Erythromycin (ERY) is a macrolide compound with a broad antimicrobial spectrum which is currently being used to treat a large number of bacterial infections affecting the skin, respiratory tract, intestines, bones and other systems, proving great value from a clinical point of view. It became popular immediately after its discovery in 1952, due to its therapeutic effect against pathogens resistant to other drugs. Despite this major advantage, ERY exhibits several drawbacks, raising serious clinical challenges. Among them, the very low solubility in water and instability under acidic conditions cause a limited efficacy and bioavailability. Apart from this, higher doses promote drug resistance and undesirable effects. In order to overcome these disadvantages, during the past decades, a large variety of ERY formulations, including nanoparticles, have emerged. Despite the interest in ERY-(nano)formulations, a review on them is lacking. Therefore, this work was aimed at reviewing all efforts made to encapsulate ERY in formulations of various chemical compositions, sizes and morphologies. In addition, their preparation/synthesis, physico-chemical properties and performances were carefully analysed. Limitations of these studies, particularly the quantification of ERY, are discussed as well.

This study delves into the intricate interaction between DNA and nanosystems, exploring its potential implications for biomedical applications. The focus lies in understanding the adsorption geometry of DNA when in proximity to plasmonic nanoparticles, utilizing ultrasensitive vibrational spectroscopy techniques. Employing a combined Raman-SERS analysis, we conducted an in-depth examination to clarify the molecular geometry of interactions between DNA and silver nanoparticles. Our findings also reveal distinctive spectral features regarding DNA samples due to their distinctive genome stability. To understand the subtle differences occurring between normal and cancerous DNA, their thermal stability was investigated by means of SERS measurement performed before and after a thermal treatment at 94 °C. It was proved that thermal treatment did not affect DNA integrity in the case of normal cells. On the other hand, due to epimutation pattern that characterizes cancerous DNA, variations between spectra recorded before and after heat treatment were observed, suggesting genome instability. These findings highlight the potential of DNA analysis using SERS for cancer detection. They demonstrate the applicability of this approach to overcoming challenges associated with low DNA concentrations (e.g., circulating tumor DNA) that occur in biofluids. In conclusion, this research contributes significant insights into the nanoscale behavior of DNA in the presence of nanosystems.

This contribution discusses the design of bionanocomposites based on chitosan and MgAl layered double hydroxides (LDH) for cancer therapy. Compared to other studies, our approach was to pre-adsorb the metal chloride precursors of LDH on chitosan while the solution of metal precursors with and without H⁺ provided the acidic environment for polymer dissolution. The structure, morphology and chemical composition of the bionanocomposites were characterized by XRD, FTIR, TG, etc. Our approach led to an outstanding control of size, morphology, and dispersion of LDH crystallites, alongside enhanced resistance of chitosan to the enzymatic degradation. The obtained LDH particles display a quasi-hexagonal shape and homogenous size distribution averaging 120 nm. A mechanism of synthesis was proposed. The ability of the bionanocomposite to carry a drug was proved by loading a chemotherapeutic agent, fluorouracil (FU). The release of FU followed a behavior like that observed for pure LDH, indicating a selective localization of FU in the LDH constituent of the bionanocomposite. The biocompatibility and therapeutic effects of bionanocomposites were tested on two human breast cancer lines, one human osteosarcoma line, and one rat colon adenocarcinoma cell line. Results proved the biocompatibility of FU-free bionanocomposites, and cytotoxicity and selectivity against various cancer cells for FU-loaded bionanocomposites.