Potent in vitro antileishmanial activity of a nanoformulation of cisplatin with carbon nanotubes against Leishmania major

Revolutionizing Leishmaniasis Treatment with Cutting Edge Drug Delivery Systems and Nanovaccines: An Updated Review

Leishmaniasis, one of the most overlooked tropical diseases, is a life-threatening illness caused by the parasite Leishmania donovani that is prevalent in underdeveloped nations. Over 350 million individuals in more than 90 different nations worldwide are at risk of contracting the disease, which has a current fatality rate of 50 000 mortalities each year. The administration of liposomal Amp B, pentavalent antimonials, and miltefosine are still considered integral components of the chemotherapy regimen. Antileishmanial medications fail to treat leishmaniasis because of their numerous drawbacks. These include inadequate effectiveness, toxicity, undesired side effects, drug resistance, treatment duration, and cost. Consequently, there is a need to overcome the limitations of conventional therapeutics. Nanotechnology has demonstrated promising outcomes in addressing these issues because of its small size and distinctive characteristics, such as enhanced bioavailability, lower toxicity, biodegradability, and targeted drug delivery. This review is an effort to highlight the recent progress in various nanodrug delivery systems (nDDSs) over the past five years for treating leishmaniasis. Although the preclinical outcomes of nDDSs have shown promising treatment for leishmaniasis, further research is needed for their clinical translation. Advancement in three primary priority domains─molecular diagnostics, clinical investigation, and knowledge dissemination and standardization─is imperative to propel the leishmaniasis field toward translational outcomes.

A Review on Carbon Nanotubes Family of Nanomaterials and Their Health Field

The use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which are nanometric materials, in pathogen detection, protection of environments, food safety, and in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, as efficient drug delivery systems, is relevant for the improvement and advancement of pharmacological profiles of many molecules employed in therapeutics and in tissue bioengineering. It has contributed to the advancement of science due to the development of new tools and devices in the field of medicine. CNTs have versatile mechanical, physical, and chemical properties, in addition to their great potential for association with other materials to contribute to applications in different fields of medicine. As, for example, photothermal therapy, due to the ability to convert infrared light into heat, in tissue engineering, due to the mechanical resistance, flexibility, elasticity, and low density, in addition to many other possible applications, and as biomarkers, where the electronic and optics properties enable the transduction of their signals. This review aims to describe the state of the art and the perspectives and challenges of applying CNTs in the medical field. A systematic search was carried out in the indexes Medline, Lilacs, SciELO, and Web of Science using the descriptors "carbon nanotubes", "tissue regeneration", "electrical interface (biosensors and chemical sensors)", "photosensitizers", "photothermal", "drug delivery", "biocompatibility" and "nanotechnology", and "Prodrug design" and appropriately grouped. The literature reviewed showed great applicability, but more studies are needed regarding the biocompatibility of CNTs. The data obtained point to the need for standardized studies on the applications and interactions of these nanostructures with biological systems.

Carbon Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications: Progress and Outlook

Recent developments in nanoscale materials have found extensive use in various fields, especially in the biomedical industry. Several substantial obstacles must be overcome, particularly those related to nanostructured materials in biomedicine, before they can be used in therapeutic applications. Significant concerns in biomedicine include biological processes, adaptability, toxic effects, and nano-biointerfacial properties. Biomedical researchers have difficulty choosing suitable materials for drug carriers, cancer treatment, and antiviral uses. Carbon nanomaterials are among the various nanoparticle forms that are continually receiving interest for biomedical applications. They are suitable materials owing to their distinctive physical and chemical properties, such as electrical, high-temperature, mechanical, and optical diversification. An individualized, controlled, dependable, low-carcinogenic, target-specific drug delivery system can diagnose and treat infections in biomedical applications. The variety of carbon materials at the nanoscale is remarkable. Allotropes and other forms of the same element, carbon, are represented in nanoscale dimensions. These show promise for a wide range of applications. Carbon nanostructured materials with exceptional mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties include graphene and carbon nanotubes. They can potentially revolutionize industries, including electronics, energy, and medicine. Ongoing investigation and expansion efforts continue to unlock possibilities for these materials, making them a key player in shaping the future of advanced technology. Carbon nanostructured materials explore the potential positive effects of reducing the greenhouse effect. The current state of nanostructured materials in the biomedical sector is covered in this review, along with their synthesis techniques and potential uses.

Synthetic hydrazones: In silico studies and in vitro evaluation of the antileishmania potential

Bioprospecting and synthesis of strategically designed molecules have been used in the search for drugs that can be in leishmaniasis. Hydrazones (HDZ) are promising compounds with extensive biological activities. The objective of this work was to perform in silico studies of hydrazones 1-5 and to evaluate their antileishmanial, cytotoxic and macrophage immunomodulatory potential in vitro. Hydrazones were subjected to prediction and molecular docking studies. Antileishmanial protocols on promastigotes and amastigotes of Leishmania amazonensis, cytotoxicity and macrophage immunomodulatory activity were performed. Hydrazones showed a good pharmacokinetic profile and hydrazone 3 and hydrazone 5 were classified as non-carcinogenic. Hydrazone 5 obtained the best conformation with trypanothione reductase. Hydrazone 1 and hydrazone 3 obtained the best mean inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values for promastigotes, 4.4-61.96 μM and 8.0-58.75 μM, respectively. It also showed good activity on intramacrophagic amastigotes, with hydrazone 1 being the most active (IC₅₀ = 6.79 μM) with selectivity index of 56. In cytotoxicity to macrophages hydrazone 3 was the most cytotoxic (CC₅₀ = 256.3 ± 0,04 μM), while hydrazone 4 the least (CC₅₀ = 1055.9 ± 0.03 μM). It can be concluded that the hydrazones revealed important pharmacokinetic and toxicological properties, in addition to antileishmania potential in reducing infection and infectivity in parasitized macrophages.

Apoptotic blebs from Leishmania major-infected macrophages as a new approach for cutaneous leishmaniasis vaccination

We focused on apoptotic blebs from Leishmania major-infected macrophages as a vaccine for cutaneous leishmaniasis. Apoptosis was induced in L. major-infected J774A.1 cells in order to prepare apoptotic blebs. Test groups of BALB/c mice were immunized with these at doses of 1 × 10⁶, 5 × 10⁶ or 1 × 10⁷ blebs. An immunization control group received Leishmania lysate antigens. The results showed that as the number of apoptotic bodies increased, the lymphocyte proliferation index increased, and this was proportional to IFN-γ level in the test groups. Additionally, the difference of IFN-γ, IL-4, IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio, or total IgG (p < 0.0001) in all groups was statistically significant compared to the negative control group. The highest IFN-γ (514.0 ± 40.92 pg/mL) and IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio (2.94 ± 0.22) were observed in the group that received 1 × 10⁷ apoptotic blebs. The highest levels of IL-4 (244.6 ± 38.8 pg/mL) and total IgG (5626 ± 377 μg/mL) were observed in the immunization control group. Reflecting these data, no lesions were observed in any of the groups vaccinated with apoptotic blebs after 12 weeks. In summary, the use of apoptotic blebs from L. major-infected macrophages is protective against the challenge with L. major in this animal model.

Advanced biomedical applications of carbon nanotube

With advances in nanotechnology, the applications of nanomaterial are developing widely and greatly. The characteristic properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) make them the most selective candidate for various multi-functional applications. The greater surface area of the CNTs in addition to the capability to manipulate the surfaces and dimensions has provided greater potential for this nanomaterial. The CNTs possess greater potential for applications in biomedicine due to their vital electrical, chemical, thermal, and mechanical properties. The unique properties of CNT are exploited for numerous applications in the biomedical field. They are useful in both therapeutic and diagnostic applications. They form novel carrier systems which are also capable of site-specific delivery of therapeutic agents. In addition, CNTs are of potential application in biosensing. Many recently reported advanced systems of CNT could be exploited for their immense potential in biomedicine in the future.