Latest ArticlesThis work reported the lanthanide ion (Gd3+) doped tungsten trioxide (Gd-WO3) nanocrystal for remarkable promoted photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants and simultaneous in-situ H2O2 production. With doped lanthanide ion (Gd3+), Gd-WO3 showed a much broad and enhanced solar light absorption, which not only promoted the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of organic compounds, but also provided a suitable bandgap for direct reduction of oxygen to H2O2. Additionally, the isolated Gd3+ on WO3 surface can efficiently weaken the *OOH binding energy, increasing the activity and selectivity of direct reduction of oxygen to H2O2, with a rate of 0.58 mmol L−1 g−1 h−1. The in-situ generated H2O2 can be subsequently converted to •OH based on Fenton reaction, further contributed to the overall removal of organic pollutants. Our results demonstrate a cascade photocatalytic oxidation-Fenton reaction which can efficiently utilize photo-generated electrons and holes for organic pollutants treatment.
Stroke is a common disease and is the major cause of death and disability. It occurs and generates devastating neurological deficits when cerebral blood vessel is blocked (ischemic stroke, IS) or ruptured (hemorrhagic stroke, HS). Hydrogel, being biodegradable and biocompatible, have shown attractive advantages in stroke therapy as a new biomaterial with desirable mechanical properties and tunability of structure, owing to special ability to load different cargoes for multiple treatment strategies, such as pharmacotherapy based on drug-delivery systems and cell therapy including mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and neural progenitor cells (NPCs) for improving functional outcomes. However, a comprehensive review of the functional hydrogel for treatment of stroke is still lacking. Therefore, in this work, the main pathological mechanisms of stroke including IS and HS are comprehensively described. The benefits of hydrogel for stroke treatment are also summarized regarding the natural advantages and the delivery advantages. Simultaneously, the application development of hydrogel for treatment of stroke is highlighted. Finally, the unique considerations and challenges in the design and application of hydrogel is discussed for treatment of stroke and clinical application in the future.
Bioorthogonal reactions can take place in biological environments without interfering with biochemical processes. In this study, Pd(PPh3)2Cl2 was used as a bioorthogonal catalyst to in situ transform the stable N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-gold(I)-alkyne complex 5 to its active species which can effectively inhibit thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) and exhibit significant anticancer bioactivity in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematological tumor characterized by the proliferation of monoclonal plasma cells. Melphalan (MEL) is commonly used in the treatment of MM and is especially essential for patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Although many drugs for MM have been developed in recent years, chemotherapy followed by ASCT remains the optimal option. Melphalan, the backbone of the conditioning regimen, brings severe toxicities at a high dose. Nanodrug delivery systems enable drugs to be highly effective and have low toxicity. In this study, methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(D, L-lactide) copolymer (MPEG-PDLLA) was chosen to encapsulate melphalan, and the characteristics, effectiveness, and safety of MEL/MPEG-PDLLA in vitro and in vivo were investigated. MEL/MPEG-PDLLA showed slow release and was easily engulfed by MM cells despite a result of the antitumor assay comparable to that of free melphalan in vitro. The in vivo results showed that MEL/MPEG-PDLLA could significantly alleviate tumor burden and prolong survival time without increasing the toxicity to vital organs. In addition, MEL/MPEG-PDLLA could significantly reduce the damage to the intestinal mucosa caused by melphalan. In conclusion, MEL/MPEG-PDLLA shows improved antitumor activity and has the potential to alleviate pains of MM patients undergoing ASCT.
Photoimmunotherapy is an emerging treatment modality that uses photothermal, photodynamic and photochemical processes to fight against cancer by eliciting a robust host immune response. Recently, various nanoformulations of biomaterials have been rationally designed as highly effective photosensitive agents, immunoadjuvants or carriers to enhance phototherapeutic efficacy, boost immune stimulation, amplify nano-permeability and monitor cancer progression in situ. Nevertheless, relying solely on a single-modality therapy may not completely ablate primary tumors, and the metastasis and recurrence of tumors remain a serious challenge. To solve this issue, the strategy of combining photoimmunotherapy with other immunotherapies, such as immune checkpoint blockade, chimeric antigen receptor-T cell or cytokine therapy, can greatly enhance the effectiveness of oncology treatment and reduce the traditional adverse effects. Thus, it is very valuable to summarize the research progress in biomaterial-assisted combination photoimmunotherapy for clinical translation. In this review, the recent advances in constructing multifunctional nano-biomaterials for combinatorial photoimmunotherapy of cancer are summarized. Furthermore, the opportunities, challenges, future trends and prospects in this field are also analyzed to pave the way for advancing the next generation of clinical cancer management strategies.
An amphiphilic AIE photosensitizer has been successfully developed, which allows for easily inserting into the bacterial membranes. Binding experiments with phospholipid preliminary demonstrates its membrane specificity. As expected, it is proved to possess a broad-spectrum bacterial staining performance and photodynamic antibacterial activity toward S. aureus and E. coli.
A phytochemical investigation on Isodon flavidus led to the isolation of flavidanolide A (1), a rearranged diterpenoid featuring a six/seven/five-membered tricyclic skeleton, together with flavidanolide B (2), an uncommon heterodimeric diterpenoid consisting of a norabietane and a seco-isopimarane monomeric units. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic data and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. Their plausible biosynthetic routes were also proposed. In the bioassay, flavidanolide B was found to exhibit good inhibitory effect against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7 cells comparable to positive control pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate ammonium (PDTC), which provided evidence for the medicinal value of I. flavidus as a folk medicine for treating inflammatory diseases.
Forming J-aggregates by organic monomer is a fascinating strategy to urge spectroscopic redshift with respect to that of the monomer. Herein, we designed 1,7-diphenyl-substituted meso–CF3-BDP monomer confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The low-barrier rotation of the –CF3 group in meso–CF3-BDP 1 significantly enhances the non-radiative efficiency, and the photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE) of the self-assembled nanoparticles (1-NPs: λabs = 746 nm) by J-aggregates was 82%. 1-NPs could effectively block cell cycle progression, inhibit cancer cell proliferation and trigger cell apoptosis under low power laser irradiation (0.2 W/cm2). This study proposes an alternate molecular design platform by J-aggregates to promote PCE through the insertion of rotating segment and trigger the cancer cells apoptosis in photothermal therapy at low power laser density.
Photothermal therapy (PTT) induces thermoresistance through cellular heat shock response, which impairs the therapeutic efficacy of the PTT. To resolve this problem, we developed a photothermal theranostics (denoted as PMH), which integrated the photothermal conversion agent of PdMo bimetallene with histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) selected inhibitor (ACY-1215), showing the synergistic antitumor effect both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, under the photoacoustic imaging (PA) navigation, the released ACY-1215 triggered by NIR laser irradiation decrease the heat shock proteins (HSPs) expression and weaken the HDAC6-regulated HSP90 deacetylation, thus hindering the degradation of PTT-induced misfolded or unfold proteins through proteasome dependent pathway. Moreover, mild photothermal therapy (mPTT) treatment compromised the autophagy, which induced by HDAC6 inhibition, leading to mPTT-induced misfolded or unfold proteins further accumulation. Given that inhibition of HDAC6 plus mPTT contribute to tumor eradication. This study develops a promising combination strategy based on mPTT for future cancer treatment.
Applying the fluorescent carbon dots as smart materials in anticancer therapy is of great interest. However, carbon dots for multimodal synergistic anticancer therapy, especially for the triple modality, is rarely reported. Herein, we successfully synthesized OCDs by citric acid and (1R, 2S)-2-amino-1,2-diphenylethan-1-ol, which show aggregation-induced emission property and two-photon fluorescence imaging. Meanwhile, OCDs are ideal photosensitizers for photothermal therapy under 808 nm and Type Ⅰ photodynamic therapy with white light. Hydroxyl radicals, generated by Type Ⅰ photodynamic therapy based on OCDs can transform protumoral M2 macrophages into antitumoral M1 macrophages, which exhibited immunotherapy ability. The synergism trimodal of OCDs results in potent anticancer efficacy, showing great potential in cancer therapy.
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