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Recent Advances in Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Cancer Targeted Therapy

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A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 34164

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Maoquan Chu

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Guest Editor

School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Interests: nanoparticles; drugs; living cells or bacteria; targeted delivery; cancer therapy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer-targeted therapy is an important, inevitable, perturbed, and urgent subject that needs to be resolved in clinics. Nanoparticles, nanodrugs or drug-loaded nanoparticles with appropriate size, shape, and surface charges can be efficiently delivered to the tumor site and penetrate into tumor tissue through active transcytosis and passive mechanisms. Nanoparticle-laden living cells or bacteria also have great potential for cancer-targeted therapy. To capture the recent developments in this interesting area of research, this Special Issue entitled “Recent Advances in Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Cancer-Targeted Therapy” invites papers on, but not limited to, the following topics:

Inorganic nanoparticles such as magnetic nanoparticles, noble metal nanoparticles, graphene-based nanoparticles, semiconductor quantum dots, upconversion nanoparticles, long-afterglow nanoparticles, for cancer-targeted therapy;
Organic nanoparticles or organic/inorganic hybrid nanoparticles such as polymer nanoparticles, liposomes, cell membrane-coated nanoparticles, thylakoid membranes-coated nanoparticles, for cancer targeted therapy;
Nanoparticle-laden living cells for cancer targeted therapy;
Nanoparticle-laden living bacteria for cancer targeted therapy;
Carrier free self-assembly nanodrugs for cancer targeted therapy.

This Special Issue welcomes research articles, short communications, and reviews.

Prof. Dr. Maoquan Chu
Guest Editor

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. Biomolecules 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 2700 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
drugs
living cells or bacteria
targeted delivery
cancer therapy

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 3328 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enhanced Cancer Starvation Therapy Based on Glucose Oxidase/3-Methyladenine-Loaded Dendritic Mesoporous OrganoSilicon Nanoparticles

by Fan Wu, Yang Liu, Hui Cheng, Yun Meng, Jieyun Shi, Yang Chen and Yelin Wu

Biomolecules 2021, 11(9), 1363; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11091363 - 14 Sep 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2885

Abstract

Cell autophagy is a well-known phenomenon in cancer, which limits the efficacy of cancer therapy, especially cancer starvation therapy. Glucose oxidase (GOx), which is considered as an attractive starvation reagent for cancer therapy, can effectively catalyze the conversion of glucose into gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in the presence of O₂. However, tumor cells adapt to survive by inducing autophagy, limiting the therapy effect. Therefore, anti-cell adaptation via autophagy inhibition could be used as a troubleshooting method to enhance tumor starvation therapy. Herein, we introduce an anti-cell adaptation strategy based on dendritic mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (DMONs) loaded with GOx and 3-methyladenine (3-MA) (an autophagy inhibition agent) to yield DMON@GOx/3-MA. This formulation can inhibit cell adaptative autophagy after starvation therapy. Our in vitro and in vivo results demonstrate that autophagy inhibition enhances the efficacy of starvation therapy, leading to tumor growth suppression. This anti-cell adaptation strategy will provide a new way to enhance the efficacy of starvation cancer therapy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Cancer Targeted Therapy)

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Review

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26 pages, 6848 KiB

Open AccessReview

Recent Advances in Poly(α-L-glutamic acid)-Based Nanomaterials for Drug Delivery

by Yu Zhang, Wenliang Song, Yiming Lu, Yixin Xu, Changping Wang, Deng-Guang Yu and Il Kim

Biomolecules 2022, 12(5), 636; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12050636 - 25 Apr 2022

Cited by 60 | Viewed by 5497

Abstract

Poly(α-L-glutamic acid) (PGA) is a class of synthetic polypeptides composed of the monomeric unit α-L-glutamic acid. Owing to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and non-immunogenicity, PGA-based nanomaterials have been elaborately designed for drug delivery systems. Relevant studies including the latest research results on PGA-based nanomaterials for drug delivery have been discussed in this work. The following related topics are summarized as: (1) a brief description of the synthetic strategies of PGAs; (2) an elaborated presentation of the evolving applications of PGA in the areas of drug delivery, including the rational design, precise fabrication, and biological evaluation; (3) a profound discussion on the further development of PGA-based nanomaterials in drug delivery. In summary, the unique structures and superior properties enables PGA-based nanomaterials to represent as an enormous potential in biomaterials-related drug delivery areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Cancer Targeted Therapy)

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18 pages, 942 KiB

Open AccessReview

Melittin-Based Nano-Delivery Systems for Cancer Therapy

by Anqi Wang, Yuan Zheng, Wanxin Zhu, Liuxin Yang, Yang Yang and Jinliang Peng

Biomolecules 2022, 12(1), 118; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12010118 - 12 Jan 2022

Cited by 34 | Viewed by 6180

Abstract

Melittin (MEL) is a 26-amino acid polypeptide with a variety of pharmacological and toxicological effects, which include strong surface activity on cell lipid membranes, hemolytic activity, and potential anti-tumor properties. However, the clinical application of melittin is restricted due to its severe hemolytic activity. Different nanocarrier systems have been developed to achieve stable loading, side effects shielding, and tumor-targeted delivery, such as liposomes, cationic polymers, lipodisks, etc. In addition, MEL can be modified on nano drugs as a non-selective cytolytic peptide to enhance cellular uptake and endosomal/lysosomal escape. In this review, we discuss recent advances in MEL’s nano-delivery systems and MEL-modified nano drug carriers for cancer therapy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Cancer Targeted Therapy)

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25 pages, 2670 KiB

Open AccessReview

Recent Advances in Strategies for Addressing Hypoxia in Tumor Photodynamic Therapy

by Liang Hong, Jiangmin Li, Yali Luo, Tao Guo, Chenshuang Zhang, Sha Ou, Yaohang Long and Zuquan Hu

Biomolecules 2022, 12(1), 81; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12010081 - 5 Jan 2022

Cited by 32 | Viewed by 3877

Abstract

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment modality that uses light to target tumors and minimize damage to normal tissues. It offers advantages including high spatiotemporal selectivity, low side effects, and maximal preservation of tissue functions. However, the PDT efficiency is severely impeded by the hypoxic feature of tumors. Moreover, hypoxia may promote tumor metastasis and tumor resistance to multiple therapies. Therefore, addressing tumor hypoxia to improve PDT efficacy has been the focus of antitumor treatment, and research on this theme is continuously emerging. In this review, we summarize state-of-the-art advances in strategies for overcoming hypoxia in tumor PDTs, categorizing them into oxygen-independent phototherapy, oxygen-economizing PDT, and oxygen-supplementing PDT. Moreover, we highlight strategies possessing intriguing advantages such as exceedingly high PDT efficiency and high novelty, analyze the strengths and shortcomings of different methods, and envision the opportunities and challenges for future research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Cancer Targeted Therapy)

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Graphical abstract

18 pages, 1224 KiB

Open AccessReview

Progress on the Application of Bortezomib and Bortezomib-Based Nanoformulations

by Jianhao Liu, Ruogang Zhao, Xiaowen Jiang, Zhaohuan Li and Bo Zhang

Biomolecules 2022, 12(1), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12010051 - 30 Dec 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4545

Abstract

Bortezomib (BTZ) is the first proteasome inhibitor approved by the Food and Drug Administration. It can bind to the amino acid residues of the 26S proteasome, thereby causing the death of tumor cells. BTZ plays an irreplaceable role in the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Moreover, its use in the treatment of other hematological cancers and solid tumors has been investigated in numerous clinical trials and preclinical studies. Nevertheless, the applications of BTZ are limited due to its insufficient specificity, poor permeability, and low bioavailability. Therefore, in recent years, different BTZ-based drug delivery systems have been evaluated. In this review, we firstly discussed the functions of proteasome inhibitors and their mechanisms of action. Secondly, the properties of BTZ, as well as recent advances in both clinical and preclinical research, were reviewed. Finally, progress in research regarding BTZ-based nanoformulations was summarized. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Cancer Targeted Therapy)

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18 pages, 3853 KiB

Open AccessReview

Emerging Nanoparticle Strategies for Modulating Tumor-Associated Macrophage Polarization

by Lu Shi and Hongchen Gu

Biomolecules 2021, 11(12), 1912; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11121912 - 20 Dec 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4626

Abstract

Immunotherapy has made great progress in recent years, yet the efficacy of solid tumors remains far less than expected. One of the main hurdles is to overcome the immune-suppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Among all cells in TME, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play pivotal roles because of their abundance, multifaceted interactions to adaptive and host immune systems, as well as their context-dependent plasticity. Underlying the highly plastic characteristic, lots of research interests are focused on repolarizing TAMs from M2-like pro-tumor phenotype towards M1-like antitumoral ones. Nanotechnology offers great opportunities for targeting and modulating TAM polarization to mount the therapeutic efficacy in cancer immunotherapy. Here, this mini-review highlights those emerging nano-approaches for TAM repolarization in the last three years. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Cancer Targeted Therapy)

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Graphical abstract

30 pages, 4220 KiB

Open AccessReview

DNA Nanodevice-Based Drug Delivery Systems

by Chaoyang Guan, Xiaoli Zhu and Chang Feng

Biomolecules 2021, 11(12), 1855; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11121855 - 10 Dec 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5050

Abstract

DNA, a natural biological material, has become an ideal choice for biomedical applications, mainly owing to its good biocompatibility, ease of synthesis, modifiability, and especially programmability. In recent years, with the deepening of the understanding of the physical and chemical properties of DNA and the continuous advancement of DNA synthesis and modification technology, the biomedical applications based on DNA materials have been upgraded to version 2.0: through elaborate design and fabrication of smart-responsive DNA nanodevices, they can respond to external or internal physical or chemical stimuli so as to smartly perform certain specific functions. For tumor treatment, this advancement provides a new way to solve the problems of precise targeting, controllable release, and controllable elimination of drugs to a certain extent. Here, we review the progress of related fields over the past decade, and provide prospects for possible future development directions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Cancer Targeted Therapy)

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