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Advances in Nanostructured Materials between Pharmaceutics and Biomedicine 2.0

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 15563

Special Issue Editors

Department of Physics and Geology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
Interests: nanomaterials; sonochemistry; catalysis; electron microscopy imaging
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanostructured materials are materials containing an internal or surface structure in the nanometer length scale on which their properties depend. Organic, inorganic, and hybrid nanostructures find broad application across several areas of pharmaceutics and biomedicine. In particular, medicinal chemistry, drug delivery, and tissue engineering have benefited from the progress in such technologies. Considerable advances have characterized the recent application of nanostructured materials in medicine, from diagnostic biosensors to scaffolds for tissue engineering, without forgetting the high relevance in catalysis and biocatalysis applied to biology and chemical synthesis.

This Special Issue aims at the most recent advances in nanostructured material across chemistry and biology, including manufacturing and potential toxicity issues. Particular importance will be given to applications in medicinal chemistry and flow chemistry, targeted and local drug nanocarriers, nanostructured matrices for controlled release, biosensors, and functional nanomaterials and their biological relevance.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Pharmaceutics.

Prof. Dr. Stefano Giovagnoli
Prof. Dr. Alessandro Di Michele
Guest Editors

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

  • Nanostructured materials in medicinal chemistry
  • Nanomaterials and flow chemistry
  • Biofunctional nanomaterials
  • Nanostructured materials for catalysis
  • Nanostructured scaffolds for tissue engineering
  • Nanomaterials for local and targeted drug delivery
  • Nanostructured biosensors and diagnostic tools
  • Nanostructured scaffolds for biocatalysis
  • Nanostructured matrices for drug delivery
  • Nanostructured materials manufacturing
  • Nanomaterial toxicity
  • Nanomaterial functionalization and characterization
  • Nanomaterial structural analysis
  • Nanoparticles
  • Functional nanomaterials
  • Heterogenous catalysis
  • Biocatalysis
  • Flow chemistry
  • Biosensors
  • Diagnostics
  • Local and targeted drug delivery
  • Nanotoxicity
  • Nanostructured scaffolds

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 4526 KiB  
Article
Photolon Nanoporous Photoactive Material with Antibacterial Activity and Label-Free Noncontact Method for Free Radical Detection
by Igor Buzalewicz, Iwona Hołowacz, Anna K. Matczuk, Mateusz Guźniczak, Dominika Skrzela, Magdalena Karwańska, Alina Wieliczko, Katarzyna Kowal and Agnieszka Ulatowska-Jarża
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(1), 279; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23010279 - 28 Dec 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1633
Abstract
The worldwide increase in bacterial resistance and healthcare-associated bacterial infections pose a serious threat to human health. The antimicrobial photodynamic method reveals the opportunity for a new therapeutic approach that is based on the limited delivery of photosensitizer from the material surface. Nanoporous [...] Read more.
The worldwide increase in bacterial resistance and healthcare-associated bacterial infections pose a serious threat to human health. The antimicrobial photodynamic method reveals the opportunity for a new therapeutic approach that is based on the limited delivery of photosensitizer from the material surface. Nanoporous inorganic–organic composites were obtained by entrapment of photosensitizer Photolon in polysiloxanes that was prepared by the sol–gel method. The material was characterized by its porosity, optical properties (fluorescence and absorbance), and laser-induced antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli. The permanent encapsulation of Photolon in the silica coating and the antimicrobial efficiency was confirmed by confocal microscope and digital holotomography. The generation of free radicals from nanoporous surfaces was proved by scanning Kelvin probe microscopy. For the first time, it was confirmed that Kelvin probe microscopy can be a label-free, noncontact alternative to other conventional methods based on fluorescence or chemiluminescence probes, etc. It was confirmed that the proposed photoactive coating enables the antibacterial photodynamic effect based on free radicals released from the surface of the coating. The highest bactericidal efficiency of the proposed coating was 87.16%. This coating can selectively limit the multiplication of bacterial cells, while protecting the environment and reducing the risk of surface contamination. Full article
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19 pages, 3618 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Activity and Sustained Release of Protocatechuic Acid, a Natural Antibacterial Agent, from Hybrid Nanoformulations with Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles
by Khaled AbouAitah, Urszula Piotrowska, Jacek Wojnarowicz, Anna Swiderska-Sroda, Ahmed H. H. El-Desoky and Witold Lojkowski
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(10), 5287; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22105287 - 18 May 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2705
Abstract
Hybrid nanostructures can be developed with inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) such as zinc oxide (ZnO) and natural antibacterials. ZnO NPs can also exert antibacterial effects, and we used them here to examine their dual action in combination with a natural antibacterial agent, protocatechuic acid [...] Read more.
Hybrid nanostructures can be developed with inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) such as zinc oxide (ZnO) and natural antibacterials. ZnO NPs can also exert antibacterial effects, and we used them here to examine their dual action in combination with a natural antibacterial agent, protocatechuic acid (PCA). To produce hybrid nanoformulations, we functionalized ZnO NPs with four types of silane organic molecules and successfully linked them to PCA. Physicochemical assessment confirmed PCA content up to ~18% in hybrid nanoformulations, with a PCA entrapment efficiency of ~72%, indicating successful connection. We then investigated the in vitro release kinetics and antibacterial effects of the hybrid against Staphylococcus aureus. PCA release from hybrid nanoformulations varied with silane surface modification. Within 98 h, only 8% of the total encapsulated PCA was released, suggesting sustained long-term release. We used nanoformulation solutions collected at days 3, 5, and 7 by disc diffusion or log reduction to evaluate their antibacterial effect against S. aureus. The hybrid nanoformulation showed efficient antibacterial and bactericidal effects that also depended on the surface modification and at a lower minimum inhibition concentration compared with the separate components. A hybrid nanoformulation of the PCA prodrug and ZnO NPs offers effective sustained-release inhibition of S. aureus growth. Full article
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Review

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25 pages, 4827 KiB  
Review
Design and Development of Nanomaterial-Based Drug Carriers to Overcome the Blood–Brain Barrier by Using Different Transport Mechanisms
by Jisu Song, Chao Lu, Jerzy Leszek and Jin Zhang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(18), 10118; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms221810118 - 19 Sep 2021
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 4381
Abstract
Central nervous system (CNS) diseases are the leading causes of death and disabilities in the world. It is quite challenging to treat CNS diseases efficiently because of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). It is a physical barrier with tight junction proteins and high selectivity [...] Read more.
Central nervous system (CNS) diseases are the leading causes of death and disabilities in the world. It is quite challenging to treat CNS diseases efficiently because of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). It is a physical barrier with tight junction proteins and high selectivity to limit the substance transportation between the blood and neural tissues. Thus, it is important to understand BBB transport mechanisms for developing novel drug carriers to overcome the BBB. This paper introduces the structure of the BBB and its physiological transport mechanisms. Meanwhile, different strategies for crossing the BBB by using nanomaterial-based drug carriers are reviewed, including carrier-mediated, adsorptive-mediated, and receptor-mediated transcytosis. Since the viral-induced CNS diseases are associated with BBB breakdown, various neurotropic viruses and their mechanisms on BBB disruption are reviewed and discussed, which are considered as an alternative solution to overcome the BBB. Therefore, most recent studies on virus-mimicking nanocarriers for drug delivery to cross the BBB are also reviewed and discussed. On the other hand, the routes of administration of drug-loaded nanocarriers to the CNS have been reviewed. In sum, this paper reviews and discusses various strategies and routes of nano-formulated drug delivery systems across the BBB to the brain, which will contribute to the advanced diagnosis and treatment of CNS diseases. Full article
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38 pages, 2084 KiB  
Review
Striking Back against Fungal Infections: The Utilization of Nanosystems for Antifungal Strategies
by Wei Du, Yiru Gao, Li Liu, Sixiang Sai and Chen Ding
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(18), 10104; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms221810104 - 18 Sep 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 6221
Abstract
Fungal infections have become a major health concern, given that invasive infections by Candida, Cryptococcus, and Aspergillus species have led to millions of mortalities. Conventional antifungal drugs including polyenes, echinocandins, azoles, allylamins, and antimetabolites have been used for decades, but their limitations include [...] Read more.
Fungal infections have become a major health concern, given that invasive infections by Candida, Cryptococcus, and Aspergillus species have led to millions of mortalities. Conventional antifungal drugs including polyenes, echinocandins, azoles, allylamins, and antimetabolites have been used for decades, but their limitations include off-target toxicity, drug-resistance, poor water solubility, low bioavailability, and weak tissue penetration, which cannot be ignored. These drawbacks have led to the emergence of novel antifungal therapies. In this review, we discuss the nanosystems that are currently utilized for drug delivery and the application of antifungal therapies. Full article
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