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Biomaterials for Cancer Therapy
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Biomaterials for Cancer Therapy

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 26222

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Saeid Kargozar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Interests: biomaterials; bone bioengineering; stem cells; biomaterials for tissue engineering; advanced bioceramics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Francesco Baino

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Materials Physics and Engineering, Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Turin, Italy
Interests: ceramics; glasses; porous materials; additive manufacturing; bioactive glasses; bioceramics; composites; tissue engineering; multifunctional biomaterials; biomedical scaffolds; advanced ceramics; sustainable materials; waste management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the world; therefore, diagnosis and therapy of the various types of cancers are of utmost importance in the biomedical field. Up to now, a huge number of chemicals and drugs in various forms have been designed and developed to treat cancer, and several commercially-available products are currently being used in clinics. In this regard, chemo-radiotherapy, targeted therapies, immunotherapy, and combination therapies are commonly carried out in clinics; furthermore, the use of advanced organic and inorganic implantable/injectable biomaterials offers new opportunities for improved cancer treatment.

Possibilities in materials-regulated cancer diagnosis and therapy are actually considerable; various formulations of materials could be utilized in a broad range of shapes and structures both in bare and functionalized forms. Some types of biomaterials are capable of intrinsically acting as anticancer agents, while others can be used as drug delivery vehicles to provide targeted therapies against tumor cells. Targeting tumor microenvironments is another important application of anticancer materials, as it is a vital determinant of the final fate of cancer therapy. Moreover, effects of materials and their by-products on cancer stem cells are not well studied, so specific research should be conducted on this issue to reveal the molecular mechanisms involved.

This Special Issue has the ambition of providing a valuable collection of contributions and a platform for a scientific discussion focused on material-based strategies in the context of cancer therapy. Original research papers, short communications, and reviews are welcome in this Special Issue, the key topics of which include innovative treatment and synthesis/fabrication approaches, chemical and drug delivery systems, in vitro and in vivo experiments, as well as modelling and materials validation addressed to the broad field of cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Dr. Saeid Kargozar
Dr. Francesco Baino
Guest Editors

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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. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • Angiogenesis
  • Anticancer drugs
  • Biomaterials
  • Bioceramics
  • Cancer therapy
  • Composites
  • Controlled drug release
  • Functionalization
  • Hierarchical materials
  • Hydrogels
  • Magnetic hyperthermia
  • Magnetic materials
  • Nanoparticles
  • Nanotechnology
  • Photothermal therapy
  • Plasmonics
  • Proteomics
  • Scaffold.

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 4077 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the In Vitro Cytotoxic Activity of Ursolic Acid PLGA Nanoparticles against Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Cell Lines
by Adam Markowski, Paweł Migdał, Adrianna Zygmunt, Magdalena Zaremba-Czogalla and Jerzy Gubernator
Materials 2021, 14(17), 4917; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14174917 - 29 Aug 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2936
Abstract
Among all the types of cancer, Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma remains one of the deadliest and hardest to fight and there is a critical unmet need for new drugs and therapies for its treatment. Naturally derived compounds, such as pentacyclic triterpenoids, have gathered attention [...] Read more.
Among all the types of cancer, Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma remains one of the deadliest and hardest to fight and there is a critical unmet need for new drugs and therapies for its treatment. Naturally derived compounds, such as pentacyclic triterpenoids, have gathered attention because of their high cytotoxic potential towards pancreatic cancer cells, with a wide biological activity spectrum, with ursolic acid (UA) being one of the most interesting. However, due to its minimal water solubility, it is necessary to prepare a nanocarrier vehicle to aid in the delivery of this compound. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) or PLGA polymeric nanocarriers are an essential tool for ursolic acid delivery and can overcome the lack in its biological activity observed after incorporating within liposomes. We prepared UA-PLGA nanoparticles with a PEG modification, to achieve a long circulation time, by using a nanoprecipitation method and subsequently performed an MTT cytotoxicity assay towards AsPC-1 and BxPC-3 cells, with TEM visualization of the nanoparticles and their cellular uptake. We established repeatable preparation procedures of the nanoparticles and achieved biologically active nanocarriers with an IC50 below 30 µM, with an appropriate size for intravenous dosage (around 140 nm), high sample homogeneity (below 0.2) and reasonable encapsulation efficiency (up to 50%). These results represent the first steps in the development of potentially effective PDAC therapies based on novel biologically active and promising triterpenoids. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomaterials for Cancer Therapy)
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17 pages, 1960 KiB  
Article
Holmium-Containing Bioactive Glasses Dispersed in Poloxamer 407 Hydrogel as a Theragenerative Composite for Bone Cancer Treatment
by Telma Zambanini, Roger Borges, Ana C. S. de Souza, Giselle Z. Justo, Joel Machado, Jr., Daniele R. de Araujo and Juliana Marchi
Materials 2021, 14(6), 1459; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14061459 - 17 Mar 2021
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 2850
Abstract
Holmium-containing bioactive glasses can be applied in bone cancer treatment because the holmium content can be neutron activated, having suitable properties for brachytherapy applications, while the bioactive glass matrix can regenerate the bone alterations induced by the tumor. To facilitate the application of [...] Read more.
Holmium-containing bioactive glasses can be applied in bone cancer treatment because the holmium content can be neutron activated, having suitable properties for brachytherapy applications, while the bioactive glass matrix can regenerate the bone alterations induced by the tumor. To facilitate the application of these glasses in clinical practice, we proposed a composite based on Poloxamer 407 thermoresponsive hydrogel, with suitable properties for applications as injectable systems. Therefore, in this work, we evaluated the influence of holmium-containing glass particles on the properties of Poloxamer 407 hydrogel (20 w/w.%), including self-assembly ability and biological properties. 58S bioactive glasses (58SiO2-33CaO-9P2O5) containing different Ho2O3 amounts (1.25, 2.5, 3.75, and 5 wt.%) were incorporated into the hydrogel. The formulations were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, rheological tests, and [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] MTT cell viability against pre-osteoblastic and osteosarcoma cells. The results evidenced that neither the glass particles dispersed in the hydrogel nor the holmium content in the glasses significantly influenced the hydrogel self-assembly ability (Tmic ~13.8 °C and Tgel ~20 °C). Although, the glass particles considerably diminished the hydrogel viscosity in one order of magnitude at body temperature (37 °C). The cytotoxicity results evidenced that the formulations selectively favored pre-osteoblastic cell proliferation and osteosarcoma cell death. In conclusion, the formulation containing glass with the highest fraction of holmium content (5 wt.%) had the best biological results outcomes aiming its application as theragenerative materials for bone cancer treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomaterials for Cancer Therapy)
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14 pages, 4071 KiB  
Article
Microfluidic-Assisted Preparation of 5-Fluorouracil-Loaded PLGA Nanoparticles as a Potential System for Colorectal Cancer Therapy
by Mahtab Ghasemi Toudeshkchouei, Payam Zahedi and Amin Shavandi
Materials 2020, 13(7), 1483; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13071483 - 25 Mar 2020
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3637
Abstract
This work aims at fabricating 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-loaded poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid nanoparticles (PLGA NPs) using a microfluidic (MF) technique, with potential for use in colorectal cancer therapy. In order to achieve 5-FU-loaded NPs with an average diameter of approximately 119 nm, the parameters of [...] Read more.
This work aims at fabricating 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-loaded poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid nanoparticles (PLGA NPs) using a microfluidic (MF) technique, with potential for use in colorectal cancer therapy. In order to achieve 5-FU-loaded NPs with an average diameter of approximately 119 nm, the parameters of MF process with fork-shaped patterns were adjusted as follows: the ratio of polymer to drug solutions flow rates was equal to 10 and the solution concentrations of PLGA as carrier, 5-FU as anti-cancer drug and poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as surfactant were 0.2 (% w/v), 0.01 (% w/v) and 0.15 (% w/v), respectively. In this way, a drug encapsulation efficiency of approximately 95% into the PLGA NPs was obtained, due to the formation of a hydrodynamic flow focusing phenomenon through the MF chip. A performance evaluation of the NP samples in terms of the drug release, cytotoxicity and cell death was carried out. Finally, by analyzing the results after induction of cell death and 4′, 6-diamidino-2-phenylin-dole (DAPI) staining, MF-fabricated NPs containing 5-FU [0.2 (% w/v) of PLGA] revealed the dead cell amounts of 10 and 1.5-fold higher than the control sample for Caco2 and SW-480, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomaterials for Cancer Therapy)
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Review

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31 pages, 2699 KiB  
Review
Nanomaterials for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Head and Neck Cancers: A Review
by Gustavo Ruiz-Pulido, Dora I. Medina, Mahmood Barani, Abbas Rahdar, Ghasem Sargazi, Francesco Baino and Sadanand Pandey
Materials 2021, 14(13), 3706; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14133706 - 2 Jul 2021
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 5905
Abstract
Head and neck cancer (HNC) is a category of cancers that typically arise from the nose-, mouth-, and throat-lining squamous cells. The later stage of HNC diagnosis significantly affects the patient’s survival rate. This makes it mandatory to diagnose this cancer with a [...] Read more.
Head and neck cancer (HNC) is a category of cancers that typically arise from the nose-, mouth-, and throat-lining squamous cells. The later stage of HNC diagnosis significantly affects the patient’s survival rate. This makes it mandatory to diagnose this cancer with a suitable biomarker and imaging techniques at the earlier stages of growth. There are limitations to traditional technologies for early detection of HNC. Furthermore, the use of nanocarriers for delivering chemo-, radio-, and phototherapeutic drugs represents a promising approach for improving the outcome of HNC treatments. Several studies with nanostructures focus on the development of a targeted and sustained release of anticancer molecules with reduced side effects. Besides, nanovehicles could allow co-delivering of anticancer drugs for synergistic activity to counteract chemo- or radioresistance. Additionally, a new generation of smart nanomaterials with stimuli-responsive properties have been developed to distinguish between unique tumor conditions and healthy tissue. In this light, the present article reviews the mechanisms used by different nanostructures (metallic and metal oxide nanoparticles, polymeric nanoparticles, quantum dots, liposomes, nanomicelles, etc.) to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment, provides an up-to-date picture of the state of the art in this field, and highlights the major challenges for future improvements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomaterials for Cancer Therapy)
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28 pages, 3872 KiB  
Review
Strategies for Cancer Treatment Based on Photonic Nanomedicine
by Sueli Aparecida de Oliveira, Roger Borges, Derval dos Santos Rosa, Ana Carolina Santos de Souza, Amedea B. Seabra, Francesco Baino and Juliana Marchi
Materials 2021, 14(6), 1435; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14061435 - 16 Mar 2021
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4019
Abstract
Traditional cancer treatments, such as surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, are still the most effective clinical practice options. However, these treatments may display moderate to severe side effects caused by their low temporal or spatial resolution. In this sense, photonic nanomedicine therapies have been [...] Read more.
Traditional cancer treatments, such as surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, are still the most effective clinical practice options. However, these treatments may display moderate to severe side effects caused by their low temporal or spatial resolution. In this sense, photonic nanomedicine therapies have been arising as an alternative to traditional cancer treatments since they display more control of temporal and spatial resolution, thereby yielding fewer side effects. In this work, we reviewed the challenge of current cancer treatments, using the PubMed and Web of Science database, focusing on the advances of three prominent therapies approached by photonic nanomedicine: (i) photothermal therapy; (ii) photodynamic therapy; (iii) photoresponsive drug delivery systems. These photonic nanomedicines act on the cancer cells through different mechanisms, such as hyperthermic effect and delivery of chemotherapeutics and species that cause oxidative stress. Furthermore, we covered the recent advances in materials science applied in photonic nanomedicine, highlighting the main classes of materials used in each therapy, their applications in the context of cancer treatment, as well as their advantages, limitations, and future perspectives. Finally, although some photonic nanomedicines are undergoing clinical trials, their effectiveness in cancer treatment have already been highlighted by pre-clinical studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomaterials for Cancer Therapy)
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18 pages, 3565 KiB  
Review
Biomedical Radioactive Glasses for Brachytherapy
by Francesco Baino, Elisa Fiume, Sara Ciavattini, Saeid Kargozar, Roger Borges, Luis A. Genova, Juliana Marchi and Enrica Verné
Materials 2021, 14(5), 1131; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14051131 - 27 Feb 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4464
Abstract
The fight against cancer is an old challenge for mankind. Apart from surgery and chemotherapy, which are the most common treatments, use of radiation represents a promising, less invasive strategy that can be performed both from the outside or inside the body. The [...] Read more.
The fight against cancer is an old challenge for mankind. Apart from surgery and chemotherapy, which are the most common treatments, use of radiation represents a promising, less invasive strategy that can be performed both from the outside or inside the body. The latter approach, also known as brachytherapy, relies on the use of implantable beta-emitting seeds or microspheres for killing cancer cells. A set of radioactive glasses have been developed for this purpose but their clinical use is still mainly limited to liver cancer. This review paper provides a picture of the biomedical glasses developed and experimented for brachytherapy so far, focusing the discussion on the production methods and current limitations of the available options to their diffusion in clinical practice. Highly-durable neutron-activatable glasses in the yttria-alumina-silica oxide system are typically preferred in order to avoid the potentially-dangerous release of radioisotopes, while the compositional design of degradable glass systems suitable for use in radiotherapy still remains a challenge and would deserve further investigation in the near future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomaterials for Cancer Therapy)
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