Recent Advancements in Metallic Au- and Ag-Based Chitosan Nanocomposite Derivatives for Enhanced Anticancer Drug Delivery.

The rapid advancements in nanotechnology in the field of nanomedicine have the potential to significantly enhance therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment. There is considerable promise for enhancing the efficacy of cancer therapy through the manufacture of innovative nanocomposite materials. Metallic nanoparticles have been found to enhance the release of anticancer medications that are loaded onto them, resulting in a sustained release, hence reducing the dosage required for drug administration and preventing their buildup in healthy cells. The combination of nanotechnology with biocompatible materials offers new prospects for the development of advanced therapies that exhibit enhanced selectivity, reduced adverse effects, and improved patient outcomes. Chitosan (CS), a polysaccharide possessing distinct physicochemical properties, exhibits favorable attributes for controlled drug delivery due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability. Chitosan nanocomposites exhibit heightened stability, improved biocompatibility, and prolonged release characteristics for anticancer medicines. The incorporation of gold (Au) nanoparticles into the chitosan nanocomposite results in the manifestation of photothermal characteristics, whereas the inclusion of silver (Ag) nanoparticles boosts the antibacterial capabilities of the synthesized nanocomposite. The objective of this review is to investigate the recent progress in the utilization of Ag and Au nanoparticles, or a combination thereof, within a chitosan matrix or its modified derivatives for the purpose of anticancer drug delivery. The research findings for the potential of a chitosan nanocomposite to deliver various anticancer drugs, such as doxorubicin, 5-Fluroacil, curcumin, paclitaxel, and 6-mercaptopurine, were investigated. Moreover, various modifications carried out on the chitosan matrix phase and the nanocomposite surfaces to enhance targeting selectivity, loading efficiency, and pH sensitivity were highlighted. In addition, challenges and perspectives that could motivate further research related to the applications of chitosan nanocomposites in cancer therapy were summarized.

Biosynthesis of ternary NiCoFe2O4 nanoflowers: investigating their 3D structure and potential use in gene delivery.

Multicomponent nanoparticle systems are known for their varied properties and functions, and have shown potential as gene nanocarriers. This study aims to synthesize and characterize ternary nickel-cobalt-ferrite (NiCoFe2O4) nanoparticles with the potential to serve as gene nanocarriers for cancer/gene therapy. The biogenic nanocarriers were prepared using a simple and eco-friendly method following green chemistry principles. The physicochemical properties of the nanoparticles were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller. To evaluate the morphology of the nanoparticles, the field emission scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy imaging, and electron tomography were conducted. Results indicate the nanoparticles have a nanoflower morphology with a mesoporous nature and a cubic spinel structure, where the rod and spherical nanoparticles became rose-like with a specific orientation. These nanoparticles were found to have minimal toxicity in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK-293 T) cells at concentrations of 1 to 250 µg·mL-1. We also demonstrated that the nanoparticles could be used as gene nanocarriers for delivering genes to HEK-293 T cells using an external magnetic field, with optimal transfection efficiency achieved at an N/P ratio of 2.5. The study suggests that biogenic multicomponent nanocarriers show potential for safe and efficient gene delivery in cancer/gene therapy.

Matricaria chamomilla essential oil-loaded hybrid electrospun nanofibers based on polycaprolactone/sulfonated chitosan/ZIF-8 nanoparticles for wound healing acceleration.

Recently, developing antibacterial wound dressings based on biomaterials display good biocompatibility and the potential to accelerate wound healing. For this aim, we prepared eco-friendly and biodegradable nanofibers (NFs) based on N-(3-sulfopropyl)chitosan/ poly (ε-caprolactone) incorporated by zeolite imidazolate framework-8 nanoparticles (ZIF-8 NPs) and chamomile essential oil (MCEO) via the electrospinning technique for their efficacy as wound dressing scaffolds. Fabricated NFs were characterized and studied for their structural, morphological, mechanical, hydrophilic, and thermal stability properties. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that adding the ZIF-8 NPs/ MCEO, very slightly influenced the average diameter of NFs (PCL/SPCS (90:10) with 90 ± 32 nm). The developed uniform MCEO-loaded ZIF-8/PCL/SPCS NFs displayed better cytocompatibility, proliferation, and physicochemical properties (e.g. thermal stability and mechanical properties) than neat NFs. The results of cytocompatibility, DAPI (4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) staining study, and SEM micrographs demonstrated that formulated NFs had promising adhesion and proliferation against normal human foreskin fibroblasts-2 (HFF-2 cell line). The prepared NFs revealed excellent antibacterial activity against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli with inhibition of 32.3 mm and 31.2 mm, respectively. Accordingly, the newly developed antibacterial NFs hold great potential as effective biomaterials for use as an active platform in wound healing applications.

Interleukin-12 Plasmid DNA Delivery by N-[(2-Hydroxy-3-trimethylammonium)propyl]chitosan-Based Nanoparticles.

Cationic polysaccharides are capable of forming polyplexes with nucleic acids and are considered promising polymeric gene carriers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the transfection efficiency and cytotoxicity of N-[(2-hydroxy-3-trimethylammonium)propyl] chitosan salt (HTCS), a quaternary ammonium derivative of chitosan (CS), which benefits from non-ionizable positive charges. In this work, HTCS with a full quaternization of amino groups and a molar mass of 130,000 g·mol-1 was synthesized to use for delivery of a plasmid encoding the interleukin-12 (IL-12) gene. Thus, a polyplex based on HTCS and the IL-12 plasmid was prepared and then was characterized in terms of particle size, zeta potential, plasmid condensation ability, and protection of the plasmid against enzymatic degradation. We showed that HTCS was able to condense the IL-12 plasmid by the formation of polyplexes in the range of 74.5 ± 0.75 nm. The level of hIL-12 production following the transfection of the cells with HTCS polyplexes at a C/P ratio of 8:1 was around 4.8- and 2.2-fold higher than with CS and polyethylenimine polyplexes, respectively. These findings highlight the role of HTCS in the formation of polyplexes for the efficient delivery of plasmid DNA.

Green synthesis of bimetallic ZnO-CuO nanoparticles and their cytotoxicity properties.

In this study, a simple and green strategy was reported to prepare bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) by the combination of zinc oxide (ZnO) and copper oxide (CuO) using Sambucus nigra L. extract. The physicochemical properties of these NPs such as crystal structure, size, and morphology were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results suggested that these NPs contained polygonal ZnO NPs with hexagonal phase and spherical CuO NPs with monoclinic phase. The anticancer activity of the prepared bimetallic NPs was evaluated against lung and human melanoma cell lines based on MTT assay. As a result, the bimetallic ZnO/CuO NPs exhibited high toxicity on melanoma cancer cells while their toxicity on lung cancer cells was low.

A versatile ß-cyclodextrin and N-heterocyclic palladium complex bi-functionalized iron oxide nanoadsorbent for water treatment.

By industrialization, management of water resources is known as one of the most challenging issues for human society due to the presence of various contaminants such as oil, azo dyes, and micropollutants in water. The treatment of wastewaters containing more than one type of pollutants via a single-step process cannot be performed by a simple adsorption process. In this study, by combining the advantages of superparamagnetic iron oxide, carboxymethyl-ß-cyclodextrin polymer, and N-heterocyclic palladium complex, a versatile bi-functionalized iron oxide nanoadsorbent [Fe3O4@CM-ß-CDP@Tet-Pd] was fabricated for the capture of toxic dyes in wastewater. The structure of nanoadsorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and vibrating sample magnetometer analysis. Afterward, the catalytic activity of the synthesized nanoadsorbent was examined in the aqueous solution of sodium borohydride as the reducing agent for rhodamine B, methylene blue, 4-nitrophenol, Metanil yellow, and Eosin Y. The UV-vis spectroscopy was used to monitor the catalytic activity of the [Fe3O4@CM-ß-CDP@Tet-Pd] in an aqueous medium. The nanoadsorbent was successfully recovered and re-used six times, without remarkable loss in its catalytic activity. These results showed that the combination of iron oxide nanoparticles with carboxymethyl-ß-cyclodextrin polymer provides a promising well-performed and easily recyclable nanoadsorbent for dye uptake and wastewater treatment.

Carboxymethylcellulose-coated 5-fluorouracil@MOF-5 nano-hybrid as a bio-nanocomposite carrier for the anticancer oral delivery.

Among the most common cancers, colon cancer is the fourth. To develop new methods with controlled-release manner, more attention was devoted to designing efficient oral delivery systems. For this purpose, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) as an anticancer drug was encapsulated into the porous of Zn-based metal-organic framework (MOF-5) through immersing in the drug solution. pH-sensitive carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) biopolymer was used to protect and carry the 5-FU encapsulated MOF-5 nano-hybrid (5-FU@MOF-5) through the digestive system. The CMC-coated 5-FU@MOF-5 bio-nanocomposite hydrogel bead (CMC/5-FU@MOF-5) characterized using various techniques. To demonstrate the efficiency of CMC/5-FU@MOF-5 as a novel carrier for controlled release of 5-FU, in-vitro drug delivery tests were carried out in simulating the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) conditions. The drug release tests revealed that the CMC/5-FU@MOF-5 has a sustained release manner in the GIT conditions. The MTT test established that the CMC/5-FU@MOF-5 has notable toxicity against HeLa cells. According to the obtained results, the prepared bio-nanocomposite hydrogel beads could be proposed as a potential drug delivery system for the colonic administration of 5-FU.