Macromolecules and Hydrogel Formulations: Synthesis, Characterization, Pharmacological Effects and Possible Environmental Applications

Dear Colleagues,

In the last few years, antibiotic resistance and, analogously, anticancer drug resistance have increased considerably, becoming one of the main public health problems needing solutions which can be obtained by finding new therapeutic strategies able to counteract the onset of multi-drug resistance (MDR). Due to several surface similarities between bacteria and cancer cells rather human normal cells, cationic nanosized macromolecules (NPs) mimicking natural antimicrobial peptides (NAMPs) and acting as membrane disruptors have shown potent and selective microbiocidal and anticancer effects and low tendency to develop resistance. Furthermore, water-soluble cationic NPs have proven to be particularly efficient in solubilizing insoluble bioactive small molecules, thus enhancing their bioavailability, activities and promoting their further development as new therapeutic agents. In this context, topical administration and drug delivery via the skin is a convenient and novel approach which allows to avoid first-pass metabolism, thus increasing drug bioavailability. It allows the application of drugs to a large area, avoiding gastro-intestinal irritations caused by the medication and improving patient compliance. In this regard, since only small particles can pass through the skin, NPs are particularly suitable to provide topical formulations. Additionally, cross-linked macromolecules capable of providing gels with intrinsic pharmacological effects or enriched with bioactive molecules by their dispersion in water (hydrogels) have been suggested to overcome the problems associated with conventional topical delivery devices. Hydrogels have gained attention owing to their peculiar characteristics, such as swelling in aqueous media, pH and temperature sensitivity, or sensitivity to other stimuli, biocompatibility, and environmental applicability.

This Special Issue aims to supply a platform for research on the development of new antimicrobial and/or anticancer water-soluble NPs or crosslinked macromolecules, starting from their synthesis to their biological evaluation and/or environmental application, going through their characterization. The simultaneous presence of all these aspects in the same study is not mandatory. We welcome papers with a special focus on the formulation of the bioactive macromolecules as hydrogels for cutaneous uses with low cytotoxicity toward mammalian cells.

Dr. Silvana Alfei
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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.