scholarly journals Traditional Acupuncture Meets Modern Nanotechnology: Opportunities and Perspectives

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
He Zhang ◽  
Gang Han ◽  
Gerhard Litscher
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Chinese Medicine ◽  
Controlled Drug Delivery ◽  
The Body ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Future Potential ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Needle Stimulation

Acupuncture is an ancient method in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Usually acupuncture needles are inserted into the body to achieve therapeutic effects. However, there are still some challenges to achieve consensuses. What is the essence or anatomy of acupuncture meridians? How does acupuncture work? How to improve acupuncture clinical therapeutic effect? These questions may be addressed by highlighting recent developments in innovative nanotechnology. The aim of this review is to elucidate the possible applications and future potential of nanotechnology in acupuncture. Nanoparticles are promising for imaging and it may gain a better understanding of the essence of meridian. Nanotechnology enables nanochips/nanosensors providing new solutions in detection reactive molecules in vivo and in real time. The connections and changing of these molecules with needle stimulation will allow insight into the mechanisms of acupuncture. Acupuncture combined with nano-TCM could provide a great potential in some type of characteristic acupuncture therapies improvement. By virtue of nanotechnology, the acupuncture needles could be innovated as multifunction toolbox. Acupuncture needles could be considered as a method for controlled drug delivery. The nanoparticulated photothermal, magnetothermal, photodynamic agents could also be filled on the surface of needle.

Vascular Nanomedicine: Current Status, Opportunities, and Challenges

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (05) ◽  
pp. 524-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Sun ◽  
Anirban Sen Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Vascular Diseases ◽  
The Body ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Current State ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Disease Site ◽  
Drug Pharmacokinetics

AbstractThe term “nanotechnology” was coined by Norio Taniguchi in the 1970s to describe the manipulation of materials at the nano (10−9) scale, and the term “nanomedicine” was put forward by Eric Drexler and Robert Freitas Jr. in the 1990s to signify the application of nanotechnology in medicine. Nanomedicine encompasses a variety of systems including nanoparticles, nanofibers, surface nano-patterning, nanoporous matrices, and nanoscale coatings. Of these, nanoparticle-based applications in drug formulations and delivery have emerged as the most utilized nanomedicine system. This review aims to present a comprehensive assessment of nanomedicine approaches in vascular diseases, emphasizing particle designs, therapeutic effects, and current state-of-the-art. The expected advantages of utilizing nanoparticles for drug delivery stem from the particle's ability to (1) protect the drug from plasma-induced deactivation; (2) optimize drug pharmacokinetics and biodistribution; (3) enhance drug delivery to the disease site via passive and active mechanisms; (4) modulate drug release mechanisms via diffusion, degradation, and other unique stimuli-triggered processes; and (5) biodegrade or get eliminated safely from the body. Several nanoparticle systems encapsulating a variety of payloads have shown these advantages in vascular drug delivery applications in preclinical evaluation. At the same time, new challenges have emerged regarding discrepancy between expected and actual fate of nanoparticles in vivo, manufacturing barriers of complex nanoparticle designs, and issues of toxicity and immune response, which have limited successful clinical translation of vascular nanomedicine systems. In this context, this review will discuss challenges and opportunities to advance the field of vascular nanomedicine.

Nanostructured Ketorolac-Tromethamine/MCF: Synthesis, Characterization and Application in Drug Release System

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 432-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana M. Juarez ◽  
Jorgelina Cussa ◽  
Marcos B. Gomez Costa ◽  
Oscar A. Anunziata
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Drug Release ◽  
Therapeutic Efficacy ◽  
Drug Delivery Systems ◽  
Controlled Drug Release ◽  
Delivery Systems ◽  
The Body ◽  
Fickian Diffusion ◽  
Ketorolac Tromethamine

Background: Controlled drug delivery systems can maintain the concentration of drugs in the exact sites of the body within the optimum range and below the toxicity threshold, improving therapeutic efficacy and reducing toxicity. Mesostructured Cellular Foam (MCF) material is a new promising host for drug delivery systems due to high biocompatibility, in vivo biodegradability and low toxicity. Methods: Ketorolac-Tromethamine/MCF composite was synthesized. The material synthesis and loading of ketorolac-tromethamine into MCF pores were successful as shown by XRD, FTIR, TGA, TEM and textural analyses. Results: We obtained promising results for controlled drug release using the novel MCF material. The application of these materials in KETO release is innovative, achieving an initial high release rate and then maintaining a constant rate at high times. This allows keeping drug concentration within the range of therapeutic efficacy, being highly applicable for the treatment of diseases that need a rapid response. The release of KETO/MCF was compared with other containers of KETO (KETO/SBA-15) and commercial tablets. Conclusion: The best model to fit experimental data was Ritger-Peppas equation. Other models used in this work could not properly explain the controlled drug release of this material. The predominant release of KETO from MCF was non-Fickian diffusion.

scholarly journals Nanotechnology: from In Vivo Imaging System to Controlled Drug Delivery

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Mir ◽  
Saba Ishtiaq ◽  
Samreen Rabia ◽  
Maryam Khatoon ◽  
Ahmad Zeb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
In Vivo Imaging ◽  
Imaging System ◽  
Controlled Drug Delivery ◽  
In Vivo Imaging System

scholarly journals Therapeutic effects of EGF-modified curcumin/chitosan nano-spray on wound healing

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Li ◽  
QingQing Leng ◽  
XianLun Pang ◽  
Huan Shi ◽  
YanLin Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Wound Healing ◽  
Chitosan Nanoparticles ◽  
Skin Lesions ◽  
In Vitro Assays ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Skin Defects ◽  
Post Operation

Abstract Dermal injury, including trauma, surgical incisions, and burns, remain the most prevalent socio-economical health care issue in the clinic. Nanomedicine represents a reliable administration strategy that can promote the healing of skin lesions, but the lack of effective drug delivery methods can limit its effectiveness. In this study, we developed a novel nano-drug delivery system to treat skin defects through spraying. We prepared curcumin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles modified with epidermal growth factor (EGF) to develop an aqueous EGF-modified spray (EGF@CCN) for the treatment of dermal wounds. In vitro assays showed that the EGF@CCN displayed low cytotoxicity, and that curcumin was continuously and slowly released from the EGF@CCN. In vivo efficacy on wound healing was then evaluated using full-thickness dermal defect models in Wistar rats, showing that the EGF@CCN had significant advantages in promoting wound healing. On day 12 post-operation, skin defects in the rats of the EGF@CCN group were almost completely restored. These effects were related to the activity of curcumin and EGF on skin healing, and the high compatibility of the nano formulation. We therefore conclude that the prepared nano-scaled EGF@CCN spray represents a promising strategy for the treatment of dermal wounds.

scholarly journals Molecular Imaging in Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy for Neurological Diseases

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zefeng Wang ◽  
Haitong Wan ◽  
Jinhui Li ◽  
Hong Zhang ◽  
Mei Tian
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Medicine ◽  
Molecular Imaging ◽  
Traditional Chinese Medicine ◽  
Neurological Disorders ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Chinese Herb ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Cord Injury

With the speeding tendency of aging society, human neurological disorders have posed an ever increasing threat to public health care. Human neurological diseases include ischemic brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and spinal cord injury, which are induced by impairment or specific degeneration of different types of neurons in central nervous system. Currently, there are no more effective treatments against these diseases. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is focused on, which can provide new strategies for the therapy in neurological disorders. TCM, including Chinese herb medicine, acupuncture, and other nonmedication therapies, has its unique therapies in treating neurological diseases. In order to improve the treatment of these disorders by optimizing strategies using TCM and evaluate the therapeutic effects, we have summarized molecular imaging, a new promising technology, to assess noninvasively disease specific in cellular and molecular levels of living models in vivo, that was applied in TCM therapy for neurological diseases. In this review, we mainly focus on applying diverse molecular imaging methodologies in different TCM therapies and monitoring neurological disease, and unveiling the mysteries of TCM.

scholarly journals Thermo-Sensitive Vesicles in Controlled Drug Delivery for Chemotherapy

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabetta Mazzotta ◽  
Lorena Tavano ◽  
Rita Muzzalupo
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Cancer Treatment ◽  
Controlled Drug Delivery ◽  
Solid Tumours ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Mild Hyperthermia ◽  
Promising Tool ◽  
A Site

Thermo-sensitive vesicles are a promising tool for triggering the release of drugs to solid tumours when used in combination with mild hyperthermia. Responsivity to temperature makes them intelligent nanodevices able to provide a site-specific chemotherapy. Following a brief introduction concerning hyperthermia and its advantageous combination with vesicular systems, recent investigations on thermo-sensitive vesicles useful for controlled drug delivery in cancer treatment are reported in this review. In particular, the influence of bilayer composition on the in vitro and in vivo behaviour of thermo-sensitive formulations currently under investigation have been extensively explored.

scholarly journals Potential Toxicity of Iron Oxide Magnetic Nanoparticles: A Review

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (14) ◽  
pp. 3159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nemi Malhotra ◽  
Jiann-Shing Lee ◽  
Rhenz Alfred D. Liman ◽  
Johnsy Margotte S. Ruallo ◽  
Oliver B. Villaflores ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Iron Oxide ◽  
Magnetic Nanoparticles ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Volume Ratio ◽  
The Body ◽  
Toxic Effects ◽  
Iron Oxide Magnetic Nanoparticles

The noteworthy intensification in the development of nanotechnology has led to the development of various types of nanoparticles. The diverse applications of these nanoparticles make them desirable candidate for areas such as drug delivery, coasmetics, medicine, electronics, and contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and so on. Iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles are a branch of nanoparticles which is specifically being considered as a contrast agent for MRI as well as targeted drug delivery vehicles, angiogenic therapy and chemotherapy as small size gives them advantage to travel intravascular or intracavity actively for drug delivery. Besides the mentioned advantages, the toxicity of the iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles is still less explored. For in vivo applications magnetic nanoparticles should be nontoxic and compatible with the body fluids. These particles tend to degrade in the body hence there is a need to understand the toxicity of the particles as whole and degraded products interacting within the body. Some nanoparticles have demonstrated toxic effects such inflammation, ulceration, and decreases in growth rate, decline in viability and triggering of neurobehavioral alterations in plants and cell lines as well as in animal models. The cause of nanoparticles’ toxicity is attributed to their specific characteristics of great surface to volume ratio, chemical composition, size, and dosage, retention in body, immunogenicity, organ specific toxicity, breakdown and elimination from the body. In the current review paper, we aim to sum up the current knowledge on the toxic effects of different magnetic nanoparticles on cell lines, marine organisms and rodents. We believe that the comprehensive data can provide significant study parameters and recent developments in the field. Thereafter, collecting profound knowledge on the background of the subject matter, will contribute to drive research in this field in a new sustainable direction.

scholarly journals 3D Printed Laminated CaCO3-Nanocellulose Films as Controlled-Release 5-Fluorouracil

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denesh Mohan ◽  
Nur Fatin Khairullah ◽  
Yan Ping How ◽  
Mohd Shaiful Sajab ◽  
Hatika Kaco
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Pharmaceutical Compounds ◽  
The Body ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Layer By Layer ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Uptake And Release ◽  
And Chemical Properties

Drug delivery constitutes the formulations, technologies, and systems for the transport of pharmaceutical compounds to specific areas in the body to exert safe therapeutic effects. The main criteria for selecting the correct medium for drug delivery are the quantity of the drug being carried and the amount of time required to release the drug. Hence, this research aimed to improve the aforementioned criteria by synthesizing a medium based on calcium carbonate-nanocellulose composite and evaluating its efficiency as a medium for drug delivery. Specifically, the efficiency was assessed in terms of the rates of uptake and release of 5-fluorouracil. Through the evaluation of the morphological and chemical properties of the synthesized composite, the established 3D printing profiles of nanocellulose and CaCO3 took place following the layer-by-layer films. The 3D printed double laminated CaCO3-nanocellulose managed to release the 5-fluorouracil as an effective single composition and in a time-controlled manner.

scholarly journals A Concise Review of Nanomaterials for Drug Delivery and Release

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-412
Author(s):  
Alfonso Toro-Córdova ◽  
Beatriz Sanz ◽  
Gerardo F. Goya
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Polymeric Nanoparticles ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
Specific Area ◽  
General View ◽  
Clinical Phase ◽  
In Vivo Experiments ◽  
Recent Developments

This review provides an updated vision about the recent developments in the field of drug vectorization using functional nanoparticles and other nanovectors. From a large number of these nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems that emerge nearly every week, only a tiny fraction reaches a pre-clinical or clinical phase study. In this report, we intend to provide contextual information about those nanocarriers and release methods that have shown the best outcomes at in vitro and in vivo experiments, highlighting those with proven therapeutic efficiency in humans. From silicabased porous nanoparticles to liposomes or polymeric nanoparticles, each one of these nanosystems has its advantages and drawbacks. We describe and discuss briefly those approaches that, in our criterion, have provided significant advancements over existing therapies at the in vivo level. This work also provides a general view of those commercially available nanovectors and their specific area of therapeutic action.

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