Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hamdi Nsairat, Dima Khater, Fadwa Odeh, Fedaa Al-Adaileh, Suma Al-Taher, Areej M. Jaber, Walhan Alshaer, Abeer Al Bawab, Mohammad S. Mubarak
Summary: Advancements in material science and bionanotechnology have driven the use of nanoparticles in healthcare to improve diagnosis, monitoring, and therapy. Lipid nanostructures play a crucial role in combating brain tumors, with research focusing on solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers for overcoming the blood brain barrier and increasing effectiveness.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Luyao Wang, Youyuan Shi, Jingzhen Jiang, Chan Li, Hengrui Zhang, Xinhui Zhang, Tao Jiang, Liang Wang, Yinyan Wang, Lin Feng
Summary: The blood-brain barrier (BBB) poses a significant challenge for drug delivery to brain tumors. Recent research in micro- and nanotechnology has shown that nano drug-targeted delivery technologies have the potential to overcome this challenge. This review provides a detailed understanding of the BBB, summarizes recent research topics on drug delivery carriers for brain tumors, evaluates the effectiveness of targeted therapy, and discusses the challenges and future prospects of developing brain tumor drug delivery systems.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Yu-Chen Lo, Wen-Jen Lin
Summary: The study utilized a peptide-conjugated nano-delivery system to enhance penetration into tumor cells by overcoming the blood brain barrier. NPs conjugated with T7 peptide showed higher accumulation in the brain and lower biodistribution in nontarget tissues. The benefit of T7 peptide as a targeting ligand for NPs across the BBB was elucidated in this study.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Conor McQuaid, Andrea Halsey, Maeva Dubois, Ignacio Romero, David Male
Summary: Targeting therapeutic agents to specific tissues is crucial for new disease treatments, with the transferrin receptor being a potential target due to its presence on dividing cells and brain endothelium. This study compared different polypeptides for their ability to bind to brain endothelium and target therapeutic agents to the CNS. The findings showed that attaching a TfR-targeting polypeptide significantly increased endocytosis rates by brain endothelium and enhanced nanoparticle movement across cells.
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)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Manisha Pandey, Neha Jain, Jovita Kanoujia, Zahid Hussain, Bapi Gorain
Summary: This article discusses the challenges of treating central nervous system disorders using traditional delivery methods and explores the use of intranasal drug administration to overcome the blood-brain barrier. Advanced drug delivery tools and intranasal administration have the potential to improve the efficacy of antipsychotic drugs.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Alice Brookes, Liuhang Ji, Tracey D. Bradshaw, Michael Stocks, David Gray, James Butler, Pavel Gershkovich
Summary: This review explores the feasibility of oral lipid-based drug delivery to the brain and discusses various lipids that can potentially be delivered orally. Current data suggests that oral administration can increase the permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and further research is needed to investigate the use of lipid-based drug delivery for brain targeting.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICS AND BIOPHARMACEUTICS
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Kartik Bhairu Khot, Gopika Gopan, Akshay Bandiwadekar, Jobin Jose
Summary: Neurodegenerative diseases are common in aging populations, and current treatments have limited effectiveness due to poor drug bioavailability and permeability across the blood-brain barrier. Phytochemical compounds of plant origin offer potential treatments, but their delivery to the brain is challenging. Liposomes, engineered nanocarriers with high BBB permeability, show promise for diagnosing and treating neurodegenerative diseases. Surface modifications on liposomes improve receptor targeting and the delivery of phytoconstituents to the brain. This review highlights the potential of liposomal delivery for treating neurodegenerative diseases.
AGEING RESEARCH REVIEWS
(2023)
Review
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Shuo Zhang, Yishu Wang, Shuai Zhang, Chengqi Huang, Qiyang Ding, Ji Xia, Daocheng Wu, Wei Gao
Summary: Anesthetic nanomedicines play a crucial role in clinical surgery, improving anesthesia effectiveness and reducing toxic effects. However, research on anesthetic nanomedicines is still limited and requires further exploration and analysis.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NANOMEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Yuan Gao, Rui Wang, Lixia Zhao, Anchang Liu
Summary: Malignant glioma is a crucial part among all central nervous diseases, with high fatality and disability rates. Various therapeutic strategies, especially related to chemotherapy, are hindered by the blood-brain barrier. By studying ways to bypass the barrier and utilizing natural polymeric materials for drug delivery, advancements in treating malignant glioma are promising.
JOURNAL OF DRUG TARGETING
(2021)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Sydnee L'Ecuyer, Kim Gilbert, Benjamin Brochu, Joseph Beyrouthy, Chao Liu, Caroline Bouchard, Marc-Andre Gagne, Francois Khazoom, Francis Bernard, Guy Rousseau, Emmanuel Charbonney
Summary: The study identified increased circulating uric acid in rats following hemorrhagic shock, with uric acid affecting the blood-brain barrier and brain function. Uricase intervention prevented BBB dysfunction and neuroinflammation, blunting anxiety-like behavior in the rats. This suggests targeting uric acid could be a potential therapeutic solution to reduce brain dysfunction in human hemorrhagic shock cases.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jeanette A. M. Maier, Laura Locatelli, Giorgia Fedele, Alessandra Cazzaniga, Andre Mazur
Summary: Magnesium plays a crucial role in regulating metabolism and maintaining tissue homeostasis, including the brain. It is essential for nerve signal transmission and protecting the blood-brain barrier. Deficiency in magnesium can lead to systemic low-grade inflammation, which is common in various diseases, particularly neurodegenerative disorders. This review provides evidence linking magnesium imbalance to multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's diseases.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Roberta Lattanzi, Rossella Miele
Summary: Prokineticins are a new class of peptides that play a crucial role in neuroinflammatory processes, regulating neuronal-glial interactions and T cell function. PK2 and PKRs are upregulated during inflammation, influencing inflammatory responses and directing T cells towards a pro-inflammatory phenotype.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
David Male, Radka Gromnicova
Summary: This review discusses the ability of nanoparticles with oligonucleotides to enter the brain and modulate gene expression or disease. The size and surface charge of the nanocarrier, as well as the structure of the oligonucleotide and chemical formulation of the nanocarrier, play important roles in determining their efficacy. Successful gene therapy with oligonucleotides in humans has required intrathecal injection, while in animal models, progress has been made with intraventricular or intravenous injection.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Xiande Wang, Cheng Wu, Shiming Liu, Deqing Peng
Summary: Brain cancer is a highly aggressive cancer with limitations in current treatment strategies. The blood-brain barrier and blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier pose additional challenges in drug delivery to brain tumors. Dual-targeting strategies have shown promise in enhancing drug delivery efficiency and targeting of tumor cells in brain tumors.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Daniel Sousa, Jose Manuel Salgado, Maria Cambra-Lopez, Alberto Dias, Isabel Belo
Summary: Bioprocessing of oilseed cakes through solid-state fermentation can enhance their applications in feed and other industries by improving nutritional properties and releasing bioactive compounds.
BIOFUELS BIOPRODUCTS & BIOREFINING-BIOFPR
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fanfan Yang, Alberto C. P. Dias, Xiaoying Zhang
Summary: Environmental concerns have led to increased interest in selenium (Se) as its concentration range has narrow boundaries between essential and toxic levels. This study synthesized two types of long-armed Se haptens using active ester formalization and demonstrated their different properties in derivatization for producing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). An mAb derived from hybridoma 5A52 proved to be sensitive and specific, successfully establishing an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the quantitative determination of Se4+ in water samples.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Claudia Martins, Catarina Pacheco, Catarina Moreira-Barbosa, Angela Marques-Magalhaes, Sofia Dias, Marco Araujo, Maria J. Oliveira, Bruno Sarmento
Summary: This study generated human GBM heterotypic multicellular tumor microtissues (MCTMs) using high-throughput 3D modeling, which mimicked the spatial organization and biological features of GBM. The bioactivity of tumor-targeted nanoparticles and anti-cancer drugs were evaluated in the MCTMs, and it was found that the targeted nanoparticles exhibited higher cell uptake and anti-proliferative effect.
JOURNAL OF CONTROLLED RELEASE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Amir Soleimany, Sepideh Khoee, Davoud Dastan, Zhicheng Shi, Shengtao Yu, Bruno Sarmento
Summary: A method utilizing riboflavin-conjugated and amine-functionalized nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots is proposed to enhance the treatment depth and specific accumulation capability in photodynamic therapy.
JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY B-BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Engineering, Biomedical
Ana M. Carvalho, Rui L. Reis, Iva Pashkuleva
Summary: The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a dynamic and complex environment shaped by heterogenous cancer and cancer-associated cells present at the tumor site. Hyaluronan (HA), a major component of TME, plays a role in promoting tumor growth and carcinogenesis. The interaction of different hyaladherins with HA triggers downstream signaling pathways, determining cell fate and contributing to TME progression towards a carcinogenic state.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Fatima Hameedat, Soraia Pinto, Joana Marques, Sofia Dias, Bruno Sarmento
Summary: Peptides have great potential for treating chronic conditions and there are more than 80 peptides available in the global market. However, most of the marketed peptide drugs are administered intravenously or subcutaneously due to their fast degradation and limited absorption through non-invasive routes. In this study, candidate protein delivery systems for pulmonary administration of peptides were developed and characterized. The targeted PEGylated zein nanoparticles (ZNPs) showed promising results in enhancing insulin permeability and are suitable as peptide carriers for pulmonary delivery.
DRUG DELIVERY AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH
(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
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Claudia Martins, Marco Araujo, Alessio Malfanti, Catarina Pacheco, Stuart J. J. Smith, Bernard Ucakar, Ruman Rahman, Jonathan W. W. Aylott, Veronique Preat, Bruno Sarmento
Summary: Report the development of hypothesis-driven stimuli-responsive nanoparticles (NPs) for glioblastoma (GBM) therapy. These NPs have multifunctional features that overcome the insufficient blood-brain barrier (BBB) trafficking and lack of GBM targeting, two major challenges in anti-GBM treatments. In preclinical studies, the stimuli-responsive NPs effectively targeted GBM cells, enhanced cell uptake, increased cytotoxicity, improved BBB permeability, and demonstrated antitumor efficacy in GBM models.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sofia Torres Quintas, Ana Canha-Borges, Maria Jose Oliveira, Bruno Sarmento, Flavia Castro
Summary: Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women, with a significant number of cases and fatalities reported globally in 2020. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which lacks certain receptors, accounts for approximately 20% of all breast cancers and has a more aggressive clinical course, particularly in younger women. Current standard therapy for advanced TNBC is chemotherapy, but its effectiveness is limited and relapse rates are high. However, recent advances in cancer nanomedicine have provided innovative therapeutic options to overcome the drawbacks of conventional therapies. This review summarizes the recent developments in nanomedicine for TNBC treatment, including novel nanoparticle, exosome, and hybrid-based formulations, and discusses their limitations and challenges for future clinical applications.
Review
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Claudia Martins, Bruno Sarmento
Summary: Glioblastoma (GBM) is a challenging disease with limited treatment options and poor prognosis. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) presents a major obstacle to drug delivery to the brain, and targeting brain-invading tumor cells is crucial for effective therapy. Nanomedicines with multiple ligands have emerged as a promising approach to sequentially target BBB cells and GBM cells, improving therapeutic accumulation at the tumor site. This review provides an overview of the development of multi-ligand functionalized nanomedicines for BBB and GBM dual targeting over the past decade.
WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-NANOMEDICINE AND NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Priscila Zimath, Soraia Pinto, Sofia Dias, Alex Rafacho, Bruno Sarmento
Summary: This study loaded MF into zein NPs and evaluated the potential advantages of oral delivery and the application in treating intestinal inflammatory diseases.
DRUG DELIVERY AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Diana Rafael, Marcelo Guerrero, Adolfo Marican, Diego Arango, Bruno Sarmento, Roser Ferrer, Esteban F. Duran-Lara, Simon J. Clark, Simo Schwartz
Summary: Slow-release delivery systems are crucial for long-term sustained treatments of retinal diseases. Hydrogels, especially temperature-responsive hydrogels, have been studied as promising delivery vehicles for intravitreal injection of retinal therapies.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Marlene Lucio, Nicole Giannino, Sergio Barreira, Jose Catita, Hugo Goncalves, Artur Ribeiro, Eduarda Fernandes, Isabel Carvalho, Hugo Pinho, Fatima Cerqueira, Marco Biondi, Carla M. Lopes
Summary: Chronic skin exposure to external hostile agents can cause skin damage and aging. Researchers have developed nanostructured lipid carriers and enriched hydrogels as a dual-approach vehicle for improving the delivery of bioactives for skincare and protection. These formulations have demonstrated efficacy in preventing skin aging and other damaging cutaneous processes.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Andrea Cunha, Patricia M. A. Silva, Bruno Sarmento, Odilia Queiros
Summary: The Warburg effect is a metabolic shift that leads to acidification of the tumor microenvironment and increased drug resistance. The metabolic differences between cancer and normal cells provide a strategy for new therapies, and nanodrug delivery systems can overcome multidrug resistance.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ana Margarida Carvalho, Ruchi Bansal, Cristina C. Barrias, Bruno Sarmento
Summary: Biomaterials are crucial for creating in vitro models of human liver fibrosis, as they allow for a more accurate replication of cell-matrix interactions. These models can provide insights into the development and treatment of liver disease.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
