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Advanced Cancer Nanotechnology

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Advanced Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2021) | Viewed by 30572

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Instituto de Microelectrónica de Madrid, Spanish National Research Council, 28006 Madrid, Spain
Interests: multifunctional nanomechanical systems; coupled nanomechanical resonators; optomechanics; nanomechanical biochips; cell nanomechanics; theory and modelling; proteomics; mechanobiology; AFM

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IMM-CSIC Isaac Newton 8, PTM-28760 Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain
Interests: ultra high sensitivity biosensors; plasmonics; nanomechanics; cancer diagnostics; HIV diagnosis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
IMM-CSIC Isaac Newton 8, PTM-28760 Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain
Interests: bionanomechanics; cell mechanics; nanomechanical mass spectrometry; optomechanics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer is a leading cause of death globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately nine million people die of cancer every year. The battle against cancer gathers today researchers across diverse fields in science. Nanoscience and nanotechnology advancements can offer innovative research avenues and new tools to deepen our understanding about cancer initiation and evolution of the disease. Additionally, nanomaterials have shown great promise for the development of better cancer treatment strategies and nanosensors have the potential to provide early detection of the disease.

In this Special Issue, research in nanoscience and nanotechnology focused to answer the challenges in cancer diagnosis and treatment will be gathered to provide a wide and deep understanding of the field today.

It is our pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript for this Special Issue. Full papers, communications, and reviews are all welcome.

Dr. Montserrat Calleja
Dr. Priscila Kosaka
Dr. Javier Tamayo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 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

  • cancer diagnosis
  • biosensors
  • nanoparticles
  • cell mechanics
  • plasmonics
  • nanomechanics
  • bionanomechanics
  • proteomics

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 4906 KiB  
Article
Nanomelanin Potentially Protects the Spleen from Radiotherapy-Associated Damage and Enhances Immunoactivity in Tumor-Bearing Mice
by Nguyen Thi Le Na, Sai Duc Loc, Nguyen Le Minh Tri, Nguyen Thi Bich Loan, Ho Anh Son, Nguyen Linh Toan, Ha Phuong Thu, Hoang Thi My Nhung, Nguyen Lai Thanh, Nguyen Thi Van Anh and Nguyen Dinh Thang
Materials 2019, 12(10), 1725; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12101725 - 27 May 2019
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4900
Abstract
Radiotherapy side-effects present serious problems in cancer treatment. Melanin, a natural polymer with low toxicity, is considered as a potential radio-protector; however, its application as an agent against irradiation during cancer treatment has still received little attention. In this study, nanomelanin particles were [...] Read more.
Radiotherapy side-effects present serious problems in cancer treatment. Melanin, a natural polymer with low toxicity, is considered as a potential radio-protector; however, its application as an agent against irradiation during cancer treatment has still received little attention. In this study, nanomelanin particles were prepared, characterized and applied in protecting the spleens of tumor-bearing mice irradiated with X-rays. These nanoparticles had sizes varying in the range of 80–200 nm and contained several important functional groups such as carboxyl (-COO), carbonyl (-C=O) and hydroxyl (-OH) groups on the surfaces. Tumor-bearing mice were treated with nanomelanin at a concentration of 40 mg/kg before irradiating with a single dose of 6.0 Gray of X-ray at a high dose rate (1.0 Gray/min). Impressively, X-ray caused mild splenic fibrosis in 40% of nanomelanin-protected mice, whereas severe fibrosis was observed in 100% of mice treated with X-ray alone. Treatment with nanomelanin also partly rescued the volume and weight of mouse spleens from irradiation through promoting the transcription levels of splenic Interleukin-2 (IL-2) and Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-α). More interestingly, splenic T cell and dendritic cell populations were 1.91 and 1.64-fold higher in nanomelanin-treated mice than those in mice which received X-ray alone. Consistently, the percentage of lymphocytes was also significantly greater in blood from nanomelanin-treated mice. In addition, nanomelanin might indirectly induce apoptosis in tumor tissues via activation of TNF-α, Bax, and Caspase-3 genes. In summary, our results demonstrate that nanomelanin protects spleens from X-ray irradiation and consequently enhances immunoactivity in tumor-bearing mice; therefore, we present nanomelanin as a potential protector against damage from radiotherapy in cancer treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Cancer Nanotechnology)
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12 pages, 1356 KiB  
Article
Silver, Gold, and Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Alter miRNA Expression but Do Not Affect DNA Methylation in HepG2 Cells
by Kamil Brzóska, Iwona Grądzka and Marcin Kruszewski
Materials 2019, 12(7), 1038; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12071038 - 29 Mar 2019
Cited by 41 | Viewed by 4808
Abstract
The increasing use of nanoparticles (NPs) in various applications entails the need for reliable assessment of their potential toxicity for humans. Originally, studies concerning the toxicity of NPs focused on cytotoxic and genotoxic effects, but more recently, attention has been paid to epigenetic [...] Read more.
The increasing use of nanoparticles (NPs) in various applications entails the need for reliable assessment of their potential toxicity for humans. Originally, studies concerning the toxicity of NPs focused on cytotoxic and genotoxic effects, but more recently, attention has been paid to epigenetic changes induced by nanoparticles. In the present research, we analysed the DNA methylation status of genes related to inflammation and apoptosis as well as the expression of miRNAs related to these processes in response to silver (AgNPs), gold (AuNPs), and superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) at low cytotoxic doses in HepG2 cells. There were no significant differences between treated and control cells in the DNA methylation status. We identified nine miRNAs, the expression of which was significantly altered by treatment with nanoparticles. The highest number of changes was induced by AgNPs (six miRNAs), followed by AuNPs (four miRNAs) and SPIONs (two miRNAs). Among others, AgNPs suppressed miR-34a expression, which is of particular interest since it may be responsible for the previously observed AgNPs-mediated HepG2 cells sensitisation to tumour necrosis factor (TNF). Most of the miRNAs affected by NP treatment in the present study have been previously shown to inhibit cell proliferation and tumourigenesis. However, based on the observed changes in miRNA expression we cannot draw definite conclusions regarding the pro- or anti-tumour nature of the NPs under study. Further research is needed to fully elucidate the relation between observed changes in miRNA expression and the effect of NPs observed at the cellular level. The results of the present study support the idea of including epigenetic testing during the toxicological assessment of the biological interaction of nanomaterials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Cancer Nanotechnology)
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17 pages, 4797 KiB  
Article
Nanocomplexes of Graphene Oxide and Platinum Nanoparticles against Colorectal Cancer Colo205, HT-29, HTC-116, SW480, Liver Cancer HepG2, Human Breast Cancer MCF-7, and Adenocarcinoma LNCaP and Human Cervical Hela B Cell Lines
by Marta Kutwin, Ewa Sawosz, Sławomir Jaworski, Mateusz Wierzbicki, Barbara Strojny, Marta Grodzik, Malwina Ewa Sosnowska, Maciej Trzaskowski and André Chwalibog
Materials 2019, 12(6), 909; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12060909 - 19 Mar 2019
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 4905
Abstract
Inefficient drug administration into cancer cells is related to the chemoresistance of cancer cells caused by genetic mutations including genes involved in drug transport, enzyme metabolism, and/or DNA damage repair. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the properties of platinum [...] Read more.
Inefficient drug administration into cancer cells is related to the chemoresistance of cancer cells caused by genetic mutations including genes involved in drug transport, enzyme metabolism, and/or DNA damage repair. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the properties of platinum (NP-Pt), graphene oxide (GO), and the nanocomplex of GO functionalized with platinum nanoparticles (GO-NP-Pt) against several genetically, phenotypically, and metabolically different cancer cell lines: Colo205, HT-29, HTC-116, SW480, HepG2, MCF-7, LNCaP, and Hela B. The anticancer effects toward the cancer cell lines were evaluated by 2,3-bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxyanilide salt (XTT) and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) assays and measurements of cell apoptosis and morphology deformations. The NP-Pt and GO could effectively be introduced to cancer cells, but more effective delivery was observed after GO-NP-Pt treatment. The delivery of the GO-NP-Pt nanocomplex significantly decreased the viability of Colo 205 and HepG2 cells, but did not increase the cytotoxicity of other investigated cancer cells. The nanocomplex GO-NP-Pt also significantly increased the apoptosis of Colo 205 and HepG2 cancer cells. The obtained results suggest that the nanocomplex GO-NP-Pt is a remarkable nanostructure that can improve the delivery of Pt nanoparticles into cancer cells and has potential anticancer applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Cancer Nanotechnology)
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14 pages, 3050 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Iron Core–Gold Shell Nanoparticles for Anti-Cancer Treatments: Chemical and Structural Transformations During Storage and Use
by Ya-Na Wu, Dar-Bin Shieh, Li-Xing Yang, Hwo-Shuenn Sheu, Rongkun Zheng, Pall Thordarson, Dong-Hwang Chen and Filip Braet
Materials 2018, 11(12), 2572; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11122572 - 17 Dec 2018
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3919
Abstract
Finding a cancer-selective drug that avoids damaging healthy cells and organs is a holy grail in medical research. In our previous studies, gold-coated iron (Fe@Au) nanoparticles showed cancer selective anti-cancer properties in vitro and in vivo but were found to gradually lose that [...] Read more.
Finding a cancer-selective drug that avoids damaging healthy cells and organs is a holy grail in medical research. In our previous studies, gold-coated iron (Fe@Au) nanoparticles showed cancer selective anti-cancer properties in vitro and in vivo but were found to gradually lose that activity with storage or “ageing”. To determine the reasons for this diminished anti-cancer activity, we examined Fe@Au nanoparticles at different preparation and storage stages by means of transmission electron microscopy combined with and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, along with X-ray diffraction analysis and cell viability tests. We found that dried and reconstituted Fe@Au nanoparticles, or Fe@Au nanoparticles within cells, decompose into irregular fragments of γ-F2O3 and agglomerated gold clumps. These changes cause the loss of the particles’ anti-cancer effects. However, we identified that the anti-cancer properties of Fe@Au nanoparticles can be well preserved under argon or, better still, liquid nitrogen storage for six months and at least one year, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Cancer Nanotechnology)
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Review

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28 pages, 1144 KiB  
Review
Nanotechnology Meets Oncology: Nanomaterials in Brain Cancer Research, Diagnosis and Therapy
by Alja Zottel, Alja Videtič Paska and Ivana Jovčevska
Materials 2019, 12(10), 1588; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12101588 - 15 May 2019
Cited by 106 | Viewed by 11167
Abstract
Advances in technology of the past decades led to development of new nanometer scale diagnosis and treatment approaches in cancer medicine leading to establishment of nanooncology. Inorganic and organic nanomaterials have been shown to improve bioimaging techniques and targeted drug delivery systems. Their [...] Read more.
Advances in technology of the past decades led to development of new nanometer scale diagnosis and treatment approaches in cancer medicine leading to establishment of nanooncology. Inorganic and organic nanomaterials have been shown to improve bioimaging techniques and targeted drug delivery systems. Their favorable physico-chemical characteristics, like small sizes, large surface area compared to volume, specific structural characteristics, and possibility to attach different molecules on their surface transform them into excellent transport vehicles able to cross cell and/or tissue barriers, including the blood–brain barrier. The latter is one of the greatest challenges in diagnosis and treatment of brain cancers. Application of nanomaterials can prolong the circulation time of the drugs and contrasting agents in the brain, posing an excellent opportunity for advancing the treatment of the most aggressive form of the brain cancer—glioblastomas. However, possible unwanted side-effects and toxicity issues must be considered before final clinical translation of nanoparticles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Cancer Nanotechnology)
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