Glutathione-Sensitive Nanoglue Platform with Effective Nucleic Acids Gluing onto Liposomes for Photo-Gene Therapy

Recent advances in DNAzymes for bioimaging, biosensing and cancer therapy

DNAzymes, a class of single-stranded catalytic DNA with good stability, high catalytic activity, and easy synthesis, functionalization and modification properties, have garnered significant interest in the realm of biosensing and bioimaging. Their integration with fluorescent dyes or chemiluminescent moieties has led to remarkable bioimaging outcomes, while DNAzyme-based biosensors have demonstrated robust sensitivity and selectivity in detecting metal ions, nucleic acids, proteins, enzyme activities, exosomes, bacteria and microorganisms. In addition, by delivering DNAzymes into tumor cells, the mRNA therein can be cleaved to regulate the expression of corresponding proteins, which has further propelled the application of DNAzymes in cancer gene therapy and synergistic therapy. This paper reviews the strategies for screening attractive DNAzymes such as SELEX and high-throughput sequencing, and briefly describes the amplification strategies of DNAzymes, which mainly include catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA), DNA walker, hybridization chain reaction (HCR), DNA origami, CRISPR-Cas12a, rolling circle amplification (RCA), and aptamers. In addition, applications of DNAzymes in bioimaging, biosensing, and cancer therapy are also highlighted. Subsequently, the possible challenges of these DNAzymes in practical applications are further pointed out, and future research directions are suggested.

Micro/Nanomotor-Driven Intelligent Targeted Delivery Systems: Dynamics Sources and Frontier Applications

Micro/nanomotors represent a promising class of drug delivery carriers capable of converting surrounding chemical or external energy into mechanical power, enabling autonomous movement. Their distinct autonomous propulsive force distinguishes them from other carriers, offering significant potential for enhancing drug penetration across cellular and tissue barriers. A comprehensive understanding of micro/nanomotor dynamics with various power sources is crucial to facilitate their transition from proof-of-concept to clinical application. In this review, micro/nanomotors are categorized into three classes based on their energy sources: endogenously stimulated, exogenously stimulated, and live cell-driven. The review summarizes the mechanisms governing micro/nanomotor movements under these energy sources and explores factors influencing autonomous motion. Furthermore, it discusses methods for controlling micro/nanomotor movement, encompassing aspects related to their structure, composition, and environmental factors. The remarkable propulsive force exhibited by micro/nanomotors makes them valuable for significant biomedical applications, including tumor therapy, bio-detection, bacterial infection therapy, inflammation therapy, gastrointestinal disease therapy, and environmental remediation. Finally, the review addresses the challenges and prospects for the application of micro/nanomotors. Overall, this review emphasizes the transformative potential of micro/nanomotors in overcoming biological barriers and enhancing therapeutic efficacy, highlighting their promising clinical applications across various biomedical fields.

Iron-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks as Multiple Cascade Synergistic Therapeutic Effect Nano-Drug Delivery Systems for Effective Tumor Elimination

Efforts have been made to improve the therapeutic efficiency of tumor treatments, and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have shown excellent potential in tumor therapy. Monotherapy for the treatment of tumors has limited effects due to the limitation of response conditions and inevitable multidrug resistance, which seriously affect the clinical therapeutic effect. In this study, we chose to construct a multiple cascade synergistic tumor drug delivery system MIL-101(Fe)-DOX-TCPP-MnO2@PDA-Ag (MDTM@P-Ag) using MOFs as drug carriers. Under near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation, 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (TCPP) and Ag NPs loaded on MDTM@P-Ag can be activated to generate cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) and achieve photothermal conversion, thus effectively inducing the apoptosis of tumor cells and achieving a combined photodynamic/photothermal therapy. Once released at the tumor site, manganese dioxide (MnO2) can catalyze the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the acidic microenvironment of the tumor to generate oxygen (O2) and alleviate the hypoxic environment of the tumor. Fe3+/Mn2+ will mediate a Fenton/Fenton-like reaction to generate cytotoxic hydroxyl radicals (·OH), while depleting the high concentration of glutathione (GSH) in the tumor, thus enhancing the chemodynamic therapeutic effect. The successful preparation of the tumor drug delivery system and its good synergistic chemodynamic/photodynamic/photothermal therapeutic effect in tumor treatment can be demonstrated by the experimental results of material characterization, performance testing and in vitro experiments.

Construction Strategy of Functionalized Liposomes and Multidimensional Application

Liposomes are widely used in the biological field due to their good biocompatibility and surface modification properties. With the development of biochemistry and material science, many liposome structures and their surface functional components have been modified and optimized one by one, pushing the liposome platform from traditional to functionalized and intelligent, which will better satisfy and expand the needs of scientific research. However, a main limiting factor effecting the efficiency of liposomes is the complicated environmental conditions in the living body. Currently, in order to overcome the above problem, functionalized liposomes have become a very promising strategy. In this paper, binding strategies of liposomes with four main functional elements, namely nucleic acids, antibodies, peptides, and stimuli-responsive motif have been summarized for the first time. In addition, based on the construction characteristics of functionalized liposomes, such as drug-carrying, targeting, long-circulating, and stimulus-responsive properties, a comprehensive overview of their features and respective research progress are presented. Finally, the paper critically presents the limitations of these functionalized liposomes in the current applications and also prospectively suggests the future development directions, aiming to accelerate realization of their industrialization.

O2-Generating Fluorescent Carbon Dot-Decorated MnO2 Nanosheets for "Off/On" MR/Fluorescence Imaging and Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy

Imaging-guided photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as a promising protocol for cancer theragnostic. However, facile preparation of such a theranostic system for simultaneously achieving tumor location, real-time monitoring, and high-performance reactive oxygen species generation is highly desirable but remains challenging. Herein, we developed a reasonable tumor-targeting strategy based on carbon dots (CDs)-decorated MnO2 nanosheets (HA-MnO2-CDs) with an active magnetic resonance (MR)/fluorescence imaging and enhanced PDT effect. Under light irradiation, the addition of HA-MnO2-CDs increased the production of 1O2 by 2.5 times compared with CDs, providing favorable conditions for the PDT treatment effect on breast cancer. Moreover, HA-MnO2-CDs exhibited excellent performance in producing O2 in the presence of endogenous H2O2, which alleviated hypoxia in tumors and improved the therapeutic effect of PDT. In the presence of glutathione (GSH), the degraded MnO2 nanosheets released CDs and Mn2+ from HA-MnO2-CDs, restoring their fluorescence imaging function and increasing T1 relaxivity (r1) by 23 times. In vivo fluorescence and MR imaging suggested the excellent tumor-targeting property of HA-MnO2-CDs. By combining the complementary properties of nanoprobes and tumor microenvironments, the in vivo PDT therapeutic effect was significantly improved under the action of HA-MnO2-CDs. Overall, our reasonably designed HA-MnO2-CDs may inspire the future development of the next generation of high-performance tumor-responsive diagnostic and therapeutic agents to further enhance the targeted therapy effect of tumors.

Next-generation nanomaterials: advancing ocular anti-inflammatory drug therapy

Ophthalmic inflammatory diseases, including conjunctivitis, keratitis, uveitis, scleritis, and related conditions, pose considerable challenges to effective management and treatment. This review article investigates the potential of advanced nanomaterials in revolutionizing ocular anti-inflammatory drug interventions. By conducting an exhaustive analysis of recent advancements and assessing the potential benefits and limitations, this review aims to identify promising avenues for future research and clinical applications. The review commences with a detailed exploration of various nanomaterial categories, such as liposomes, dendrimers, nanoparticles (NPs), and hydrogels, emphasizing their unique properties and capabilities for accurate drug delivery. Subsequently, we explore the etiology and pathophysiology of ophthalmic inflammatory disorders, highlighting the urgent necessity for innovative therapeutic strategies and examining recent preclinical and clinical investigations employing nanomaterial-based drug delivery systems. We discuss the advantages of these cutting-edge systems, such as biocompatibility, bioavailability, controlled release, and targeted delivery, alongside potential challenges, which encompass immunogenicity, toxicity, and regulatory hurdles. Furthermore, we emphasize the significance of interdisciplinary collaborations among material scientists, pharmacologists, and clinicians in expediting the translation of these breakthroughs from laboratory environments to clinical practice. In summary, this review accentuates the remarkable potential of advanced nanomaterials in redefining ocular anti-inflammatory drug therapy. We fervently support continued research and development in this rapidly evolving field to overcome existing barriers and improve patient outcomes for ophthalmic inflammatory disorders.

Calcium Orthophosphate in Liposomes for Co-Delivery of Doxorubicin Hydrochloride/Paclitaxel in Breast Cancer

Nanoparticles (NPs) show great advantages in cancer treatment by enabling controlled and targeted delivery of payloads to tumor sites through the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. In this study, highly effective pH-responsive and biodegradable calcium orthophosphate@liposomes (CaP@Lip) NPs with a diameter of 110 ± 20 nm were designed and fabricated. CaP@Lip NPs loaded with hydrophobic paclitaxel and hydrophilic doxorubicin hydrochloride achieved excellent drug loading efficiencies of 70 and 90%, respectively. Under physiological conditions, the obtained NPs are negatively charged. However, they switched to positively charged when exposed to weak acidic environments by which internalization can be promoted. Furthermore, the CaP@Lip NPs exhibit an obvious structural collapse under acid conditions (pH 5.5), which confirms their excellent biodegradability. The "proton expansion" effect in endosomes and the pH-responsiveness of the NPs facilitate the release of encapsulated drugs from individual channels. The effectiveness and safety of the drug delivery systems were demonstrated through in vitro and in vivo experiments, with a 76% inhibition of tumor growth. These findings highlight the high targeting ability of the drug-loaded NPs to tumor sites through the EPR effect, effectively suppressing tumor growth and metastasis. By combining CaP NPs and liposomes, this study not only resolves the toxicity of CaP but also enhances the stability of liposomes. The CaP@Lip NPs developed in this study have significant implications for biomedical applications and inspire the development of intelligent and smart drug nanocarriers and release systems for clinical use.

Multifunctional Hollow MnO2 @Porphyrin@Bromelain Nanoplatform for Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been showing great potential in cancer treatment. However, the efficacy of PDT is always limited by the intrinsic hypoxic tumor microenvironment (TME) and the low accumulation efficiency of photosensitizers in tumors. To address the issue, a multifunctional hollow multilayer nanoplatform (H-MnO₂ @TPyP@Bro) comprising manganese dioxide, porphyrin (TPyP) and bromelain (Bro), is developed for enhanced photodynamic therapy. MnO₂ catalyzes the intracellular hydrogen peroxide (H₂ O₂ ) to produce oxygen (O₂ ), reversing the hypoxic TME in vivo. The generated O₂ is converted into singlet oxygen (¹ O₂ ) by the TPyP shell under near-infrared light, which can inhibit tumor proliferation. Meanwhile, the Bro can digest collagen in the extracellular matrix around the tumor, and can promote the accumulation of H-MnO₂ @TPyP@Bro in the deeper tumor tissue, further improving the therapeutic effect of PDT. In addition, MnO₂ can react with the overexpressed glutathione in TME to release Mn²⁺ . Consequently, Mn²⁺ not only induces chemo-dynamic therapy based on Fenton reaction by converting H₂ O₂ into hydroxyl radicals, but also activates the Mn²⁺ -based magnetic resonance imaging. Therefore, the developed H-MnO₂ @TPyP@Bro nanoplatform can effectively modulate the unfavorable TME and overcome the limitations of conventional PDT for cancer diagnostic and therapeutic.

New Hope for Treating Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: Microsphere-Based Delivery System

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration (IVDD) has been considered the dominant factor in low back pain (LBP), and its etiological mechanisms are complex and not yet fully elucidated. To date, the treatment of IVDD has mainly focused on relieving clinical symptoms and cannot fundamentally solve the problem. Recently, a novel microsphere-based therapeutic strategy has held promise for IVD regeneration and has yielded encouraging results with in vitro experiments and animal models. With excellent injectability, biocompatibility, and biodegradability, this microsphere carrier allows for targeted delivery and controlled release of drugs, gene regulatory sequences, and other bioactive substances and supports cell implantation and directed differentiation, aiming to improve the disease state of IVD at the source. This review discusses the possible mechanisms of IVDD and the limitations of current therapies, focusing on the application of microsphere delivery systems in IVDD, including targeted delivery of active substances and drugs, cellular therapy, and gene therapy, and attempts to provide a new understanding for the treatment of IVDD.