Encapsulation of Metal and Metal Oxide Nanoparticles by Nutraceuticals: Implications for Biological Activities

Background:: The concept of nutraceuticals has gained increased interest recently as it is based on using natural substances for therapeutic applications. However, limitations such as low bioavailability have restricted the use of these substances thus far. Nanoencapsulation of nutraceuticals has been proposed as a promising solution to circumvent such issues by increasing their bioavailability and targeting their release. Metal and metal oxide nanoparticles are amongst the inorganic nanocarriers that have been studied for their ability to encapsulate nutraceuticals. Objectives:: The aim of this article is to provide an overview of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles and their synthesis and applications. Furthermore, the conjugation of these nanoparticles with nutraceuticals will be discussed along with their potential applications. Conclusion:: It has been observed that the conjugation of nutraceuticals with metal nanoparticles resulted in the cumulative properties of both these factors with increased effectiveness. Such advancements are crucial for nutraceutical use in important theranostic applications that combine diagnosis and therapy.

Multifunctionalized carbon nanotubes as advanced multimodal nanomaterials for biomedical applications

The increasing importance of nanotechnology in the field of biomedical applications has encouraged the development of new nanomaterials endowed with multiple functions. Novel nanoscale drug delivery systems with diagnostic, imaging and therapeutic properties hold many promises for the treatment of different types of diseases, including cancer, infection and neurodegenerative syndromes. Functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are one of the most recent type of nanomaterial developed in biomedicine as they can be designed and imparted with multimodal capabilities. Indeed, the possibility of inserting different functionalities on CNTs is opening the possibility to exploit them on new strategies that combine diagnosis with improved therapeutic efficacies. In this review, we describe the different approaches that have been recently developed to generate multifunctionalized CNTs for biomedical applications. In particular, covalent and non-covalent double and triple functionalization methods are discussed, putting in evidence their use in vitro and in vivo and highlighting the advantages and the drawbacks of these new systems. Preclinical studies have demonstrated that multifunctional CNTs are highly promising when combining diagnostic, imaging and therapeutic modalities.