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Liposomal Nanomedicine: Applications for Drug Delivery and Cancer Therapy
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Liposomal Nanomedicine: Applications for Drug Delivery and Cancer Therapy

A special issue of Journal of Functional Biomaterials (ISSN 2079-4983). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomaterials for Drug Delivery".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 July 2024) | Viewed by 5800

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Maria Luisa Vale

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Guest Editor
LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
Interests: organic synthesis; amino acids; surfactants; self-aggregation; drug/gene delivery
Dr. Sandra Silva

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
LAQV-REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
Interests: organic synthesis; amino acid-based surfactants; surfactant self-assembly; drug/gene delivery; anti-infective agents; biophysics and drug-membrane interaction studies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Isabel S. Oliveira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CIQUP/IMS (Institute for Molecular Sciencies), Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
Interests: physical chemistry; amino acid-based surfactants; surfactant self-assembly; soft materials drug/gene delivery and biophysics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanomedicine, the application of nanotechnology for medical purposes, makes use of nanomaterials for the detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Amongst the nanoparticles used to accomplish these goals, liposomes stand as a promising alternative. Since their discovery, liposomes have been extensively studied as delivery systems for drugs and other bioactive molecules (e.g., peptides, nucleic acids) and have revolutionized the way many medical disorders were treated. Liposomes circumvent some drawbacks associated with the administration of the naked drugs, usually presenting improved bioavailability and biocompatibility. In addition, due to their specific structure, liposomes are capable of encapsulating both hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs, protecting them from enzymatic degradation and reducing their toxicity. Furthermore, modification of the liposomes' surface may endeavor targeting to specific tissues, making them powerful tools in cancer prognosis and therapy. Cancer still represents one of the main causes of mortality in the world. In most cases the treatment involves, at some stage, the use of chemotherapeutics, which do not discriminate between healthy and malignant cells, causing severe adverse effects on normal cells and tissues. The use of liposomes for targeted cancer therapy represents a promising alternative, although many aspects have still to be addressed. In fact, despite intense research in this field, most liposomes suffer from poor colloidal and chemical stability, rapid clearance from the bloodstream, uncontrolled release of the entrapped drugs, etc. More recently, the use of liposomes as nanoplatforms for the delivery of RNA for cancer therapy has been reported and, albeit in its infancy, encouraging results have been obtained.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. We invite manuscripts exploring the role of liposomes as drug delivery platforms and in cancer therapy. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Synthesis and characterization of novel liposome-forming materials;
  • Use of liposomes in drug/nucleic acid delivery;
  • Liposomal nanomedicines for enhanced targeting;
  • Smart liposomes for cancer therapy.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Maria Luisa Vale
Dr. Sandra Silva
Dr. Isabel S. Oliveira
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. Journal of Functional Biomaterials 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 2700 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

  • drug delivery
  • gene delivery
  • liposomes
  • cancer therapy
  • self-aggregation
  • physicochemical properties
  • synthesis

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 6837 KiB  
Article
Cationic Serine-Based Gemini Surfactant:Monoolein Aggregates as Viable and Efficacious Agents for DNA Complexation and Compaction: A Cytotoxicity and Physicochemical Assessment
by Isabel S. Oliveira, Sandra G. Silva, Andreia C. Gomes, M. Elisabete C. D. Real Oliveira, M. Luísa C. do Vale and Eduardo F. Marques
J. Funct. Biomater. 2024, 15(8), 224; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb15080224 - 13 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1133
Abstract
Cationic gemini surfactants have emerged as potential gene delivery agents as they can co-assemble with DNA due to a strong electrostatic association. Commonly, DNA complexation is enhanced by the inclusion of a helper lipid (HL), which also plays a key role in transfection [...] Read more.
Cationic gemini surfactants have emerged as potential gene delivery agents as they can co-assemble with DNA due to a strong electrostatic association. Commonly, DNA complexation is enhanced by the inclusion of a helper lipid (HL), which also plays a key role in transfection efficiency. The formation of lipoplexes, used as non-viral vectors for transfection, through electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions is affected by various physicochemical parameters, such as cationic surfactant:HL molar ratio, (+/−) charge ratio, and the morphological structure of the lipoplexes. Herein, we investigated the DNA complexation ability of mixtures of serine-based gemini surfactants, (nSer)2N5, and monoolein (MO) as a helper lipid. The micelle-forming serine surfactants contain long lipophilic chains (12 to 18 C atoms) and a five CH2 spacer, both linked to the nitrogen atoms of the serine residues by amine linkages. The (nSer)2N5:MO aggregates are non-cytotoxic up to 35–90 µM, depending on surfactant and surfactant/MO mixing ratio, and in general, higher MO content and longer surfactant chain length tend to promote higher cell viability. All systems efficaciously complex DNA, but the (18Ser)2N5:MO one clearly stands as the best-performing one. Incorporating MO into the serine surfactant system affects the morphology and size distribution of the formed mixed aggregates. In the low concentration regime, gemini–MO systems aggregate in the form of vesicles, while at high concentrations the formation of a lamellar liquid crystalline phase is observed. This suggests that lipoplexes might share a similar bilayer-based structure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liposomal Nanomedicine: Applications for Drug Delivery and Cancer Therapy)
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14 pages, 2086 KiB  
Article
Effect of DMSO on Structural Properties of DMPC and DPPC Liposome Suspensions
by Luísa M. P. F. Amaral, Maria Rangel and Margarida Bastos
J. Funct. Biomater. 2024, 15(3), 67; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb15030067 - 10 Mar 2024
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Abstract
The study and characterization of the biophysical properties of membranes and drug–membrane interactions represent a critical step in drug development, as biological membranes act as a barrier that the drug must overcome to reach its active site. Liposomes are widely used in drug [...] Read more.
The study and characterization of the biophysical properties of membranes and drug–membrane interactions represent a critical step in drug development, as biological membranes act as a barrier that the drug must overcome to reach its active site. Liposomes are widely used in drug delivery to circumvent the poor aqueous solubility of most drugs, improving systemic bioavailability and pharmacokinetics. Further, they can be targeted to deliver to specific disease sites, thus decreasing drug load, and reducing side effects and poor adherence to treatment. To improve drug solubility during liposome preparation, DMSO is the most widely used solvent. This raises concern about the potential effect of DMSO on membranes and leads us to investigate, using DSC and EPR, the influence of DMSO on the behavior of lipid model membranes of DMPC and DPPC. In addition, we tested the influence of DMSO on drug–membrane interaction, using compounds with different hydrophobicity and varying DMSO content, using the same experimental techniques. Overall, it was found that with up to 10% DMSO, changes in the bilayer fluidity or the thermotropic properties of the studied liposomes were not significant, within the experimental uncertainty. For higher concentrations of DMSO, there is a stabilization of both the gel and the rippled gel phases, and increased bilayer fluidity of DMPC and DPPC liposomes leading to an increase in membrane permeability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liposomal Nanomedicine: Applications for Drug Delivery and Cancer Therapy)
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15 pages, 2997 KiB  
Article
Surface-Modified Silver Nanoparticles and Their Encapsulation in Liposomes Can Treat MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells
by Ellenor Moors, Vinayak Sharma, Furong Tian and Bilal Javed
J. Funct. Biomater. 2023, 14(10), 509; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb14100509 - 11 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1974
Abstract
Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have emerged as a promising tool for cancer treatment due to their unique physicochemical and biological properties. However, their clinical applications are limited by their potential cytotoxicity caused due to oxidation stress and non-specific cellular uptake pathways. To overcome these [...] Read more.
Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have emerged as a promising tool for cancer treatment due to their unique physicochemical and biological properties. However, their clinical applications are limited by their potential cytotoxicity caused due to oxidation stress and non-specific cellular uptake pathways. To overcome these barriers, surface modifications of AgNPs have been proposed as an effective strategy to enhance their biocompatibility and specificity toward cancer cells. In this study, AgNPs were synthesised using the chemical reduction method and subsequently conjugated with various capping agents such as Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA). Further, this study involves the synthesis of liposomes by using dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine lipid (DPPC) and cholesterol to increase the biocompatibility and bioavailability of AgNPs to MCF-7 breast cancer cells. In vitro, cytotoxicity studies were performed to determine which surface modification method exhibited the highest cytotoxic effect on the MCF-7 breast cancer cells, which was determined through the MTT assay. The AgNPs conjugated with BSA exhibited the highest cytotoxicity at the lowest dosage, with an IC50 of 2.5 μL/mL. The BSA-AgNPs induced a dose-dependent rise in cytotoxicity through the enhancement of nucleophilic dissolution of the AgNPs in cancer cells. In comparison, the unmodified AgNPs had an IC50 value of 3.0 μL/mL, while the PVP-modified AgNPs had an IC50 of 4.24 μL/mL. AgNPs encapsulated in liposomes had an IC50 value of 5.08 μL/mL, which shows that the encapsulation of AgNPs in liposomes controls their entry into cancer cells. The findings of this research have provided insights into the potential use of surface-modified AgNPs and liposomal encapsulated AgNPs as novel therapeutic tools to overcome the conventional treatment limitations of breast cancer cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liposomal Nanomedicine: Applications for Drug Delivery and Cancer Therapy)
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