CNT-Based Nano Medicine From Synthesis to Therapeutic Application

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are allotropes of carbon consisting of cylindrical tubes, made up of graphite with a diameter of several nm to a length of several mm. They had extraordinary structural, mechanical, and electronic properties due to their small size and mass, high mechanical resilience, and high electrical and thermal conductivity. Their large surface area made them applicable in pharmacy and medicine and adsorb or conjugate a broad variety of medical and diagnostic agents (drugs, genes, vaccines, antibodies, biosensors, etc.). They are often used to deliver drugs directly into the cells without going through the metabolic process of body. In addition to drug delivery and gene therapy, CNTs are also used for tissue regeneration, diagnostic biosensors, chiral drug enantiomer separation, drug extraction, and drug or pollutant analysis. CNTs have recently been discovered as effective antioxidants. The ADME and toxicity of different types of CNTs have also been documented here, as well as the prospects, advantages, and challenges of this promising bio-nano technology.

Diagnostic Agents in the Pediatric Eye Examination

In this chapter, the author reviews the most common topical ophthalmic drops for diagnostic use in a pediatric eye exam. Topical diagnostic agents have become an integral part of an ocular health examination even in infants and young children. Topical local anesthetics are commonly used for eye procedures such as tonometry, gonioscopy, and minor office procedures. The proper use of mydriatic drugs allows clinicians to identify and diagnose various ocular abnormalities that might otherwise go undetected. Cycloplegic refraction is a reliable procedure to determine the true refractive status of patients with accommodative esotropia, pseudomyopia, and latent hyperopia. Cycloplegic refraction is also useful in non-communicative or uncooperative patients and when a functional vision problem is suspected such as when visual acuities do not correlate with symptoms or clinical expecteds. Many times, diagnostic drops can help a clinician be more confident of the patient's clinical findings.

Endolysosomal Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle Trafficking along Microtubular Highways

This study examines intra- and intercellular trafficking of mesoporous silica nanoparticles along microtubular highways, with an emphasis on intercellular bridges connecting interphase and telophase cells. The study of nanoparticle trafficking within and between cells during all phases of the cell cycle is relevant to payload destination and dilution, and impacts delivery of therapeutic or diagnostic agents. Super-resolution stochastic optical reconstruction and sub-airy unit image acquisition, the latter combined with Huygens deconvolution microscopy, enable single nanoparticle and microtubule resolution. Combined structural and functional data provide enhanced details on biological processes, with an example of mitotic inheritance during cancer cell trivision.

Extracellular Vesicles in Osteosarcoma: Antagonists or Therapeutic Agents?

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a skeletal tumor affecting mainly children and adolescents. The presence of distance metastasis is frequent and it is localized preferentially to the lung, representing the main reason for death among patients. The therapeutic approaches are based on surgery and chemotherapeutics. However, the drug resistance and the side effects associated with the chemotherapy require the identification of new therapeutic approaches. The understanding of the complex biological scenario of the osteosarcoma will open the way for the identification of new targets for its treatment. Recently, a great interest of scientific community is for extracellular vesicles (EVs), that are released in the tumor microenvironment and are important regulators of tumor proliferation and the metastatic process. At the same time, circulating extracellular vesicles can be exploited as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, and they can be loaded with drugs as a new therapeutic approach for osteosarcoma patients. Thus, the characterization of OS-related EVs could represent a way to convert these vesicles from antagonists for human health into therapeutic and/or diagnostic agents.

The Potential Contribution of Biopolymeric Particles in Lung Tissue Regeneration of COVID-19 Patients

The lung is a vital organ that houses the alveoli, which is where gas exchange takes place. The COVID-19 illness attacks lung cells directly, creating significant inflammation and resulting in their inability to function. To return to the nature of their job, it may be essential to rejuvenate the afflicted lung cells. This is difficult because lung cells need a long time to rebuild and resume their function. Biopolymeric particles are the most effective means to transfer developing treatments to airway epithelial cells and then regenerate infected lung cells, which is one of the most significant symptoms connected with COVID-19. Delivering biocompatible and degradable natural biological materials, chemotherapeutic drugs, vaccines, proteins, antibodies, nucleic acids, and diagnostic agents are all examples of these molecules‘ usage. Furthermore, they are created by using several structural components, which allows them to effectively connect with these cells. We highlight their most recent uses in lung tissue regeneration in this review. These particles are classified into three groups: biopolymeric nanoparticles, biopolymeric stem cell materials, and biopolymeric scaffolds. The techniques and processes for regenerating lung tissue will be thoroughly explored.

Reimagining the Power of Nucleic Acids as Therapeutic and Diagnostic Agents

The central dogma of molecular biology proposes that in a typical cell, the flow of genetic information proceeds from DNA to RNA to polypeptide [...]

Neurosensory Prosthetics: An Integral Neuromodulation Part of Bioelectronic Device

Bioelectronic medicines (BEMs) constitute a branch of bioelectronic devices (BEDs), which are a class of therapeutics that combine neuroscience with molecular biology, immunology, and engineering technologies. Thus, BEMs are the culmination of thought processes of scientists of varied fields and herald a new era in the treatment of chronic diseases. BEMs work on the principle of neuromodulation of nerve stimulation. Examples of BEMs based on neuromodulation are those that modify neural circuits through deep brain stimulation, vagal nerve stimulation, spinal nerve stimulation, and retinal and auditory implants. BEDs may also serve as diagnostic tools by mimicking human sensory systems. Two examples of in vitro BEDs used as diagnostic agents in biomedical applications based on in vivo neurosensory circuits are the bioelectronic nose and bioelectronic tongue. The review discusses the ever-growing application of BEDs to a wide variety of health conditions and practices to improve the quality of life.

IR783 Encapsulated in TR-conjugated Liposomes for Enhancing NIR Imaging-guided Photothermal and Photodynamic Therapy

We developed an integrin αvβ3-specific liposomes, TR-conjugated liposomes (TR-LPs), loading IR783 for NIR imaging-guided both PTT and PDT. The TR-LPs was composed of soyabeanphosphatidylcholine, cholesterol, 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine- N- [methoxy(polyethylene glycol)-2000] (DSPE-PEG) and TR-functionalized DSPE-PEG. IR783, NIR PTT/PDT diagnostic agents, were encapsulated in the hydrophilic core of the TR-LPs. DSPE-PEG had ability of reducing the absorption of TR-LPs by the reticuloendothelial system and increase the cycle time in body. RGD fragment on the TR peptide (TR = c(RGD)-AGYLLGHINLHHLAHL(Aib)HHIL-cys) enhanced the tumor selectivity of liposomes by specifically targeting integrin αvβ3-overexpressing cancer cells. Simultaneously, the rest of fragment on the TR peptide can be changed to the positive charge in the tumor microenvironment (pH 6.5), improving cellular uptake of photoagents at tumor site. We executed a set of in vitro and in vivo experiments to verify if, by functionalizing liposomes with an integrin αvβ3-specific and pH responding peptide, it is possible to achieve NIR imaging guided PTT/PDT for tumor treatment. TR-conjugated liposomes exhibited favorable physical and chemical stability, loading capacity, biocompatibility and tumor targeting. TR-LPs can safely and efficiently delivery IR783 to tumor sites to achieve their therapeutic function. IR783-TR-LPs is promising as a potentially safe and effective phototherapeutic agents for NIR fluorescence-guided tumor therapy applications.