Abstract
In recent years, there has been significant growth and burgeoning interest in utilizing nanoparticles for various biomedical applications, including medical diagnostics, targeted drug delivery, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and biomedical textiles. In particular, nanoparticles functionalized with biological molecules have unique properties and are very effective in medical diagnostics. Besides that, nanoparticles have a wide range of therapeutic applications, including the development of nanodrug delivery systems, the design of novel drugs, as well as their contribution to the design of therapeutic materials. This chapter provides an overview of recent advancements in the biomedical applications of nanoparticles. Finally, this chapter discusses the challenges of the toxicological evaluation of engineered nanoparticles and the importance of conducting detailed studies on the synthesis of future nanomaterials to develop cutting-edge technologies for addressing a wide range of biomedical issues.
TopBackground
Nanomaterials of various sorts have numerous applications in the biomedical domain (Figure 1), particularly in biomaterials as implants and prostheses, tissue engineering, biomedical textiles, regenerative medicine, drug delivery, imaging, and diagnostics, due to their nanometric size and ease of integration into the biological system (Jiang et al., 2021).
Figure 1. Biomedical applications of nanoparticles.
Nanomaterials can be obtained from various sources, including plants, microbes, chemicals, nonmetals, and metals. Even though non-metallic and metallic Nps have been more widely employed in various nanotechnology-based therapeutics, Nps consisting of proteins and lipids are becoming more popular as nanocarriers for drug delivery. Currently, a wide range of nanomedicine products is being developed and manufactured, with the majority of them being used to treat cancer and microbial infections.
TopDrug Delivery
An emerging area in which nanomaterials have started to play an important role is “drug delivery” at the cellular level (He et al., 2021). This approach of administering the active substance enhances the drug’s pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties, resulting in rapid absorption and dissolution kinetics, allowing the target drug to be transported to the target tissue. A targeted drug delivery system can efficiently deliver drugs to target cells at a sustained rate over time, improving patient adherence and prolonging drug life cycles. On the other hand, nano-delivery systems have many pharmacokinetic benefits, including increased membrane permeability, bioavailability, and stability. The modified physicochemical properties of nanodrugs, including solubility, size, and surface charge, enable them to enter specific sites via endocytotic processes.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Dendrimers: It is a synthetic polymer with a chain structure that branches frequently, producing spherical macromolecules.
Textiles: A textile is a flexible material created by interlacing a network of yarns or threads spun from raw fibres into long and twisted lengths.
Biosensor: A biosensor is an analytical instrument that integrates a biological component with a physicochemical detector to detect a chemical molecule.
Nanocomposites: A nanocomposite is a multiphase solid substance in which at least one phase has 1D, 2D or 3D of less than 100 nm, or structures with nanoscale repeat intervals between the material's constituent phases.
Tissue Engineering: Tissue engineering is a branch of bioengineering that combines cells, engineering, materials science, and appropriate biochemical and physicochemical aspects in order to repair, maintain, enhance, or replace many kinds of biological tissues.
Drug Delivery: The technique or process by which a pharmaceutical substance is administered to produce a therapeutic effect in people or animals is referred to as drug delivery.
Nanoparticles: A nanoparticle or ultrafine particle is often described as a particle with a diameter of between one and one hundred nanometres.