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Carbon Nanomaterials for Therapy, Diagnosis, and Biosensing

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A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Biology and Medicines".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2020) | Viewed by 34104

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Antonino Mazzaglia

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CNR-ISMN, c/o Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences of the University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno D'Alcontres 31, I-98166 Messina, Italy
Interests: cyclodextrins; self-assembly; nanodelivery; phototherapeutics; hybrids nanobiomaterials; carbon nanomaterials; nanomedicine; regenerative medicine
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Prof. Dr. Anna Piperno

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Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno D'Alcontres 31, I-98166 Messina, Italy
Interests: carbon nanomaterials and biopolymers for applications in drug delivery, regenerative medicine, and biosensing; multifunctional graphene platforms with stimuli-responsive probes; nanomedicine; drug delivery; liquid biopsy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the landscape of the design of carbon nanomaterials, the fine-tuning of their functionalities and physicochemical properties has increased their potential for therapeutic, diagnostic, and biosensing applications. In this issue, nanoplatforms originating from the synergistic combination of carbon based nanomaterials (i.e., nanotubes, graphene, graphene oxide, carbon quantum dots, fullerene, nanodiamond, etc.) with various functional molecules, such as drugs, natural compounds, biomolecules, polymers, metal nanoparticles, and macrocycles, and with a relevant perspective on drug delivery, multitargeted therapy, theranostics, as well as scaffolds in tissue engineering and biosensing, will be highly considered for publication, be they in the form of articles or mini reviews.

In particular, this issue seeks works that offer novel insight into the following subjects: i) Synthetic approaches (covalent and/or not covalent strategies) to improve therapeutic performances of carbon nanomaterials as drug carriers, including stimuli-responsive properties and as gene vectors; ii) design of carbon nanomaterials for diagnosis and theranostics, highlighting the physicochemical characterization and their correlation with the biological properties; iii) scaffolds based on carbon nanomaterials for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering;iv) novel carbon nanomaterial platforms as biosensors or “old” carbon nanomaterials with novel biosensing properties.

Prof. Dr. Antonino Mazzaglia
Prof. Dr. Anna Piperno
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

carbon nanomaterial
drug delivery
imaging
theranostic
biosensing
carbon nanomaterial toxicity
signaling
liquid biopsy
carbon nanomaterial cellular uptake
carbon nanomaterial/cell interactions

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Editorial

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4 pages, 210 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Carbon Nanomaterials for Therapy, Diagnosis and Biosensing

by Antonino Mazzaglia and Anna Piperno

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(9), 1597; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12091597 - 09 May 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1310

Abstract

In carbon nanomaterial design, the fine-tuning of their functionalities and physicochemical properties has increased their potential for therapeutic, diagnostic and biosensing applications [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Nanomaterials for Therapy, Diagnosis, and Biosensing)

Research

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17 pages, 3997 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Polymer-Based Graphene Derivatives and Microwave-Assisted Silver Nanoparticles Decoration as a Potential Antibacterial Agent

by Angelo Nicosia, Fabiana Vento, Anna Lucia Pellegrino, Vaclav Ranc, Anna Piperno, Antonino Mazzaglia and Placido Mineo

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(11), 2269; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10112269 - 16 Nov 2020

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3313

Abstract

Nanocomposites obtained by the decoration of graphene-based materials with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have received increasing attention owing to their antimicrobial activity. However, the complex synthetic methods for their preparation have limited practical applications. This study aims to synthesize novel NanoHybrid Systems based on graphene, polymer, and AgNPs (namely, NanoHy-GPS) through an easy microwave irradiation approach free of reductants and surfactants. The polymer plays a crucial role, as it assures the coating layer/substrate compatibility making the platform easily adaptable for a specific substrate. AgNPs’ loading (from 5% to 87%) can be tuned by the amount of Silver salt used during the microwave-assisted reaction, obtaining spherical AgNPs with average sizes of 5–12 nm homogeneously distributed on a polymer-graphene nanosystem. Interestingly, microwave irradiation partially restored the graphene sp² network without damage of ester bonds. The structure, morphology, and chemical composition of NanoHy-GPS and its subunits were characterized by means of UV-vis spectroscopy, thermal analysis, differential light scattering (DLS), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) techniques. A preliminary qualitative empirical assay against the typical bacterial load on common hand-contacted surfaces has been performed to assess the antibacterial properties of NanoHy-GPS, evidencing a significative reduction of bacterial colonies spreading. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Nanomaterials for Therapy, Diagnosis, and Biosensing)

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21 pages, 4760 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Toxicity of Carbon Nanomaterials and Their Potential Application as Drug Delivery Systems: In Vitro Studies in Caco-2 and MCF-7 Cell Lines

by Rosa Garriga, Tania Herrero-Continente, Miguel Palos, Vicente L. Cebolla, Jesús Osada, Edgar Muñoz and María Jesús Rodríguez-Yoldi

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(8), 1617; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10081617 - 18 Aug 2020

Cited by 49 | Viewed by 4082

Abstract

Carbon nanomaterials have attracted increasing attention in biomedicine recently to be used as drug nanocarriers suitable for medical treatments, due to their large surface area, high cellular internalization and preferential tumor accumulation, that enable these nanomaterials to transport chemotherapeutic agents preferentially to tumor sites, thereby reducing drug toxic side effects. However, there are widespread concerns on the inherent cytotoxicity of carbon nanomaterials, which remains controversial to this day, with studies demonstrating conflicting results. We investigated here in vitro toxicity of various carbon nanomaterials in human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) cells and human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) cells. Carbon nanohorns (CNH), carbon nanotubes (CNT), carbon nanoplatelets (CNP), graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (GO) and nanodiamonds (ND) were systematically compared, using Pluronic F-127 dispersant. Cell viability after carbon nanomaterial treatment followed the order CNP < CNH < RGO < CNT < GO < ND, being the effect more pronounced on the more rapidly dividing Caco-2 cells. CNP produced remarkably high reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Furthermore, the potential of these materials as nanocarriers in the field of drug delivery of doxorubicin and camptothecin anticancer drugs was also compared. In all cases the carbon nanomaterial/drug complexes resulted in improved anticancer activity compared to that of the free drug, being the efficiency largely dependent of the carbon nanomaterial hydrophobicity and surface chemistry. These fundamental studies are of paramount importance as screening and risk-to-benefit assessment towards the development of smart carbon nanomaterial-based nanocarriers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Nanomaterials for Therapy, Diagnosis, and Biosensing)

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15 pages, 3115 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Carbon Dot Nanoparticles Exert Inhibitory Effects on Human Platelets and Reduce Mortality in Mice with Acute Pulmonary Thromboembolism

by Tzu-Yin Lee, Thanasekaran Jayakumar, Pounraj Thanasekaran, King-Chuen Lin, Hui-Min Chen, Pitchaimani Veerakumar and Joen-Rong Sheu

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(7), 1254; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10071254 - 28 Jun 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2410

Abstract

The inhibition of platelet activation is considered a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of arterial thrombotic diseases; therefore, maintaining platelets in their inactive state has garnered much attention. In recent years, nanoparticles have emerged as important players in modern medicine, but potential interactions between them and platelets remain to be extensively investigated. Herein, we synthesized a new type of carbon dot (CDOT) nanoparticle and investigated its potential as a new antiplatelet agent. This nanoparticle exerted a potent inhibitory effect in collagen-stimulated human platelet aggregation. Further, it did not induce cytotoxic effects, as evidenced in a lactate dehydrogenase assay, and inhibited collagen-activated protein kinase C (PKC) activation and Akt (protein kinase B), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation. The bleeding time, a major side-effect of using antiplatelet agents, was unaffected in CDOT-treated mice. Moreover, our CDOT could reduce mortality in mice with ADP-induced acute pulmonary thromboembolism. Overall, CDOT is effective against platelet activation in vitro via reduction of the phospholipase C/PKC cascade, consequently suppressing the activation of MAPK. Accordingly, this study affords the validation that CDOT has the potential to serve as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of arterial thromboembolic disorders Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Nanomaterials for Therapy, Diagnosis, and Biosensing)

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22 pages, 6430 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Functionalization of Single and Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes with Polypropylene Glycol Decorated Pyrrole for the Development of Doxorubicin Nano-Conveyors for Cancer Drug Delivery

by Chiara Pennetta, Giuseppe Floresta, Adriana Carol Eleonora Graziano, Venera Cardile, Lucia Rubino, Maurizio Galimberti, Antonio Rescifina and Vincenzina Barbera

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(6), 1073; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10061073 - 31 May 2020

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 3207

Abstract

A recently reported functionalization of single and multi-walled carbon nanotubes, based on a cycloaddition reaction between carbon nanotubes and a pyrrole derived compound, was exploited for the formation of a doxorubicin (DOX) stacked drug delivery system. The obtained supramolecular nano-conveyors were characterized by wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The supramolecular interactions were studied by molecular dynamics simulations and by monitoring the emission and the absorption spectra of DOX. Biological studies revealed that two of the synthesized nano-vectors are effectively able to get the drug into the studied cell lines and also to enhance the cell mortality of DOX at a much lower effective dose. This work reports the facile functionalization of carbon nanotubes exploiting the “pyrrole methodology” for the development of novel technological carbon-based drug delivery systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Nanomaterials for Therapy, Diagnosis, and Biosensing)

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14 pages, 3789 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Novel Nanohybrids Based on Supramolecular Assemblies of Meso-tetrakis-(4-sulfonatophenyl) Porphyrin J-aggregates and Amine-Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes

by Mariachiara Trapani, Antonino Mazzaglia, Anna Piperno, Annalaura Cordaro, Roberto Zagami, Maria Angela Castriciano, Andrea Romeo and Luigi Monsù Scolaro

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(4), 669; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10040669 - 02 Apr 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2647

Abstract

The ability of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) covalently functionalized with polyamine chains of different length (ethylenediamine, EDA and tetraethylenepentamine, EPA) to induce the J-aggregation of meso-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (TPPS) was investigated in different experimental conditions. Under mild acidic conditions, protonated amino groups allow for the assembly by electrostatic interaction with the diacid form of TPPS, leading to hybrid nanomaterials. The presence of only one pendant amino group for a chain in EDA does not lead to any aggregation, whereas EPA (with four amine groups for chain) is effective in inducing J-aggregation using different mixing protocols. These nanohybrids have been characterized through UV/Vis extinction, fluorescence emission, resonance light scattering and circular dichroism spectroscopy. Their morphology and chemical composition have been elucidated through transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). TEM and STEM analysis evidence single or bundles of MWCNTs in contact with TPPS J-aggregates nanotubes. The nanohybrids are quite stable for days, even in aqueous solutions mimicking physiological medium (NaCl 0.15 M). This property, together with their peculiar optical features in the therapeutic window of visible spectrum, make them potentially useful for biomedical applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Nanomaterials for Therapy, Diagnosis, and Biosensing)

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14 pages, 2461 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Delivery of siRNA to Ewing Sarcoma Tumor Xenografted on Mice, Using Hydrogenated Detonation Nanodiamonds: Treatment Efficacy and Tissue Distribution

by Sandra Claveau, Émilie Nehlig, Sébastien Garcia-Argote, Sophie Feuillastre, Grégory Pieters, Hugues A. Girard, Jean-Charles Arnault, François Treussart and Jean-Rémi Bertrand

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(3), 553; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10030553 - 19 Mar 2020

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3423

Abstract

Nanodiamonds of detonation origin are promising delivery agents of anti-cancer therapeutic compounds in a whole organism like mouse, owing to their versatile surface chemistry and ultra-small 5 nm average primary size compatible with natural elimination routes. However, to date, little is known about tissue distribution, elimination pathways and efficacy of nanodiamonds-based therapy in mice. In this report, we studied the capacity of cationic hydrogenated detonation nanodiamonds to carry active small interfering RNA (siRNA) in a mice model of Ewing sarcoma, a bone cancer of young adults due in the vast majority to the EWS-FLI1 junction oncogene. Replacing hydrogen gas by its radioactive analog tritium gas led to the formation of labeled nanodiamonds and allowed us to investigate their distribution throughout mouse organs and their excretion in urine and feces. We also demonstrated that siRNA directed against EWS-FLI1 inhibited this oncogene expression in tumor xenografted on mice. This work is a significant step to establish cationic hydrogenated detonation nanodiamond as an effective agent for in vivo delivery of active siRNA. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Nanomaterials for Therapy, Diagnosis, and Biosensing)

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13 pages, 2871 KiB

Open AccessArticle

SERS Sensing Properties of New Graphene/Gold Nanocomposite

by Giulia Neri, Enza Fazio, Placido Giuseppe Mineo, Angela Scala and Anna Piperno

Nanomaterials 2019, 9(9), 1236; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9091236 - 30 Aug 2019

Cited by 28 | Viewed by 3835

Abstract

The development of graphene (G) substrates without damage on the sp² network allows to tune the interactions with plasmonic noble metal surfaces to finally enhance surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) effect. Here, we describe a new graphene/gold nanocomposite obtained by loading gold nanoparticles (Au NPs), produced by pulsed laser ablation in liquids (PLAL), on a new nitrogen-doped graphene platform (G-NH₂). The graphene platform was synthesized by direct delamination and chemical functionalization of graphite flakes with 4-methyl-2-p-nitrophenyl oxazolone, followed by reduction of p-nitrophenyl groups. Finally, the G-NH₂/Au SERS platform was prepared by using the conventional aerography spraying technique. SERS properties of G-NH₂/Au were tested using Rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) and Dopamine (DA) as molecular probes. Raman features of Rh6G and DA are still detectable for concentration values down to 1 × 10⁻⁵ M and 1 × 10⁻⁶ M respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Nanomaterials for Therapy, Diagnosis, and Biosensing)

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13 pages, 5056 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Covalent Decoration of Cortical Membranes with Graphene Oxide as a Substrate for Dental Pulp Stem Cells

by Roberta Di Carlo, Susi Zara, Alessia Ventrella, Gabriella Siani, Tatiana Da Ros, Giovanna Iezzi, Amelia Cataldi and Antonella Fontana

Nanomaterials 2019, 9(4), 604; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9040604 - 12 Apr 2019

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3142

Abstract

(1) Background: The aim of this study was to optimize, through a cheap and facile protocol, the covalent functionalization of graphene oxide (GO)-decorated cortical membrane (Lamina^®) in order to promote the adhesion, the growth and the osteogenic differentiation of DPSCs (Dental Pulp Stem Cells); (2) Methods: GO-coated Laminas were fully characterized by Scannsion Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) analyses. In vitro analyses of viability, membrane integrity and calcium phosphate deposition were performed; (3) Results: The GO-decorated Laminas demonstrated an increase in the roughness of Laminas, a reduction in toxicity and did not affect membrane integrity of DPSCs; and (4) Conclusions: The GO covalent functionalization of Laminas was effective and relatively easy to obtain. The homogeneous GO coating obtained favored the proliferation rate of DPSCs and the deposition of calcium phosphate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Nanomaterials for Therapy, Diagnosis, and Biosensing)

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Review

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18 pages, 1249 KiB

Open AccessReview

Graphene-Based Strategies in Liquid Biopsy and in Viral Diseases Diagnosis

by Annalaura Cordaro, Giulia Neri, Maria Teresa Sciortino, Angela Scala and Anna Piperno

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(6), 1014; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10061014 - 26 May 2020

Cited by 44 | Viewed by 5466

Abstract

Graphene-based materials are intriguing nanomaterials with applications ranging from nanotechnology-related devices to drug delivery systems and biosensing. Multifunctional graphene platforms were proposed for the detection of several typical biomarkers (i.e., circulating tumor cells, exosomes, circulating nucleic acids, etc.) in liquid biopsy, and numerous methods, including optical, electrochemical, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), etc., have been developed for their detection. Due to the massive advancements in biology, material chemistry, and analytical technology, it is necessary to review the progress in this field from both medical and chemical sides. Liquid biopsy is considered a revolutionary technique that is opening unexpected perspectives in the early diagnosis and, in therapy monitoring, severe diseases, including cancer, metabolic syndrome, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative disorders. Although nanotechnology based on graphene has been poorly applied for the rapid diagnosis of viral diseases, the extraordinary properties of graphene (i.e., high electronic conductivity, large specific area, and surface functionalization) can be also exploited for the diagnosis of emerging viral diseases, such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This review aimed to provide a comprehensive and in-depth summarization of the contribution of graphene-based nanomaterials in liquid biopsy, discussing the remaining challenges and the future trend; moreover, the paper gave the first look at the potentiality of graphene in COVID-19 diagnosis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Nanomaterials for Therapy, Diagnosis, and Biosensing)

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