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Applications of Nanomaterials in Cancer Diagnostics and Therapy

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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 (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 7305

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Xiangdong Xue

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Guest Editor

School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Interests: small-molecule nanomedicine; magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); nanomaterials; cancer treatment; immunoregulation and immunotherapy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer is a complex pathological phenomenon, including mutations in different protein targets, genes, cell surface ligands, the microenvironment and even peripheral blood vessels. A single treatment modality or a simple combination of different treatments cannot effectively address these complex factors. Advanced nanomaterials can orchestrate multiple diagnostic and therapeutic functionalities in a single material to solve multiple problems of cancer treatment, both indirectly and directly. In an indirect way, nanomaterials act as carriers not only to preferentially deliver a variety of diagnostic and/or therapeutic agents to their cancer targets, but also to increase bioavailability, improve stability, prolong half-life, and change the pharmacokinetics and biodistributions of the payloads, thereby enhancing drug efficacy and imaging precision. In a direct way, many nanomaterials themselves show an excellent imaging capacity and anti-cancer effect. For instance, quantum dots and iron oxide nanomaterials possess unique physical properties that can be used for a precise cancer diagnosis; gold nanomaterials and carbon nanomaterials convert photonic energy to cell-killing power for cancer treatment; and some nano-scaffolds affect cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation to support cancer treatment. Nanomaterials that synergistically integrate both direct and indirect approaches are optimal for cancer diagnosis and therapy. Although promising, nanomaterials still face some challenges to overcome before being translated to clinical practice, such as undesirable nanotoxicity and toxicological responses.

In this Special Issue, entitled “Application of Nanomaterials in Cancer Diagnostics and Therapy”, we welcome original research and reviews with a strong focus on all kinds of nanomaterials that are applied in the fields of cancer diagnostics and therapy, as well as on the nanotoxicity and toxicological responses elicited by nanomaterials.

Dr. Xiangdong Xue
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

nanomaterials
drug delivery
molecular imaging
cancer diagnosis
cancer therapy
nanotoxicity
self-assembly
nanomedicine
multifunctional materials

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 5119 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Heating Capacity and Biocompatibility of Hybrid Nanoparticles for Magnetic Hyperthermia Treatment

by Aline Alexandrina Gomes, Thalita Marcolan Valverde, Vagner de Oliveira Machado, Emanueli do Nascimento da Silva, Daniele Alves Fagundes, Fernanda de Paula Oliveira, Erico Tadeu Fraga Freitas, José Domingos Ardisson, José Maria da Fonte Ferreira, Junnia Alvarenga de Carvalho Oliveira, Eliza Rocha Gomes, Caio Fabrini Rodrigues, Alfredo Miranda de Goes, Rosana Zacarias Domingues and Ângela Leão Andrade

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(1), 493; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25010493 - 29 Dec 2023

Viewed by 786

Abstract

Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases worldwide and has been responsible for millions of deaths. However, developing a satisfactory smart multifunctional material combining different strategies to kill cancer cells poses a challenge. This work aims at filling this gap by developing a composite material for cancer treatment through hyperthermia and drug release. With this purpose, magnetic nanoparticles were coated with a polymer matrix consisting of poly (L-co-D,L lactic acid-co-trimethylene carbonate) and a poly(ethylene oxide)–poly(propylene oxide)–poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction confirmed magnetite to be the only iron oxide in the sample. Cytotoxicity and heat release assays on the hybrid nanoparticles were performed here for the first time. The heat induction results indicate that these new magnetic hybrid nanoparticles are capable of increasing the temperature by more than 5 °C, the minimal temperature rise required for being effectively used in hyperthermia treatments. The biocompatibility assays conducted under different concentrations, in the presence and in the absence of an external alternating current magnetic field, did not reveal any cytotoxicity. Therefore, the overall results indicate that the investigated hybrid nanoparticles have a great potential to be used as carrier systems for cancer treatment by hyperthermia. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Nanomaterials in Cancer Diagnostics and Therapy)

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17 pages, 3487 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Zeolite Nanoparticles Loaded with 2-Methoxystradiol as a Novel Drug Delivery System for the Prostate Cancer Therapy

by Denisse Mena-Silva, Aline Alfaro, Andrea León, Emanuel Guajardo-Correa, Estefania Elgueta, Patricia Diaz, Cristian Vilos, Hugo Cardenas, Juliano C. Denardin and Pedro A. Orihuela

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(13), 10967; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241310967 - 30 Jun 2023

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Abstract

The estrogen metabolite 2-methoxyestradiol (2ME) is a promissory anticancer drug mainly because of its pro-apoptotic properties in cancer cells. However, the therapeutic use of 2ME has been hampered due to its low solubility and bioavailability. Thus, it is necessary to find new ways of administration for 2ME. Zeolites are inorganic aluminosilicates with a porous structure and are considered good adsorbents and sieves in the pharmaceutical field. Here, mordenite-type zeolite nanoparticles were loaded with 2ME to assess its efficiency as a delivery system for prostate cancer treatment. The 2ME-loaded zeolite nanoparticles showed an irregular morphology with a mean hydrodynamic diameter of 250.9 ± 11.4 nm, polydispersity index of 0.36 ± 0.04, and a net negative surface charge of −34 ± 1.73 meV. Spectroscopy with UV-vis and Attenuated Total Reflectance Infrared Fourier-Transform was used to elucidate the interaction between the 2ME molecules and the zeolite framework showing the formation of a 2ME-zeolite conjugate in the nanocomposite. The studies of adsorption and liberation determined that zeolite nanoparticles incorporated 40% of 2ME while the liberation of 2ME reached 90% at pH 7.4 after 7 days. The 2ME-loaded zeolite nanoparticles also decreased the viability and increased the mRNA of the 2ME-target gene F-spondin, encoded by SPON1, in the human prostate cancer cell line LNCaP. Finally, the 2ME-loaded nanoparticles also decreased the viability of primary cultures from mouse prostate cancer. These results show the development of 2ME-loaded zeolite nanoparticles with physicochemical and biological properties compatible with anticancer activity on the human prostate and highlight that zeolite nanoparticles can be a good carrier system for 2ME. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Nanomaterials in Cancer Diagnostics and Therapy)

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Review

Jump to: Research

41 pages, 28007 KiB

Open AccessReview

Current Advances of Atomically Dispersed Metal-Centered Nanozymes for Tumor Diagnosis and Therapy

by Ruizhen Tian, Yijia Li, Zhengwei Xu, Jiayun Xu and Junqiu Liu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(21), 15712; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242115712 - 28 Oct 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1517

Abstract

Nanozymes, which combine enzyme-like catalytic activity and the biological properties of nanomaterials, have been widely used in biomedical fields. Single-atom nanozymes (SANs) with atomically dispersed metal centers exhibit excellent biological catalytic activity due to the maximization of atomic utilization efficiency, unique metal coordination structures, and metal–support interaction, and their structure–activity relationship can also be clearly investigated. Therefore, they have become an emerging alternative to natural enzymes. This review summarizes the examples of nanocatalytic therapy based on SANs in tumor diagnosis and treatment in recent years, providing an overview of material classification, activity modulation, and therapeutic means. Next, we will delve into the therapeutic mechanism of SNAs in the tumor microenvironment and the advantages of synergistic multiple therapeutic modalities (e.g., chemodynamic therapy, sonodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy, chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy, sonothermal therapy, and gas therapy). Finally, this review proposes the main challenges and prospects for the future development of SANs in cancer diagnosis and therapy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Nanomaterials in Cancer Diagnostics and Therapy)

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41 pages, 2844 KiB

Open AccessReview

Recent Advances in Sandwich SERS Immunosensors for Cancer Detection

by Aleksandra Pollap and Paweł Świt

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(9), 4740; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23094740 - 25 Apr 2022

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2868

Abstract

Cancer has been one of the most prevalent diseases around the world for many years. Its biomarkers are biological molecules found in the blood or other body fluids of people with cancer diseases. These biomarkers play a crucial role not only in the diagnosis of cancer diseases, but also in risk assessment, selection of treatment methods, and tracking its progress. Therefore, highly sensitive and selective detection and determination of cancer biomarkers are essential from the perspective of oncological diagnostics and planning the treatment process. Immunosensors are special types of biosensors that are based on the recognition of an analyte (antigen) by an antibody. Sandwich immunosensors apply two antibodies: a capture antibody and a detection antibody, with the antigen ‘sandwiched’ between them. Immunosensors’ advantages include not only high sensitivity and selectivity, but also flexible application and reusability. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, known also as the sensitive and selective method, uses the enhancement of light scattering by analyte molecules adsorbed on a nanostructured surface. The combination of immunosensors with the SERS technique further improves their analytical parameters. In this article, we followed the recent achievements in the field of sandwich SERS immunosensors for cancer biomarker detection and/or determination. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Nanomaterials in Cancer Diagnostics and Therapy)

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