Nanomedicine

About: Nanomedicine is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 4287 publications have been published within this topic receiving 200647 citations.

Colorectal tumor-on-a-chip system: A 3D tool for precision onco-nanomedicine.

Abstract: Awareness that traditional two-dimensional (2D) in vitro and nonrepresentative animal models may not completely emulate the 3D hierarchical complexity of tissues and organs is on the rise. Therefore, posterior translation into successful clinical application is compromised. To address this dearth, on-chip biomimetic microenvironments powered by microfluidic technologies are being developed to better capture the complexity of in vivo pathophysiology. Here, we describe a “tumor-on-a-chip” model for assessment of precision nanomedicine delivery on which we validate the efficacy of drug-loaded nanoparticles in a gradient fashion. The model validation was performed by viability studies integrated with live imaging to confirm the dose-response effect of cells exposed to the CMCht/PAMAM nanoparticle gradient. This platform also enables the analysis at the gene expression level, where a down-regulation of all the studied genes (MMP-1, Caspase-3, and Ki-67) was observed. This tumor-on-chip model represents an important development in the use of precision nanomedicine toward personalized treatment.

A Nanomedicine Fabricated from Gold Nanoparticles‐Decorated Metal–Organic Framework for Cascade Chemo/Chemodynamic Cancer Therapy

Abstract: The incorporation of new modalities into chemotherapy greatly enhances the anticancer efficacy combining the merits of each treatment, showing promising potentials in clinical translations. Herein, a hybrid nanomedicine (Au/FeMOF@CPT NPs) is fabricated using metal-organic framework (MOF) nanoparticles and gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) as building blocks for cancer chemo/chemodynamic therapy. MOF NPs are used as vehicles to encapsulate camptothecin (CPT), and the hybridization by Au NPs greatly improves the stability of the nanomedicine in a physiological environment. Triggered by the high concentration of phosphate inside the cancer cells, Au/FeMOF@CPT NPs effectively collapse after internalization, resulting in the complete drug release and activation of the cascade catalytic reactions. The intracellular glucose can be oxidized by Au NPs to produce hydrogen dioxide, which is further utilized as chemical fuel for the Fenton reaction, thus realizing the synergistic anticancer efficacy. Benefitting from the enhanced permeability and retention effect and sophisticated fabrications, the blood circulation time and tumor accumulation of Au/FeMOF@CPT NPs are significantly increased. In vivo results demonstrate that the combination of chemotherapy and chemodynamic therapy effectively suppresses the tumor growth, meantime the systemic toxicity of this nanomedicine is greatly avoided.

Engineering Biomimetic Platesomes for pH-Responsive Drug Delivery and Enhanced Antitumor Activity.

Abstract: Biomimetic camouflage, i.e., using natural cell membranes for drug delivery, has demonstrated advantages over synthetic materials in both pharmacokinetics and biocompatibility, and so represents a promising solution for the development of safe nanomedicine. However, only limited efforts have been dedicated to engineering such camouflage to endow it with optimized or additional properties, in particular properties critical to a "smart" drug delivery system, such as stimuli-responsive drug release. A pH-responsive biomimetic "platesome" for specific drug delivery to tumors and tumor-triggered drug release is described. This platesome nanovehicle is constructed by merging platelet membranes with functionalized synthetic liposomes and exhibits enhanced tumor affinity, due to its platelet membrane-based camouflage, and selectively releases its cargo in response to the acidic microenvironment of lysosomal compartments. In mouse cancer models, it shows significantly better antitumor efficacy than nanoformulations based on a platesome without pH responsiveness or those based on traditional pH-sensitive liposomes. A convenient way to incorporate stimuli-responsive features into biomimetic nanoparticles is described, demonstrating the potential of engineered cell membranes as biomimetic camouflages for a new generation of biocompatible and efficient nanocarriers.

Nanoparticle–Protein Interactions: Therapeutic Approaches and Supramolecular Chemistry

Abstract: ConspectusResearch on nanoparticles has evolved into a major topic in chemistry. Concerning biomedical research, nanoparticles have decisively entered the field, creating the area of nanomedicine where nanoparticles are used for drug delivery, imaging, and tumor targeting. Besides these functions, scientists have addressed the specific ways in which nanoparticles interact with biomolecules, with proteins being the most prominent example. Depending on their size, shape, charge, and surface functionality, specifically designed nanoparticles can interact with proteins in a defined way. Proteins have typical dimensions of 5–20 nm. Ultrasmall nanoparticles (size about 1–2 nm) can address specific epitopes on the surface of a protein, for example, an active center of an enzyme. Medium-sized nanoparticles (size about 5 nm) can interact with proteins on a 1:1 basis. Large nanoparticles (above 20 nm) are big in comparison to many proteins and therefore are at the borderline to a two-dimensional surface onto which ...