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Despite the many advanced strategies that are available, rapid gene mutation in multidrug-resistant bacterial infections remains a major challenge. Combining new therapeutic strategies such as chemo-photothermal therapy (PTT) with high antibacterial efficiency against drug-resistant Listeria monocytogenes (LM) is urgently needed. Here, we report synergistic chemo-PTT against drug-resistant LM based on antibody-conjugated and streptomycin-chitosan oligosaccharide-modified gold nanoshells (anti-STR-CO-GNSs) as all-in-one nanotheranostic agents for the first time, which was used for accurate antibacterial applications. The anti-STR-CO-GNSs showed excellent photothermal conversion efficiency (31.97 %) and were responsive to near-infrared (NIR) and pH dual stimuli-triggered antibiotic release, resulting in outstanding chemo-photothermal effects against LM. In vitro chemo-photothermal effect of anti-STR-CO-GNSs with laser irradiation caused a greater antibacterial effect (1.37 %), resulting in more rapid killing of LM and prevention of LM regrowth. Most importantly, the mice receiving the anti-STR-CO-GNSs with laser irradiation specifically at the sites of LM infections healed almost completely, leaving only scars on the surface of the skin and resulting in superior inhibitory effects from combined chemo-PTT. Overall, our findings suggest that chemo-PTT using smart biocompatible anti-STR-CO-GNSs is a favorable potential alternative to combat the increasing threat of drug-resistant LM, which opens a new door for clinical anti-infection therapy in the future.

Multifunctional theranostic agents have recently attracted a great deal of attention in field of biomedicine. In the present work, folic acid–conjugated chitosan-functionalized graphene oxide (FA-CS-GO) has been developed as a new type of multifunctional nanomaterial for near-infrared fluorescence (FL)/photoacoustic imaging–(PAI) guided photothermal therapy (PTT) of cancer. In vitro results showed that the FA-CS-GO was able to completely destroy cancer cells under laser irradiation. More importantly, in vivo experiments showed that in the presence of targeted FA-CS-GO with laser irradiation, the tumors were completely inhibited, with no recurrence within 20 days. A high photoacoustic signal was detected in the tumor area of mice 24 h after the injection of FA-CS-GO, demonstrating the ability of FA-CS-GO to function as a new PAI contrast agent. Altogether, FA-CS-GO showed a high tumor-targeting efficiency, powerful photothermal effect, and outstanding PAI. This study is considered the first where multifunctional nanomaterials were used for highly efficient FL/PAI-guided tumor-targeted PTT, which is a promising avenue for theranostic nanomedicine.

To achieve optimum functionality and mechanical properties of advanced manufacturing-based scaffolds for biomedical application, it is important to study their mechanical strength by 3D-printing at different orientations. This study examined the effects of printing at different orientations on the mechanical properties of synthesized 3D-polylactic acid (PLA) and hydroxyapatite-modified PLA (PLA-HAp) scaffolds. A total number of 30 samples were printed in three orientations on the XY plane: 0°, 45°, and 90°. Finite element modeling and simulation was employed to identify the strongest scaffold in terms of compression strength, which is the primary criterion for load bearing bone tissue scaffolds. These findings indicate that 3D-printing at an orientation of 90° on the XY plane resulted in a scaffold with the highest compression strength. Moreover, the fabricated PLA scaffolds showed very poor cell attachment and proliferation on their surface, which is not suitable for their biomedical application. This study additionally showed the optimization of a very simple post-fabrication modification technique with nano HAp for better cell attachment and proliferation with enhanced mechanical properties. The post-fabrication modification of PLA scaffolds by nano-HAp results in excellent cell attachment property with enhanced mechanical strength and stability of up to 47.16% for 90° 3D-printed PLA-HAp scaffolds.

Articular cartilage injury is characterized by limited self-repair capacity due to the shortage of blood vessels, lymphatics, and nerves. Hence, this study aims to exploit a classic injectable hydrogel platform that can restore the cartilage defects with minimally invasive surgery, which is similar to the natural extracellular microenvironment, and highly porous network for cell adhesion and proliferation. In this study, an injectable scaffold system comprised of silk fibroin (SF) and hyaluronic acid (HA) was developed to adapt the above requirements. Besides, methylprednisolone (MP) was encapsulated by SF/HA scaffold for alleviating inflammation. The SF/HA hydrogel scaffold was prepared by chemical cross-linking between the lysine residues of SF via Schiff base formation, and pore diameter of the obtained hydrogels was 100.47 ± 32.09 µm. The highly porous nature of hydrogel could further benefit the soft tissue regeneration. Compared with HA-free hydrogels, SF/HA hydrogel showed more controlled release on MP. In ovo experiment of chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) demonstrated that SF/HA hydrogels not altered the angiogenesis and formation of blood vessels, thus making it suitable for cartilage regeneration. Furthermore, in vivo gel formation was validated in mice model, suggesting in situ gel formation of SF/HA hydrogels. More importantly, SF/HA hydrogels exhibited the controlled biodegradation. Overall, SF/HA hydrogels provide further insights to the preparation of effective scaffold for tissue regeneration and pave the way to improve the articular cartilage injury treatment.

Developing a novel multifunctional theranostic agent for cancer combination therapy has attracted tremendous attention in recent years. In this report, we designed and developed a new multifunctional nanocarrier based on anti-epidermal growth factor receptor antibody-conjugated and paclitaxel loaded-thiol chitosan-layered gold nanoshells (anti-EGFR-PTX-TCS-GNSs) as a theranostic agent for the first time used for fluorescence/photoacoustic dual-modal imaging-guided chemophotothermal synergistic therapy. The resulting anti-EGFR-PTX-TCS-GNSs showed excellent biosafety, biocompatibility, broad near-infrared (NIR) absorbance, photostability, fast and laser irradiation-controllable drug release, and higher targeting efficiency for efficient chemophotothermal combination therapy of cancer under the guidance of photoacoustic imaging (PAI). The combination therapy was investigated in vitro and in vivo, displaying a powerful anticancer efficiency. More importantly, an in vivo experiment of anti-EGFR-PTX-TCS-GNSs with laser irradiation showed heavy damage to the tumor tissue, killing the tumor cells almost completely. Anti-EGFR-PTX-TCS-GNSs also showed a powerful capacity to visualize tumors, and therefore it is considered a new PAI contrast agent for subsequent therapy. Histological analysis and TUNEL assay further showed much more apoptotic cells, confirming the value of anti-EGFR-PTX-TCS-GNSs. Our results provide a new concept and a promising strategy to develop a novel multifunctional nanotheranostic agent for future clinical applications in diagnosis and therapy.

Fabrication of nanostructured materials with multifunctional properties and improved biocompatibility have immense potential for biomedical applications. The novelty of this research is to synthesize nanostructured hollow hydroxyapatite (H-HAp) for enhanced drug delivery applications. The nano hollow structure synthesis mechanism involves the controlled precipitation of calcium and phosphate ions over a pre-synthesized nano carbon template, followed by calcination to eliminate the core carbon structure. The synthesized nano-structured H-HAp was analyzed to determine its chemical, elemental, structural, and morphological characteristics by different spectroscopic, gravimetric, and electron microscopy techniques. The potential advances of H-HAp nanoparticles in biological applications were studied by using MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines, and drug kinetics experiments. The cytotoxicity and the efficacy of H-HAp as a drug carrier agent were studied by MTT and fluorescence staining assay. The comparative drug loading/releasing kinetics were studied using nanostructured H-HAp and HAp with the model drug doxorubicin (DOX) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein. The synthesized nanostructured materials show relatively enhanced drug (DOX = ∼53.33%) and protein (BSA = ∼43.06%) loading capacities compared to conventional HAp (DOX = ∼46% and BSA = ∼23.62%). The H-HAp nanostructured system shows a pH-dependent sustained in vitro release behavior of model drug molecules. The novelty of this study relies on its facile synthesis mechanism to fabricate a hollow nano HAp structure, which differs from limited reported articles based mostly on microstructure H-HAp for biomedical applications.

This present study illustrates the processing and comprehensive characterization of biogenic hydroxyapatite (FB-HAp) biomaterial from fish bone (Tuna fish) in a facile single step thermal decomposition procedure. Fish bones were calcined at 1000 °C in an air atmosphere for 1 h. The obtained FB-HAp flakes were ball milled for 30 h at a unidirectional milling speed of 300 rpm. A well-established wet chemical process was obtained to synthesize HAp nanoparticles (C-HAp). The synthesized non-stoichiometric (Ca/P = 1.87) FB-HAp phases were identified by X-ray diffraction study and compared with C-HAp. The thermal properties were studied by thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the structural and functional groups of FB-HAp and C-HAp. The morphological and elemental analysis was performed by transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Inductive coupled plasma (ICP) spectroscopy. The synthesized FB-HAp and C-HAp were mixed with 2% starch porogen and compacted with ∼200 MPa unidirectional pressure to obtained small pellet scaffolds. The obtained scaffolds were sintered at 1000 °C in an air atmosphere for 2 h and further used for cell attachment and proliferation study. The FB-HAp biomaterials showed non-toxic behavior with MG-63 osteoblast cell lines similar to C-HAp. Additionally, FB-HAp scaffold showed enhanced cellular attachment and proliferation on its surface. The in-depth chemical, structural, and morphological analysis suggest that fish bone could be a promising sustainable biogenic source of HAp for biomedical applications.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen which exhibits its property of pathogenesis due to several factors, including the formation of biofilm and production of several virulence factors. Development of resistance properties against antibiotics leads to the discovery of certain alternative strategies to combat its pathogenesis. In the present study, a highly stable, biocompatible and water soluble nanocomposites (NCs) are synthesized from chitosan (CS) and the polypyrrole (PPy). The resultant chitosan-polypyrrole nanocomposites (CS-PPy NCs) inhibit the establishment of biofilm and also eradicate the preformed matured biofilm formed by P. aeruginosa. CS-PPy NCs inhibit the hemolytic and protease activities of P. aeruginosa. The NCs significantly reduce the production of many virulence factors such as pyocyanin, pyroverdine and rhamnolipid. CS-PPy NCs also suppress the bacterial motility such as swimming and swarming. The present study showed that highly stable CS-PPy NCs act as a potent antibiofilm and antivirulence drug for the treatment of P. aeruginosa infection.

A rapid microwave assisted facile synthetic technique was adopted to load gold nanoparticles (Au) on hydroxyapatite (HAp) surface. HAp nanoparticles were primarily synthesized by wet precipitation technique and further used for gold loading and successive collagen coating for biomedical applications. The microwave-assisted controlled synthesis technique with three heating cycles allows the very fast growing of Au seeds over HAp facets. Different sophisticated analytical techniques and spectroscopic characterization were employed to confirm the structural, chemical, and morphological features. The synthesized different concentration “Au” loaded hetero nanostructures coated with collagen (Au–HAp–Col) optimized for drug (Doxorubicin: DOX) loading and releasing purposes for biomedical applications. The maximum drug-loading efficiency of ~58.22% and a pH responsive releasing of ~53% (at pH 4.5) was obtained for 0.1 wt% Au–HAp–Col nanoparticles. To study the cytotoxic effects from the hetero nanostructures, MG-63 osteoblast-like cells were exposed to different concentration ranges on Au–HAp, Au–HAp–Col, and DOX loaded Au–HAp–Col nanoparticles. The non-toxic and bioactive properties of the synthesized nanoparticle-fabricated scaffold promotes cellular attachment, growth, and proliferation. These results indicated that optimized Au–HAp–Col nanoparticles may be promising drug delivery and scaffold materials for multifunctional biomedical applications.

This work developed a pH/NIR responsive antibacterial agent (CS-FeNPs) composed of chitosan (CS) and Fe

The development of a new generation of multifunctional nanomaterials as a drug delivery system for chemo-photothermal therapy is of great necessity. In this study, we first prepared folic acid-conjugated and doxorubicin-loaded chitosan oligosaccharide encapsulated gold nanorods (FA–COS–TGA–GNRs–DOX) as a new photothermal agent for the delivery of drugs and heat to tumor areas. FA–COS–TGA–GNRs–DOX nanomaterials combine the advantages of COS, GNRs, FA, TGA, and DOX and have excellent biocompatibility, strong absorbance in the near-infrared (NIR) region, photostability, photothermal conversion efficiency, high targeting efficiency, fast drug release under laser irradiation, and tumor cell killing efficiency. FA–COS–TGA–GNRs–DOX exhibited significantly greater cell killing after laser irradiation. The intracellular uptake behavior of the targeted FA–COS–TGA–GNRs–DOX was confirmed by flow cytometry, two-photon fluorescence microscopy (TPFM), and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). More interestingly, the tumors in the presence of FA–COS–TGA–GNRs–DOX under laser irradiation were efficiently ablated and did not recur, showing an outstanding combined therapy of tumors. The combination of photothermal therapy (PTT) and photoacoustic imaging (PAI) could accurately locate and fully destroy tumor tissues after the intravenous injection of FA–COS–TGA–GNRs–DOX. Hence, this work offers a new avenue to develop a novel class of multifunctional nanomaterials as a drug delivery system for cancer therapy.

This study developed folic acid (FA) conjugated chitosan (CS) encapsulated rutin (R) synthesized palladium nanoclusters (Pd NCs) for NIR triggered and folate receptor (FR) targeted triple-negative breast cancer (MDA-MB 231 cells) treatment. R-Pd NCs exhibited flower-shaped particles with an average size of100 nm. FA-CS encapsulation concealed the flower shape of R-Pd NCs with a positive charge. The XRD spectrum confirmed the cubic crystalline structure of Pd. The FA conjugation on CS improved the cellular uptake of R-Pd NCs in MDA-MB 231 cells was confirmed by TEM. FA-CS-R-Pd NCs (+NIR) treatment was considerably inhibited the MDA-MB 231 cells proliferation evidenced by cell viability, fluorescent staining, and flow cytometry analysis. Further, in vitro hemolysis assay and in Ovo model confirmed the non-toxic nature of FA-CS-R-Pd-NCs with or without NIR radiation. Hence, this study concluded that FA-CS-R-Pd NCs can be applied for the treatment of drug-resistant breast cancer.

An innovative biomimetic approach has been employed for the synthesis of human and environmental friendly nanomaterials for biomedical application. The aim of this research is to study the structural analysis of biomimetic-synthesized gold (Au) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles loaded on pristine hydroxyapatite (HAp) and their potential advances in biomedical applications. The synthesized metal–hydroxyapatite nanoparticles’ structural and morphological characteristics were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), different spectroscopies (UV–vis, DRS, FTIR, zeta potential), BET surface area and pore size analyzer and electron microscopy (FE-TEM, FE-SEM). Biological activity was established using osteoblast-like MG-63 cell line and antibacterial tests with Escherichia coli (E. coli), which is one of the most common bacteria in the human body. Cell cytotoxicity test (MTT assay and fluorescence imaging with AO/PI staining) was conducted with MG-63 cells to study the toxicity of Au-HAp, Ag-HAp, and Au-Ag-HAp (bimetallic) nanoparticles. Antimicrobial studies have shown that all Ag-HAp nanoparticles have excellent in vitro antibacterial activity with E. coli. The present research investigates the structural stability and biocompatibility of Au-HAp, Ag-HAp, and Au-Ag-HAp nanoparticles, which may be the best materials to repair bone infection (osteomyelitis) and could be useful as a potential scaffold material to prevent postoperative infections.

Composite biomaterials can improve the mechanical and biological properties of ceramic scaffolds for bone tissue engineering application. In this study hydroxyapatite (HAp), and bioactive glass ceramics were synthesized by co-precipitation and ultrasound assisted sol-gel method. The synthesized HAp (80 wt.-%) and bioglass (15 wt.-%) bioceramics were further used with aluminum oxide (3 wt.-%) and starch (2 wt%) to prepare a composite biomaterial. The composite biomaterial was finally used to fabricate scaffold materials by employing nontoxic binder mediated gel-casting approach. The synthesized composite material and developed scaffolds were characterized through different physical, chemical, and morphological analyses, mechanical study, and in vitro biological assays. The synthesized scaffold exhibited 20–25% porosity, with a high compressive strength of ~ 157 ± 2 MPa, and Tensile strength of ~ 83 ± 2 MPa after sintering at 1200 °C for 2 h. The in vitro biological study confirmed the nontoxic behavior of the composite biomaterial and developed scaffolds with MG-63 osteoblast-like cell line. The developed composite scaffold facilitated new cell attachment, growth, and proliferation on its surface, all of which correlates with good osteoconductive properties. The developed scaffolds effectively simulated the morphology, porosity, mechanical property, and bioactivity of the bone structure for load-bearing tissue engineering application.

Biopolymer-coated drug delivery system with high drug-loading efficiency and pH-stimuli responsive drug release to the target site receives much research interest in cancer therapy. In this study, we have synthesized a marine biopolymer, namely chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) coated mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSNs@COS NPs) system for pH-responsive drug delivery applications. The COS coating onto the silica nanoparticles was performed through metal–ligand complex coordination approaches. The prepared MSNs@COS NPs system were characterized by low-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), N2 adsorption–desorption and transmission electron microscopic (TEM), and thermogravimetric analyses. The COS-coated MSNs@COS NPs system shows high drug-loading capacity, good drug retention efficiency under physiological pH (pH 7.4) conditions, and an intracellular pH-responsive drug release behavior under acidic pH (pH 6.5, 5.0, and 4.0) environments. Furthermore, the biocompatibility and the intracellular uptake behavior of the MSNs@COS NPs system were evaluated by using MDA-MB-231 cells. The in vitro cytotoxicity and fluorescence microscopic analysis results evidenced that the synthesized MSNs@COS NPs system is biocompatible and could be readily taken up by MDA-MB-231 cells. Therefore, we believe that the proposed system could be applicable for pH-stimuli responsive controlled drug delivery applications in cancer therapy.

The synthesis and fabrication of multifunctional nanostructures with enhanced biocompatibility are the most important characteristics for biomedical research. The goal of our present research is to study the optimum zinc (Zn)-loading on pure hydroxyapatite (HAp) bioceramics and its potential advantages in biomedical application. In this study, different mole concentrations (1, 2, 5 mol%) of Zn doped HAp (Zn-HAp) nanoparticles were synthesized through a facile co-precipitation technique using zinc nitrate as a source for Zn metal. The synthesized Zn-HAp nanoparticles were critically characterized for their structural and morphological changes by different spectroscopy and electron microscopy analysis. The potential advances of Zn-HAp nanoparticles in biological application was studied by using MG-63 cell line, drug model experiment and scaffold cell attachment, proliferation study. The cell cytotoxicity test (MTT assay and trypan blue) was first conducted to confirm the nontoxic characteristics of Zn-HAp with enhanced MG-63 cell proliferation activity. The drug loading experiment of Zn-HAp nanoparticles was then confirmed with 1 mol% Zn-HAp (which had the maximum drug loading efficiency with pH responsive drug interaction). Furthermore, the optimized 1 mol% Zn-HAp constructed biomimetic scaffold shows excellent cell attachment and proliferation behavior with MG-63 cells. The result suggests that the biomimetic 1 mol% Zn-HAp scaffolds may be of enormous potential in bone repair and regeneration. This research distinguishes from other research by showing an advanced analysis of the Zn-HAp and its enhanced physicochemical properties for tissue engineering and pH responsive drug delivery application.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) using nanoparticles have gained significant attention for its therapeutic effect for cancer treatment. In the present study, we fabricated polypyrrole nanoparticles by employing bovine serum albumin-phycocyanin complex and the formulated particles were stable in various physiological solutions like water, phosphate buffered saline and culture media. The formulated nanoparticles did not cause any noticeable toxicity to MDA-MB-231 and HEK-293 cells. The obtained nanoparticles effectively killed MDA-MB-231 cells in a dual way upon laser illumination, one is through phycocyanin propagated reactive oxygen species (PDT) upon laser illumination and in another way it eradicated the treated cells by converting optical energy into heat energy (PTT). Additionally, the nanoparticles generated good amplitude of ultrasound signals under photoacoustic imaging (PAT) system that facilitates imaging of treated cells. In conclusion, the fabricated particles could be used as a multimodal therapeutic agent for treatment of cancer in the biomedical field.

In advanced cancer therapy, the combinational therapeutic effect of photothermal therapy (PTT) using near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive nanoparticles (NPs) and anti-cancer drug delivery-mediated chemotherapy has been widely applied. In the present study, using a facile, low-cost, and solution-based method, we developed and synthesized fucoidan, a natural polymer isolated from seaweed that has demonstrated anti-cancer effect, and coated NPs with it as an ideal candidate in chemo-photothermal therapy against cancer cells. Fucoidan-coated copper sulfide nanoparticles (F-CuS) act not only as a nanocarrier to enhance the intracellular delivery of fucoidan but also as a photothermal agent to effectively ablate different cancer cells (e.g., HeLa, A549, and K562), both in vitro and in vivo, with the induction of apoptosis under 808 nm diode laser irradiation. These results point to the potential usage of F-CuS in treating human cancer.

// Hyejin Kim 1, * , Van Phuc Nguyen 1, * , Panchanathan Manivasagan 2, * , Min Jung Jung 3 , Sung Won Kim 4 , Junghwan Oh 1, 2 and Hyun Wook Kang 1, 2 1 Interdisciplinary Program of Biomedical Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Pukyong National University, Busan, South Korea 2 Department of Biomedical Engineering and Center for Marine-Integrated Biomedical Technology (BK 21 Plus), Pukyong National University, Busan, South Korea 3 Department of Pathology, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan, South Korea 4 Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan, South Korea * These authors contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Sung Won Kim, email: swforyou@gmail.com Junghwan Oh, email: jungoh@pknu.ac.kr Hyun Wook Kang, email: wkang@pukyong.ac.kr Keywords: doxorubicin; gold-nanoparticles; photothermal therapy; chemotherapy; eye tumor Received: October 16, 2017 Accepted: December 01, 2017 Published: December 09, 2017 ABSTRACT The current research demonstrates the feasible biomedical application of AuNPs coated with doxorubicin (Dox)-loaded fucoidan (Fu) for dual-chemotherapy and photothermal treatment (PTT) on eye tumors in vitro and in vivo . Marine-derived Fu was used as a capping agent to achieve high photostability for AuNPs, and Dox as a FDA-approved anti-cancer drug was added to induce chemotherapy. The synthesized Dox-Fu@AuNPs exhibited high cytotoxicity on the tumor cells and strong light absorption for temperature increase in vitro . After intratumoral injection of Dox-Fu@AuNPs in the rabbit eye tumors, PTT-assisted Dox-Fu@AuNPs entailed the complete removal of the eye tumors without recurrence for 14 days after the treatment. Photoacoustic image contrast from the tumor regions was enhanced due to selective light absorption by the administered Dox-Fu@AuNPs. Therefore, the proposed Dox-Fu@AuNPs can be a potential nano-theranostic material for treating and diagnosing the eye tumors.

The chemotherapy combined with thermotherapy is greatly considered in clinical applications for cancer treatment. The fabrication of nanomaterials with multifunctionality is an attractive approach to be utilized in cancer therapy. In this work, we report the synthesis of dopamine-urea organosilane (DPU) integrated mesoporous silica material in which the magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles were grown onto the outer surface of the mesoporous silica nanoparticles via Fe3O4-dopamine complexation method. The mesoporous structural characterization results revealed that the synthesized Fe3O4@DPU@MSH materials had high surface area (386 m2/g), large pore size (4.5 nm) and uniform particles in which the magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles were grown onto the outer surface of the mesopore walls with the particles size about 5–10 nm. Because of the existence of Fe3O4 nanoparticles onto the outer surface of the Fe3O4@DPU@MSH material, the sample shows superparamagnetic properties and high magnetic hyperthermia ability in the presence of applied magnetic field. Furthermore, owing to the presence of high surface area, the Fe3O4@DPU@MSH shows high drug loading capacity, and pH-responsive and temperature-accelerated drug release efficiency. In addition, the MTT assay analysis and the intracellular uptake study results support that the synthesized Fe3O4@DPU@MSH material is biocompatible. Therefore, the Fe3O4@DPU@MSH material would be a promising material for drug delivery and magnetic hyperthermia applications in cancer therapy.

In this review, specific attention is paid to the development of nanostructured magnetic hydroxyapatite (MHAp) and its potential application in controlled drug/gene delivery, tissue engineering, magnetic hyperthermia treatment, and the development of contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging. Both magnetite and hydroxyapatite materials have excellent prospects in nanomedicine with multifunctional therapeutic approaches. To date, many research articles have focused on biomedical applications of nanomaterials because of which it is very difficult to focus on any particular type of nanomaterial. This study is possibly the first effort to emphasize on the comprehensive assessment of MHAp nanostructures for biomedical applications supported with very recent experimental studies. From basic concepts to the real-life applications, the relevant characteristics of magnetic biomaterials are patented which are briefly discussed. The potential therapeutic and diagnostic ability of MHAp-nanostructured materials make them an ideal platform for future nanomedicine. We hope that this advanced review will provide a better understanding of MHAp and its important features to utilize it as a promising material for multifunctional biomedical applications.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using photosensitizer drug has become an important therapeutic modality. However, the stability and targeted delivery of photosensitizer remain a critical challenge for efficient PDT treatment. In the present study, we developed chlorin e6 (Ce6)-conjugated and folic acid (FA)-decorated silica nanoparticles (silica-Ce6-FA) for targeted delivery of photosensitizer to the cancer cells. The synthesized NPs exhibited excellent stability and biocompatibility with MDA-MB-231 cells. The formulated particles were efficiently taken up by folate receptor-positive MDA-MB-231 cells, which were confirmed by comparative analysis with folate receptor-negative HepG2 cells. The folate receptor-targeted silica-Ce6-FA was highly accumulated inside the MDA-MB-231 cells than free Ce6. The obtained NPs produced singlet oxygen efficiently under 670-nm laser exposure. The cell-killing effect of silica-Ce6-FA was higher when compared with free Ce6 under PDT treatment. The PDT-induced mitochondrial damage and apoptotic cell death were detected in silica-Ce6-FA-treated cells.

In this work, we propose the synthesis of urea-pyridyl (UPy) ligand functionalized mesoporous silica hybrid material as novel and effective drug delivery system for loading/release of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs. For the synthesis of UPy ligand functionalized mesoporous silica hybrid material, the combination of sol–gel co-condensation technique and post silica surface modification method were adapted. The prepared UPy ligand functionalized mesoporous silica hybrid (UPy-MSH) material was characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared, N2 adsorption–desorption analysis. The material morphology and mesopore channels were observed by scanning and transmission electron microscopic analyses. The content of modified organic ligand functionalities present in the UPy-MSH material surface was determined by thermogravimetric analysis. The hydrophilic anticancer drug, 5-Fluorouracil and the hydrophobic anti-inflammatory drug, Ibuprofen was used as a model drugs to determine the loading and pH-responsive release efficiency of the synthesized UPy-MSH material under different pH (pH 7.4 and 5.0) conditions, respectively. In addition, the biocompatibility of the UPy-MSH material was evaluated on MDA-MB-231 cells. The experimental results depicted that the synthesized UPy-MSH material is biocompatible and has high drug loading capacity, selective and controlled release of specific drug with respect to the pH condition.

The development of novel photothermal ablation agents as cancer nanotheranostics has received a great deal of attention in recent decades. Biocompatible fucoidan (Fu) is used as the coating material for gold nanorods (AuNRs) and subsequently conjugated with monoclonal antibodies against epidermal growth factor receptor (anti-EGFR) as novel photothermal ablation agents for cancer nanotheranostics because of their excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, nontoxicity, water solubility, photostability, ease of surface modification, strongly enhanced absorption in near-infrared (NIR) regions, target specificity, minimal invasiveness, fast recovery, and prevention of damage to normal tissues. Anti-EGFR Fu-AuNRs have an average particle size of 96.37 ± 3.73 nm. Under 808 nm NIR laser at 2 W/cm2 for 5 min, the temperature of the solution containing anti-EGFR Fu-AuNRs (30 μg/mL) increased by 52.1 °C. The anti-EGFR Fu-AuNRs exhibited high efficiency for the ablation of MDA-MB-231 cells in vitro. In vivo photot...

Marine biopolymer-based nanomaterials are one of the most active research areas in recent decades for theranostic applications. Marine biopolymers are interesting biomaterials for clinical applications because of their good biocompatibility, biodegradability, inexpensiveness, abundance, stability, ease of surface modification, and nontoxic nature. New nanoparticles in development are coated with marine polymers to combine therapeutic and diagnostic (theranostic) applications because of the strongly enhanced absorption and scattering in near-infrared (NIR) regions. In this review, the use of marine biopolymer-based nanomaterials for theranostic applications is evaluated, addressing potential applications in drug delivery, photothermal therapy (PTT), photodynamic therapy (PDT), hyperthermia therapy, photoacoustic imaging (PAI), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT). In addition, the most recent progress in the biocompatibility of marine biopolymer-based nanomaterials in vitr...

Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MNPs) have been extensively utilized in a wide range of biomedical applications including magnetic hyperthermia agent. To improve the efficiency of the MNPs in therapeutic applications, in this study, we have synthesized CoFe2O4 nanoparticles and its surface was further functionalized with meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA). The anticancer agent, Doxorubucin (DOX) was conjugated with CoFe2O4@DMSA nanoparticle to evaluate the combined effects of thermotherapy and chemotherapy. The drug delivery efficiency of the DOX loaded CoFe2O4@DMSA nanoparticles were examined based on magnetically triggered delivery of DOX into the subcellular level of cancer cells by using MDA-MB-231 cell line. The amine part of the DOX molecules were effectively attached through an electrostatic interactions and/or hydrogen bonding interactions with the carboxylic acid groups of the DMSA functionalities present onto the surface of the CoFe2O4 nanoparticles. The DOX loaded CoFe2O4@DMSA nanoparticles can effectively uptake with cancer cells via typical endocytosis process. After endocytosis, DOX release from CoFe2O4 nanoparticles was triggered by intracellular endosomal/lysosomal acidic environments and the localized heat can be generated under an alternating magnetic field (AMF). In the presence of AMF, the released DOX molecules were accumulated with high concentrations into the subcellular level at a desired sites and exhibited a synergistic effect of an enhanced cell cytotoxicity by the combined effects of thermal-chemotherapy. Importantly, pH- and thermal-responsive Dox-loaded CoFe2O4 nanoparticles induced significant cellular apoptosis more efficiently mediated by active mitochondrial membrane and ROS generation than the free Dox. Thus, the Dox-loaded CoFe2O4@DMSA nanoparticles can be used as a potential therapeutic agent in cancer therapy by combining the thermo-chemotherapy techniques.

Palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) have intrinsic features, such as brilliant catalytic, electronic, physical, mechanical, and optical properties, as well as diversity in shape and size. The initial researches proved that PdNPs have impressive potential for the development of novel photothermal agents, photoacoustic agents, antimicrobial/antitumor agents, gene/drug carriers, prodrug activators, and biosensors. However, very few studies have taken the benefit of the unique characteristics of PdNPs for applications in the biomedical field in comparison with other metals like gold, silver, or iron. Thus, this review aims to highlight the potential applications in the biomedical field of PdNPs. From that, the review provides the perceptual vision for the future development of PdNPs in this field.

Biofilm formed by several pathogenic bacteria results in the development of resistance against antimicrobial compounds. The polymeric materials present in the biofilm architecture hinder the entry of antimicrobial compounds through the surface of bacterial cells which are embedded as well as enclosed beneath the biofilm matrix. Recent and past studies explored the alternative approaches to inhibit the formation of biofilm by different agents isolated from plants, animals, and microbes. Among these agents, chitosan and its derivatives have got more attention due to their properties such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, non-allergenic and non-toxicity. Recent researches have focused on employing chitosan and its derivatives as effective agents to inhibit biofilm formation and attenuate virulence properties by various pathogenic bacteria. Such antibiofilm activity of chitosan and its derivatives can be further enhanced by conjugation with a wide range of bioactive compounds. The present review describes the antibiofilm properties of chitosan and its derivatives against the pathogenic bacteria. This review also summarizes the mechanisms of biofilm inhibition exhibited by these molecules. The knowledge of the antibiofilm activities of chitosan and its derivatives as well as their underlying mechanisms provides essential insights for widening their applications in the future.

The infection caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a serious concern in human health. The bacterium is an opportunistic pathogen which has been reported to cause nosocomial and chronic infections through biofilm formation and synthesis of several toxins and virulence factors. Furthermore, the formation of biofilm by P. aeruginosa is known as one of the resistance mechanisms against conventional antibiotics. Natural compounds from marine resources have become one of the simple, cost-effective, biocompatible and non-toxicity for treating P. aeruginosa biofilm-related infections. Furthermore, hybrid formulation with nanomaterials such as nanoparticles becomes an effective alternative strategy to minimize the drug toxicity problem and cytotoxicity properties. For this reason, the present study has employed chitosan oligosaccharide for the synthesis of chitosan oligosaccharide-capped gold nanoparticles (COS-AuNPs). The synthesized COS-AuNPs were then characterized by using UV-Visible spectroscopy, Dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Field emission transmission electron microscopy (FE-TEM), and Energy dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDX). The synthesized COS-AuNPs were applied for inhibiting P. aeruginosa biofilm formation. Results have shown that COS-AuNPs exhibited inhibition to biofilm as well as eradication to pre-existing mature biofilm. Simultaneously, COS-AuNPs were also able to reduce bacterial hemolysis and different virulence factors produced by P. aeruginosa. Overall, the present study concluded that the hybrid nanoformulation such as COS-AuNPs could act as a potential agent to exhibit inhibitory properties against the P. aeruginosa pathogenesis arisen from biofilm formation.