Nanomedicine (London, England)最新文献

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat/associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system has been used for the precise manipulation of target DNA, making efficient genome editing in cells a reality. The CRISPR/Cas9 system has shown great potential in biomedical applications, such as disease treatment, transcription regulation, and genome-wide screening, and is opening a new era in biotechnology. However, the efficient and selective delivery of the CRISPR/Cas9 system remains a critical obstacle. Literature search conducted using Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed and Google Scholar for articles published from 2015 to 2024. In this review, we discuss several delivery methods for the CRISPR/Cas9 system, focusing on techniques using nanocarriers. Specifically, we comprehensively discussed the challenges, future directions, and potential of various delivery methods for the CRISPR/Cas9 system.

Nanotraps are particles designed to capture and concentrate target molecules and have numerous applications in infectious diseases. This review outlines how nanotrap technologies may improve the detection and treatment of bacterial and viral pathogens, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Borrelia burgdorferi, Yersinia pestis, HIV, SARS-CoV-2, and others. Nanotraps can enhance the sensitivity of diagnostic tools and support treatment by neutralizing bacterial toxins, capturing inflammatory mediators, and preserving viral proteins for detection. Nanotraps have also been investigated for vaccine development. While results from in vitro and in vivo models are encouraging, there is significant room for further research regarding safety and other unexplored applications of these technologies. Nanotraps offer a flexible platform with the potential to improve how we diagnose and manage a multitude of infectious diseases.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability among the elderly, yet no disease-modifying therapies are available. Oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and progressive chondrocyte degeneration remain key therapeutic targets. Conventional anti-inflammatory drugs, such as steroids, offer transient relief but are rapidly cleared from the joint space. Nanomedicines have emerged as a promising strategy to overcome these limitations. Among nanomaterials, fullerenes (particularly C₆₀) exhibit potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, with intrinsic advantages over biologics such as growth factors and proteins. These advantages include prolonged activity, high stability, and efficient cell membrane penetration. For this review, we conducted a literature search using PubMed and Google Scholar, covering publications available up to October 2025, to summarize current insights into OA pathophysiology and therapeutic options. We also highlight the translational potential of fullerenes and their functionalized derivatives as nanotherapies for OA management.

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world's leading causes of death and continues to pose a major global public health challenge. Caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, TB most commonly presents as pulmonary disease and is primarily treated with prolonged multidrug anti-bacterial regimens, though drug resistance poses a threat. Recent advancements in nanomedicine have created new opportunities to utilize lipid-based nanocarriers to improve treatment outcomes and overcome the physical limitations of first and second-line antibacterial drugs. The Embase, MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases yielded 105 peer-reviewed articles published in the last decade that have demonstrated significant advances in the development of lipid-based nanocarriers for delivering anti-bacterial drugs to the lungs. In contrast to polymeric and metallic nanoparticles, lipid nanocarrier platforms, such as solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, liposomes, and lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles, can be readily taken up by alveolar macrophages, exploit endogenous lipid-processing pathways, and achieve sustained intracellular drug release without eliciting excessive cytotoxicity. These features are particularly relevant for TB, where treatment efficacy is limited not only by microbial resistance but also by granulomatous barriers that restrict drug exposure. Therefore, lipid-based nanocarriers are a promising solution to improve payload delivery, particularly for drug-resistant pulmonary TB.

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have become the leading platform for mRNA delivery, exemplified by the success of mRNA vaccines. However, LNPs composed of classical lipid materials are still constrained by intrinsic hepatotropism and suboptimal intracellular delivery, restricting their broader clinical utility. To overcome these challenges, researchers are developing unconventional lipids, a class of next-generation lipid materials that are rationally engineered to enhance endosomal escape, confer programmable tissue selectivity, and reduce immunogenicity. In this Special Report, we highlight representative classes of unconventional lipids and discuss their impacts on in vivo mRNA delivery performance. Collectively, these next-generation materials are redefining LNPs from passive carriers into regulatable delivery systems capable of improving delivery efficiency, modulating biodistribution, and enhancing safety profiles. Such innovations are poised to expand the therapeutic reach of mRNA medicines across a wide range of diseases. [PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched for relevant articles published from January 2010 to December 2025].

Malignant cancer remains the leading cause of mortality globally, and advancements in nanotechnology-driven nanomedicine are expected to yield promising alternative therapeutic strategies. Dendrimers, as synthetic polymers, possess a broad potential for biomedical applications. In this respect, self-assembling dendrimer nanoparticles derived from amphiphilic dendrimers represent a promising platform for drug delivery in cancer therapy. This potential stems from precise structural characteristics, ease of synthesis, cooperative multivalency, and adaptable assembly behavior. These nanoparticles can encapsulate therapeutic agents, enhance selective accumulation in tumor tissues, facilitate deep penetration, and enable stimulus-responsive drug release, thereby improving therapeutic efficacy while minimizing side effects. In this review, we briefly introduce the self-organizing strategies of self-assembling dendrimers and present representative examples of their applications in cancer chemotherapy, gene therapy, and combination therapy. We also discuss future perspectives for self-assembling dendrimers in personalized and effective cancer nanomedicine. Our goal is to provide valuable insights and inspire further development of self-assembling dendrimers for precision oncology. [Databases searched: Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar; Inclusive dates: 2011-2025].

The Herpesviridae family, more commonly known as herpesviruses, includes the Alphaherpesvirinae, Betaherpesvirinae, and Gammaherpesvirinae subfamilies, each with unique clinical presentations. Herpesvirus infections are a major public health concern. Current management approaches for herpesviruses primarily focus on antiviral or symptomatic treatment, with few licensed vaccines. Recent advancements in nanotechnology applied to the COVID-19 pandemic have created new opportunities to develop vaccines using nanomedicine to prevent herpesvirus infections. The authors reviewed 62 papers studying nanomedicine applications for vaccine development for herpesviruses. Nanoparticle-based vaccine delivery strategies may be feasible and practical options for herpesvirus prevention.

Background: In recent years, engineered exosomes have addressed the limitations of natural exosomes and gradually emerged as a new research hotspot. A comprehensive bibliometric analysis can reveal research trends and hotspots in this field, which is crucial for guiding future development.

Methods: Publications on engineered exosomes (2004-2024) were downloaded from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). The visualization of authors, institutions, countries, co-cited references and keywords was achieved through CiteSpace and VOSviewer.

Results: Analysis included 713 articles (citing 37,173 references) from 288 journals, involving 4,377 authors from 2,512 institutions across 184 countries/regions. Global publications show an upward trend. China and the United States (U.S.) dominate. Shanghai Jiao Tong University is the leading institution. Dr Federico Maurizio leads the application of engineered exosomes in cancer therapy. Keyword and co-citation analysis identified drug delivery systems, targeted engineered exosomes, and immunotherapy as core research domains.

Conclusion: This bibliometric analysis overviews the research status and development trends of engineered exosomes, revealing that new drug delivery platforms and immunological engineered exosomes are frontier focuses in the context of interdisciplinary collaboration.

Aim: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) were developed as a co-delivery carrier of curcumin and chlorotoxin (CTX) into the brain.

Materials & methods: CTX was linked to the surface of EVs by genetic engineering. Curcumin was loaded onto CTX-linked EVs (CTX-EV) by hydrophobic interaction. Dynamic light scattering, flow cytometry, and cytotoxicity assay were performed in vitro characterization. The therapeutic effect was evaluated in the glioblastoma animal models.

Results: The size and zeta-potential of curcumin-loaded CTX-EV (CTX-EV/Cur) were around 295 nm and -35 mV. The curcumin delivery efficiency of CTX-EV/Cur was higher than that of curcumin alone or Unmod-EV/Cur, suggesting that CTX facilitated the cellular uptake of CTX-EV/Cur. Cytotoxicity assay showed that the viability of C6 glioblastoma cells was decreased by CTX-EV compared with Unmod-EV. The results suggest that CTX has an anti-tumor effect. Finally, anti-tumor therapeutic effects of CTX-EV/Cur were evaluated in glioblastoma animal models after intranasal administration. We found that CTX-EV/Cur enhanced expression of the programmed cell death protein 4 (PDCD4) gene and induced apoptosis in the tumor compared with the other groups. In addition, the tumor size was effectively decreased by CTX-EV/Cur.

Conclusion: The results suggest that CTX is not only an anti-tumor drug, but also a targeting ligand for enhanced cellular uptake. Therefore, enhanced therapeutic effects of CTX-EV/Cur may be due to synergistic effects of CTX and curcumin. Combined delivery of curcumin and CTX using CTX-EVs may be useful for treatment of glioblastoma.