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Pharmaceutics
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Smart Nanocarriers for Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy
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Smart Nanocarriers for Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanomedicine and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 November 2024) | Viewed by 6670

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Gema Marcelo

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Guest Editor
Department of Analytical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Pza. San Diego, s/n, 28801 Alcalá de Henares, Spain
Interests: nanomedicine; nanotechnology; nanomaterials; targeted drug delivery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Celia Nieto

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Guest Editor
Section of Immunobiology, University of León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain
Interests: nanomedicine; nanotechnology; nanomaterials; targeted drug delivery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Milena A. Vega

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Textil, Universidad de Salamanca, Pl/La Merced s/n, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
Interests: nanomedicine; nanotechnology; nanomaterials; targeted drug delivery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer is one of the top causes of death worldwide, accounting for around 9.9 million deaths in 2020. Despite the advances in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease, its incidence is worryingly increasing, particularly in the lung, breast, colorectal, prostate, and stomach. As is the case with most solid tumors, one of the most challenging problems in cancer therapy is associated with the severe secondary toxicity of chemotherapeutic drugs. For this reason, there is an urgent need to reproducibly develop effective targeted nanocarriers that are capable of preventing drug adsorption and degradation in the upper gastrointestinal tract and thus capable of transporting chemotherapeutic drugs in different parts of the body.

This Special Issue aims to collect recent trends in the field of the therapy of cancer related to the use of nanocarriers capable of promoting active targets in the tumor microenvironment. Thus, we invite articles which focus on the development, characterization and validation of liposomes, nanoparticles, nanohydrogels, and nanocomposites conjugated with selective targeting molecules and/or stimuli-responsive molecules, designed to improve the main handicaps of traditional chemotherapy.

Prof. Dr. Gema Marcelo
Dr. Celia Nieto
Dr. Milena A. Vega
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. Pharmaceutics 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 2900 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

  • liposomes and lipid-based formulations
  • polymeric and metal nanoparticles
  • hydrogels and nanocomposites
  • targeted drug delivery
  • smart drug delivery
  • controlled drug release
  • nanomaterial fuctionalization

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 2484 KiB  
Article
Design of Experiments to Tailor the Potential of BSA-Coated Peptide Nanocomplexes for Temozolomide/p53 Gene Co-Delivery
by Inês Afonso, Ana R. Neves, Dalinda Eusébio, Tânia Albuquerque, Eric Vivès, Prisca Boisguérin, Adriana O. Santos, Ângela Sousa and Diana Costa
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(11), 1389; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16111389 - 29 Oct 2024
Viewed by 573
Abstract
Background: Gene therapy can be viewed as a promising/valuable therapeutic approach directed to cancer treatment, including glioblastoma. Concretely, the combination of gene therapy with chemotherapy could increase its therapeutic index due to a synergistic effect. In this context, bovine serum albumin (BSA)-coated temozolomide [...] Read more.
Background: Gene therapy can be viewed as a promising/valuable therapeutic approach directed to cancer treatment, including glioblastoma. Concretely, the combination of gene therapy with chemotherapy could increase its therapeutic index due to a synergistic effect. In this context, bovine serum albumin (BSA)-coated temozolomide (TMZ)-peptide (WRAP5)/p53 gene-based plasmid DNA complexes were developed to promote payload co-delivery. Methods: Design of experiments (DoE) was employed to unravel the BSA-coated TMZ-WRAP5/p53 nanocomplexes with the highest potential by considering the nitrogen to phosphate groups ratio (N/P), and the BSA concentration as inputs and the size, polydispersity index, surface charge and p53-based plasmid complexation capacity (CC) as DoE outputs. Results: The obtained quadratic models were statistically significant (p-value < 0.05) with an adequate coefficient of determination, and the correspondent optimal points were successfully validated. The optimal complex formulation had N/P of 1.03, a BSA concentration of 0.08%, a size of approximately 182 nm, a zeta potential of +9.8 mV, and a pDNA CC of 96.5%. The optimal nanocomplexes are approximately spherical. A cytotoxicity assay showed that these BSA-coated TMZ-WRAP5/p53 complexes did not elicit toxicity in normal brain cells, and a hemolysis study demonstrated the hemocompatibility of the complexes. The complexes were stable in cell culture medium and fetal bovine serum and assured pDNA protection and release. Moreover, the optimal BSA-coated complexes were able of gene transcription and promoted a significant inhibition of glioblastoma cell viability. Conclusions: The reported findings instigate the development of future research to evaluate their potential utility to TMZ/p53 co-delivery. The DoE tool proved to be a powerful approach to explore and tailor the composition of BSA-coated TMZ-WRAP5/p53 complexes, which are expected to contribute to the progress toward a more efficient therapy against cancer and, more specifically, against glioblastoma. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Nanocarriers for Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy)
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23 pages, 7648 KiB  
Article
Multistage Nanocarrier Based on an Oil Core–Graphene Oxide Shell
by Immacolata Tufano, Raffaele Vecchione, Valeria Panzetta, Edmondo Battista, Costantino Casale, Giorgia Imparato and Paolo Antonio Netti
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(6), 827; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16060827 - 18 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1081
Abstract
Potent synthetic drugs, as well as biomolecules extracted from plants, have been investigated for their selectivity toward cancer cells. The main limitation in cancer treatment is the ability to bring such molecules within each single cancer cell, which requires accumulation in the peritumoral [...] Read more.
Potent synthetic drugs, as well as biomolecules extracted from plants, have been investigated for their selectivity toward cancer cells. The main limitation in cancer treatment is the ability to bring such molecules within each single cancer cell, which requires accumulation in the peritumoral region followed by homogeneous spreading within the entire tissue. In the last decades, nanotechnology has emerged as a powerful tool due to its ability to protect the drug during blood circulation and allow enhanced accumulation around the leaky regions of the tumor vasculature. However, the ideal size for accumulation of around 100 nm is too large for effective penetration into the dense collagen matrix. Therefore, we propose a multistage system based on graphene oxide nanosheet-based quantum dots (GOQDs) with dimensions that are 12 nm, functionalized with hyaluronic acid (GOQDs-HA), and deposited using the layer-by-layer technique onto an oil-in-water nanoemulsion (O/W NE) template that is around 100 nm in size, previously stabilized by a biodegradable polymer, chitosan. The choice of a biodegradable core for the nanocarrier is to degrade once inside the tumor, thus promoting the release of smaller compounds, GOQDs-HA, carrying the adsorbed anticancer compound, which in this work is represented by curcumin as a model bioactive anticancer molecule. Additionally, modification with HA aims to promote active targeting of stromal and cancer cells. Cell uptake experiments and preliminary penetration experiments in three-dimensional microtissues were performed to assess the proposed multistage nanocarrier. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Nanocarriers for Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy)
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15 pages, 6523 KiB  
Article
Indocyanine-Green-Loaded Liposomes for Photodynamic and Photothermal Therapies: Inducing Apoptosis and Ferroptosis in Cancer Cells with Implications beyond Oral Cancer
by Wei-Ting Liao, Dao-Ming Chang, Meng-Xian Lin, Jeng-Woei Lee, Yi-Chung Tung and Jong-Kai Hsiao
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(2), 224; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16020224 - 4 Feb 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1761
Abstract
Oral cancer represents a global health burden, necessitating novel therapeutic strategies. Photodynamic and photothermal therapies using indocyanine green (ICG) have shown promise due to their distinctive near-infrared (NIR) light absorption characteristics and FDA-approved safety profiles. This study develops ICG-loaded liposomes (Lipo-ICGs) to further [...] Read more.
Oral cancer represents a global health burden, necessitating novel therapeutic strategies. Photodynamic and photothermal therapies using indocyanine green (ICG) have shown promise due to their distinctive near-infrared (NIR) light absorption characteristics and FDA-approved safety profiles. This study develops ICG-loaded liposomes (Lipo-ICGs) to further explore their potential in oral cancer treatments. We synthesized and characterized the Lipo-ICGs, conducted in vitro cell culture experiments to assess cellular uptake and photodynamic/photothermal effects, and performed in vivo animal studies to evaluate their therapeutic efficacy. Quantitative cell apoptosis and gene expression variation were further characterized using flow cytometry and RNA sequencing, respectively. Lipo-ICGs demonstrated a uniform molecular weight distribution among particles. The in vitro studies showed a successful internalization of Lipo-ICGs into the cells and a significant photodynamic treatment effect. The in vivo studies confirmed the efficient delivery of Lipo-ICGs to tumor sites and successful tumor growth inhibition following photodynamic therapy. Moreover, light exposure induced a time-sensitive photothermal effect, facilitating the further release of ICG, and enhancing the treatment efficacy. RNA sequencing data showed significant changes in gene expression patterns upon Lipo-ICG treatment, suggesting the activation of apoptosis and ferroptosis pathways. The findings demonstrate the potential of Lipo-ICGs as a therapeutic tool for oral cancer management, potentially extending to other cancer types. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Nanocarriers for Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy)
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Review

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22 pages, 3736 KiB  
Review
Antibody-Loaded Nanoplatforms for Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment: An Update
by Rania Djermane, Celia Nieto, Milena A. Vega and Eva M. Martín del Valle
Pharmaceutics 2023, 15(5), 1514; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15051514 - 17 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2355
Abstract
At present, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second deadliest type of cancer, partly because a high percentage of cases are diagnosed at advanced stages when tumors have already metastasized. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop novel diagnostic systems that allow early [...] Read more.
At present, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second deadliest type of cancer, partly because a high percentage of cases are diagnosed at advanced stages when tumors have already metastasized. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop novel diagnostic systems that allow early detection as well as new therapeutic systems that are more specific than those currently available. In this context, nanotechnology plays a very important role in the development of targeted platforms. In recent decades, many types of nanomaterials with advantageous properties have been used for nano-oncology applications and have been loaded with different types of targeted agents, capable of recognizing tumor cells or biomarkers. Indeed, among the different types of targeted agents, the most widely used are monoclonal antibodies, as the administration of many of them is already approved by the main drug regulatory agencies for the treatment of several types of cancer, including CRC. In this way, this review comprehensively discusses the main drawbacks of the conventional screening technologies and treatment for CRC, and it presents recent advances in the application of antibody-loaded nanoplatforms for CRC detection, therapy or theranostics applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Nanocarriers for Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy)
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