Endosomal pH-Responsive Fe-Based Hyaluronate Nanoparticles for Doxorubicin Delivery

Functional Nanomaterials: From Structures to Biomedical Applications

In recent decades, a number of functional nanomaterials have attracted a great amount of attention and exhibited excellent performance for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications [...]

Construction and evaluation of detachable bone-targeting MOF carriers for the delivery of proteasome inhibitors

Tumor bone metastasis is an important cause of tumor recurrence and death. Although bone-targeting nanoparticles decorated with targeting ligands have shown good affinity for bone tissues with the properties of adhesion to the bone matrix, it is not easy to detach from the surface of the bone matrix in the tumor-bone microenvironment, attributed to the robust coordination force between the targeting ligands, such as bisphosphates with bone-deposited calcium. This may hinder the transport of nanoparticles from bone tissue to bone metastatic tumors. In this research, we designed a bone-targeting nanocarrier with detachable bone-targeting character for the therapy of bone metastases. The nanoparticles were constructed by using ZIF-8 and bone-targeting and MMP enzyme sensitive polypeptide-modified hyaluronic acid as a carrier and proteasome inhibitor Bortezomib (BTZ) as cargo. The results show that the constructed D8-M3-HA-ZIF8@BTZ nanoparticles possessed several favorable properties such as good colloidal stability, acid-sensitive drug release, D8 peptide mediated bone targeting and MMP enzyme-responsive desorption. Besides, nanoparticle endocytosis and cytotoxicity were enhanced through HA-mediated targeting to CD44 over-expressing tumor cells. Altogether, this study provides a potential cascade targeting strategy for improving the delivery effects of bone targeted nanoparticles for the delivery of proteasome inhibitors.

Tumor bone metastasis is an important cause of tumor recurrence and death.

Electrospun Hybrid Films for Fast and Convenient Delivery of Active Herb Extracts

Herb medicines are popular for safe application due to being a source of natural herbs. However, how to deliver them in an efficacious and convenient manner poses a big challenge to researchers. In this study, a new concept is demonstrated that the electrospun polymer-based hybrid films can be a platform for promoting the delivery of a mixture of active herb extract, i.e., Lianhua Qingwen Keli (LQK), also a commercial traditional Chinese patent medicine. The LQK can be co-dissolved with the filament-forming polymeric polyvinylpyrrolidone K60 and a sweeter sucralose to prepare an electrospinnable solution. A handheld electrospinning apparatus was explored to transfer the solution into solid nanofibers, i.e., the LQK-loaded medicated films. These films were demonstrated to be composed of linear nanofibers. A puncher was utilized to transfer the mat into circular membrane a diameter of 15 mm. Two self-created methods were developed for disclosing the dissolution performances of the electrospun mats. Both the water droplet experiments and the wet paper (mimic tongue) experiments verified that the hybrid films can rapidly disintegrate when they encounter water and release the loaded LQK in an immediate manner. Based on the reasonable selections of polymeric excipients, the present protocols pave a way for delivering many types of active herb extracts in an effective and convenient manner.

Electrospun Structural Hybrids of Acyclovir-Polyacrylonitrile at Acyclovir for Modifying Drug Release

In traditional pharmaceutics, drug–crystalline nanoparticles and drug–polymer composites are frequently explored for their ability to modify drug release profiles. In this study, a novel sort of hybrid with a coating of acyclovir crystalline nanoparticles on acyclovir-polyacrylonitrile composites was fabricated using modified, coaxial electrospinning processes. The developed acyclovir-polyacrylonitrile at the acyclovir nanohybrids was loaded with various amounts of acyclovir, which could be realized simply by adjusting the sheath fluid flow rates. Compared with the electrospun composite nanofibers from a single-fluid blending process, the nanohybrids showed advantages of modifying the acyclovir release profiles in the following aspects: (1) the initial release amount was more accurately and intentionally controlled; (2) the later sustained release was nearer to a zero-order kinetic process; and (3) the release amounts at different stages could be easily allocated by the sheath fluid flow rate. X-ray diffraction results verified that the acyclovir nanoparticles were in a crystalline state, and Fourier-transform infrared spectra verified that the drug acyclovir and the polymer polyacrylonitrile had a good compatibility. The protocols reported here could pave the way for developing new types of functional nanostructures.