Photodynamic therapy (PDT) uses the combination of non-toxic dyes and harmless visible light to produce reactive oxygen species that can kill cancer cells and infectious microorganisms. Due to the tendency of most photosensitizers (PS) to be poorly soluble and to form nonphotoactive aggregates, drug-delivery vehicles have become of high importance. The nanotechnology revolution has provided many examples of nanoscale drug-delivery platforms that have been applied to PDT. These include liposomes, lipoplexes, nanoemulsions, micelles, polymer nanoparticles (degradable and nondegradable), and silica nanoparticles. In some cases (fullerenes and quantum dots), the actual nanoparticle itself is the PS. Targeting ligands such as antibodies and peptides can be used to increase specificity. Gold and silver nanoparticles can provide plasmonic enhancement of PDT. Two-photon excitation or optical upconversion can be used instead of one-photon excitation to increase tissue penetration at longer wavelengths. Finally, after sections on studies and nanotoxicology, we attempt to answer the title question, "can nano-technology potentiate PDT?"
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/ntrev-2011-0005 | DOI Listing |
Front Immunol
December 2024
Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory for Conservation and Exploitation of Biological Resources, College of Life Science, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui, China.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain a significant global health challenge, leading to substantial morbidity and mortality. Despite recent advancements in CVD management, pharmaceutical treatments often suffer from poor pharmacokinetics and high toxicity. With the rapid progress of modern molecular biology and immunology, however, single-chain fragment variable (scFv) molecule engineering has emerged as a promising theranostic tool to offer specificity and versatility in targeting CVD-related antigens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Nanomedicine
December 2024
Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, 250021, People's Republic of China.
Liver cancer has become a major global health challenge due to its high incidence, high rate of late diagnosis and limited treatment options. Although there are many clinical treatments available for liver cancer, the cure rate is still very low, and now researchers have begun to explore new aspects of liver cancer treatment, and nanotechnology has shown great potential for improving diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic efficacy and is therefore a promising treatment option. In diagnosis, nanomaterials such as gold nanoparticles, magnetic nanoparticles, and silver nanoparticles can realize highly sensitive and specific detection of liver cancer biomarkers, supporting diagnosis and real-time monitoring of the disease process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Macromol
December 2024
Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.
This study was performed to evaluate the regenerative capabilities of levan hydrogels when combined with conventional bone graft materials (Bio-Oss®) in guided bone regeneration (GBR). With the growing interest in the application of levan polysaccharide for regenerative purposes over the last decade, a noticeable gap in in-vivo validations remains. This research therefore fills this gap by utilizing the cytocompatibility and cell proliferation potential of levan hydrogels and marks a preliminary effort in its use in combination with Bio-Oss® for bone regeneration, which was examined both in-vitro and in-vivo for the first time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomacromolecules
December 2024
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. WestN2L 3G1WaterlooON Canada.
Synthetic vinyl polymers have long been recognized for their potential to be utilized in drug delivery, tissue engineering, and other biomedical applications. The synthetic control that chemists have over their structure and properties is unmatched, allowing vinyl polymer-based materials to be precisely engineered for a range of therapeutic applications. Yet, their lack of biodegradability compromises the biocompatibility of vinyl polymers and has held back their translation into clinically used treatments for disease thus far.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
December 2024
Department of Nano-Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Advanced Technologies, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.
MXene-based (nano)materials have recently emerged as promising solutions for antibiotic photodegradation from aquatic environments, yet they are limited by scalability, stability, and selectivity challenges in practical settings. We formulated FeO-SiO/MXene ternary nano-photocomposites via coupled wet impregnation and sonochemistry approach for optimised tetracycline (TC) removal (the second most used antibiotic worldwide) from water using response surface methodology-central composite design (RSM-CCD). The photocatalysts containing various loading of FeO/SiO (5-45 wt%) on the MXene with a range of calcination temperatures (300-600 °C) via RSM optimisation were synthesised, characterised regarding crystallinity properties, surface morphology, binding energy, and light absorption capability, and analysed for TC degradation efficiency.
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