Thalassemia and Nanotheragnostics: Advanced Approaches for Diagnosis and Treatment

Abstract

Thalassemia is a monogenic autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations, which lead to abnormal or reduced production of hemoglobin. Ineffective erythropoiesis, hemolysis, hepcidin suppression, and iron overload are common manifestations that vary according to genotypes and dictate, which diagnosis and therapeutic modalities, including transfusion therapy, iron chelation therapy, HbF induction, gene therapy, and editing, are performed. These conventional therapeutic methods have proven to be effective, yet have several disadvantages, specifically iron toxicity, associated with them; therefore, there are demands for advanced therapeutic methods. Nanotechnology-based applications, such as the use of nanoparticles and nanomedicines for theragnostic purposes have emerged that are simple, convenient, and cost-effective methods. The therapeutic potential of various nanoparticles has been explored by developing artificial hemoglobin, nano-based iron chelating agents, and nanocarriers for globin gene editing by CRISPR/Cas9. Au, Ag, carbon, graphene, silicon, porous nanoparticles, dendrimers, hydrogels, quantum dots, etc., have been used in electrochemical biosensors development for diagnosis of thalassemia, quantification of hemoglobin in these patients, and analysis of conventional iron chelating agents. This review summarizes the potential of nanotechnology in the development of various theragnostic approaches to determine thalassemia-causing gene mutations using various nano-based biosensors along with the employment of efficacious nano-based therapeutic procedures, in contrast to conventional therapies.

Differential impact of biogenic and chemically synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles on anti-aging, anti-oxidant and anti-cancerous activities: a mechanism based study

“…4–9 In addition to it, their potential for biomedical fields is notably exceptional. 10–12 From targeted drug delivery systems to cancer therapy, ZnONPs have revolutionized an array of medical treatment trials. 13,14 Conventionally, various physical and chemical routes such as hydrothermal, microwave-assisted, microemulsion, lithographic, pulsed laser-ablated, wire explosion, sol–gel, vapor deposition, and chemical co-precipitation have been used for synthesis of ZnONPs.…”

Noninvasive Prenatal Genetic Screening of Cell-Free Fetal DNA for Early Prediction of β-Thalassemia Using Fiber Optic Nanogold-Linked Sorbent Assay

“…Newly, the utilization of a targeted single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) biosensing approach in NIPS of βthalassemia has drawn great attention because of the benefits of high sensitivity, cost-effectiveness, time-saving, and customization. 26,27 In particular, direct detection of the point mutation in β-thalassemia patients using unamplified genomic DNA samples has been demonstrated by a few biosensors. 28,29 Recently, a novel technique known as the fiber optic nanogoldlinked sorbent assay (FONLISA) 30−33 particle plasmon resonance (FOPPR) biosensor 34−36 has been utilized for quantitative analysis of the DNA methylation of SOCS-1 human genome 32 and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotyping using unamplified genomic DNA samples.…”

“…Newly, the utilization of a targeted single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) biosensing approach in NIPS of β-thalassemia has drawn great attention because of the benefits of high sensitivity, cost-effectiveness, time-saving, and customization. , In particular, direct detection of the point mutation in β-thalassemia patients using unamplified genomic DNA samples has been demonstrated by a few biosensors. , Recently, a novel technique known as the fiber optic nanogold-linked sorbent assay (FONLISA) − using the fiber optic particle plasmon resonance (FOPPR) biosensor − has been utilized for quantitative analysis of the DNA methylation of SOCS-1 human genome and apolipoprotein E ( APOE ) genotyping using unamplified genomic DNA samples . Relying on nanoplasmonic absorption by AuNPs via evanescent wave excitation over a long path length, the FONLISA method offers attractive features like ultralow detection limit at the femtomolar concentration levels, short detection time (≤15 min), small sample volume, and low-cost instrumentation and chips. − …”