Recent advances in photothermal nanomaterials for ophthalmic applications

• Jiayuan Zhuang,
• Linhui Jia,
• Chenghao Li,
• Rui Yang,
• Jiapeng Wang,
• Wen-an Wang,
• Heng Zhou and
• Xiangxia Luo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 195–215, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.16

• damage to surrounding tissues due to inadequate control over the heat distribution [100][101][102][103][104][105]. Innovations in this field have led to the development of transparent polylactic acid (PLA) thin films with embedded iron oxide nanoclusters prepared via spin coating [51]. The efficient

• photothermal conversion of iron oxide minimizes the necessary laser energy. The mechanical force generated by laser-induced VNBs enables the selective destruction of single corneal cells. The PLA films aid in precisely positioning the photothermal therapy, restrain the dispersion of iron oxide nanoclusters

• , and can be easily removed post-laser treatment. The spatially selective single-cell killing capability of iron oxide PLA bubble films has great potential for ocular tumor therapy. However, clinical treatment of tumors requires the application of films on surfaces with “odd” tissues. Using a

Nanocarriers and macrophage interaction: from a potential hurdle to an alternative therapeutic strategy

• Naths Grazia Sukubo,
• Paolo Bigini and
• Annalisa Morelli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 97–118, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.10

• promise in mitigating inflammation and promoting tumoricidal macrophage polarization. For inflammatory diseases like IBD, targeting pro-inflammatory cytokines with siRNA has proven effective. Laroui et al. developed polymeric NPs made of poly(lactic acid)–poly(ethylene glycol) block copolymer (PLA-PEG

Nanotechnological approaches for efficient N2B delivery: from small-molecule drugs to biopharmaceuticals

• Selin Akpinar Adscheid,
• Akif E. Türeli,
• Nazende Günday-Türeli and
• Marc Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1400–1414, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.113

• [77]. In addition to biopolymers, synthetic biodegradable and biocompatible polymers such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), which are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for human administration [78] are relevant options. Extensive testing has been

Recent updates in applications of nanomedicine for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis

• Damai Ria Setyawati,
• Fransiska Christydira Sekaringtyas,
• Riyona Desvy Pratiwi,
• A’liyatur Rosyidah,
• Rohimmahtunnissa Azhar,
• Nunik Gustini,
• Gita Syahputra,
• Idah Rosidah,
• Etik Mardliyati,
• Tarwadi and
• Sjaikhurrizal El Muttaqien

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1105–1116, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.89

• upon daily systemic administration through the intraperitoneal route in mice [54]. Another polymeric platform to improve the bioavailability of curcumin was developed through simple nanoemulsification using biodegradable polylactide–poly(ethylene glycol) (PLA-PEG) copolymer NPs [55]. Besides reversing

• the elevation of plasma enzyme activity of aspartate transaminase (ALT) and alanine transaminase (AST), the orally administered curcumin loaded PLA-PEG NPs successfully improved the in vivo structure of the liver and reduced microvesicular steatosis, congestion of erythrocytes, and the infiltration of

• inflammatory cells. Both PLA and PEG have been authorized by the FDA. The low molecular weight of PLA is preferable to construct nanocarriers because of its relatively fast degradation rate with non-toxic degradation products (H2O and CO2) [56]. Regarding liposomal platforms, Thant and co-workers encapsulated

Therapeutic effect of F127-folate@PLGA/CHL/IR780 nanoparticles on folate receptor-expressing cancer cells

• Thi Ngoc Han Pham,
• Phuong-Thao Dang-Luong,
• Hong-Phuc Nguyen,
• Loc Le-Tuan,
• Xuan Thang Cao,
• Thanh-Danh Nguyen,
• Vy Tran Anh and
• Hieu Vu_Quang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 954–964, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.78

• ) (PLA) and poly(glycolic acid) (PGA), has been employed in the synthesis of nanoparticles for cancer diagnostics and therapy because of its excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability [1][2][3]. PLGA nanoparticles can be prepared via a variety of techniques, including single emulsion, double

Nanomedicines against Chagas disease: a critical review

• Maria Jose Morilla,
• Kajal Ghosal and
• Eder Lilia Romero

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 333–349, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.30

• , and resulted in 100% survival of an acute murine model [70]. Either orally or intravenously administered to acute and chronic murine models, poly(ᴅ,ʟ-lactide)-block-polyethylene glycol nanocapsules loaded with lychnopholide (LYC-PLA-PEG NCs), a lipophilic sesquiterpene lactone isolated from

• Lychnophora trichocarpha of poor solubility, which is degraded at extreme pH values, showed improved efficacy against T. cruzi infection. The most relevant results in the acute model were that equal cure rates were obtained for oral LYC-PLA-PEG-NCs and BNZ (62.5%). In contrast, intravenous LYC-PLA-PEG NCs

• chronic model were that oral LYC-PLA-PEG-NCs yielded a 55.6% cure rate vs 0% for BNZ and free LYC. Intravenous LYC-PLA-PEG-NCs yielded a 50.0% cure rate vs 0% for free LYC and BNZ [72]. Intravenous LYC-PLA-PEG NCs increased 16-fold the body exposure, 26-fold the plasma half-life, and reduced 17-fold the

Nanocarrier systems loaded with IR780, iron oxide nanoparticles and chlorambucil for cancer theragnostics

• Phuong-Thao Dang-Luong,
• Hong-Phuc Nguyen,
• Loc Le-Tuan,
• Xuan-Thang Cao,
• Vy Tran-Anh and
• Hieu Vu Quang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 180–189, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.17

• and IR783 are also promising diagnostic choices. Encapsulation of IR780 in nanoparticles can be used for imaging and photothermal, photodynamic, and combinatorial cancer therapies [20][21][22]. IR780 is also utilized in PEG-PLA nanoparticles for photodynamic therapy of human breast cancer cells [23

Berberine-loaded polylactic acid nanofiber scaffold as a drug delivery system: The relationship between chemical characteristics, drug-release behavior, and antibacterial efficiency

• Le Thi Le,
• Hue Thi Nguyen,
• Liem Thanh Nguyen,
• Huy Quang Tran and
• Thuy Thi Thu Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 71–82, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.7

• Sciences, Phenikaa University, Hanoi 12116, Vietnam 10.3762/bjnano.15.7 Abstract Hydrophobic berberine powder (BBR) and hydrophilic BBR nanoparticles (BBR NPs) were loaded into an electrospun polylactic acid (PLA) nanofiber scaffold for modulating the release behavior of BBR in an aqueous medium. The BBR

• release from the BBR/PLA and BBR NPs/PLA nanofiber scaffolds was investigated in relation to their chemical characteristics, BBR dispersion into nanofibers, and wettability. The BBR release profiles strongly influenced the antibacterial efficiency of the scaffolds over time. When the BBR was loaded, the

• BBR/PLA nanofiber scaffold exhibited an extremely hydrophobic feature, causing a triphasic release profile in which only 9.8 wt % of the loaded BBR was released in the first 24 h. This resulted in a negligible inhibitory effect against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Meanwhile

ZnO-decorated SiC@C hybrids with strong electromagnetic absorption

• Liqun Duan,
• Zhiqian Yang,
• Yilu Xia,
• Xiaoqing Dai,
• Jian’an Wu and
• Minqian Sun

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 565–573, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.47

• Liqun Duan Zhiqian Yang Yilu Xia Xiaoqing Dai Jian'an Wu Minqian Sun State Key Laboratory of Disaster Prevention & Mitigation of Explosion & Impact, Army Engineering University of PLA. Nanjing 210007, P.R. China 10.3762/bjnano.14.47 Abstract A novel strategy is provided to improve the absorption

Roll-to-roll fabrication of superhydrophobic pads covered with nanofur for the efficient clean-up of oil spills

• Patrick Weiser,
• Robin Kietz,
• Marc Schneider,
• Matthias Worgull and
• Hendrik Hölscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1228–1239, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.102

• (PE), and polycarbonate (PC), we obtained the best results by sandblasting the roller first with 0.8–1.2 mm cast iron particles and subsequently with white corundum with a particle size of 53–75 µm. For polylactide (PLA), smaller corundum particles with a size of 8–10 µm had to be used for the second

Microneedle-based ocular drug delivery systems – recent advances and challenges

• Piotr Gadziński,
• Anna Froelich,
• Monika Wojtyłko,
• Antoni Białek,
• Julia Krysztofiak and
• Tomasz Osmałek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1167–1184, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.98

• ], polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) [123], and polymethacrylates [118][124][125]. Among the biodegradable materials, carbohydrates, including maltose [126], trehalose [127], and sucrose [128], are frequently mentioned. Moreover, biodegradable polymers such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA) [129], poly(glycolic acid) (PGA

• (PEGDA) [132] and poly(acrylic-co-maleic) acid (PAMA) [133]. It is also important to notice that there are numerous studies describing the use of composite materials containing combinations of various substances, both organic and inorganic. For example, studies involving PLA and carbon nanotubes [134

• ], calcium sulfate and gelatin [135], gelatin and hydroxyapatite [136], and PLGA microparticles combined with PLA [137] are available in the scientific literature. Taking into consideration the shape and geometry of microneedles, they can be categorized as pyramids, cones, arrowheads, cylinders, bullets

Biomimetic chitosan with biocomposite nanomaterials for bone tissue repair and regeneration

• Se-Kwon Kim,
• Sesha Subramanian Murugan,
• Pandurang Appana Dalavi,
• Sebanti Gupta,
• Sukumaran Anil,
• Gi Hun Seong and
• Jayachandran Venkatesan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1051–1067, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.92

• . Different kinds of polymeric materials have been utilized including chitosan, alginate, fucoidan, carrageenan, and ulvan from natural polymeric materials. Polycaprolactone (PCL), poly ᴅ,ʟ-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), and polylactic acid (PLA) have been extensively studied with hydroxyapatite to develop

Gelatin nanoparticles with tunable mechanical properties: effect of crosslinking time and loading

• Agnes-Valencia Weiss,
• Daniel Schorr,
• Julia K. Metz,
• Metin Yildirim,
• Saeed Ahmad Khan and
• Marc Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 778–787, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.68

• . demonstrated the impact of the measurement setup for polymeric nanoparticles [4]. Young’s moduli obtained by measurements conducted on bulk materials and nanoparticles composed of PLA and PLGA vary significantly from each other. Furthermore, they showed the impact of measurements in water and at physiological

Fabrication and testing of polymer microneedles for transdermal drug delivery

• Vahid Ebrahiminejad,
• Zahra Faraji Rad,
• Philip D. Prewett and
• Graham J. Davies

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 629–640, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.55

• their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and potential for mass production [12]. Polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(carbonate), cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) and cycloolefin polymers (COP), polystyrene, and SU-8 photoresists, have all been used for

• the viscoelastic nature of Zeonor 1060R, the initial near-tip failure was indistinct on the force-displacement diagram. These mechanical responses have been previously observed during compression tests on polymeric MN materials, including carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and polylactic acid (PLA) [1][38

Micro- and nanotechnology in biomedical engineering for cartilage tissue regeneration in osteoarthritis

• Zahra Nabizadeh,
• Mahmoud Nasrollahzadeh,
• Hamed Daemi,
• Mohamadreza Baghaban Eslaminejad,
• Ali Akbar Shabani,
• Mehdi Dadashpour,
• Majid Mirmohammadkhani and
• Davood Nasrabadi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 363–389, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.31

• and tailoring method for the construction of the scaffold. Researchers have assessed the effects of different morphologies of a polylactide (PLA) fiber-based scaffold [microfiber scaffold (MS) and nanofiber-coated microfiber scaffold (NMS)] on the behavior of human articular chondrocytes [108

• improve the expression of the chondrogenic phenotype [110]. Fragmented PLA fibers incorporated into HA-grafted alginate hydrogel have been shown to increase the compressive modulus by approximately 81% compared to the nanofiber-free hydrogel scaffolds. Moreover, they maintained the round phenotype of the

• the expressions of chondrogenic markers and appreciably repopulated the defective cartilage site compared to pellet culture and PVA fibers. In line with this, the application of a resveratrol–PLA–gelatin scaffold in a rat articular cartilage defect model promoted the repair of cartilage injury and had

Effects of drug concentration and PLGA addition on the properties of electrospun ampicillin trihydrate-loaded PLA nanofibers

• Tuğba Eren Böncü and
• Nurten Ozdemir

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 245–254, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.19

• produce ampicillin trihydrate-loaded poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and PLA/poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLA/PLGA) polymeric nanofibers via electrospinning using 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) as the solvent for local application in tissue engineering. The effects of ampicillin trihydrate

• concentration (4–12%) and addition of PLGA (20–80%) on the spinnability of the solutions, morphology, average nanofiber diameter, encapsulation efficiency, drug release, and mechanical properties of PLA and PLA/PLGA nanofibers were examined. All nanofibers were bead-free and uniform. They had favorable

• and controlled drug release for ten days was obtained with nanofibers containing 8% of drug. Thus, the ideal drug concentration was determined to be 8%. Nanofibers containing PLA/PLGA had a larger diameter than those including PLA. In addition, both the strength and elongation of nanofibers decreased

A comprehensive review on electrospun nanohybrid membranes for wastewater treatment

• Senuri Kumarage,
• Imalka Munaweera and
• Nilwala Kottegoda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 137–159, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.10

• porous nature of the fibers cannot be explained solely with the solvent volatility, but only in combination with the ambient parameters. Touny et al. observed that the addition of less volatile DMF to highly volatile CHCl3 when spinning PLA/HNT nanohybrids causes a decrease of fiber diameter from the

• layer had a significant effect on the hydrophilicity of the membrane by decreasing the water contact angle from 130° to 13°. A water flux of 5.5 m3/m2/day, has been achieved by the membrane with the lowest contact angle [67]. Zhang et al. demonstrated the electrospinning of a blend of PLA and poly(3

Theranostic potential of self-luminescent branched polyethyleneimine-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles

• Rouhollah Khodadust,
• Ozlem Unal and
• Havva Yagci Acar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 82–95, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.6

• -polylactide (PEI–PLA). An enhanced luminescence of PEI in the PDOT (quantum yield = 0.31) compared to free PEI (quantum yield = 0.01) was attributed to the more compact structure of PEI in the self-assembled PDOT. This was the first report that studied the luminescence of branched PEI at a relatively high

An overview of microneedle applications, materials, and fabrication methods

• Zahra Faraji Rad,
• Philip D. Prewett and
• Graham J. Davies

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1034–1046, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.77

• and sizes for a wide range of applications. Metals such as titanium [61][62], stainless steel [58][63][64], silicon [65][66][67], ceramics [68][69], biodegradable polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA) [70], PLGA [71], and polyglycolic acid (PGA) [72], and non-degradable polymers such as

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

The impact of molecular tumor profiling on the design strategies for targeting myeloid leukemia and EGFR/CD44-positive solid tumors

• Nikola Geskovski,
• Nadica Matevska-Geshkovska,
• Simona Dimchevska Sazdovska,
• Marija Glavas Dodov,
• Kristina Mladenovska and
• Katerina Goracinova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 375–401, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.31

• the improvement of the overall therapeutic efficacy. A targeted NDDS for the co-delivery of ponatinib and SAR302503 (selective JAK2 inhibitor) for efficient CML treatment was developed by Mu and co-workers [47]. The authors employed alendronate-decorated PLA–PEG micelles for BM targeting. Both

• ponatinib and SAR302503 are hydrophobic drugs and were co-encapsulated inside the hydrophobic core of PEG–PLA micelles by solvent displacement nanoprecipitation. The results demonstrated that the targeted NDDS enabled a high availability of the drugs inside the BM, which is a prerequisite for overcoming the

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

• polymeric nanoparticles prepared with PBCA and polymers from the poly(ethylene) family such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) [25][26]. Liposomes and other lipidic nanoparticles have also been reported as able to pass the BBB [27], as well as protein-based nanoparticles

• suggestion from Kreuter et al. that the core of the nanoparticles could influence the surface properties of the nanoparticles and therefore their ability to bind with apolipoproteins in the blood [54]. PS80 coating was also successful for PLA-b-PEG nanoparticles [58] but failed for PLA nanoparticles [59

• cationic bovine serum albumin (CBSA) allows them to cross the BBB by AMT, as described above [110][111][112][114]. PEG-PLA nanoparticles were labeled with coumarin-6 and conjugated with either CBSA or BSA in a study by Lu and co-workers [110]. Transcytosis assays were performed on a co-culture BBB in vitro

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

• ] due to the overexpression of folate receptors in a number of tumor types including ovarian [117] or breast cancers [118]. One of the most recent examples of FA use in PDT applications is by Li et al., where the authors have designed a FA-PEO-PLA construct to deliver hypocrellin B, a sensitizer

• carcinoma, ovarian, kidney, and pancreatic cancer). Chang et al. have explored the potential of PLA-PEG-AntiEGFR self-assemblies loaded with chlorin-e6 as a photosensitizer and found that this construct led to the increased internalization of the micelles through receptor-mediated endocytosis, which in turn

• [29]. This enables a classification of the ability of the vectors to resist FBS with time. The comparison of PEO-PCL, PEO-PLA and PEO-PStyrene exhibiting similar sizes showed that PEO-PStyrene was the most stable. The advantage of PS for PDT is that their fluorescence will depend on their environment

Incorporation of doxorubicin in different polymer nanoparticles and their anticancer activity

• Sebastian Pieper,
• Hannah Onafuye,
• Dennis Mulac,
• Jindrich Cinatl Jr.,
• Mark N. Wass,
• Martin Michaelis and
• Klaus Langer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2062–2072, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.201

• . To investigate whether easy-to-prepare nanoparticles made of well-tolerated polymers may circumvent transporter-mediated drug efflux, we prepared poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), polylactic acid (PLA), and PEGylated PLGA (PLGA-PEG) nanoparticles loaded with the ABCB1 substrate doxorubicin by

• carriers for anticancer drugs. Here, we prepared and directly compared the effects of doxorubicin-loaded polylactic acid (PLA) and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles in neuroblastoma cells. PLA and PLGA are well-known ingredients of FDA- and EMA-approved drugs for human use [10][11] and are

• , opsonisation, and phagocytosis [12]. In previous studies PLA-, PLGA-, PLA-PEG-, and PLGA-PEG-based nanometre-sized drug carriers loaded with or covalently linked to doxorubicin have been prepared by methods including emulsion diffusion, solvent displacement, micelle formation, and film rehydration followed by

Doxorubicin-loaded human serum albumin nanoparticles overcome transporter-mediated drug resistance in drug-adapted cancer cells

• Hannah Onafuye,
• Sebastian Pieper,
• Dennis Mulac,
• Jindrich Cinatl Jr.,
• Mark N. Wass,
• Klaus Langer and
• Martin Michaelis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1707–1715, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.166

• bind to doxorubicin via its amino group. Notably, the results differ from a recent similar study in which nanoparticles prepared from poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) or polylactic acid (PLA), two other biodegradable materials approved by the FDA and EMA for human use [27][28], did not bypass ABCB1