Polymersomes: A Novel Approach for Cancer Theranostics

Fouling characteristics and flux prediction model of reverse osmosis membrane based on hydrophobic fractions in reclaimed water

Nanoparticles based on single-component synthetic polymers, such as poly (lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), have been extensively studied for antitumor drug delivery and adjuvant therapy due to their ability to encapsulate and release drugs, as well as passively target tumors. Amphiphilic block co-polymers, such as polyethylene glycol (PEG)-PLGA, have also been used to prepare multifunctional nanodrug delivery systems with prolonged circulation time and greater bioavailability that can encapsulate a wider variety of drugs, including small molecules, gene-targeting drugs, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and multi-target enzyme inhibitors, enhancing their antitumor effect and safety. In addition, the surface of PEG-PLGA nanoparticles has been modified with various ligands to achieve active targeting and selective accumulation of antitumor drugs in tumor cells. Modification with two ligands has also been applied with good antitumor effects, while the use of imaging agents and pH-responsive or magnetic materials has paved the way for the application of such nanoparticles in clinical diagnosis. In this work, we provide an overview of the synthesis and application of PEG-PLGA nanoparticles in cancer treatment and we discuss the recent advances in ligand modification for active tumor targeting.

Amphiphilic block copolymers for drug delivery

The advancement of nanotechnology in the biomedical field has garnered growing interest due to the diverse physical properties of nanoparticles (NPs) and their potential applications in cancer theranostics. Although various nanodrug delivery systems, such as polymeric, lipid-based, and gold NPs, are available, superparamagnetic iron oxide NPs (SPIONs) have attracted significant attention due to their multifunctionality, biocompatibility, ease of surface functionalization, and responsiveness to external magnetic fields, enabling both cancer diagnostics and drug delivery applications. This review provides an overview of SPIONs as a powerful theranostic tool in cancer treatment. It also focuses on the synthesis and stabilization of SPIONs, discussing various protection and stabilization strategies using both organic coatings (synthetic and natural polymers) and inorganic coatings (such as silica and gold), as well as liposomes. In addition, the review highlights targeted biomedical applications of SPIONs, including magnetic resonance imaging, hyperthermia, and drug delivery. Finally, it also addresses the challenges and limitations of SPIONs, as well as their future perspective in clinical translation in cancer theranostics.

Anionic polysaccharides as delivery carriers for cancer therapy and theranostics: An overview of significance.

Dendrimer functionalized magnetic nanoparticles as promising platforms for cancer theranostics

Amphiphilic block copolymers have a unique ability to self-organize into various nanostructures, including polymersomes, which are vesicular aggregates with promising applications in drug delivery, diagnostics, and nanoreactors, due to their capacity to encapsulate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic substances. Recently, smart polymersomes responsive to environmental stimuli such as temperature and pH have attracted increasing interest, especially for biomedical applications. Among temperature-responsive polymers, the dual-responsive behavior of poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) offers versatility, though its application in polymersome systems remains limited. In this study, temperature- and pH-responsive polymersomes were developed via the self-assembly of PEG-b-PDMAEMA copolymers synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the copolymers was characterized using turbidimetric analysis, while their morphology was defined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effects of molecular weight, copolymer concentration, and pH on the self-assembly and polymersome formation behaviors of the block copolymer was systematically evaluated. This study represents the first comprehensive investigation into the formation of temperature- and pH-responsive polymersomes from PEG-b-PDMAEMA, providing new insights into the design of multifunctional polymeric nanocarriers.

Nanotherapeutics is to apply and further develop the various nanomedicine strategies such as polymer conjugations, dendrimers, micelles, liposomes, metal and inorganic nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, nanoparticles of biodegradable polymers for sustained, controlled and targeted co-delivery of diagnostic and therapeutic agents for better theranostic effects and fewer side effects. The purpose is to diagnose and treat the diseases at their earliest stage, when the diseases are most likely curable or at least treatable. Nanomedicine can be defined as application and further development of nanotechnology to solve the problems in medicine, that is, to diagnose, treat and prevent diseases at the cellular and molecular level [1]. ‘Theranostics’ refers to simultaneous integration of diagnosis and therapy. The term derived from thera(py) + (diag)nostics to merge the two fields for advanced applications [2]. Nanomedicine is to apply and further develop the various nanocarriers may include polymer conjugations, dendrimers, micelles, liposomes, metal and inorganic nanoparticles (i.e., noble metal, mesoporous silica nanoparticles, metal oxide, magnetic nanoparticles and quantum dots), nanocarbons and nanoparticles of biodegradable polymers for sustained, controlled and targeted co-delivery of diagnostic and therapeutic agents to diagnose and treat the diseases at their earliest stage, when the diseases are most likely curable or at least treatable [3]. It can be promising even for the fatal diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases and AIDS, and creates the chance to make treatment much less troublesome and prognosis bright, thus saving resources and enhancing the quality of life for the patients [4]. Theranostic nanomedicine means colloidal nanoparticles ranging in sizes from 1 to 1000 nm (1 μm). They consist of macromolecular materials/polymers/carbon nanomaterials/metals and inorganic nanoparticles in which the diagnostic and therapeutic agents are adsorbed, conjugated, entrapped and encapsulated for diagnosis and treatment simultaneously at the cellular and molecular level. Indeed, some nanomedicines have unique physicochemical properties that show applications in diagnosis and therapy such as optical properties, hyperthermia effect and photothermal ablation. For example, gold nanoparticles, magnetic nanoparticles or carbon nanotubes have intrinsic diagnostic and therapeutic properties. They act as self theranostic nanomedicines or platforms. An ideal theranostic nanomedicine would target at the diseased site, diagnose morphology and biochemical changes of the tissue/organ of interest, provide potent/effective therapy as well as possess biocompatibility and biodegradability. The theranostics field is expected to contribute to patient healthcare and safety as personalized medicine [3,4]. This editorial was carried out with a view to summarize the recent developments of advanced theranostic nanomedicine. Theranostic nanomedicine may be defined as nanomedicine that combines therapeutics and diagnostics in a nanocarrier [3]. The therapeutic agents include chemical drugs or biological drugs (i.e., proteins and peptides). The diagnostic agents commonly Nanotheranostics: advanced nanomedicine for the integration of diagnosis and therapy

Magnetic drug carriers: bright insights from light-responsive magnetic liposomes.

Molecular communication(MC) inspired drug delivery is believed as a promising solution for accurate and precise cancer therapy due to its low dose requirement and fewer side effects. However, it requires the knowledge of tumour location as the source destination. Meanwhile, previous work introduced an In-vivo computing strategy for tumour detection and sensitization. This paper proposes a hybrid framework towards cancer theranostics, which integrates tumour detection and drug delivery processes. This hybrid theranostic framework highlights a tumour sensitization strategy for complex human vasculature regulated biological gradient field (BGF) detection cooperative with MC drug delivery strategy where this nanosystem is achieved through leader-follower coordination mechanism, leading-magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) and bacterial follower, with no prior knowledge of tumour location. This framework aims to pave the way for the optimization of the number of nanoparticles and time resources allocation for different tasks in the theranostic approach and accelerate the iterative efficiency. The simulation results demonstrate that this hybrid approach has higher efficiency in tumour location searching and drug delivery strategies.

One of the most common causes of death in today's society is cancer. The treatments used in the treatment of cancers have their own side effects that have created many problems in the complete treatment of cancer. In classical and conventional drug delivery systems, the drug is distributed aimlessly and generally throughout the body, and the cells take part in the drug from the blood based on their position relative to the drug. As a result, a significant amount of the drug is wasted and eliminated without being used by the body. The most important disadvantages of the old methods of drug delivery are drug wastage, high cost of raw materials, the occurrence of side effects related to the dose, physical and chemical incompatibilities, as well as clinical drug interactions. Nano-liposomes are nanometer-scale liposomes that are one of the most useful drug delivery systems in the field of drug release and retention, which both provides a higher level than liposomes and increases solubility and access to bioavailability as well as improved drug release. Important reasons for the use of nano-liposomes in the pharmaceutical industry are their similarity to cell membranes and trapping of hydrophobic and hydrophilic substances, drug delivery to the target tissue, control of drug flow in the bloodstream and good biocompatibility. Another important feature of nano-liposomes is the coating of water-soluble drugs in the central aqueous portion and fat-soluble drugs within its bilayer membrane. Nano liposomes can be effective in reducing drug toxicity and increasing drug efficacy. DOR: https://dorl.net/dor/20.1001.1.26457776.2021.5.2.6.2

The use of amphiphilic block copolymers (ABC)s in experimental medicine and pharmaceutical sciences has a long history and is expecting rapid development. Poly(ethylene oxide)–block–poly(amino acid) and poly(ethylene oxide)–block–polyesters represented the most important two types of ABCs for development of nanocarriers for drug/gene delivery. In this chapter, we provided an update on several chemical strategies used to enhance the properties of nanoscopic core/shell structures formed from self assembly of ABCs, namely polymeric micelles. Versatility of polymer chemistry in ABCs provides unique opportunities for tailoring polymeric micelles for optimal properties in gene and drug delivery. Chemical modification of the polymer structure in the micellar core through introduction of hydrophobic or charged moieties, conjugation of drug compatible groups, core cross-linking has led to enhanced stability for the micellar structure and sustained or pH-sensitive drug release. The modification of polymeric micellar surface with specific ligands (carbohydrates, peptides, antibodies) has shown benefits in enhancing the recognition of carrier by selective cells leading to improved drug and gene delivery to the desired targets. Research in drug delivery by polymeric vesicles is still in its infancy, but a similar principle on the importance and benefit of chemical flexibility of block copolymers in improving the delivery properties of polymeric vesicles can also be envisioned. The demanding challenge of the future research in this field is to find the right carrier architecture and optimum polymer chemistry that can improve the delivery of sophisticated and complex therapeutic agents (e.g., poorly soluble drugs, proteins and genes) to their cellular and intracellular targets.

Smart nanomaterials as the foundation of a combination approach for efficient cancer theranostics

Crossing Barriers From blood-to-brain and academia-to-industry

Synthesis of block copolymers used in polymersome fabrication: Application in drug delivery