Advances in Cancer Treatment: Role of Nanoparticles

This chapter is devoted to the advances in the field of nanoparticles-mediated cancer treatment. A special attention is devoted to the use of magnetite and silver nanoparticles. The synthesis and properties of Fe3O4 and Ag nanoparticles as contrast or antitumoral agents as monolith or component of more complex systems such as polymer matrix composite materials based on: polymers (chitosan, collagen, polyethylene glycol, polyacrylates, and polymethacrylates, polylactic acid, etc.) and various antitumoral agents (cytostatics, natural agents and even nanoparticles-magnetite, silver, or gold) are discussed. Special attention is paid for the benefits and risks of using silver and magnetite nanoparticles. In both cases, the discussion focuses on aspects related to diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The influence of size and shape [1-3] is important from the materials characteristics as well as from the biological points of view. The role of magnetite is also analyzed from the point of view of its influence on the delivery of different components of interests (antitumoral components, analgesics/anti-inflammatory agents, etc.). The potentiating effect of the nanoparticles over the cytostatics and natural components is highlighted

Kinetic Release Studies of Antibiotic Patches for Local Transdermal Delivery.

This study investigates the usage of electrohydrodynamic (EHD)-3D printing for the fabrication of bacterial cellulose (BC)/polycaprolactone (PCL) patches loaded with different antibiotics (amoxicillin (AMX), ampicillin (AMP), and kanamycin (KAN)) for transdermal delivery. The composite patches demonstrated facilitated drug loading and encapsulation efficiency of drugs along with extended drug release profiles. Release curves were also subjected to model fitting, and it was found that drug release was optimally adapted to the Higuchi square root model for each drug. They performed a time-dependent and diffusion-controlled release from the patches and followed Fick's diffusion law by the Korsmeyer-Peppas energy law equation. Moreover, produced patches demonstrated excellent antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) strains, so they could be helpful in the treatment of chronic infectious lesions during wound closures. As different tests have confirmed, various types of antibiotics could be loaded and successfully released regardless of their types from produced BC/PCL patches. This study could breathe life into the production of antibiotic patches for local transdermal applications in wound dressing studies and improve the quality of life of patients

Material design in hard tissue engineering

Acknowledgement: This research was funded by UEFISCDI and ANCD through the project “Nanostructured Bone Grafts with Predetermined Properties- CollNanoBone” project number 29ROMD/20.05.2024. The support of the Romanian Government for providing access to the research infrastructure of the National Center for Micro and Nanomaterials through the National Program titled “Installations and Strategic Objectives of National Interest” is also highly acknowledged.Introduction: Considering the high incidence and the relatively large amount needed, the overall market share of the bone grafting materials is ~49% of the total field of biomaterials and thus many researchers focused their efforts in developing new and improved materials for hard tissue engineering. Considering the evolution of these materials, from morpho-compositional point of view there are 4 major generations: 1st Generation: Metals and Alloys; 2nd generation: Ceramics and Polymers; 3rd generation: Composite and Nanocomposites and 4th generation: Tissue Engineered NanoComposites. Even not yet totally agreed, the 5th generation seems to be the materials obtained by Materials Design and 3D printing is one of the most popular processing technique. Materials and Methods: the presentation will be focused on the materials design, synthesis, processing and characterization of the composite materials. Results: This presentation will be mainly focused on the evolution of the materials in the field, from compositional to morphological design including coatings and 3D printed grafts and loading these materials with specific active agents and drugs to use them in specific diseases such as osteoporosis, bone infection and cancer, etc. A special attention will be paid to the composite materials based on collagen and hydroxyapatite highlighting the influence of specific conditions that can alter their properties and certainly, the role of the loading agents. Considering the current trends at EU level, green and sustainability, circularity or blue approach are also exploited in developing bone grafting materials and to improve the properties and performances of the medical products. Conclusions: the overall performances of the materials used in hard tissue engineering are related to the composition and morphology while the presence of specific biological active agents can be essential in the treatment of specific bone-related diseases

Antitumoral materials with regenerative function obtained using a layer-by-layer technique

A layer-by layer technique was successfully used to obtain collagen/hydroxyapatite-magnetite-cisplatin (COLL/HA(n)-Fe(3)O(4)-CisPt, n=1–7) composite materials with a variable content of hydroxyapatite intended for use in the treatment of bone cancer. The main advantages of this system are the possibility of controlling the rate of delivery of cytostatic agents, the presence of collagen and hydroxyapatite to ensure more rapid healing of the injured bone tissue, and the potential for magnetite to be a passive antitumoral component that can be activated when an appropriate external electromagnetic field is applied. In vitro cytotoxicity assays performed on the COLL/HA(n)-Fe(3)O(4)-CisPt materials obtained using a layer-by layer method confirmed their antitumoral activity. Samples with a higher content of hydroxyapatite had more antitumoral activity because of their better absorption of cisplatin and consequently a higher amount of cisplatin being present in the matrices

Multifunctional materials for bone cancer treatment

The purpose of this review is to present the most recent findings in bone tissue engineering. Special attention is given to multifunctional materials based on collagen and collagen-hydroxyapatite composites used for skin and bone cancer treatments. The multi-functionality of these materials was obtained by adding to the base regenerative grafts proper components, such as ferrites (magnetite being the most important representative), cytostatics (cisplatin, carboplatin, vincristine, methotrexate, paclitaxel, doxorubicin), silver nanoparticles, antibiotics (anthracyclines, geldanamycin), and/or analgesics (ibuprofen, fentanyl). The suitability of complex systems for the intended applications was systematically analyzed. The developmental possibilities of multifunctional materials with regenerative and curative roles (antitumoral as well as pain management) in the field of skin and bone cancer treatment are discussed. It is worth mentioning that better materials are likely to be developed by combining conventional and unconventional experimental strategies

3D Propolis-Sodium Alginate Scaffolds: Influence on Structural Parameters, Release Mechanisms, Cell Cytotoxicity and Antibacterial Activity

FEN-C-YLP-130319-0065 BAPKO Project. UID/CTM/50025/2019In this study, the main aim was to fabricate propolis (Ps)-containing wound dressing patches using 3D printing technology. Different combinations and structures of propolis (Ps)-incorporated sodium alginate (SA) scaffolds were developed. The morphological studies showed that the porosity of developed scaffolds was optimized when 20% (v/v) of Ps was added to the solution. The pore sizes decreased by increasing Ps concentration up to a certain level due to its adhesive properties. The mechanical, swelling-degradation (weight loss) behaviors, and Ps release kinetics were highlighted for the scaffold stability. An antimicrobial assay was employed to test and screen antimicrobial behavior of Ps against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus strains. The results show that the Ps-added scaffolds have an excellent antibacterial activity because of Ps compounds. An in vitro cytotoxicity test was also applied on the scaffold by using the extract method on the human dermal fibroblasts (HFFF2) cell line. The 3D-printed SA-Ps scaffolds are very useful structures for wound dressing applications.publishersversionpublishe

The thermal stability of collagen extracted from the umbilical-placental complex

Background. Collagen is the most abundant protein in animals. As part of the extracellular matrix it presents a true material for biomedical applications due to its versatility [1, 2]. An essential parameter of collagen sponges obtained for tissue engineering is their thermal stability [4]. Material and methods. The collagen was extracted by the modified enzymatic method according to Jian et all. [3] from the umbilico-placental complex taken from the Human Tissue Bank. In the experimental groups the extracted collagen was purified using the surfactants like 1% EDTA, 0.1% SDS, 1% SDC, and 1% CHAPS. The unpurified extracted collagen served as control. The collagen sponges were obtained by freezing the extracted collagen in Petri dishes at -20°C and lyophilized in the VaCo II system (Zirbus, Germany). The thermal analysis TG-DSC for the precursors was performed with a Netzsch STA 449C Jupiter tool. The samples were placed in an open crucible made of alumina and heated with 10 K min-1 from room temperature up to 900°C, under the flow of 50 mL min-1 of dried air. An empty alumina crucible was used as reference. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS Version 23.0 statistic software package. The study was supported from the Project with No 23.70105.8007.01T: ”Obtaining and testing of composite biomaterials based on umbilical – placental collagen and hydroxyapatite for oral-maxillo-facial surgery”. Results. Based on the thermogram analysis, all samples lost their initial mass up to 150°C, the process being accompanied by an endothermic effect on the DSC curve. Most likely this process was caused by the loss of residual water molecules from the samples. In the range of 150-460°C, an oxidative degradation of the organic material took place, a mass loss being recorded. The process was accompanied by a series of partially overlapping exothermic effects. This indicates that there were several types of partial oxidation reactions of organic compounds, accompanied by the fragmentation of polymer chains. After 460°C, the total oxidation of the carbon residue left from the oxidative degradation of the previous stage, took place. A mass loss was also recorded, the process being accompanied by exothermic effects. Conclusion. When superimposing the results of the thermal analysis in the control and the experimental groups, the behavior was similar, thus indicating that the surfactants do not influence the thermal stability of the collagen