Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications II

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Biology and Medicines".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 3140

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Dublin City University, D09 NA55 Dublin, Ireland
2. Centre for Medical Engineering Research, Dublin City University, D09 NA55 Dublin, Ireland
Interests: biomaterials; tissue engineering; tissue regeneration; drug delivery; biomedical engineering
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Guest Editor
School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Rd., Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
Interests: nanomedicine; gene therapy; nucleic acids; oncology; wound healing and mRNA and DNA vaccination
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Dublin City University, D09 NA55 Dublin, Ireland
Interests: cartilage; tissue engineering; scaffolds; bone repair; biomaterials; bioprinting
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the tremendous success of the first edition of the Special “Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications II”, in which a total of 17 papers were published, (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/nanomaterials/special_issues/biomedical_app), a second edition is being launched.

Nanomaterials have become one of the most advanced research fields in chemistry, engineering, solid-state physics, biology and medicine. One explanation for this interest is that nanomaterials demonstrate innovative and frequently advantageous properties compared to conventional materials, which generate the capacity for new technological applications. The use of nanomaterials within the biomedical field offers the potential for many ground-breaking opportunities in the treatment and repair of diseased or damaged tissue or bone cancer as a consequence of bone, cardiac and neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, infection and other diseases. The nanoparticle-based biomaterials and medical devices that have been extensively investigated are predominantly either purely inorganic or organic materials. Specific examples include organic nanomaterials such as dendrimers, hyper-branched organic polymers, liposomes, micelles nanocrystals and polymeric hydrogel nanoparticles have been widely used as therapeutic and imaging agents. More recently, the development of inorganic nanomaterials such as metallic-based nanoparticles, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and quantum dots have also generated attention for biomedical applications.

In another applicable example, composite (or hybrid) nanoparticles are comprised of inorganic and organic phases capable of maintaining the advantageous characteristics of both inorganic and organic nanomaterials and demonstrating novel benefits over the individual phases. For example, the potential to combine various organic and inorganic phases in an integrated manner allows for tailored tuning of the properties for biomedical applications. Composite-based nanoparticle systems have also been proposed for the targeted release of diagnostic agents and as stimuli-responsive nanocarriers for enhanced therapeutic response. The merging of these nanomaterials with research studies to identify genes, proteins and metabolites linked with human disease and the application of a system biology approach to design and develop new diagnostics tools and more focused therapies for patients will significantly influence the future of healthcare research and development and clinical translation.

In this Special Issue of Nanomaterials, we expect contributions from a wide community of engineers and scientists working on diverse applications relating to the design, synthesis, characterisation, manufacture and translation of nanotechnology in biomedical engineering and interdisciplinary teams focusing on nanotechnology-enabled innovative solutions for biomedical research, diagnostics and advanced therapeutic approaches. As the safety of novel nanomaterials intended for use in humans remains of primary importance, we also anticipate manuscripts dealing with these aspects of nanotechnology and nanomedicine in this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Nicholas Dunne
Prof. Dr. Helen McCarthy
Dr. Tanya Levingstone
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • biosensing
  • biomedical imaging
  • cancer
  • cardiovascular disease
  • diagnostics
  • infection
  • neurological diseases
  • orthopeadics
  • tissue regeneration
  • protein delivery
  • gene delivery
  • magnetic hyperthermia
  • photodynamic therapy
  • photothermal therapy
  • theranostics
  • nanoparticle synthesis and characterisation
  • nanoparticle manufacture and processing
  • nanoparticle safety

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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17 pages, 5105 KiB  
Article
Osteogenic Potential of Nano-Hydroxyapatite and Strontium-Substituted Nano-Hydroxyapatite
by Georgia-Ioanna Kontogianni, Catarina Coelho, Rémy Gauthier, Sonia Fiorilli, Paulo Quadros, Chiara Vitale-Brovarone and Maria Chatzinikolaidou
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(12), 1881; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13121881 - 17 Jun 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1984
Abstract
Nanohydroxyapatite (nanoHA) is the major mineral component of bone. It is highly biocompatible, osteoconductive, and forms strong bonds with native bone, making it an excellent material for bone regeneration. However, enhanced mechanical properties and biological activity for nanoHA can be achieved through enrichment [...] Read more.
Nanohydroxyapatite (nanoHA) is the major mineral component of bone. It is highly biocompatible, osteoconductive, and forms strong bonds with native bone, making it an excellent material for bone regeneration. However, enhanced mechanical properties and biological activity for nanoHA can be achieved through enrichment with strontium ions. Here, nanoHA and nanoHA with a substitution degree of 50 and 100% of calcium with strontium ions (Sr-nanoHA_50 and Sr-nanoHA_100, respectively) were produced via wet chemical precipitation using calcium, strontium, and phosphorous salts as starting materials. The materials were evaluated for their cytotoxicity and osteogenic potential in direct contact with MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblastic cells. All three nanoHA-based materials were cytocompatible, featured needle-shaped nanocrystals, and had enhanced osteogenic activity in vitro. The Sr-nanoHA_100 indicated a significant increase in the alkaline phosphatase activity at day 14 compared to the control. All three compositions revealed significantly higher calcium and collagen production up to 21 days in culture compared to the control. Gene expression analysis exhibited, for all three nanoHA compositions, a significant upregulation of osteonectin and osteocalcin on day 14 and of osteopontin on day 7 compared to the control. The highest osteocalcin levels were found for both Sr-substituted compounds on day 14. These results demonstrate the great osteoinductive potential of the produced compounds, which can be exploited to treat bone disease. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications II)
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16 pages, 26332 KiB  
Article
ROS-Generating Hyaluronic Acid-Modified Zirconium Dioxide-Acetylacetonate Nanoparticles as a Theranostic Platform for the Treatment of Osteosarcoma
by Giovanna Chianese, Ines Fasolino, Chiara Tramontano, Luca De Stefano, Claudio Imparato, Antonio Aronne, Luigi Ambrosio, Maria Grazia Raucci and Ilaria Rea
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(1), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13010054 - 22 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1862
Abstract
Materials that are able to produce free radicals have gained increasing attention for environmental and biomedical purposes. Free radicals, such as the superoxide anion (O2•−), act as secondary messengers in many physiological pathways, such as cell survival. Therefore, the production [...] Read more.
Materials that are able to produce free radicals have gained increasing attention for environmental and biomedical purposes. Free radicals, such as the superoxide anion (O2•−), act as secondary messengers in many physiological pathways, such as cell survival. Therefore, the production of free radicals over physiological levels has been exploited in the treatment of different types of cancer, including osteosarcoma (OS). In most cases, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by materials is light-induced and requires the use of chemical photosensitisers, making it difficult and expensive. Here, for the first time, we propose photoluminescent hybrid ZrO2-acetylacetonate nanoparticles (ZrO2-acac NPs) that are capable of generating O2•− without light activation as an adjuvant for the treatment of OS. To increase the uptake and ROS generation in cancer cells, we modify the surface of ZrO2-acac NPs with hyaluronic acid (HA), which recognizes and binds to the surface antigen CD44 overexpressed on OS cells. Since these nanoparticles emit in the visible range, their uptake into cancer cells can be followed by a label-free approach. Overall, we show that the generation of O2•− is toxic to OS cells and can be used as an adjuvant treatment to increase the efficacy of conventional drugs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications II)
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20 pages, 2702 KiB  
Article
Polymerization Kinetics of Acrylic Photopolymer Loaded with Graphene-Based Nanomaterials for Additive Manufacturing
by Sara Lopez de Armentia, Juana Abenojar, Yolanda Ballesteros, Juan Carlos del Real, Nicholas Dunne and Eva Paz
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(24), 4498; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12244498 - 19 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1945
Abstract
Graphene-based nanomaterials (GBN) can provide attractive properties to photocurable resins used in 3D printing technologies such as improved mechanical properties, electrical and thermal conductivity, and biological capabilities. However, the presence of GBN can affect the printing process (e.g., polymerization, dimensional stability, or accuracy), [...] Read more.
Graphene-based nanomaterials (GBN) can provide attractive properties to photocurable resins used in 3D printing technologies such as improved mechanical properties, electrical and thermal conductivity, and biological capabilities. However, the presence of GBN can affect the printing process (e.g., polymerization, dimensional stability, or accuracy), as well as compromising the quality of structures. In this study an acrylic photocurable resin was reinforced with GBN, using methyl methacrylate (MMA) to favor homogenous dispersion of the nanomaterials. The objective was to investigate the influence that the incorporation of GBN and MMA has on polymerization kinetics by Differential Scanning Calorimetry using Model Free Kinetics, ultra-violet (UV) and thermal triggered polymerization. It was found that MMA catalyzed polymerization reaction by increasing the chain’s mobility. In the case of GBNs, graphene demonstrated to inhibit both, thermally and UV triggered polymerization, whilst graphene oxide showed a double effect: it chemically inhibited the polymerization reaction during the initialization stage, but during the propagation stage it promoted the reaction. This study demonstrated that MMA can be used to achieve photocurable nanocomposites with homogenously dispersed GBN, and that the presence of GBN significantly modified the polymerization mechanism while an adaptation of the printing parameters is necessary in order to allow the printability of these nanocomposites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications II)
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