Nanomedicine is, generally, the application of nanotechnology to medicine. The term nanomedicine includes monitoring, construction of novel drug delivery systems, and any possible future applications of nanotechnology and nanovaccinology. In this review, the most important ligand-nanocarrier and drug-nanocarrier bioconjugations are described. The detailed characterizations of covalently formed bonds between targeted ligand and nanocarrier, including amide, thioether, disulfide, acetyl-hydrazone and polycyclic groups, are described. Also, the coupling of small elements and heteroatoms in the form of R-X-R the “click chemistry” groups is shown. Physical adsorption and chemical bonding of drug to nanocarrier surface involving drug on the internal or external surfaces of nanocarriers are described throughout possibility of the formation of the above-mentioned functionalities. Moreover, the most popular nanostructures (liposomes, micelles, polymeric nanoparticles, dendrimers, carbon nanotubes, and nanohorns) are characterized as nanocarriers. Building of modern drug carrier is a new method which could be effectively applied in targeted anticancer therapy.

In general, detection of peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) occurs at the late stage when there is no treatment option. In the present study, we designed novel drug delivery systems that are functionalized with anti-CD133 antibodies. The C1, C2 and C3 complexes with cisplatin were introduced into nanotubes, either physically or chemically. The complexes were reacted with anti-CD133 antibody to form the labeled product of A0-o-CX-chem-CD133. Cytotoxicity screening of all the complexes was performed on CHO cells. Data showed that both C2 and C3 Pt-complexes are more cytotoxic than C1. Flow-cytometry analysis showed that nanotubes conjugated to CD133 antibody have the ability to target cells expressing the CD133 antigen which is responsible for the emergence of resistance to chemotherapy and disease recurrence. The shortest survival rate was observed in the control mice group (K3) where no hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy procedures were used. On the other hand, the longest median survival rate was observed in the group treated with A0-o-C1-chem-CD133. In summary, we designed a novel drug delivery system based on carbon nanotubes loaded with Pt-prodrugs and functionalized with anti-CD133 antibodies. Our data demonstrates the effectiveness of the new drug delivery system and provides a novel therapeutic modality in the treatment of melanoma.

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Water adsorption isotherms and calorimetrically measured enthalpy of this process are reported for a series of modified chemically single and multiwalled nanotubes. On the basis of calorimetric measurements, entropy of adsorption is calculated and discussed. Next the data are described using popular models of adsorption, and finally a new approach for simultaneous description of water adsorption and enthalpy of this process is discussed. On the basis of the results of this model, four different possible mechanisms of water adsorption in nanotubes are proposed.

We have performed systematic Monte Carlo studies on the influence of shifting the walls in slit-like systems constructed from folded graphene sheets on their adsorption properties. Specifically, we have analysed the effect on the mechanism of argon adsorption (T  =  87 K) and on adsorption and separation of three binary gas mixtures: CO2/N2, CO2/CH4 and CH4/N2 (T  =  298 K). The effects of the changes in interlayer distance were also determined. We show that folding of the walls significantly improves the adsorption and separation properties in comparison to ideal slit-like systems. Moreover, we demonstrate that mutual shift of sheets (for small interlayer distances) causes the appearance of small pores between opposite bulges. This causes an increase in vapour adsorption at low pressures. Due to overlapping of interactions with opposite walls causing an increase in adsorption energy, the mutual shift of sheets is also connected with the rise in efficiency of mixture separation. The effects connected with sheet orientation vanish as the interlayer distance increases.

We discuss eight major challenges in the field of carbon nanomaterial toxicity. Generally, we pick up some of them, and the most important challenge is searching of the qualitative relationships between nanofactors and cytotoxicity. This is important since it can provide the possibility of conscious changes of carbon nanotubes cytotoxicity by manipulation with selected nanofactors. Therefore, the toxicity of a series of gradually oxidized carbon nanotubes is studied. We show, for the first time, that toxicity of those materials depends strongly on the ratio of acidic to basic group concentration—the higher is this ratio value, the more toxic are nanotubes. In this way, by changing this ratio, one can change toxicity. This correlation is more evident after ultrasonication, and it is connected with the accessibility of charged groups for interactions with proteins. Toxicity also depends on the ability of nanotubes for protein adsorption. We suggest that the changes in the protein composition of medium, especially lack of important growth factors, inhibit cell proliferation.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12010-015-1607-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

We discuss the factors influencing the properties of new drug delivery system, composed of carbon nanotubes and analgesic antipyretic drug-paracetamol. Basing on experimental data it is shown, that by a simple manipulation with the heating time at the stage of system preparation, one can easily change the rate of the drug delivery. Moreover, this rate can be changed in a very wide range. Finally, using Molecular Dynamics simulation we also discuss the orientation and properties of drug molecules at different stages of the hot melt deposition process.Keywords Drug delivery · Paracetamol · Nanotubes · Hot melt drug deposition Carbon nanotubes become more and more important in construction of drug delivery vehicles (Pańczyk et al. 2011;Peretz and Regev 2012). It should be mentioned, however, that the problem of nanotubes toxicity issue still awaits a consensus, as demonstrated by inconclusive or contradictory studies. This problem should be resolved before the first practical applications of CNT-based medicine are approved (Peretz and Regev 2012).Recently the first application of carbon nanotubes in so-called hot melt drug deposition process was proposed (Terzyk et al. 2012). It was proven using thermal analysis, DSC and desorption kinetics measurements (as well as molecular simulations) that paracetamol molecules are adsorbed between carbon nanotubes and form nanoaggregates. After heating and after evaporation of the solvent nanoaggregates are destroyed, and drug molecules are redistributed and adsorbed on the walls of carbon nanotubes. We also showed (for a single case) that the rate of desorption of the drug adsorbed in this way is remarkably slower than the rate of desorption of the drug adsorbed in the form of nanoaggregates (i.e. without heating).In this way, by a simple thermal treatment of drug/nanotubes mixture, one can easily change the rate of desorption of a drug and to prepare the drug delivery system having well defined properties. Figure 1 shows selected parameters influencing the behavior of new drug delivery systems obtained using the hot-melt drug deposition process. As one can see on Fig. 1 among the most important factors influencing the properties of new carbon-based drug delivery system (for a chosen drug) we can mention: the temperature of deposition process, mixing conditions, tube properties and finally the conditions of drug delivery process (pH, T , etc.).The major aim of this communication is to estimate, for one arbitrarily chosen system, how wide range of delivery rate can be achieved by changing the values of selected parameters mentioned in Fig. 1.We choose carbon nanotubes called Baytubes C 150 HP (Bayer Material Science, Germany), characterized recently (Furmaniak et al. 2010;Wiśniewski et al. 2010). The BET surface area is equal to 198 m 2 /g, and the distribution of external diameters shows a maximum at c.a. 15 nm (Furmaniak et al. 2010). Nanotubes were mixed with paracetamol (Merck, Germany) and we present the results for a fixed (i.e. equal to 0.4) drug to carbon ratio....