Nanotechnology for Better Future: Treatments and Preventions Using Nanomaterials and Nanoparticles

The study of the small-sized nanoparticles has revolutionized the field of medicine. Human knew the nanomaterials a long time ago. During the fourth-century, glass-makers used silver and gold nanoparticles to change the color of glass with changing the incident light. Recently, Feynman (1956) draw back the attention to the importance of nanomaterials when he said his famous words “there is plenty of room at the bottom” (Feynman, 1959). Since that time, scientists focused their effort on making the most out of nanostructures.

 Nanotechnology is the new scientific field that is based on very small materials that go up to an atomic scale. Nanomaterials are small materials with a size ranging between 0.1 to 100nm. Nanotechnology divides nano-systems into two categories; the first category is the nanomaterials and the second is the nano-devices (nano-tools). Nanomaterials are further subdivided into two classes, nano-crystalline, and nanostructure. The nanostructures are those materials such as metallic nanoparticles, dendrimers, and drug conjugates.  As studying the nano-scale structures was hard using the conventional method, tools and devices were developed for this propose. The nano-devices were further used because of their small size that can enters the human body, electronic biosensors, are one type of newly developed devices (Nikalje, 2015).

Medicine has harnessed the benefit of nanotechnology. Today, nanoparticles can be used for tagging and labeling cells. Nanotechnology made a breakthrough in overcoming the side effect of some drugs and also helped in lowering their doses (Salata, 2004).

Nanomaterials are used to encapsulate the drug and ensure that the drug reaches the targeted cell or organ. The drug delivery systems (DDS) are either lipid or polymer-based nanoparticles. The carrier lipid or hydrogel is synthesized in a way once DDS reach the desired site they release the drug. This was made possible by designing the carrier to respond to certain variation in pH, temperature or magnetic field. One interesting method used to trigger the carrier to release the drug is using light, the method of light releasing techniques offers high precision. The light techniques often controlled by altering different parameters such as wavelength, light intensity, beam diameter, or duration of exposure (Morgan). Bisby (1999) reported a method for the preparation of phospholipid that contains a photochromic sensitizer. The team controlled the release of trapped solute inside liposomes using a fast UV laser pulse, the sensitizer concentration and temperature were controlled to allow the sensitizer at the certain condition to destabilize the lipid bilayer of the liposomes and release the trapped solution (Bisby, 1999).

In recent years, metallic nanoparticles are used in medicine either for early diagnosis or for therapeutic use. The nanoparticles are interesting materials in medicine due to the ability to control their size, shape and tunable optical properties.  In a study, gold nanoparticles conjugated to anti-FR antibodies proved to be a successful method in labeling cancer cells for early detection of the tumor cells. A team of researcher took advantage of the malignant cells sensitivity to laser energy, they focused light that can kill tumor cells without affecting the normal cells. The ability of gold nanoparticles to strongly absorb light give an advantage in using gold nanoparticles in plasmonic photothermal therapy (Huang). The gold nanoparticles no-bleaching character made it possible to use gold nanoparticles in imaging, and detecting the cancer biomarker proteins (Choi, 2010). 

Nano-medicine took a step further in using nanotechnology, some efforts are made to use nanoparticles in disease prevention. Zhang (2016) reported the use of nanoparticles derived from edible ginger (GDNPs 2) in the prevention, and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, and colitis-associated cancer. The nontoxic nanoparticles showed to enhance intestinal repair that helped in the prevention of chronic-colitis, and colitis associated cancer (Zhang, 2016).

Smart electronic sensors are used for an early immediate diagnosis, the small nano-devices can be attached or implanted under the skin to detect any change in the body. The nano-devices can detect the change of heartbeats and blood pressure by the sampling of volatile organic compounds and monitor any changes, the small devices can be powered by solar cells or by nanogenerator (Jin, 2016).

There is a long way for the human to control and fully understand nanostructures. The journey is in the beginning for scientists to use nanotechnology in a more promising future. 

By:

Dr. Rania S. Seoudi

References

Bisby, R. H. (1999). Fast laser-induced solute release from liposomes sensitized with photochromic lipid: effects of temperature, lipid host, and sensitizer concentration. Biochemical and biophysical research communications, 262(2), 406-410.

Choi, Y. K. (2010). Nanotechnology for early cancer detection. Sensors, 10(1), 428-455.

Feynman, R. (1959). Plenty of Room at the Bottom.

Huang, X. P.-S.-S. (2007). Gold nanoparticles: interesting optical properties and recent applications in cancer diagnostics and therapy. Nanomedicine, 2(5), 681-693.

Jin, H. H. (2016). Self-healable sensors based nanoparticles for detecting physiological markers via skin and breath: toward disease prevention via wearable devices. Nano letters, 16(7), 4194-4202.

Morgan, C. G. (1995). Liposome fusion and lipid exchange on ultraviolet irradiation of liposomes containing a photochromic phospholipid . Photochemistry and photobiology, 62(1), 24-29.

Nikalje, A. (2015). Nanotechnology and its applications in medicine. Med chem, 5(2), 081-089.

Salata, O. (2004). Applications of nanoparticles in biology and medicine. Journal of nanobiotechnology, 2(1), 1-6.

Wang, Z. Z. (2012). Progress in nanogenerators for portable electronics. Materials today, 15(12), 532-543.

Zhang, M. V. (2016). Edible ginger-derived nanoparticles: A novel therapeutic approach for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and colitis-associated cancer. Biomaterials, 101, 321-340.