Volume 5, Issue 1

The use of non-invasive alternating magnetic field (AMF) on biocompatible, small sized iron oxide nanoparticles can be used for heat generation in magnetic hyperthermia or for contrast enhancement of biological tissue. However, the behavior of magnetic nanoparticle in the presence of magnetic field is restricted by their size, shape, surface defects, and coatings. Hence, it becomes imperative to closely monitor the magnetic properties of the nanoparticles as current novel formulations of nanoparticles being developed for tissue targeting involves conjugating a magnetic nanoparticle with a site specific ligand or a peptide. Thus, in this review article we have reviewed the effect of size, shape, doping, and surface coating on the magnetic properties of the nanoparticle. Finally we have concluded with the clinical status of magnetic nanoparticle in the field of magnetic fluid hyperthermia.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) mainly comprises Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and is considered an idiopathic disease affecting the entire gastrointestinal tract. Various approaches have been proposed for the treatment of IBD, but the development of an appropriate delivery system to specifically target different sites of inflammation in the gut has remained a challenge. The therapeutic approaches available to date are not considered to be completely effective due to severe systemic side effects. Instead, a carrier system that could deliver the drug exclusively to the target site would be desirable. Nanomedicine offers new hope for diagnosis and targeted delivery of drugs. In the context of IBD, nanomedicines can accumulate in inflamed tissue forming a drug depot at the site of action and reducing both dosing frequency and possible adverse effects. In this review, we discuss the advancement in drug delivery provided by nanomedicines compared to classical drug delivery approaches, as well as the application of nanocarriers for biologicals and other next generation anti-inflammatory drugs.

This work reports the first drug nanodelivery system based on polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) between chitosan (CH) and dextran sulphate (DS), stable in physiological media surface and functionalised by antibodies for drug targeting. The formation of colloidal PECs occurred at room temperature, under moderate stirring, by mixing two water solutions of the polysaccharides, which makes this process attractive for safety and environmental reasons and also for the incorporation of labile molecules. The polymer interactions were characterized by thermal analysis and the morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The resulting particles had a spherical shape with a controlled size distribution (350–590 nm, PI=0.1) and displayed a positive surface charge. They remained stable for 1 month in physiological conditions (PBS pH 7.4), 150 mM NaCl or acidic conditions: 0.1 M citric acid, pH 5. In PBS, the model drug (tenofovir) was quantitatively encapsulated. The antibody sorption onto the PECs was carried out in the buffers used for the particles formulation. We reported that the sorption capacity increased with particles at lower concentration (<0.1 wt%). Furthermore, the adsorbed antibodies remained bioactivities, as shown by ELISA, confirming that this formulation is very promising for the development of new delivery systems.

A [60]fullerene derivative has been synthesised that demonstrates the ability to enter the nuclear volume of a variety of mammalian cells. This property is unique and has not been previously observed for other types of fullerene derivatives. This ability may have important implications in its use for biomedical applications, such as non-viral gene therapy and cancer chemotherapy where delivery of active agents to the cell nucleus is desired.