The nanomedicines alliance: an industry perspective on nanomedicines

Polysaccharide mediated nanodrug delivery: A review

Polysaccharides have drawn a lot of attention due to their potential as carriers for drugs and other bioactive chemicals. In drug delivery systems, natural macromolecules such as polysaccharides are widely utilized as polymers. This utilization extends to various polysaccharides employed in the development of nanoparticles for medicinal administration, with the goal of enhancing therapeutic efficacy while minimizing side effects. This study not only offers an overview of the existing challenges faced by these materials but also provides detailed information on key polysaccharides expertly engineered into nanoparticles. Noteworthy examples include Bael Fruit Gum, Guar Gum, Pectin, Agar, Cellulose, Alginate, Chitin, and Gum Acacia, each selected for their distinctive properties and strategically integrated into nanoparticles. The exploration of these natural macromolecules illuminates their diverse applications and underscores their potential as effective carriers in drug delivery systems. By delving into the unique attributes of each polysaccharide, this review aims to contribute valuable insights to the ongoing advancements in nanomedicine and pharmaceutical technologies. The overarching objective of this review research is to assess the utilization and comprehension of polysaccharides in nanoapplications, further striving to promote their continued integration in contemporary therapeutics and industrial practices.

Bringing Again Noble Metal Nanoparticles to the Forefront of Cancer Therapy

Nanomaterials have attracted increasing interest for their potentiality to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases, especially neoplasms. Interestingly, there is a huge imbalance between the number of proposed nanoplatforms and the few ones approved for clinical applications. This disequilibrium affects in particular noble metal nanoparticles (NPs), that present no-approved platform and very few candidates in clinical trials because of the issue of persistence. In this perspective, we discuss if nanomedicine is generally keeping its promises with a focus on the approach that could fill the gap between NPs and oncology in the next future: the ultrasmall-in-nano.

Endogenously Triggerable Ultrasmall-in-Nano Architectures: Targeting Assessment on 3D Pancreatic Carcinoma Spheroids

Several nanomaterials rely on the passive accumulation in the neoplasm target because of enhanced permeability and retention effect. On the other hand, directing nanomaterials to the target by employing the targeting agents may lead to a pivotal improvement in the efficacy of the treatment for a number of cancers. However, targeting moieties often lose their functionality upon injection in the bloodstream, leaving questions on their efficiency. Here, we assessed using a significant in vitro 3D model of pancreatic carcinoma the targeting efficiency of passion fruit-like nanoarchitectures (NAs) incorporated with a peptide that can recognize transferrin directly in the medium, thereby modulating protein solvation. NAs are biodegradable ultrasmall-in-nano platforms that combine the most appealing behaviors of noble metal nanomaterials with organism excretion of the building blocks by the renal pathway. Although the confocal images did not illustrate the significant differences in the targeting efficiency of the peptide-modified NAs, an improved internalization was quantitatively observed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry analysis. Our findings demonstrate that the peptide conjugation of NAs might be considered to enhance their theranostic potentials for this type of neoplasm.

Ultrasmall-in-Nano Approach: Enabling the Translation of Metal Nanomaterials to Clinics

Currently, nanomaterials are of widespread use in daily commercial products. However, the most-promising and potentially impacting application is in the medical field. In particular, nanosized noble metals hold the promise of shifting the current medical paradigms for the detection and therapy of neoplasms thanks to the: (i) localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs), (ii) high electron density, and (iii) suitability for straightforward development of all-in-one nanoplatforms. Nonetheless, there is still no clinically approved noble metal nanomaterial for cancer therapy and diagnostics. The clinical translation of noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) is mainly prevented by the issue of persistence in organism after the medical action. Such persistence increases the likelihood of toxicity and the interference with common medical diagnoses. Size reduction to ultrasmall nanoparticles (USNPs) is a suitable approach to promoting metal excretion by the renal pathway. However, most of the functionalities of NPs are lost or severely altered in USNPs, jeopardizing clinical applications. A ground-breaking advance to jointly combine the appealing behaviors of NPs with metal excretion relies on the ultrasmall-in-nano approach for the design of all-in-one degradable nanoplatforms composed of USNPs. Such nanoarchitectures might lead to the delivery of a novel paradigm for nanotechnology, enabling the translation of noble metal nanomaterials to clinics to treat carcinomas in a less-invasive and more-efficient manner. This Review covers the recent progresses related to this exciting approach. The most-significant nanoarchitectures designed with the ultrasmall-in-nano approach are discussed, and perspectives on these nanoarchitectures are provided.

Avidin-conjugated calcium phosphate nanoparticles as a modular targeting system for the attachment of biotinylated molecules in vitro and in vivo

Avidin was covalently conjugated to the surface of calcium phosphate nanoparticles, coated with a thin silica shell and terminated by sulfhydryl groups (diameter of the solid core about 50nm), with a bifunctional crosslinker connecting the amino groups of avidin to the sulfhydryl group on the nanoparticle surface. This led to a versatile nanoparticle system where all kinds of biotinylated (bio-)molecules can be easily attached to the surface by the non-covalent avidin-biotin-complex formation. It also permits the attachment of different biomolecules on the same nanoparticle (heteroavidity), creating a modular system for specific applications in medicine and biology. The variability of the binding to the nanoparticle surface of the was demonstrated with various biotinylated molecules, i.e. fluorescent dyes and antibodies. The accessibility of the conjugated avidin was demonstrated by a fluorescence-quenching assay. About 2.6 binding sites for biotin were accessible on each avidin tetramer. Together with a number of about 240 avidin tetramer units per nanoparticle, this offers about 600 binding sites for biotin on each nanoparticle. The uptake of fluorescently labelled avidin-conjugated calcium phosphate nanoparticles by HeLa cells showed the co-localization of fluorescent avidin and fluorescent biotin, indicating the stability of the complex under cell culture conditions. CD11c-antibody functionalized nanoparticles specifically targeted antigen-presenting immune cells (dendritic cells; DCs) in vitro and in vivo (mice) with high efficiency.

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

Calcium phosphate nanoparticles have turned out to be very useful transporters for biomolecules into cells, both in vitro and in vivo. However, their covalent surface functionalization with antibodies, fluorescent dyes, or proteins requires a separate chemical synthesis for each kind of surface molecule. We have therefore developed avidin-terminated calcium phosphate nanoparticles to which all kinds of biotinylated molecules can be easily attached, also as a mixture of two or more molecules. This non-covalent bond is stable both in cell culture and after injection into mice in vivo. Thus, we have created a highly versatile system for many applications, from the delivery of biomolecules over the targeting of cells and tissue to in vivo imaging.

Nanoparticle-Protein Interactions: Therapeutic Approaches and Supramolecular Chemistry

Research 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 a protein will adsorb. This can still lead to irreversible structural changes in a protein and a subsequent loss of function. However, as most cells readily take up nanoparticles of almost any size, it is easily possible to use nanoparticles as transporters for proteins into a cell, for example, to address an internal receptor. Much work has been dedicated to this approach, but it is constrained by two processes that can only be observed in living cells or organisms. First, nanoparticles are usually taken up by endocytosis and are delivered into an intracellular endosome. After fusion with a lysosome, a degradation or denaturation of the protein cargo by the acidic environment or by proteases may occur before it can enter the cytoplasm. Second, nanoparticles are rapidly coated with proteins upon contact with biological media like blood. This so-called protein corona influences the contact with other proteins, cells, or tissue and may prevent the desired interaction. Essentially, these effects cannot be understood in purely chemical approaches but require biological environments and systems because the underlying processes are simply too complicated to be modeled in nonbiological systems. The area of nanoparticle-protein interactions strongly relies on different approaches: Synthetic chemistry is involved to prepare, stabilize, and functionalize nanoparticles. High-end analytical chemistry is required to understand the nature of a nanoparticle surface and the steps of its interaction with proteins. Concepts from supramolecular chemistry help to understand the complex noncovalent interactions between the surfaces of proteins and nanoparticles. Protein chemistry and biophysical chemistry are required to understand the behavior of a protein in contact with a nanoparticle. Finally, all chemical concepts must live up to the "biological reality", first in cell culture experiments in vitro and finally in animal or human experiments in vivo, to open new therapies in the 21st century. This interdisciplinary approach makes the field highly exciting but also highly demanding for chemists who, however, have to learn to understand the language of other areas.