Drug-Loaded Polymer Colloidal Systems in Nanomedicine III

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Networks".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2025 | Viewed by 1940

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Further to the success of the Special Issue of Polymers “Polymeric Colloidal Systems in Nanomedicine”, I am delighted to reopen this Special Issue, now entitled “Drug-Loaded Polymer Colloidal Systems in Nanomedicine III”.

This Special Issue will integrate fundamental research with the practical application of colloidal systems in the field of nanomedicine. Of practical interest are the submicronic drug-loaded colloidal systems, such as micelles, polymersomes, nanogels, liposomes, nanocapsules, nanoparticles, nanoemulsions, etc. Another domain of interest is that of functionalized colloidal systems with specific ligands for active targeted drug delivery.

The authors will try to explain the correlations between the molecular characteristics of the starting copolymers and their colloidal characteristics, as well as the encapsulation efficiency and/or the drug release kinetics. In vitro biological analyses are welcome, but not mandatory. Regular research articles and reviews will be accepted for publication in this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Leonard-Ionut Atanase
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • polymeric colloids
  • micelles
  • nanogels
  • liposomes
  • nanoparticles
  • drug delivery

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 2418 KiB  
Article
Synthesis of Cellulose-Based Hydrogel—Nanocomposites for Medical Applications
by Wala`a Al-Tarawneh, Imad Hamadneh, Ola Tarawneh and Ali Al Najdawi
Polymers 2024, 16(15), 2183; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16152183 - 31 Jul 2024
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Abstract
This study focused on synthesizing a cellulose-based hydrogel nanocomposite as a green hydrogel by adding a microcrystalline cellulose (MC) solution to carboxymethyl cellulose sodium (CMC-Na) with citric acid as a cross-linker. Y2O3 nanoparticles were incorporated during hydrogel preparation in different [...] Read more.
This study focused on synthesizing a cellulose-based hydrogel nanocomposite as a green hydrogel by adding a microcrystalline cellulose (MC) solution to carboxymethyl cellulose sodium (CMC-Na) with citric acid as a cross-linker. Y2O3 nanoparticles were incorporated during hydrogel preparation in different ratios (0.00% (0 mmol), 0.03% (0.017 mmol), 0.07% (0.04 mmol) and 0.10% (0.44 mmol)). FTIR analysis confirmed the cross-linking reaction, while XRD analysis revealed the hydrogels’ amorphous nature and identified sodium citrate crystals formed from the reaction between citric acid and CMC-Na. The swelling test in deionized water (pH 6.5) at 25 °C showed a maximum swelling percentage of 150% after 24 h in the highest nanoparticle ratio. The resulting cellulose hydrogels were flexible and exhibited significant antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). The synthesized cellulose-based hydrogel nanocomposites are eco-friendly and suitable for medical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Drug-Loaded Polymer Colloidal Systems in Nanomedicine III)
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12 pages, 2749 KiB  
Article
Association of Thermoresponsive Diblock Copolymer PDEGMA-b-PDIPAEMA in Aqueous Solutions: The Influence of Terminal Groups
by Adam Škorňa, Dimitrios Selianitis, Stergios Pispas and Miroslav Štěpánek
Polymers 2024, 16(15), 2102; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16152102 - 24 Jul 2024
Viewed by 446
Abstract
Aqueous solutions of a thermoresponsive diblock copolymer poly(di-[ethylene glycol] methyl ether methacrylate)-b-poly(2-[diisopropylamino] ethyl methacrylate) (PDEGMA-b-PDIPAEMA) were studied by static, dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering, small-angle X-ray scattering and differential scanning calorimetry. Thermoresponsive behavior of PDEGMA-b-PDIPAEMA was investigated [...] Read more.
Aqueous solutions of a thermoresponsive diblock copolymer poly(di-[ethylene glycol] methyl ether methacrylate)-b-poly(2-[diisopropylamino] ethyl methacrylate) (PDEGMA-b-PDIPAEMA) were studied by static, dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering, small-angle X-ray scattering and differential scanning calorimetry. Thermoresponsive behavior of PDEGMA-b-PDIPAEMA was investigated at two pH values, pH = 2, at which the terminal carboxylic group of the PDEGMA chain and the PDIPAEMA block are protonated, and pH = 7, where the carboxyl terminal group is ionized while the PDIPAEMA block is partially deprotonated and more hydrophobic. Both at pH = 2 and 7, PDEGMA-b-PDIPAEMA copolymer underwent extensive association (the size of the aggregates was between 100 and 300 nm), indicating strong interchain interactions. While the measurements confirmed thermoresponsive behavior of PDEGMA-b-PDIPAEMA at pH = 7, no changes in the association with temperature were observed at pH 2 as the thermoresponsivity of PDEGMA was suppressed by hydrogen bonding between carboxylic groups and PDEGMA segments, as well as due to the increased hydrophilicity of the PDIPAEMA block. Fluorescence measurements with pyrene as a fluorescent probe showed that both at pH = 2 and pH = 7 the associates were able to solubilize hydrophobic substances. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Drug-Loaded Polymer Colloidal Systems in Nanomedicine III)
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12 pages, 3561 KiB  
Article
Colloidal and Biological Characterization of Dual Drug-Loaded Smart Micellar Systems
by Hildegard Herman, Delia M. Rata, Anca N. Cadinoiu, Leonard I. Atanase and Anca Hermenean
Polymers 2024, 16(9), 1189; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16091189 - 24 Apr 2024
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Abstract
Smart polymeric micelles (PMs) are of great interest in drug delivery owing to their low critical micellar concentration and sizes. In the present study, two different pH-sensitive poly(2-vinyl pyridine)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (P2VP-b-PEO) copolymer samples were used for the encapsulation of paclitaxel (PTX), ursolic acid [...] Read more.
Smart polymeric micelles (PMs) are of great interest in drug delivery owing to their low critical micellar concentration and sizes. In the present study, two different pH-sensitive poly(2-vinyl pyridine)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (P2VP-b-PEO) copolymer samples were used for the encapsulation of paclitaxel (PTX), ursolic acid (UA), and dual loading of PTX and UA. Based on the molecular features of copolymers, spherical PMs with sizes of around 35 nm and 140 nm were obtained by dialysis for P2VP55-b-PEO284 and P2VP274-b-PEO1406 samples, respectively. The micellar sizes increased after loading of both drugs. Moreover, drug encapsulation and loading efficiencies varied from 53 to 94% and from 3.2 to 18.7% as a function of the copolymer/drug ratio, molar mass of copolymer sample, and drug type. By FT-IR spectroscopy, it was possible to demonstrate the drug loading and the presence of some interactions between the polymer matrix and loaded drugs. In vitro viability was studied on 4T1 mammary carcinoma mouse cells as a function of time and concentration of drug-loaded PMs. UA-PMs and free PMs alone were not effective in inhibiting the tumor cell growth whereas a viability of 40% was determined for cells treated with both PTX- and PTX/UA-loaded PMs. A synergic effect was noticed for PTX/UA-loaded PMs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Drug-Loaded Polymer Colloidal Systems in Nanomedicine III)
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