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Pharmaceutics
Special Issues
Functional Nanomaterials for Drug Delivery in Photodynamic Therapy
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Functional Nanomaterials for Drug Delivery in Photodynamic Therapy

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 April 2026 | Viewed by 3470

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Enrico Caruso

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biotechnologies and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Via JH Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy
Interests: photobiology; organic chemistry; photodynamic therapy; biocatalysis; metal nanoparticles; natural exctracts
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Miryam Chiara Malacarne

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Via Jean Henry Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy
Interests: photodynamic therapy; drug delivery; photosensitizers; BODIPYs; porphyrins; tumor and cell penetrating peptides; photobiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In this Special Issue, we aim to provide particular attention to functional nanomaterials for drug delivery in photodynamic therapy (PDT).

PDT is a particularly appealing anticancer approach that relies on the simultaneous presence of three non-toxic components (photosensitizer or PS, light, and molecular oxygen). In the presence of oxygen, only irradiation triggers the production of reactive oxygen species. The intrinsic selectivity of PDT, due to the negligible cytotoxicity in the absence of light and oxygen, has prompted efforts from the scientific community to identify strategies and further enhance the selectivity of PS for cancer cells.

Drug delivery (nano)systems have demonstrated significant potential in increasing the solubility of hydrophobic drugs, improving biodistribution and pharmacokinetics, and allowing preferential accumulation. Thus, over the years, PSs have been conjugated with different nanomaterials to maximize their selectivity/specificity in target cells.

In this Special Issue, we aim to collect research articles and reviews that address the latest advances in using functional nanomaterials for targeted PDT.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Enrico Caruso
Dr. Miryam Chiara Malacarne
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
  • drug delivery systems
  • photodynamic therapy
  • targeted therapies
  • third-generation photosensitizers
  • targeting agents

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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19 pages, 6433 KiB  
Article
Targeted Delivery of Chlorin-e6-Loaded Carbon Nanotube-Based Nanobiocomposite to Cancer Stem Cells for Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy
by Prabhavathi Sundaram, Sathish Sundar Dhilip Kumar and Heidi Abrahamse
Pharmaceutics 2025, 17(4), 469; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17040469 - 3 Apr 2025
Viewed by 371
Abstract
Background: Globally, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third-most diagnosed cancer among males and the second-most diagnosed cancer among females. In cancer, stem cells are a subset of neoplastic cells capable of tumorigenesis and exhibit properties like normal stem cells. Moreover, they are resistant [...] Read more.
Background: Globally, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third-most diagnosed cancer among males and the second-most diagnosed cancer among females. In cancer, stem cells are a subset of neoplastic cells capable of tumorigenesis and exhibit properties like normal stem cells. Moreover, they are resistant to conventional cancer treatments and can repopulate the tumor following treatment. Cancer cells are stimulated to undergo apoptosis by photodynamic therapy (PDT), which involves a light source, a photosensitizer, and reactive oxygen species. Methods: In this study, colon cancer stem cells were isolated from colon cancer cells and characterized using flow cytometry and immunofluorescence techniques. To treat colon cancer stem cells (CCSCs), single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were coupled with hyaluronic acid (HA) and loaded with chlorin-e6 (Ce6). Nanobiocomposite toxicity was assessed using CCSCs with two fluences of 5 J/cm2 and 10 J/cm2. The cellular changes were observed at 24 and 48 h using microscopy, Results: LDH cytotoxicity assay, and cell death induction by annexin propidium iodide assay. An intracellular analysis of reactive oxygen species (ROS) detected oxidative stress within CCSCs. Conclusions: Overall, the results showed that the newly synthesized nanobiocomposite enhanced the ability of PDT to act as a photosensitizer carrier and induced cell death in CCSCs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanomaterials for Drug Delivery in Photodynamic Therapy)
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14 pages, 10406 KiB  
Article
Integration of Metabolomics and Transcriptomics to Reveal the Antitumor Mechanism of Dendrobium officinale Polysaccharide-Based Nanocarriers in Enhancing Photodynamic Immunotherapy in Colorectal Cancer
by Shengchang Tao, Huan Wang, Qiufeng Ji, Yushan Yang, Gang Wei, Ruiming Li and Benjie Zhou
Pharmaceutics 2025, 17(1), 97; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17010097 - 13 Jan 2025
Viewed by 939
Abstract
Background: The mechanism of Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide-based nanocarriers in enhancing photodynamic immunotherapy in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains poorly understood. Methods: The effects of TPA-3BCP-loaded cholesteryl hemisuccinate–Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide nanoparticles (DOP@3BCP NPs) and their potential molecular mechanism of action in a [...] Read more.
Background: The mechanism of Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide-based nanocarriers in enhancing photodynamic immunotherapy in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains poorly understood. Methods: The effects of TPA-3BCP-loaded cholesteryl hemisuccinate–Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide nanoparticles (DOP@3BCP NPs) and their potential molecular mechanism of action in a tumor-bearing mouse model of CRC were investigated using non-targeted metabolomics and transcriptomics. Meanwhile, a histopathological analysis (H&E staining, Ki67 staining, and TUNEL assay) and a qRT-PCR analysis revealed the antitumor effects of DOP@3BCP NPs with and without light activation. Results: Through metabolomics and transcriptomics analysis, we found an alteration in the metabolome and functional pathways in the examined tumor tissues. The metabolic analysis showed 69 and 60 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) in positive- and negative-ion modes, respectively, in the treated samples compared to the Control samples. The transcriptomics analysis showed that 1352 genes were differentially expressed among the three groups. The differentially regulated functional pathways were primally related to the antitumor immune response. The results of the pathological histology assay and qRT-PCR analysis verified the findings of the integrated metabolomics and transcriptomics analysis. Conclusions: Overall, our findings elucidate the potential antitumor mechanisms of the D. officinale polysaccharide-based nanocarrier in enhancing photodynamic immunotherapy in CRC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanomaterials for Drug Delivery in Photodynamic Therapy)
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14 pages, 2411 KiB  
Article
Reactive Oxygen Species-Regulated Conjugates Based on Poly(jasmine) Lactone for Simultaneous Delivery of Doxorubicin and Docetaxel
by Jyoti Verma, Vishal Kumar, Carl-Eric Wilen, Jessica M. Rosenholm and Kuldeep K. Bansal
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(9), 1164; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16091164 - 3 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1384
Abstract
In cancer therapy, it is essential to selectively release cytotoxic agents into the tumor to prevent the adverse effects associated with anticancer drugs. Thus, in this study, a stimuli-sensitive polymer–drug conjugate was synthesized for selective drug release. Doxorubicin (DOX) and docetaxel (DTX) were [...] Read more.
In cancer therapy, it is essential to selectively release cytotoxic agents into the tumor to prevent the adverse effects associated with anticancer drugs. Thus, in this study, a stimuli-sensitive polymer–drug conjugate was synthesized for selective drug release. Doxorubicin (DOX) and docetaxel (DTX) were conjugated onto novel poly(jasmine lactone) based copolymer via a thioketal (TK) linker. In addition, a photosensitizer (chlorin e6) was attached to the polymer, which served as a reactive oxygen species generator to cleave the TK linker. The conjugate is readily self-assembled into micelles less than 100 nm in size. Micelles demonstrate a notable increase in their ability to cause cell death when exposed to near-infrared (NIR) light on MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. The increase in cytotoxicity is higher than that observed with the combination of free DOX and DTX. The accumulation of DOX in the nucleus after release from the micelles (laser irradiation) was also confirmed by confocal microscopy. In the absence of light, micelles did not show any toxicity while the free drugs were found toxic irrespective of the light exposure. The obtained results suggest the targeted drug delivery potential of micelles regulated by the external stimuli, i.e., NIR light. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanomaterials for Drug Delivery in Photodynamic Therapy)
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