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Nanomaterials for Advanced Biomedical Applications, 2nd Edition
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Nanomaterials for Advanced Biomedical Applications, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2025) | Viewed by 7328

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zyta M. Ziora

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
Interests: green synthesis; metal nanoparticles; antimicrobial agents; synergism; wound healing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ahmed M. Omer

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Polymer Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská Cesta 9, 845 41 Bratislava, Slovakia
Interests: nanomaterials; polymers; composite nanoparticles; metal oxides; drug delivery system; wound dressing; bioactive agents; antimicrobial; antioxidants

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over recent decades, there has been intense scientific interest in the discovery of various types of nanomaterials and their potential biomedical applications. One reason for this interest is that nanomaterials exhibit innovative, remarkable, and beneficial physical, chemical, and biological characteristics compared to conventional materials. Parameters that are central to these characteristics include nanostructure shape, particle size, surface charge, and surface area, because they affect the biocharacteristics and performance of nanomaterials. Current trends in the literature show that there is still a lack of research focusing on the production and formulation of nanomaterials, providing opportunities for future advanced medical and pharmaceutical applications.

Consequently, the Special Issue “Nanomaterials for Advanced Biomedical Applications, 2nd Edition” aims to showcase in-depth discussions of the most recent progress in nanomaterials, not only in the preparation methods/instruments and characterization tools but also in their promising biomedical applications. This Special Issue welcomes original research articles and reviews, with research topics covering all types of nanomaterial formulations for biomedical applications.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Novel methods for the synthesis of nanomaterials for biomedical applications;
  • Synthesis and characterization of composite-based nanomaterials for biomedical applications;
  • Green synthesis of metal nanoparticles and their biomedical applications;
  • Bio-active-agent-based nanomaterials;
  • Inorganic nanostructures, including nanoparticles, nanofibers, nanowires, nanorods, etc.;
  • Smart nanomaterials for biomedical applications;
  • Nanomaterials for tissue engineering and wound healing;
  • Nanomaterials for targeted and controlled drug delivery systems (DDSs);
  • Polymer nanocomposites for advanced biomedical applications;
  • Carbon-based nanomaterials for biomedical applications.

Dr. Zyta M. Ziora
Dr. Ahmed M. Omer
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. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). 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
  • wound healing
  • drug delivery
  • tissue regeneration
  • bioactive nanoparticles
  • polymeric nanocomposites

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2948 KiB  
Article
Are Black Phosphorus Hydrogels Antimicrobial Without Photonic Activation?
by Leon D. Pope, Shreehari Kodakkat, Aaron Elbourne, Peter C. Sherrell, Nhiem Tran and Kate Fox
Molecules 2025, 30(11), 2292; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30112292 - 23 May 2025
Viewed by 45
Abstract
Black phosphorus (BP) nanoflakes have attracted interest as an antimicrobial material for wound healing and implant-associated infections due to their bactericidal activity without the use of antibiotics. Hydrogels are frequently used as a delivery system; however, most research uses photonic activation in the [...] Read more.
Black phosphorus (BP) nanoflakes have attracted interest as an antimicrobial material for wound healing and implant-associated infections due to their bactericidal activity without the use of antibiotics. Hydrogels are frequently used as a delivery system; however, most research uses photonic activation in the form of near-infrared (NIR) laser stimulation to cause rapid BP degradation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and a localized photothermal effect. For implant-coating applications, using NIR laser stimulation could be challenging in practice, especially for porous orthopedic implants. This article investigates whether BP nanoflakes, suspended in Pluronic F127 (F127) hydrogels, remain effective against Staphylococcus aureus without photonic activation. The experimental results showed 89.4 ± 7.6% bacterial inhibition from BP nanoflakes at a 5120 µg/mL concentration via passive diffusion in F127; however, it could not kill all the bacteria present. It is hypothesized that the F127 gel interface could create a barrier between the bacteria, which continue to multiply in media, and the antimicrobial black phosphorus compound, which degrades in the F127. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Advanced Biomedical Applications, 2nd Edition)
13 pages, 4571 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of PAMAM Dendrimer-Stabilized Gold Nanoparticles: Two-Stage Procedure Synthesis and Toxicity Assessment in MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells
by Agnieszka Maria Kołodziejczyk, Magdalena Grala and Łukasz Kołodziejczyk
Molecules 2025, 30(9), 2024; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30092024 - 2 May 2025
Viewed by 376
Abstract
Gold nanoparticles stabilized with polyamidoamine dendrimers are one of the potential candidates for use as a contrast agent in computed tomography and a drug delivery agent. This work demonstrates a rapid, two-step synthesis of such complexes, which are size-stable for up to 18 [...] Read more.
Gold nanoparticles stabilized with polyamidoamine dendrimers are one of the potential candidates for use as a contrast agent in computed tomography and a drug delivery agent. This work demonstrates a rapid, two-step synthesis of such complexes, which are size-stable for up to 18 months. The first step of the synthesis involves a short sonication of gold (III) chloride hydrate with polyamidoamine dendrimers of the fourth generation, while the second step uses microwaves to reduce gold (III) chloride hydrate with sodium citrate. The developed synthesis method enables rapid production of spherical and monodisperse gold nanoparticles stabilized with polyamidoamine dendrimers. Physicochemical characterization of the gold nanoparticle-polyamidoamine dendrimers complexes was performed using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering technique, infrared spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The toxicity of synthesized complexes on the breast cancer MCF-7 cell line has been studied using the tetrazolium salt reduction test. The produced gold nanoparticles revealed lower toxicity levels on the MCF-7 cell line after 18 months from synthesis compared with newly synthesized colloids. Synthesized gold nanoparticles stabilized with dendrimers and commercially available gold nanoparticles stabilized with sodium citrate show similar toxicity levels on breast cancer cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Advanced Biomedical Applications, 2nd Edition)
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11 pages, 2737 KiB  
Article
Metal–Organic Framework (MOF)-Embedded Magnetic Polysaccharide Hydrogel Beads as Efficient Adsorbents for Malachite Green Removal
by Lei Cheng, Yunzhu Lu, Peiyi Li, Baoguo Sun and Lidong Wu
Molecules 2025, 30(7), 1560; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30071560 - 31 Mar 2025
Viewed by 386
Abstract
Sodium alginate is a polysaccharide compound extracted from natural plants that has been successfully prepared as a hydrogel for adsorbing and removing pollutants. However, the selectivity of alginate-based hydrogels to malachite green (MG) dyes and the stability of alginate-based hydrogels in air cannot [...] Read more.
Sodium alginate is a polysaccharide compound extracted from natural plants that has been successfully prepared as a hydrogel for adsorbing and removing pollutants. However, the selectivity of alginate-based hydrogels to malachite green (MG) dyes and the stability of alginate-based hydrogels in air cannot meet requirements. Herein, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are embedded into a magnetic hydrogel to create magnetic MOF hydrogel (MMOF hydrogel) microspheres with high adsorption capacity. The morphology and physical properties of the MMOF hydrogel microspheres were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy. Under optimized adsorption conditions, the adsorption rate of MG reached 96.5%. The maximum adsorption capacity of the MMOF hydrogel for MG was determined to be 315 mg·g−1. This highly efficient magnetic adsorbent for dye removal has considerable potential for rapidly removing toxic contaminants from aquatic food matrices for high-throughput sampling pretreatment, which has the potential for rapid, green, large-scale environmental remediation in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Advanced Biomedical Applications, 2nd Edition)
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13 pages, 4131 KiB  
Article
In Situ Preparation of Chlorine-Regenerable Antimicrobial Polymer Molecular Sieve Membranes
by Yu Zhang, Yiduo Qian, Yuheng Wen, Qiudi Gui, Yixin Xu, Xiuhong Lu, Li Zhang and Wenliang Song
Molecules 2024, 29(13), 2980; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29132980 - 23 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1277
Abstract
Microbial contamination has profoundly impacted human health, and the effective eradication of widespread microbial issues is essential for addressing serious hygiene concerns. Taking polystyrene (PS) membrane as an example, we herein developed report a robust strategy for the in situ preparation of chlorine-regenerable [...] Read more.
Microbial contamination has profoundly impacted human health, and the effective eradication of widespread microbial issues is essential for addressing serious hygiene concerns. Taking polystyrene (PS) membrane as an example, we herein developed report a robust strategy for the in situ preparation of chlorine-regenerable antimicrobial polymer molecular sieve membranes through combining post-crosslinking and nucleophilic substitution reaction. The cross-linking PS membranes underwent a reaction with 5,5-dimethylhydantoin (DMH), leading to the formation of polymeric N-halamine precursors (PS-DMH). These hydantoinyl groups within PS-DMH were then efficiently converted into biocidal N-halamine structures (PS-DMH-Cl) via a simple chlorination process. ATR-FTIR and XPS spectra were recorded to confirm the chemical composition of the as-prepared PS-DMH-Cl membranes. SEM analyses revealed that the chlorinated PS-DMH-Cl membranes displayed a rough surface with a multitude of humps. The effect of chlorination temperature and time on the oxidative chlorine content in the PS-DMH-Cl membranes was systematically studied. The antimicrobial assays demonstrated that the PS-DMH-Cl membranes could achieve a 6-log inactivation of E. coli and S. aureus within just 4 min of contact time. Additionally, the resulting PS-DMH-Cl membranes exhibited excellent stability and regenerability of the oxidative chlorine content. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Advanced Biomedical Applications, 2nd Edition)
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Review

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35 pages, 4008 KiB  
Review
Potential of the Nano-Encapsulation of Antioxidant Molecules in Wound Healing Applications: An Innovative Strategy to Enhance the Bio-Profile
by Supandeep Singh Hallan, Francesca Ferrara, Rita Cortesi and Maddalena Sguizzato
Molecules 2025, 30(3), 641; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30030641 - 31 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1372
Abstract
Naturally available antioxidants offer remarkable medicinal applications in wound healing. However, the encapsulation of these phytoactive moieties into suitable nano-scale drug delivery systems has always been challenging due to their inherent characteristics, such as low molecular weight, poor aqueous solubility, and inadequate skin [...] Read more.
Naturally available antioxidants offer remarkable medicinal applications in wound healing. However, the encapsulation of these phytoactive moieties into suitable nano-scale drug delivery systems has always been challenging due to their inherent characteristics, such as low molecular weight, poor aqueous solubility, and inadequate skin permeability. Here, we provide a systematic review focusing on the major obstacles hindering the development of various lipid and polymer-based drug transporters to carry these cargos to the targeted site. Additionally, this review covers the possibility of combining the effects of a polymer and a lipid within one system, which could increase the skin permeability threshold. Moreover, the lack of suitable physical characterization techniques and the challenges associated with scaling up the progression of these nano-carriers limit their utility in biomedical applications. In this context, consistent progressive approaches for addressing these shortcomings are introduced, and their prospects are discussed in detail. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Advanced Biomedical Applications, 2nd Edition)
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23 pages, 3033 KiB  
Review
Recent Advancements in Metallic Au- and Ag-Based Chitosan Nanocomposite Derivatives for Enhanced Anticancer Drug Delivery
by Mahmoud A. El-Meligy, Eman M. Abd El-Monaem, Abdelazeem S. Eltaweil, Mohamed S. Mohy-Eldin, Zyta M. Ziora, Abolfazl Heydari and Ahmed M. Omer
Molecules 2024, 29(10), 2393; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29102393 - 19 May 2024
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2828
Abstract
The rapid advancements in nanotechnology in the field of nanomedicine have the potential to significantly enhance therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment. There is considerable promise for enhancing the efficacy of cancer therapy through the manufacture of innovative nanocomposite materials. Metallic nanoparticles have been [...] Read more.
The rapid advancements in nanotechnology in the field of nanomedicine have the potential to significantly enhance therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment. There is considerable promise for enhancing the efficacy of cancer therapy through the manufacture of innovative nanocomposite materials. Metallic nanoparticles have been found to enhance the release of anticancer medications that are loaded onto them, resulting in a sustained release, hence reducing the dosage required for drug administration and preventing their buildup in healthy cells. The combination of nanotechnology with biocompatible materials offers new prospects for the development of advanced therapies that exhibit enhanced selectivity, reduced adverse effects, and improved patient outcomes. Chitosan (CS), a polysaccharide possessing distinct physicochemical properties, exhibits favorable attributes for controlled drug delivery due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability. Chitosan nanocomposites exhibit heightened stability, improved biocompatibility, and prolonged release characteristics for anticancer medicines. The incorporation of gold (Au) nanoparticles into the chitosan nanocomposite results in the manifestation of photothermal characteristics, whereas the inclusion of silver (Ag) nanoparticles boosts the antibacterial capabilities of the synthesized nanocomposite. The objective of this review is to investigate the recent progress in the utilization of Ag and Au nanoparticles, or a combination thereof, within a chitosan matrix or its modified derivatives for the purpose of anticancer drug delivery. The research findings for the potential of a chitosan nanocomposite to deliver various anticancer drugs, such as doxorubicin, 5-Fluroacil, curcumin, paclitaxel, and 6-mercaptopurine, were investigated. Moreover, various modifications carried out on the chitosan matrix phase and the nanocomposite surfaces to enhance targeting selectivity, loading efficiency, and pH sensitivity were highlighted. In addition, challenges and perspectives that could motivate further research related to the applications of chitosan nanocomposites in cancer therapy were summarized. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Advanced Biomedical Applications, 2nd Edition)
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