Current Bionanotechnology (Discontinued) - Volume 2, Issue 1, 2016

The immune system recognizes non-self-entities and decides whether they present a danger that requires defensive action. This is, for practical purposes, an assessment of nanosafety. The intense interaction between immune system components and nanoparticles also suggests a fruitful perspective for medical exploitation.

The complement system is a central constituent of innate immunity orchestrating and bridging various responses during immune and inflammatory reactions. As such, the role of complement system in nanomedicine, in terms of functionality and performance, is multifaceted. This commentary considers the role of complement in regulation and synchronization of 1) nanoparticle opsonisation and macrophage clearance, 2) nano Read More

The different modes in which small and large molecules can be associated to a nanoparticle surface, either covalently or loosely linked, in an ordered or disordered fashion, and with mixtures of other molecules, play a determining role in the nature of the interactions between nano-objects and the immune system. The immune system may detect or not detect the nanoparticles, and tolerate them or initiate a defensi Read More

Allergic diseases are among the most prevalent immune-mediated diseases, with incidences of well over 20% of the population in industrialized countries. Nevertheless, the question of whether allergies should be considered as a risk factor for exposure to nanomaterials has rarely been addressed. Experimental studies have attempted to improve allergy therapy by combining allergens with various nanomaterials, which Read More

The immune response of the host tissue to the tested biomaterial predicts the success of implantation therapy success. Connective tissue cell line SaOS-2 and mononuclear cells isolated from “buffy coat” testing determines the overall immune response to the implanted biomaterial. Alginate hydrogel coatings doped with inorganic hydroxyapatite (Ti/Alg/HAP) or beta-tricalcium phosphate (Ti/Alg/TCP) nanoparticles on Titanium Read More

Nanotechnologies in medicine play a growing role in the development of innovative vaccines and therapeutic immunomodulatory agents. By varying their composition, size, shape, and surface properties, it is possible to obtain a vast range of nanocarriers highly efficient in targeting specific organs, tissues or cells for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Antibodies, anti-inflammatory drugs, adjuvants, DNA, proteins a Read More

The widespread and increasing use of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) increases the risk of exposure by human beings. This notion has generated concern that ENMs may give rise to adverse health effects. Toxicity of ENMs is determined by both physical aspects and chemical composition. The immune system may respond to ENMs, amongst others by inflammatory reactions. Among the mechanisms underlyin Read More

Enormous progress in the field of vaccine development has moved the area from traditional vaccines using whole microorganisms to subunit vaccines containing only purified or modified antigenic proteins. The low immunogenic potentials of subunit vaccines compared to live attenuated pathogens, have prompted the research towards developing new adjuvants with the ability to mimic and enhance the innate and adapti Read More

Infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) are a major cause of deaths worldwide. These intracellular pathogens regulate the innate immune response allowing for pathogen survival, persistence and further transmission. Nanoparticles provide an opportunity for the targeted delivery of immune modulating signals to host cells, harnessing the innate immune system to eradicate infection. In this review Read More