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The Interplay among Biomolecules and Nanomaterials

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 April 2024) | Viewed by 9033

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ran Jia

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Guest Editor

Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130023, China
Interests: density functional theory; nanotechnology; materials; electronic structure; quantum mechanics; nanobiotechnology; computational chemistry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the rapid development of nanomaterial science, nanoscale materials begin to participate in biological systems (un)intentionally. The biological toxicities of some nanomaterials, e.g., graphene, carbon nanotubes, have been revealed in many previous studies. On the other hand, some organic macromolecules, inorganic nanoclusters, low-dimensional materials, etc., have also been intentionally employed as fluorescent probes, drug transports or photosensitizers for photodynamics therapy, and so on. Of course, the biological systems are not only limited to animals and humans. Obviously, all biomolecules will be affected by nanomaterials to some extent. Therefore, it is interesting and important to understand the microscopic mechanisms of different interactions among the biomolecules and nanomaterials. The new knowledge can provide new ideas and guides for further drug and medical material design, diagnosis, therapy, and biological protection. In this regard, not only experimental but also theoretical methods can provide valuable information. Molecular dynamics and quantum mechanical simulations possess their own advantages in obtaining the microstructures and electronic configurations of the complex systems with biomolecules and nanomaterials, which is beneficial to the understanding and interpretation of their nanoscale behaviors.

Experimental papers, review articles, and commentaries are all welcome.

Dr. Ran Jia
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

biomolecules
nanomaterials
medical materials
fluorescent probe
drug transport
toxicity
nutrition
biocompatibility

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1834 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Single-Molecule Fluorescence Probes Interactions between Photoactive Protein—Silver Nanowire Conjugate and Monolayer Graphene

by Kamil Wiwatowski, Karolina Sulowska and Sebastian Mackowski

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(9), 4873; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25094873 - 30 Apr 2024

Viewed by 346

Abstract

In this work, we apply single-molecule fluorescence microscopy and spectroscopy to probe plasmon-enhanced fluorescence and Förster resonance energy transfer in a nanoscale assemblies. The structure where the interplay between these two processes was present consists of photoactive proteins conjugated with silver nanowires and deposited on a monolayer graphene. By comparing the results of continuous-wave and time-resolved fluorescence microscopy acquired for this structure with those obtained for the reference samples, where proteins were coupled with either a graphene monolayer or silver nanowires, we find clear indications of the interplay between plasmonic enhancement and the energy transfer to graphene. Namely, fluorescence intensities calculated for the structure, where proteins were coupled to graphene only, are less than for the structure playing the central role in this study, containing both silver nanowires and graphene. Conversely, decay times extracted for the latter are shorter compared to a protein—silver nanowire conjugate, pointing towards emergence of the energy transfer. Overall, the results show that monitoring the optical properties of single emitters in a precisely designed hybrid nanostructure provides an elegant way to probe even complex combination of interactions at the nanoscale. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interplay among Biomolecules and Nanomaterials)

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18 pages, 2867 KiB

Open AccessArticle

mAb-Functionalized Biomimetic MamC-Mediated-Magnetoliposomes as Drug Delivery Systems for Cancer Therapy

by Francesca Oltolina, Maria del Carmen Santaella Escolano, Ylenia Jabalera, Maria Prat and Concepcion Jimenez Lopez

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(18), 13958; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241813958 - 11 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1023

Abstract

In cancer therapy, new therapeutic nanoformulations able to mediate targeted chemotherapy are required. Recently, biomimetic magnetic nanoparticles (BMNPs) mediated by MamC, a magnetosome protein from Magnetococcus marinus MC-1, have proven, in vitro and in vivo, to be effective drug nanocarriers (following the application of an external gradient magnetic field) and to allow combination with hyperthermia. However, these nanoassemblies require further optimization to improve cytocompatibility, stability and active targeting ability. Herein, we describe the production of the magnetoliposomes (LP) embedding BMNPs functionalized (or not) with doxorubicin (DOXO), [LP(+/−DOXO-BMNPs)], and their surface modification with the DO-24 mAb, which targets the human Met/HGF receptor’s ectodomain (overexpressed in many cancers). Nanoformulations were extensively characterized using TEM, DLS, FTIR and when tested in vitro, the lipid coating increased the colloidal stability and their biocompatibility, favoring the cellular uptake in cells overexpressing the cognate receptor. Indeed, the magnetoliposomes mAb-LP(+/−DOXO-BMNPs) exerted a specific active targeting ability by the presence of the mAb that preserved its immunocompetence. Both LP(BMNPs) and mAb-LP(BMNPs) were not toxic to cells, while +/−mAb-LP(DOXO-BMNPs) nanoformulations were indeed cytotoxic. Therefore, this study represents a proof of concept for the development of promising drug carriers for cancer therapy based on local chemotherapy directed by mAbs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interplay among Biomolecules and Nanomaterials)

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16 pages, 4073 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Ethanol-Induced Methyl Donors Consumption on the State of Hypomethylation in Cervical Cancer

by Xiao Han, Fang Fang, Weiwei Cui, Ya Liu and Yuxin Liu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(9), 7729; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24097729 - 23 Apr 2023

Viewed by 1336

Abstract

Cervical cancer causes malignant tumors in females and threatens the physical and mental health of women. Current research shows that persistent infection of high-risk HPV is the main cause of cervical cancer. However, not all cervical cancer is caused by HPV infection, which may also be related to other factors, such as nutritional status and lifestyle. This study focuses on the effect of alcohol consumption on the methylation status of cervical cancer from the perspective of methyl donors. We established a mouse tumor-bearing model with cervical cancer SiHa cells, and at the same time, we cultured SiHa cells in vitro. Different concentrations of ethanol were administered to the model mice and SiHa cells. Then, we detected the levels of the methyl-donor folate and methionine and their metabolite homocysteine levels in mice serum, tumor tissues, and SiHa cells. Furthermore, we determined the expression of the members of the DNA methyltransferase family (DNMT1, DNMT3a, and DNMT3b) in tumor tissue by immunohistochemistry. qRT-PCR and Western blotting analysis were used to detect the mRNA and protein levels of members of the DNA methyltransferase family in cervical cancer SiHa cells. Our results show that the levels of the methyl donor (folate and methionine) decreased with the increase of ethanol concentration (p < 0.05), and the homocysteine level increased significantly (p < 0.05). In SiHa cells, the mRNA and protein levels of the DNMT family members and their receptors were significantly higher than those in the control group (p < 0.05). Collectively, these results suggest that ethanol could influence DNMT expression by inducing methyl donor consumption, thereby causing cervical cancer cells to exhibit genome-wide hypomethylation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interplay among Biomolecules and Nanomaterials)

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11 pages, 2665 KiB

Open AccessArticle

MD Investigation on the Interaction between Carbamazepine and Two CYP Isoforms, CYP3A4 and CYP3A5

by Shuhui Liu and Yang Xu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(3), 2188; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24032188 - 22 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1361

Abstract

Carbamazepine (CBZ), a commonly prescribed antiepileptic drug, in human liver, is mainly metabolized by two isoforms of cytochrome P450 (CYP), CYP3A4 and CYP3A5. Therefore, the binding of CBZ with these two enzymes plays crucial role in the biotransformation of the drug into its active metabolite. In the present work, classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was used to investigate the detailed interaction mechanism between CBZ and these two CYP isoforms at the atomic level. The results revealed that although CBZ can bind with the two proteins, all kinds of the interactions, including hydrogen bonds, salt bridges, hydrophobic interaction, and π-π interaction, are isoform specific. The specificity directly leads to a binding environment difference at the active sites of the two isoforms, as represented by the electrostatic surface potential maps, which further results in the varied dynamic behavior of CBZ in the two isoforms. Our research will help to deepen the understanding of the physiological functions of CYP isoforms and opens the door for the rational design and development of isoform-specific inhibitors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interplay among Biomolecules and Nanomaterials)

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Review

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28 pages, 3358 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Nanorobotics-Based Approach of Breast Cancer in the Nanotechnology Era

by Anca-Narcisa Neagu, Taniya Jayaweera, Krishan Weraduwage and Costel C. Darie

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(9), 4981; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25094981 - 2 May 2024

Viewed by 644

Abstract

We are living in an era of advanced nanoscience and nanotechnology. Numerous nanomaterials, culminating in nanorobots, have demonstrated ingenious applications in biomedicine, including breast cancer (BC) nano-theranostics. To solve the complicated problem of BC heterogeneity, non-targeted drug distribution, invasive diagnostics or surgery, resistance to classic onco-therapies and real-time monitoring of tumors, nanorobots are designed to perform multiple tasks at a small scale, even at the organelles or molecular level. Over the last few years, most nanorobots have been bioengineered as biomimetic and biocompatible nano(bio)structures, resembling different organisms and cells, such as urchin, spider, octopus, fish, spermatozoon, flagellar bacterium or helicoidal cyanobacterium. In this review, readers will be able to deepen their knowledge of the structure, behavior and role of several types of nanorobots, among other nanomaterials, in BC theranostics. We summarized here the characteristics of many functionalized nanodevices designed to counteract the main neoplastic hallmark features of BC, from sustaining proliferation and evading anti-growth signaling and resisting programmed cell death to inducing angiogenesis, activating invasion and metastasis, preventing genomic instability, avoiding immune destruction and deregulating autophagy. Most of these nanorobots function as targeted and self-propelled smart nano-carriers or nano-drug delivery systems (nano-DDSs), enhancing the efficiency and safety of chemo-, radio- or photodynamic therapy, or the current imagistic techniques used in BC diagnosis. Most of these nanorobots have been tested in vitro, using various BC cell lines, as well as in vivo, mainly based on mice models. We are still waiting for nanorobots that are low-cost, as well as for a wider transition of these favorable effects from laboratory to clinical practice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interplay among Biomolecules and Nanomaterials)

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20 pages, 2881 KiB

Open AccessReview

Nano Functional Food: Opportunities, Development, and Future Perspectives

by Qijun Su, Xiang Zhao, Xin Zhang, Yan Wang, Zhanghua Zeng, Haixin Cui and Chunxin Wang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(1), 234; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24010234 - 23 Dec 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3233

Abstract

A functional food is a kind of food with special physiological effects that can improve health status or reduce illness. However, the active ingredients in functional foods are usually very low due to the instability and easy degradation of some nutrients. Therefore, improving the utilization rate of the effective ingredients in functional food has become the key problem. Nanomaterials have been widely used and studied in many fields due to their small size effect, high specific surface area, high target activity, and other characteristics. Therefore, it is a feasible method to process and modify functional food using nanotechnology. In this review, we summarize the nanoparticle delivery system and the food nanotechnology in the field of functional food. We also summarize and prospect the application, basic principle, and latest development of nano-functional food and put forward corresponding views. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interplay among Biomolecules and Nanomaterials)

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