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Pharmaceutics
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Research on the Design and Development of Infectious, Inflammatory and...
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Research on the Design and Development of Infectious, Inflammatory and Cancer Therapeutics

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Drug Targeting and Design".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2024 | Viewed by 1666

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Maria Manuela Gaspar

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Guest Editor
Research Institute for Medicines, iMed.ULisboa, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: drug delivery systems; lipid-based systems; establishment of murine models and alternative routes of administration; pharmacokinetic and biodistribution studies; infectious diseases; melanoma; colon cancer; inflammation; in vitro and in vivo studies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Catarina Pinto Reis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Institute for Medicines, iMed.ULisboa—Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: development of new drug delivery systems; therapeutic polymers for drug delivery; methods of micro- and nanoencapsulation of drugs
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Investigating alternative and more effective therapies against human diseases and addressing unmet medical needs is a motivating strategy for patient health care. Infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, malaria, bacterial infections, particularly MRSA, cancer, or inflammation, such as inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis, are some examples of highly problematic human health challenges. Nanotechnology is a valuable strategy to effectively deliver selective drugs, diagnose diseases, and perform imaging using different delivery systems. Moreover, several nanotechnological approaches have demonstrated benefits in improving the therapeutic performance of newly synthesized molecules or drugs already in clinical use, reducing adverse effects, and enhancing the compound’s physicochemical properties and stability while promoting accumulation at affected tissues. Innovative contrast media and nanomaterials offer a faster and more accurate initial diagnosis. Overall, nanotechnology constitutes a healthcare revolution for managing several pathologies associated with humans.

We invite you to submit original research articles and reviews for this Special Issue. Research areas may include lipidic, polymeric, or metallic drug delivery systems for loading low and high molecular weight molecules, synthetic or natural-derived compounds, enzymes, in vitro 2D and 3D models, and preclinical or clinical studies.

We hope this Special Issue will provide new insights into understanding the progression of infectious, inflammatory, and cancer diseases, develop more effective methods for diagnosis, including imaging, and provide novel nanotechnological therapeutic strategies for treating these pathologies.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Maria Manuela Gaspar
Dr. Catarina Pinto Reis
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

  • drug delivery systems
  • liposomes
  • polymeric nanoparticles
  • metallic nanoparticles
  • cancer
  • inflammation
  • infectious diseases
  • in vitro studies
  • 2D and 3D models
  • in vivo efficacy and safety assessment
  • imaging
  • diagnosis

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 3368 KiB  
Article
Mitochondria-Targeted Liposomes for Drug Delivery to Tumor Mitochondria
by Aysegul Ekmekcioglu, Ozgul Gok, Devrim Oz-Arslan, Meryem Sedef Erdal, Yasemin Yagan Uzuner and Meltem Muftuoglu
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(7), 950; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16070950 - 17 Jul 2024
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Abstract
The special bilayer structure of mitochondrion is a promising therapeutic target in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as cancer and metabolic diseases. Nanocarriers such as liposomes modified with mitochondriotropic moieties can be developed to send therapeutic molecules to mitochondria. In this [...] Read more.
The special bilayer structure of mitochondrion is a promising therapeutic target in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as cancer and metabolic diseases. Nanocarriers such as liposomes modified with mitochondriotropic moieties can be developed to send therapeutic molecules to mitochondria. In this study, DSPE-PEG-TPP polymer conjugate was synthesized and used to prepare mitochondria-targeted liposomes (TPPLs) to improve the therapeutic index of chemotherapeutic agents functioning in mitochondria and reduce their side effects. Doxorubicin (Dox) loaded-TPPL and non-targeted PEGylated liposomes (PPLs) were prepared and compared based on physicochemical properties, morphology, release profile, cellular uptake, mitochondrial localization, and anticancer effects. All formulations were spherically shaped with appropriate size, dispersity, and zeta potential. The stability of the liposomes was favorable for two months at 4 °C. TPPLs localize to mitochondria, whereas PPLs do not. The empty TPPLs and PPLs were not cytotoxic to HCT116 cells. The release kinetics of Dox-loaded liposomes showed that Dox released from TPPLs was higher at pH 5.6 than at pH 7.4, which indicates a higher accumulation of the released drug in the tumor environment. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration of Dox-loaded TPPLs and PPLs was 1.62-fold and 1.17-fold lower than that of free Dox due to sustained drug release, respectively. The reactive oxygen species level was significantly increased when HCT116 cells were treated with Dox-loaded TPPLs. In conclusion, TPPLs may be promising carriers for targeted drug delivery to tumor mitochondria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Design and Development of Infectious, Inflammatory and Cancer Therapeutics)
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20 pages, 889 KiB  
Review
The Effect of Photodynamic Therapy on Enterococcus spp. and Its Application in Dentistry: A Scoping Review
by Mariaignacia Rubilar-Huenchuman, Camilo Ortega-Villanueva, Iván A. González and Christian Erick Palavecino
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(6), 825; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16060825 - 18 Jun 2024
Viewed by 731
Abstract
Enterococci spp. are Gram-positive bacteria that cause mild to severe infections, many associated with the oral cavity, such as periapical infections and healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Many of these infections become serious diseases that are difficult to resolve, specifically when multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains cause [...] Read more.
Enterococci spp. are Gram-positive bacteria that cause mild to severe infections, many associated with the oral cavity, such as periapical infections and healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Many of these infections become serious diseases that are difficult to resolve, specifically when multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains cause them. In recent years, the number of MDR strains of Enterococcus spp. has increased significantly. This increased prevalence of MDR strains produces significant pressure to generate more antimicrobial therapies, but there is a decline in the production of new antibiotics, driving the development of complementary therapies, such as photodynamic therapy (PDT). PDT combines a photosensitizer agent (PS), light, and oxygen to cause photooxidative stress in bacterial cells. PDT can eradicate Enterococcus spp. contaminations, improve the classic cleaning processes, and eradicate the bacteria in dental pieces. PDT’s effectiveness can be improved with nanoparticles that function as carriers. Our work aims to describe the advances in PDT against Enterococcus spp. as a complement to antibiotic therapy, focusing on infections by Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis, dental hygiene, and using nanoparticles to improve the antimicrobial effect. A systematic bibliographic search without a meta-analysis was conducted on various databases, using inclusion and exclusion criteria to identify the most relevant research. Of the 193 non-redundant articles found, 65 were selected for a systematic review, from which a summary table was created and a manual description was made. Photodynamic therapy for treating E. faecium and E. faecalis is a widely studied area, with promising results concerning bactericidal effectiveness and reductions in biofilm formation, particularly in regard to dental hygiene. Because most of the studies were conducted in vitro or ex vivo, the results indicated that there were not sufficient data to initiate clinical trials for safety and efficacy studies on humans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Design and Development of Infectious, Inflammatory and Cancer Therapeutics)
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