Gold-based Inorganic Nanohybrids for Nanomedicine Applications

Biosynthesis, Characterization, and Biomedical Applications of Gold Nanoparticles with Cucurbita moschata Duchesne Ex Poiret Peel Aqueous Extracts

In this study, AuNPs were biosynthesized from Cucurbita moschata fruit peel extracts. Biosynthesized AuNPs exhibited maximum absorbance at a 555 nm wavelength, and XRD analysis indicated that the CM-AuNPs had a particle size of less than 100 nm and a cubic crystal structure. TEM scans revealed that the gold particles exhibited a spherical morphology, with an average size of 18.10 nm. FTIR analysis revealed strong peaks indicating the presence of functional groups involved in the reduction reactions. The surface charge of the biosynthesized AuNPs was determined to be -19.7 mV. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of AuNPs against pathogen strains were assessed by the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method. The cytotoxic effects of CM-AuNPs on cancer cell lines (Sk-Ov-3, CaCo2, and A549) and healthy cell lines (HUVEC) were investigated using the MTT method. The findings indicated that AuNPs biosynthesized by the green synthesis method using C. moschata peel aqueous extract had high inhibition on the growth of pathogenic microorganisms and effective cytotoxic activity against cancerous cell lines at low doses. As a result, it can be concluded that CM-AuNPs will be eminently effective in the production of antibacterial and/or anticancer drugs in the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries.

Mapping the evolution of inhaled drug delivery research: Trends, collaborations, and emerging frontiers

Inhaled drug delivery is a unique administration route known for its ability to directly target pulmonary or brain regions, facilitating rapid onset and circumventing the hepatic first-pass effect. To characterize current global trends and provide a visual overview of the latest trends in inhaled drug delivery research, bibliometric analysis of data acquired from the Web of Science Core Collection database was performed via VOSviewer and CiteSpace. Inhaled drug delivery can not only be utilized in respiratory diseases but also has potential in other types of diseases for both fundamental and clinical applications. Overall, we provide an overview of present trends, collaborations, and newly discovered frontiers of inhaled drug delivery.

Facile In-Situ photocatalytic reduction of AuNPs on multilayer Core-Shell Fe3O4@SiO2@PDA magnetic nanostructures and their SERS application

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a promising analytical technique for the rapid, sensitive, and repeatable detection in various SERS application fields. Herein, a new type of potential magnetically recyclable SERS substrate was designed and rapidly synthesized via a facile three-step template method. First, the magnetic ferroferric oxide (Fe3O4) cores were prepared by a convenient solvothermal approach, and coated with a thin layer of silica by a sol-gel process in order to improve their stability in complicated environments. Next, the negatively charged polydopamine (PDA)/K6[SiW11VIVO40]·7H2O (PDA/SiW11V) outer shell was assembled upon the magnetic Fe3O4@SiO2 core-shell nanoparticles via a layer-by-layer sequential adsorption process using the stickiness of PDA. The SiW11V multilayer shell can be used as the subsequent photocatalytic reduction precursors for the in-situ loading of high-density gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), without any other organic additives. The AuNPs decorated multilayer core-shell Fe3O4@SiO2@PDA magnetic nanostructures were employed as a potential magnetically recyclable SERS substrate, and showed excellent SERS performance. Using crystal violet (CV) as a model target, the as-fabricated AuNPs modified multilayer core-shell Fe3O4@SiO2@PDA magnetic nanostructures SERS substrates exhibited significant enhancement, and pushed the detection limit down to 10-12 M. Aside from the ultrahigh sensitivity, these SERS substrates also possess an excellent reproducibility (relative standard deviation (RSD) ∼ 8.3%), long-term stability (75 days), and unique chemical stability capability in different organic solvents and different environments with pH ≤ 10. Furthermore, a real-life application is also performed by the detection of melamine in spiked milk solution using the as-prepared magnetic nanostructures SERS-active substrates (limit of detection (LOD), 10-8 M). These results highlight that the rational design and controllable synthesis of multifunctional magnetic SERS substrates is a promising strategy in many different application fields such as biosensing, photoelectrocatalysis, and medical diagnosis.

Gold-semiconductor nanohybrids as advanced phototherapeutics

Phototherapeutics is gaining momentum as a mainstream treatment for cancer, with gold-semiconductor nanocomposites showing promise as potent phototherapeutic agents due to their structural tunability, biocompatibility and functional diversity. Such nanohybrids possess plasmonic characteristics in the presence of gold and the catalytic nature of semiconductor units, as well as the unexpected physicochemical properties arising from the contact interface. This perspective provides an overview of the latest research on gold-semiconductor nanocomposites for photodynamic, photothermal and photocatalytic therapy. The relationship between the spatial configuration of these nanohybrids and their practical performance was explored to deliver comprehensive insights and guidance for the design and fabrication of novel composite nanoplatforms to enhance the efficiency of phototherapeutics, promoting the development of nanotechnology-based advanced biomedical applications.

Strategies increasing the effectiveness of temozolomide at various levels of anti-GBL therapy

Glioblastoma (GBL) is the most common (60-70% of primary brain tumours) and the most malignant of the glial tumours. Although current therapies remain palliative, they have been proven to prolong overall survival. Within an optimal treatment regimen (incl. surgical resection, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy) temozolomide as the current anti-GBL first-line chemotherapeutic has increased the median overall survival to 14-15 months, and the percentage of patients alive at two years has been reported to rise from 10.4% to 26.5%. Though, the effectiveness of temozolomide chemotherapy is limited by the serious systemic, dose-related side effects. Therefore, the ponderation regarding novel treatment methods along with innovative formulations is crucial to emerging the therapeutic potential of the widely used drug simultaneously reducing the drawbacks of its use. Herein the complex temozolomide application restrictions present at different levels of therapy as well as, the currently proposed strategies aimed at reducing those limitations are demonstrated. Approaches increasing the efficacy of anti-GBL treatment are addressed. Our paper is focused on the most recent developments in the field of nano/biomaterials-based systems for temozolomide delivery and their functionalization towards more effective blood-brain-barrier crossing and/or tumour targeting. Appropriate designing accounting for the physical and chemical features of formulations along with distinct routes of administration is also discussed. In addition, considering the multiple resistance mechanisms, the molecular heterogeneity and the evolution of tumour the purposely selected delivery methods, the combined therapeutic approaches and specifically focused on GBL cells therapies are reviewed.

Autophagy inhibitors for cancer therapy: Small molecules and nanomedicines

Autophagy is a conserved process in which the cytosolic materials are degraded and eventually recycled for cellular metabolism to maintain homeostasis. The dichotomous role of autophagy in pathogenesis is complicated. Accumulating reports have suggested that cytoprotective autophagy is responsible for tumor growth and progression. Autophagy inhibitors, such as chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), are promising for treating malignancies or overcoming drug resistance in chemotherapy. With the rapid development of nanotechnology, nanomaterials also show autophagy-inhibitory effects or are reported as the carriers delivering autophagy inhibitors. In this review, we summarize the small-molecule compounds and nanomaterials inhibiting autophagic flux as well as the mechanisms involved. The nanocarrier-based drug delivery systems for autophagy inhibitors and their distinct advantages are also described. The progress of autophagy inhibitors for clinical applications is finally introduced, and their future perspectives are discussed.

Nanoparticles-induced potential toxicity on human health: Applications, toxicity mechanisms, and evaluation models

Nanoparticles (NPs) have become one of the most popular objects of scientific study during the past decades. However, despite wealth of study reports, still there is a gap, particularly in health toxicology studies, underlying mechanisms, and related evaluation models to deeply understanding the NPs risk effects. In this review, we first present a comprehensive landscape of the applications of NPs on health, especially addressing the role of NPs in medical diagnosis, therapy. Then, the toxicity of NPs on health systems is introduced. We describe in detail the effects of NPs on various systems, including respiratory, nervous, endocrine, immune, and reproductive systems, and the carcinogenicity of NPs. Furthermore, we unravels the underlying mechanisms of NPs including ROS accumulation, mitochondrial damage, inflammatory reaction, apoptosis, DNA damage, cell cycle, and epigenetic regulation. In addition, the classical study models such as cell lines and mice and the emerging models such as 3D organoids used for evaluating the toxicity or scientific study are both introduced. Overall, this review presents a critical summary and evaluation of the state of understanding of NPs, giving readers more better understanding of the NPs toxicology to remedy key gaps in knowledge and techniques.

A Review of Advanced Multifunctional Magnetic Nanostructures for Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy Integrated into an Artificial Intelligence Approach

The new era of nanomedicine offers significant opportunities for cancer diagnostics and treatment. Magnetic nanoplatforms could be highly effective tools for cancer diagnosis and treatment in the future. Due to their tunable morphologies and superior properties, multifunctional magnetic nanomaterials and their hybrid nanostructures can be designed as specific carriers of drugs, imaging agents, and magnetic theranostics. Multifunctional magnetic nanostructures are promising theranostic agents due to their ability to diagnose and combine therapies. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the development of advanced multifunctional magnetic nanostructures combining magnetic and optical properties, providing photoresponsive magnetic platforms for promising medical applications. Moreover, this review discusses various innovative developments using multifunctional magnetic nanostructures, including drug delivery, cancer treatment, tumor-specific ligands that deliver chemotherapeutics or hormonal agents, magnetic resonance imaging, and tissue engineering. Additionally, artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to optimize material properties in cancer diagnosis and treatment, based on predicted interactions with drugs, cell membranes, vasculature, biological fluid, and the immune system to enhance the effectiveness of therapeutic agents. Furthermore, this review provides an overview of AI approaches used to assess the practical utility of multifunctional magnetic nanostructures for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Finally, the review presents the current knowledge and perspectives on hybrid magnetic systems as cancer treatment tools with AI models.

Albumin-templated platinum (II) sulfide nanodots for size-dependent cancer theranostics

Transition-metal chalcogenides, such as noble metal chalcogenides, hold tremendous potential as efficient agents for photo-induced cancer theranostics due to their unique physicochemical properties. However, a critical bottleneck still lies in exploring simple and controllable methods to synthesize noble metal chalcogenides especially PtS for in vivo photo-induced cancer imaging and simultaneous therapy. Herein, we proposed the albumin-templated synthesis of size-controllable platinum (II) sulfide nanodots (PtS-NDs) for multimodal cancer imaging and potent photothermal therapy. PtS-NDs were precisely synthesized with a tunable size ranging from 2.1 nm to 4.5 nm through a thermodynamically controlled growth inside albumin nanocages. PtS-NDs yielded significant near-infrared (NIR) absorbance and outstanding photothermal conversion under NIR laser irradiation, as well as effective resistance to photobleaching, thereby generating remarkable in vivo photoacoustic signals and distinct hyperthermia at tumor site. Moreover, these nanodots possessed efficient cellular uptake and tumor targeting capabilities in a size-dependent manner, thus leading to controllable diagnostic and thermo-therapeutic efficacy. Specifically, PtS-NDs with core diameter of 4.5 nm displayed preferable in vivo photoacoustic and CT imaging with high sensitivity, spatially and anatomically enhanced imaging contrast, together with hyperthermia mediated tumor ablation. Thus, the albumin-templated biomimetic synthesis provided an insightful strategy on fabricating theranostic PtS-NDs for potential clinical applications. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Noble metal chalcogenides especially PtS are of particular importance in the field of precise nanomedicine to improve both accuracy of cancer diagnosis and efficiency of tumor treatment. However, the intensively preclinical investigation of PtS was limited due to the lack of simple and controllable synthetic methods. Here, we report an albumin-templated biomineralization synthesis of platinum (II) sulfide nanodots (PtS-NDs). Specifically, albumin-templated biomineralization of PtS-NDs was induced by the electrostatic interactions between albumin and Pt²⁺, followed by the nucleation and growth inside the albumin nanocages. The resulting PtS-NDs showed good dispersibility and biosafety, as well as size-dependent photophysical properties and biological behaviors. Therefore, albumin-based biomineralization is a promising and safe strategy to facilely fabricate Pt-based chalcogenide for tumor theranostics.

Facile approach for surfactant-free synthesis of Au@ginsenoside Rh2 nanoparticles and researches on anticancer activity

Background

Inorganic nanocomposites especially Au nanostructures have exhibited outstanding physicochemical properties in biomedical fields. For further clinical applications on theranostics, especially drug delivery, numerous explorations of green and facile synthesis methods combining with pharmacoactive natural components have been investigated to construct safe and multifunctional bioactive Au nanoparticles (NPs). Ginsenoside Rh2 is protopanaxadiol type compound isolated from plants of genus Panax, with excellent anticancer effect and antioxidant activity. In this research, we prepared the novel Au nanoparticles using ginsenoside Rh2 as both reducing and stabilizing agents.

Results

The synthesized Au@ginsenoside Rh2 NPs were proved to exhibit desirable inhibitory effect on different cancer cell lines, which benefited from the inherent anticancer effect of the ginsenoside Rh2. Investigations in vitro indicated that Au@ginsenoside Rh2 NPs inhibited cell proliferation, cell migration and invasion, induced cell cycle arrest, enhanced the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and regulated the protein expressions of caspase-3, 8, 9 to trigger cell apoptosis as well.

Conclusions

Because of the absence of toxic chemical surfactants, the eco-friendly synthesis method of Au NPs modified by natural phytochemicals avoided tedious separation and modification processes. On the other hand, Au@ginsenoside Rh2 NPs also improved water solubility and bioavailability of the hydrophobic drug ginsenoside Rh2. It broadened minds for preparation and application of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) modified metal nanoparticles and deserved further study.

Nanocarrier-based delivery of arsenic trioxide for hepatocellular carcinoma therapy

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) poses a severe threat to human health and economic development. Despite many attempts at HCC treatment, most are inevitably affected by the genetic instability and variability of tumor cells. Arsenic trioxide (ATO) has shown to be effective in HCC. However, time-consuming challenges, especially the optimal concentration in tumor tissue and bioavailability of ATO, remain to be overcome for its transition from the bench to the bedside. To bypass these issues, nanotechnology-based delivery systems have been developed for prevention, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment in recent years. This article is a systematic overview of the latest contributions and detailed insights into ATO-loaded nanocarriers, with particular attention paid to strategies for improving the efficacy of nanocarriers of ATO.

Nanotechnology for research and treatment of the intestine

The establishment of intestinal in vitro models is crucial for elucidating intestinal cell-microbe intrinsic connections and interaction mechanisms to advance normalized intestinal diagnosis and precision therapy. This review discusses the application of nanomaterials in mucosal therapy and mechanism research in combination with the study of nanoscaffold in vitro models of the gut. By reviewing the original properties of nanomaterials synthesized by different physicochemical principles and modifying the original properties, the contribution of nanomaterials to solving the problems of short survival period, low cell differentiation rate, and poor reduction ability in traditional intestinal models is explored. According to nanomaterials’ different diagnostic mediators and therapeutic targets, the current diagnostic principles in inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal cancer, and other diseases are summarized inductively. In addition, the mechanism of action of nanomedicines in repairing mucosa, inhibiting inflammation, and alleviating the disease process is also discussed. Through such systematic elaboration, it offers a basis for nanomaterials to help advance in vitro research on the intestine and provide precision treatments in the clinic.

Advances in Antitumor Nano-Drug Delivery Systems of 10-Hydroxycamptothecin

10-Hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT) is a natural plant alkaloid from Camptotheca that shows potent antitumor activity by targeting intracellular topoisomerase I. However, factors such as instability of the lactone ring and insolubility in water have limited the clinical application of this drug. In recent years, unprecedented advances in biomedical nanotechnology have facilitated the development of nano drug delivery systems. It has been found that nanomedicine can significantly improve the stability and water solubility of HCPT. NanoMedicines with different diagnostic and therapeutic functions have been developed to significantly improve the anticancer effect of HCPT. In this paper, we collected reports on HCPT nanomedicines against tumors in the past decade. Based on current research advances, we dissected the current status and limitations of HCPT nanomedicines development and looked forward to future research directions.

M13 bacteriophage as biometric component for orderly assembly of dynamic light scattering immunosensor

The ordered assembly of nanostructure is an effective strategy used to manipulate the hydrodynamic diameter (D_H) of nanoparticles. Herein, a versatile dynamic light scattering (DLS) immunosensing platform is presented to sensitively detect small molecules and biomacromolecules by using the M13 phage as the building module to order the assembly of gold nanoflowers and gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles, respectively. After the directional assembly of M13 phage, the D_H of the probes was significantly increased due to its larger filamentous structure, thus improving the detection sensitivity of the DLS immunosensor. The designed M13 assembled DLS immunosensor with competitive and sandwich formats showed high sensitivities for ochratoxin A and alpha-fetoprotein in real corn and undiluted serum samples, with the detection limits of 1.37 and 57 pg/mL, respectively. These values are approximately 15.8 and 164.9 times lower than those of traditional phage-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Collectively, this work provides a promising strategy to manipulate the D_H of nanoparticles by highly evolved biomaterials such as engineered M13 phages and opens upon a new direction for developing DLS immunosensors to detect various targets by the fusion expression of special peptide or nanobody on the pIII or pVIII protein of M13 phage.

Facile Synthesis of Multifunctional Magnetoplasmonic Au-MnO Hybrid Nanocomposites for Cancer Theranostics

Significant attention is paid to the design of magnetoplasmonic nanohybrids, which exploit synergistic properties for biomedical applications. Here, a facile method was employed to prepare plasmonic magnetic Au-MnO heterostructured hybrid nanoparticles for imaging-guided photothermal therapy of cancers in vitro, with the view to reducing the serious drawbacks of chemotherapy and gadolinium-based contrast agents. The biocompatibility of the prepared Au-MnO nanocomposites was further enhanced by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved triblock copolymers Pluronic^® F-127 and chitosan oligosaccharide (COS), with complementary support to enhance the absorption in the near-infrared (NIR) region. In addition, synthesized COS-PF127@Au-MnO nanocomposites exhibited promising contrast enhancement in T₁ MR imaging with a good r₁ relaxivity value (1.2 mM^-1 s^-1), demonstrating a capable substitute to Gd-based toxic contrast agents. In addition, prepared COS-PF127@Au-MnO hybrid nanoparticles (HNPs) produced sufficient heat (62 °C at 200 μg/mL) to ablate cancerous cells upon 808 nm laser irradiation, inducing cell toxicity, and apoptosis. The promising diagnostic and photothermal therapeutic performance demonstrated the appropriateness of the COS-PF127@Au-MnO HNPs as a potential theranostic agent.

Advances in FePt-involved nano-system design and application for bioeffect and biosafety

The rapid development and wide application of nanomaterial-involved theranostic agents have drawn surging attention for improving the living standard of humankind and healthcare conditions. In this review, recent developments in the design, synthesis, biocompatibility evaluation and potential nanomedicine applications of FePt-involved nano-systems are summarized, especially for cancer theranostic and biological molecule detection. The in vivo multi-model imaging capability is discussed in detail, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. Furthermore, we highlight the significant achievements of various FePt-involved nanotherapeutics for cancer treatment, such as drug delivery, chemodynamic therapy, photodynamic therapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy. In addition, a series of FePt-involved nanocomposites are also applied for biological molecule detection, such as H₂O₂, glucose and naked-eye detection of cancer cells. Ultimately, we also summarize the challenges and prospects of FePt-involved nano-systems in nanocatalytic medicine. This review is expected to give a general pattern for the development of FePt-involved nano-systems in the field of nanocatalytic medicine and analytical determination.

Investigation into the Use of Microfluidics in the Manufacture of Metallic Gold-Coated Iron Oxide Hybrid Nanoparticles

Hybrid iron oxide-gold nanoparticles are of increasing interest for applications in nanomedicine, photonics, energy storage, etc. However, they are often difficult to synthesise without experience or ‘know-how’. Additionally, standard protocols do not allow for scale up, and this is significantly hindering their future potential. In this study, we seek to determine whether microfluidics could be used as a new manufacturing process to reliably produce hybrid nanoparticles with the line of sight to their continuous manufacture and scaleup. Using a Precision Nano NanoAssemblr Benchtop^® system, we were able to perform the intermediate coating steps required in order to construct hybrid nanoparticles around 60 nm in size with similar chemical and physical properties to those synthesised in the laboratory using standard processes, with Fe/Au ratios of 1:0.6 (standard) and 1:0.7 (microfluidics), indicating that the process was suitable for their manufacture with optimisation required in order to configure a continuous manufacturing plant.

Inorganic nanomaterials with rapid clearance for biomedical applications

Inorganic nanomaterials that have inherently exceptional physicochemical properties (e.g., catalytic, optical, thermal, electrical, or magnetic performance) that can provide desirable functionality (e.g., drug delivery, diagnostics, imaging, or therapy) have considerable potential for application in the field of biomedicine. However, toxicity can be caused by the long-term, non-specific accumulation of these inorganic nanomaterials in healthy tissues, preventing their large-scale clinical utilization. Over the past several decades, the emergence of biodegradable and clearable inorganic nanomaterials has offered the potential to prevent such long-term toxicity. In addition, a comprehensive understanding of the design of such nanomaterials and their metabolic pathways within the body is essential for enabling the expansion of theranostic applications for various diseases and advancing clinical trials. Thus, it is of critical importance to develop biodegradable and clearable inorganic nanomaterials for biomedical applications. This review systematically summarizes the recent progress of biodegradable and clearable inorganic nanomaterials, particularly for application in cancer theranostics and other disease therapies. The future prospects and opportunities in this rapidly growing biomedical field are also discussed. We believe that this timely and comprehensive review will stimulate and guide additional in-depth studies in the area of inorganic nanomedicine, as rapid in vivo clearance and degradation is likely to be a prerequisite for the future clinical translation of inorganic nanomaterials with unique properties and functionality.

Recent Advances in the Use of Iron-Gold Hybrid Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications

Recently, there has been an increased interest in iron-gold-based hybrid nanostructures, due to their combined outstanding optical and magnetic properties resulting from the usage of two separate metals. The synthesis of these nanoparticles involves thermal decomposition and modification of their surfaces using a variety of different methods, which are discussed in this review. In addition, different forms such as core-shell, dumbbell, flower, octahedral, star, rod, and Janus-shaped hybrids are discussed, and their unique properties are highlighted. Studies on combining optical response in the near-infrared window and magnetic properties of iron-gold-based hybrid nanoparticles as multifunctional nanoprobes for drug delivery, magnetic-photothermal heating as well as contrast agents during magnetic and optical imaging and magnetically-assisted optical biosensing to detect traces of targeted analytes inside the body has been reviewed.

Reactive Oxygen Species-Based Nanomaterials for Cancer Therapy

Nanotechnology advances in cancer therapy applications have led to the development of nanomaterials that generate cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) specifically in tumor cells. ROS act as a double-edged sword, as they can promote tumorigenesis and proliferation but also trigger cell death by enhancing intracellular oxidative stress. Various nanomaterials function by increasing ROS production in tumor cells and thereby disturbing their redox balance, leading to lipid peroxidation, and oxidative damage of DNA and proteins. In this review, we outline these mechanisms, summarize recent progress in ROS-based nanomaterials, including metal-based nanoparticles, organic nanomaterials, and chemotherapy drug-loaded nanoplatforms, and highlight their biomedical applications in cancer therapy as drug delivery systems (DDSs) or in combination with chemodynamic therapy (CDT), photodynamic therapy (PDT), or sonodynamic therapy (SDT). Finally, we discuss the advantages and limitations of current ROS-mediated nanomaterials used in cancer therapy and speculate on the future progress of this nanotechnology for oncological applications.

Bismuth-Graphene Nanohybrids: Synthesis, Reaction Mechanisms, and Photocatalytic Applications—A Review

Photocatalysis is a classical solution to energy conversion and environmental pollution control problems. In photocatalysis, the development and exploration of new visible light catalysts and their synthesis and modification strategies are crucial. It is also essential to understand the mechanism of these reactions in the various reaction media. Recently, bismuth and graphene’s unique geometrical and electronic properties have attracted considerable attention in photocatalysis. This review summarizes bismuth-graphene nanohybrids’ synthetic processes with various design considerations, fundamental mechanisms of action, heterogeneous photocatalysis, benefits, and challenges. Some key applications in energy conversion and environmental pollution control are discussed, such as CO2 reduction, water splitting, pollutant degradation, disinfection, and organic transformations. The detailed perspective of bismuth-graphene nanohybrids’ applications in various research fields presented herein should be of equal interest to academic and industrial scientists.

Advances in Indocyanine Green-Based Codelivery Nanoplatforms for Combinatorial Therapy

Indocyanine green (ICG), a near-infrared (NIR) agent with an excellent imaging performance, has captivated enormous interest from researchers owing to its excellent therapeutic and imaging abilities. Although various nanoplatforms-based drug delivery systems (DDS) with the ability to overcome the clinical limitations of ICG has been reported, ICG-medicated conventional cancer diagnosis and photorelated therapies still lack in exhibiting the therapeutic efficacy, resulting in incomplete or partly tumor elimination. In the view of addressing these concerns, various DDSs have been engineered for the efficient codelivery of combined therapeutic agents with ICG, aiming to achieve promising therapeutic results due to multifunctional imaging-guided synergistic antitumor effects. In this article, we will systematically review currently available nanoplatforms based on polymers, inorganic, proteins, and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), among others, for codelivery of ICG along with other therapeutic agents, providing a foundation for future clinical development of ICG. In addition, codelivery systems for ICG and different mechanism-based therapeutic agents will be illustrated. In summary, we conclude the review with the challenges and perspectives of ICG-based versatile nanoplatforms in detail.

Development of Non-Porous Silica Nanoparticles towards Cancer Photo-Theranostics

Nanoparticles have demonstrated several advantages for biomedical applications, including for the development of multifunctional agents as innovative medicine. Silica nanoparticles hold a special position among the various types of functional nanoparticles, due to their unique structural and functional properties. The recent development of silica nanoparticles has led to a new trend in light-based nanomedicines. The application of light provides many advantages for in vivo imaging and therapy of certain diseases, including cancer. Mesoporous and non-porous silica nanoparticles have high potential for light-based nanomedicine. Each silica nanoparticle has a unique structure, which incorporates various functions to utilize optical properties. Such advantages enable silica nanoparticles to perform powerful and advanced optical imaging, from the in vivo level to the nano and micro levels, using not only visible light but also near-infrared light. Furthermore, applications such as photodynamic therapy, in which a lesion site is specifically irradiated with light to treat it, have also been advancing. Silica nanoparticles have shown the potential to play important roles in the integration of light-based diagnostics and therapeutics, termed "photo-theranostics". Here, we review the recent development and progress of non-porous silica nanoparticles toward cancer "photo-theranostics".

Intranasal Delivery of Temozolomide-Conjugated Gold Nanoparticles Functionalized with Anti-EphA3 for Glioblastoma Targeting

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly lethal and aggressive tumor of the brain that carries a poor prognosis. Temozolomide (TMZ) has been widely used as a first-line treatment for GBM. However, poor brain targeting, side effects, and drug resistance limit its application for the treatment of GBM. We designed a Temozolomide-conjugated gold nanoparticle functionalized with an antibody against the ephrin type-A receptor 3 (anti-EphA3-TMZ@GNPs) for targeted GBM therapy via intranasal administration. The system can bypass the blood-brain barrier and target active glioma cells to improve the glioma targeting of TMZ and enhance the treatment efficacy, while reducing the peripheral toxicity and drug resistance. The prepared anti-EphA3-TMZ@GNPs were 46.12 ± 2.0 nm and suitable for intranasal administration, which demonstrated high safety to the nasal mucosa in a toxicity assay. In vitro studies showed that anti-EphA3-TMZ@GNPs exhibited significantly enhanced cellular uptake and toxicity, and a higher cell apoptosis ratio has been seen compared with that of TMZ (54.9 and 14.1%, respectively) toward glioma cells (C6). The results from experiments on TMZ-resistant glioma cells (T98G) demonstrated that the IC₅₀ of anti-EphA3-TMZ@GNPs (64.06 ± 0.16 μM) was 18.5-fold lower than that of TMZ. In addition, Western blot analysis also revealed that anti-EphA3-TMZ@GNPs effectively down-modulated expression of O⁶-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase and increased chemosensitivity of T98G to TMZ. The antiglioma efficacy in vivo was investigated in orthotopic glioma-bearing rats, and the results demonstrated that the anti-EphA3-TMZ@GNPs prolonged the median survival time to 42 days and increased tumor-cell apoptosis dramatically compared with TMZ. In conclusion, anti-EphA3-TMZ@GNPs could serve as an intranasal drug delivery system for efficacious treatment of GBM.

Rationally designed dual-plasmonic gold nanorod@cuprous selenide hybrid heterostructures by regioselective overgrowth for in vivo photothermal tumor ablation in the second near-infrared biowindow

NIR-II plasmonic materials offer multiple functionalities for in vivo biomedical applications, such as photothermal tumor ablation, surface-enhanced Raman scattering biosensing, photoacoustic imaging, and drug carriers. However, integration of noble metals and plasmonic semiconductors is greatly challenging because of the large lattice-mismatch. This study reports the regioselective overgrowth of Cu_2-xSe on gold nanorods (GNRs) for preparation of dual-plasmonic GNR@Cu_2-xSe hybrid heterostructures with tunable NIR-II plasmon resonance absorption for in vivo photothermal tumor ablation.

Methods: The regioselective deposition of amorphous Se and its subsequent conversion into Cu_2-xSe on the GNRs are performed by altering capping agents to produce the GNR@Cu_2-xSe heterostructures of various morphologies. Their photothermal performances for NIR-II photothermal tumor ablation are evaluated both in vitro and in vivo.

Results: We find that the lateral one- and two-side deposition, conformal core-shell coating and island growth of Cu_2-xSe on the GNRs can be achieved using different capping agents. The Cu_2-xSe domain size in these hybrids can be effectively adjusted by the SeO₂ concentration, thereby tuning the NIR-II plasmon bands. A photothermal conversion efficiency up to 58-85% and superior photostability of these dual-plasmonic hybrids can be achieved under the NIR-II laser. Results also show that the photothermal conversion efficiency is dependent on the proportion of optical absorption converted into heat; however, the temperature rise is tightly related to the concentration of their constituents. The excellent NIR-II photothermal effect is further verified in the following in vitro and in vivo experiments.

Conclusions: This study achieves one-side or two-side deposition, conformal core-shell coating, and island deposition of Cu_2-xSe on GNRs for GNR@Cu_2-xSe heterostructures with NIR-II plasmonic absorption, and further demonstrates their excellent NIR-II photothermal tumor ablation in vivo. This study provides a promising strategy for the rational design of NIR-II dual-plasmonic heterostructures and highlights their therapeutic in vivo potential.