Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yao-Hua Liu, Ying-Ming Zhang, Hua-Jiang Yu, Yu Liu
Summary: The use of cucurbiturils (CBs) in biomacromolecular assemblies has made significant progress in various applications, including biosensors, biochemical reaction regulation, and disease treatment. CBs have also shown the ability to promote subcellular bioimaging in different organelles, demonstrating diverse applications in the field of supramolecular chemistry.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ayesha Younas, Hongzhou Gu, Yongxing Zhao, Nan Zhang
Summary: The knee joint is susceptible to injuries due to activities, diseases, or accidents. Various drug delivery systems like nanoparticles have been used to treat knee joint injuries by improving function and alleviating symptoms.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Toby Lewis-Atwell, Piers A. Townsend, Matthew N. Grayson
Summary: In this study, the relative performances of different force fields for conformational searching of hydrogen-bond-donating catalyst-like molecules were compared. MM3, MMFFs, and OPLS3e consistently showed strong performances and are recommended for conformationally searching molecules structurally similar to those in this study.
JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Shadma Wahab, Mohammad Y. Alshahrani, Md Faruque Ahmad, Hashim Abbas
Summary: Colon cancer is a deadly disease with a low overall survival rate, and early diagnosis and efficient treatment are crucial. Nanotechnology offers promising strategies for targeted drug delivery in CC therapy.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wei Yuan, Jiafeng Cheng, Chenyou Zhu, Guizhi Dong, Xiaoping Zhao, Siwen Meng, Dongsheng Liu, Yuanchen Dong
Summary: Recently, the frame guided assembly (FGA) has proven to be a robust tool for creating customized liposomes. However, the low payload of FGA liposomes in delivering nucleic acid drugs is still a limitation. Studying the correlation between the density of the leading hydrophobic group (LHG) and initial detergent concentration, it was found that low density LHG facilitated increased load of nucleic acid drugs, which could be formed into liposomes at low initial detergent concentrations. Capitalizing on this phenomenon, FGA liposomes with high loading of ASO/siRNA were successfully prepared and used to treat pathogenic genes.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Camille Ayad, Pierre Libeau, Celine Lacroix-Gimon, Catherine Ladaviere, Bernard Verrier
Summary: The approval of two mRNA vaccines as urgent prophylactic treatments against Covid-19 made them a realistic alternative to conventional vaccination methods. The development of an innovative vector called LipoParticles (LP) demonstrated significant advantages in cellular transfection.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Shalvi Sinai Kunde, Ritushree Ghosh, Sarika Wairkar
Summary: In comparison with small molecular drugs, the use of biopharmaceuticals as therapeutics has gained popularity due to their higher specificity, selectivity and potency, as well as fewer side effects. The pulmonary route has been investigated as a potential noninvasive method for delivering biopharmaceuticals, offering higher drug concentrations and greater bioavailability than other noninvasive routes. This review focuses on the delivery of various biopharmaceuticals, including peptides, recombinant proteins, enzymes, monoclonal antibodies, and nucleic acids, via the pulmonary route, discussing their advantages and disadvantages.
DRUG DISCOVERY TODAY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Krishna S. Paranandi, Andrew Lee, Nikola Stanic, Chad A. Mirkin
Summary: Liposomal spherical nucleic acids (LSNAs) are effective structures for cell modulation through oligonucleotides. This study investigates the export fate of LSNA and finds that the components of LSNA are differentially exported by cells. The output materials are degraded into lysophospholipids, and these findings suggest avenues for leveraging pharmacologic effects from exported LSNA components.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Thomas Trimaille, Bernard Verrier
Summary: Amphiphilic copolymer micelles have been historically used for hydrophobic drug delivery, but they have also emerged as potent systems for delivering protein and peptide therapeutics. By tuning the hydrophobic/hydrophilic segments, protein immobilization can be achieved and triggered and controlled release can be realized, improving therapeutic efficacy.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jaskiran Kaur, Monica Gulati, Leander Corrie, Ankit Awasthi, Niraj Kumar Jha, Dinesh Kumar Chellappan, Gaurav Gupta, Ronan MacLoughlin, Brian G. Oliver, Kamal Dua, Sachin Kumar Singh
Summary: The prevalence of lung diseases is increasing, and current drug therapies only provide symptomatic relief. Nucleic acids can be used as an alternative therapeutic approach to restore homeostatic balance. However, their inherent properties limit their clinical utility. This study focuses on the advancements in designing nucleic acid-based polymeric micelles for treating lung diseases and discusses important considerations for clinical applications.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hye-sun Cho, Munjeong Choi, Yunjung Lee, Hyoim Jeon, Byeongyong Ahn, Nagasundarapandian Soundrarajan, Kwonho Hong, Jin-Hoi Kim, Chankyu Park
Summary: The study found that using broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptide PMAP-36 can effectively isolate high-quality RNA from various bacteria, providing an efficient method for nucleic acid isolation. Additionally, the use of PMAP-36 also successfully isolates high-quality genomic DNA from challenging bacterial strains, offering a new option for microbiome research.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Martijn J. W. Evers, Simonides van de Wakker, Ellis M. de Groot, Olivier G. de Jong, Jerney J. J. Gitz-Francois, Cor S. Seinen, Joost P. G. Sluijter, Raymond M. Schiffelers, Pieter Vader
Summary: EV-liposome hybrid nanoparticles have been investigated as a potential siRNA delivery system, demonstrating their ability to encapsulate siRNA, contain EV-surface markers, and functionally deliver siRNA to different cell types. These hybrids combine the benefits of both synthetic and biological drug delivery systems, showing altered functional behavior compared to liposomes and varying efficacy among recipient cell types.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Elzbieta Pedziwiatr-Werbicka, Katarzyna Horodecka, Dzmitry Shcharbin, Maria Bryszewska
Summary: Nanomedicine is a promising alternative to traditional cancer treatment methods, but it does not completely overcome the limitations of oncology. Nanoparticles used in cancer therapy can serve as drug carriers and offer some advantages, but they do not significantly enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapeutic agents.
CURRENT MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Anas Ahmad, Mohammad Imran, Haseeb Ahsan
Summary: A biomarker is a measurable biological molecule that can serve as an index of normal or abnormal pathophysiology or the response to treatment. Different tissues in the body have distinct biomolecular make-ups called biomarkers, which include genes, proteins, and other biomolecules. Biomarkers can be objectively quantified through biochemical samples to evaluate an organism's exposure to normal or pathological processes or how it responds to drug interventions. Understanding the significance of biomarkers is crucial for efficient disease diagnosis and guiding treatment choices. Advances in omics technologies have allowed for the discovery of new biomarkers using various strategies like genomics, epigenetics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, lipid analysis, and protein studies. These biomarkers have been applied for screening normal and diseased tissue or serum samples and are valuable tools in pharmacology and therapeutics. This review summarizes various types of biomarkers, their classification, and monitoring and detection methods and strategies. It also discusses analytical techniques and clinically applicable biomarker sensing techniques, including recent developments in nanotechnology-based biomarker sensing and detection.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jinqi Deng, Chao Liu, Jiashu Sun
Summary: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanovesicles derived from cells, carrying various molecular cargos and playing important roles in intercellular communication and physiological and pathological processes. DNA-based nanomaterials, with their excellent programmability and modifiability, have emerged as promising tools for detecting molecular cargos carried by EVs. This perspective summarizes recent advancements in EV analysis using different types of DNA-based nanomaterials, including linear DNA probes, DNA nanostructures, and hybrid DNA nanomaterials. The design, construction, advantages, and disadvantages of these DNA nanomaterials, as well as their performance for detecting EVs, are reviewed. The challenges and opportunities in the field of EV analysis by DNA nanomaterials are also discussed.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Dermatology
Karolline Krambeck, Delfim Santos, Jose M. Sousa Lobo, Maria Helena Amaral
Summary: The skin is the largest organ of the human body and is affected by environmental factors, intrinsic factors, and lifestyle, leading to skin ageing. UV light plays a significant role in skin ageing and requires the use of depigmenting agents. Polyphenols, such as resveratrol and piceatannol found in grapes and other fruits, have great relevance in preventing skin ageing.
AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biophysics
Maria Ines Teixeira, Carla M. Lopes, Maria Helena Amaral, Paulo C. Costa
Summary: The blood-brain barrier restricts the entry of therapeutic agents into the brain, posing challenges for the treatment of neurological diseases. Nanocarriers, such as lipid-based systems, have been explored to overcome this limitation and improve drug delivery to the central nervous system. By modifying the surface of nanocarriers with ligands that interact with the blood-brain barrier, their uptake and penetration into the brain can be enhanced. This review provides an overview of active targeting in brain drug delivery and highlights the potential of functionalized lipid nanocarriers for treating brain diseases.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES B-BIOINTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Patricia Teixeira, Filomena Adega, Paula Martins-Lopes, Raul Machado, Carla M. M. Lopes, Marlene Lucio
Summary: By developing intelligent materials that respond to environmental stimuli, we have successfully optimized pH-triggered drug delivery nanoassemblies, which exhibit increased release of doxorubicin (DOX) in acidic conditions (pH 5.5) typical of cancer tissues, while exhibiting lower release in normal physiological conditions (pH 7.5), potentially reducing cytotoxicity in healthy cells.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Joana Torres, Jose Miguel Pereira, Rita Marques-Oliveira, Ines Costa, Eva Gil-Martins, Renata Silva, Fernando Remiao, Andreia Filipa Peixoto, Jose Manuel Sousa Lobo, Ana Catarina Silva
Summary: This study investigated the use of lipid nanoparticles, including solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC), for intranasal delivery of astaxanthin. The formulations loaded with astaxanthin from different sources (algae Haematococcus pluvialis extract (AE) and fungi Blakeslea trispora extract (PA)) were evaluated for biocompatibility with nasal (RPMI 2650) and neuronal (SH-SY5Y) cells, antioxidant activity, and cellular uptake. The PA-loaded NLC formulation showed promising neuroprotective effects, suggesting its potential for improving the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Joana Torres, Ines Costa, Andreia F. Peixoto, Renata Silva, Jose Manuel Sousa Lobo, Ana Catarina Silva
Summary: Marine sources are rich in bioactive compounds that have potential therapeutic applications, particularly in treating neurodegenerative diseases. However, these compounds face challenges in crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to reach the brain. Intranasal administration of lipid nanoparticles, such as solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC), has shown promise in delivering bioactive compounds to the brain.
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Mariana Lamas, Francisca Rodrigues, Maria Helena Amaral, Cristina Delerue-Matos, Virginia Cruz Fernandes
Summary: Environmental pollution is a significant issue in our society, and it is important to understand its consequences, including increased contaminant cocktails in the environment. The contamination of honeybees can lead to contamination of their products, such as honey. Controlling the quality and safety of honey, including evaluating contaminants and following legislation, is crucial.
Article
Polymer Science
Ines Ferreira, Ana Camila Marques, Paulo Cardoso Costa, Maria Helena Amaral
Summary: Hydrogels based on stimuli-responsive polymers can change their characteristics in response to small variations in environmental conditions. This study aimed to investigate the effect of steam sterilization on the properties of hydrogels based on Carbopol((R)) 940, Pluronic((R)) F-127, and sodium alginate. The results showed that steam sterilization is suitable for Carbopol((R)) 940 hydrogels but not for sodium alginate or Pluronic((R)) F-127 hydrogels.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ieva Dapkevicius, Vania Romualdo, Ana Camila Marques, Carla M. Lopes, Maria Helena Amaral
Summary: The skin microbiome is a crucial barrier that protects against pathogens and regulates immune responses. Disruption of this barrier can lead to various dermatoses, including acne vulgaris. Acne is a common condition that often affects individuals from puberty into adulthood, causing significant impact on self-esteem and quality of life. Probiotics have emerged as an alternative treatment and prevention option for dermatological disorders like acne, offering advantages over antibiotics. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the pathophysiology, risk factors, symptoms, conventional treatment recommendations, and innovative topical products based on probiotics for acne-prone skin, as well as the potential advantages and challenges associated with their implementation and manufacturing.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Raquel Rodrigues, Joana C. Lobo, Diana M. Ferreira, Ewa Senderowicz, M. Antonia Nunes, M. Helena Amaral, Rita C. Alves, M. Beatriz P. P. Oliveira
Summary: There is a growing interest in cosmetic applications of agro-industrial byproducts, as they have been found to contain bioactive compounds beneficial for skincare. This study focused on characterizing and utilizing a semi-solid paste derived from olive pomace extraction. The analysis showed that this paste has high moisture and significant protein, fat, and ash contents. It was found that the paste could be incorporated into facial masks with antioxidant properties, and rheological analysis confirmed its suitability for skincare use. This study provides a preliminary assessment of the impact of this byproduct on the appearance and performance of facial mask formulations.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Sonia N. Pedro, Ana T. P. C. Gomes, Carla Vilela, Carla Vitorino, Rosa Fernandes, Adelaide Almeida, Maria Helena Amaral, Mara G. Freire, Armando J. D. Silvestre, Carmen S. R. Freire
Summary: A new type of microemulsion based on deep eutectic solvent (DES) has been developed to improve the efficacy of antibiotics in ocular infections. By using betaine-based DES aqueous solutions, the water solubility of the antibiotic chloramphenicol can be increased up to 140-fold. These DES solutions are applied as water phases in stable water-in-oil-in-water (w/o/w) microemulsions, achieving sustained-release and higher permeation through the cornea. Compared to commercialized eye drops, these microemulsions show higher antimicrobial activity and faster action against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections.
ADVANCED THERAPEUTICS
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
A. C. Correia, J. N. Moreira, J. M. Sousa Lobo, A. C. Silva
Summary: Different DoEs have been used to optimize SLN and NLC formulations for nose-brain drug delivery, and the independent variables lipid and surfactant concentration and sonication time had the greatest impact on the dependent variables PS, EE, and PDI. Exploring different DoE approaches is important to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that affect successful optimization of SLN and NLC and to facilitate future work improving machine learning techniques.
EXPERT OPINION ON DRUG DELIVERY
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Claudia Pina Costa, Laura Nizic Nodilo, Renata Silva, Eva Martins, Dijana Zadravec, Livije Kalogjera, Joao Nuno Moreira, Jose Manuel Sousa Lobo, Anita Hafner, Ana Catarina Silva
Summary: The study developed an ion sensitive in situ hydrogel containing diazepam-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (DZP-NLC) for nasal delivery in the treatment of epilepsy. The hydrogel exhibited good gelling ability, mucoadhesiveness, and prolonged drug release, making it a promising alternative to conventional treatments for epilepsy. The formulation showed appropriate characteristics for nose-to-brain delivery, including suitable particle size and surface charge.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICS
(2023)
Review
Polymer Science
Ana Camila Marques, Paulo Cardoso Costa, Sergia Velho, Maria Helena Amaral
Summary: The widespread push to invest in local cancer therapies is motivated by the need to overcome the limitations of systemic treatment options. Local treatments using injectable biodegradable hydrogels offer advantages over other delivery systems, as they do not require surgical procedures and promote drug retention at the tumor site. This review specifically focuses on the use of injectable thermoresponsive hydrogels based on poloxamers and their physicochemical and biological characterization, as well as their applications in local cancer therapies.