Background: Nanomedicine is a field of science that uses nanoscale materials for the diagnosis and treatment of human disease. It has emerged as an important aspect of the therapeutics, but at the same time, also raises concerns regarding the safety of the nanomaterials involved. Recent applications of functionalized biodegradable nanomaterials have significantly improved the safety profile of nanomedicine. Objective: Our goal is to evaluate different types of biodegradable nanomaterials that have been functionalized for their biomedical applications. Method: In this review, we used PubMed as our literature source and selected recently published studies on biodegradable nanomaterials and their applications in nanomedicine. Results: We found that biodegradable polymers are commonly functionalized for various purposes. Their property of being naturally degraded under biological conditions allows these biodegradable nanomaterials to be used for many biomedical purposes, including bio-imaging, targeted drug delivery, implantation and tissue engineering. The degradability of these nanoparticles can be utilized to control cargo release, by allowing efficient degradation of the nanomaterials at the target site while maintaining nanoparticle integrity at off-target sites. Conclusion: While each biodegradable nanomaterial has its advantages and disadvantages, with careful design and functionalization, biodegradable nanoparticles hold great future in nanomedicine.

Systemic Review of Biodegradable Nanomaterials in Nanomedicine.

Nanotechnology is an emerging branch of science for designing tools and devices of size 1 to 100 nm with specific function at the cellular, atomic and molecular levels. The concept of employing nanotechnology in biomedical research and clinical practice is best known as nanomedicine. Nanomedicine is an upcoming field that could potentially make a major impact to human health. Nanomaterials are increasingly used in diagnostics, imaging and targeted drug delivery. Nanotechnology will assist the integration of diagnostics/imaging with therapeutics and facilitates the development of personalized medicine, i.e. prescription of specific medications best suited for an individual. This review provides an integrated overview of application of nanotechnology based molecular diagnostics and drug delivery in the development of nanomedicine and ultimately personalized medicine. Finally, we identify critical gaps in our knowledge of nanoparticle toxicity and how these gaps need to be evaluated to enable nanotechnology to transit safely from bench to bedside.

Nanotechnology and nanomedicine: going small means aiming big.

Microbial synthesis of nanoparticles and their potential applications in biomedicine

Recent advances on thermosensitive and pH-sensitive liposomes employed in controlled release.

The UFAW handbook on the care and management of laboratory animals

The human characteristics of curiosity, wonder, and ingenuity are as old as mankind. People around the world have been harnessing their curiosity into inquiry and the process of scientific methodology. Recent years have witnessed an unprecedented growth in research in the area of nanoscience. There is increasing optimism that nanotechnology applied to medicine and dentistry will bring significant advances in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. Growing interest in the future medical applications of nanotechnology is leading to the emergence of a new field called nanomedicine. Nanomedicine needs to overcome the challenges for its application, to improve the understanding of pathophysiologic basis of disease, bring more sophisticated diagnostic opportunities, and yield more effective therapies and preventive properties. When doctors gain access to medical robots, they will be able to quickly cure most known diseases that hobble and kill people today, to rapidly repair most physical injuries our bodies can suffer, and to vastly extend the human health span. Molecular technology is destined to become the core technology underlying all of 21(st) century medicine and dentistry. In this article, we have made an attempt to have an early glimpse on future impact of nanotechnology in medicine and dentistry.

Future impact of nanotechnology on medicine and dentistry.

For ethical reason, initiation and progression of periodontal disease as well as certain types of periodontal treatment cannot be studied in humans. Instead, numerous studies in this field have been carried out in laboratory animals. Animal models are needed to objectively evaluate the pathogenesis of human periodontal disease and its various treatment modalities. A number of animal models have been used in studying etiology and pathology of periodontitis. The primate model is recommended because the pathogenesis in primate model closely resembles that in humans. In addition, the dog model is used frequently because of ease of ligature placement as well as the natural occurrence of periodontal disease. However, ease of handling, inexpensive, short study time, low variation among strains and controlled microflora, relatively disease resistant, make the rat model extremely versatile and suited for a wide range of research endeavors. Rats are used mainly for research in toxicity, nutrition, behavior, and cancer. Normal oral structure and physiology and the pathogenesis of periodontal diseases have been studied more extensively in the rat than in any other rodents. Rats are used extensively to study the effects of drugs on the gingiva because their tissue overgrowth is similar to that of humans. The purpose of this review is to evaluate rats as models for studying various aspects of periodontal disease, including disease process and its treatment handling, advantages and limitations of these models.

Sowjanya Guvva

Papers

Future impact of nanotechnology on medicine and dentistry.

Rat as laboratory animal model in periodontology