Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.4
4.2
Journals
Molecules
Special Issues
The Application of Hyaluronic Acid in Drug Delivery
molecules-logo
Submit to Molecules Review for Molecules Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

The Application of Hyaluronic Acid in Drug Delivery

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 19867

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Silvia Arpicco

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Scienza e Tecnologia del Farmaco, Università di Torino, Via P. Giuria 9, 10125 Torino, Italy
Interests: liposomes; actively targeted drug delivery systems; hyaluronic acid; anticancer drugs
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Barbara Stella

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Drug Science and Technology, University of Turin, Via P. Giuria 9, 10125 Turin, Italy
Interests: polymer and lipid nanoparticles; liposomes; bioconjugates; drug delivery; controlled drug release; active targeting
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a very attractive molecule for use either as a targeting moiety or for the delivery of active compounds. The application of HA in active targeting is due to its ability to reach the CD44 receptor, which is overexpressed in many tumors and on cancer stems cells. Exploiting this ligand-receptor interaction, the use of HA to actively target nanosystems is now a rapidly-growing platform for targeting CD44-overexpressing cells, to reach more specific therapies and/or diagnostics. Moreover, it is also widely used for parenteral systems in the case of sustained release formulations by preparing particles and hydrogels.

The aim of this Special Issue is to discuss the design, preparation, characterization and biomedical applications of drug delivery systems based on the use of HA. We cordially invite you to contribute to this themed issue. Both original research papers and comprehensive review articles are highly welcome.

Prof. Dr. Silvia Arpicco
Dr. Barbara Stella
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. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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

  • Hyaluronic acid
  • Drug delivery
  • Nanosystems
  • Active drug targeting
  • CD44 receptor
  • Imaging

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

20 pages, 7457 KiB  
Article
Hyaluronated and PEGylated Liposomes as a Potential Drug-Delivery Strategy to Specifically Target Liver Cancer and Inflammatory Cells
by Stefania Cannito, Valeria Bincoletto, Cristian Turato, Patrizia Pontisso, Maria Teresa Scupoli, Giorgia Ailuno, Ilaria Andreana, Barbara Stella, Silvia Arpicco and Claudia Bocca
Molecules 2022, 27(3), 1062; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27031062 - 4 Feb 2022
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3297
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent primary liver cancer and is characterized by poor clinical outcomes, with the majority of patients not being eligible for curative therapy and treatments only being applicable for early-stage tumors. CD44 is a receptor for hyaluronic acid [...] Read more.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent primary liver cancer and is characterized by poor clinical outcomes, with the majority of patients not being eligible for curative therapy and treatments only being applicable for early-stage tumors. CD44 is a receptor for hyaluronic acid (HA) and is involved in HCC progression. The aim of this work is to propose HA- and PEGylated-liposomes as promising approaches for the treatment of HCC. It has been found, in this work, that CD44 transcripts are up-regulated in HCC patients, as well as in a murine model of NAFLD/NASH-related hepatocarcinogenesis. Cell culture experiments indicate that HA-liposomes are more rapidly and significantly internalized by Huh7 cells that over-express CD44, compared with HepG2 cells that express low levels of the receptor, in which the uptake seems due to endocytic events. By contrast, human and murine macrophage cell lines (THP-1, RAW264.7) show improved and rapid uptake of PEG-modified liposomes without the involvement of the CD44. Moreover, the internalization of PEG-modified liposomes seems to induce polarization of THP1 towards the M1 phenotype. In conclusion, data reported in this study indicate that this strategy can be proposed as an alternative for drug delivery and one that dually and specifically targets liver cancer cells and infiltrating tumor macrophages in order to counteract two crucial aspect of HCC progression. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Hyaluronic Acid in Drug Delivery)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

21 pages, 2945 KiB  
Review
Hyaluronic Acid-Conjugated Carbon Nanomaterials for Enhanced Tumour Targeting Ability
by Oisin Kearns, Adalberto Camisasca and Silvia Giordani
Molecules 2022, 27(1), 48; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27010048 - 22 Dec 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5038
Abstract
Hyaluronic acid (HA) has been implemented for chemo and photothermal therapy to target tumour cells overexpressing the CD44+ receptor. HA-targeting hybrid systems allows carbon nanomaterial (CNM) carriers to efficiently deliver anticancer drugs, such as doxorubicin and gemcitabine, to the tumour sites. Carbon [...] Read more.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) has been implemented for chemo and photothermal therapy to target tumour cells overexpressing the CD44+ receptor. HA-targeting hybrid systems allows carbon nanomaterial (CNM) carriers to efficiently deliver anticancer drugs, such as doxorubicin and gemcitabine, to the tumour sites. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene, graphene oxide (GO), and graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are grouped for a detailed review of the novel nanocomposites for cancer therapy. Some CNMs proved to be more successful than others in terms of stability and effectiveness at removing relative tumour volume. While the literature has been focused primarily on the CNTs and GO, other CNMs such as carbon nano-onions (CNOs) proved quite promising for targeted drug delivery using HA. Near-infrared laser photoablation is also reviewed as a primary method of cancer therapy—it can be used alone or in conjunction with chemotherapy to achieve promising chemo-photothermal therapy protocols. This review aims to give a background into HA and why it is a successful cancer-targeting component of current CNM-based drug delivery systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Hyaluronic Acid in Drug Delivery)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 785 KiB  
Review
Applications of Hyaluronic Acid in Ophthalmology and Contact Lenses
by Wan-Hsin Chang, Pei-Yi Liu, Min-Hsuan Lin, Chien-Ju Lu, Hsuan-Yi Chou, Chih-Yu Nian, Yuan-Ting Jiang and Yuan-Hao Howard Hsu
Molecules 2021, 26(9), 2485; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26092485 - 24 Apr 2021
Cited by 64 | Viewed by 10460
Abstract
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan that was first isolated and identified from the vitreous body of a bull’s eye. HA is ubiquitous in the soft connective tissues of animals and therefore has high tissue compatibility for use in medication. Because of HA’s [...] Read more.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan that was first isolated and identified from the vitreous body of a bull’s eye. HA is ubiquitous in the soft connective tissues of animals and therefore has high tissue compatibility for use in medication. Because of HA’s biological safety and water retention properties, it has many ophthalmology-related applications, such as in intravitreal injection, dry eye treatment, and contact lenses. Due to its broad range of applications, the identification and quantification of HA is a critical topic. This review article discusses current methods for analyzing HA. Contact lenses have become a widely used medical device, with HA commonly used as an additive to their production material, surface coating, and multipurpose solution. HA molecules on contact lenses retain moisture and increase the wearer’s comfort. HA absorbed by contact lenses can also gradually release to the anterior segment of the eyes to treat dry eye. This review discusses applications of HA in ophthalmology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Hyaluronic Acid in Drug Delivery)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop