This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The research group at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia in Pontedera (Pisa), led by Gianni Ciofani, has developed new organic nanoparticles that combine multiple therapeutic functions in a single material for the first time. They can be heated with infrared light, release antioxidant substances and electrically stimulate cells when activated by ultrasound.
These are the new nanoparticles designed and produced by a research group at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia) with the aim of providing nanomedicine with a versatile therapeutic tool. This is the first time three properties—piezoelectric, photothermal and antioxidant—have been combined in a single organic structure measuring 500 nanometers. Described in the international journal ACS Nano, the new nanoparticles could be used to modulate cellular activity, with potential applications in oncology and the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
The study was conducted within the framework of "Technologies for Healthy Living," one of IIT's Flagship programs, which aims to investigate and develop health technologies capable of precisely activating and delivering the required therapies. IIT Ph.D. students enrolled at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa and researchers from the Italian National Institute of Metrological Research (INRiM) in Turin also contributed to the work. The research was coordinated by Ciofani, head of the Smart Bio-Interfaces research group and coordinator of IIT's Center for Materials Interfaces in Pontedera (Pisa).
His research focuses on the development of smart nanomaterials for nanomedicine and microphysiological systems, as well as nanomedicine under altered-gravity conditions. The new nanoparticles are produced by processing polydopamine, a linear chain of dopamine molecules. Dopamine acts as a neurotransmitter in our brain.
On its own, dopamine is a small molecule, but when it binds to other identical molecules, it forms an adhesive polymer known as polydopamine, which is already used in biomedicine because of its compatibility with human tissues. Until now, this organic material had been studied in the form of spherical nanoparticles. In the work conducted by Ciofani and his group, however, it was shaped into nanotubes: hollow structures approximately one-seventieth the length of a grain of sand, with a diameter about 500 times smaller than that of a human hair.
The study showed that changing the shape of the structure also changes its properties. One of the new characteristics is piezoelectricity: When mechanically stimulated, polydopamine generates an electric current. The researchers induced vibrations in the nanotubes using ultrasound, creating a kind of wireless "electrode" that can be implanted in tissues and controlled remotely.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
