Nanotechnology applications in diagnosis and treatment of metastasis

Glycyrrhizin mediated liver-targeted alginate nanogels delivers quercetin to relieve acute liver failure

Acute liver failure is an uncommon and dramatic clinical syndrome with a high risk of mortality. Previous treatments existed some limitations of poor bioavailability and targeting the efficiency of drugs. In this study, a novel glycyrrhizin mediated liver-targeted alginate nanogels, which can deliver the antioxidant quercetin to the liver for the treatment of acute liver injury. In vitro radical scavenging results showed that the antioxidant activity of quercetin was increased 81-fold. The tissue distribution results indicated that glycyrrhizin-mediated nanogels showed stronger fluorescence intensity in the liver, which improved liver targeting and therapeutic efficacy. Quercetin-glycyrrhizin nanogels were more effective at restoring liver injury as indicated on serum markers, including alanine transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, and total bilirubin. The histopathology result showed that quercetin-glycyrrhizin nanogels reversed liver damage. Oxidative parameters of malondialdehyde and glutathione s-transferase were decreased, which provided supporting evidence of antioxidation. Moreover, quercetin-glycyrrhizin nanogels were more effective in down-regulating the inflammation-related gene expression of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, inducible nitric oxide synthase and monocyte chemotactic protein-1. In conclusion, the novel glycyrrhizin mediated liver-targeted alginate nanogels might be a promising treatment for acute liver failure.

Tuning the Magnetic Moment of Small Late 3d-Transition-Metal Oxide Clusters by Selectively Mixing the Transition-Metal Constituents

Transition-metal oxide nanoparticles are relevant for many applications in different areas where their superparamagnetic behavior and low blocking temperature are required. However, they have low magnetic moments, which does not favor their being turned into active actuators. Here, we report a systematical study, within the framework of the density functional theory, of the possibility of promoting a high-spin state in small late-transition-metal oxide nanoparticles through alloying. We investigated all possible nanoalloys An-xBxOm (A, B = Fe, Co, Ni; n = 2, 3, 4; 0≤x≤n) with different oxidation rates, m, up to saturation. We found that the higher the concentration of Fe, the higher the absolute stability of the oxidized nanoalloy, while the higher the Ni content, the less prone to oxidation. We demonstrate that combining the stronger tendency of Co and Ni toward parallel couplings with the larger spin polarization of Fe is particularly beneficial for certain nanoalloys in order to achieve a high total magnetic moment, and its robustness against oxidation. In particular, at high oxidation rates we found that certain FeCo oxidized nanoalloys outperform both their pure counterparts, and that alloying even promotes the reentrance of magnetism in certain cases at a critical oxygen rate, close to saturation, at which the pure oxidized counterparts exhibit quenched magnetic moments.

Theranostics Applications of Nanoparticles in Cancer Immunotherapy

With the advancement in the mechanism of immune surveillance and immune evasion in cancer cells, cancer immunotherapy shows promising results for treating cancer with established efficacy and less toxicity. As a result of the off-target effect, the approach for delivering vaccines, adjuvants, or antibodies directly to tumor sites is gaining widespread attention. An effective alternative is to utilize nanoengineered particles, functioning as drug-delivery systems or as antigens themselves. This article reviews the practical implementation of nanotechnology in cancer immunotherapy.

Progress in rigid polysaccharide-based nanocomposites with therapeutic functions

Nanocomposites engineered by incorporating versatile nanoparticles into different bioactive β-glucan matrices display effective therapeutic functions.