Advances in nanotechnology have favored the development of novel colloidal formulations able to modulate the pharmacological and biopharmaceutical properties of drugs. The peculiar physico-chemical and technological properties of nanomaterial-based therapeutics have allowed for several successful applications in the treatment of cancer. The size, shape, charge and patterning of nanoscale therapeutic molecules are parameters that need to be investigated and modulated in order to promote and optimize cell and tissue interaction. In this review, the use of polymeric nanoparticles as drug delivery systems of anticancer compounds, their physico-chemical properties and their ability to be efficiently localized in specific tumor tissues have been described. The nanoencapsulation of antitumor active compounds in polymeric systems is a promising approach to improve the efficacy of various tumor treatments.

Poloxamer 407, also known by the trademark Pluronic^® F127, is a water-soluble, non-ionic triblock copolymer that is made up of a hydrophobic residue of polyoxypropylene (POP) between the two hydrophilic units of polyoxyethylene (POE). Poloxamer 407-based hydrogels exhibit an interesting reversible thermal characteristic. That is, they are liquid at room temperature, but they assume a gel form when administered at body temperature, which makes them attractive candidates as pharmaceutical drug carriers. These systems have been widely investigated in the development of mucoadhesive formulations because they do not irritate the mucosal membranes. Based on these mucoadhesive properties, a simple administration into a specific compartment should maintain the required drug concentration in situ for a prolonged period of time, decreasing the necessary dosages and side effects. Their main limitations are their modest mechanical strength and, notwithstanding their bioadhesive properties, their tendency to succumb to rapid elimination in physiological media. Various technological approaches have been investigated in the attempt to modulate these properties. This review focuses on the application of poloxamer 407-based hydrogels for mucosal drug delivery with particular attention being paid to the latest published works.

Bone defects pose a heavy burden on patients, orthopedic surgeons, and public health resources. Various pathological conditions cause bone defects including trauma, tumors, inflammation, osteoporosis, and so forth. Auto‐ and allograft transplantation have been developed as the most commonly used clinic treatment methods, among which autologous bone grafts are the golden standard. Yet the repair of bone defects, especially large‐volume defects in the geriatric population or those complicated with systemic disease, is still a challenge for regenerative medicine from the clinical perspective. The fast development of biomaterials and nanomedicine favors the emergence and promotion of efficient bone regeneration therapies. In this review, we briefly summarize the progress of novel biomaterial and nanomedical approaches to bone regeneration and then discuss the current challenges that still hinder their clinical applications in treating bone defects.

Pegylation of nanoparticles has been widely implemented in the field of drug delivery to prevent macrophage clearance and increase drug accumulation at a target site. However, the shielding effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) is usually incomplete and transient, due to loss of nanoparticle integrity upon systemic injection. Here, we have synthesized unique PEG-dendron-phospholipid constructs that form super stealth liposomes (SSLs). A β-glutamic acid dendron anchor was used to attach a PEG chain to several distearoyl phosphoethanolamine lipids, thereby differing from conventional stealth liposomes where a PEG chain is attached to a single phospholipid. This composition was shown to increase liposomal stability, prolong the circulation half-life, improve the biodistribution profile and enhance the anticancer potency of a drug payload (doxorubicin hydrochloride).