Advantages of nanocarriers for basic research in the field of traumatic brain injury

A major challenge for the efficient treatment of traumatic brain injury is the need for therapeutic molecules to cross the blood-brain barrier to enter and accumulate in brain tissue.To overcome this problem,researchers have begun to focus on nanocarriers and other brain-targeting drug delivery systems.In this review,we summarize the epidemiology,basic pathophysiology,current clinical treatment,the establishment of models,and the evaluation indicators that are commonly used for traumatic brain injury.We also report the current status of traumatic brain injury when treated with nanocarriers such as liposomes and vesicles.Nanocarriers can overcome a variety of key biological barriers,improve drug bioavailability,increase intracellular penetration and retention time,achieve drug enrichment,control drug release,and achieve brain-targeting drug delivery.However,the application of nanocarriers remains in the basic research stage and has yet to be fully translated to the clinic.

Targeting brain tumors with innovative nanocarriers:bridging the gap through the blood-brain barrier

Background:Glioblastoma multiforme(GBM)is recognized as the most lethal and most highly invasive tumor.The high likelihood of treatment failure arises fromthe presence of the blood-brain barrier(BBB)and stemcells around GBM,which avert the entry of chemotherapeutic drugs into the tumormass.Objective:Recently,several researchers have designed novel nanocarrier systems like liposomes,dendrimers,metallic nanoparticles,nanodiamonds,and nanorobot approaches,allowing drugs to infiltrate the BBB more efficiently,opening up innovative avenues to prevail over therapy problems and radiation therapy.Methods:Relevant literature for this manuscript has been collected from a comprehensive and systematic search of databases,for example,PubMed,Science Direct,Google Scholar,and others,using specific keyword combinations,including“glioblastoma,”“brain tumor,”“nanocarriers,”and several others.Conclusion:This review also provides deep insights into recent advancements in nanocarrier-based formulations and technologies for GBM management.Elucidation of various scientific advances in conjunction with encouraging findings concerning the future perspectives and challenges of nanocarriers for effective brain tumor management has also been discussed.

Stimuli-Responsive Gene Delivery Nanocarriers for Cancer Therapy

Gene therapy provides a promising approach in treating cancers with high efficacy and selectivity and few adverse effects.Currently,the development of functional vectors with safety and effectiveness is the intense focus for improving the delivery of nucleic acid drugs for gene therapy.For this purpose,stimuli-responsive nanocarriers displayed strong potential in improving the overall efficiencies of gene therapy and reducing adverse effects via effective protection,prolonged blood circulation,specific tumor accumulation,and controlled release profile of nucleic acid drugs.Besides,synergistic therapy could be achieved when combined with other therapeutic regimens.This review summarizes recent advances in various stimuliresponsive nanocarriers for gene delivery.Particularly,the nanocarriers responding to endogenous stimuli including pH,reactive oxygen species,glutathione,and enzyme,etc.,and exogenous stimuli including light,thermo,ultrasound,magnetic field,etc.,are introduced.Finally,the future challenges and prospects of stimuli-responsive gene delivery nanocarriers toward potential clinical translation are well discussed.The major objective of this review is to present the biomedical potential of stimuli-responsive gene delivery nanocarriers for cancer therapy and provide guidance for developing novel nanoplatforms that are clinically applicable.

DRUG AND PLASMID DNA CO-DELIVERY NANOCARRIERS BASED ON ABC-TYPE POLYPEPTIDE HYBRID MIKTOARM STAR COPOLYMERS

We report on the fabrication of self-assembled micelles from ABC-type miktoarm star polypeptide hybrid copolymers consisting of poly（ethylene oxide）, poly（L-lysine）, and poly（e-caprolactone） arms, PEO（-b-PLL）-b-PCL, and their functional applications as co-delivery nanocarriers of chemotherapeutic drugs and plasmid DNA. Miktoarm star copolymer precursors, PEO（-b-PZLL）-b-PCL, were synthesized at first via the combination of consecutive ＂click＂ reactions and ring-opening polymerizations （ROP）, where PZLL is poly（e-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-lysine）. Subsequently, the deprotection of PZLL arm afforded amphiphilic miktoarm star copolymers, PEO（-b-PLL）-b-PCL. In aqueous media at pH 7.4, PEO（-b-PLL）-b-PCL self-assembles into micelles consisting of PCL cores and hydrophilic PEO/PLL hybrid coronas. The hydrophobic micellar cores can effectively encapsulate model hydrophobic anticancer drug, paclitaxel; whereas positively charged PLL arms within mixed micellar corona are capable of forming electrostatic polyplexes with negatively charged plasmid DNA （pDNA） at N/P ratios higher than ca. 2. Thus, PEO（-b-PLL）-b-PCL micelles can act as co-delivery nanovehicles for both chemotherapeutic drugs and genes. Furthermore, polyplexes of pDNA with paclitaxel-loaded PEO（-b- PLL）-b-PCL micelles exhibited improved transfection efficiency compared to that of pDNA/blank micelles. We expect that the reported strategy of varying chain topologies for the fabrication of co-delivery polymeric nanocarriers can be further applied to integrate with other advantageous functions such as targeting, imaging, and diagnostics.

Colon cancer and their targeting approaches through nanocarriers:A review

Colon cancer is the fifth most common type of cancer in the world.Colon cancer develops when healthy cells in the lining of the colon or rectum alter and grow uncontrollably to form a mass known as a tumor.Despite major medical improvements,colon cancer is still one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality globally.One of the main issues of chemotherapy is toxicity related to conventional medicines.The targeted delivery systems are considered the safest and most effective by increasing the concentration of a therapeutic substance at the tumor site while decreasing it at other organs.Therefore,these delivery systems required lower doses for high therapeutic value with minimum side effects.The current review focuses on targeting therapeutic substances at the desired site using nanocarriers.Additionally,the diagnostic applications of nanocarriers in colorectal cancer are also discussed.

Nanocarriers as a powerful vehicle to overcome blood-brain barrier in treating neurodegenerative diseases: Focus on recent advances

Neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease,Parkinson’s disease,Huntington disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis throw a heavy burden on families and society. Related scientific researches make tardy progress. One reason is that the known pathogeny is just the tip of the iceberg. Another reason is that various physiological barriers,especially blood-brain barrier(BBB),hamper effective therapeutic substances from reaching site of action. Drugs in clinical treatment of neurodegenerative diseases are basically administered orally. And generally speaking,the brain targeting efficiency is pretty low. Nanodelivery technology brings hope for neurodegenerative diseases. The use of nanocarriers encapsulating molecules such as peptides and genomic medicine may enhance drug transport through the BBB in neurodegenerative disease and target relevant regions in the brain for regenerative processes. In this review,we discuss BBB composition and applications of nanocarriers-liposomes,nanoparticles,nanomicelles and new emerging exosomes in neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore,the disadvantages and the potential neurotoxicity of nanocarriers according pharmacokinetics theory are also discussed.

Phage display: development of nanocarriers for targeted drug delivery to the brain

The blood brain barrier represents a formidable obstacle for the transport of most systemati- cally administered neurodiagnostics and neurotherapeutics to the brain. Phage display is a high throughput screening strategy that can be used for the construction of nanomaterial peptide libraries. These libraries can be screened for finding brain targeting peptide ligands. Surface functionalization of a variety of nanocarriers with these brain homing peptides is a sophisticated way to develop nanobiotechnology-based drug delivery platforms that are able to cross the blood brain barrier. These efficient drug delivery systems raise our hopes for the diagnosis and treatment of various brain disorders in the future.

Synergism of essential oils with lipid based nanocarriers: emerging trends in preservation of grains and related food products

Grains are one of the major food staples in the world.The cereal grains are easily susceptible to damage by moisture content,flour beetles and food pathogens during storage,harvesting and post harvesting.Food preservative techniques namely drying,freezing,and dehydration,acquire little advantages.However,they cause few undesirable alterations in the organoleptic and nutritional properties of the preserved food items.Therefore,there is a continuous search for new preservation techniques in food industries,to satisfy the customer demands on the addition of natural food preservatives,devoid of pathogenic contaminants and without changes in organoleptic properties.Essential oils(EOs)have been predicted as“natural food additives”in the preservative process.The synergistic potential of EOs with various nanocarriers plays an emerging role in the food industry.Therefore,the present review has focused on the lipid based nanocarriers,and the methods used for the functionalization or encapsulation of EOs and applications in the preservation of food items such as cooked rice,rice flour,grains,sliced breads have also been discussed.The present review ascertains the antimicrobial significance of active EOs loaded lipid nanocarriers in the form of nano emulsions,solid lipid nanoparticles and liposomes for preserving grains and flours.

Flavonoids Loaded in Nanocarriers: An Opportunity to Increase Oral Bioavailability and Bioefficacy

Flavonoids are among the biggest group of polyphenols, widely distributed in plant-based foods. A plethora of evidence supports the health benefits and value of flavonoids can play in the physiological function treatment and in the prevention of disease particularly in the prevention of degenerative conditions including cancers, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Hence, flavonoids represent the active constituents of many dietary supplements and herbal remedies, as well as there is an increasing interest in this class of polyphenols as functional ingredients of beverages, food grains and dairy products. Conversely, various studies have also shown that flavonoids have some drawbacks after oral administration such as stability, bioavailability and bioefficacy. This article reviews the current status of novel nanodelivery systems including nanospheres, nanocaspsules, micro- and nanoemulsions, micelles, solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid capsules, successfully developed for overcoming the delivery challenges of flavonoids.

An understanding of mitochondria and its role in targeting nanocarriers for diagnosis and treatment of cancer

Nanotechnology has changed the entire paradigm of drug targeting and has shown tremendous potential in the area of cancer therapy due to its specificity. In cancer, several targets have been explored which could be utilized for the better treatment of disease. Mitochondria, the so-called powerhouse of cell, portrays significant role in the survival and death of cells, and has emerged as potential target for cancer therapy. Direct targeting and nanotechnology based approaches can be tailor-made to target mitochondria and thus improve the survival rate of patients suffering from cancer. With this backdrop, in present review, we have reemphasized the role of mitochondria in cancer progression and inhibition, highlighting the different targets that can be explored for targeting of disease. Moreover, we have also summarized different nanoparticulate systems that have been used for treatment of cancer via mitochondrial targeting.

Stimuli-responsive nanocarriers for therapeutic applications in cancer

Cancer has become a very serious challenge with aging of the human population.Advances in nanotechnology have provided new perspectives in the treatment of cancer.Through the combination of nanotechnology and therapeutics,nanomedicine has been successfully used to treat cancer in recent years.In terms of nanomedicine,nanocarriers play a key role in delivering therapeutic agents,reducing severe side effects,simplifying the administration scheme,and improving therapeutic efficacies.Modulations of the structure and function of nanocarriers for improved therapeutic efficacy in cancer have attracted increasing attention in recent years.Stimuli-responsive nanocarriers penetrate deeply into tissues and respond to external or internal stimuli by releasing the therapeutic agent for cancer therapy.Notably,stimuli-responsive nanocarriers reduce the severe side effects of therapeutic agents,when compared with systemic chemotherapy,and achieve controlled drug release at tumor sites.Therefore,the development of stimuli-responsive nanocarriers plays a crucial role in drug delivery for cancer therapy.This article focuses on the development of nanomaterials with stimuli-responsive properties for use as nanocarriers,in the last few decades.These nanocarriers are more effective at delivering the therapeutic agent under the control of external or internal stimuli.Furthermore,nanocarriers with theranostic features have been designed and fabricated to confirm their great potential in achieving effective treatment of cancer,which will provide us with better choices for cancer therapy.

Impact of chitosan-based nanocarriers on cytoskeleton dynamics:Current status and challenges

Chitosan-based nanocarriers(CS-NCs)show a promising role in improving drugs and bioactive compounds delivery for therapy.However,the effects exerted by CS-NCs at the cellular level,including their recognition and uptake,have not been fully investigated yet.Many factors,including size,shape,concentration,and surface chemistry of CS-NCs,play an important role in determining the types of intracellular signals triggered.The mechanism of uptake and the involvement of the cytoskeleton during the CS-NCs endocytosis variates among the different cell types as well as further effects observed inside cells.In the present work,we discuss the effects induced by CS-NCs per se on the cytoskeleton,a key component in cell architecture and physiology.The focus of this report is made on tumoral and normal biological models in which CS-NCs could differentially affect the cell cytoskeleton.The recent years reports regarding the impact of CS-NCs on cytoskeleton dynamics and the current techniques for its evaluation are summarized and discussed.Understanding mechanisms underlying cytoskeletal impact after cell exposure to CS-NCs is critical for the design of safest value-added formulations in the biomedical field.Furthermore,this revision points out some interesting aspects of cytoskeletal changes and cell death encompassing anti-tumoral effects.

Delivery of siRNA/miRNA by nanocarriers to treat colon cancer

Despite the current advances in the discovery of the colorectal cancer biomarkers and in the diagnosis and treatment of CRC, the incidence and mortality of colon cancer are still increasing year by year. At present, many patients with colon cancer have been diagnosed in an advanced stage, which always accompanied by liver metastasis and distant metastasis. However, current treatments for advanced colon cancer are limited. Therefore, the delivery of siRNA/miRNA to colon cancer lesions may be a new approach to the treatment of colon cancer. This review provides ideas for the molecular treatment of colon cancer by discussing the biological characteristics of colon cancer and the regulation of important miRNA molecules in colon cancer. Moreover, this review describes the development of nanocarriers in recent years and the important role of nanocarrier materials in the targeted delivery of small molecules. On the one hand, nanocarriers can serve as small carriers or siRNA/miRNAs, and on the other hand, can transport small molecules or siRNA/miRNAs into colon cancer cells, thereby regulating key genes expression affecting colon cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, and apoptosis. Delivery of siRNA/miRNA via nanocarriers may be a novel approach to the treatment of colon cancer.

纳米药物载体用于治疗胞内菌感染的研究进展

胞内菌能够逃避机体免疫并在宿主细胞内正常生长繁殖,比起胞外细菌更难清除,容易造成较为严重的感染。传统的抗生素治疗,药物无法突破宿主细胞膜的屏障,并且容易引起较强的毒副作用和多药耐药性。优良的纳米载体具有良好的生物相容性且易于修饰,有望通过构建纳米药物递送系统增强抗菌药物的细胞膜穿透性和胞内菌靶向性,在治疗胞内菌感染上具有巨大潜力和广阔前景。介绍了目前可用于治疗胞内菌感染的各种纳米颗粒,归纳总结了增强纳米药物递送系统治疗效果的机制和方法,阐述了目前在使用纳米药物递送系统治疗胞内菌感染时仍存在的问题,以期为构建更优良的纳米药物递送系统治疗胞内菌感染提供启发。

纳米材料在癌症氢治疗中的应用现状

氢气可以选择性地清除细胞毒性活性氧。在癌细胞内,氢气的存在会影响癌细胞内活性氧的平衡,从而使癌细胞凋亡。此外,与药物相比,氢气对人体清洁无害,对细胞膜的穿透性高,具有先天优势。然而,口服富氢水和注射富氢生理盐水等手段由于氢气在体内无目的性地扩散,难以实现良好的疗效。该文简要介绍了氢气治疗的机理,并通过列举目前的一些利用纳米材料进行氢气治疗的方法,介绍了氢治疗中,传递氢气的几种主要纳米系统,并对纳米材料在癌症氢治疗中的未来进行了展望。

mRNA治疗用纳米载体研究新进展

mRNA是一种单链核糖核酸,由一条DNA转录而成,携带蛋白质合成的编码信息,进一步转录并加工成功能蛋白。在基因工程的协同下,合成的mRNA在结构上类似于天然mRNA,使患者能够在自己的身体中产生治疗性蛋白质,从而达到预防或治疗疾病的目的。mRNA治疗避免了其遗传物质整合宿主基因组的风险,也不需要进入细胞核进行转染,它甚至可以在不分裂的细胞中表达。因此,基于mRNA的基因疗法成为极具潜力的临床治疗手段。高效、安全地递送mRNA是其临床应用的两个主要制约因素。目前虽然已有很多报道通过修饰mRNA的结构来提高其稳定性和耐受性,但mRNA的递送效果仍然有待提高。近年来,纳米生物技术取得的重大进展为mRNA纳米载体开发提供了技术支撑。纳米载体能够克服递送过程中的生理障碍,使mRNA到达目标部位。本文介绍了纳米给药系统的设计原则和研究热点。重点聚焦新兴纳米载体在mRNA传递中发挥的作用以及在递送功能研究方面的最新进展;最后,对mRNA的纳米载体递送技术发展前景进行了展望。

红细胞-纳米载体递药系统研究进展

脂质体、聚合物纳米粒、聚合物胶束等纳米载体是近年来药物递送的研究热点,但其给药后易被人体免疫系统识别和清除。细胞搭载技术能延长纳米载体在体内的循环,红细胞作为内源性细胞,具有来源丰富、高生物相容性和生物消除机制安全等优点,从而推动了红细胞-纳米载体递药系统的发展。基于此,本文综述了红细胞-纳米载体递药系统的研究进展,总结了基于红细胞与纳米载体的构建方式不同的几种红细胞-纳米载体递药系统的研究进展。

碳纳米管在植物遗传物质递送中的研究进展

植物基因工程赋予了植物高产、抗逆等优良性状,为保障粮食安全提供了解决思路。但目前植物转基因主要依赖于根瘤农杆菌侵染法和基因枪法,这些方法存在转基因效率低和物种依赖等一些局限性。近年来,纳米载体在植物基因工程领域引起了较大的关注。多项研究表明,纳米载体能够携带核酸分子(DNA、RNA)进入植物细胞。因此利用纳米载体递送遗传物质已成为提高植物转基因或基因编辑效率的可行策略之一。在这些纳米载体中,碳纳米管(carbon nanotubes,CNTs)具有高稳定性、高生物相容性、高比表面积等优点,显示出了巨大的应用潜力。同时,高长径比赋予了CNTs穿过细胞膜和叶绿体膜的能力。多种表面修饰也使得CNTs能够携带核酸分子靶向递送到不同细胞器中。聚乙烯亚胺(PEI)修饰的CNTs能搭载质粒进入细胞核,在非转基因的前提下瞬时表达外源基因,且突破宿主特异性的限制。壳聚糖修饰的CNTs利用脂质交换包膜穿透机制选择性地将质粒DNA递送到叶绿体中进行表达。除此之外,基于π-π堆积的原理,CNTs还被设计为siRNA递送平台,以高效、特异性地沉默内源性基因。值得注意的是,CNTs还可以保护所搭载的核酸在递送过程中不被核酸酶所降解,保障了递送物质的完整性,为后续高效表达打下了基础。CNTs还将与基因组编辑技术CRISPR相结合,通过递送并瞬时表达含有Cas9蛋白原件的质粒实现无外源基因插入的基因组编辑。然而,作为一种新型的核酸递送技术,CNTs仍然存在许多不足。CNTs介导的外源质粒瞬时表达效率较低,该递送体系仍需要进一步优化改进。CNTs在携带并表达较大的DNA元件方面仍然存在一定的技术限制。此外,细胞如何高效吸收CNTs的机制仍需要进一步研究,这对于未来定向递送CNTs到特定植物细胞和细胞器中有重大意义。总之,本文针对CNTs递送遗传物质进入植物细胞提供了一个较为全面的综述,不仅涵盖了CNTs的结构属性,并概述了用于CNTs表面功能化的主要技术,以及CNTs递送遗传物质的研究进展。此外,我们还探讨了CNTs应用的限制因素和未来的一些应用前景,旨在为植物遗传转化技术和方法提供一些新思路或参考。

九肽-1/依克多因经皮共递送纳米脂质体美白修复功效研究

目的探讨九肽-1/依克多因经皮共递送纳米脂质体(Non/Ect-NLPs)的美白修复功效。方法通过细胞活性测试研究Non/Ect-NLPs安全性,观察黑素细胞对纳米脂质体摄取情况,并比较不同水平Non/Ect-NLPs组及游离成分溶液组酪氨酸酶活性、黑色素水平、氧化损伤细胞存活率及人源水通道蛋白-3(AQP3)、丝聚合蛋白(FLG)、紧密连接蛋白1(Claudin-1)水平。结果游离成分溶液组和不同水平Non/Ect-NLPs组中HaCaT细胞活性均在80%以上。与游离成分溶液组比较,Non/Ect-NLPs水平为250.0、500.0μg/mL时,其对B16F10细胞酪氨酸酶活性显著降低(P<0.05)。与游离成分溶液组比较,Non/Ect-NLPs水平为125.0、500.0μg/mL时,其能显著抑制B16F10细胞分泌黑色素(P<0.05)。与模型组比较,Non/Ect-NLPs水平为250.0、500.0μg/mL时,可显著提高氧化损伤细胞的存活率(P<0.05)。与对照组比较,游离成分溶液组和Non/Ect-NLPs组能显著促进HaCaT细胞迁移(P<0.01)。与对照组比较,游离成分溶液组、Non/Ect-NLPs组AQP3、FLG、Claudin-1水平显著增高(P<0.05)。结论Non/Ect-NLPs作为新型皮肤美白修复功效原料具有良好的应用前景。

复合纳米载体在微波可控释药方面的研究进展

在现代癌症治疗中,传统化疗药物缺乏靶向性,常伴随严重的毒副作用,限制了化学疗法的临床应用。近年来,随着纳米技术的发展,基于纳米材料的靶向化疗成为一种新的治疗策略,特别是复合纳米材料在微波刺激下的药物释放性能,展现出了优异的应用前景。本文综述了这一领域的最新进展,重点分析了复合纳米材料如何在微波刺激下实现精准的药物释放,以及这种方法在癌症治疗中的潜力。复合纳米材料因其独特的物理化学性质,如高稳定性和良好的生物相容性,被广泛应用于癌症治疗中。在微波刺激下,这些材料能够实现药物的精准控制释放,从而提高治疗效果并减少对健康组织的损害。然而,复合纳米载体在生物体内的分布、靶向性和生物安全性等方面仍面临一定的挑战。例如,纳米粒子的体内稳定性和靶向能力需要进一步优化,以提高其治疗效果和减少副作用。在微波刺激诱导的药物控制释放方面,虽然已取得了一定的成果,但精确控制微波能量的传递和局部组织的加热效果仍是主要挑战之一。此外,如何确保微波能量集中于肿瘤组织而不损害周围健康组织,也是当前研究需要解决的问题。未来,随着纳米技术的不断进步和微波控制技术的改进,预计将开发出更为高效和安全的复合纳米载体,不仅能够提高药物的靶向性和治疗效果,还能在微波刺激下实现更为精准的药物释放控制。综上所述,复合纳米材料在微波刺激下的药物释放性能将是癌症治疗领域的一个重要研究方向,有望为癌症患者带来更有效的治疗选择。