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
Biomedical Applications of Nanocarriers in Targeted Delivery of Bioactive Compounds
share announcement

Biomedical Applications of Nanocarriers in Targeted Delivery of Bioactive Compounds

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 3319

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. João Paulo Fabi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food Science and Experimental Nutrition, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508000, Brazil
Interests: anticancer; colon cancer; bioactive compounds; nanoparticles; nanotechnology; pectin; bioactive polysaccharides.
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Thiécla Katiane Osvaldt Rosales

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food Science and Experimental Nutrition, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508000, Brazil
Interests: colon cancer; bioavaivalability; bioactive compounds; nanotechnology; polyphenolic compounds; polysaccharides; targeted delivery

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to explore the innovative use of nanocarriers in drug delivery systems, emphasizing their potential to improve the bioavailability, stability, and controlled release of bioactive compounds. Nanocarriers, such as liposomes, nanoparticles, dendrimers, and micelles, are engineered to encapsulate therapeutic agents and deliver them specifically to targeted sites, minimizing off-target effects and enhancing therapeutic efficacy. This Special Issue focuses on designing, characterizing, and functionalizing nanocarriers to deliver various bioactive compounds, including natural compounds, such as carotenoids, polyphenolic compounds, terpenes, peptides, and proteins. The research included in this Special Issue should also investigate advances in targeting strategies, such as ligand–receptor interactions, surface modifications, stimuli-responsive delivery systems, biomaterials, and methodologies. Emphasis is placed on overcoming challenges related to oral administration, absorption, biodistribution, toxicity, and immune responses. The goal is to provide a comprehensive understanding of how nanocarriers can revolutionize treatment regimens in diseases like cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders, and infections, thus advancing pharmaceutical sciences and precision medicine.

Prof. Dr. João Paulo Fabi
Dr. Thiécla Katiane Osvaldt Rosales
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. 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

  • absorption
  • bioavailability
  • bioactive compounds
  • drug delivery systems
  • nanoencapsulation
  • nanomaterials
  • nanocarrier systems
  • natural compounds
  • oral administration
  • precision therapy
  • targeted delivery

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 (2 papers)

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

Research

Jump to: Review

15 pages, 1908 KB  
Article
Surface Functionalized Polyhydroxyalkanoate Nanoparticles via SpyTag–SpyCatcher System for Targeted Breast Cancer Treatment
by Jin Young Heo, Min Kyung Sung, Seonhye Jang, Hansol Kim, Youngdo Jeong, Dong-Jin Jang, Sang-Jae Lee, Seong-Bo Kim and Sung Tae Kim
Pharmaceutics 2025, 17(6), 721; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17060721 - 29 May 2025
Viewed by 759
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Biodegradable polymers have emerged as promising platforms for drug delivery. Produced by microbiomes, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) offer excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and environmental sustainability. In this study, we report the surface functionalization of PHA-based nanoparticles (NPs) using the SpyTag–SpyCatcher system to enhance cellular uptake. [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Biodegradable polymers have emerged as promising platforms for drug delivery. Produced by microbiomes, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) offer excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and environmental sustainability. In this study, we report the surface functionalization of PHA-based nanoparticles (NPs) using the SpyTag–SpyCatcher system to enhance cellular uptake. Methods: Initial conjugation with mEGFP-SpyTag enabled visualization, followed by decoration with HER2-specific Affibody-SpyCatcher and/or TAT-SpyCatcher peptides. The prepared NPs retained a diameter of <200 nm and a negatively charged surface. Results: Affibody-functionalized NPs significantly enhanced internalization and cytotoxicity in HER2-overexpressing SK-BR-3 cells, whereas TAT-functionalized NPs promoted uptake across various cell types, independently of HER2 expression. Dual-functionalized NPs exhibited synergistic or attenuated effects based on the HER2 expression levels, highlighting the critical role of ligand composition in targeted delivery. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate that the SpyTag–SpyCatcher-mediated surface engineering of PHA NPs offers a modular and robust strategy for active targeting in nanomedicine. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomedical Applications of Nanocarriers in Targeted Delivery of Bioactive Compounds)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Research

30 pages, 3428 KB  
Review
Lipid-Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticles as a Smart Drug Delivery System for Peptide/Protein Delivery
by Alharith A. A. Hassan, Eslam Ramadan, Katalin Kristó, Géza Regdon, Jr. and Tamás Sovány
Pharmaceutics 2025, 17(6), 797; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17060797 - 19 Jun 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2162
Abstract
The efficient oral delivery of therapeutic proteins and peptides poses a tremendous challenge due to their inherent instability, large molecular size, and susceptibility to enzymatic degradation. Several nanocarrier systems, such as liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, and polymeric nanoparticles, have been explored to overcome [...] Read more.
The efficient oral delivery of therapeutic proteins and peptides poses a tremendous challenge due to their inherent instability, large molecular size, and susceptibility to enzymatic degradation. Several nanocarrier systems, such as liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, and polymeric nanoparticles, have been explored to overcome these problems. Liposomes and other lipid-based nanocarriers show excellent biocompatibility and the ability to encapsulate hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs; however, they often suffer from poor structural stability, premature leakage of the loaded drugs, and poor encapsulation efficiency for macromolecular peptides and proteins. On the other hand, polymeric nanoparticles are more stable and allow better control over drug release; nevertheless, they usually lack the necessary biocompatibility and cellular uptake efficiency. Recently, lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (LPHNs) have emerged as an advanced solution combining the structural stability of polymers and the biocompatibility and surface functionalities of lipids to enhance the controlled release, stability, and bioavailability of protein and peptide drugs. In this review, an attempt was made to set a clear definition of the LPHNs and extend the concept and area, so to our knowledge, this is the first review that highlights six categories of the LPHNs based on their anatomy. Moreover, this review offers a detailed analysis of LPHN preparation methods, including conventional and nonconventional one-step and two-step processes, nanoprecipitation, microfluidic mixing, and emulsification methods. Moreover, the material attributes and critical process parameters affecting the output of the preparation methods were illustrated with supporting examples to enable researchers to select the suitable preparation method, excipients, and parameters to be manipulated to get the LPHNs with the predetermined quality. The number of reviews focusing on the formulation of peptide/protein pharmaceutics usually focus on a specific drug like insulin. To our knowledge, this is the first review that generally discusses LPHN-based delivery of biopharmaceuticals. by discussing representative examples of previous reports comparing them to a variety of nanocarrier systems to show the potentiality of the LPHNs to deliver peptides and proteins. Moreover, some ideas and suggestions were proposed by the authors to tackle some of the shortcomings highlighted in these studies. By presenting this comprehensive overview of LPHN preparation strategies and critically analyzing literature studies on this topic and pointing out their strong and weak points, this review has shown the gaps and enlightened avenues for future research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomedical Applications of Nanocarriers in Targeted Delivery of Bioactive Compounds)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop