Search results for "NANOCARRIER"
showing 10 items of 153 documents
Carbohydrate nanocarriers in biomedical applications: functionalization and construction
2015
The specific targeting of either tumor cells or immune cells in vivo by carefully designed and appropriately surface-functionalized nanocarriers may become an effective therapeutic treatment for a variety of diseases. Carbohydrates, which are prominent biomolecules, have shown their outstanding ability in balancing the biocompatibility, stability, biodegradability, and functionality of nanocarriers. The recent applications of sugar (mono/oligosaccharides and/or polysaccharides) for the development of nanomedicines are summarized in this review, including the application of carbohydrates for the surface-functionalization of various nanocarriers and for the construction of the nanocarrier its…
Interactions between proteins and poly(ethylene-glycol) investigated using molecular dynamics simulations
2017
Poly(ethylene-glycol) (PEG) is a polymer used to coat therapeutic preparations, like drugs or drug nanocarriers, and improve their efficacy. This effect is probably due to a reduction of the interactions of the coated species with the host organism. Nevertheless, experiments show that PEGylated materials do interact with the surrounding biological milieu, and in particular with blood proteins. Here, we use atomistic molecular dynamics simulations to characterize the interactions between the polymer and several blood proteins. In these simulations, the proteins are immersed in a mixture of PEG and water molecules. We observe how PEG distributes around the protein surface and measure PEG-prot…
Polymeric Micelles and Liposomes as Potential Drug Carriers
1986
In the past, a whole aray of polymeric carriers for biologically active substances have been reported. In this field the main interest has focused on the use of randomly solubilized polymers. Naturally occuring amphiphilic transport proteins can be modelled by synthetic micellar solubilized polymers. Poly(ethylene oxide)-polypeptide block copolymers with hydrophobic and cyclophosphamide-containing side groups are described. These micellar systems are able to transport different hydrophobic drugs.
Engineered Multifunctional Nanotools for Biological Applications
2011
Smart multifunctional magnetic nanoparticles are popular candidates for several biological applications owing to their intrinsic magnetic property and diverse applications that range from rare protein separation and biomedical utilization to cancer therapy and diagnostics. A universal protocol, for the development of such nanocarriers, is highly desirable for scientists with different backgrounds so that custom-made multifunctional nanoparticles can be developed to address their needs, among which are the superparamagnetic iron oxide and manganese oxide nanoparticles that are synthesized through high temperature decomposition reactions. However, an interface is needed to present these inorg…
Loading of polymer nanocarriers: Factors, mechanisms and applications
2014
Abstract The progress in synthetic polymer chemistry has allowed the precise design of hybrid and multifunctional colloidal particles, which differ in type, size and shape, thus enhancing their possible applications as target-oriented carriers of low and high molar mass active species. This survey discusses the basic principles and factors, associated with the process of loading of polymeric nanoparticles. For the purpose of this review, the polymeric nano-carriers are divided into five most studied types: micelles, nanogels, capsules (incl. vesicles), dendrimers, and hybrid nanoparticles with porous cores. Factors influencing the loading are described and their importance discussed. An imp…
Blood Proteins and Their Interactions with Nanoparticles Investigated Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations
2018
Blood proteins play a fundamental role in determining the response of the organism to the injection of drugs or, more in general, of therapeutic preparations in the blood stream. Some of these proteins are responsible for mediating immune response and coagulation. Nanoparticles, which are being intensely investigated as possible drug nanocarriers, heavily interact with blood proteins and their ultimate fate is determined by these interactions. Here we report the results of molecular dynamics simulations of several blood proteins aimed to determining their possible behavior at the nanoparticle surface. On one hand we investigated the behavior of fibrinogen, a glycoprotein, which polymerizes …
Hyaluronic Acid-g-Copolymers: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications
2013
The aim of this chapter is to review hyaluronic acid (HA) graft copolymers focusing in the description of chemical strategies employed for their synthesis, characterization procedures, and applications in biomedical and pharmaceutical field. Usually biocompatible synthetic polymers and peptides with therapeutic activity are grafted to HA to modify in appropriate way the physicochemical properties of the starting polysaccharide for a specific purpose and at the same time to exploit its biological role, biocompatibility, and targeting ability toward cells with receptors for HA. The use of such HA graft copolymers in the production of nanocarriers or hydrogels for modified drug release and sca…
Prevention of Dominant IgG Adsorption on Nanocarriers in IgG‐Enriched Blood Plasma by Clusterin Precoating
2019
Abstract Nanocarriers for medical applications must work reliably within organisms, independent of the individual differences in the blood proteome. Variation in the blood proteome, such as immunoglobulin levels, is a result of environmental, nutrition, and constitution conditions. This variation, however, should not influence the behavior of nanocarriers in biological media. The composition of the protein corona is investigated to understand the influence varying immunoglobulin levels in the blood plasma have on the interactions with nanocarriers. Specifically, the composition of the nanocarriers' coronas is analyzed after incubation in plasma with normal or elevated immunoglobulin G (IgG)…
Functionalization of nanoparticles in specific targeting and mechanism release
2017
The development of various nanotechnologies have provided a new field of research, which allows the manipulation of molecular components of matter and covers a vast array of nanodevices. The “smart” multifunctional nanostructures should work as customizable, targeted drug-delivery vehicles capable of carrying large doses of therapeutic agents into malignant cells. Some nanomedical approaches are based on the use of functionalized nanoparticles (NPs), not only to reduce toxicity and side effects of drugs but, also in potential the biological barriers crossing on, such as: the blood–brain barrier, different cellular compartments, including the nucleus. Currently, many materials are used for n…
Preservation of the soft protein corona in distinct flow allows identification of weakly bound proteins.
2018
Abstract Nanocarriers that are used for targeted drug delivery come in contact with biological liquids and subsequently proteins will adsorb to the nanocarriers’ surface to form the so called ‘protein corona’. The protein corona defines the biological identity and determines the biological response towards the nanocarriers in the body. To make nanomedicine safe and reliable it is required to get a better insight into this protein corona and, therefore, the adsorbed proteins have to be characterized. Currently, centrifugation is the common method to isolate the protein corona for further investigations. However, with this method it is only possible to investigate the strongly bound proteins,…