Exploring naturally occurring ivy nanoparticles as an alternative biomaterial

Bio-soft matter derived from traditional Chinese medicine: Characterizations of hierarchical structure, assembly mechanism, and beyond

Structural and functional explorations on bio-soft matter such as micelles, vesicles, nanoparticles, aggregates or polymers derived from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has emerged as a new topic in the field of TCM. The discovery of such cross-scaled bio-soft matter may provide a unique perspective for unraveling the new effective material basis of TCM as well as developing innovative medicine and biomaterials. Despite the rapid rise of TCM-derived bio-soft matter, their hierarchical structure and assembly mechanism must be unambiguously probed for a further in-depth understanding of their pharmacological activity. In this review, the current emerged TCM-derived bio-soft matter assembled from either small molecules or macromolecules is introduced, and particularly the unambiguous elucidation of their hierarchical structure and assembly mechanism with combined electron microscopic and spectroscopic techniques is depicted. The pros and cons of each technique are also discussed. The future challenges and perspective of TCM-derived bio-soft matter are outlined, particularly the requirement for their precise in situ structural determination is highlighted.

Probiotic-derived amphiphilic exopolysaccharide self-assembling adjuvant delivery platform for enhancing immune responses

Enhancing immune response activation through the synergy of effective antigen delivery and immune enhancement using natural, biodegradable materials with immune-adjuvant capabilities is challenging. Here, we present NAPSL.p that can activate the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathway, an amphiphilic exopolysaccharide, as a potential self-assembly adjuvant delivery platform. Its molecular structure and unique properties exhibited remarkable self-assembly, forming a homogeneous nanovaccine with ovalbumin (OVA) as the model antigen. When used as an adjuvant, NAPSL.p significantly increased OVA uptake by dendritic cells. In vivo imaging revealed prolonged pharmacokinetics of NAPSL. p-delivered OVA compared to OVA alone. Notably, NAPSL.p induced elevated levels of specific serum IgG and isotype titers, enhancing rejection of B16-OVA melanoma xenografts in vaccinated mice. Additionally, NAPSL.p formulation improved therapeutic effects, inhibiting tumor growth, and increasing animal survival rates. The nanovaccine elicited CD4+ and CD8+ T cell-based immune responses, demonstrating the potential for melanoma prevention. Furthermore, NAPSL.p-based vaccination showed stronger protective effects against influenza compared to Al (OH)3 adjuvant. Our findings suggest NAPSL.p as a promising, natural self-adjuvanting delivery platform to enhance vaccine design across applications.

Nanotechnology-based delivery systems to overcome drug resistance in cancer

Cancer nanomedicine is defined as the application of nanotechnology and nanomaterials for the formulation of cancer therapeutics that can overcome the impediments and restrictions of traditional chemotherapeutics. Multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer cells can be defined as a decrease or abrogation in the efficacy of anticancer drugs that have different molecular structures and mechanisms of action and is one of the primary causes of therapeutic failure. There have been successes in the development of cancer nanomedicine to overcome MDR; however, relatively few of these formulations have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of cancer. This is primarily due to the paucity of knowledge about nanotechnology and the fundamental biology of cancer cells. Here, we discuss the advances, types of nanomedicines, and the challenges regarding the translation of in vitro to in vivo results and their relevance to effective therapies.

Rhubarb polysaccharide and berberine co-assembled nanoparticles ameliorate ulcerative colitis by regulating the intestinal flora

Introduction: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects about 7 million people globally, which is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract caused by gut microbiota alterations, immune dysregulation, genetic and environmental factors. Nanoparticles (NPs) deliver an active natural compound to a site harbored by disordered microbiota, they are used to interact, target and act intentionally on microbiota. Although there is accumulating evidence indicating that berberine and polysaccharide play an important role in IBD via regulating microbiota, there is limited research that presents a complete picture of exactly how their carrier-free co-assembled nanodrug affects IBD. Methods: The study establishes the carrier-free NPs formed by berberine and rhubarb polysaccharide based on the combination theory of Rheum palmatum L. and Coptis chinensis Franch., and characterizes the NPs. The IBD treatment efficacy of NPs are evaluated via IBD efficacy index, and explore the mechanism of NPs via 16S rRNA test and immunohistochemistry including occludin and zonula occludens-1. Results: The results showed that DHP and BBR were co-assembled to nanoparticles, and the BD can effectively relieve the symptoms of UC mouse induced by DSS via regulating gut microbiota and repair the gut barrier integrity, because BD have a longer retention on the colon tissue and react with the microbiota and mucus thoroughly. Interestingly, BD can enrich more probiotic than free BBR and DHP. Discussion: This design provides a better strategy and encourages future studies on IBD treatment via regulating gut microbiota and the design of novel plant polysaccharide based carrier-free co-assembly therapies.

Formation of a traditional Chinese medicine self-assembly nanostrategy and its application in cancer: a promising treatment

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used for centuries to prevent and treat a variety of illnesses, and its popularity is increasing worldwide. However, the clinical applications of natural active components in TCM are hindered by the poor solubility and low bioavailability of these compounds. To address these issues, Chinese medicine self-assembly nanostrategy (CSAN) is being developed. Many active components of TCM possess self-assembly properties, allowing them to form nanoparticles (NPs) through various noncovalent forces. Self-assembled NPs (SANs) are also present in TCM decoctions, and they are closely linked to the therapeutic effects of these remedies. SAN is gaining popularity in the nano research field due to its simplicity, eco-friendliness, and enhanced biodegradability and biocompatibility compared to traditional nano preparation methods. The self-assembly of active ingredients from TCM that exhibit antitumour effects or are combined with other antitumour drugs has generated considerable interest in the field of cancer therapeutics. This paper provides a review of the principles and forms of CSAN, as well as an overview of recent reports on TCM that can be used for self-assembly. Additionally, the application of CSAN in various cancer diseases is summarized, and finally, a concluding summary and thoughts are proposed. We strongly believe that CSAN has the potential to offer fresh strategies and perspectives for the modernization of TCM.

Bio-based and bio-inspired adhesives from animals and plants for biomedical applications

With the "many-headed" slime mold Physarum polycelphalum having been voted the unicellular organism of the year 2021 by the German Society of Protozoology, we are reminded that a large part of nature's huge variety of life forms is easily overlooked - both by the general public and researchers alike. Indeed, whereas several animals such as mussels or spiders have already inspired many scientists to create novel materials with glue-like properties, there is much more to discover in the flora and fauna. Here, we provide an overview of naturally occurring slimy substances with adhesive properties and categorize them in terms of the main chemical motifs that convey their stickiness, i.e., carbohydrate-, protein-, and glycoprotein-based biological glues. Furthermore, we highlight selected recent developments in the area of material design and functionalization that aim at making use of such biological compounds for novel applications in medicine - either by conjugating adhesive motifs found in nature to biological or synthetic macromolecules or by synthetically creating (multi-)functional materials, which combine adhesive properties with additional, problem-specific (and sometimes tunable) features.

Natural Nano-Drug Delivery System in Coptidis Rhizoma Extract with Modified Berberine Hydrochloride Pharmacokinetics

Purpose

This study aimed to evaluate the pharmaceutical and pharmacokinetic effects of the natural nanoparticles (Nnps) isolated from Coptidis Rhizoma extract on berberine hydrochloride (BBR) and systematically explore the related mechanisms.

Methods

Firstly, Nnps were isolated from Coptidis Rhizoma extract and then an Nnps-BBR complex was prepared. After qualitative and quantitative analysis in terms of size, Zeta potential, morphology, and composition of the Nnps and the Nnps-BBR complex, the effects of the Nnps on the crystallization of BBR were characterized. The effects of the Nnps on the solubility and dissolution of BBR were then evaluated. In addition, the effects of the Nnps on BBR in terms of cellular uptake, transmembrane transport, metabolic stability, and pharmacokinetics in mice were studied.

Results

The Nnps had an average size of 166.6 ± 1.3 nm and Zeta potential of −12.5 ± 0.2 mV. The Nnps were formed by denaturation of co-existing plant proteins with molecular weight < 30 kDa. The Nnps adsorbed or dispersed BBR, thereby promoting BBR transformation from crystal to amorphous form and improving its solubility and dissolution. The Nnps carried and promoted BBR uptake by human colonic adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) cells via caveolae-mediated endocytosis, reducing P-gp-mediated efflux of BBR in mice gut sacs and Madin-Darby canine kidney cells stably expressing the transporter P-gp (MDCK-MDR1) cells. Moreover, the Nnps improved BBR metabolic stability in mouse intestinal S9, promoting BBR intestinal absorption in mice, as shown by increased peak BBR concentration (C_max, 1182.3 vs 310.2 ng/mL) and exposure level (AUC_{0–12 h}, 2842.8 vs 1447.0 ng·h/mL) in mouse portal vein. In addition, the Nnps increased BBR exposure level in mouse livers (95,443.2 vs 43,586.2 ng·h/g liver).

Conclusion

The proteinaceous nanoparticles isolated from Coptidis Rhizoma extract can form a natural nano-drug delivery system with BBR, thereby significantly improving the pharmacokinetics of oral BBR.

Naturally Occurring Exopolysaccharide Nanoparticles: Formation Process and Their Application in Glutathione Detection

Naturally occurring nanoscale exopolysaccharide (EPS) has attracted much attention in recent years. In this research, we obtained a new kind of naturally occurring spherical EPS nanoparticles (EPS-R503) from Lactobacillus plantarum R503. The secretion, self-assembly process, morphological structure, and surface characteristics of the as-prepared nanoparticles were comprehensively revealed with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) for the first time. It was found that the EPS-R503 nanoparticles consist of negatively charged heteropolysaccharide composed of mannose, glucose, galactose, and glucuronide with several functional groups including -OH, -COOH, and -NH₂. When different solvents were used to treat the EPS-R503 nanoparticles, the morphological structure and surface properties could be changed or manipulated. The forming mechanism of EPS-R503 was elucidated based on the aggregation processes from a fundamental point of view. Furthermore, EPS-R503 can serve as reducing and stabilizing agents for the biosynthesis of manganese dioxide nanosheets (MnO₂ NSs), leading to EPS-MnO₂ nanocomposite. The as-prepared nanocomposites can absorb fluorescein (FL) to form EPS-MnO₂-FL, which can be used to detect glutathione (GSH) with a low limit of detection (0.16 μM) and a wide detection range from 0.05 to 4 mM. The excellent biocompatibility of EPS-MnO₂-FL endows the feasibility of in vivo detection of GSH as well. Overall, the findings from this work not only benefit the exploitation of naturally occurring EPS nanomaterials but also provide a novel strategy for the green synthesis of metal-containing nanosheets for GSH detection.

Taking inspiration from climbing plants: methodologies and benchmarks-a review

One of the major challenges in robotics and engineering is to develop efficient technological solutions that are able to cope with complex environments and unpredictable constraints. Taking inspiration from natural organisms is a well-known approach to tackling these issues. Climbing plants are an important, yet innovative, source of inspiration due to their ability to adapt to diverse habitats, and can be used as a model for developing robots and smart devices for exploration and monitoring, as well as for search and rescue operations. This review reports the main methodologies and approaches used by scientists to investigate and extract the features of climbing plants that are relevant to the artificial world in terms of adaptation, movement, and behaviour, and it summarizes the current available climbing plant-inspired engineering solutions.

Lipid-Saporin Nanoparticles for the Intracellular Delivery of Cytotoxic Protein to Overcome ABC Transporter-Mediated Multidrug Resistance In Vitro and In Vivo

Although the judicious use of anticancer drugs that target one or more receptor tyrosine kinases constitutes an effective strategy to attenuate tumor growth, drug resistance is commonly encountered in cancer patients. The ATP-binding cassette transporters are one of the major contributors to the development of multidrug resistance as their overexpression significantly decreases the intracellular concentration and thus, the efficacy of certain anticancer drugs. Therefore, the development of treatment strategies that would not be susceptible to efflux or excretion by specific ABC transporters could overcome resistance to treatment. Here, we investigated the anticancer efficacy of saporin, a ribosome-inactivating protein. Since saporin has poor permeability across the cell membrane, it was encapsulated in a lipid-based nanoparticle system (EC16-1) that effectively delivered the formulation (EC16-1/saporin) intracellularly and produced anti-cancer efficacy. EC16-1/saporin, at nanomolar concentrations, significantly inhibited the cellular proliferation of parental and ABCB1- and ABCG2-overexpressing cancer cells. EC16-1/saporin did not significantly alter the subcellular localization of ABCB1 and ABCG2. In addition, EC16-1/saporin induced apoptosis in parental and ABCB1- and ABCG2-overexpressing cancer cells. In a murine model system, EC16-1/saporin significantly inhibited the tumor growth in mice xenografted with parental and ABCB1- and ABCG2-overexpressing cancer cells. Our findings suggest that the EC16-1/saporin combination could potentially be a novel therapeutic treatment in patients with parental or ABCB1- and ABCG2-positive drug-resistant cancers.

Chitosan-based melatonin bilayer coating for maintaining quality of fresh-cut products

This work was designed to develop the chitosan-based melatonin layer-by-layer assembly (CMLLA) via the inclusion method. The structural characterizations and interaction present in CMLLA were investigated by the scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform-Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The ratio of chitosan (CH) to carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) greatly influenced the mechanical properties, including the tensile strength, moisture content and color performance. Results showed that both antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of CMLLA were enhanced with the addition of melatonin (MLT). Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the CMLLA with 1.2 % (w/v) CH, 0.8 % (w/v) CMC and 50 mg/L MLT better contributed to the delay of chlorophyll degradation and the maintenance of shelf-life quality. Results from this study might open up new insights into the approaches of quality improvement of postharvest fresh products by incorporating the natural antioxidant compounds into natural polymers.

Synergistic Mechanisms of Constituents in Herbal Extracts during Intestinal Absorption: Focus on Natural Occurring Nanoparticles

The systematic separation strategy has long and widely been applied in the research and development of herbal medicines. However, the pharmacological effects of many bioactive constituents are much weaker than those of the corresponding herbal extracts. Thus, there is a consensus that purer herbal extracts are sometimes less effective. Pharmacological loss of purified constituents is closely associated with their significantly reduced intestinal absorption after oral administration. In this review, pharmacokinetic synergies among constituents in herbal extracts during intestinal absorption were systematically summarized to broaden the general understanding of the pharmaceutical nature of herbal medicines. Briefly, some coexisting constituents including plant-produced primary and secondary metabolites, promote the intestinal absorption of active constituents by improving solubility, inhibiting first-pass elimination mediated by drug-metabolizing enzymes or drug transporters, increasing the membrane permeability of enterocytes, and reversibly opening the paracellular tight junction between enterocytes. Moreover, some coexisting constituents change the forms of bioactive constituents via mechanisms including the formation of natural nanoparticles. This review will focus on explaining this new synergistic mechanism. Thus, herbal extracts can be considered mixtures of bioactive compounds and pharmacokinetic synergists. This review may provide ideas and strategies for further research and development of herbal medicines.

Modular Fabrication of Intelligent Material-Tissue Interfaces for Bioinspired and Biomimetic Devices

One of the goals of biomaterials science is to reverse engineer aspects of human and nonhuman physiology. Similar to the body's regulatory mechanisms, such devices must transduce changes in the physiological environment or the presence of an external stimulus into a detectable or therapeutic response. This review is a comprehensive evaluation and critical analysis of the design and fabrication of environmentally responsive cell-material constructs for bioinspired machinery and biomimetic devices. In a bottom-up analysis, we begin by reviewing fundamental principles that explain materials' responses to chemical gradients, biomarkers, electromagnetic fields, light, and temperature. Strategies for fabricating highly ordered assemblies of material components at the nano to macro-scales via directed assembly, lithography, 3D printing and 4D printing are also presented. We conclude with an account of contemporary material-tissue interfaces within bioinspired and biomimetic devices for peptide delivery, cancer theranostics, biomonitoring, neuroprosthetics, soft robotics, and biological machines.

Current development of biodegradable polymeric materials for biomedical applications

In the last half-century, the development of biodegradable polymeric materials for biomedical applications has advanced significantly. Biodegradable polymeric materials are favored in the development of therapeutic devices, including temporary implants and three-dimensional scaffolds for tissue engineering. Further advancements have occurred in the utilization of biodegradable polymeric materials for pharmacological applications such as delivery vehicles for controlled/sustained drug release. These applications require particular physicochemical, biological, and degradation properties of the materials to deliver effective therapy. As a result, a wide range of natural or synthetic polymers able to undergo hydrolytic or enzymatic degradation is being studied for biomedical applications. This review outlines the current development of biodegradable natural and synthetic polymeric materials for various biomedical applications, including tissue engineering, temporary implants, wound healing, and drug delivery.

Stepwise pH-responsive nanoparticles for enhanced cellular uptake and on-demand intracellular release of doxorubicin

Physicochemical properties, including particle size, zeta potential, and drug release behavior, affect targeting efficiency, cellular uptake, and antitumor effect of nanocarriers in a formulated drug-delivery system. In this study, a novel stepwise pH-responsive nanodrug delivery system was developed to efficiently deliver and significantly promote the therapeutic effect of doxorubicin (DOX). The system comprised dimethylmaleic acid-chitosan-urocanic acid and elicited stepwise responses to extracellular and intracellular pH. The nanoparticles (NPs), which possessed negative surface charge under physiological conditions and an appropriate nanosize, exhibited advantageous stability during blood circulation and enhanced accumulation in tumor sites via enhanced permeability and retention effect. The tumor cellular uptake of DOX-loaded NPs was significantly promoted by the first-step pH response, wherein surface charge reversion of NPs from negative to positive was triggered by the slightly acidic tumor extracellular environment. After internalization into tumor cells, the second-step pH response in endo/lysosome acidic environment elicited the on-demand intracellular release of DOX from NPs, thereby increasing cytotoxicity against tumor cells. Furthermore, stepwise pH-responsive NPs showed enhanced antiproliferation effect and reduced systemic side effect in vivo. Hence, the stepwise pH-responsive NPs provide a promising strategy for efficient delivery of antitumor agents.

Nanotechnology in Glycomics: Applications in Diagnostics, Therapy, Imaging, and Separation Processes

This review comprehensively covers the most recent achievements (from 2013) in the successful integration of nanomaterials in the field of glycomics. The first part of the paper addresses the beneficial properties of nanomaterials for the construction of biosensors, bioanalytical devices, and protocols for the detection of various analytes, including viruses and whole cells, together with their key characteristics. The second part of the review focuses on the application of nanomaterials integrated with glycans for various biomedical applications, that is, vaccines against viral and bacterial infections and cancer cells, as therapeutic agents, for in vivo imaging and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, and for selective drug delivery. The final part of the review describes various ways in which glycan enrichment can be effectively done using nanomaterials, molecularly imprinted polymers with polymer thickness controlled at the nanoscale, with a subsequent analysis of glycans by mass spectrometry. A short section describing an active glycoprofiling by microengines (microrockets) is covered as well.

Recent advancements in erythrocytes, platelets, and albumin as delivery systems

In the past few years, nanomaterial-based drug delivery systems have been applied to enhance the efficacy of therapeutics and to alleviate negative effects through the controlled delivery of targeting and releasing agents. However, few drug carriers can achieve high targeting efficacy, even when targeting modalities and surface markers are introduced. Immunological problems have also limited their wide applications. Biological drug delivery systems, such as erythrocytes, platelets, and albumin, have been extensively investigated because of their unique properties. In this review, erythrocytes, platelets, and albumin are described as efficient drug delivery systems. Their properties, applications, advantages, and limitations in disease treatment are explained. This review confirms that these systems can be used to facilitate a specific, biocompatible, and smart drug delivery.

Tea nanoparticle, a safe and biocompatible nanocarrier, greatly potentiates the anticancer activity of doxorubicin

An infusion-dialysis based procedure has been developed as an approach to isolate organic nanoparticles from green tea. Tea nanoparticle (TNP) can effectively load doxorubicin (DOX) via electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. We established an ABCB1 overexpressing tumor xenograft mouse model to investigate whether TNP can effectively deliver DOX into tumors and bypass the efflux function of the ABCB1 transporter, thereby increasing the intratumoral accumulation of DOX and potentiating the anticancer activity of DOX. MTT assays suggested that DOX-TNP showed higher cytotoxicity toward CCD-18Co, SW620 and SW620/Ad300 cells than DOX. Animal study revealed that DOX-TNP resulted in greater inhibitory effects on the growth of SW620 and SW620/Ad300 tumors than DOX. In pharmacokinetics study, DOX-TNP greatly increased the SW620 and SW620/Ad300 intratumoral concentrations of DOX. But DOX-TNP had no effect on the plasma concentrations of DOX. Furthermore, TNP is a safe nanocarrier with excellent biocompatibility and minimal toxicity. Ex vivo IHC analysis of SW620 and SW620/Ad300 tumor sections revealed evidence of prominent antitumor activity of DOX-TNP. In conclusion, our findings suggested that natural nanomaterials could be useful in combating multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer cells and potentiating the anticancer activity of chemotherapeutic agents in cancer treatment.