A hybrid HPV capsid protein L1 with giant Mo-containing polyoxometalate improves the stability of virus-like particles and the anti-tumor effect of [Mo154]

The Application of Nanoparticle-Based Imaging and Phototherapy for Female Reproductive Organs Diseases

Various female reproductive disorders affect millions of women worldwide and bring many troubles to women's daily life. Let alone, gynecological cancer (such as ovarian cancer and cervical cancer) is a severe threat to most women's lives. Endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and other chronic diseases-induced pain have significantly harmed women's physical and mental health. Despite recent advances in the female reproductive field, the existing challenges are still enormous such as personalization of disease, difficulty in diagnosing early cancers, antibiotic resistance in infectious diseases, etc. To confront such challenges, nanoparticle-based imaging tools and phototherapies that offer minimally invasive detection and treatment of reproductive tract-associated pathologies are indispensable and innovative. Of late, several clinical trials have also been conducted using nanoparticles for the early detection of female reproductive tract infections and cancers, targeted drug delivery, and cellular therapeutics. However, these nanoparticle trials are still nascent due to the body's delicate and complex female reproductive system. The present review comprehensively focuses on emerging nanoparticle-based imaging and phototherapies applications, which hold enormous promise for improved early diagnosis and effective treatments of various female reproductive organ diseases.

Polyoxometalate-peptide hybrid materials: from structure-property relationships to applications

Organo-functionalisation of polyoxometalates (POMs) represents an effective approach to obtain diverse arrays of functional structures and materials, where the introduction of organic moieties into the POM molecules can dramatically change their surface chemistry, charge, polarity, and redox properties. The synergistic combination of POMs and peptides, which perform a myriad of essential roles within cellular biochemistry, including protection and transport in living organisms, leads to functional hybrid materials with unique properties. In this Perspective article, we present the principal synthetic routes to prepare and characterise POM-peptide hybrids, together with a comprehensive description of how their properties - such as redox chemistry, stereochemistry and supramolecular self-assembly - give rise to materials with relevant catalytic, adhesive, and biomedical applications. By presenting the state-of-the-art of the POM-peptide field, we show specifically how emerging chemical approaches can be harnessed to develop tailored POM-peptide materials with synergistic properties for applications in a variety of disciplines.

Mo154 Synergistically Enhanced Antibiofilm and Antibacterial Effects of Spermine via Coassembly

Nowadays, the over use of antibiotics has led to the production of biofilms, which cause antimicrobial treatment to fail and thus are a severe threat to public health globally. Therefore, exploiting antibiofilm agents is highly urgent. In the present study, we report an assembly that is rationally constructed by biogenic amine spermine (Spm) and molybdenum (Mo)-containing polyoxometalate clusters (Mo₁₅₄), which present efficient antibiofilm and bactericidal effects. On the one hand, the assembly of Mo₁₅₄/Spm produces large aggregates, which favors 808 nm absorption and exhibits an improved photothermal transition (PTT) under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation. On the other hand, the assembly with Spm enhanced Mo₁₅₄ uptake to both the biofilm and bacteria, which improved both biofilm elimination and antibacterial effects. Therefore, in addition to providing an efficient antibacterial agent of Mo₁₅₄/Spm assembly, the present study also offers guidance on the future design of hybrid antibacterial assemblies with efficient effects.

Promising application of polyoxometalates in the treatment of cancer, infectious diseases and Alzheimer's disease

As shown in studies conducted in recent decades, polyoxometalates (POMs), as inorganic metal oxides, have promising biological activities, including antitumor, anti-infectious and anti-Alzheimer’s activities, due to their special structures and properties. However, some side effects impede their clinical applications to a certain extent. Compared with unmodified POMs, POM-based inorganic–organic hybrids and POM-based nanocomposite structures show significantly enhanced bioactivity and reduced side effects. In this review, we introduce the biological activities of POMs and their derivatives and highlight the side effects of POMs on normal cells and organisms and their possible mechanisms of action. We then propose a development direction for overcoming their side effects. POMs are expected to constitute a new generation of inorganic metal drugs for the treatment of cancer, infectious diseases, and Alzheimer's disease.

Graphical abstract