Zwitterionic-based amphiphile coated Graphene Oxide nanostructures for chemo-photothermal therapy of breast cancer.

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Polyester-based photocrosslinkable bioadhesives for wound closure and tissue regeneration support

Publication . Santos, M.; Cernadas, T.; Martins, P.; P. Miguel, Sónia; Correia, I.J.; Alves, P.; Ferreira, P.

Photocrosslinkable surgical adhesives provide many advantages when compared with traditional methods used in wound closure. This work aimed to develop UV-curable biodegradable adhesives based on lactic acid and PCL oligomers. Both materials were functionalized with 2-isocyanatoethyl acrylate (AOI). Subsequently, the photoinitiator (Irgacure® 2959) was added to the blend and then, the final materials were irradiated under UV light for two different times: 30 s and 2 min. After production of adhesives, its physicochemical properties were evaluated through FTIR-ATR and TGA, as well as its rheology, dynamic water contact angle, swelling capacity and hydrolytic degradation. Furthermore, the biocompatibility of the produced adhesives was also characterized in contact with human dermal fibroblasts cells. The antimicrobial activity of the materials was assessed by using Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, as bacterial models.

2021Journal article

Open access

Overview of the application of inorganic nanomaterials in cancer photothermal therapy

Publication . Fernandes, Natanael; Rodrigues, Ana Carolina Félix; Moreira, André F.; Correia, I.J.

Cancer photothermal therapy (PTT) has captured the attention of researchers worldwide due to its localized and trigger-activated therapeutic effect. In this field, nanomaterials capable of converting the energy of the irradiation light into heat have been showing promising results in several pre-clinical and clinical assays. Such a therapeutic modality takes advantage of the innate capacity of nanomaterials to accumulate in the tumor tissue and their capacity to interact with NIR laser irradiation to exert a therapeutic effect. Therefore, several nanostructures composed of different materials and organizations for mediating a photothermal effect have been developed. In this review, the most common inorganic nanomaterials, such as gold, carbon-based materials, tungsten, copper, molybdenum, and iron oxide, which have been explored for mediating a tumor-localized photothermal effect, are summarized. Moreover, the physicochemical parameters of nanoparticles that influence the PTT effectiveness are discussed and the recent clinical advances involving inorganic nanomaterial-mediated cancer photothermal therapy are also presented.

2020-04-15Journal article

Open access