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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Nanoscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 February 2024) | Viewed by 9245

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Morozova Olga

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Guest Editor

Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 119435 Moscow, Russia
Interests: molecular virology; bionanotechnology; molecular biology; immunology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There are two ways of transferring information: 1) chronological, as a gradual evolutional accumulation of knowledge and 2) logical, which ranges from strict definitions to simple theory and more general concepts. Despite advances in nanotechnology and medical nanomaterials, there is no future without the past. The rapid progress in biopolymer isolation (proteins, polysaccharides, polyhydroxyalkanoates, polyphenols and nucleic acids) from natural sources, the chemical synthesis of novel biomimetics (nucleotides, amino acids, polymers and artificial enzymes) and composite materials (glycoproteins, proteoglycans, lipopolysaccharides and so on) as well as construction of inorganic and organic nanomaterials and even semisynthetic organisms (bacteria with six nucleotide bases instead of the classical four that encode 152 amino acids) open up new opportunities to attain higher levels of medicine and accelerate further development. New ideas of healthy living may be derived from the forgotten data of previous experiments. Comparative analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of nanostructures for medical diagnostics, vaccines and treatment could greatly benefit the scientific community.

Dr. Morozova Olga
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

natural and synthetic polymers
composite materials
biomimetics
bionanotechnology
side products of biodegradation

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 11053 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Silica Nanoparticles Promote Apoptosis in Ovarian Granulosa Cells via Autophagy Dysfunction

by Zhen Zheng, Wenlong Zuo, Rongrong Ye, Jason William Grunberger, Nitish Khurana, Xianyu Xu, Hamidreza Ghandehari and Fenglei Chen

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(6), 5189; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms24065189 - 08 Mar 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1419

Abstract

Although silica nanoparticles (SNPs) are generally thought to be biocompatible and safe, the adverse effects of SNPs were also reported in previous studies. SNPs cause follicular atresia via the induction of ovarian granulosa cell apoptosis. However, the mechanisms for this phenomenon are not well understood. This study focuses on exploring the relationship between autophagy and apoptosis induced by SNPs in ovarian granulosa cells. Our results showed that 25.0 mg/kg body weight (b.w.)/intratracheal instillation of 110 nm in diameter spherical Stöber SNPs caused ovarian granulosa cell apoptosis in follicles in vivo. We also found that SNPs mainly internalized into the lumens of the lysosomes in primary cultured ovarian granulosa cells in vitro. SNPs induced cytotoxicity via a decrease in viability and an increase in apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. SNPs increased BECLIN-1 and LC3-II levels, leading to the activation of autophagy and increased P62 level, resulting in the blockage of autophagic flux. SNPs increased the BAX/BCL-2 ratio and cleaved the caspase-3 level, resulting in the activation of the mitochondrial-mediated caspase-dependent apoptotic signaling pathway. SNPs enlarged the LysoTracker Red-positive compartments, decreased the CTSD level, and increased the acidity of lysosomes, leading to lysosomal impairment. Our results reveal that SNPs cause autophagy dysfunction via lysosomal impairment, resulting in follicular atresia via the enhancement of apoptosis in ovarian granulosa cells. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Nanotechnology to Nanomedicine: Past, Present and Future)

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17 pages, 5075 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Stable Enzymatic Nanoparticles from Nucleases, Proteases, Lipase and Antioxidant Proteins with Substrate-Binding and Catalytic Properties

by Olga V. Morozova, Nikolay A. Barinov and Dmitry V. Klinov

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(3), 3043; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms24033043 - 03 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1658

Abstract

Limited membrane permeability and biodegradation hamper the intracellular delivery of the free natural or recombinant enzymes necessary for compensatory therapy. Nanoparticles (NP) provide relative protein stability and unspecific endocytosis-mediated cellular uptake. Our objective was the fabrication of NP from 7 biomedicine-relevant enzymes, including DNase I, RNase A, trypsin, chymotrypsin, catalase, horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and lipase, the analysis of their conformation stability and enzymatic activity as well as possible toxicity for eukaryotic cells. The enzymes were dissolved in fluoroalcohol and mixed with 40% ethanol as an anti-solvent with subsequent alcohol evaporation at high temperature and low pressure. The shapes and sizes of NP were determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Enzyme conformations in solutions and in NP were compared using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The activity of the enzymes was assayed with specific substrates. The cytotoxicity of the enzymatic NP (ENP) was studied by microscopic observations and by using an MTT test. Water-insoluble ENP of different shapes and sizes in a range 50–300 nm consisting of 7 enzymes remained stable for 1 year at +4 °C without any cross-linking. CD spectroscopy of the ENP permitted us to reveal changes in proportions of α-helixes, β-turns and random coils in comparison with fresh enzyme solutions in water. Despite the minor conformation changes of the proteins in the ENP, the enzymes retained their substrate-binding and catalytic properties. Among the studied bioactive ENP, only DNase NP were highly toxic for 3 cell lines with granulation in 1 day posttreatment, whereas other NP were less toxic (if any). Taken together, the enzymes in the stable ENP retained their catalytic activity and might be used for intracellular delivery. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Nanotechnology to Nanomedicine: Past, Present and Future)

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Review

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26 pages, 4304 KiB

Open AccessReview

mRNA Delivery: Challenges and Advances through Polymeric Soft Nanoparticles

by Samaneh Yousefi Adlsadabad, John W. Hanrahan and Ashok Kakkar

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(3), 1739; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms25031739 - 01 Feb 2024

Viewed by 1551

Abstract

Single-stranded messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) plays a pivotal role in transferring genetic information, and tremendous effort has been devoted over the years to utilize its transcription efficacy in therapeutic interventions for a variety of diseases with high morbidity and mortality. Lipid nanocarriers have been extensively investigated for mRNA delivery and enabled the rapid and successful development of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. Some constraints of lipid nanocarriers have encouraged the development of alternative delivery systems, such as polymer-based soft nanoparticles, which offer a modular gene delivery platform. Such macromolecule-based nanocarriers can be synthetically articulated for tailored parameters including mRNA protection, loading efficacy, and targeted release. In this review, we highlight recent advances in the development of polymeric architectures for mRNA delivery, their limitations, and the challenges that still exist, with the aim of expediting further research and the clinical translation of such formulations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Nanotechnology to Nanomedicine: Past, Present and Future)

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30 pages, 11317 KiB

Open AccessReview

Metal-Organic Framework (MOF)—A Universal Material for Biomedicine

by Andrey A. Vodyashkin, Antonina V. Sergorodceva, Parfait Kezimana and Yaroslav M. Stanishevskiy

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(9), 7819; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms24097819 - 25 Apr 2023

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3965

Abstract

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a very promising platform for applications in various industries. In recent years, a variety of methods have been developed for the preparation and modification of MOFs, providing a wide range of materials for different applications in life science. Despite the wide range of different MOFs in terms of properties/sizes/chemical nature, they have not found wide application in biomedical practices at present. In this review, we look at the main methods for the preparation of MOFs that can ensure biomedical applications. In addition, we also review the available options for tuning the key parameters, such as size, morphology, and porosity, which are crucial for the use of MOFs in biomedical systems. This review also analyses possible applications for MOFs of different natures. Their high porosity allows the use of MOFs as universal carriers for different therapeutic molecules in the human body. The wide range of chemical species involved in the synthesis of MOFs makes it possible to enhance targeting and prolongation, as well as to create delivery systems that are sensitive to various factors. In addition, we also highlight how injectable, oral, and even ocular delivery systems based on MOFs can be used. The possibility of using MOFs as therapeutic agents and sensitizers in photodynamic, photothermal, and sonodynamic therapy was also reviewed. MOFs have demonstrated high selectivity in various diagnostic systems, making them promising for future applications. The present review aims to systematize the main ways of modifying MOFs, as well as the biomedical applications of various systems based on MOFs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Nanotechnology to Nanomedicine: Past, Present and Future)

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