Polysaccharide Based Nanoparticles

Konjac glucomannan-based composite materials: Construction, biomedical applications, and prospects

Konjac glucomannan (KGM) as an emerging natural polymer has attracted increasing interests owing to its film-forming properties, excellent gelation, non-toxic characteristics, strong adhesion, good biocompatibility, and easy biodegradability. Benefiting from these superior performances, KGM has been widely applied in the construction of multiple composite materials to further improve their intrinsic performances (e.g., mechanical strength and properties). Up to now, KGM-based composite materials have obtained widespread applications in diverse fields, especially in the field of biomedical. Therefore, a timely review of relevant research progresses is important for promoting the development of KGM-based composite materials. Innovatively, firstly, this review briefly introduced the structure properties and functions of KGMs based on the unique perspective of the biomedical field. Then, the latest advances on the preparation and properties of KGM-based composite materials (i.e., gels, microspheres, films, nanofibers, nanoparticles, etc.) were comprehensively summarized. Finally, the promising applications of KGM-based composite materials in the field of biomedical are comprehensively summarized and discussed, involving drug delivery, wound healing, tissue engineering, antibacterial, tumor treatment, etc. Impressively, the remaining challenges and opportunities in this promising field were put forward. This review can provide a reference for guiding and promoting the design and biomedical applications of KGM-based composites.

An update review on biopolymer Xanthan gum: Properties, modifications, nanoagrochemicals, and its versatile applications in sustainable agriculture

During the development of green agriculture and pesticide use, "reducing pesticides use and improving control efficiency" is imperative. To date, new pesticide formulations created by nanotechnology can be expected to overcome the difficulties that cannot be solved by the traditional pesticide processes and make pesticide formulations close to the needs of green agricultural production. As natural polysaccharides, Xanthan gum (XG) charactered by a repeated units and side chain of d-glucose, d-mannose, and d-glucuronic acid, and thereby having the unprecedented features in response to wide practice in various fields. This review introduces the properties of the natural polymer XG and its current status of application in agriculture, focusing on the pesticide adjuvant and preparation of novel pesticide and fertilizer delivery systems (such as core-shell and hydrogel), and combined with the applications in mulch film and soil engineering. Furthermore, the properties of Xantho-oligosaccharides suitable for agriculture were discussed. Finally, the potential of XG for the creation of nanopesticides and its future prospects are highlighted. Taken together, XG's excellent performance endows it with a wide range of applications in the agriculture field, and result in strong stimulating the sustainable development of agriculture and evolution of agricultural industry.

Enhancement of Oral Bioavailability of Protein and Peptide by Polysaccharide-based Nanoparticles

Oral drug delivery is a prevalent and cost-effective method due to its advantages, such as increased drug absorption surface area and improved patient compliance. However, delivering proteins and peptides orally remains a challenge due to their vulnerability to degradation by digestive enzymes, stomach acids, and limited intestinal membrane permeability, resulting in poor bioavailability. The use of nanotechnology has emerged as a promising solution to enhance the bioavailability of these vital therapeutic agents. Polymeric NPs, made from natural or synthetic polymers, are commonly used. Natural polysaccharides, such as alginate, chitosan, dextran, starch, pectin, etc., have gained preference due to their biodegradability, biocompatibility, and versatility in encapsulating various drug types. Their hydrophobic-hydrophilic properties can be tailored to suit different drug molecules.

Advancement in Biopolymer Assisted Cancer Theranostics

Applications of nanotechnology have increased the importance of research and nanocarriers, which have revolutionized the method of drug delivery to treat several diseases, including cancer, in the past few years. Cancer, one of the world's fatal diseases, has drawn scientists' attention for its multidrug resistance to various chemotherapeutic drugs. To minimize the side effects of chemotherapeutic agents on healthy cells and to develop technological advancement in drug delivery systems, scientists have developed an alternative approach to delivering chemotherapeutic drugs at the targeted site by integrating it inside the nanocarriers like synthetic polymers, nanotubes, micelles, dendrimers, magnetic nanoparticles, quantum dots (QDs), lipid nanoparticles, nano-biopolymeric substances, etc., which has shown promising results in both preclinical and clinical trials of cancer management. Besides that, nanocarriers, especially biopolymeric nanoparticles, have received much attention from researchers due to their cost-effectiveness, biodegradability, treatment efficacy, and ability to target drug delivery by crossing the blood-brain barrier. This review emphasizes the fabrication processes, the therapeutic and theragnostic applications, and the importance of different biopolymeric nanocarriers in targeting cancer both in vitro and in vivo, which conclude with the challenges and opportunities of future exploration using biopolymeric nanocarriers in onco-therapy with improved availability and reduced toxicity.

Synthesis and Characterization of Conjugated Hyaluronic Acids. Application to Stability Studies of Chitosan-Hyaluronic Acid Nanogels Based on Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer

Hyaluronic acid (HA) was functionalized with a series of amino synthons (octylamine, polyethylene glycol amine, trifluoropropyl amine, rhodamine). Sodium hyaluronate (HAs) was first converted into its protonated form (HAp) and the reaction was conducted in DMSO by varying the initial ratio (-NH2 (synthon)/COOH (HAp)). HA derivatives were characterized by a combination of techniques (FTIR, 1H NMR, 1D diffusion-filtered 19F NMR, DOSY experiments), and degrees of substitution (DSHA) varying from 0.3% to 47% were determined, according to the grafted synthon. Nanohydrogels were then obtained by ionic gelation between functionalized hyaluronic acids and chitosan (CS) and tripolyphosphate (TPP) as a cross-linker. Nanohydrogels for which HA and CS were respectively labeled by rhodamine and fluorescein which are a fluorescent donor-acceptor pair were subjected to FRET experiments to evaluate the stability of these nano-assemblies.

Polysaccharide-based nanomedicines for cancer immunotherapy: A review

Cancer immunotherapy is an effective antitumor approach through activating immune systems to eradicate tumors by immunotherapeutics. However, direct administration of "naked" immunotherapeutic agents (such as nucleic acids, cytokines, adjuvants or antigens without delivery vehicles) often results in: (1) an unsatisfactory efficacy due to suboptimal pharmacokinetics; (2) strong toxic and side effects due to low targeting (or off-target) efficiency. To overcome these shortcomings, a series of polysaccharide-based nanoparticles have been developed to carry immunotherapeutics to enhance antitumor immune responses with reduced toxicity and side effects. Polysaccharides are a family of natural polymers that hold unique physicochemical and biological properties, as they could interact with immune system to stimulate an enhanced immune response. Their structures offer versatility in synthesizing multifunctional nanocomposites, which could be chemically modified to achieve high stability and bioavailability for delivering therapeutics into tumor tissues. This review aims to highlight recent advances in polysaccharide-based nanomedicines for cancer immunotherapy and propose new perspectives on the use of polysaccharide-based immunotherapeutics.

Natural polymeric nanocarriers in malignant glioma drug delivery and targeting

Among all central nervous diseases, malignant glioma is a crucial part that deserves more attention since high fatality and disability rate. There are several therapeutic strategies applied to the treatment of malignant glioma, especially certain chemotherapy-related treatments. However, the existence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) seriously hinders the strategy's progress, so how to escape from the barriers is a fascinating question. Herein, we comprehensively discussed the details of malignant glioma and the BBB's functional morphology and summarized several routes bypassing the BBB. Additionally, since possessing excellent properties for drug delivery, we provided an insight into various promising natural polymeric materials and highlighted their applications in the treatment of malignant glioma.