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1.
Biogenic Sulfur-Based Chalcogenide Nanocrystals: Methods of Fabrication, Mechanistic Aspects, and Bio-Applications.
Yanchatuña Aguayo, OP, Mouheb, L, Villota Revelo, K, Vásquez-Ucho, PA, Pawar, PP, Rahman, A, Jeffryes, C, Terencio, T, Dahoumane, SA
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). 2022;(2)
Abstract
Bio-nanotechnology has emerged as an efficient and competitive methodology for the production of added-value nanomaterials (NMs). This review article gathers knowledge gleaned from the literature regarding the biosynthesis of sulfur-based chalcogenide nanoparticles (S-NPs), such as CdS, ZnS and PbS NPs, using various biological resources, namely bacteria, fungi including yeast, algae, plant extracts, single biomolecules, and viruses. In addition, this work sheds light onto the hypothetical mechanistic aspects, and discusses the impact of varying the experimental parameters, such as the employed bio-entity, time, pH, and biomass concentration, on the obtained S-NPs and, consequently, on their properties. Furthermore, various bio-applications of these NMs are described. Finally, key elements regarding the whole process are summed up and some hints are provided to overcome encountered bottlenecks towards the improved and scalable production of biogenic S-NPs.
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2.
Innovative nanotools for vascular drug delivery: the atherosclerosis case study.
De Negri Atanasio, G, Ferrari, PF, Campardelli, R, Perego, P, Palombo, D
Journal of materials chemistry. B. 2021;(41):8558-8568
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality in the Western world. Among them, atherosclerosis represents one of the most common diseases in the modern society due to a common sedentary lifestyle, high-fat diet, and smoking. In the near future, a new approach could potentially improve the therapy of vascular pathologies, where to date the non-specific treatments present several limitations, such as poor biodistribution, quick elimination from the body, and undesired side-effects. In this field, nanotechnology has a great potential for the therapy and diagnosis of atherosclerosis with more and more recent and innovative publications. This review is a critical analysis of the results reported in the literature regarding the different and possible new approaches for the therapy and diagnosis of atherosclerosis.
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3.
Nanotechnological approach to delivering nutraceuticals as promising drug candidates for the treatment of atherosclerosis.
Pillai, SC, Borah, A, Jacob, EM, Kumar, DS
Drug delivery. 2021;(1):550-568
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Abstract
Atherosclerosis is Caesar's sword, which poses a huge risk to the present generation. Understanding the atherosclerotic disease cycle would allow ensuring improved diagnosis, better care, and treatment. Unfortunately, a highly effective and safe way of treating atherosclerosis in the medical community remains a continuous challenge. Conventional treatments have shown considerable success, but have some adverse effects on the human body. Natural derived medications or nutraceuticals have gained immense popularity in the treatment of atherosclerosis due to their decreased side effects and toxicity-related issues. In hindsight, the contribution of nutraceuticals in imparting enhanced clinical efficacy against atherosclerosis warrants more experimental evidence. On the other hand, nanotechnology and drug delivery systems (DDS) have revolutionized the way therapeutics are performed and researchers have been constantly exploring the positive effects that DDS brings to the field of therapeutic techniques. It could be as exciting as ever to apply nano-mediated delivery of nutraceuticals as an additional strategy to target the atherosclerotic sites boasting high therapeutic efficiency of the nutraceuticals and fewer side effects.
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Harnessing the biocatalytic attributes and applied perspectives of nanoengineered laccases-A review.
Bilal, M, Ashraf, SS, Cui, J, Lou, WY, Franco, M, Mulla, SI, Iqbal, HMN
International journal of biological macromolecules. 2021;:352-373
Abstract
In the recent past, numerous new types of nanostructured carriers, as support matrices, have been engineered to advance the traditional enzyme immobilization strategies. The current research aimed to develop a robust enzyme-based biocatalytic platform and its effective deployment in the industrial biotechnology sectors at large and catalysis area, in particular, as low-cost biocatalytic systems. Suitable coordination between the target enzyme molecules and surface pendent multifunctional entities of nanostructured carriers has led an effective and significant contribution in myriad novel industrial, biotechnological, and biomedical applications. As compared to the immobilization on planar two-dimensional (2-D) surface, the unique physicochemical, structural and functional attributes of nano-engineered matrices, such as high surface-to-volume ratio, surface area, robust chemical and mechanical stability, surface pendant functional groups, outstanding optical, thermal, and electrical characteristics, resulted in the concentration of the immobilized entity being substantially higher, which is highly requisite from applied bio-catalysis perspective. Besides inherited features, nanostructured materials-based enzyme immobilization aided additional features, such as (1) ease in the preparation or green synthesis route, (2) no or minimal use of surfactants and harsh reagents, (3) homogeneous and well-defined core-shell nanostructures with thick enzyme shell, and (4) nano-size can be conveniently tailored within utility limits, as compared to the conventional enzyme immobilization. Moreover, the growing catalytic needs can be fulfilled by multi-enzymes co-immobilization on these nanostructured materials-based support matrices. This review spotlights the unique structural and functional attributes of several nanostructured materials, including carbon nanotubes, graphene, and its derivate constructs, nanoparticles, nanoflowers, and metal-organic frameworks as robust matrices for laccase immobilization. The later half of the review focuses on the applied perspective of immobilized laccases for the degradation of emergent contaminants, biosensing cues, and lignin deconstruction and high-value products.
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Therapeutic benefits of rutin and its nanoformulations.
Negahdari, R, Bohlouli, S, Sharifi, S, Maleki Dizaj, S, Rahbar Saadat, Y, Khezri, K, Jafari, S, Ahmadian, E, Gorbani Jahandizi, N, Raeesi, S
Phytotherapy research : PTR. 2021;(4):1719-1738
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rutin as a natural flavonoid compound has revealed an extensive range of therapeutic potentials. PURPOSE The current paper is focused on the numerous studies on rutin nanoformulations regarding its broad spectrum of therapeutic potentials. STUDY AND METHODS A review was conducted in electronic databases (PubMed) to identify relevant published literature in English. No restrictions on publication date were imposed. RESULTS The literature search provided 7,078 results for rutin. Among them, 25 papers were related to the potential biological activities of rutin nanoformulations. Polymeric nanoparticles were the most studied nanoformulations for rutin (14 titles) and lipid nanoparticles (5 titles) were in second place. The reviewed literature showed that rutin has been used as an antimicrobial, antifungal, and anti-allergic agent. Improving the bioavailability of rutin using novel drug-delivery methods will help the investigators to use its useful effects in the treatment of various chronic human diseases. CONCLUSION It can be concluded that the preparation of rutin nanomaterials for the various therapeutic objects confirmed the enhanced aqueous solubility as well as enhanced efficacy compared to conventional delivery of rutin. However, more investigations should be conducted to confirm the improved bioavailability of the rutin nanoformulations.
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Plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles: A concise review on its extraction methods, content, bioactivities, and potential as functional food ingredient.
Suharta, S, Barlian, A, Hidajah, AC, Notobroto, HB, Ana, ID, Indariani, S, Wungu, TDK, Wijaya, CH
Journal of food science. 2021;(7):2838-2850
Abstract
Plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles (PDENs) are small vesicles released by multivesicular bodies mainly to communicate between cells and regulate immunity against pathogen attack. Current studies have reported that PDENs could modulate gene expression in a cross-kingdom fashion. Therefore, PDENs could be a potential future functional food ingredient as their cross-kingdom communication abilities were reported to exert multiple health benefits. Macrophage and other cells have been reported to absorb PDENs in a manner regulated by the membrane lipid and protein profile and the intactness of the PDENs lipid bilayer. PDENs could be extracted from plant materials by various techniques such as ultracentrifugation, immunoaffinity, size-based isolation, and precipitation, though each method has its pros and cons. PDENs mainly contain lipid, protein, and genetic materials, mainly micro RNAs, which could exert multiple health benefits and functionalities when consumed in sufficient amounts. However, most studies on the health functionalities of PDENs were conducted through in-vitro and in-vivo studies, and its potency to be used as a functional ingredient remains a question as PDENs are sensitive to storage and processing condition and requires costly extraction method. This concise review features various exosome extraction methods, contents of PDENs and their roles, the health functionalities of PDENs, and its potency as a functional food ingredient.
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Blood-brain barrier dysfunction in hemorrhagic transformation: a therapeutic opportunity for nanoparticles and melatonin.
Figueroa, EG, González-Candia, A, Caballero-Román, A, Fornaguera, C, Escribano-Ferrer, E, García-Celma, MJ, Herrera, EA
Journal of neurophysiology. 2021;(6):2025-2033
Abstract
Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide, estimated that one-sixth of the world population will suffer it once in their life. The most common type of this medical condition is the ischemic stroke (IS), produced by a thrombotic or embolic occlusion of a major cerebral artery or its branches, leading to the formation of a complex infarct region caused by oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, and endothelial dysfunction. Nowadays, the immediate treatment for IS involves thrombolytic agents or mechanical thrombectomy, depending on the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). A common stroke complication is the hemorrhagic transformation (HT), which consists of bleeding into the ischemic brain area. Currently, better treatments for IS are urgently needed. As such, the neurohormone melatonin has been proposed as a good candidate due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects, particularly against lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress during brain ischemia. Here, we proposed to develop intravenous or intranasal melatonin nanoformulation to specifically target the brain in patients with stroke. Nowadays, the challenge is to find a formulation able to cross the barriers and reach the target organ in an effective dose to generate the pharmacological effect. In this review, we discuss the current literature about stroke pathophysiology, melatonin properties, and its potential use in nanoformulations as a novel therapeutic approach for ischemic stroke.
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A Review on Natural Sources Derived Protein Nanoparticles as Anticancer Agents.
Bhattacharya, T, Maishu, SP, Akter, R, Rahman, MH, Akhtar, MF, Saleem, A, Bin-Jumah, M, Kamel, M, Abdel-Latif, MA, Abdel-Daim, MM
Current topics in medicinal chemistry. 2021;(12):1014-1026
Abstract
Cancer notably carcinoma represents a prominent health challenge worldwide. A variety of chemotherapeutic agents are being used to deal with a variety of carcinomas. However, these delivering agents not only enter the targeted site but also affect normal tissues yielding poor therapeutic outcomes. Chemotherapeutic-associated problems are being attributed to drug non-specificity resulting from poor drug delivery systems. These problems are now being solved using nanomedicine, which entails using nanoparticles as drug delivery systems or nanocarriers. This nanoparticle-based drug delivery system enhances clinical outcomes by enabling targeted delivery, improving drug internalization, enhanced permeability, easy biodistribution, prolonged circulation and enhanced permeability rate, thereby improving the therapeutic effectiveness of several anticancer agents. Natural Protein-based Nanoparticles (PNPs) such as ferritin, lipoprotein, and lectins from natural sources have gained extensive importance at a scientific community level as nanovehicle for effective drug delivery and photo acoustic labeling replacing several synthetic nanocarriers that have shown limited therapeutic outcomes. The bioavailability of PNP, the chance of genetic engineering techniques to modify their biological properties made them one of the important raw material sources for drug delivery research. This current review highlighted different chemotherapeutic agents used in the treatment of some carcinomas. It also focused on the wide variety of natural protein sources derived nanoparticles (NPs) as anticancer delivery of agents for cancer therapy.
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Herbal Based Polymeric Nanoparticles as a Therapeutic Remedy for Breast Cancer.
Mughees, M, Wajid, S
Anti-cancer agents in medicinal chemistry. 2021;(4):433-444
Abstract
BACKGROUND The currently available anti breast cancer agents as well as conventional drug delivery methods have some limitations. OBJECTIVE In view of these limitations, researchers used phytochemicals/herbal extracts as anti-breast cancer agents together with the polymeric nanoparticles to provide an effective way of targeted drug delivery with lesser /no side effects. METHODS The literature for this review was searched during the year 2015 to 2019, using the keywords, ' 'breast cancer', 'breast cancer and its current treatments', 'plants against the breast cancer', 'polymeric nanoparticles', 'herbal based polymeric nanoparticles'. The databases i.e., PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar, were used for collecting the information. RESULTS In the present review, an attempt was made to summarize the potential of herbal-based nanoformulation as a specific and high efficacy therapeutic strategy in order to pave the way for future research involving screening and use of herbal nanoparticles for the treatment of breast cancer. CONCLUSION The encapsulation of the herbal extract in the polymeric nanoparticles is the prominent, effective, and emerging way of targeted drug delivery for cancer. It may serve as a safer way of targeted drug delivery and maybe the answer to the complications related to the currently available anti-breast cancer agents as well as limitations of the conventional method of drug delivery.
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Polysaccharide/mesoporous silica nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems: A review.
Kuang, Y, Zhai, J, Xiao, Q, Zhao, S, Li, C
International journal of biological macromolecules. 2021;(Pt A):457-473
Abstract
Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have been well-researched in the design and fabrication of advanced drug delivery systems (DDSs) due to their advantages such as good biocompatibility, large specific surface area and pore volume for drug loading, easily surface modification, adjusted size and good thermal/chemical stability. For MSN-based DDSs, gate materials are also necessary. And natural polysaccharides, one kind of the most abundant natural resource, have been widely applied as the "gatekeepers" in MSN-based DDSs. Polysaccharides are cheap and rich in sources with good biocompatibility, and some of them have important biological functions. In this review article, polysaccharides including chitosan, hyaluronic acid, sodium alginate and dextran, et al. are briefly introduced. And the preparation processes and properties such as controlled drug release, cancer targeting and disease diagnosis of functional polysaccharide/MSN-based DDSs are discussed.