Classic chemotherapy has little or no specificity for cancer cells, normally resulting in low accumulation at the tumor region (inefficacy), and in severe side effects (toxicity). This challenge has resulted in the development of several... more
Classic chemotherapy has little or no specificity for cancer cells, normally resulting in low accumulation at the tumor region (inefficacy), and in severe side effects (toxicity). This challenge has resulted in the development of several delivery strategies for chemotherapy agents to improve their concentration at the tumor site, simultaneously increasing their anticancer efficacy, while reducing the associated adverse systemic effects. In this work, the potential of drug delivery strategies involving the use of nanocarriers for controlling the biodistribution of antitumor drugs is deeply revised: passive targeting (through the enhanced permeability and retention effect, EPR effect) and active targeting (including stimuli-sensitive carriers and ligand-mediated delivery). Special attention will be also focussed on the recent approaches for overcoming multi-drug resistance. Finally, a general view of the problem of “nanotoxicity” in cancer treatment is also given.
Poly(ε-caprolactone)/chitosan (PCL/chitosan) blend nanofibers with different ratios of chitosan were electrospun from a formic acid/acetic acid (FA/AA) solvent system. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used as a model protein to incorporate... more
Poly(ε-caprolactone)/chitosan (PCL/chitosan) blend nanofibers with different ratios of chitosan were electrospun from a formic acid/acetic acid (FA/AA) solvent system. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used as a model protein to incorporate biochemical cues into the nanofibrous scaffolds. The morphological characteristics of PCL/chitosan and PCL/chitosan/BSA Nanofibers were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to detect the presence of polymeric ingredients and BSA in the Nanofibers. The effects of the polymer blend ratio and BSA concentration on the morphological characteristics and consequently on the BSA release pattern were evaluated. The average fiber diameter and pore size were greater in Nanofibers containing BSA. The chitosan ratio played a significant role in the BSA release profile from the PCL/chitosan/BSA blend. Nanofibrous scaffolds with higher chitosan ratios exhibited less intense bursts in the BSA re...
In this study, silicate- based 13-93 bioactive glass (BG) /poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) nanocomposite fiber mats were fabricated through electrospinning. To prepare composites, amorphous electrospun bioactive glass nanofibers (BGFs) or... more
In this study, silicate- based 13-93 bioactive glass (BG) /poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) nanocomposite fiber mats were fabricated through electrospinning. To prepare composites, amorphous electrospun bioactive glass nanofibers (BGFs) or melt-derived microscale bioactive glass particles (BGPs) were incorporated into the PCL matrix. In vitro mineralization ability of the prepared fibrous mats was assessed in simulated body fluid under static conditions. The results revealed that it is possible to prepare bead-free continuous nanofibers using PCL-acetone solution at specified PCL concentrations (8 and 10 wt%). Nanofibers with almost uniform diameters were produced using 10 wt% PCL solution. Incorporation of BG in the form of particle or fiber into the PCL matrix was made between 1 wt% and 10 wt%. The results showed that the diameter of BGP-containing composite fibers was higher compared to BGF-containing composite scaffolds. The addition of BG to the PCL matrix both in the form of powder a...
Currently, nanotechnology is perceived as a promising science that produces materials with diverse unique properties at a nanometric scale. Biocompatibility tests of poly-ε-caprolactone nanofibers, embedded with silver nanoparticles... more
Currently, nanotechnology is perceived as a promising science that produces materials with diverse unique properties at a nanometric scale. Biocompatibility tests of poly-ε-caprolactone nanofibers, embedded with silver nanoparticles manufactured by means of the electrospinning technique, were carried out in Wistar rats to be used as oral dressings for the eradication of bacteria. Solutions of 12.5, 25, 50 and 100 mM of silver nitrate were made using N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and tetrahydrofuran (THF) as reducing solvents with 8% of poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) polymer. The solutions were electrospun, and the nanofibers obtained in the process were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, dark field optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray scattering spectroscopy. The nanofibers had an average diameter of 400 ± 100 nm. Once the characterization of the material was done, three implants of each concentration of the nanofibers were formed and placed in ...
