Oncolytic Impediment/Promotion Balance Disruption by Sonosensitizer-Free Nanoplatforms Unfreezes Autophagy-Induced Resistance to Sonocatalytic Therapy

Harnessing the potential of hydrogels for advanced therapeutic applications: current achievements and future directions

The applications of hydrogels have expanded significantly due to their versatile, highly tunable properties and breakthroughs in biomaterial technologies. In this review, we cover the major achievements and the potential of hydrogels in therapeutic applications, focusing primarily on two areas: emerging cell-based therapies and promising non-cell therapeutic modalities. Within the context of cell therapy, we discuss the capacity of hydrogels to overcome the existing translational challenges faced by mainstream cell therapy paradigms, provide a detailed discussion on the advantages and principal design considerations of hydrogels for boosting the efficacy of cell therapy, as well as list specific examples of their applications in different disease scenarios. We then explore the potential of hydrogels in drug delivery, physical intervention therapies, and other non-cell therapeutic areas (e.g., bioadhesives, artificial tissues, and biosensors), emphasizing their utility beyond mere delivery vehicles. Additionally, we complement our discussion on the latest progress and challenges in the clinical application of hydrogels and outline future research directions, particularly in terms of integration with advanced biomanufacturing technologies. This review aims to present a comprehensive view and critical insights into the design and selection of hydrogels for both cell therapy and non-cell therapies, tailored to meet the therapeutic requirements of diverse diseases and situations.

A Distinctive Insight into Inorganic Sonosensitizers: Design Principles and Application Domains

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) as a promising non-invasive anti-tumor means features the preferable penetration depth, which nevertheless, usually can't work without sonosensitizers. Sonosensitizers produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the presence of ultrasound to directly kill tumor cells, and concurrently activate anti-tumor immunity especially after integration with tumor microenvironment (TME)-engineered nanobiotechnologies and combined therapy. Current sonosensitizers are classified into organic and inorganic ones, and current most reviews only cover organic sonosensitizers and highlighted their anti-tumor applications. However, there have few specific reviews that focus on inorganic sonosensitizers including their design principles, microenvironment regulation, etc. In this review, inorganic sonosensitizers are first classified according to their design rationales rather than composition, and the action rationales and underlying chemistry features are highlighted. Afterward, what and how TME is regulated based on the inorganic sonosensitizers-based SDT nanoplatform with an emphasis on the TME targets-engineered nanobiotechnologies are elucidated. Additionally, the combined therapy and their applications in non-cancer diseases are also outlined. Finally, the setbacks and challenges, and proposed the potential solutions and future directions is pointed out. This review provides a comprehensive and detailed horizon on inorganic sonosensitizers, and will arouse more attentions on SDT.

Salivary Amylase-Responsive Buccal Tablets Wipe Out Chemotherapy-Rooted Refractory Oral Mucositis

Oral mucositis (OM) is the most common and refractory complication of cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy, severely affecting patients' life quality, lowering treatment tolerance, and discouraging patient compliance. Current OM delivery systems mostly affect the comfort of patient use and lead to poor compliance and unsatisfactory effects. Herein, salivary amylases (SAs)-responsive buccal tablets consisting of porous manganese-substituted Prussian blue (PMPB) nanocubes (NCs), anti-inflammatory apremilast (Apr) and starch controller have been engineered. PMPB NCs with large surface area can serve as carriers to load Apr, and their multienzyme-mimicking activity enables them to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS), which thus synergize with Apr to mitigate inflammation. More significantly, the starch controller can respond to abundant SAs in the oral cavity and realize the cascade, continuous, and complete drug release after enzymatic decomposition, which not only aids with high tissue affinity to prolong the resistance time but also improves the comfort of use. The preclinical study reveals that contributed by the above actions, such buccal tablets mitigate inflammation, promote endothelium proliferation and migration, and accelerate wound healing for repressing chemotherapy-originated intractable OM with positive oral microenvironment and shorter recovery time, thus holding high potentials in clinical translation.

Truncated PD1 Engineered Gas-Producing Extracellular Vesicles for Ultrasound Imaging and Subsequent Degradation of PDL1 in Tumor Cells

PDL1 blockade therapy holds great promise in cancer immunotherapy. Ultrasound imaging of PDL1 expression in the tumor is of great importance in predicting the therapeutic efficacy. As a proof-of-concept study, a novel ultrasound contrast agent has been innovated here to image and block PDL1 in the tumor tissue. Briefly, extracellular vesicles (EVs) are engineered to display truncated PD1 (tPD1) on the surface to bind PDL1 with high affinity by fusion to EV-abundant transmembrane protein PTGFRN. The engineered EVs are then encapsulated with Ca(HCO3)2 via electroporation and designated as Gp-EVtPD1, which would recognize PDL1 highly expressed cells and produce gas in the endosomes and lysosomes. On the one hand, the echogenic signal intensity correlates well with the PDL1 expression and immune response inhibition in the tumor. On the other hand, during the trajectory of Gp-EVtPD1 in the recipient cells, tPD1 on the EV binds PDL1 and triggers the PDL1 endocytosis and degradation in endosomes/lysosomes in a sequential manner, and thus boosts the anti-tumor immunity of cytotoxic T cells. In summary, Gp-EVtPD1 serves as a novel ultrasound contrast agent and blocker of PDL1, which might be of great advantage in imaging PDL1 expression and conquering immune checkpoint blocker resistance.

Sequential Ubiquitination and Phosphorylation Epigenetics Reshaping by MG132-Loaded Fe-MOF Disarms Treatment Resistance to Repulse Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Abnormal epigenetic regulation is identified to correlate with cancer progression and renders tumor refractory and resistant to reactive oxygen species (ROS)-based anti-tumor actions. To address it, a sequential ubiquitination and phosphorylation epigenetics modulation strategy is developed and exemplified by the well-established Fe-metal-organic framework (Fe-MOF)-based chemodynamic therapy (CDT) nanoplatforms that load the 26S proteasome inhibitor (i.e., MG132). The encapsulated MG132 can blockade 26S proteasome, terminate ubiquitination, and further inhibit transcription factor phosphorylation (e.g., NF-κB p65), which can boost pro-apoptotic or misfolded protein accumulations, disrupt tumor homeostasis, and down-regulate driving genes expression of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Contributed by them, Fe-MOF-unlocked CDT is magnified to considerably elevate ROS content for repulsing mCRC, especially after combining with macrophage membrane coating-enabled tropism accumulation. Systematic experiments reveal the mechanism and signaling pathway of such a sequential ubiquitination and phosphorylation epigenetics modulation and explain how it could blockade ubiquitination and phosphorylation to liberate the therapy resistance to ROS and activate NF-κB-related acute immune responses. This unprecedented sequential epigenetics modulation lays a solid foundation to magnify oxidative stress and can serve as a general method to enhance other ROS-based anti-tumor methods.

Macrophage-inherited exosome excise tumor immunosuppression to expedite immune-activated ferroptosis

BACKGROUND

Immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (ITM) remains an obstacle that jeopardizes clinical immunotherapy.

METHODS

To address this concern, we have engineered an exosome inherited from M1-pheototype macrophages, which thereby retain functions and ingredients of the parent M1-phenotype macrophages. The delivered RSL3 that serves as a common ferroptosis inducer can reduce the levels of ferroptosis hallmarkers (eg, glutathione and glutathione peroxidase 4), break the redox homeostasis to magnify oxidative stress accumulation, promote the expression of ferroptosis-related proteins, and induce robust ferroptosis of tumor cells, accompanied with which systematic immune response activation can bbe realized. M1 macrophage-derived exosomes can inherit more functions and genetic substances than nanovesicles since nanovesicles inevitably suffer from substance and function loss caused by extrusion-arised structural damage.

RESULTS

Inspired by it, spontaneous homing to tumor and M2-like macrophage polarization into M1-like ones are attained, which not only significantly magnify oxidative stress but also mitigate ITM including M2-like macrophage polarization and regulatory T cell decrease, and regulate death pathways.

CONCLUSIONS

All these actions accomplish a synergistic antitumor enhancement against tumor progression, thus paving a general route to mitigate ITM, activate immune responses, and magnify ferroptosis.

Application of Photocatalysis and Sonocatalysis for Treatment of Organic Dye Wastewater and the Synergistic Effect of Ultrasound and Light

Organic dyes play vital roles in the textile industry, while the discharge of organic dye wastewater in the production and utilization of dyes has caused significant damage to the aquatic ecosystem. This review aims to summarize the mechanisms of photocatalysis, sonocatalysis, and sonophotocatalysis in the treatment of organic dye wastewater and the recent advances in catalyst development, with a focus on the synergistic effect of ultrasound and light in the catalytic degradation of organic dyes. The performance of TiO₂-based catalysts for organic dye degradation in photocatalytic, sonocatalytic, and sonophotocatalytic systems is compared. With significant synergistic effect of ultrasound and light, sonophotocatalysis generally performs much better than sonocatalysis or photocatalysis alone in pollutant degradation, yet it has a much higher energy requirement. Future research directions are proposed to expand the fundamental knowledge on the sonophotocatalysis process and to enhance its practical application in degrading organic dyes in wastewater.