Black phosphorus is one of the emerging members of two-dimensional (2D) materials which has recently entered the biomedical field. Its anisotropic properties and infrared bandgap have enabled researchers to discover its applicability in several fields including optoelectronics, 3D printing, bioimaging, and others. Characterization techniques such as Raman spectroscopy have revealed the structural information of Black phosphorus (BP) along with its fundamental properties, such as the behavior of its photons and electrons. The present review provides an overview of synthetic approaches and properties of BP, in addition to a detailed discussion about various types of surface modifications available for overcoming the stability-related drawbacks and for imparting targeting ability to synthesized nanoplatforms. The review further gives an overview of multiple characterization techniques such as spectroscopic, thermal, optical, and electron microscopic techniques for providing an insight into its fundamental properties. These characterization techniques are not only important for the analysis of the synthesized BP but also play a vital role in assessing the doping as well as the structural integrity of BP-based nanocomposites. The potential role of BP and BP-based nanocomposites for biomedical applications specifically, in the fields of drug delivery, 3D printing, and wound dressing, have been discussed in detail to provide an insight into the multifunctional role of BP-based nanoplatforms for the management of various diseases, including cancer therapy. The review further sheds light on the role of BP-based 2D platforms such as BP nanosheets along with BP-based 0D platforms—i.e., BP quantum dots in the field of therapy and bioimaging of cancer using techniques such as photoacoustic imaging and fluorescence imaging. Although the review inculcates the multimodal therapeutic as well as imaging role of BP, there is still research going on in this field which will help in the development of BP-based theranostic platforms not only for cancer therapy, but various other diseases.

The therapeutic effectiveness of the most widely used anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is constrained by its high metabolism, short half-life, and rapid drug resistance after chemotherapy. Although various nanodrug delivery systems have been reported for skin cancer therapy, their retention, penetration and targeting are still a matter of concern. Hence, in the current study, a topical gel formulation that contains a metal-organic framework (zeolitic imidazole framework; ZIF-8) loaded with 5-FU and a surface modified with sonidegib (SDG; acting as a therapeutic agent as well as a targeting ligand) (5-FU@ZIF-8 MOFs) is developed against DMBA-UV-induced BCC skin cancer in rats. The MOFs were prepared using one-pot synthesis followed by post drug loading and SDG conjugation. The optimized MOFs were incorporated into hyaluronic acid-hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose gel and further subjected to characterization. Enhanced skin deposition of the 5-FU@ZIF-8-SDG MOFs was observed using ex vivo skin permeation studies. Confocal laser microscopy studies showed that 5-FU@ZIF-8-SDG MOFs permeated the skin via the transfollicular pathway. The 5-FU@ZIF-8-SDG MOFs showed stronger cell growth inhibition in A431 cells and good biocompatibility with HaCaT cells. Histopathological studies showed that the efficacy of the optimized MOF gels improved as the epithelial cells manifested modest hyperplasia, nuclear pleomorphism, and dyskeratosis. Additionally, immunohistochemistry and protein expression studies demonstrated the improved effectiveness of the 5-FU@ZIF-8-SDG MOFs, which displayed a considerable reduction in the expression of Bcl-2 protein. Overall, the developed MOF gels showed good potential for the targeted delivery of multifunctional MOFs in topical formulations for treating BCC cancer.

Iron-based metal-organic frameworks (MIL (101)) have recently gained attention in materials science for biomedical applications. In the present work, Iron-based MOF (MIL-101(Fe)) were coated with lactoferrin (Lf) conjugated with hyaluronic acid (HA) and investigated its potential for delivering 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), along with assessing the toxicity profile. The synthesised nanoparticles were extensively characterised using spectroscopic, X-Ray, thermal and electron microscopic techniques. 5-FU was loaded into MOFs, and the drug-loading efficiency and drug release pattern were studied, along with stability testing in pH and serum protein. The toxicity of MIL-101(Fe) was assessed using both in vitro and in vivo techniques such as the haemolysis assay, cell viability assay and acute and subacute toxicity studies in animals. In silico molecular simulation was done to assess the Lf and Tf interaction. The molecular interaction of Lf with Transferrin (Tf) showed strong molecular interaction and negligible fluctuation in the RMSD (root mean square deviation) values. The MOFs were stable and demonstrated sustained drug release patterns. The in vitro cell studies demonstrated biocompatibility and enhanced cellular internalisation of MOFs. The in vivo toxicity studies supported the in vitro results. The synthesised MOFs demonstrated potential as a targeted delivery platform for cancer targeting.

Microorganisms are the major cause for the failure of root canal treatment, due to the penetration ability within the root anatomy. However, irrigation regimens have at times failed due to the biofilm mode of bacterial growth. Liposomes are vesicular structures of the phospholipids which might help in better penetration efficiency into dentinal tubules and in increasing the antibacterial efficacy. Methods: In the present work, chlorhexidine liposomes were formulated. Liposomal chlorhexidine was characterized by size, zeta potential, and cryo-electron microscope (Cryo-EM). Twenty-one single-rooted premolars were extracted and irrigated with liposomal chlorhexidine and 2% chlorhexidine solution to evaluate the depth of penetration. In vitro cytotoxicity study was performed for liposomal chlorhexidine on the L929 mouse fibroblast cell line. Results: The average particle size of liposomes ranged from 48 ± 4.52 nm to 223 ± 3.63 nm with a polydispersity index value of <0.4. Cryo-EM microscopic images showed spherical vesicular structures. Depth of penetration of liposomal chlorhexidine was higher in the coronal, middle, and apical thirds of roots compared with plain chlorhexidine in human extracted teeth when observed under the confocal laser scanning microscope. The pure drug exhibited a cytotoxic concentration at which 50% of the cells are dead after a drug exposure (IC₅₀) value of 12.32 ± 3.65 µg/mL and 29.04 ± 2.14 µg/mL (on L929 and 3T3 cells, respectively) and liposomal chlorhexidine exhibited an IC₅₀ value of 37.9 ± 1.05 µg/mL and 85.24 ± 3.22 µg/mL (on L929 and 3T3 cells, respectively). Discussion: Antimicrobial analysis showed a decrease in colony counts of bacteria when treated with liposomal chlorhexidine compared with 2% chlorhexidine solution. Nano-liposomal novel chlorhexidine was less cytotoxic when treated on mouse fibroblast L929 cells and more effective as an antimicrobial agent along with higher penetration ability.

Novel N – triazolyl 3(a-f) and O-triazolyl (4a-f) derivatives of 4, 6-diaryl-1, 4-dihydropyrimidines were synthesized through mannich reaction. All compounds were characterized by physical and spectral data. These compounds were screened for in vitro efficiency in human breast cancer cell (MCF-7&MDA-MB-231) lines and found to have very good anti-proliferative activity. Among all compounds of 4b, 3e, 4e endowed with lesser respective IC50 values of 31.94, 55.73, 55.03 µM in MCF-7 cells and 41.50, 35.28, 32.06 µM in MDA-MB 231 cells by MTT assay. In further studies, Compounds 4b, 3e, 4e were found to arrest cell growth at S phase in MCF-7 cells. In MDA-MB 231 cells, 4b, 4e were found to arrest the cells in S phase, and compound 3e found to arrest G2/M phase when compared to the standard drug tamoxifen, arrested S phase in MCF-7 cells and G0/G1 phase in MDA-MB 231 cells.