Radiosensitizing properties of dual-functionalized carbon nanostructures loaded with temozolomide

• Radmila Milenkovska,
• Nikola Geskovski,
• Dushko Shalabalija,
• Ljubica Mihailova,
• Petre Makreski,
• Dushko Lukarski,
• Igor Stojkovski,
• Maja Simonoska Crcarevska and
• Kristina Mladenovska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 229–251, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.18

• , temozolomide (TMZ), a drug used for the treatment of anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), was incorporated into multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and a MWCNTs–graphene (MWCNTs-G) hybrid compound, covalently functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000 and folic acid (FA), with an

• nanostructures; cytotoxicity; glioblastoma multiforme; radiosensitizing properties; temozolomide; Introduction Carbon-based nanostructures (CNs) such as graphene and its derivatives, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), fullerenes, carbon quantum dots, carbon nanohorns and nanodiamonds (NDs), and their hybrids are becoming

• glioblastomas. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), grade 4 astrocytoma, is the most aggressive and deadly brain tumor, representing 16% of primary brain cancers and up to 54% of all gliomas. The mean survival time estimate for patients with GBM is 14.6 months, the two-year and five-year survival rates are less than

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

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

• oligomeric chitosan for the co-delivery of alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid and the monoclonal antibody cetuximab to the brain for glioblastoma therapy. The cetuximab conjugation on the NP surface improved the cytotoxicity profile, and a chicken chorioallantoic membrane assay showed enhanced antiangiogenic

• effects for the mAbs-conjugated NPs. The authors showed that mucoadhesive NPs with enhanced antiangiogenic effects could be a good candidate [154]. In another study examining glioblastoma therapy via the antibody conjugation strategy, Chu et al. reported on ephrin type-A receptor 3 (EPHA3) tyrosine kinase

• treating glioblastoma [161]. The delivery of RNA can also be increased by functionalization. One of the most popular functionalization choices is a 29 amino-acid peptide derived from the rabies virus glycoprotein (RVG29) as it enhances brain targeting [162]. Therefore, researchers combined RVG29 and RNA

Quercetin- and caffeic acid-functionalized chitosan-capped colloidal silver nanoparticles: one-pot synthesis, characterization, and anticancer and antibacterial activities

• Akif Hakan Kurt,
• Elif Berna Olutas,
• Fatma Avcioglu,
• Hamza Karakuş,
• Mehmet Ali Sungur,
• Cansu Kara Oztabag and
• Muhammet Yıldırım

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 362–376, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.31

• glioblastoma) and ARPE-19 (human retinal pigment epithelium) cells. Both NPs showed anticancer activity, but Ch/Q-Ag NPs seemed to be more effective on cancer cell lines (U-118 MG) in comparison to healthy ones (ARPE-19). Furthermore, the antibacterial activity of Ch/Q- and Ch/CA-Ag NPs against Gram-negative

• attention as an important problem of the modern era, encourages the discovery of new antimicrobial and antibacterial agents [6][7]. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM, grade IV) with a low survival rate is the most commonly malignant and invasive tumor of the central nervous system and it is resistant to

• conventional treatments. This resistance is mostly due to the blood–brain barrier, which is the most important obstacle to drug distribution. Since nanoparticles can penetrate through the blood–brain barrier, they are a preferred medicine in brain and nervous system diseases. In glioblastoma multiforme

Systematic studies into uniform synthetic protein nanoparticles

• Nahal Habibi,
• Ava Mauser,
• Jeffery E. Raymond and
• Joerg Lahann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 274–283, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.22

• with glioblastoma multiforme [26]. Compared to methods mentioned above, EHD jetting also allows for the fabrication of multicompartmental protein particles [25]. Given the abundance of proteins and their importance in maintaining important biological functions, such as homeostasis, SPNPs based on

Use of nanosystems to improve the anticancer effects of curcumin

• Andrea M. Araya-Sibaja,
• Norma J. Salazar-López,
• Krissia Wilhelm Romero,
• José R. Vega-Baudrit,
• J. Abraham Domínguez-Avila,
• Carlos A. Velázquez Contreras,
• Ramón E. Robles-Zepeda,
• Mirtha Navarro-Hoyos and
• Gustavo A. González-Aguilar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1047–1062, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.78

• inhibiting nitric oxide in cancer cells [14]. Dev et al. [142] reported that CUR-loaded BSA nanoparticles (6 µM) exposed to blue LED light inhibited the growth of glioblastoma stem cells better than F-CUR, which was attributed to an improved sustained intracellular release of CUR. Curcumin-loaded PLGA [poly

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

• ) and assessed their effect on human glioblastoma (U-87 MG) cells under US exposure at a frequency of 1 MHz. In this study, thiol–maleimide was used to cross-link the DOX-containing liposomes onto the surface of the MBs. The in vitro results showed a four-fold enhancement in cell death using DOX

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

Electrokinetic characterization of synthetic protein nanoparticles

• Daniel F. Quevedo,
• Cody J. Lentz,
• Adriana Coll de Peña,
• Yazmin Hernandez,
• Nahal Habibi,
• Rikako Miki,
• Joerg Lahann and
• Blanca H. Lapizco-Encinas

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1556–1567, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.138

• , biodegradability, and functionality. Even though ASPNPs have the potential to be used in a variety of applications, such as in the treatment of glioblastoma, there is currently no high-throughput technology for the processing of these particles. Insulator-based electrokinetics employ microfluidics devices that

• demonstrated how this versatile technique can be used to create particles with a significant therapeutic potential, in particular to treat glioblastoma [16]. To translate the promising benefits of these particles into the clinic, specific characterization techniques for anisotropic particles need to be

Transient coating of γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles with glutamate for its delivery to and removal from brain nerve terminals

• Konstantin Paliienko,
• Artem Pastukhov,
• Michal Babič,
• Daniel Horák,
• Olga Vasylchenko and
• Tatiana Borisova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1381–1393, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.122

• found at the tumor margin in glioblastoma-bearing patients, which resulted in neuronal cell death and facilitated tumor growth [5][7][8]. In addition, abnormal glutamate transport and extracellular homeostasis contribute to neuronal dysfunction and are associated with the pathogenesis of major

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

• rats implanted with intracranial glioblastoma [53]. Interestingly, P188 coating was also able to increase the BBB permeation ability of PBCA nanoparticles. However, in their first study, P188-coated dalargin-loaded PBCA nanoparticles were not able to increase significantly the antinociceptive effect of

• for the treatment of rat intracranial glioblastoma was investigated [55]. The results showed that the antitumor effect of doxorubicin-loaded PBCA nanoparticles was significantly enhanced when they were coated with either PS80 or P188. The plasma proteins adsorbed on coated PBCA nanoparticles were

• glioblastoma multiforme through systemic chemotherapy [150]. Following the good tolerance of the treatment, NanoBB-1-Dox will be investigated in a phase-II study, which might prove the ability of PLGA nanoparticles to cross the BBB in humans. Some other polymers have also been used to develop nanoparticles for

Luminescent gold nanoclusters for bioimaging applications

• Nonappa

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

• that of the in vivo imaging at 5 h post-injection. Guevel et al. reported AuNCs stabilized by zwitterionic molecules for subcutaneous and orthotropic glioblastoma mice models [99]. Two types of Au25 NCs were used, namely, glutathione-capped [Au25(SG)18] and lipoic acid-sulfobetaine zwitterion-capped

• ) 5 and 24 h after AuZwMe2 and Au25GSH18 intravenous injection. H) Ex vivo fluorescence imaging of Au25GSH18 (top) and AuZwMe2 (bottom) in isolated orthotopic U87MG glioblastoma-bearing brains, 1 h post-injection. Figure panel 7A is reused and panels 7B,C are adapted with permission from [98

Poly(1-vinylimidazole) polyplexes as novel therapeutic gene carriers for lung cancer therapy

• Gayathri Kandasamy,
• Elena N. Danilovtseva,
• Vadim V. Annenkov and
• Uma Maheswari Krishnan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 354–369, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.26

• of UBAP2 (ubiquitin associated protein 2) in cancer remains inconclusive as some reports have suggested a tumor suppressor role in hepatocellular cancer [51], while other studies on pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma have reported an oncogenic role for this gene [52]. The overall picture of pathways

Engineered superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) for dual-modality imaging of intracranial glioblastoma via EGFRvIII targeting

• Xianping Liu,
• Chengjuan Du,
• Haichun Li,
• Ting Jiang,
• Zimiao Luo,
• Zhiqing Pang,
• Daoying Geng and
• Jun Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1860–1872, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.181

• ) contrast agents) was successfully synthesized and applied for accurate molecular MR imaging and sensitive optical imaging. PEPHC1, a short peptide which can specifically bind to epidermal growth factor receptor variant III (EGFRvIII) that is overexpressed in glioblastoma, was conjugated with SPIONs to

• bimodal imaging capability, this novel and versatile multimodal nanoprobe could bring a new perspective for elucidating intracranial glioblastoma preoperative diagnosis and the accuracy of tumor resection. Keywords: epidermal growth factor receptor variant III (EGFRvIII); glioblastoma; magnetic resonance

• imaging (MRI); molecular imaging; superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs); nanomedicine; tumor resection; Introduction Tumor resection is one of the most promising clinical treatments of glioblastoma, which is commonly associated with high mortality and inevitable tumor recurrence. To achieve

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

• drug-loaded liposomes for glioblastoma treatment. Glioblastoma, localized in the brain, represents one of the major challenges in drug delivery due to the necessity to pass the blood brain barrier (BBB). BBB inhibits the passage of 98% of the medicines administered through the systemic route and

Green synthesis of fluorescent carbon dots from spices for in vitro imaging and tumour cell growth inhibition

• Nagamalai Vasimalai,
• Vânia Vilas-Boas,
• Juan Gallo,
• María de Fátima Cerqueira,
• Mario Menéndez-Miranda,
• José Manuel Costa-Fernández,
• Lorena Diéguez,
• Begoña Espiña and
• María Teresa Fernández-Argüelles

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 530–544, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.51

• mentioned spice-derived C-dots was evaluated in vitro in human glioblastoma cells (LN-229 cancer cell line) and in human kidney cells (HK-2 non-cancerous cell line). Bioimaging and viability studies were performed with different C-dot concentrations from 0.1 to 2 mg·mL−1, exhibiting a higher uptake of C

• , TEM and ESI-QTOF-MS. Moreover, their bioimaging potential and toxicity have been evaluated in vitro in human glioblastoma LN-229 cells and in immortalized epithelial human kidney cells (HK-2). The effects on cancer and non-cancer cells have been also compared with C-dots synthesized from citric acid

• pepper C-dots) were tested in vitro for cytotoxicity in epithelial human kidney cells (HK-2) and in glioblastoma LN-229 cells (results obtained for each type of C-dots are displayed in detail in Figures S5–S9, Supporting Information File 1). Please, notice that the range of carbon dot concentrations used

Cationic PEGylated polycaprolactone nanoparticles carrying post-operation docetaxel for glioma treatment

• Cem Varan and
• Erem Bilensoy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1446–1456, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.144

• –shell PCL nanoparticles to tumor targeting with docetaxel on a glioma model is very rare. Recently, active-targeted docetaxel-loaded PEG/PCL nanoparticles were prepared successfully for glioblastoma therapy by Gao et al. Cellular uptake and tumor spheroid uptake studies on U87 human glioma cells show

• sustained release of the model drug epidoxorubicin as carriers of pEGFP DNA complexes. The results demonstrated that co-delivery of drug and gene could be performed and strong inhibition effects on glioblastoma can be achieved with their system [25]. Additionally, magnetic core–shell nanoparticles have been

Overview about the localization of nanoparticles in tissue and cellular context by different imaging techniques

• Anja Ostrowski,
• Daniel Nordmeyer,
• Alexander Boreham,
• Cornelia Holzhausen,
• Lars Mundhenk,
• Christina Graf,
• Martina C. Meinke,
• Annika Vogt,
• Sabrina Hadam,
• Jürgen Lademann,
• Eckart Rühl,
• Ulrike Alexiev and
• Achim D. Gruber

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 263–280, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.25

• . Nanoparticles may be detected through light microscopy by using chemical staining protocols that are conventionally employed in histopathology. For example, clusters of iron oxide nanoparticles can be visualized in HE-stained tissue sections as a finely granular brown material within the cells of a glioblastoma

Synthesis of boron nitride nanotubes and their applications

• Saban Kalay,
• Zehra Yilmaz,
• Ozlem Sen,
• Melis Emanet,
• Emine Kazanc and
• Mustafa Çulha

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 84–102, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.9

• , 100 µg/mL of GC–BNNTs significantly decreased the cell viability. It was also found that the ROS production was not significant [74]. The hemolytic and cytotoxic effects of pure BNNTs on the malignant U87 (wild type p53), T98 (mutant p53) glioblastoma, MCF-7 adenocarcinoma mammary gland cells and

• . investigated the use of BNNTs as contrast agents for neutron capture therapy, which could be an innovative approach for treatment of several aggressive cancers such as cerebral glioblastoma multiform. The main purpose of the therapy was to target the tumor cells by 10B atoms. Accordingly, BNNTs were used as

• . The malignant glioblastoma cells were exposed to functionalized BNNTs under in vitro conditions. It was observed that the PLL–F–BNNTs were effectively taken up by the malignant glioblastoma cells. This study suggests that the use of BNNTs should be further investigated for neutron capture therapy [97