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Biomedical Applications of Carbon Nanostructures

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Macromolecules".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2022) | Viewed by 13458

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Prof. Dr. Tomasz Pańczyk

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Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
Interests: computer modeling of the structure and transitions in noncanonical forms of telomeric DNA; computer modeling of the structure and properties of molecular nanocontainers composed of magnetic nanoparticles, dyes and carbon nanotubes; theoretical studies of adsorption kinetics and thermodesorption of gases on/from solid surfaces

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The term carbon nanostructures covers a fairly wide range of carbon materials whose common feature is the size of at least one dimension, not exceeding several hundred nanometers. The best-known representatives of carbon nanostructures are: fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, graphene, carbon quantum dots, carbon nanohorns, carbon nano-onions, nanodiamonds, etc. Since their discovery or synthesis, much attention has been paid to the use of these materials in medicine. In this context, the use of carbon nanostructures is considered as drug carriers—mainly anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory drugs, biosensors and diagnosis tools, tissue-engineering factors, or as inhibitors of various biological processes, including viral infections. Much attention has also been paid to the potential toxicity of carbon nanostructures. Thus, the considered mechanisms of action of carbon nanostructures include both the relatively simple processes taking place at the submolecular level and very complex biological processes. For this reason, the research tools used in relation to the biomedical applications of carbon nanostructures include both computational methods, experimental methods typical for the physicochemistry of solid state as well as typically biochemical methods.

Therefore, the main aim of this Special Issue is to highlight the importance of the diversity of the research techniques used in this field and their complementarity. This is highly important because a full understanding of a given process or phenomenon requires both detailed experimental analysis and understanding its mechanism at the molecular level. So, we are looking for manuscripts that describe new observations related to the biomedical applications of carbon nanostructures or review articles that use theoretical or experimental methods as well as both approaches simultaneously.

Prof. Dr. Tomasz Pańczyk
Guest Editor

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Keywords

carbon nanotube
graphene
carbon nanodots
nanostructure
drug delivery
surface chemistry
molecular modeling
tissue engineering
sensing
cancer therapy

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2466 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Topological and Multivalent Effects in Glycofullerene Oligomers as EBOLA Virus Inhibitors

by Javier Ramos-Soriano, Beatriz M. Illescas, Alfonso Pérez-Sánchez, Raquel Sánchez-Bento, Fátima Lasala, Javier Rojo, Rafael Delgado and Nazario Martín

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(9), 5083; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23095083 - 3 May 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1819

Abstract

The synthesis of new biocompatible antiviral materials to fight against the development of multidrug resistance is being widely explored. Due to their unique globular structure and excellent properties, [60]fullerene-based antivirals are very promising bioconjugates. In this work, fullerene derivatives with different topologies and number of glycofullerene units were synthesized by using a SPAAC copper free strategy. This procedure allowed the synthesis of compounds 1–3, containing from 20 to 40 mannose units, in a very efficient manner and in short reaction times under MW irradiation. The glycoderivatives were studied in an infection assay by a pseudotyped viral particle with Ebola virus GP1. The results obtained show that these glycofullerene oligomers are efficient inhibitors of EBOV infection with IC₅₀s in the nanomolar range. In particular, compound 3, with four glycofullerene moieties, presents an outstanding relative inhibitory potency (RIP). We propose that this high RIP value stems from the appropriate topological features that efficiently interact with DC-SIGN. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomedical Applications of Carbon Nanostructures)

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12 pages, 43390 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Novel Yolk–Shell Fe₃O₄@ Mesoporous Carbon Nanoparticle as an Effective Tumor-Targeting Nanocarrier for Improvement of Chemotherapy and Photothermal Therapy

by Haina Tian, Ruifeng Zhang, Jiaqi Li, Cailin Huang, Wen Sun, Zhenqing Hou and Peiyuan Wang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(3), 1623; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23031623 - 30 Jan 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2997

Abstract

Owing to their good stability and high photothermal conversion efficiency, the development of carbon-based nanoparticles has been intensively investigated, while the limitation of unsatisfactory cellular internalization impedes their further clinical application. Herein, we report a novel strategy for fabrication of Fe₃O₄ yolk–shell mesoporous carbon nanocarriers (Fe₃O₄@hmC) with monodispersity and uniform size, which presented significantly higher cell membrane adsorption and cellular uptake properties in comparison with common solid silica-supported mesoporous carbon nanoparticles with core–shell structure. Moreover, the MRI performance of this novel Fe-based nanoparticle could facilitate precise tumor diagnosis. More importantly, after DOX loading (Fe₃O₄@hmC-DOX), owing to synergistic effect of chemo–phototherapy, this therapeutic agent exhibited predominant tumor cell ablation capability under 808 nm NIR laser irradiation, both in vitro and in vivo. Our work has laid a solid foundation for therapeutics with hollowed carbon shell for solid tumor diagnosis and therapy in clinical trials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomedical Applications of Carbon Nanostructures)

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16 pages, 5035 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Novel Carbon Dots/Thermo-Sensitive In Situ Gel for a Composite Ocular Drug Delivery System: Characterization, Ex-Vivo Imaging, and In Vivo Evaluation

by Lijie Wang, Hao Pan, Donghao Gu, Haowei Sun, Kai Chen, Guoxin Tan and Weisan Pan

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(18), 9934; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22189934 - 14 Sep 2021

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 2898

Abstract

We developed a potential composite ocular drug delivery system for the topical administration of diclofenac sodium (DS). The novel carbon dot CD_C-HP was synthesized by the pyrolysis of hyaluronic acid and carboxymethyl chitosan through a one-step hydrothermal method and then embedded in a thermosensitive in situ gel of poloxamer 407 and poloxamer 188 through swelling loading. The physicochemical characteristics of these carbon dots were investigated. The results of the in vitro release test showed that this composite ocular drug delivery system (DS-CD_C-HP-Gel) exhibited sustained release for 12 h. The study of the ex vivo fluorescence distribution in ocular tissues showed that it could be used for bioimaging and tracing in ocular tissues and prolong precorneal retention. Elimination profiles in tears corresponded to the study of ex vivo fluorescence imaging. The area under the curve of DS in the aqueous humor in the DS-CD_C-HP-Gel group was 3.45-fold that in the DS eye drops group, indicating a longer precorneal retention time. DS-CD_C-HP with a positive charge and combined with a thermosensitive in situ gel might strengthen adherence to the corneal surface and prolong the ocular surface retention time to improve the bioavailability. This composite ocular delivery system possesses potential applications in ocular imaging and drug delivery. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomedical Applications of Carbon Nanostructures)

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14 pages, 3406 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cytosine-Rich DNA Fragments Covalently Bound to Carbon Nanotube as Factors Triggering Doxorubicin Release at Acidic pH. A Molecular Dynamics Study

by Pawel Wolski, Krzysztof Nieszporek and Tomasz Panczyk

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(16), 8466; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22168466 - 6 Aug 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1563

Abstract

This works deals with analysis of properties of a carbon nanotube, the tips of which were functionalized by short cytosine-rich fragments of ssDNA. That object is aimed to work as a platform for storage and controlled release of doxorubicin in response to pH changes. We found that at neutral pH, doxorubicin molecules can be intercalated between the ssDNA fragments, and formation of such knots can effectively block other doxorubicin molecules, encapsulated in the nanotube interior, against release to the bulk. Because at the neutral pH, the ssDNA fragments are in form of random coils, the intercalation of doxorubicin is strong. At acidic pH, the ssDNA fragments undergo folding into i-motifs, and this leads to significant reduction of the interaction strength between doxorubicin and other components of the system. Thus, the drug molecules can be released to the bulk at acidic pH. The above conclusions concerning the storage/release mechanism of doxorubicin were drawn from the observation of molecular dynamics trajectories of the systems as well as from analysis of various components of pair interaction energies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomedical Applications of Carbon Nanostructures)

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Review

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43 pages, 4698 KiB

Open AccessReview

Characteristics of Graphene Oxide for Gene Transfection and Controlled Release in Breast Cancer Cells

by Francesca Grilli, Parisa Hajimohammadi Gohari and Shan Zou

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(12), 6802; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23126802 - 18 Jun 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3421

Abstract

Functionalized graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles are being increasingly employed for designing modern drug delivery systems because of their high degree of functionalization, high surface area with exceptional loading capacity, and tunable dimensions. With intelligent controlled release and gene silencing capability, GO is an effective nanocarrier that permits the targeted delivery of small drug molecules, antibodies, nucleic acids, and peptides to the liquid or solid tumor sites. However, the toxicity and biocompatibility of GO-based formulations should be evaluated, as these nanomaterials may introduce aggregations or may accumulate in normal tissues while targeting tumors or malignant cells. These side effects may potentially be impacted by the dosage, exposure time, flake size, shape, functional groups, and surface charges. In this review, the strategies to deliver the nucleic acid via the functionalization of GO flakes are summarized to describe the specific targeting of liquid and solid breast tumors. In addition, we describe the current approaches aimed at optimizing the controlled release towards a reduction in GO accumulation in non-specific tissues in terms of the cytotoxicity while maximizing the drug efficacy. Finally, the challenges and future research perspectives are briefly discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomedical Applications of Carbon Nanostructures)

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