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Pharmaceutics
Special Issues
Engineering and Characterisation of Novel Nanomedicine Formulations, 2nd Edition
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Engineering and Characterisation of Novel Nanomedicine Formulations, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanomedicine and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 April 2025 | Viewed by 7226

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ana Isabel Fraguas-Sánchez

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Guest Editor
Department of Pharmaceutics and Food Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: antimicrobial agents; breast cancer; cannabinoids; drug delivery; drug targeting; in situ-forming implants; nanomedicine; ovarian cancer; polymers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Francisco Bolás-Fernández

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Guest Editor
Departamento de Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: parasitology; leishmania; pharmacokinetics; immunology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Raquel Fernández García

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Guest Editor
School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
Interests: nanomedicine; antifungal therapy; liposomes; microfluidics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to our Special Issue in the engineering and characterisation of novel nanomedicines. Nanomedicine has been a hot topic in formulation science in the last few decades regarding selectively delivering drugs to target tissues. Nanomedicines can modify drug release and encapsulate poorly soluble drugs, allowing a selective targeting and minimising adverse effects. This is of key importance in antitumoral and anti-infectious therapies, in which an undesired drug release can lead to severe damage in healthy tissues. Moreover, they protect drugs from degradation, allowing the delivery of RNA. This Special Issue aims to highlight the most novel nano-approaches in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: nanoparticles, liposomes, nanocapsules and drug targeting, applied to anticancer and anti-infectious therapies.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Ana Isabel Fraguas-Sánchez
Prof. Dr. Francisco Bolás-Fernández
Dr. Raquel Fernández García
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceutics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nanoparticles
  • liposomes
  • solid lipid nanocapsules
  • drug targeting
  • cancer
  • infectious diseases
  • nanovaccines

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 10743 KiB  
Article
Cationic Curcumin Nanocrystals Liposomes for Improved Oral Bioavailability: Formulation Development, Optimization, In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation
by Xiang Cheng, Xiaoran Han, Jia Si, Cong Dong, Zhongjuan Ji, Shicong Zhao, Xiangting Wu, Haiyan Li and Xiangqun Jin
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(9), 1155; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16091155 - 31 Aug 2024
Viewed by 826
Abstract
Curcumin, a naturally occurring poorly water-soluble polyphenol with a broad spectrum, is a typical BCS IV drug. The objective of this study was to develop curcumin nanocrystals liposomes with the aim of improving bioavailability. In this study, we prepared cationic curcumin nanocrystals with [...] Read more.
Curcumin, a naturally occurring poorly water-soluble polyphenol with a broad spectrum, is a typical BCS IV drug. The objective of this study was to develop curcumin nanocrystals liposomes with the aim of improving bioavailability. In this study, we prepared cationic curcumin nanocrystals with a particle size of only 29.42 nm; such a phenomenal range of particle sizes is very rare. Moreover, we summarized and evaluated the parameters of the nanocrystal preparation process, including methods, formulations, etc., and the rules we concluded can be generalized to other nanocrystal preparation processes. To counteract the instability of the nanocrystals in the digestive tract, cationic curcumin nanocrystals were loaded into negatively charged liposomes through gravitational force between different charges. Unexpectedly, chitosan oligosaccharide was found to promote the self-assembly process of curcumin nanocrystal liposomes. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that chitosan-modified curcumin nanocrystal liposomes exhibited enhanced resistance to enzyme barriers, mucus barriers, and cellular barriers, resulting in a 5.4-fold increase in bioavailability compared to crude powder formulations. It can be concluded that cationic nanocrystals liposomes represent an appropriate novel strategy for improving the dissolution rate and bioavailability of poorly soluble natural products such as curcumin. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering and Characterisation of Novel Nanomedicine Formulations, 2nd Edition)
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19 pages, 3355 KiB  
Article
Iron-Reduced Graphene Oxide Core–Shell Micromotors Designed for Magnetic Guidance and Photothermal Therapy under Second Near-Infrared Light
by Orlando Donoso-González, Ana L. Riveros, José F. Marco, Diego Venegas-Yazigi, Verónica Paredes-García, Camila F. Olguín, Cristina Mayorga-Lobos, Lorena Lobos-González, Felipe Franco-Campos, Joseph Wang, Marcelo J. Kogan, Soledad Bollo, Claudia Yañez and Daniela F. Báez
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(7), 856; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16070856 - 25 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1535
Abstract
Core–shell micro/nanomotors have garnered significant interest in biomedicine owing to their versatile task-performing capabilities. However, their effectiveness for photothermal therapy (PTT) still faces challenges because of their poor tumor accumulation, lower light-to-heat conversion, and due to the limited penetration of near-infrared (NIR) light. [...] Read more.
Core–shell micro/nanomotors have garnered significant interest in biomedicine owing to their versatile task-performing capabilities. However, their effectiveness for photothermal therapy (PTT) still faces challenges because of their poor tumor accumulation, lower light-to-heat conversion, and due to the limited penetration of near-infrared (NIR) light. In this study, we present a novel core–shell micromotor that combines magnetic and photothermal properties. It is synthesized via the template-assisted electrodeposition of iron (Fe) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) on a microtubular pore-shaped membrane. The resulting Fe-rGO micromotor consists of a core of oval-shaped zero-valent iron nanoparticles with large magnetization. At the same time, the outer layer has a uniform reduced graphene oxide (rGO) topography. Combined, these Fe-rGO core–shell micromotors respond to magnetic forces and near-infrared (NIR) light (1064 nm), achieving a remarkable photothermal conversion efficiency of 78% at a concentration of 434 µg mL−1. They can also carry doxorubicin (DOX) and rapidly release it upon NIR irradiation. Additionally, preliminary results regarding the biocompatibility of these micromotors through in vitro tests on a 3D breast cancer model demonstrate low cytotoxicity and strong accumulation. These promising results suggest that such Fe-rGO core–shell micromotors could hold great potential for combined photothermal therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering and Characterisation of Novel Nanomedicine Formulations, 2nd Edition)
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31 pages, 5090 KiB  
Article
Transferrin-Bearing, Zein-Based Hybrid Lipid Nanoparticles for Drug and Gene Delivery to Prostate Cancer Cells
by Khadeejah Maeyouf, Intouch Sakpakdeejaroen, Sukrut Somani, Jitkasem Meewan, Hawraa Ali-Jerman, Partha Laskar, Margaret Mullin, Graeme MacKenzie, Rothwelle J. Tate and Christine Dufès
Pharmaceutics 2023, 15(11), 2643; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15112643 - 20 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1645
Abstract
Gene therapy holds great promise for treating prostate cancer unresponsive to conventional therapies. However, the lack of delivery systems that can transport therapeutic DNA and drugs while targeting tumors without harming healthy tissues presents a significant challenge. This study aimed to explore the [...] Read more.
Gene therapy holds great promise for treating prostate cancer unresponsive to conventional therapies. However, the lack of delivery systems that can transport therapeutic DNA and drugs while targeting tumors without harming healthy tissues presents a significant challenge. This study aimed to explore the potential of novel hybrid lipid nanoparticles, composed of biocompatible zein and conjugated to the cancer-targeting ligand transferrin. These nanoparticles were designed to entrap the anti-cancer drug docetaxel and carry plasmid DNA, with the objective of improving the delivery of therapeutic payloads to prostate cancer cells, thereby enhancing their anti-proliferative efficacy and gene expression levels. These transferrin-bearing, zein-based hybrid lipid nanoparticles efficiently entrapped docetaxel, leading to increased uptake by PC-3 and LNCaP cancer cells and significantly enhancing anti-proliferative efficacy at docetaxel concentrations exceeding 1 µg/mL. Furthermore, they demonstrated proficient DNA condensation, exceeding 80% at polymer–DNA weight ratios of 1500:1 and 2000:1. This resulted in increased gene expression across all tested cell lines, with the highest transfection levels up to 11-fold higher than those observed with controls, in LNCaP cells. These novel transferrin-bearing, zein-based hybrid lipid nanoparticles therefore exhibit promising potential as drug and gene delivery systems for prostate cancer therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering and Characterisation of Novel Nanomedicine Formulations, 2nd Edition)
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Review

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32 pages, 4572 KiB  
Review
Exploiting Pharma 4.0 Technologies in the Non-Biological Complex Drugs Manufacturing: Innovations and Implications
by Vera Malheiro, Joana Duarte, Francisco Veiga and Filipa Mascarenhas-Melo
Pharmaceutics 2023, 15(11), 2545; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15112545 - 28 Oct 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2504
Abstract
The pharmaceutical industry has entered an era of transformation with the emergence of Pharma 4.0, which leverages cutting-edge technologies in manufacturing processes. These hold tremendous potential for enhancing the overall efficiency, safety, and quality of non-biological complex drugs (NBCDs), a category of pharmaceutical [...] Read more.
The pharmaceutical industry has entered an era of transformation with the emergence of Pharma 4.0, which leverages cutting-edge technologies in manufacturing processes. These hold tremendous potential for enhancing the overall efficiency, safety, and quality of non-biological complex drugs (NBCDs), a category of pharmaceutical products that pose unique challenges due to their intricate composition and complex manufacturing requirements. This review attempts to provide insight into the application of select Pharma 4.0 technologies, namely machine learning, in silico modeling, and 3D printing, in the manufacturing process of NBCDs. Specifically, it reviews the impact of these tools on NBCDs such as liposomes, polymeric micelles, glatiramer acetate, iron carbohydrate complexes, and nanocrystals. It also addresses regulatory challenges associated with the implementation of these technologies and presents potential future perspectives, highlighting the incorporation of digital twins in this field of research as it seems to be a very promising approach, namely for the optimization of NBCDs manufacturing processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering and Characterisation of Novel Nanomedicine Formulations, 2nd Edition)
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