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The immune system has the double role of maintaining tissue integrity and homeostasis and of protecting the organism from possible dangers, from invading pathogens to environmentally-borne dangerous chemicals. New chemicals recognisable by the immune system are engineered nanomaterials/ nanoparticles, new agents in our environment that are becoming common due to their presence in many products, from constructions and building material (e.g., solar cells, pigments and paints, tiles and masonry materials) to daily products (e.g., food packaging, cosmetics, and cigarettes). Human beings can be accidentally exposed to engineered nanomaterials when these are released from products containing them or during production in workplaces. Furthermore, intentional exposure occurs in medicine, as engineered nanoparticles are used as tools for improving delivery of drugs and vaccines, vaccine adjuvants and contrast agents in therapeutic, preventive and diagnostic strategies. Nanoparticles that come in contact with the immune system after unintentional exposure need to be eliminated from the organism as they represent a potential threat. In this case, however, due to their peculiar characteristics of size, shape, surface charge and persistence, nanoparticles may elicit undesirable reactions and have detrimental effects on the immune system, such as cytotoxicity, inflammation, anaphylaxis, immunosuppression. Conversely, nanomedicines need to escape immune recognition/elimination and must persist in the organism long enough for reaching their target and exerting their beneficial effects. Immune cells and molecules at the body surface (airway and digestive mucosae, skin) are the first that come in contact with nanomaterials upon accidental exposure, while immune effectors in blood are those that more easily come in contact with nanomedical products. Thus, evaluating the interaction of the immune system with nanoparticles/nanomaterials is a topic of key importance both in nanotoxicology and in nanomedicine. Immuno-nanosafety studies consider both accidental exposure to nanoparticles, which may occur by skin contact, ingestion or inhalation (at doses and with a frequency that are not known), and medical exposure, which takes place with a defined administration schedule (route, dose, frequency). Many studies focus on the interaction between the immune system and nanoparticles that, for medical purposes, have been specifically modified to stimulate immunity or to avoid immune recognition, as in the case of vaccine carriers/adjuvants or drug delivery systems, respectively. The aims of this Research Topic is to provide an overview of recent strategies: 1.for assessing the immunosafety of engineered nanomaterials/nanoparticles, in particular in terms of activation of inflammatory responses, such as complement activation and allergic reactions, based on the nanomaterial intrinsic characteristics and on the possible carry-over of bioactive contaminants such as LPS. Production of new nanoparticles taking into account their effects on immune responses, in order to avoid undesirable effects on one hand, and to design particles with desirable effects for medical applications on the other hand; 2.for designing more effective nanomedicines by either avoiding or exploiting their interaction with the immune systems, with particular focus on cancer diagnosis and therapy, and vaccination. This collection of articles gives a comprehensive view of the state-of-the-art of the interaction of nanoparticles with the immune system from the two perspectives of safety and medical use, and aims at providing immunologists with the relevant knowledge for designing improved strategies for immunologically safe nanomaterial applications.

anti-tumor therapy --- innate immunity --- Immunomodulation --- immune system --- nanomaterials --- Inflammation --- Vaccines --- complement --- Nanomedicine

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The immune system has the double role of maintaining tissue integrity and homeostasis and of protecting the organism from possible dangers, from invading pathogens to environmentally-borne dangerous chemicals. New chemicals recognisable by the immune system are engineered nanomaterials/ nanoparticles, new agents in our environment that are becoming common due to their presence in many products, from constructions and building material (e.g., solar cells, pigments and paints, tiles and masonry materials) to daily products (e.g., food packaging, cosmetics, and cigarettes). Human beings can be accidentally exposed to engineered nanomaterials when these are released from products containing them or during production in workplaces. Furthermore, intentional exposure occurs in medicine, as engineered nanoparticles are used as tools for improving delivery of drugs and vaccines, vaccine adjuvants and contrast agents in therapeutic, preventive and diagnostic strategies. Nanoparticles that come in contact with the immune system after unintentional exposure need to be eliminated from the organism as they represent a potential threat. In this case, however, due to their peculiar characteristics of size, shape, surface charge and persistence, nanoparticles may elicit undesirable reactions and have detrimental effects on the immune system, such as cytotoxicity, inflammation, anaphylaxis, immunosuppression. Conversely, nanomedicines need to escape immune recognition/elimination and must persist in the organism long enough for reaching their target and exerting their beneficial effects. Immune cells and molecules at the body surface (airway and digestive mucosae, skin) are the first that come in contact with nanomaterials upon accidental exposure, while immune effectors in blood are those that more easily come in contact with nanomedical products. Thus, evaluating the interaction of the immune system with nanoparticles/nanomaterials is a topic of key importance both in nanotoxicology and in nanomedicine. Immuno-nanosafety studies consider both accidental exposure to nanoparticles, which may occur by skin contact, ingestion or inhalation (at doses and with a frequency that are not known), and medical exposure, which takes place with a defined administration schedule (route, dose, frequency). Many studies focus on the interaction between the immune system and nanoparticles that, for medical purposes, have been specifically modified to stimulate immunity or to avoid immune recognition, as in the case of vaccine carriers/adjuvants or drug delivery systems, respectively. The aims of this Research Topic is to provide an overview of recent strategies: 1.for assessing the immunosafety of engineered nanomaterials/nanoparticles, in particular in terms of activation of inflammatory responses, such as complement activation and allergic reactions, based on the nanomaterial intrinsic characteristics and on the possible carry-over of bioactive contaminants such as LPS. Production of new nanoparticles taking into account their effects on immune responses, in order to avoid undesirable effects on one hand, and to design particles with desirable effects for medical applications on the other hand; 2.for designing more effective nanomedicines by either avoiding or exploiting their interaction with the immune systems, with particular focus on cancer diagnosis and therapy, and vaccination. This collection of articles gives a comprehensive view of the state-of-the-art of the interaction of nanoparticles with the immune system from the two perspectives of safety and medical use, and aims at providing immunologists with the relevant knowledge for designing improved strategies for immunologically safe nanomaterial applications.

anti-tumor therapy --- innate immunity --- Immunomodulation --- immune system --- nanomaterials --- Inflammation --- Vaccines --- complement --- Nanomedicine

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Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced by healthy cells and are maintained at physiological levels by antioxidant systems. However, when ROS increase in number, a condition of oxidative stress occurs, leading to many human diseases, including cancer. The relationship between oxidative stress and cancer is complex since ROS play a double-edged role in cancer development and under therapy response. This paradox represents a great challenge for researchers and needs to be investigated. The articles collected in this Special Issue can help to clarify the role of ROS modulation in cancer prevention and treatment, and to dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying its paradoxical role in order to counteract carcinogenesis or enhance sensitivity to anticancer therapy.

sonodynamic therapy --- carbon doped titanium dioxide --- sonosensitizers --- ultrasound --- cancer treatment --- breast cancer treatment --- radiotherapy --- hematological malignancies --- oxidative stress --- lymphoma --- leukemia --- multiple myeloma --- apoptosis --- mitochondria --- ultraviolet-C (UVC) --- withanolide --- combined treatment --- oral cancer --- DNA damage --- cancer therapy --- immune system --- Hypericum perforatum --- hyperforin --- reactive oxygen species --- pH regulation --- tumor prevention --- tumor therapy --- cancerogenesis --- inflammatory signaling --- natural compounds --- pancreatic cancer --- antitumor agents --- coordination polymers --- bioinorganic chemistry --- cold atmospheric plasma --- reactive oxygen and nitrogen species --- nitrite --- cancer stem cells --- chemoresistance --- glutathione --- lipid peroxidation --- ZEB-1 --- GPX4 --- ferroptosis --- HO-1 --- Nrf2 --- cancer progression --- patients --- therapy --- prognosis --- biomarker --- Eprenetapopt --- Erastin --- glutathione (GSH) --- SLC7A11 --- iron --- NRF2 --- n/a

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The great success of nanotechnology promotes a tremendous revolution in the biomedical field. Functional nanomaterials have been widely applied for the treatment of various diseases, such as cancer, bacterial infection, diabetes, inflammation, and neurodegenerative disorders. Various therapeutic nanoplatforms have been developed with therapeutic functions and intelligent properties. However, the development of nanomedicine suffers from several challenges prior to their clinical applications. For instance, disease detection in an early stage is a critical challenge for nanomedicine. It is difficult to detect disease markers (e.g., proteins, genes, or cancer circulating cells), so nanoprobes with high sensitivity and selectivity are required. Moreover, to overcome drug resistance, it is highly desirable to develop functional nanomedicines with the combination of multiple therapeutic modalities, such as chemotherapy, photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, chemodynamic therapy, radiotherapy, starving therapy, and immunotherapy. Additionally, the stability and degradability of most nanomedicines in biofluids should be carefully evaluated before their administration to humans. This book provides researchers with the latest investigations and findings in this field.

Medical equipment & techniques --- tumor microenvironment --- targeted therapy --- nanoparticles --- nano therapeutics --- tumor imaging --- cell membrane coated nanoparticle --- atherosclerosis --- thrombosis --- diagnosis and therapy --- cardiovascular disease --- Fe-based nanoparticles --- endosomal pH-responsive hyaluronate --- CD44 receptor-mediated endocytosis --- tumor therapy --- Alzheimer disease’s --- amyloid-β --- nanomaterials --- photothermal therapy --- photodynamic therapy --- biomedical imaging --- iodinated contrast media --- X-ray computed tomography --- organic nanoparticles --- iodinated polymers --- SARS-CoV-2 main protease --- colorimetry --- electrochemical impedance spectroscopy --- gold nanoparticles --- selenium --- selenium nanoparticles --- antioxidant activities --- clean-up procedure --- glutathione --- Parkinson’s disease --- L-DOPA --- curcumin --- nanozyme --- single-atom nanozyme --- surface modification --- ROS scavenging --- antibacterial --- electrostatic spinning --- inorganic nanocrystals --- polymer fibers --- antimicrobial --- biomedical --- graphene --- nanocomposites --- multimodal imaging --- phototherapy --- theranostics --- cancer --- bacterial infection --- n/a --- Alzheimer disease's --- Parkinson's disease