Chitosan (Chi) is a natural biodegradable cationic polymer with remarkable potency as a vehicle for drug or vaccine delivery. Chi possesses multiple groups, which can be used both for Chi derivatization and for particle formation. The aim of this work was to produce stable nanosized range Chi gels (nanogels, NGs) with different charge and to study the driving forces of complex formation between...

Hydrogel nanoparticles—also referred to as polymeric nanogels or macromolecular micelles—are emerging as promising drug carriers for therapeutic applications. These nanostructures hold versatility and properties suitable for the delivery of bioactive molecules, namely of biopharmaceuticals. This article reviews the latest developments in the use of self-assembled polymeric nanogels for drug del...

Although the behavior of nanoscopic delivery systems in blood is an important parameter when contemplating their intravenous injection, this aspect is often poorly investigated when advancing from in vitro to in vivo experiments. In this paper, the behavior of siRNA loaded dextran nanogels in human plasma and blood is examined using fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy, platelet aggregometry, ...

A simple and green approach was developed to produce a novel nanogel via self-assembly of modified soy protein and dextran, to efficiently deliver riboflavin. First, modified soy protein was prepared by heating denaturation at 60 °C for 30 min or Alcalase hydrolysis for 40 min. Second, modified soy protein was mixed with dextran and ultrasonicated for 70 min so as to assemble nanogels. The modi...

UNLABELLED Polymeric nanogels find a relevant field of application in the formulation of a new generation of therapeutic and preventive vaccines, aiming at the fine-tuned modulation of the immune response. Intrinsic properties of polymeric nanogels, such as material chemistry, size and shape, surface charge, and hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity, may be determining factors in shaping the induced...

Reducible heparin nanogels cross-linked with disulfide linkages were developed for efficient cellular uptake of therapeutic heparin to induce apoptotic cell death. The heparin nanogels were synthesized by forming nanocomplexes between thiolated heparin and poly(ethylene glycol) in a selected organic solvent, and subsequently producing intermolecular disulfide bonds between thiolated heparin mol...

Here, dual-sensitive fluorescent branched alginate-polyethyleneimine copolymer (bAPSC) nanogels were synthesized from thiolated alginate and stearoyl-derivatized branched polyethyleneimine. The formation of bAPSC conjugates was confirmed through proton nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, whereas dynamic light scattering was used to measure the particle size a...

A novel photo-crosslinkable nanogel is prepared from a biodegradable polymer template with intrinsic photoluminescence and high photostability. The fluorescent nanogels display excellent biodegradability and cytocompatibility owed to the facile synthesis scheme involving a solvent-and surfactant-free one-pot reaction, derived entirely from biocompatible monomers citric acid, maleic acid, L-cyst...