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

• potential in precision disease treatment. Synthetic polymers have shown significant promise in enhancing the delivery, stability, and therapeutic efficacy of ASOs by addressing key challenges such as cellular uptake, endosomal escape, and reducing cytotoxicity. The review highlights key studies from the

• oligomer (PMO); phosphorothioate (PS); polyplexes; ribose substitutions; small interfering RNA (siRNA); synthetic polymers; tricyclo-DNA (tcDNA); Introduction The development and use of personalised therapies tailored to individual patients have emerged as a powerful strategy for treating various

• potential use in precision medicine over the past decade. Review Synthetic polymers for enhanced ASOs delivery Polymer-assisted platforms for enhanced delivery have attracted considerable attention because of their versatile drug delivery capabilities and their diverse chemical composition, which enables

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

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

• durations. While numerous biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles derived from proteins or polysaccharides have been studied for drug delivery and controlled drug release in the recent past, the emphasis of research has now turned towards synthetic polymers, resulting in significant advancements in this field

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

• when preparing polymeric nanofiber formulations to obtain controlled and sustained drug release profiles. The polymers used in the preparation of polymeric nanofibers are generally categorized into four classes, namely, natural polymers, synthetic polymers, blends of these two classes (hybrid), and

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

• delivered via these nanostructured systems. Polymeric nanoparticles Polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs) are colloidal systems made of natural or synthetic polymers [98]. These systems can encapsulate or adsorb active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and macromolecules [99][100][101]. In addition, PNPs can

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

• if the needles break and are deposited in the tissue [117][118]. Other non-degradable materials utilized to fabricate microneedles, include metals such as stainless steel [119] and titanium [120], ceramics, such as aluminum oxide [121], or synthetic polymers comprising polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) [122

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

• collagen, they develop an interlinked molecular framework with load-bearing applications and have superior mechanical qualities and biological advantages [57]. A further study reported that carbon nanotubes combined with synthetic polymers of poly-ʟ-lactide acid, polylactic acid

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

• purposes is the subject of many studies [19] in which natural polymers, synthetic polymers, or their combination were used to provide a biomimetic microenvironment, which not only includes biological cues, but also provides the desired mechanical properties. The progress in materials science has revealed

• molecules such as growth factors. Thus, the sustained release of bioactive molecules from scaffolds will be achieved. Electrospun nanofibers can be synthesized from either natural or synthetic polymers and used for lineage-specific differentiation of MSCs. Multi-lineage differentiation of MSCs in a

Alcohol-perturbed self-assembly of the tobacco mosaic virus coat protein

• Ismael Abu-Baker and
• Amy Szuchmacher Blum

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 355–362, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.30

• assembly of macromolecular components is well-established with many other systems, including lipids, synthetic polymers, and peptides, but has been the subject of few studies with virus-like particles [28][29][30][31]. Lauffer and Shalaby reported that glycine-based molecules promoted the polymerization of

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

• sodium; superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles; Introduction Luminescent materials are of great interest in biotechnology and medicine since they can be utilized in sensors, labelling, and imaging [1][2][3][4][5]. Luminescent proteins, luminescent synthetic polymers, and quantum dots are the most

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

Paper-based triboelectric nanogenerators and their applications: a review

• Jing Han,
• Nuo Xu,
• Yuchen Liang,
• Mei Ding,
• Junyi Zhai,
• Qijun Sun and
• Zhong Lin Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 151–171, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.12

• composites are used as the electropositive layer, while some common synthetic polymers, such as fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) are used as the electronegative part. As the synthetic polymers have a smooth surface and a dense structure

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

• ) are based on magnetite (Fe3O4) or maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) molecules encapsulated in polysaccharides, synthetic polymers or monomer coatings and have a size range from 1 to 100 nm [21][182]. SPIONs possess interesting magnetic properties and some formulations have already been approved as MRI contrast

Luminescent gold nanoclusters for bioimaging applications

• Nonappa

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

• an exact number of metal atoms and surface ligands (Figure 1A,B). Therefore, NCs are considered as colloidal molecules. Similar to plasmonic nanoparticles, the stability of NCs can be controlled by ligand passivation using small molecules, synthetic polymers or biomacromolecules. A significant

Multilayer capsules made of weak polyelectrolytes: a review on the preparation, functionalization and applications in drug delivery

• Varsha Sharma and
• Anandhakumar Sundaramurthy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 508–532, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.41

• (e.g., dextran sulfate (DS), heparin and chitosan) and various synthetic polymers (e.g., PAH, PMA and poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI)). When a negatively charged template is dipped in a solution of positively charged PE, or vice versa, a monolayer of excessively adsorbed PEs is formed that leads to the

Preparation and in vivo evaluation of glyco-gold nanoparticles carrying synthetic mycobacterial hexaarabinofuranoside

• Gennady L. Burygin,
• Polina I. Abronina,
• Nikita M. Podvalnyy,
• Sergey A. Staroverov,
• Leonid O. Kononov and
• Lev A. Dykman

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 480–493, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.39

• serological identification of microorganisms and are also widely used as antigenic components of vaccines. The use of gold nanoparticles as carriers for glyco-epitopes is becoming an important alternative to the traditional conjugation with proteins and synthetic polymers. In this study, we aimed to prepare

• ][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48] to the traditional conjugation with proteins, synthetic polymers and other carriers [15][17][38][49][50][51][52][53][54][55]. Immunological properties of GNPs [25][56][57] and their use in vaccine development [58] have

• typically characterized by a fairly developed structure and include proteins, polysaccharides, and a number of synthetic polymers. A significant part of biologically active substances, including glycosides, has a relatively small molecular mass. Low-molecular-mass antigens belong to the category of so

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

• ]. The accumulation of nanoparticles in tumors, either passively or directed, is extensively documented [14]. Thus, there are multiple efforts to design nanoparticles that function as nanovehicles, mainly composed of liposomes, synthetic polymers, dendrimers, and virus-like particles (VLPs) [13][15

Fully amino acid-based hydrogel as potential scaffold for cell culturing and drug delivery

• Dávid Juriga,
• Evelin Sipos,
• Orsolya Hegedűs,
• Gábor Varga,
• Miklós Zrínyi,
• Krisztina S. Nagy and
• Angéla Jedlovszky-Hajdú

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2579–2593, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.249

• backbone determines almost all of the properties of the hydrogels. For biological applications, in general, the polymer backbone and its degradation products have to be biodegradable and biocompatible [11][23]. In contrast to many synthetic polymers, the degradation products of poly(amino acid)s, which are

Frontiers in pharmaceutical nanotechnology

• Matthias G. Wacker

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

• announced the approval of a first-of-its-kind RNA interference (RNAi)-based drug, Onpattro™, which uses solid lipid nanoparticles to protect the sensitive compound from early degradation. Again, lipid materials rather than synthetic polymers have been used for drug delivery applications. In pharmaceutical

Nanoarchitectonics meets cell surface engineering: shape recognition of human cells by halloysite-doped silica cell imprints

• Elvira Rozhina,
• Ilnur Ishmukhametov,
• Svetlana Batasheva,
• Farida Akhatova and
• Rawil Fakhrullin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1818–1825, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.176

• can be doped with nanoscale inorganic particles) [8][9]; 2) direct anchoring of inorganic nanoparticles to cell surfaces [10][11]; 3) fabrication of “hard” inorganic shells mimicking natural eggshells [12]. Synthetic polymers can be grafted onto the surface of individual cells using atom-transfer

Liquid-crystalline nanoarchitectures for tissue engineering

• Baeckkyoung Sung and
• Min-Ho Kim

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 205–215, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.22

• nanoscale topographies [93][94]. LC elastomer scaffolds in nematic and smectic-A phases Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are crosslinked 3D networks of rubber-like synthetic polymers exhibiting orientational and/or positional order [95]. Due to the tunable malleability and highly anisotropic shape change in

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

• reported to be nontoxic, biocompatible and biodegradable and is approved for therapeutic use in humans by the FDA. PCL can be copolymerized with other synthetic polymers such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) to obtain new polycaprolactone derivatives with various novel properties

Self-assembled anchor layers/polysaccharide coatings on titanium surfaces: a study of functionalization and stability

• Ognen Pop-Georgievski,
• Dana Kubies,
• Josef Zemek,
• Neda Neykova,
• Roman Demianchuk,
• Eliška Mázl Chánová,
• Miroslav Šlouf,
• Milan Houska and
• František Rypáček

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 617–631, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.63

• titanium surfaces. Bio-related titanium surface modifications based on polysaccharides and synthetic polymers have been performed by physisorption and electrostatic interactions. In comparison with polylactide coatings, physisorbed alginate coatings are capable of exhibiting pronounced cell adhesion [17

Influence of stabilising agents and pH on the size of SnO₂ nanoparticles

• Olga Rac,
• Patrycja Suchorska-Woźniak,
• Marta Fiedot and
• Helena Teterycz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2192–2201, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.228

• stabilising agents significantly affect the size, shape and surface properties of nanomaterials synthesised in their presence [18]. In 1718, Helcher applied a natural polymer (starch) to stabilise gold nanoparticles [19]. Today, synthetic polymers are commonly used to stabilise different types of

• metal oxides occurring in polymeric micelles [20]. The second theory, although less popular, describes the stabilisation of polymers by molecules that results from the polymerisation of monomers which occur in the presence of nanoparticles. In this article, synthetic polymers were used as stabilisers

Biopolymer colloids for controlling and templating inorganic synthesis

• Laura C. Preiss,
• Katharina Landfester and
• Rafael Muñoz-Espí

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2129–2138, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.222

• synthetic polymers (see Section 4 in [60] for a review), but only a limited number of works are found for biopolymers. Li et al. [61] prepared cross-linked chitosan microspheres and immobilized bovine serum albumin covalently on their surface. On the resulting particles, silica was formed by a sol–gel

• of “hard templates” stated above, the approach has been very productive with synthetic polymers [2][60], but only explored in a limited way with biopolymers. The main reason for this is that the assembly of many biopolymers results in a rather continuous network and not necessarily in “discrete

• supports (e.g., metallization or mineralization of DNA) or by using particle systems. Hydrogel approaches can also be confined to the spaces of particles. Clearly, synthetic polymers are often a more economic and versatile alternative, but biopolymers can be especially interesting in those applications in