International Journal of Nanomedicine最新文献

The integration of phytochemicals with nanotechnology represents a promising approach to enhance nasal drug delivery, improving therapeutic efficacy and targeted brain delivery. This review explores recent advances in phytochemical-nanotechnology formulations and their applications in managing neurodegenerative diseases, respiratory disorders, and cancers. Phytochemicals such as curcumin, resveratrol, and quercetin exhibit potent pharmacological properties but suffer from poor solubility and limited bioavailability. Nanotechnology-based systems-including nanoparticles, liposomes, and nanoemulsions-overcome these drawbacks by improving stability, absorption, and controlled release. However, challenges such as nasal mucosa irritation, formulation complexity, regulatory barriers, and scalability still impede clinical translation. Notably, encapsulation of curcumin in polymeric nanoparticles has been shown to enhance its solubility and bioavailability, producing improved therapeutic outcomes in preclinical Alzheimer's models. Overall, this review underscores the synergistic potential of phytochemicals and nanotechnology in developing innovative nasal delivery platforms capable of providing targeted, effective, and patient-friendly treatment options for a range of medical conditions.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the most prevalent and lethal primary liver malignancies worldwide. Despite significant advances in surgical resection and local ablation therapies, challenges such as low early detection rates, high postoperative recurrence, and limited local tumor control persist in clinical practice. In recent years, the rapid advancement of nanobiotechnology has opened new avenues for precise diagnosis and personalized therapy of HCC. Owing to their excellent biocompatibility and functional tunability, various nanocarriers have been extensively explored in ablation-based treatments to achieve targeted drug delivery, controlled release, enhanced image guidance, and immune modulation. These innovations have substantially improved both the efficacy and safety of ablation therapies. This review focuses on recent progress in the application of nanobiotechnology to HCC ablation, systematically summarizing its mechanisms, innovative strategies, and future prospects across radiofrequency ablation (RFA), microwave ablation (MWA), cryoablation (CRA), high-intensity ultrasound focused ablation (HIFU), irreversible electroporation (IRE) and photothermal therapy (PTT). This review aims to comprehensively summarize recent advances in the application of nanobiomaterials-biocompatible and functionally engineered nanomaterials-in ablation-based therapies for HCC, emphasizing their roles in enhancing therapeutic efficacy, imaging guidance, and immune modulation.

Hyaluronic acid (HA), a natural polysaccharide present in human connective tissues, is widely used in biomedicine because of its excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. However, products based on natural HA have several drawbacks, leading to widespread studies on the modification and processing of HA to improve its clinical use. This review discusses common methods of modifying HA, including physical and chemical modification as well as crosslinking. It focuses in detail on various chemical modification strategies from the perspective of the resultant chemical bonds, systematically organizes HA chemistry according to bond types, and refines the design rules for linking chemistry in relation to degradability, mechanical properties, responsiveness, and safety. It then summarizes the latest applications of HA-based products in the fields of ophthalmology, bone and joint treatment, aesthetic medicine, wound healing, and drug delivery. Finally, it explores challenges for the clinical application of HA and provides an outlook on future research directions. By summarizing the applications of HA across distinct biomedical domains, we hope to provide new ideas and directions for its further development and use.

Plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEVs) have emerged as a highly promising and disruptive class of natural nanoparticles for anticancer drug delivery. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of PDEVs, positioning them within the broader landscape of nanomedicine through a direct comparison with conventional synthetic nanoparticles (eg, liposomes) and mammalian cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs). We highlight how the unique origin of PDEVs confers significant advantages, including superior natural biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, and the remarkable "dual-functionality" of acting as both inherent therapeutic agents and efficient drug carriers. The capacity of PDEVs to efficiently encapsulate a diverse range of therapeutic agents-from chemotherapeutic drugs and RNA interference molecules to gene-editing tools-is discussed in contrast to the more limited loading versatility and complex manufacturing of some alternative systems. The review systematically covers recent advances in PDEV isolation, characterization, and drug-loading techniques, emphasizing their demonstrated ability to cross biological barriers for targeted therapy and controlled release. Finally, we critically address the translational pathway, outlining key challenges in standardization and clinical translation, while forecasting their pivotal role in advancing personalized cancer nanomedicine. Through this comparative and functional perspective, PDEVs are poised to transition from a promising biological curiosity to a cornerstone of next-generation anticancer strategies.

Chronic wounds pose a significant and growing global health challenge, affecting millions of individuals and often leading to prolonged suffering and increased healthcare costs. A major barrier to effective healing is wound infection, which disrupts the natural repair process and contributes to the chronicity. Therefore, innovative strategies for infection control are urgently required. Deep Eutectic Solvents (DESs) have recently gained attention as promising drug delivery systems owing to their multifunctional properties. In addition to serving as penetration enhancers that improve drug permeation, DESs exhibit intrinsic antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities, making them attractive candidates for managing infected wounds. This review highlights the fundamentals of DESs in the context of chronic wound management. It provides an overview of the wound healing process, pathophysiology of chronic wounds, and the role of biofilms in persistent infections. It further explores the dual role of DESs as penetration enhancers and antibiofilm agents, summarizing the recent DES-based formulations under investigation. Finally, this review discusses the current challenges and future prospects of integrating DESs into clinical practice. Collectively, DESs represent novel and versatile therapeutic platforms that have the potential to transform the treatment landscape of chronic wound healing.

Cancer vaccines are promising, but clinical translation is constrained by inefficient antigen delivery and suboptimal immune activation. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs)-validated for potency and safety in COVID-19 mRNA vaccines-offer a versatile, scalable, and immunogenic platform. Key barriers persist: precise targeting of tumors or lymphoid tissues, efficient intracellular mRNA release, and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. This review synthesizes design principles for mRNA-loaded LNPs, emphasizing lipid chemistry, organ-selective biodistribution, and nano-engineering strategies that strengthen antigen presentation and T-cell priming. We also examine combination approaches with checkpoint blockade, chemotherapy-induced immunogenic cell death, and molecular adjuvants. Clinically, signals of efficacy are emerging-most notably the KEYNOTE-942 study, in which mRNA-4157 combined with pembrolizumab showed a sustained improvement in recurrence-free survival at 5 years compared with pembrolizumab alone-highlighting both the potential and the remaining questions for this modality. Finally, we outline manufacturing and regulatory considerations and map future directions-including thermostable formulations, self-amplifying RNA, and AI-guided lipid discovery-to address translational bottlenecks and expand global access to LNP-based cancer vaccines.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.2147/IJN.S313093.].

Epigenetic modifications regulate gene expression at the transcriptional level, contributing to tumorigenesis and progression. While epigenetic-targeted combination therapies have gained prominence in oncology treatment management, their clinical efficacy remains constrained by differences in pharmacokinetics and biodistribution among combined agents. Nano-drug delivery systems (NDDS) demonstrate unique potential through co-delivery of therapeutic agents and optimization of their pharmacokinetic profiles. Furthermore, the development of multifunctional NDDS opens new possibilities for precision modulation in cancer treatment, offering valuable insights for clinical translation. Here, this review first outlined the intervention mechanisms of epigenetic dysregulation and analyzed the applications of epigenetic combination approaches. Subsequently, we highlight the transformative potential of NDDS in epigenetic combination therapy, with particular emphasis on how multifunctional NDDS design enables precise therapeutic regulation. This comprehensive analysis aims to advance the clinical translation of epigenetic-based combination strategies through innovative drug delivery solutions. In the future, with the continuous development of AI-driven NDDS design, biomimetic carriers, and dynamic epigenetic editing tools, it will be possible to overcome the clinical challenges of NDDS, enabling truly personalized cancer treatment.

Background: Extracellular vesicles derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs-EVs) are nano-sized vesicles and have become key mediators in tissue engineering and emerging therapeutic agents in regenerative medicine. This study systematically assessed the global research trend of MSCs-EVs for tissue engineering through bibliometric analysis of literature from 2014 to 2024.

Methods: A comprehensive search of Web of Science retrieved 752 eligible articles. We visualized and further analyzed collaboration, co-citation, co-authorship and co-occurrence through VOSviewer and Citespace, focusing on their application and future development trends.

Results: Annual publications increased continuously, with China and the United States accounting for 48.9% and 19.1% of research output, respectively, accompanied by intensive transnational cooperation. China leads in number of publications, number of years, total citations, H index and collaboration. The evolution of research trends confirms that the current field of application has expanded from cellular repair to drug delivery systems and biomaterial integration. Keyword cooccurrence reveals three clusters of research: artificial editing of exosomes (membranes), drug delivery (drugs, nucleic acids), and regeneration mechanisms (bone morphogenesis, angiogenesis regulation). The International Journal of Molecular Science became the most influential journal, and Shanghai Jiaotong University was a leader in institutional productivity.

Conclusion: This study is the first comprehensive quantitative analysis of tissue-engineered EVs and details trends and advances in tissue-engineered EVs research within the field of regenerative medicine. It portrays recent frontiers and hotspots, providing valuable insights for researchers in this particular area of research.

Introduction: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease has limited treatment options, posing a serious global health challenge. Epicatechin (EC), a natural flavonoid, exhibits therapeutic potential; however, its clinical utility is hindered by its low solubility and limited bioavailability. Therefore, in this study, we developed liver-targeted EC-loaded galactosylated poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-polyethylene glycol nanoparticles (EC@PLGA-PEG-GAL NPs) with high therapeutic efficacy.

Methods: EC@PLGA-PEG-GAL NPs were synthesized, and their physicochemical properties, biocompatibility, and hepatocyte-targeted cellular uptake were characterized. The therapeutic efficacy of the NPs was assessed in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice, evaluating metabolic dysfunction and hepatic steatosis. Mechanistic studies were performed to investigate the effects on autophagic flux and mitochondrial function.

Results: The EC@PLGA-PEG-GAL NPs exhibited improved EC solubility, sustained drug release, and low cytotoxicity. In HFD-fed mice, administration of EC@PLGA-PEG-GAL NPs significantly ameliorated hepatic steatosis, reduced insulin resistance, and alleviated metabolic dysfunction, without causing toxicity. Mechanistically, these NPs restored the autophagic flux by activating the AMP-activated protein kinase pathway and inhibiting mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 signaling, thereby enhancing ubiquitinated protein clearance. They also alleviated mitochondrial dysfunction by enhancing the membrane potential, reducing the reactive oxygen species levels, and promoting mitochondrial biogenesis.

Conclusion: Our findings highlight EC@PLGA-PEG-GAL NPs as promising liver-targeted nanotherapeutics simultaneously modulating autophagy and mitochondrial functions in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.