Glycans in nanomedicine, impact and perspectives.

Future Med Chem

Department of Biotechnology & Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy.

Published: January 2019

Glycans have been selected by nature for both structural and 'recognition' purposes. Taking inspiration from nature, nanomedicine exploits glycans not only as structural constituents of nanoparticles and nanostructured biomaterials but also as selective interactors of such glyco-nanotools. Surface glycosylation of nanoparticles finds application in targeting specific cells, whereas recent findings give evidence that the glycan content of cell microenvironment is able to induce the cell fate. This review will highlight the role of glycans in nanomedicine, schematizing the different uses and roles in drug-delivery systems and in biomaterials for regenerative medicine.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.4155/fmc-2018-0368DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

glycans nanomedicine
8
glycans
4
nanomedicine impact
4
impact perspectives
4
perspectives glycans
4
glycans selected
4
selected nature
4
nature structural
4
structural 'recognition'
4
'recognition' purposes
4

Similar Publications

Chemistries on the inner leaflet of the cell membrane.

Chem Commun (Camb)

January 2025

Institute of Chemical Biology and Nanomedicine, State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecular Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China.

The cell membrane, characterized by its inherent asymmetry, functions as a dynamic barrier that regulates numerous cellular activities. This Highlight aims to provide the chemistry community with a comprehensive overview of the intriguing and underexplored inner leaflet, encompassing both fundamental biology and emerging synthetic modification strategies. We begin by describing the asymmetric nature of the plasma membrane, with a focus on the distinct roles of lipids, proteins, and glycan chains, highlighting the composition and biofunctions of the inner leaflet and the biological mechanisms that sustain membrane asymmetry.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cellulose Based Nano-Scaffolds for Targeted Cancer Therapies: Current Status and Future Perspective.

Int J Nanomedicine

January 2025

Department of General Practice and Family Medicine, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130000, People's Republic of China.

In the last few years, cellulose has garnered much interest for its application in drug delivery, especially in cancer therapy. It has special properties like biocompatibility, biodegradability, high porosity, and water permeability render it a good candidate for developing efficient carriers for anticancer agents. Cellulose based nanomaterials like cellulose nanofibers, bacterial cellulose, cellulose nanocrystals and microcrystalline cellulose as delivery vehicles for targeted drug delivery to cancer cells are reviewed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Dimethyl fumarate (DMF), the first-line oral therapy for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, is rapidly metabolized into monomethyl fumarate. The DMF oral administration provokes gastrointestinal discomfort causing treatment withdrawal. The present study aimed to develop an innovative formulation for DMF nasal administration.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Apoptotic Vesicles Attenuate Acute Lung Injury CD73-Mediated Inhibition of Platelet Activation and NETosis.

Int J Nanomedicine

January 2025

Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.

Introduction: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a life-threatening type of acute lung injury (ALI) characterized by elevated mortality rates and long-term effects. To date, no pharmacological treatment has proven effective for ARDS. Mesenchymal stem cell-derived apoptotic vesicles (apoVs) were recently found to have excellent therapeutic potential for inflammatory diseases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Since its conceptualization, click chemistry in all its variants has proven to be a superior synthesis protocol, compared to conventional methods, for forming new covalent bonds under mild conditions, orthogonally, and with high yields. If a term like reactive resilience could be established, click reactions would be good examples, as they perform better under increasingly challenging conditions. Particularly, highly hindered couplings that perform poorly with conventional chemistry protocols-such as those used to conjugate biomacromolecules (e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!