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Pharmaceutics
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Functional Nanomaterials in Pharmaceutics: Current Uses and Potential Applications
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Functional Nanomaterials in Pharmaceutics: Current Uses and Potential Applications

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanomedicine and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 July 2025 | Viewed by 7585

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Claudiu Morgovan

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Medicine, Lucian Blaga University, 2A, Lucian Blaga Str., 550169 Sibiu, Romania
Interests: pharmacology; drug safety; antimicrobial resistance; drug efficacy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Adina Frum

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Guest Editor
Preclinical Department, Faculty of Medicine, “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, 2A Lucian Blaga St., 550169 Sibiu, Romania
Interests: natural products; phytochemical analyses; antioxidants; polyphenols; environmental sciences; dendrimers; drug delivery; nutrivigilance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Anca Butuca

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Guest Editor
Preclinical Department, Faculty of Medicine, “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, 2A Lucian Blaga St., 550169 Sibiu, Romania
Interests: natural products; drug delivery; dendrimers; analytical methods; antioxidants; pharmacovigilance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The complexity of some diseases as well as the intrinsic toxicity of some drugs have sparked interest in the innovation and improvement of drug delivery agents like nanomaterials. Due to their unique potential and flexibility, they are attracting significant interest from scientists in terms of addressing the delivery of drugs with low solubility, high toxicity, and low bioavailability.

Nanotechnology is currently essential for the biomedical sector because it can contribute to targeted drug delivery by using nanomaterials as a transport vehicle for active substances.

Nanomedicines are molecular systems that allow the encapsulation of several different components obtained at a nanoscopic scale in order to optimize drug delivery.

Currently, the use of nanoparticles has a wide applicability in diagnostics and in the distribution of drugs, which allow the minimization of adverse reactions, the faster absorption of drugs, and targeted action at the level of specific cells or organs while simultaneously obtaining the desired results.

In the present Special Issue, we invite authors to send their manuscripts covering aspects from the entire field, such as synthesis, characterization methods, molecular simulations, regulatory, biological or clinical studies, potential applications in biomedicine, pharmacokinetics improvement, safety, toxicity reduction, etc.

Dr. Claudiu Morgovan
Dr. Adina Frum
Dr. Anca Butuca
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

  • nanomaterials
  • nanotechnology
  • nanocarriers
  • nanoparticles
  • bioavailability
  • drug delivery systems
  • targeted drug delivery
  • formulation
  • drug development
  • drug safety
  • toxicity

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 6552 KiB  
Article
Comprehensive Aerodynamic and Physicochemical Stability Evaluations of Nanocrystal-Based Dry Powder Inhalers: The Role of Mannitol and Leucine in Enhancing Performance
by Heba Banat, Attila Nagy, Árpád Farkas, Rita Ambrus and Ildikó Csóka
Pharmaceutics 2025, 17(4), 436; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17040436 - 28 Mar 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 321
Abstract
Background: Nanocrystals, a carrier-free nanotechnology, offer significant advantages for pulmonary drug delivery by enhancing the dissolution and solubility of poorly soluble drugs while maintaining favorable biological properties and low toxicity. This study aims to investigate the aerodynamic performance and stability of nanocrystal-based [...] Read more.
Background: Nanocrystals, a carrier-free nanotechnology, offer significant advantages for pulmonary drug delivery by enhancing the dissolution and solubility of poorly soluble drugs while maintaining favorable biological properties and low toxicity. This study aims to investigate the aerodynamic performance and stability of nanocrystal-based dry powders (NC-DPs). Methods: Nanocrystalline suspensions were produced via wet media milling and subjected to stability studies before undergoing nano spray drying. A factorial design was employed to optimize the process parameters. The influence of mannitol and leucine, individually and in combination, was evaluated in terms of aerodynamic properties (Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS), in silico modeling) and the physicochemical stability at room temperature (in a desiccator) and accelerated conditions (40 ± 2 °C, 75 ± 5% relative humidity). Results: APS analysis revealed that leucine-containing powders (K-NC-Ls) exhibited the smallest median (1.357 µm) and geometric mean (1.335 µm) particle sizes, enhancing dispersibility. However, in silico results indicated the highest exhaled fraction for K-NC-L, highlighting the need for optimized excipient selection. Although mannitol showed the lowest exhaled fraction, it was mainly deposited in the extra-thoracic region in silico. The mannitol/leucine combination (K-NC-ML) revealed a low exhaled fraction and high lung deposition in silico. Also, K-NC-ML demonstrated superior stability, with a 6% reduction in D[0.5] and a 5% decrease in span overtime. Furthermore, no significant changes in crystallinity, thermal behavior, drug release, or mass median aerodynamic diameter were observed under stress conditions. Conclusions: These findings confirm that combined incorporation of mannitol and leucine in NC-DP formulations enhances stability and aerodynamic performance, making it a promising approach for pulmonary drug delivery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanomaterials in Pharmaceutics: Current Uses and Potential Applications)
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14 pages, 5937 KiB  
Article
Curcumin Microemulsions: Influence of Compositions on the Dermal Penetration Efficacy
by Muzn Alkhaldi, Soma Sengupta and Cornelia M. Keck
Pharmaceutics 2025, 17(3), 301; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17030301 - 25 Feb 2025
Viewed by 431
Abstract
Background/Objective: This study provided a comparison of the influence of each component of the microemulsion formulation and investigated the impact of varying concentrations of the microemulsion components on curcumin’s ability to penetrate the skin using an ex vivo porcine ear model. Methods [...] Read more.
Background/Objective: This study provided a comparison of the influence of each component of the microemulsion formulation and investigated the impact of varying concentrations of the microemulsion components on curcumin’s ability to penetrate the skin using an ex vivo porcine ear model. Methods: Curcumin microemulsions with different compositions were prepared and analyzed for their physicochemical properties. The dermal penetration efficacy of curcumin was evaluated from the different formulations and compared with non-microemulsion formulations. Results: Findings proved that microemulsion formulations improve the dermal penetration efficacy for curcumin when compared with non-microemulsion formulations. The composition of the microemulsion affects the penetration efficacy of curcumin and increases with decreasing oil content and increasing surfactant and water content. The best penetration for curcumin is achieved with a microemulsion that contained 7.7 g of medium-chain triglycerides as the oil phase, 6.92 g of Tween® 80 and 62.28 g of ethanol as the surfactant mixture, and 23.1 g water. Conclusions: The present study provides a foundational basis for further development of different microemulsion formulations for enhancing the dermal penetration of poorly water-soluble active compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanomaterials in Pharmaceutics: Current Uses and Potential Applications)
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26 pages, 7186 KiB  
Article
Biomedical Application Prospects of Gadolinium Oxide Nanoparticles for Regenerative Medicine
by Ekaterina V. Silina, Natalia E. Manturova, Elena L. Chuvilina, Akhmedali A. Gasanov, Olga I. Andreeva, Maksim A. Pugachevskii, Aleksey V. Kochura, Alexey A. Kryukov, Yulia G. Suzdaltseva and Victor A. Stupin
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(12), 1627; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16121627 - 23 Dec 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1025
Abstract
Background/Objectives: The aim was to study the possibilities of biomedical application of gadolinium oxide nanoparticles (Gd2O3 NPs) synthesized under industrial conditions, and evaluate their physicochemical properties, redox activity, biological activity, and safety using different human cell lines. Methods: The powder [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: The aim was to study the possibilities of biomedical application of gadolinium oxide nanoparticles (Gd2O3 NPs) synthesized under industrial conditions, and evaluate their physicochemical properties, redox activity, biological activity, and safety using different human cell lines. Methods: The powder of Gd2O3 NPs was obtained by a process of thermal decomposition of gadolinium carbonate precipitated from nitrate solution, and was studied using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray analyzer (EDX). The redox activity of different concentrations of Gd2O3 NPs was studied by the optical spectroscopy (OS) method in the photochemical degradation process of methylene blue dye upon irradiation with an optical source. Biological activity was studied on different human cell lines (keratinocytes, fibroblasts, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)) with evaluation of the effect of a wide range of Gd2O3 NP concentrations on metabolic and proliferative cellular activity (MTT test, direct cell counting, dead cell assessment, and visual assessment of cytoarchitectonics). The test of migration activity assessment on a model wound was performed on MSC culture. Results: According to TEM data, the size of the NPs was in the range of 2–43 nm, with an average of 20 nm. XRD analysis revealed that the f Gd2O3 nanoparticles had a cubic structure (C-form) of Gd2O3 (Ia3)¯ with lattice parameter a = 10.79(9) Å. Raman spectroscopy showed that the f Gd2O3 nanoparticles had a high degree of crystallinity. By investigating the photooxidative degradation of methylene blue dye in the presence of f Gd2O3 NPs under red light irradiation, it was found that f Gd2O3 nanoparticles showed weak antioxidant activity, which depended on the particle content in the solution. At a concentration of 10−3 M, the highest antioxidant activity of f Gd2O3 nanoparticles was observed when the reaction rate constant of dye photodegradation decreased by 5.5% to 9.4 × 10−3 min−1. When the concentration of f Gd2O3 NPs in solution was increased to 10−2 M upon irradiation with a red light source, their antioxidant activity changed to pro-oxidant activity, accompanied by a 15% increase in the reaction rate of methylene blue degradation. Studies on cell lines showed a high level of safety and regenerative potential of Gd2O3 NPs, which stimulated fibroblast metabolism at a concentration of 10−3 M (27% enhancement), stimulated keratinocyte metabolism at concentrations of 10−3 M–10−5 M, and enhanced keratinocyte proliferation by an average of 35% at concentrations of 10−4 M. Furthermore, it accelerated the migration of MSCs, enhancing their proliferation, and promoting the healing of the model wound. Conclusions: The results of the study demonstrated the safety and regenerative potential of redox-active Gd2O3 NPs towards different cell lines. This may be the basis for further research to develop nanomaterials based on Gd2O3 NPs for skin wound healing and in regenerative medicine generally. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanomaterials in Pharmaceutics: Current Uses and Potential Applications)
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Review

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28 pages, 3411 KiB  
Review
Clinical Applications of Targeted Nanomaterials
by Ankesh Kumar, SK Shahvej, Pankaj Yadav, Unnati Modi, Amit K. Yadav, Raghu Solanki and Dhiraj Bhatia
Pharmaceutics 2025, 17(3), 379; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17030379 - 17 Mar 2025
Viewed by 1756
Abstract
Targeted nanomaterials are at the forefront of advancements in nanomedicine due to their unique and versatile properties. These include nanoscale size, shape, surface chemistry, mechanical flexibility, fluorescence, optical behavior, magnetic and electronic characteristics, as well as biocompatibility and biodegradability. These attributes enable their [...] Read more.
Targeted nanomaterials are at the forefront of advancements in nanomedicine due to their unique and versatile properties. These include nanoscale size, shape, surface chemistry, mechanical flexibility, fluorescence, optical behavior, magnetic and electronic characteristics, as well as biocompatibility and biodegradability. These attributes enable their application across diverse fields, including drug delivery. This review explores the fundamental characteristics of nanomaterials and emphasizes their importance in clinical applications. It further delves into methodologies for nanoparticle programming alongside discussions on clinical trials and case studies. We discussed some of the promising nanomaterials, such as polymeric nanoparticles, carbon-based nanoparticles, and metallic nanoparticles, and their role in biomedical applications. This review underscores significant advancements in translating nanomaterials into clinical applications and highlights the potential of these innovative approaches in revolutionizing the medical field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanomaterials in Pharmaceutics: Current Uses and Potential Applications)
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24 pages, 12250 KiB  
Review
Nanomedicine Approaches for Intervertebral Disc Regeneration: From Bench to Bedside
by Yifan Ding, Fan Li, Yunyun Wang, Weizhen Pan, Xiangning Fu and Songwei Tan
Pharmaceutics 2025, 17(3), 313; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17030313 - 28 Feb 2025
Viewed by 727
Abstract
Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a leading cause of low back pain (LBP) and neurological dysfunction, contributing significantly to disability-adjusted life years globally. The progression of IDD is driven by excessive oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and fibrosis, which disrupt the balance between anabolic [...] Read more.
Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a leading cause of low back pain (LBP) and neurological dysfunction, contributing significantly to disability-adjusted life years globally. The progression of IDD is driven by excessive oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and fibrosis, which disrupt the balance between anabolic and catabolic processes, leading to extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation and IDD. Current treatment options, such as conservative therapy and surgical intervention, are limited in halting the disease progression and often exacerbate degeneration in adjacent discs. This review highlights the challenges in treating IDD, particularly due to the limited drug delivery efficiency to the intervertebral disc (IVD). It explores the potential of nanobiomedicine and various nanomaterial-based delivery systems, including nanoparticles, microspheres, gene-nanocomplexes, fullerene, exosomes, and nanomaterial-composite hydrogels. These advanced delivery systems can enhance targeted drug delivery, improve local drug concentration, and sustain drug retention within the IVD, offering promising therapeutic strategies to address IDD. The review also examines the therapeutic effects of these nanomaterials on IDD, focusing on their impact on metabolism, inflammation, apoptosis, fibrosis, and stem cell migration and differentiation, aiming to provide innovative strategies for intervertebral disc regeneration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanomaterials in Pharmaceutics: Current Uses and Potential Applications)
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48 pages, 8840 KiB  
Review
Advances in Drug Targeting, Drug Delivery, and Nanotechnology Applications: Therapeutic Significance in Cancer Treatment
by Fatih Ciftci, Ali Can Özarslan, İmran Cagri Kantarci, Aslihan Yelkenci, Ozlem Tavukcuoglu and Mansour Ghorbanpour
Pharmaceutics 2025, 17(1), 121; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17010121 - 16 Jan 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2315
Abstract
In the 21st century, thanks to advances in biotechnology and developing pharmaceutical technology, significant progress is being made in effective drug design. Drug targeting aims to ensure that the drug acts only in the pathological area; it is defined as the ability to [...] Read more.
In the 21st century, thanks to advances in biotechnology and developing pharmaceutical technology, significant progress is being made in effective drug design. Drug targeting aims to ensure that the drug acts only in the pathological area; it is defined as the ability to accumulate selectively and quantitatively in the target tissue or organ, regardless of the chemical structure of the active drug substance and the method of administration. With drug targeting, conventional, biotechnological and gene-derived drugs target the body’s organs, tissues, and cells that can be selectively transported to specific regions. These systems serve as drug carriers and regulate the timing of release. Despite having many advantageous features, these systems have limitations in thoroughly treating complex diseases such as cancer. Therefore, combining these systems with nanoparticle technologies is imperative to treat cancer at both local and systemic levels effectively. The nanocarrier-based drug delivery method involves encapsulating target-specific drug molecules into polymeric or vesicular systems. Various drug delivery systems (DDS) were investigated and discussed in this review article. The first part discussed active and passive delivery systems, hydrogels, thermoplastics, microdevices and transdermal-based drug delivery systems. The second part discussed drug carrier systems in nanobiotechnology (carbon nanotubes, nanoparticles, coated, pegylated, solid lipid nanoparticles and smart polymeric nanogels). In the third part, drug targeting advantages were discussed, and finally, market research of commercial drugs used in cancer nanotechnological approaches was included. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanomaterials in Pharmaceutics: Current Uses and Potential Applications)
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