Nanostructured Materials for Biological and Pharmaceutical Applications (Second Edition)

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Biology and Medicines".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2024 | Viewed by 617

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, NCSR Demokritos, Aghia Paraskevi 15310, Greece
Interests: functional liposomes; functional dendritic polymers; carbon-based nanostructured materials; nano-sized drug delivery systems; drug targeting; triggered drug release; antibacterial agents
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The present Special Issue is a continuation of the previous successful Special Issue, titled “Nanostructured Materials for Biological and Pharmaceutical Applications” (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/nanomaterials/special_issues/nano_bio_pharmaceutical), hosted by this editor.

Nanotechnology is an emerging field that encompasses the manipulation of matter at the nanometer scale, leading to a new class of materials with improved properties for a wide range of applications. Concerning terminology, nanotechnology can be characterized as science and engineering that deals with the design, synthesis, characterization, and application of materials and devices with at least one dimension on the nanometer scale. Currently, nanomedicine, which is related to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of various diseases using tools at the nanoscale, and biomedical engineering are among the most promising and challenging fields involved in the application of nanostructured materials. Nanostructured materials, including inorganic or organic, crystalline or amorphous, and supramolecular structures such as micelles, liposomes, polymersomes, dendrimers, cyclodextrins, polymeric, metal and metal oxide nanoparticles, lipid and polymeric nanocapsules, carbon nanostructures, quantum dots, etc., have been used in a wide variety of biological and pharmaceutical applications due to their excellent structural properties and their ability to be functionalized with specific ligands, achieving controllable size and shape, enhanced targetability, high loading capacity, controlled release of drugs or other bioactive molecules, etc. Although various types of nanostructured materials have been developed and proposed for potential biological applications, only a handful have been approved due to concerns and challenges they face in biocompatibility, pharmacokinetics, and in vivo targeting efficacy. Therefore, there is still room for improvement, as some aspects such as cytotoxicity, immunogenicity, and low biocompatibility need to be addressed in a more extensive manner.

The aim of this Special Issue is to highlight recent advances in all aspects relevant to the design, synthesis, and characterization of nanostructured materials for intended applications such as drug and gene delivery systems, stimulus-responsive therapeutics, bioimaging agents, bioanalytical diagnostics, theranostics, tissue engineering scaffolds and devices, antibacterial agents, etc. This Special Issue of Nanomaterials will collate original high-quality research papers focused on the most recent advances and comprehensive reviews addressing state-of-the-art topics in the field of various nanostructured materials for biological and pharmaceutical applications.

Dr. Zili Sideratou
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. Nanomaterials 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 2900 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

  • nanostructured materials
  • drug and gene delivery systems
  • stimuli-responsive therapeutics
  • bioimaging agents
  • bio-analytical diagnostics
  • theranostics
  • antibacterial/antimicrobial/antiviral agents
  • drug targeting
  • triggered drug release

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 18368 KiB  
Article
Development of Biologically Active Phytosynthesized Silver Nanoparticles Using Marrubium vulgare L. Extracts: Applications and Cytotoxicity Studies
by Alina Ioana Lupuliasa, Răzvan Mihai Prisada, Roxana Ioana Matei (Brazdis), Sorin Marius Avramescu, Bogdan Ștefan Vasile, Radu Claudiu Fierascu, Irina Fierascu, Bianca Voicu-Bălașea, Marina Meleșcanu Imre, Silviu-Mirel Pițuru, Valentina Anuța and Cristina Elena Dinu-Pîrvu
Nanomaterials 2024, 14(10), 895; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14100895 - 20 May 2024
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Abstract
Metal nanoparticle phytosynthesis has become, in recent decades, one of the most promising alternatives for the development of nanomaterials using “green chemistry” methods. The present work describes, for the first time in the literature, the phytosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using extracts obtained [...] Read more.
Metal nanoparticle phytosynthesis has become, in recent decades, one of the most promising alternatives for the development of nanomaterials using “green chemistry” methods. The present work describes, for the first time in the literature, the phytosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using extracts obtained by two methods using the aerial parts of Marrubium vulgare L. The extracts (obtained by classical temperature extraction and microwave-assisted extraction) were characterized in terms of total phenolics content and by HPLC analysis, while the phytosynthesis process was confirmed using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, the results suggesting that the classical method led to the obtaining of smaller-dimension AgNPs (average diameter under 15 nm by TEM). In terms of biological properties, the study confirmed that AgNPs as well as the M. vulgare crude extracts reduced the viability of human gingival fibroblasts in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, with microwave-assisted extracts having the more pronounced effects. Additionally, the study unveiled that AgNPs transiently increased nitric oxide levels which then decreased over time, thus offering valuable insights into their potential therapeutic use and safety profile. Full article
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