Review
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Nasim Azari Torbat, Iman Akbarzadeh, Niloufar Rezaei, Zahra Salehi Moghaddam, Saba Bazzazan, Ebrahim Mostafavi
Summary: Curcumin, extracted from turmeric, is a potent compound with various pharmacological properties. Incorporating curcumin into biomaterials can enhance its bioavailability, leading to applications in drug delivery, regenerative medicine, cancer therapy, infectious disease treatment, and biosensing.
COORDINATION CHEMISTRY REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Manishita R. Sharma, Priyanka Arya, Ravinder Kaur, John F. Kennedy, Neera Raghav
Summary: The use of natural polymers in Drug Delivery Systems (DDS) has increased due to their biocompatibility, non-allergic and biodegradable properties. However, as natural polymers are usually hydrophilic, their nature needs to be altered to be able to carry hydrophobic drugs. This study reports the differential binding of piperine and curcumin with CTAB modified cellulose, alginate, and pectin. In-vitro and in-silico studies were used to visualize the differences in interaction between piperine and curcumin with the supports. The piperine loaded on CTAB-modified polymeric supports was characterized using FT-IR, SEM, fluorescence, and particle size analysis.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nitika Mor, Neera Raghav
Summary: In this study, the chemical transformation of carboxymethylcellulose with curcumin in ester form resulted in the development of a target-specific sustained release delivery system for curcumin in the presence of liver esterases. The synthesis and characterizations of curcumin-carboxymethylcellulose ester (Cur-CMC ester) were reported, along with its target-specific hydrolysis for curcumin release. The stability of Cur-CMC ester was demonstrated in simulated in vitro gastric fluid (pH 1.2) and intestinal fluid (pH 6.8). Upon in vitro simulation in liver homogenate, curcumin was released from Cur-CMC ester in a consistent amount (approximately 43%) over 5 hours, with the highest release observed at pH 8.0 in the presence of liver enzymes. The findings suggest that modified CMC can serve as a delivery system for curcumin in the liver and act as a prodrug system, releasing free curcumin in the presence of liver esterases.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Rezvan Rahimi, Mohammad Solimannejad
Summary: In this study, the drug-carrying and detecting properties of carmustine anticancer drug using a pure B3O3 sheet were investigated using periodic density functional theory. The results showed that loading the drug on the sheet resulted in a reduction of the band gap, enabling efficient drug detection. The adsorption energy values confirmed the stable interaction between the drug and the sheet, and molecular dynamics analysis revealed the release of the drug near tumor cells for targeted therapy.
JOURNAL OF DRUG DELIVERY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Thejus Baby, Yun Liu, Guangze Yang, Dong Chen, Chun-Xia Zhao
Summary: A new microfluidic nanoprecipitation approach has been developed for making polymer NPs with tunable drug loading up to 50%. The synthesized NPs remain very stable under acidic conditions but release the drug in a sustained manner at neutral pH.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Olga Pelikh, Ralph W. Eckert, Shashank Reddy Pinnapireddy, Cornelia M. Keck
Summary: Nanocrystals are a promising formulation for improved drug delivery, targeting the hair follicles and providing long-lasting and efficient dermal drug delivery. Different types of vehicles do not significantly affect the efficacy of nanocrystals' penetration into hair follicles, but they do impact passive dermal penetration. Gels containing humectants can enhance passive penetration effectiveness.
JOURNAL OF CONTROLLED RELEASE
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Elham Daneshmoghanlou, Mahsasadat Miralinaghi, Elham Moniri, Seyed Kazem Sadjady
Summary: In this study, a pH-responsive magnetic drug delivery system was prepared and investigated for loading and release of a poorly water-soluble anti-cancer drug. The system showed high drug loading capacity and slow and sustained drug release. This research provides a new approach for the development of safe and effective drug carriers.
JOURNAL OF POLYMERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Mengru Cai, Boran Ni, Xueling Hu, Kaixin Wang, Dongge Yin, Gongsen Chen, Tingting Fu, Rongyue Zhu, Xiaoxv Dong, Changhai Qu, Xingbin Yin
Summary: This study successfully prepared MOFs-based nanoparticles as a drug delivery platform with fluorescence imaging capability. The nanoparticles showed potential for tumor microenvironment-responsive drug release and exhibited high antitumor activity in vitro experiments.
JOURNAL OF SCIENCE-ADVANCED MATERIALS AND DEVICES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Nitika Mor, Neera Raghav
Summary: Alginate-based hydrogels are promising for drug delivery and biomedical implants due to their structural similarity to body components. This study investigates the use of sodium alginate as a sustained release delivery system for curcumin. The synthesized Curcumin-Alginate ester showed stability in gastric and intestinal fluids during in-vitro simulation. The modified alginate ester released consistent amounts of curcumin in the presence of liver esterases, suggesting its potential as a prodrug system.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Camelia E. Iurciuc (Tincu), Marcel Popa, Leonard I. Atanase, Ovidiu Popa, Lacramioara Ochiuz, Paraschiva Postolache, Vlad Ghizdovat, Stefan A. Irimiciuc, Maricel Agop, Constantin Volovat, Simona Volovat
Summary: The physicochemical properties of smart or stimuli-sensitive amphiphilic copolymers can be modeled as a function of their environment. In particular, pH-sensitive copolymers have practical applications in drug delivery systems. The interactions between the structural units of polymer-drug systems imply mutual constraints and nonlinearity, which is considered as one of the fundamental properties. The release kinetics of Curcumin from the pH-sensitive copolymer micelles was studied using the Rietger-Peppas equation. The developed kinetic model based on fractal theory fits well with the experimental data.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Laura Tebcharani, Caren Wanzke, Theresa M. Lutz, Jennifer Rodon-Fores, Oliver Lieleg, Job Boekhoven
Summary: This study introduces a drug delivery system using a gellified emulsion for zero-order release of hydrophobic drugs, demonstrating tunable release rate and period by varying initial oil and drug concentrations. The system's quantitative understanding allows for predicting drug release kinetics, and it remains fully functional even after storing at -20 degrees C. Cell viability studies confirm the non-toxicity of the hydrolyzable oil and its hydrolysis product under the utilized conditions.
JOURNAL OF CONTROLLED RELEASE
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Huaiying Zhang, Winant L. van Os, Xiaobo Tian, Guangyue Zu, Lais Ribovski, Reinier Bron, Jeroen Bussmann, Alexander Kros, Yong Liu, Inge S. Zuhorn
Summary: The study describes the design of nanoparticles that can efficiently penetrate the blood-brain barrier to deliver curcumin to glioblastoma cells, showing inhibitory effects on cell proliferation and apoptosis induction. These nanoparticles have potential as a drug delivery platform for the therapy of GBM, requiring further validation in in vivo glioblastoma models.
BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Pratima Labroo, Scott Ho, Himanshu Sant, Jill E. Shea, Jayant Agarwal, Bruce Gale
Summary: By developing a mathematical model and conducting experimental validation, the diffusion of drugs in a hole-based drug delivery nerve conduit was successfully studied, with results indicating the reliability and functionality of the model. It was observed that drug release in the conduit can be tuned by changing device parameters, with the model error being less than 10%.
DRUG DELIVERY AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
M. Mariz, J. Murta, M. H. Gil, P. Ferreira
Summary: Ocular inserts based on PCL-PEG-PCL block copolymers were prepared and showed promising potential for prolonged and constant drug release. The release kinetics were influenced by the percentage of PEG in the polymer and the size of the inserts. This new formulation technology has great significance for chronic diseases like glaucoma.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICS AND BIOPHARMACEUTICS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Eman Maher Zahran, Soad A. Mohamad, Ramadan Yahia, Ahmed M. Badawi, Ahmed M. Sayed, Usama Ramadan Abdelmohsen
Summary: Moringa extract-loaded nanoparticles show excellent antifungal efficacy against otomycosis, with lower recurrence rates.
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Anshuman Jakhmola, Raffaele Vecchione, Valentina Onesto, Francesco Gentile, Martina Profeta, Edmondo Battista, Anastasios C. Manikas, Paolo A. Netti
Summary: An efficient and sustainable one-pot protocol was developed to fabricate twisted gold nanorods, a unique anisotropic shape displaying a broad plasmon band extending into the near infrared-III range. The growth mechanism was directed by L-tyrosine and trisodium citrate, with a diffusion limited aggregation numerical scheme used to describe the process accurately. The resulting structure was thoroughly characterized in terms of morphology, with demonstrated SERS and cytotoxic activity.
MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING C-MATERIALS FOR BIOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Anshuman Jakhmola, Raffaele Vecchione, Valentina Onesto, Francesco Gentile, Maurizio Celentano, Paolo Antonio Netti
Summary: Gold nanoparticles can exhibit unique optical properties, such as the dichroic effect, due to their shape and mixtures of multiple shapes. A simple room temperature one-pot synthesis method using trisodium citrate as a reducing agent was demonstrated to produce gold sol with a dichroic effect. The color of the gold sol under transmitted light can be easily changed by minor adjustments in the reaction mixture, resulting in various shades of red, pink, cobalt blue, violet, magenta, and purple.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Martina Profeta, Concetta Di Natale, Elena Lagreca, Valentina Mollo, Paolo Antonio Netti, Raffaele Vecchione
Summary: The study introduces a new type of nanocarrier NEsoSomes and the preparation of CM-NEsoSomes coated with cell membranes, with demonstrated biocompatibility on healthy cell models.
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Sara La Manna, Marilisa Leone, Ilaria Iacobucci, Alfonso Annuziata, Concetta Di Natale, Elena Lagreca, Anna Maria Malfitano, Francesco Ruffo, Antonello Merlino, Maria Monti, Daniela Marasco
Summary: Two related pentacoordinate Pt(II) complexes were found to influence the self-aggregation processes of amyloidogenic fragments of beta-amyloid peptide, a major component of Alzheimer's disease neuronal plaques. The complexes were able to bind to the fragments and inhibit the formation of amyloid aggregates through direct coordinative bonding. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the potential application of these complexes as neurotherapeutics.
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Francesca Serio, Niccolo Silvestri, Sahitya Kumar Avugadda, Giulia E. P. Nucci, Simone Nitti, Valentina Onesto, Federico Catalano, Eliana D'Amone, Giuseppe Gigli, Loretta L. del Mercato, Teresa Pellegrino
Summary: This study combined magnetic nanoparticles loaded into polycaprolactone nanofibers with chemotherapy and magnetic hyperthermia to achieve significant cytotoxic effects on cancer cells.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Mathematical & Computational Biology
F. Aprile, V Onesto, F. Gentile
Summary: The study provides a quantitative estimate of the efficiency of small world networks, finding that communication is enhanced up to 30 times under certain numerical conditions compared to unstructured systems. It is also discovered that the information processing capacity of a system steadily increases with small-world-ness until a certain threshold value, beyond which performance degrades with an indefinite increase in active links in the system.
NPJ SYSTEMS BIOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Anna Procopio, Elena Lagreca, Rezvan Jamaledin, Sara La Manna, Brunella Corrado, Concetta Di Natale, Valentina Onesto
Summary: The study of novel drug delivery systems is an important area of biomedical research, which combines multi-disciplinary scientific approaches to improve the effectiveness of drugs. Biodegradable and bio-absorbable polymers are used as building blocks for these systems, and in silico-supported models are developed to optimize drug release.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Concetta Di Natale, Vincenza De Gregorio, Elena Lagreca, Francesca Mauro, Brunella Corrado, Raffaele Vecchione, Paolo Antonio Netti
Summary: Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a highly pure form of cellulose that possesses good mechanical properties and high chemical flexibility, allowing it to assemble into nanostructures. It plays a crucial role in the biomedical field and drug delivery applications, as it can modulate the release of drugs and biomolecules to improve clinical outcomes when applied to the skin.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Luca Tirinato, Valentina Onesto, Daniel Garcia-Calderon, Francesca Pagliari, Maria-Francesca Spadea, Joao Seco, Francesco Gentile
Summary: This study investigates the behavior of 2D cell networks from different human lung cancer lines under different doses of ionizing radiation and finds that the topology of cell networks shows sensitivity to the radiation dose and cell lines. The findings suggest that topology can be used as a quantitative parameter to assess cell radio-resistance and measure the performance of cancer radiotherapy.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
Riccardo Rizzo, Valentina Onesto, Stefania Forciniti, Anil Chandra, Saumya Prasad, Helena Iuele, Francesco Colella, Giuseppe Gigli, Loretta L. del Mercato
Summary: This study presents a method to embed fluorescent pH sensors into 3D tumor models and analyze the data using computational methods. The results show that extracellular pH is cell line-specific and time-dependent. Additionally, metabolic crosstalk between tumor cells and stromal cells was detected.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
A. Jakhmola, S. Krishnan, V. Onesto, F. Gentile, M. Profeta, A. Manikas, E. Battista, R. Vecchione, P. A. Netti
Summary: This study developed a simple method for preparing gold nanoparticles with multimodal properties. The nanoparticles were synthesized using trisodium citrate as a reducing, stabilizing, and shape-modulating agent at room temperature. The resulting gold nanoparticles had diverse shapes, good monodispersity, high surface-enhanced Raman scattering activity, and a wide absorption range. The optical properties and growth characteristics of the nanoparticles were investigated experimentally and numerically. In vitro studies demonstrated the biocompatibility of the nanoparticles with cells.
MATERIALS TODAY CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alessia La Rocca, Vincenza De Gregorio, Elena Lagreca, Raffaele Vecchione, Paolo Antonio Netti, Giorgia Imparato
Summary: In this study, a three-dimensional in vitro colorectal cancer microtissue model was proposed to better replicate the tumor microenvironment. Normal human fibroblasts were cultured on porous gelatin microbeads to generate their own extracellular matrices, followed by seeding of human colon cancer cells to form the microtissues. Morphological characterization confirmed the presence of complex macromolecular components and the recapitulation of the tumor microenvironment. Furthermore, the microtissues were evaluated as a drug screening platform, showing promise in assessing the efficacy of various therapies.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Sara La Manna, Daniele Florio, Valeria Panzetta, Valentina Roviello, Paolo Antonio Netti, Concetta Di Natale, Daniela Marasco
Summary: Supramolecular assemblies of short peptides are experiencing a stimulating flowering. Herein, we report a novel class of bioinspired pentapeptides, not bearing Phe, that form hydrogels with fibrillar structures. The tunable mechanical and structural features of this class of hydrogels render derived supramolecular systems versatile and suitable for future biomedical applications.