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Topic Review
Biography
Topic Review
Nanotechnology for Melanoma
Melanoma is one of the most aggressive forms of skin cancer, with few possibilities for therapeutic approaches, due to its multi-drug resistance and, consequently, low survival rate for patients. Conventional therapies for treatment melanoma include radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy, which have various side effects. For this reason, in recent years, pharmaceutical and biomedical research has focused on new sito-specific alternative therapeutic strategies. In this regard, nanotechnology offers numerous benefits which could improve the life expectancy of melanoma patients with very low adverse effects.
539
19 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Nanotechnology for Eye Topical Drug Delivery
Topical drug delivery is one of the most challenging aspects of eye therapy. Eye drops are the most prevalent drug form because they are convenient and easy to apply by patients. However, conventional drug formulations are usually characterized by short retention time in the tear film, insufficient contact with epithelium, fast elimination, and difficulties in overcoming ocular tissue barriers. Not more than 5% of the total drug dose administered in eye drops reaches the interior ocular tissues. Drug-loaded nanoparticles/hydrogels do not enter cells via diffusion. The endocytosis pathway is related to the penetration of drug-loaded nanoparticles/hydrogels into the cell. The interactions between the nanoparticles and the cell membrane generate forces of different origins and lead to the membrane wrapping of the nanoparticles followed by cellular uptake.
1.3K
24 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Nanotechnology for Blood–Brain Barrier Crossing
Nanomedicine is currently focused on the design and development of nanocarriers that enhance drug delivery to the brain to address unmet clinical needs for treating neuropsychiatric disorders and neurological diseases. Polymer and lipid-based drug carriers are advantageous for delivery to the central nervous system (CNS) due to their safety profiles, drug-loading capacity, and controlled-release properties. Polymer and lipid-based nanoparticles (NPs) are reported to penetrate the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and have been extensively assessed in in vitro and animal models of glioblastoma, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative disease. Since approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of intranasal esketamine for treatment of major depressive disorder, intranasal administration has emerged as an attractive route to bypass the BBB for drug delivery to the CNS. NPs can be specifically designed for intranasal administration by tailoring their size and coating with mucoadhesive agents or other moieties that promote transport across the nasal mucosa.
589
28 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Nanotechnology Applications in Sepsis
Sepsis is a clinical syndrome characterized by physiological, pathological, and biochemical abnormalities induced by an invading pathogen, causing dysregulated host immune response and resulting as ultimately responsible for life-threatening organ dysfunction. It is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, affecting all age groups and representing a significant global burden.
266
19 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Nanotechnology Application
The application of nanotechnology, molecular biotechnologies, and nano-sciences for medical purposes has been termed nanomedicine, a promising growing area of medical research. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of and discuss nanotechnology applications in the early epochs of life, from transplacental transfer to neonatal/pediatric conditions. Diagnostic and therapeutic applications, mainly related to the respiratory tract, the neurosensory system, and infections, are explored and discussed. Preclinical studies show promising results for a variety of conditions, including for the treatment of pregnancy complications and fetal, neonatal, and pediatric diseases. However, given the complexity of the functions and interactions between the placenta and the fetus, and the complex and incompletely understood determinants of tissue growth and differentiation during early life, there is a need for much more data to confirm the safety and efficacy of nanotechnology in this field.
959
13 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Nanotechnology and Biodegradable Biopolymer-Based Packaging Materials
There is great interest in developing biodegradable biopolymer-based packaging materials whose functional performance is enhanced by incorporating active compounds into them, such as light blockers, plasticizers, crosslinkers, diffusion blockers, antimicrobials, antioxidants, and sensors. However, many of these compounds are volatile, chemically unstable, water-insoluble, matrix incompatible, or have adverse effects on film properties, which makes them difficult to directly incorporate into the packaging materials. These challenges can often be overcome by encapsulating the active compounds within food-grade nanoparticles, which are then introduced into the packaging materials. The presence of these nanoencapsulated active compounds in biopolymer-based coatings or films can greatly improve their functional performance. For example, anthocyanins can be used as light-blockers to retard oxidation reactions, or they can be used as pH/gas/temperature sensors to produce smart indicators to monitor the freshness of packaged foods. Encapsulated botanical extracts (like essential oils) can be used to increase the shelf life of foods due to their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The resistance of packaging materials to external factors can be improved by incorporating plasticizers (glycerol, sorbitol), crosslinkers (glutaraldehyde, tannic acid), and fillers (nanoparticles or nanofibers). Nanoenabled delivery systems can also be designed to control the release of active ingredients (such as antimicrobials or antioxidants) into the packaged food over time, which may extend their efficacy.
1.1K
22 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Nanotechnologies for Drug Delivery to the Brain
Drug delivery to the brain has been one of the toughest challenges researchers have faced to develop effective treatments for brain diseases. Owing to the blood–brain barrier (BBB), only a small portion of administered drug can reach the brain. A consequence of that is the need to administer a higher dose of the drug, which, expectedly, leads to a variety of unwanted side effects. Research in a variety of different fields has been underway for the past couple of decades to address this very serious and frequently lethal problem. One area of research that has produced optimistic results in recent years is nanomedicine. Nanomedicine is the science birthed by fusing the fields of nanotechnology, chemistry and medicine into one. Many different types of nanomedicine-based drug-delivery systems are currently being studied for the sole purpose of improved drug delivery to the brain.
712
26 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Nanotechnological Smart Food Packaging
Polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) are of real interest because along with the bioactivity induced by the components (or by the polymer itself), these materials due to the composite nature can exhibit some improved physical, chemical, biological, mechanical, electrical, and optical properties compared to individual components [1]. Due to the innovative properties such as maintaining the quality and safety of food but also increasing the shelf-life of the food, nanocomposite packaging has great potential as an innovative food packaging technology. The polymer nanocomposites used in developing food packaging materials are mainly composed of the polymer matrix, nanofillers, plasticizers, and compatibilizers.
768
02 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Nanotechnological Approaches for Solubility Enhancement
Nanotechnology has the potential to revitalize both poorly performing marketed drugs and many of those pre-clinically promising candidates that were “beached” due to inadequate water solubility, in addition to novel therapeutic developments using components in the 1–100 nanometer range. As a result of developments in nanotechnology, researchers have been tackling this problem by formulating drugs with the aid of nanocarriers.
359
05 May 2023
Topic Review
Nanosystems Applied to HIV Infection
This review highlights the advantages to use nanosized structures for the prevention and treatments of HIV infection. We briefly evaluate the most recent developments associated with different polymeric nanosystems.
558
08 Feb 2021
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