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Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews (v.60, #11)
Bioconjugated quantum dots for in vivo molecular and cellular imaging by Andrew M. Smith; Hongwei Duan; Aaron M. Mohs; Shuming Nie (pp. 1226-1240).
Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are tiny light-emitting particles on the nanometer scale, and are emerging as a new class of fluorescent labels for biology and medicine. In comparison with organic dyes and fluorescent proteins, they have unique optical and electronic properties, with size-tunable light emission, superior signal brightness, resistance to photobleaching, and broad absorption spectra for simultaneous excitation of multiple fluorescence colors. QDs also provide a versatile nanoscale scaffold for designing multifunctional nanoparticles with both imaging and therapeutic functions. When linked with targeting ligands such as antibodies, peptides or small molecules, QDs can be used to target tumor biomarkers as well as tumor vasculatures with high affinity and specificity. Here we discuss the synthesis and development of state-of-the-art QD probes and their use for molecular and cellular imaging. We also examine key issues for in vivo imaging and therapy, such as nanoparticle biodistribution, pharmacokinetics, and toxicology.
Keywords: Quantum dots; Nanocrystals; Nanoparticles; Nanotechnology; Fluorescence; Molecular imaging; Cellular imaging; Drug delivery; Cancer; Biomarkers; Toxicology
Multifunctional magnetic nanoparticles for targeted imaging and therapy by Jason R. McCarthy; Ralph Weissleder (pp. 1241-1251).
Magnetic nanoparticles have become important tools for the imaging of prevalent diseases, such as cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and others. While first generation nanoparticles were fairly nonspecific, newer generations have been targeted to specific cell types and molecular targets via affinity ligands. Commonly, these ligands emerge from phage or small molecule screens, or are based on antibodies or aptamers. Secondary reporters and combined therapeutic molecules have further opened potential clinical applications of these materials. This review summarizes some of the recent biomedical applications of these newer magnetic nanomaterials.
Keywords: Iron oxide; Magnetic nanoparticles; Peptide targeting; Small molecule targeting; Molecular imaging; Cancer; Atherosclerosis; Theranostic
Magnetic nanoparticles in MR imaging and drug delivery by Conroy Sun; Jerry S.H. Lee; Miqin Zhang (pp. 1252-1265).
Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) possess unique magnetic properties and the ability to function at the cellular and molecular level of biological interactions making them an attractive platform as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and as carriers for drug delivery. Recent advances in nanotechnology have improved the ability to specifically tailor the features and properties of MNPs for these biomedical applications. To better address specific clinical needs, MNPs with higher magnetic moments, non-fouling surfaces, and increased functionalities are now being developed for applications in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of malignant tumors, cardiovascular disease, and neurological disease. Through the incorporation of highly specific targeting agents and other functional ligands, such as fluorophores and permeation enhancers, the applicability and efficacy of these MNPs have greatly increased. This review provides a background on applications of MNPs as MR imaging contrast agents and as carriers for drug delivery and an overview of the recent developments in this area of research.
Keywords: Magnetic nanoparticle; MRI; Contrast agent; Drug delivery; Targeting; DNA; siRNA; Peptide; Ligand; Cancer; Biodistribution
Porous silicon in drug delivery devices and materials by Emily J. Anglin; Lingyun Cheng; William R. Freeman; Michael J. Sailor (pp. 1266-1277).
Porous Si exhibits a number of properties that make it an attractive material for controlled drug delivery applications: The electrochemical synthesis allows construction of tailored pore sizes and volumes that are controllable from the scale of microns to nanometers; a number of convenient chemistries exist for the modification of porous Si surfaces that can be used to control the amount, identity, and in vivo release rate of drug payloads and the resorption rate of the porous host matrix; the material can be used as a template for organic and biopolymers, to prepare composites with a designed nanostructure; and finally, the optical properties of photonic structures prepared from this material provide a self-reporting feature that can be monitored in vivo. This paper reviews the preparation, chemistry, and properties of electrochemically prepared porous Si or SiO2 hosts relevant to drug delivery applications.
Keywords: Porous silicon; Small molecule drug delivery; Nanotechnology; Photonic crystal; Cancer; Protein therapy
Mesoporous silica nanoparticles as controlled release drug delivery and gene transfection carriers by Igor I. Slowing; Juan L. Vivero-Escoto; Chia-Wen Wu; Victor S.-Y. Lin (pp. 1278-1288).
In this review, we highlight the recent research developments of a series of surface-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN) materials as efficient drug delivery carriers. The synthesis of this type of MSN materials is described along with the current methods for controlling the structural properties and chemical functionalization for biotechnological and biomedical applications. We summarized the advantages of using MSN for several drug delivery applications. The recent investigations of the biocompatibility of MSN in vitro are discussed. We also describe the exciting progress on using MSN to penetrate various cell membranes in animal and plant cells. The novel concept of gatekeeping is introduced and applied to the design of a variety of stimuli-responsive nanodevices. We envision that these MSN-based systems have a great potential for a variety of drug delivery applications, such as the site-specific delivery and intracellular controlled release of drugs, genes, and other therapeutic agents.
Keywords: Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN); Intracellular drug delivery; Gene transfection; Controlled release; Morphology control; Nanoparticle endocytosis; Biocompatibility
Biological properties of “naked” metal nanoparticles by Resham Bhattacharya; Priyabrata Mukherjee (pp. 1289-1306).
Over the past few decades, inorganic nanoparticles, which exhibit significantly distinct physical, chemical and biological properties from their bulk counterpart's, have elicited much interest. Discoveries in the past decade have demonstrated that the electromagnetic, optical and catalytic properties of noble-metal nanoparticles such as gold, silver and platinum, are strongly influenced by shape and size. This has motivated an upsurge in research on the synthesis routes that allow better control of shape and size for various nano-biotechnological applications. Biomedical applications of metal nanoparticles have been dominated by the use of nanobioconjugates that started in 1971 after the discovery of immunogold labeling by Faulk and Taylor. Currently metal-based nanoconjugates are used in various biomedical applications such as probes for electron microscopy to visualize cellular components, drug delivery (vehicle for delivering drugs, proteins, peptides, plasmids, DNAs, etc), detection, diagnosis and therapy (targeted and non-targeted). However biological properties of bare-metal (naked) nanoparticles have remained largely unexplored. Therefore, in this review we discuss the novel biological properties and applications of three most widely used metal nanoparticles, namely, the nanoparticles of gold, silver and platinum. We describe the novel properties and use of these nanoparticles in angiogenesis and cancer related disorders.
Keywords: Gold; Silver; Platinum; Nanoparticles; Angiogenesis; Cancer; Therapy
Gold nanoparticles in delivery applications by Partha Ghosh; Gang Han; Mrinmoy De; Chae Kyu Kim; Vincent M. Rotello (pp. 1307-1315).
Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) provide non-toxic carriers for drug and gene delivery applications. With these systems, the gold core imparts stability to the assembly, while the monolayer allows tuning of surface properties such as charge and hydrophobicity. An additional attractive feature of AuNPs is their interaction with thiols, providing an effective and selective means of controlled intracellular release.
Keywords: Gold; Delivery; DNA; Drug delivery; Glutathione; Nanoparticles; Self-assembled monolayer; Photochemistry; Release