Latest ArticlesNear infrared-II (NIR-II) dyes have unique advantages in biomedical applications owing to the powerful ability in penetrating biological tissues. Herein, NIR-II aza-BODIPY dye, QLD-BDP, was developed with julolidine at 1,7-sites and p-dimethylaminophenyl group at 3,5-sites. According to X-ray analysis, QLD-BDP exhibits significant distortion, and this molecule appears a bowl shaped structure. The photothermal conversion efficiency of the self-assembled QLD-BDP nanoparticles (QLD-BDP-NPs) can reach 50.5%, with maximum emission at 998 nm by the aggregate. QLD-BDP-NPs can cause the complete destruction of 4T1 multicellular spheroids (MCSs), indicating a photothermal therapy (PTT) effect.
Deoxyribozyme (DNAzyme) and its substrate hybridization are crucial for achieving desirable detection performance in the DNAzyme coupling nanomaterial biosensor system. However, interfacial factors such as electrostatic repulsion, steric hindrance, and nonspecific adsorption from gold nanoparticles make this hybridization process complicated and challenging. Moreover, the DNAzyme structure changes with different application purposes, which might affect the DNAzyme and substrate’s connection. Few studies have focused on the interplay of DNAzyme and interfacial factors in the biosensor field. In this work, three types of DNAzyme variants were designed, and their biosensor performance rules were studied and summarized with the synergistic effect of interfacial factors. Additionally, corresponding biosensor applications, such as multiple modulation functions and miRNA detections, were constructed based on the distinct principles of DNAzyme variants.
Fenton-like process based on metal oxide presents one of the most hoping strategies to generate reactive oxygen species to treat refractory pollutants. The introduction of oxygen vacancies (OVs) can enhance the catalytic performance of metal oxides in Fenton-like reaction. In this paper, a one-step all solid-state synthesis strategy is proposed to induce oxygen defects in V2O5, which uses graphene to engineer the crystallization process of V-based crystals. Such approach employs graphene as a solid-catalyst to promote growth of V-based crystals owing to the ions-π interactions between graphene and VCl3. The electron-donor OVs in V2O5@graphene can not only active H2O2 for the •OH generation, but also accelerate the reduction of V5+ and V4+, thereby ensuring defective V2O5@graphene/H2O2 system is 14.3, 28.2, and 17.3 times higher than that of graphene/H2O2, pure V2O5/H2O2 and graphene+V2O5/H2O2 (mechanical mixed system), respectively. Our study provides a novel synthetic strategy to design and prepare OVs-riched transition metal catalysts for developing advanced oxidation technologies toward higher sustainability and practicality.
The highly desired goal is to employ visible light for the photocatalytic reduction of toxic Cr(VI) to environmentally friendly Cr(III). Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are considered one of the most promising materials for the photoreduction of Cr(VI). Nevertheless, developing MOFs with high stability and activity is still challenging. Herein, we report a stable Zn-based MOF (named DZU-64) with an anthracene functionalized ligand, and its reduction of Cr(VI) under sunlight irradiation was investigated. DZU-64 exhibits excellent chemical stability in pH range of 2−14 aqueous solution, and remarkable thermal stability to 570 ℃. For the photoreduction of Cr(VI) under visible light irradiation, DZU-64 gives a record rate constant of 0.467 min−1 and a high Cr(VI) reduction rate of 6.68 mg Cr(VI) gcata−1 min−1 at pH 2. Moreover, under real solar light, DZU-64 can also efficiently reduce Cr(VI) to Cr(III) while retaining its catalytic activity throughout 5 cycles without any notable decline, further demonstrating its great application prospect. By combining the photovoltaic performance tests and electron spin resonance test, the possible photoreduction of Cr(VI) mechanism in DZU-64 was analyzed.
Bacterial endotoxin (a type of lipopolysaccharide, LPS) that acts as the strongest immune stimulant exhibits high toxicity to human health. The golden standard detection methods rely heavily on the use of a large amount of tachypleus amebocyte lysate (TAL) reagents, extracted from the unique blue blood of legally protected horseshoe crabs. Herein, a cost-effective distance-based lateral flow (D-LAF) sensor is demonstrated for the first time based on the coagulation cascade process of TAL induced by endotoxin, which causes the generation of gel-state TAL. The gelation process can increase the amount of trapped water molecules and shorten the lateral flow distance of the remaining free water on the pH paper. The water flow distance is directly correlated to the concentration of endotoxin. Noteworthy, the D-LAF sensor allows the detection of endotoxin with the reduced dosage of TAL reagents than the golden standard detection methods. The detection limit of endotoxin is calculated to be 0.0742 EU/mL. This method can be applied to the detection of endotoxin in real samples such as household water and clinical injection solution with excellent performance comparable to the commercial ELISA kit.
The combination of nucleic acid and small-molecule drugs in tumor treatment holds significant promise; however, the precise delivery and controlled release of drugs within the cytoplasm encounter substantial obstacles, impeding the advancement of formulations. To surmount the challenges associated with precise drug delivery and controlled release, we have developed a multi-level pH-responsive co-loaded drug lipid nanoplatform. This platform first employs cyclic cell-penetrating peptides to exert a multi-level pH response, thereby enhancing the uptake efficiency of tumor cells and endow the nanosystem with effective endosomal/lysosomal escape. Subsequently, small interferring RNA (siRNA) complexes are formed by compacting siRNA with stearic acid octahistidine, which is capable of responding to the lysosome-to-cytoplasm pH gradient and facilitate siRNA release. The siRNA complexes and docetaxel are simultaneously encapsulated into liposomes, thereby creating a lipid nanoplatform capable of co-delivering nucleic acid and small-molecule drugs. The efficacy of this platform has been validated through both in vitro and in vivo experiments, affirming its significant potential for practical applications in the co-delivery of nucleic acids and small-molecule drugs.
The combination of diagnostic and therapeutic agents in the form of theranostic platforms to enhance tumor therapeutic efficacy is receiving increasing attention in recent years. However, simultaneous encapsulation, embedding or conjugation of various agents to traditional theranostic nanocarriers always require intricate synthetic process. Herein, a supramolecular drug-drug self-delivery nanosystem (DSDN) based on a newly developed aggregation-induced emission (AIE) photosensitizer (CBTM) and an anti-tumor tyroservaltide (YSV) was constructed for near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging-guided photodynamic/chemotherapy of tumor. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) confirmed that YSV and CBTM could co-assemble into YSV/CBTM nanoparticles, with regular round-shape morphology and homogeneous size. Inspiringly, YSV/CBTM nanoparticles could effectively overcome the aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) effect, and enter CT26 tumor cells with a high NIR fluorescence emission, allowing preoperative diagnosis. Meanwhile, the as-prepared YSV/CBTM could efficiently generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) under NIR light irradiation, exhibiting photodynamic ablation of tumor cells. More importantly, the peptide drug of YSV not only improved the availability of CBTM nanoparticles, but also served as a toxic adjuvant to enhance the photodynamic therapy (PDT) efficacy of CBTM. In vitro and in vivo assays revealed that most of colorectal tumor cells and tumor tissues were thoroughly ablated by photodynamic-chemotherapy integrated nanoparticles, resulting in longer survival of tumor-bearing mice. Regarding the advantages of the YSV/CBTM nanosystem, we believe this research could offer valuable guidance for the design of nanodrugs with high performance for cancer theranostics.
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