Polyurethane/silk fibroin-based electrospun membranes for wound healing and skin substitute applications

• Iqra Zainab,
• Zohra Naseem,
• Syeda Rubab Batool,
• Muhammad Waqas,
• Ahsan Nazir and
• Muhammad Anwaar Nazeer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 591–612, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.46

• infected wounds. This composite contains short filaments of electrospun poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) fibers embedded with gold nanorods (AuNRs) and the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone. The filaments are incorporated in a gelatin methacrylate/sodium alginate hydrogel scaffold. The AuNRs render

• ultrasound to incorporate BP nanosheets for improved stability and processability. As a result, silk fibroin-doped black phosphorus nanosheets (BP@SF) were produced, which possess good water dispersity and long-term stability. BP@SF nanosheets were consolidated into fibrous membranes based on SF and PLGA by

• electrospinning. The SF/PLGA/BP@SF membranes had smooth and uniform fibers, high tensile strength, and good photothermal properties. Moreover, when exposed to NIR light, the temperature of the membranes raised; the photothermal performance was tunable depending on the amount of BP@SF incorporated and the NIR

Nanomaterials in targeting amyloid-β oligomers: current advances and future directions for Alzheimer's disease diagnosis and therapy

• Shiwani Randhawa,
• Trilok Chand Saini,
• Manik Bathla,
• Rahul Bhardwaj,
• Rubina Dhiman and
• Amitabha Acharya

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 561–580, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.44

• (PLGA) and grafted with surface 83-14 monoclonal antibody (MAb). These NPs were designed to deliver rosmarinic acid (RA) and curcumin (CUR) across the BBB and improve the viability of SK-N-MC cells damaged by amyloid deposits. The researchers found that increasing the concentration of 83-14 MAb on the

Synthetic-polymer-assisted antisense oligonucleotide delivery: targeted approaches for precision disease treatment

• Ana Cubillo Alvarez,
• Dylan Maguire and
• Ruairí P. Brannigan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 435–463, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.34

• demonstrated that ARG-coated poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles significantly improved the internalisation of ASOs into cancer cells, leading to effective inhibition of miR-155, a known oncogene, and alteration of the splicing pattern of the Mcl-1 gene, promoting the pro-apoptotic isoform. In

Graphene oxide–chloroquine conjugate induces DNA damage in A549 lung cancer cells through autophagy modulation

• Braham Dutt Arya,
• Sandeep Mittal,
• Prachi Joshi,
• Alok Kumar Pandey,
• Jaime E. Ramirez-Vick,
• Govind Gupta and
• Surinder P. Singh

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 316–332, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.24

• exposure to starch-capped silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) [11]. Gemcitabine-encapsulated poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles have been shown to enhance cell death in chemoresistant PANC1 cells, human pancreatic epithelial carcinoma cells [12]. Also, TiO2 nanoparticles can sensitize A549 cells

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

• reach the retina (the size of the ICG NPs should be greater than 100 nm). Therefore, in subsequent studies, two types of ICG NPs were synthesized using lipids and poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) [53]. Size, surface charge, and ICG concentration of the NPs were modulated by varying the synthesis

• conditions of the ICG NPs. Among them, only ICG liposomes synthesized using lipids can induce the production of VNBs. The ICG concentration in PLGA ICG NPs is below 15 μg·mL−1, which is not sufficient to rapidly increase the temperature to produce VNBs. Evaluation of the VNB effect in bovine retinal explants

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

Biomimetic nanocarriers: integrating natural functions for advanced therapeutic applications

• Hugo Felix Perini,
• Beatriz Sodré Matos,
• Carlo José Freire de Oliveira and
• Marcos Vinicius da Silva

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1619–1626, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.127

• activity of polylactic glycolic acid (PLGA) nanoparticles coated with membranes, Zhang et al. (2021) tested nanoparticles loaded with gambogic acid and coated with red-blood-cell-derived membranes in colorectal cancer cells. They demonstrated a reduction in phagocytosis, increasing the circulation time of

• coated nanocarriers, such as PLGA NPs and silica NPs, enhance interactions with dendritic cells, leading to antitumor responses [25][26]. In a similar study with CMC-NPs composed of C-phycocyanin (C-PC) and a CD59-specific binding peptide (CD59sp), the antitumor activity of the C-PC/CMC-CD59sp

• antiviral treatments. Tan et al. (2021) employed lopinavir (LPV), an antiviral drug, in polymeric nanoparticles coated with macrophage membranes (PLGA-LPV@M). This biomimetic nanocarrier demonstrated the ability to inherit the antigenic profile of macrophages, enabling the absorption of pro-inflammatory

Polymer lipid hybrid nanoparticles for phytochemical delivery: challenges, progress, and future prospects

• Iqra Rahat,
• Pooja Yadav,
• Aditi Singhal,
• Mohammad Fareed,
• Jaganathan Raja Purushothaman,
• Mohammed Aslam,
• Raju Balaji,
• Sonali Patil-Shinde and
• Md. Rizwanullah

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1473–1497, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.118

• polyethylene glycol (PEG), poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), polycaprolactone (PCL), and chitosan (CHS), provides structural integrity, controlled release properties, and protection against premature degradation [14][15]. This hybrid structure improves the encapsulation efficiency of phytochemicals/drugs

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

• delivery. They showed that the transferrin-decorated NPs with the highest amount of targeting ligand exhibited the highest cellular uptake in the RPMI 2650 human epithelium cell line [79]. In another study, the researchers studied the chitosan coating of PLGA NPs regarding the mucosal uptake. Chatzitaki et

• al. reported the encapsulation of ropinirole hydrochloride (RH), an anti-Parkinson drug, into chitosan-coated PLGA NPs by the nanoprecipitation method to enhance drug delivery through the nasal mucosa. The researchers assessed the mucoadhesive properties by observing the ability of the NPs to adsorb

Synthesis, characterization and anticancer effect of doxorubicin-loaded dual stimuli-responsive smart nanopolymers

• Ömür Acet,
• Pavel Kirsanov,
• Burcu Önal Acet,
• Inessa Halets-Bui,
• Dzmitry Shcharbin,
• Şeyda Ceylan Cömert and
• Mehmet Odabaşı

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1189–1196, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.96

• inhibited at pH 5.0 in a medium with DOX–polyelectrolyte multilayers [41]. Regarding the possibility of using DOX-SNP complexes in vivo we can refer to the behavior of the similar PEG-PLGA-DOX polymersome complex [42]. It was found that PEG-PLGA-DOX polymersomes accumulated in tumor lesions, and after 48 h

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

• , resulting in poor bioavailability. Regarding synthetic substances, Kurniawan and co-workers encapsulated the potent inhibitor R406 to inhibit spleen tyrosine kinase in inflammatory macrophages using poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) NPs (R406-PLGA) [45]. PLGA was used as polymeric platform as it is an

• FDA-approved biodegradable polymer. The R406-PLGA NPs (particle size of 159.7 nm) showed a significant downregulation of major inflammatory markers (CCL2, IL-1α, and IL-6) in vitro in murine bone marrow-derived macrophages. In an in vivo experiment using a methionine and choline-deficient (MCD) mouse

• model, the efficient intrahepatic delivery of R406-PLGA NPs ameliorated liver inflammation, fibrosis, and hepatic steatosis, probably because of improved pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of R406. Despite its favorable toxicity profile, only 19 drug formulations based on PLGA have been approved by

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

• therapeutic and diagnostic capabilities, have gained significant interest in drug research because of to their potential advantages. This study reports the development of a novel multifunctional nanoparticle carrier system based on poly(ᴅ,ʟ-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) for the targeted delivery of the

• chemotherapeutic agent chlorambucil (CHL) and the imaging agent IR780. The approach in this study incorporates Pluronic F127-folate onto the PLGA nanoparticles, which enables targeted delivery to folate receptor-expressing cancer cells. The F127-folate@PLGA/CHL/IR780 nanoparticles were formulated using a

• ). Additionally, the F127-folate@PLGA/CHL/IR780 nanoparticles exhibited a lower IC50 value against cancer cells than non-targeted F127@PLGA/CHL/IR780 nanoparticles. These findings suggest that the developed F127-folate@PLGA/CHL/IR780 nanoparticles hold promise as a theragnostic system for targeted cancer therapy

Electrospun nanofibers: building blocks for the repair of bone tissue

• Tuğrul Mert Serim,
• Gülin Amasya,
• Tuğba Eren-Böncü,
• Ceyda Tuba Şengel-Türk and
• Ayşe Nurten Özdemir

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 941–953, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.77

• Co. Ltd.)) [101]. The main polymeric nanofiber products on the market for bone regeneration are ReBOSSIS (Ortho Rebirth, Japan), a PLGA-based biomedical product for filling a synthetic bone cavity, poly-ʟ-lactic acid (PLLA) and collagen scaffolds (The Electrospinning Company, United Kingdom), and PCL

• -based nanofiber scaffolds for tissue regeneration (Stellenbosch Nanofiber Company, South Africa) [45]. ReBOSSIS consists of β-tricalcium phosphate, PLGA, and silicon-doped calcium carbonate to support bone formation. ReBOSSIS electrospun fibers are distinguished from other market products by a cotton

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

• murine models, PLGA Nps (PLGA-CUR Nps) loaded with curcumin (the most active polyphenolic flavonoid constituent of Curcuma longa rhizomes with low bioavailability) and free BNZ, induced anti-inflammatory effects and cardiac protection. A low BNZ dose (750 mg/kg TD) plus PLGA-CUR Nps, reduced cardiac

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

• of these systems to serve as medication and imaging agent carriers for cancer treatment and diagnostics, respectively. Keywords: cancer; chlorambucil; F127-folate; IR780; iron oxide nanoparticles; PLGA; theragnostics; Introduction Theragnostic nanoparticles (NPs) are a diagnostic and therapeutic

• delivery system. The delivery system is comprised of three components: the carrier, the imaging agent, and the therapeutic drug, all of which need clinical approval before being used in humans. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) is an approved biodegradable and biocompatible material for clinical use [1

• ]. Particularly, PLGA is widely used for nanoparticle formulation because it is a versatile material that can serve multiple functions, including transporting of therapeutic drugs and imaging agents [2][3]. In addition, PLGA can be altered in numerous ways to increase the half-life of nanoparticles in the blood

Curcumin-loaded nanostructured systems for treatment of leishmaniasis: a review

• Douglas Dourado,
• Thayse Silva Medeiros,
• Éverton do Nascimento Alencar,
• Edijane Matos Sales and
• Fábio Rocha Formiga

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 37–50, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.4

• , lipid nanoparticles, nano- and microemulsions, liposomes, or metallic nanoparticles [68]. Costa-Lima and colleagues incorporated bisnaphthalimidopropyldiaaminooctane (BNIPDaoct) into PLGA polymeric nanoparticles and obtained particles with sizes around 150 nm, with encapsulation efficiency around 90

• system and consequently the intracellular leishmanicidal activity [50][105]. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) is another polymer used for the development of nanoparticles for the treatment of leishmaniasis [107][108]. PLGA is an FDA-approved polymer that is commonly used in the synthesis of

• nanoparticles due to its special features such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, low toxicity, and adjuvanticity [109][110]. Given these properties, Tiwari and co-workers produced curcumin-loaded Eudragit-PLGA-nanoparticles (curc-E-PLGA-NPs) and evaluated their leishmanicidal activity with miltefosine

Nanotechnological approaches in the treatment of schistosomiasis: an overview

• Lucas Carvalho,
• Michelle Sarcinelli and
• Beatriz Patrício

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 13–25, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.2

• , an exponential drug release [17][20]. Our research found that many articles utilized poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and chitosan nanoparticles, especially because they are biocompatible polymers and present great biodegradability. The polymer PLGA is approved for clinical use by Food and Drug

• nanoparticles are among the most widely utilized nanotechnological systems. Most research articles utilized gold nanoparticle as inorganic nanoparticles, while PLGA and chitosan are commonly utilized to produce polymeric nanoparticles due to its biocompatibility reported in various animal studies. However

Fluorescent bioinspired albumin/polydopamine nanoparticles and their interactions with Escherichia coli cells

• Eloïse Equy,
• Jordana Hirtzel,
• Sophie Hellé,
• Béatrice Heurtault,
• Eric Mathieu,
• Morgane Rabineau,
• Vincent Ball and
• Lydie Ploux

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1208–1224, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.100

• ) of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) [7], polycaprolactone [8], and chitosan [9]. Furthermore, fluorescent ONPs are a promising way to facilitate the localization of NPs in cells through fluorescence imaging. They can also be used for fluorescent labelling of cells, especially for live cell

• nanoplastics can penetrate and accumulate in bacterial cells [22], thus suggesting that other ONPs may have a similar fate in bacteria. In general, the mechanisms of action of ONPs used as drug nanocarriers in antibacterial applications are expected to vary with the nanoparticle type (e.g., liposomes or PLGA

Elasticity, an often-overseen parameter in the development of nanoscale drug delivery systems

• Agnes-Valencia Weiss and
• Marc Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1149–1156, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.95

• filled with poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) cores of different sizes resulting in interfacial water layers with different thicknesses and therefore with tunable elasticity [38]. Semielastic particles whose Young’s moduli were around 50 mPa showed the fastest diffusion in mucus. However, harder

• particles showed better cellular uptake if no mucus layer was present. In contrast to this, the cellular uptake for semielastic particles was not significantly affected by the presence of a mucus layer [38]. Liposomes with PLGA cores were used by Yu et al. to increase the stiffness in combination with

Antibody-conjugated nanoparticles for target-specific drug delivery of chemotherapeutics

• Mamta Kumari,
• Amitabha Acharya and
• Praveen Thaggikuppe Krishnamurthy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 912–926, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.75

• . In a two-step reaction, NHS/sulfo-NHS evades the intra- and intermolecular cross-linking of the antibodies as the antibodies have both amine and carboxyl groups [48]. Acharya et al. prepared rapamycin-loaded polymeric PLGA NPs and conjugated them with cetuximab using EDC/NHS cross-linking chemistry

• stable irreversible thioether linkages [55]. Swaminathan et al. used the maleimide conjugation technique to coat the surface of paclitaxel-loaded-PLGA NPs with anti-CD133 antibody. The antibody-conjugated NPs improved the intracellular uptake of paclitaxel as well as the targeting effectiveness of the

Polymer nanoparticles from low-energy nanoemulsions for biomedical applications

• Santiago Grijalvo and
• Carlos Rodriguez-Abreu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 339–350, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.29

• , nanoparticle concentration, surface functionalization, and the type of polymers that can be processed. Keywords: ethyl cellulose; nanoemulsions; nanomedicine; phase inversion composition (PIC) method; PLGA; polymer nanoparticles; polyuria; polyurethane; surfactants; Review 1 Introduction The field of

• diameter dE = 50 ± 12 nm (estimated by cryo-TEM), whereas the diameter of the derived PLGA nanoparticles (dP) was 25 ± 7 nm as estimated from TEM [24], which gives a dP/dE ratio of 0.5. Higher dP/dE ratios were found by dynamic light scattering, especially at low polymer concentrations (note that the

• . Conventional emulsification methods generally yield nanoparticles with sizes larger than those described above. For example, emulsions prepared with poly(vinylalcohol) (PVA) as stabilizer produce PLGA polymer microparticles with a size of several tens of micrometers after extraction or evaporation of the

Recent progress in cancer cell membrane-based nanoparticles for biomedical applications

• Qixiong Lin,
• Yueyou Peng,
• Yanyan Wen,
• Xiaoqiong Li,
• Donglian Du,
• Weibin Dai,
• Wei Tian and
• Yanfeng Meng

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 262–279, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.24

• , cancer cell membrane-encapsulated NPs can achieve better targeting toward tumors. Fang et al. coated poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) NPs with the MDA-MB-435 human breast cancer cell membrane. The encapsulated biomimetic NPs exhibited a stronger affinity for cultured MDA-MB-435 cells in vitro than

• storage time than bare NPs because of the higher colloidal stability of the prepared colloidal particles [53]. In one study, liver cancer cell membrane-encapsulated PLGA NPs maintained a stable size in water and PBS for a long time, while bare PLGA NPs progressively grew larger (Figure 4B) [31]. 3

• ]. A biomimetic particle model using PLGA NPs as a carrier for the anticancer drug doxorubicin (Dox) encapsulated by the HepG2 liver cancer cell membrane was designed for the treatment of HCC [31]. The HepG2 cell membrane-encapsulated NPs exhibited superior antitumor effects compared to bare NPs and

Nanotechnology – a robust tool for fighting the challenges of drug resistance in non-small cell lung cancer

• Filip Gorachinov,
• Fatima Mraiche,
• Diala Alhaj Moustafa,
• Ola Hishari,
• Yomna Ismail,
• Jensa Joseph,
• Maja Simonoska Crcarevska,
• Marija Glavas Dodov,
• Nikola Geskovski and
• Katerina Goracinova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 240–261, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.23

• example of biomimetic NPs was described designed by Wang and co-workers. They used the natural tropism of mouse bone marrow mesenchymal cells (MSCs) for lung tumors for improved targeting of docetaxel (DTX) NPs (DTX-loaded polylactide-co-glycolide-b-poly(ethylene glycol); PLGA-b-PEG) loaded into the MSCs

• . The authors used animal models to show predominant lung trapping of MSCs in both rabbit and monkey. In vitro experiments in A549 NSCLC cells pointed to the release of the DTX-loaded PLGA-b-PEG NPs from the MSCs and their subsequent internalization. Efficient internalization and tumor inhibition were

Orally administered docetaxel-loaded chitosan-decorated cationic PLGA nanoparticles for intestinal tumors: formulation, comprehensive in vitro characterization, and release kinetics

• Sedat Ünal,
• Osman Doğan and
• Yeşim Aktaş

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1393–1407, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.115

• drug delivery system loaded with docetaxel (DCX) as an anticancer drug, using poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) as nanoparticle material, and modified with chitosan (CS) to gain mucoadhesive properties. In this context, an innovative nanoparticle formulation that can protect orally administered DCX

• from GIT conditions and deliver the drug to the intestinal tumoral region by accumulating in mucus has been designed. For this purpose, DCX-PLGA nanoparticles (NPs) and CS/DCX-PLGA NPs were prepared, and their in vitro characteristics were elucidated. Nanoparticles around 250–300 nm were obtained. DCX

• -PLGA NPs had positive surface charge with CS coating. The formulations have the potential to deliver the encapsulated drug to the bowel according to the in vitro release studies in three different simulated GIT fluids for approximately 72 h. Mucin interaction and penetration into the artificial mucus

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

• ) [130], and poly(lactic-co-glycolic)acid (PLGA) [131] are widely investigated as microneedle materials. Among them, there are hydrogel-forming agents swelling upon the contact with interstitial fluid in the skin during microneedle application. These polymers include poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate

• ], 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

• in PLGA-based nanoparticles by a water-in-oil-in-water double emulsion method. The nanoparticles were used to form microneedles in combination with various types of PVA. Then, after drying, a base layer made of an aqueous hydrogel was attached. It turned out that the MNs had adequate mechanical