Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
10.0
5.5
Journals
Pharmaceutics
Special Issues
Advanced Metal-Based Nano-Drug Delivery Systems for Antimicrobial Therapy
share announcement

Advanced Metal-Based Nano-Drug Delivery Systems for Antimicrobial Therapy

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Drug Delivery and Controlled Release".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 1063

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Manuel Pernia Leal

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Química Orgánica y Farmacéutica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Seville, Spain
Interests: nanosystems; magnetic NPs; MRI; diagnosis; cancer therapy.
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are excited to announce this Special Issue of Pharmaceutics, titled “Advanced Metal-Based Nano-Drug Delivery Systems for Antimicrobial Therapy”. This Special Issue aims to gather the latest contributions on the design and synthesis of nanosystems based on nanoparticles, micelles, or hydrogels as attractive and versatile platforms for drug delivery and antimicrobial applications.

In this Special Issue, we seek to address one of the major global challenges that medicine will face in the upcoming decades, i.e., antimicrobial resistance (AMR). We believe that therapies based on the combination of nanosystems and metals offer an innovative and versatile approach to combating AMR. This strategy is attracting great interest due to its uniquely sized nanomaterials with suitable properties and the promising antimicrobial activity of metals, such as Ag, Au, Pt, Ru, and Cu.

Therefore, this Special Issue is open for submission of original research articles and reviews that include, but are not limited to, the following topics: the development of drug delivery nanosystems, metal-based nanomaterials, metal-based drugs, controlled drug release, and antimicrobial activities of antibacterial agents.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Manuel Pernia Leal
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. Pharmaceutics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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

  • nanosystems
  • micelles
  • liposomes
  • nanoparticles
  • metal-based drugs
  • drug delivery
  • antimicrobial therapy

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

27 pages, 9862 KB  
Article
Post-Synthesis Modulation of the Physicochemical Properties of Green-Synthesized Iron Oxide Nanoparticles with Tween 80 to Enhance Their Antibacterial Activity and Biocompatibility
by Marwa R. Bakkar, Alaa M. Ali, Gehad E. Elkhouly, Nermeen R. Raya, Terry W. Bilverstone, Nicholas P. Chatterton, Gary R. McLean and Yasmin Abo-Zeid
Pharmaceutics 2025, 17(11), 1371; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17111371 - 23 Oct 2025
Viewed by 888
Abstract
Background: Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, with negligible potential for resistance development, excellent biocompatibility, and therefore, could be promising alternatives to conventional antimicrobials. However, their industrial-scale production relies on chemical synthesis that involves toxic reagents, imposing potential environmental hazards. [...] Read more.
Background: Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, with negligible potential for resistance development, excellent biocompatibility, and therefore, could be promising alternatives to conventional antimicrobials. However, their industrial-scale production relies on chemical synthesis that involves toxic reagents, imposing potential environmental hazards. In contrast, green synthesis offers an eco-friendly alternative, but our previous study found that green-synthesized IONPs (IONPs-G) exhibited a lower antibacterial activity and a higher cytotoxicity compared to chemically synthesized counterparts, likely due to nanoparticle aggregation. Objectives: To address this challenge, the current study presents a simple, effective, economic, scalable, and eco-friendly strategy to optimize the physicochemical properties of IONPs-G post-production without requiring extensive modifications to synthesis parameters. Methods: IONPs-G were dispersed in a solvent mixture containing Tween 80 (Tw80). Subsequently, in vitro antimicrobial and in vivo cytotoxicity studies on rabbits’ skin and eye were conducted. Results: The formed nanoparticles’ dispersion (IONPs-GTw80) had a particle size of 9.7 ± 2.1 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.111 ± 0.02, and a zeta potential of −11.4 ± 2.4 mV. MIC of IONPs-GTw80 values against S. aureus and E. coli were reduced by more than ten-fold compared to IONPs-G. MBC was twice MIC, confirming the bactericidal activity of IONPs-GTw80. In vivo studies of IONPs-GTw80 confirmed their biocompatibility with intact/abraded skin and eyes; this was further confirmed by histopathological and biochemical analyses. Conclusions: IONPs-GTw80 might be recommended as a disinfectant in healthcare settings or a topical antimicrobial agent for treatment of infected wounds. Nevertheless, further studies are required for their clinical translation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Metal-Based Nano-Drug Delivery Systems for Antimicrobial Therapy)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-1
Back to TopTop