International Journal of Molecular Sciences

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Dear Colleagues,

In the last few decades, nanotechnology has made significant advances in the prevention and treatment of human diseases, providing innovative tools for precision medicine by exploiting size, shape, and composition-related properties of nanoscale materials.

In particular, in the field of minimally invasive strategies, nanomaterials triggered by external stimuli (such as light, ultrasound, X-rays and magnetic fields) have shown great potential for improving diagnosis and treatment of numerous diseases - including tumors, cardiovascular, neurological and infectious diseases - addressing the challenges of overcoming the current limits of the standards of care and detection.

In this Special Issue for IJMS, we will focus on the latest advances in the field of external stimuli-mediated nanoteranostics. Research papers and up-to-date review articles—which generally refers to the applications of nanotechnology in photo-/ultrasound-/radiation-/magnetism-mediated therapy, early-stage detection and imaging—are welcome.

Dr. Loredana Ricciardi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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

nanotechnology
external stimuli-responsive nanomaterials
nanotheranostic systems
biodetection
bioimaging
plasmonics

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 4706 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of New Targeted Nanotherapy Combined with Magneto-Fluorescent Nanoparticles against Colorectal Cancer

by Gonçalo A. Marcelo, David Montpeyó, Joana Galhano, Ramón Martínez-Máñez, José Luis Capelo-Martínez, Julia Lorenzo, Carlos Lodeiro and Elisabete Oliveira

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(7), 6612; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24076612 - 1 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2410

Abstract

The need for non-invasive therapies capable of conserving drug efficiency and stability while having specific targetability against colorectal cancer (CRC), has made nanoparticles preferable vehicles and principal building blocks for the development of complex and multi-action anti-tumoral approaches. For that purpose, we herein report the production of a combinatory anti-tumoral nanotherapy using the production of a new targeting towards CRC lines. To do so, Magneto-fluorescent NANO3 nanoparticles were used as nanocarriers for a combination of the drugs doxorubicin (DOX) and ofloxacin (OFLO). NANO3 nanoparticles’ surface was modified with two different targeting agents, a newly synthesized (anti-CA IX acetazolamide derivative (AZM-SH)) and a commercially available (anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), Cetuximab). The cytotoxicity revealed that only DOX-containing nanosystems showed significant and even competitive cytotoxicity when compared to that of free DOX. Interestingly, surface modification with AZM-SH promoted an increased cellular uptake in the HCT116 cell line, surpassing even those functionalized with Cetuximab. The results show that the new target has high potential to be used as a nanotherapy agent for CRC cells, surpassing commercial targets. As a proof-of-concept, an oral administration form of NANO3 systems was successfully combined with Eudragit^® enteric coating and studied under extreme conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue External Stimuli-Responsive Nanomaterials for Diagnosis and Treatment)

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Graphical abstract

Review

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27 pages, 4437 KiB

Open AccessReview

Responsive Supramolecular Polymers for Diagnosis and Treatment

by Mónica Martínez-Orts and Silvia Pujals

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(7), 4077; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25074077 - 6 Apr 2024

Viewed by 708

Abstract

Stimuli-responsive supramolecular polymers are ordered nanosized materials that are held together by non-covalent interactions (hydrogen-bonding, metal-ligand coordination, π-stacking and, host–guest interactions) and can reversibly undergo self-assembly. Their non-covalent nature endows supramolecular polymers with the ability to respond to external stimuli (temperature, light, ultrasound, electric/magnetic field) or environmental changes (temperature, pH, redox potential, enzyme activity), making them attractive candidates for a variety of biomedical applications. To date, supramolecular research has largely evolved in the development of smart water-soluble self-assemblies with the aim of mimicking the biological function of natural supramolecular systems. Indeed, there is a wide variety of synthetic biomaterials formulated with responsiveness to control and trigger, or not to trigger, aqueous self-assembly. The design of responsive supramolecular polymers ranges from the use of hydrophobic cores (i.e., benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide) to the introduction of macrocyclic hosts (i.e., cyclodextrins). In this review, we summarize the most relevant advances achieved in the design of stimuli-responsive supramolecular systems used to control transport and release of both diagnosis agents and therapeutic drugs in order to prevent, diagnose, and treat human diseases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue External Stimuli-Responsive Nanomaterials for Diagnosis and Treatment)

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