Sensores basados en materiales híbridos organo-inorgánicos controlados por Inteligencia Artificial: aplicación al análisis de líquidos complejos

Tesis Doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Química Inorgánica. Fecha de lectura: 21-10-200

Zwitterionic ceramics for biomedical applications

Bioceramics for bone tissue regeneration, local drug delivery and nanomedicine, are receiving growing attention by the biomaterials scientific community. The design of bioceramics with improved surface properties able to overcome clinical issues is a great scientific challenge. Zwitterionization of surfaces has arisen as a powerful alternative in the design of biocompatible bioceramics capable to inhibit bacterial and non-specific protein adsorption, which opens up new insights into the biomedical applications of these materials. This manuscript reviews the different approaches reported up to date for the synthesis and characterization of zwitterionic bioceramics with potential clinical applications. Statement of Significance Zwitterionic bioceramics are receiving growing attention by the biomaterials scientific community due to their great potential in bone tissue regeneration, local drug delivery and nanomedicines. Herein, the different strategies developed so far to synthesize and characterize zwitterionic bioceramics with potential clinical applications are summarized. (C) 2016 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Smart Mesoporous Nanomaterials for Antitumor Therapy

The use of nanomaterials for the treatment of solid tumours is receiving increasing attention by the scientific community. Among them, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) exhibit unique features that make them suitable nanocarriers to host, transport and protect drug molecules until the target is reached. It is possible to incorporate different targeting ligands to the outermost surface of MSNs to selectively drive the drugs to the tumour tissues. To prevent the premature release of the cargo entrapped in the mesopores, it is feasible to cap the pore entrances using stimuli-responsive nanogates. Therefore, upon exposure to internal (pH, enzymes, glutathione, etc.) or external (temperature, light, magnetic field, etc.) stimuli, the pore opening takes place and the release of the entrapped cargo occurs. These smart MSNs are capable of selectively reaching and accumulating at the target tissue and releasing the entrapped drug in a specific and controlled fashion, constituting a promising alternative to conventional chemotherapy, which is typically associated with undesired side effects. In this review, we overview the recent advances reported by the scientific community in developing MSNs for antitumor therapy. We highlight the possibility to design multifunctional nanosystems using different therapeutic approaches aimed at increasing the efficacy of the antitumor treatment

Advances in mesoporous silica-based nanocarriers for co-delivery and combination therapy against cancer

Introduction: Nanocarriers have emerged as a powerful alternative for cancer therapy.Indeed, they are promising candidates to tackle the acquired resistance of surviving cells against antiproliferative drugs – the so-called multidrug resistance (MDR) phenomenon – which has arisen as one of the major clinical issues of chemotherapy. Among nanocarriers, this review focuses on the recent approaches based on tailored mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) that could overcome this problem. Areas covered: Herein we summarize the current efforts developed to provide MSNbased nanosystems of enhanced dual therapeutic action against diseased cells. This can be accomplished by three main approaches: i) increasing nanosystems’ killing capability towards particular cells by enhancing both recognition and specificity; ii)increasing the apoptotic effect throughout co-delivery of several drugs; or iii)combining drug delivery with apoptosis induced by physical methods. Expert Opinion: The development of multifunctional nanosystems able to exert the optimal therapeutic action through the minimal administration constitutes a major challenge in nanomedicine. Recent developments in advanced MSN-based platforms for drug delivery represent promising avenues in the management of MDR associated with cancer therapy. All strategies discussed in this manuscript demonstrate improvements against difficult-to-treat tumors

Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery: Current Insights

This manuscript reviews the recent progress on mesoporous silica nanoparticles as drug delivery systems. Their intrinsic structural, textural and chemical features permit to design versatile multifunctional nanosystems with the capability to target the diseased tissue and release the cargo on demand upon exposition to internal or external stimuli. The degradation rate of these nanocarriers in diverse physiological fluids is overviewed obeying their significance for their potential translation towards clinical applications. To conclude, the balance between the benefits and downsides of this revolutionary nanotechnological tool is also discussed

Preventing bacterial adhesion on scaffolds for bone tissue engineering

Bone implant infection constitutes a major sanitary concern which is associated to high morbidity and health costs. This manuscript focused on overviewing the main research efforts committed up to date to develop innovative alternatives to conventional treatments, such as those with antibiotics. These strategies mainly rely on chemical modifi-cations of the surface of biomaterials, such as providing it of zwitterionic nature, and tailoring the nanostructure surface of metal implants. These surface modifications have successfully allowed inhibition of bacterial adhesion, which is the first step to implant infection, and preventing long-term biofilm formation compared to pristine materials. These strate-gies could be easily applied to provide three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds based on bioceramics and metals, of which its manufacture using rapid prototyping techniques was reviewed. This opens the gates for the design and development of advanced 3D scaffolds for bone tissue engineering to prevent bone implant infections. Keywords: Antibacterial adhesion, biofilm formation, zwitterionic surfaces, nanostructured surfaces, rapid prototyping 3D scaffolds, bone tissue engineering

Selective topotecan delivery to cancer cells by targeted pH-sensitive mesoporous silica nanoparticles

Topotecan (TOP), a water-soluble derivative of camptothecin, is a potent antitumor agent that is receiving growing attention for the treatment of several types of cancer. However, one of the major constraints in the clinical use of this drug is its inactivation at the physiological pH of 7.4. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) constitute promising nanocarriers to circumvent this issue. Herein TOP has been encapsulated into MSNs and the nanosystem has been provided with selectivity towards tumor cells, which permits releasing the active form of the molecule at the acidic cell compartments (endo/lysosomes; pH <= 5.5) following nanoparticle internalization. For this purpose, MSNs have been coated with a multifunctional gelatin shell that: (i) protects TOP from hydrolysis and prevents its premature release; (ii) acts as a pH-sensitive layer; and (iii) provides multiple anchoring points for the grafting of targeting ligands, such as folic acid (FA), for selective internalization in tumor cells. In vitro tests demonstrate that cancer cells that overexpress membrane cell surface markers with affinity towards FA, internalize a higher percentage of nanoparticles than healthy cells, which do not overexpress such markers. Moreover, the nanosystems are efficient at killing tumor cells, whereas they do not decrease the viability of normal cells. In contrast, free TOP failed to kill both cell lines, which can be ascribed to the inactivation of the drug. This novel nanodevice constitutes a step forward toward the design of novel weapons to fight against cancer

Tuning mesoporous silica dissolution in physiological environments: a review

Matrix degradation has a major impact on the release kinetics of drug delivery systems. Regarding ordered mesoporous silica materials for biomedical applications, their dissolution is an important parameter that should be taken into consideration. In this paper, we review the main factors that govern the mesoporous silica dissolution in physiological environments. We also provide the necessary knowledge to researchers in the area for tuning the dissolution rate of those matrices, so the degradation could be controlled and the material behaviour optimised