperation. Fast, sensitive and cost-saving biosensors often employ label-free read-out, in which signal

• methods in plants used as bioreactors [181] may be expected to promote the integration of viral nanocarriers in diagnostic systems and biosensor devices. Among those, the rigid TMV rods excel in their stable adjustable shape and durability. After simple conjugation of biotin linkers, they could be