Submit to Pharmaceutics Review for Pharmaceutics Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and Nanomedicine: Advances in Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanomedicine and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 November 2021) | Viewed by 15055

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Vincenzo Quagliariello

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS, Fondazione G. Pascale, Division of Cardiology, Napoli, Italy
Interests: cardio-oncology; inflammation; chemoresistance; radioresistance; nanotechnology; endocrine disruptor
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Raffaele Vecchione

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Istituto Italiano di Tecnologie, (IIT) of Naples, Napoli, Italy
Interests: nanotechnology; nanomedicine; drug delivery systems

Prof. Dr. Roberto Latini

E-Mail
Guest Editor

Department of Cardiology, Mario Negri Institute –IRCCS- Milano, Milan, Italy
Interests: cardiology; cardiotoxicity; cardioprotection

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural bioactives and nutraceuticals are currently being studied and used in preclinical and clinical practice as complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) for many chronic pathologies, such as osteoarthritis, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases, chronic intestinal inflammations, and others. Natural products have a significant potential in medicine because of their ability to act on multiple cellular targets. Several studies demonstrated the synergy between nutraceuticals and conventional drugs, through improving the cellular and tissue microenvironment and making it more responsive to drugs (antitumor drugs, cardioprotectors, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and others). However, natural molecules have poor oral bioavailability and low cellular intake ability, therefore, formulations suitable for improving these characteristics are extremely necessary. Drug delivery systems and the use of nanotechnologies are excellent candidates for optimizing the anti-inflammatory, chemopreventive, antioxidant, and cardioprotective efficacy of natural bioactives.

This Special Issue attempts to highlight current research activities in the areas of drug delivery systems aimed at improving bioavailability and the uptake of nutraceuticals; formulations able to provide passive and active targeting in oncology, cardioncology, chronic inflammatory diseases, etc.; cellular studies aimed at verifying different outcomes between unformulated/formulated natural products; preclinical studies describing the oral bioavailability of drug delivery systems; and association strategies for nutraceuticals (formulated in nanomedicines), conventional drugs or peptides, vaccines, and siRNA.

Dr. Vincenzo Quagliariello
Dr. Raffaele Vecchione
Prof. Dr. Roberto Latini
Guest Editors

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. Pharmaceutics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). 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

complementary and alternative medicine
nanomedicine
nanotechnology
cardioncology
cardiology
cancer
drug delivery
nutraceuticals
anticancer
inflammation

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

13 pages, 2496 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cell Membrane-Coated Oil in Water Nano-Emulsions as Biomimetic Nanocarriers for Lipophilic Compounds Conveyance

by Martina Profeta, Concetta Di Natale, Elena Lagreca, Valentina Mollo, Paolo Antonio Netti and Raffaele Vecchione

Pharmaceutics 2021, 13(7), 1069; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pharmaceutics13071069 - 12 Jul 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2798

Abstract

Recently, we developed ultra-stable oil in water nano-emulsions (O/W NEs), able to carry both internal and external cargos (Somes), such as lipophilic compounds and hydrophilic coatings, respectively, that we call here NEsoSomes. O/W NEs are an excellent bioengineering tool for drug and molecules delivery, due to their ability to dissolve a large number of hydrophobic compounds and protect them from hydrolysis and degradation under biological conditions. At present, no report is available on the combination of cell membrane coatings with such nanocarriers, probably due to their typical instability feature. Since then, we have reported, for the first time, a new cell membrane (CM)-coated nanomaterial composed of membranes extracted from glioblastoma cancer cells (U87-MG) deposited on NEsoSomes, through a liquid–liquid interface method, to produce highly controllable membrane caked nano-capsules, namely CM-NEsoSomes. CM-NEsoSomes were physically characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) over time and their correct morphology was analyzed by confocal and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) microscopy. Moreover, CM-NEsoSomes biocompatibility was tested on the healthy model cell line, performing cell cytotoxicity and uptake assay, showing nanocarriers uptake by cells with no induced cytotoxicity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and Nanomedicine: Advances in Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 5207 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimized Icariin Cubosomes Exhibit Augmented Cytotoxicity against SKOV-3 Ovarian Cancer Cells

by Usama A. Fahmy, Omar Fahmy and Nabil A. Alhakamy

Pharmaceutics 2021, 13(1), 20; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pharmaceutics13010020 - 24 Dec 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2303

Abstract

Clinical application of icariin (ICA) is limited, despite its activity against cancer growth, because of the low solubility of ICA in an aqueous environment. Therefore, the present study attempted to develop and optimize ICA-loaded cubosome delivery and to explore its efficacy and possible mechanism of action against ovarian cancer. The optimization of the cubosome formulation was performed using the Box‒Behnken statistical design; during the characterization, the particle sizes were in the range of 73 to 183 nm and the entrapment efficiency was 78.3% to 97.3%. Optimized ICA-loaded cubosomes (ICA-Cubs) exhibited enhanced cytotoxicity and apoptotic potential, compared with ICA-raw, against ovarian cancer cell lines (SKOV-3 and Caov 3). The optimized ICA-Cubs showed a relatively non-cytotoxic effect on normal EA.hy926 endothelial cells. Further analysis of cell cycle arrest suggested a potential role in the pre-G1 and G2/M phases for ICA-Cubs in comparison with ICA-raw. ICA-Cubs increased the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the overexpression of p53 and caspase-3 in the SKOV-3 cell line. In conclusion, the cubosomal delivery of ICA might provide a prospective approach towards the superior control of ovarian cancer cell growth. Its improved efficacy compared with that of the free drug might be due to the improved solubility and cellular permeability of ICA. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and Nanomedicine: Advances in Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

39 pages, 861 KiB

Open AccessReview

Phenolic Compounds Impact on Rheumatoid Arthritis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Microbiota Modulation

by Rosa Direito, João Rocha, Bruno Sepodes and Maria Eduardo-Figueira

Pharmaceutics 2021, 13(2), 145; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pharmaceutics13020145 - 22 Jan 2021

Cited by 31 | Viewed by 4421

Abstract

Non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) are nowadays the principal cause of death, especially in most industrialized nations. These illnesses have increased exponentially with the consumption of diets very high in fat and sugar, not to mention stress and physical inactivity among other factors. The potential impact of suboptimal diets on NCDs’ morbidity and mortality rates brings to the forefront the necessity for a new way of improving dietary habits. The literature provides extensive scientific work that presents evidence that phenolic compounds from diets have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative activities that impact human health. Gut microbiota modulation by some phenolic compounds leads to favorable changes in abundance, diversity, and in the immune system. However, polyphenol’s limited bioavailability needs to be overcome, highlighting their application in new delivery systems and providing their health benefits in well-established ways such as health maintenance, treatment or adjuvant to conventional pharmacological treatments. In this context, novel dietary approaches, including new food supplements, have emerged to prevent diseases and preserve health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and Nanomedicine: Advances in Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 1349 KiB

Open AccessReview

Molecular Mechanisms of Melatonin-Mediated Cell Protection and Signaling in Health and Disease

by Dalia M. Kopustinskiene and Jurga Bernatoniene

Pharmaceutics 2021, 13(2), 129; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pharmaceutics13020129 - 20 Jan 2021

Cited by 41 | Viewed by 4760

Abstract

Melatonin, an endogenously synthesized indolamine, is a powerful antioxidant exerting beneficial action in many pathological conditions. Melatonin protects from oxidative stress in ischemic/reperfusion injury, neurodegenerative diseases, and aging, decreases inflammation, modulates the immune system, inhibits proliferation, counteracts the Warburg effect, and promotes apoptosis in various cancer models. Melatonin stimulates antioxidant enzymes in the cells, protects mitochondrial membrane phospholipids, especially cardiolipin, from oxidation thus preserving integrity of the membranes, affects mitochondrial membrane potential, stimulates activity of respiratory chain enzymes, and decreases the opening of mitochondrial permeability transition pore and cytochrome c release. This review will focus on the molecular mechanisms of melatonin effects in the cells during normal and pathological conditions and possible melatonin clinical applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and Nanomedicine: Advances in Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases)

► Show Figures