Abstract
The application of nanotechnology, molecular biotechnologies, and nano-sciences for medical purposes has been termed nanomedicine, a promising growing area of medical research. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of and discuss nanotechnology applications in the early epochs of life, from transplacental transfer to neonatal/pediatric conditions. Diagnostic and therapeutic applications, mainly related to the respiratory tract, the neurosensory system, and infections, are explored and discussed. Preclinical studies show promising results for a variety of conditions, including for the treatment of pregnancy complications and fetal, neonatal, and pediatric diseases. However, given the complexity of the functions and interactions between the placenta and the fetus, and the complex and incompletely understood determinants of tissue growth and differentiation during early life, there is a need for much more data to confirm the safety and efficacy of nanotechnology in this field.
Highlights
Research activities aimed at exploring the human applications of nanotechnology, nanomaterials, and nanomechanics are becoming increasingly performed
The application of nanotechnology, molecular biotechnologies, and nano-sciences for medical purposes has been termed nanomedicine, a multi-disciplinary branch of medicine for diagnosis, controlled drug delivery, monitoring biological parameters and biomarkers, and, more recently, theranostics, a novel approach which contains in the same system both the diagnosis/imaging agent and therapy
Diagnostic and therapeutic applications have been proposed, and conditions mainly related to the respiratory tract, the neurosensory system, and infections have been studied
Summary
Research activities aimed at exploring the human applications of nanotechnology, nanomaterials, and nanomechanics are becoming increasingly performed. Nanomedicine is a growing area of medical research To confirm this trend, 6696 articles were extracted from PubMed/MEDLINE that were published in the period from 2003 to 2019 [1]. Diagnostic and therapeutic applications have been proposed, and conditions mainly related to the respiratory tract, the neurosensory system (including the eye), and infections have been studied. The aim of this narrative review is to provide an overview of and discuss typical applications in the early epochs of life in order to explore the potential of nanoparticles (NPs), starting from transplacental transfer and extending to the diagnosis or treatment of pediatric diseases [3]
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