Perspectives of the development of pharmaceutical nanotechnology

The paper describes the principal lines of development of nanocarriers for medical substances, morphological groups of nanocarriers, and influence of the physical and chemical properties of matrix substances on the key stages of the technological process. Technology aspects of manufacturing nanocarriers, differences in the conditions and techniques for polymer and lipid drug delivery systems are presented in detail.     

Coencapsulation of Butyl‐Methoxydibenzoylmethane and Octocrylene into Lipid Nanocarriers: UV Performance,Photostability and in vitro Release

The coencapsulation of two UV filters, butyl‐methoxydibenzoylmethane (BMDBM) and octocrylene (OCT), into lipid nanocarriers was explored to develop stable cosmetic formulations with broad‐spectrum photoprotection and slow release properties. Different types of nanocarriers in various concentrations of the two UV filters were tested to find the combination with the best absorption and release properties. Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) have been the two types of lipid nanocarriers used. The NLCs were based on either medium chain triglycerides (MCT) or squalene (Sq). The following physicochemical properties of the nanocarriers have been evaluated: particle size, morphology, zeta potential (ZP), entrapment efficiency, loading capacity, and thermal behavior. The nanocarriers have been formulated into creams containing low amounts of UV filters (2.5% BMDBM and 1% OCT). The best photoprotection results were obtained with the cream based on NLCs prepared with MCT, having a sun protection factor (SPF) of 17.2 and an erythemal UVA protection factor (EUVA–PF) of 50.8. The photostability of the encapsulated BMDBM filter was confirmed by subjecting the nanocarriers‐based creams to in vitro irradiation. The prolonged UV‐protection efficacy was coupled with a slow in vitro release of the synthetic UV filters, which followed the Higuchi release model.     

pH响应型纳米药物载体的释药机制及性能研究进展

pH响应型纳米载体因具有智能的酸敏或碱敏释药性能,已成为当前一类重要的多功能纳米载体,并得到了研究人员的广泛关注。特别是酸敏性纳米载体,可用于肿瘤弱酸微环境的药物控释,因而对药物的定点释放和癌症的靶向治疗等生物医学应用发挥了积极作用。本文综述了近年来各类pH响应型纳米载体的典型合成方法,系统地介绍了共价键、分子间作用力以及物理结构变化3种方式引发的pH响应释药机制。深入阐述了pH响应型纳米载体的载药性能、体外释药性能、体外细胞毒性、体内抗癌性能及体内分布性能,并详细列举了近年来pH响应型纳米载体的各类实验参数,进而为pH响应型纳米载体的深入研究提供了方法学的借鉴和性能参考。     

Recent Progress in Transdermal Nanocarriers and Their Surface Modifications

Transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) is an attractive method for drug delivery with convenient application, less first-pass effect, and fewer systemic side effects. Among all generations of TDDS, transdermal nanocarriers show the greatest clinical potential because of their non-invasive properties and high drug delivery efficiency. However, it is still difficult to design optimal transdermal nanocarriers to overcome the skin barrier, control drug release, and achieve targeting. Hence, surface modification becomes a promising strategy to optimize and functionalize the transdermal nanocarriers with enhanced penetration efficiency, controlled drug release profile, and targeting drug delivery. Therefore, this review summarizes the developed transdermal nanocarriers with their transdermal mechanism, and focuses on the surface modification strategies via their different functions.     

葡萄糖敏感苯硼酸基高分子纳米药物传输体系

近年来,智能葡萄糖敏感自调式药物传递系统备受关注。这种智能药物释放系统能够模拟胰腺分泌胰岛素的生理模式而精准调控药物释放并控制血糖水平,在糖尿病治疗中具有良好的应用前景。其中,苯硼酸(PBA)功能化的葡萄糖敏感高分子纳米载体成为近年来的研究热点之一。该类材料具有体系稳定、可长期储存、可逆的葡萄糖敏感性能等优势。根据响应因素不同,葡萄糖敏感药物传递系统可分为pH响应、温度响应和光响应等类型。本文重点介绍了基于PBA的葡萄糖敏感高分子纳米药物载体的发展过程、性能和应用,并对该领域的发展前景进行了展望。     

Calcium Phosphate Nanocarriers Dual‐Loaded with Bovine Serum Albumin and Ibuprofen: Facile Synthesis,Sequential Drug Loading and Sustained Drug Release

A simple and green strategy is reported for the preparation, drug loading, and release properties of a drug delivery system consisting of calcium phosphate (CP) nanocarriers dual‐loaded with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and hydrophobic drug ibuprofen (IBU). The sequential loading of BSA and IBU in calcium phosphate nanocarriers and in vitro simultaneous release of BSA and IBU are realized and investigated. In this method, BSA, which is used as a model protein drug, is encapsulated in situ in calcium phosphate nanocarriers. Subsequently, the typical hydrophobic drug IBU is loaded in the BSA/CP drug delivery system, forming the IBU/BSA/CP dual drug delivery system. The experiments reveal that the preloaded BSA not only reduces the cytotoxicity of calcium phosphate nanocarriers but also significantly improves the IBU drug loading capacity in calcium phosphate nanocarriers and greatly extends the duration of drug release. Thus, the as‐prepared IBU/BSA/CP dual drug delivery system is promising for drug delivery applications.     

Release of small molecules from aggregates consisting of an amphiphilic oligonucleotide functionalized by a photochromic azobenzene unit

Stimuli-responsive nanocarriers offer favorable properties for the target-specific delivery of drugs. Herein, we employed photoirradiation as an external stimulus for the construction of a molecular system that encapsulated small molecules, which were released upon photoirradiation. These nanocarriers consisted of DNA amphiphiles (ODAz 1), in which an oligodeoxynucleotide and an alkyl chain were employed as the hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts, respectively, and these two parts were linked by a photochromic azobenzene unit. In aqueous solutions, ODAz 1 formed nanosized aggregates that encapsulated hydrophobic molecules in their hydrophobic core. Photoirradiation induced isomerization of the azobenzene unit led to changes in aggregate size and the immediate release of the molecules. The aggregate smoothly penetrated the cell membrane, and the photochemical release and delivery of small molecules into living cells were achieved. Thus, ODAz 1 aggregates represent promising photosensitive nanocarriers that may be applicable to drug delivery and targeting.     

基于壳聚糖的纳米药物传递体系

壳聚糖作为天然高分子材料,不仅安全无毒、而且具有良好的生物相容性、可生物降解性等优点,在药物传递领域作为纳米载体倍受关注。壳聚糖基纳米载体材料制备条件简单温和,近年来,其相关研究也颇为新颖。本文以载体形成的驱动力作为切入点,从共价交联、离子相互作用、聚电解质络合物和疏水改性四个方面,总结不同种类壳聚糖基纳米载体的构筑方法,同时介绍该载体对药物传递中载药量、载药率、释放行为以及细胞毒性等方面的影响,在此基础上展望其未来的应用前景。     

Recent advances of non-lamellar lyotropic liquid crystalline nanoparticles in nanomedicine

Non-lamellar lyotropic liquid crystalline nanocarriers such as hexosomes and cubosomes are relatively unexplored lipid-based nanoparticles in nanomedicine that can be specifically formulated to match specific medical applications, thus exploiting the majority of the possible routes of administrations. A growing number of papers demonstrate intriguing features that make them good candidates as nanocarriers for therapeutically active molecules or imaging probes. Yet, important aspects, including pharmacokinetics, hemocompatibility, toxicity, and delivery properties, are not completely clarified, so that their full potential as nanomedicines remains to be assessed.This article reviews recent advances in the field and suggests possible new routes forward.     

Metal-Organic Frameworks Nanocarriers for Functional Nucleic Acid Delivery in Biomedical Applications

Metal−organic frameworks (MOFs), a distinctive funtionalmaterials which is constructed by various metal ions and organic molecules, have gradually attracted researchers′ attention from they were founded. In the last decade, MOFs emerge as a biomedical material with potential applications due to their unique properties. However, the MOFs performed as nanocarriers for functional nucleic acid delivery in biomedical applications rarely summarized. In this review, we introduce recent developments of MOFs for nucleic acid delivery in various biologically relevant applications, with special emphasis on cancer therapy (including siRNA, ASO, DNAzyme, miRNA and CpG oligodeoxynucleotides), bioimaging, biosensors and separation of biomolecules. We expect the accomplishment of this review could benefit certain researchers in biomedical field to develop novel sophisticated nanocarriers for functional nucleic acid delivery based on the promising material of MOFs.     

DNA origami nanostructures for controlled therapeutic drug delivery

DNA nanostructures are emerging as a versatile platform for controlled drug delivery as a result of recent progress in production yield and strategies to obtain prolonged stability in biological environments. The construction of nanostructures from this unique biomaterial provides unparalleled control over structural and functional parameters. Recent applications of DNA origami-based nanocarriers for therapeutic drug delivery in preclinical phases highlight them as promising alternatives to conventional nanomaterials, as they benefit from the inherent favorable properties of DNA including biocompatibility and precise spatial addressability. By incorporating targeting aptamers and responsive properties into the nanocarrier design, more selective DNA origami-based nanocarriers are successfully prepared. On the other hand, current systems remain poorly understood in terms of biodistribution, final fate, and controlled drug release. As such, advances are needed to translate this material platform in its full potential for therapeutic applications.     

活性氧刺激响应纳米载体

纳米载体一般是由天然高分子或人工合成高分子组成的、纳米级范畴的运输系统,具有减少药物毒性、提高药物的靶向性、增加药物有效性等优点。随着生物医学技术的进步,有研究表明,作为氧化代谢产物的活性氧(ROS)在疾病部位常常伴随着过表达的异常现象。基于此,近年来ROS刺激响应纳米载体获得了关注和发展,以不同响应机制的ROS响应基团为基础,发展了一系列的ROS响应纳米载体,实现了疾病部位ROS刺激下的药物特异性可控释放。该文聚焦于近年来常用于纳米载体的ROS响应基团,依据元素划分为两大类:硫族元素类响应基团(硫醚、缩硫酮、硒化物、二硒化物、碲化物)和其他元素类响应基团(芳香硼酸酯、过氧草酸酯、二茂铁);通过不同的设计理念将其引入纳米载体,根据ROS响应纳米载体的不同响应机制(疏水-亲水相变、断裂),探讨了载体各自的ROS响应情况、体外药物释放情况,以及在活体中的应用情况。     

Phosphonylation Controls the Protein Corona of Multifunctional Polyglycerol‐Modified Nanocarriers

Nanocarriers are a platform for modern drug delivery. In contact with blood, proteins adsorb to nanocarriers, altering their behavior in vivo. To reduce unspecific protein adsorption and unspecific cellular uptake, nanocarriers are modified with hydrophilic polymers like poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). However, with PEG the attachment of further functional structures such as targeting units is limited. A method to introduce multifunctionality via polyglycerol (PG) while maintaining the hydrophilicity of PEG is introduced. Different amounts of negatively charged phosphonate groups (up to 29 mol%) are attached to the multifunctional PGs (M_n 2–4 kg mol^?1, Ð < 1.36) by post‐modification. PGs are used in the miniemulsion/solvent evaporation procedure to prepare model nanocarriers. Their behavior in human blood plasma is investigated to determine the influence of the negative charges on the protein adsorption. The protein corona of PGylated nanocarriers is similar to PEGylated analogs (on same nanocarriers), but the protein pattern could be gradually altered by the integration of phosphonates. This is the first report on the gradual increase of negative charges on nanocarriers and intriguingly up to a certain amount of phosphonate groups per nanocarrier the protein pattern remains relatively unchanged, which is important for the future design of nanocarriers.     

Controlling the Stealth Effect of Nanocarriers through Understanding the Protein Corona

The past decade has seen a significant increase in interest in the use of polymeric nanocarriers in medical applications. In particular, when used as drug vectors in targeted delivery, nanocarriers could overcome many obstacles for drug therapy. Nevertheless, their application is still impeded by the complex composition of the blood proteins covering the particle surface, termed the protein corona. The protein corona complicates any prediction of cell interactions, biodistribution, and toxicity. In particular, the unspecific uptake of nanocarriers is a major obstacle in clinical studies. This Minireview provides an overview of what we currently know about the characteristics of the protein corona of nanocarriers, with a focus on surface functionalization that reduces unspecific uptake (the stealth effect). The ongoing improvement of nanocarriers to allow them to meet all the requirements necessary for successful application, including targeted delivery and stealth, are further discussed.     

Transition metal-catalyzed one-pot synthesis of water-soluble dendritic molecular nanocarriers

Here, we report the first example of transition metal-catalyzed one-pot synthesis of water-soluble dendritic molecular nanocarriers behaving like unimolecular micelles. Using the palladium-alpha-diimine chain walking catalyst, copolymerization of ethylene and comonomer 3 afforded, in one step, amphiphilic copolymer 1 having a hydrophobic core and a hydrophilic shell. A much larger amphiphilic core-shell copolymer 2 was synthesized by a two-step approach: a copolymer having many free hydroxyl groups was first prepared, which was subsequently coupled to poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to afford the copolymer 2. Light-scattering, fluorescence, and UV/vis spectroscopic studies with Nile Red in aqueous solution showed unimolecular micellar properties for both copolymers 1 and 2. The dye encapsulation capacity for the core-shell copolymers is nearly proportional to the molecular weight of the hydrophobic core. The unimolecular micellar properties coupled with the good water solubility and biocompatibility of the PEG moieties make these molecular nanocarriers promising candidates for many applications including drug delivery and controlled drug release.     

Magnetically polymeric nanocarriers for targeting delivery of curcumin and hyperthermia treatments toward cancer cells

Magnetically polymeric nanocarriers, Cur‐FA‐SAMN, were designed and synthesized for targeting, therapeutic treatments to cancer cells. Amine‐group immobilized iron oxides, Fe₃O₄‐NH₂, were attached on the surface of self‐assembled tri‐block copolymer, poly[(acrylic acid)‐block‐(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐block‐(acrylic acid)] synthesized via reversible addition‐fragmentation chain‐transfer polymerization. For the purpose of targeting effect, folic acid was grafted on the surface of Fe₃O₄‐NH₂ attached nanoparticles. The nanocarriers were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer, and UV‐Vis spectral analysis. Therefore, a hydrophobic anti‐cancer drug, curcumin, gained water dispersity, and stable storage via encapsulating into and on the magnetically polymeric nanocarriers, and the release behaviors were studied in vitro, with and without high frequency magnetic field. Biocompatibility and cytotoxicity of inherent and curcumin‐loaded nanocarriers were investigated by MTT assay. Results displayed that our nanocarriers have no cytotoxicity while curcumin‐loaded nanocarriers offered significant death to MCF‐7, human breast camcer cells. Intracellular‐uptake experiments demonstrated tremendous uptake and the destroying effect to MCF‐7 cells, most of the cancer cells were killed and the surviving ones were surrounded by the curcumin‐loaded nanocarriers. According to the aforementioned characteristics, these magnetically polymeric nanocarriers will be able to apply as a potential device for practical therapy. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 2706–2713     

Influence of basil oil extract on the antioxidant and antifungal activities of nanostructured carriers loaded with nystatin

The combination of basil oil, natural antifungal, and nystatin has the potential to prevent the extension of topical fungal infections towards systemic infections. The aim of this study was to develop formulations based on basil oil and nystatin with the desired antifungal and antioxidant activity and low toxicity by using lipid nanocarriers. The synthesized nanocarriers showed spherical and homogeneous particles with main diameters less than 150 nm, as determined by TEM. The scanning calorimetric study revealed an imperfect crystallization in the core of lipid nanocarriers. Quantitative results suggested that basil oil concentration affects encapsulation efficiency. The prepared nanocarriers guaranteed an increased nystatin encapsulation by using 3% basil oil content. Chemiluminescence assay proved that the protective activity against oxygen free radicals was influenced by nystatin concentration. The in vitro antifungal studies revealed a better activity of the nanocarriers loaded with 1% nystatin in comparison with 0.5% loading.     

Rational design of nanocarriers for mitochondria-targeted drug delivery

Well-developed mitochondria-targeted nanocarriers for function regulation are highly desirable. Numerous studies have been conducted on the treatment of mitochondria-related diseases; however, further improvements are required to develop more effective drug delivery methods. Herein, we comprehensively introduce recent developments progress in rational design of mitochondria-targeted nanocarriers, and discuss the different strategies of available nanocarriers for targeting mitochondria. We also highlight the advantages and disadvantages of various carrier systems that are currently in use. Finally, perspective on new generation for mitochondria-targeted delivery systems in the emerging area of drug-based therapeutics is also discussed.     

Effects of the Molecular Weight of PLGA on Degradation and Drug Release In vitro from an mPEG-PLGA Nanocarrier

We successfully synthesized four kinds of copolymers with varying molecular weights of poly(lactide-co-glycolide)(PLGA) to yield methoxy-poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(lactide-co-glycolide)(mPEG-PLGA) nanocarriers:mPEG-PLGA(3k), mPEG-PLGA(9k), mPEG-PLGA(11k) and mPEG-PLGA(16k). An antitumor drug, 10-hydroxycamptothecin(HCPT), was encapsulated into the mPEG-PLGA nanocarrier cores by self-assembly in dialysis. The lower molecular weight nanocarriers degraded more quickly, resulting in mass loss, pH decline, and a rapid HCPT release rate in vitro. The degradation and drug release of the nanocarriers were dependent on the PLGA molecular weight. However, the larger molecular weight nanocarriers could not increase the loading content and encapsulation efficiency. Considering the antitumor effect of these nanocarriers, the mPEG-PLGA(9k) nanocarrier, which had the highest drug loading content[(7.72±0.57)%] and a relatively high encapsulation efficiency[(22.71±5.53)%], is an optimum agent for drug delivery.     

Physicochemical properties and bio-interfacial interactions of surface modified PDLLA-PAMAM linear dendritic block copolymers

Here, we demonstrate the applicability of self-assembling linear-dendritic block copolymers (LDBCs) and their nanoaggregates possessing varied surfaces as therapeutic nanocarriers. These LDBCs are comprised of a hydrophobic, linear polyester chemically coupled to a hydrophilic dendron polyamidoamine (PAMAM)—the latter of which acts as the surface of the self-assembled nanoaggregate in aqueous media. To better understand how surface charge density affects the overall operability of these nanomaterials, we modified the nanoaggregate surface to yield cationic (NH₃⁺), neutral (OH), and anionic (COO⁻) surfaces. The effect of these modifications on the physicochemical properties (i.e., size, morphology, and surface charge density), colloidal stability, and cellular uptake mechanism of the polymeric nanocarrier were investigated. This comparative study demonstrates the viability of nanoaggregates formed from PDLLA-PAMAM LDBCs to serve as nanocarriers for applications in drug delivery.