FOXP3 targets KIF5A to increase lactate production and promote docetaxel resistance in lung adenocarcinoma.

A prominent cause of cancer-related fatalities with a poor prognosis is lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). KIF5A, a crucial member of the kinesin superfamily, is linked to drug resistance in malignancies. This work aims to investigate the mechanism of KIF5A in docetaxel (DTX) resistance in LUAD cells.

New polyketides from the starfish-derived symbiotic fungus sp. GGF16-1-2.

One new rare carbon-bridged citrinin dimer quinocitrindimer C () as a pair of epimers, two new polyketide penicilliodes D () and E () together with nine known citrinin derivatives, were isolated from the fermentation broth of starfish-derived symbiotic fungus sp. GGF16-1-2. Their structures and configurations were elucidated by comprehensively spectroscopic data analysis and electronic circular dichroism calculations.

Peptide-based siRNA delivery system for tumor vascular normalization and gene silencing in 4T1 cells.

Efficient gene delivery in an integrated drug delivery system is urgent for multimodal antitumor therapy. Herein, we describe a protocol for constructing a peptide-based siRNA delivery system to achieve tumor vascular normalization and gene silencing in 4T1 cells. We highlighted four major steps, including (1) synthesis of the chimeric peptide, (2) preparation and characterization of P@siRNA micelleplexes, (3) in vitro tube formation assay and transwell cell migration assay, and (4) siRNA transfection in 4T1 cells.

The marriage of Xenes and hydrogels: Fundamentals, applications, and outlook.

Hydrogels have blossomed as superstars in various fields, owing to their prospective applications in tissue engineering, soft electronics and sensors, flexible energy storage, and biomedicines. Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, especially 2D mono-elemental nanosheets (Xenes) exhibit high aspect ratio morphology, good biocompatibility, metallic conductivity, and tunable electrochemical properties. These fascinating characteristics endow numerous tunable application-specific properties for the construction of Xene-based hydrogels.

Rare Carbon-Bridged Citrinin Dimers from the Starfish-Derived Symbiotic Fungus sp. GGF16-1-2.

Four novel, rare carbon-bridged citrinin dimers, namely dicitrinones G-J (-), and five known analogs (-) were isolated from the starfish-derived fungus sp. GGF 16-1-2. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis and quantum chemical calculations.

Ultrathin tellurium nanosheets for simultaneous cancer thermo-chemotherapy.

The emerging two-dimensional monoelemental materials (2D Xenes) have been commonly supposed as promising drug delivery carriers, photothermal and photodynamic therapeutic agents, biosensors, theranostics, and some other candidates for biomedical applications. Here, high-performance and bioactive ultrathin 2D Tellurium nanosheets (Te NSs) are prepared by a simple but efficient liquid-phase exfoliation approach. The as-obtained Te NSs possess a mean size of ∼90 nm and a mean thickness of ∼5.

Emerging vaccine nanotechnology: From defense against infection to sniping cancer.

Looking retrospectively at the development of humanity, vaccination is an unprecedented medical landmark that saves lives by harnessing the human immune system. During the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, vaccination is still the most effective defense modality. The successful clinical application of the lipid nanoparticle-based Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines highlights promising future of nanotechnology in vaccine development.

Nano-bio interfaces effect of two-dimensional nanomaterials and their applications in cancer immunotherapy.

The field of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterial-based cancer immunotherapy combines research from multiple subdisciplines of material science, nano-chemistry, in particular nano-biological interactions, immunology, and medicinal chemistry. Most importantly, the "biological identity" of nanomaterials governed by bio-molecular corona in terms of bimolecular types, relative abundance, and conformation at the nanomaterial surface is now believed to influence blood circulation time, bio-distribution, immune response, cellular uptake, and intracellular trafficking. A better understanding of nano-bio interactions can improve utilization of 2D nano-architectures for cancer immunotherapy and immunotheranostics, allowing them to be adapted or modified to treat other immune dysregulation syndromes including autoimmune diseases or inflammation, infection, tissue regeneration, and transplantation.

Tailoring Aggregation Extent of Photosensitizers to Boost Phototherapy Potency for Eliciting Systemic Antitumor Immunity.

Phototherapy is effective for triggering the immunogenic cell death (ICD) effect. However, its efficacy is limited by low O  generation and photothermal conversion efficacy due to two irreconcilable obstacles, namely the aggregation-caused-quenching (ACQ) effect and photobleaching. In this work, a discretely integrated nanofabrication (DIN) platform (Pt-ICG/PES) is developed by facile coordination coassembly of cisplatin (Pt), photosensitizer molecules (indocyanine green (ICG)), and polymeric spacer (p(MEO MA-co-OEGMA)-b-pSS (PES)).

Arsenene-mediated multiple independently targeted reactive oxygen species burst for cancer therapy.

The modulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels is crucial for cellular homeostasis and determination of cellular fate. A sublethal level of ROS sustains cell proliferation, differentiation and promotes tumor metastasis, while a drastic ROS burst directly induces apoptosis. Herein, surface-oxidized arsenene nanosheets (As/AsO NSs) with type II heterojunction are fabricated with efficient ·O and O production and glutathione consumption through prolonging the lifetime of photo-excited electron-hole pairs.

Cryogenic Exfoliation of 2D Stanene Nanosheets for Cancer Theranostics.

Stanene (Sn)-based materials have been extensively applied in industrial production and daily life, but their potential biomedical application remains largely unexplored, which is due to the absence of the appropriate and effective methods for fabricating Sn-based biomaterials. Herein, we explored a new approach combining cryogenic exfoliation and liquid-phase exfoliation to successfully manufacture two-dimensional (2D) Sn nanosheets (SnNSs). The obtained SnNSs exhibited a typical sheet-like structure with an average size of ~ 100 nm and a thickness of ~ 5.

Corrigendum: Programmable Ce6 Delivery via Cyclopamine Based Tumor Microenvironment Modulating Nano-System for Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy in Breast Cancer.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2019.

In situ sprayed NIR-responsive, analgesic black phosphorus-based gel for diabetic ulcer treatment.

The treatment of diabetic ulcer (DU) remains a major clinical challenge due to the complex wound-healing milieu that features chronic wounds, impaired angiogenesis, persistent pain, bacterial infection, and exacerbated inflammation. A strategy that effectively targets all these issues has proven elusive. Herein, we use a smart black phosphorus (BP)-based gel with the characteristics of rapid formation and near-infrared light (NIR) responsiveness to address these problems.

Cytokine-induced killer cells-assisted tumor-targeting delivery of Her-2 monoclonal antibody-conjugated gold nanostars with NIR photosensitizer for enhanced therapy of cancer.

Maximizing the accumulation of anticancer medicine in the tumor is the priority to achieve minimal invasive cancer therapy, which raises high demands on tumor-targeting ability of drug delivery systems. Herein, we adopted an emerging "cell-drug" strategy via the nanoplatform construction to achieve high aggregation and intratumoral distribution. We fabricated gold nanostars (GNSs) with HER-2 monoclonal antibody (trastuzumab) and near-infrared region (NIR) photosensitizer indocyanine green (ICG) to obtain GNS@ICG-Ab, which combined the photothermal therapy with photodynamic therapy (PTT/PDT) that rely on enhanced photothermal conversion efficiency of GNS and 1O2 generator ICG under the exposure of a NIR laser.

siRNA nanoparticles targeting CaMKIIγ in lesional macrophages improve atherosclerotic plaque stability in mice.

Atherosclerotic lesional macrophages express molecules that promote plaque progression, but lack of mechanisms to therapeutically target these molecules represents a major gap in translational cardiovascular research. Here, we tested the efficacy of a small interfering RNA (siRNA) nanoparticle (NP) platform targeting a plaque-destabilizing macrophage molecule-Ca/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase γ (CaMKIIγ). CaMKIIγ becomes activated in advanced human and mouse plaque macrophages and drives plaque necrosis by suppressing the expression of the efferocytosis receptor MerTK.

New Indole Diketopiperazine Alkaloids from Soft Coral-Associated Epiphytic Fungus Aspergillus sp. EGF 15-0-3.

Three new indole diketopiperazine alkaloids, 11-methylneoechinulin E and variecolorin M, and (+)-variecolorin G, along with 12 known analogs, were isolated from a soft coral-associated epiphytic fungus Aspergillus sp. EGF 15-0-3. The structures of the new compounds were unambiguously established by extensive spectroscopic analyses including HR-ESI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy and optical rotation measurements.

Charge Conversional Biomimetic Nanocomplexes as a Multifunctional Platform for Boosting Orthotopic Glioblastoma RNAi Therapy.

Nanotechnology-based RNA interference (RNAi) has shown great promise in overcoming the limitations of traditional clinical treatments for glioblastoma (GBM). However, because of the complexity of brain physiology, simple blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration or tumor-targeting strategies cannot entirely meet the demanding requirements of different therapeutic delivery stages. Herein, we developed a charge conversional biomimetic nanoplatform with a three-layer core-shell structure to programmatically overcome persistent obstacles in siRNA delivery to GBM.

Programmable Ce6 Delivery via Cyclopamine Based Tumor Microenvironment Modulating Nano-System for Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy in Breast Cancer.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has shown great promise in breast cancer treatment. However, simplex target ligand modification or stimuli release cannot meet the requirement of effective drug delivery to solid tumor tissue. To overcome continuous bio-barriers existing in the tumor microenvironment, multi-stage response drug delivery was desirable.

Synthesis of Ultrathin Biotite Nanosheets as an Intelligent Theranostic Platform for Combination Cancer Therapy.

Biotite, also called black mica (BM), is a group of sheet silicate minerals with great potential in various fields. However, synthesis of high-quality BM nanosheets (NSs) remains a huge challenge. Here, an exfoliation approach is provided that combines calcination, -butyllithium exchange and intercalation, and liquid exfoliating processes for the high-yield synthesis of ultrathin BM NSs.

2D Monoelemental Germanene Quantum Dots: Synthesis as Robust Photothermal Agents for Photonic Cancer Nanomedicine.

As a new family member of the emerging two-dimensional (2D) monoelemental materials (Xenes), germanene has shown promising advantages over the prototypical 2D Xenes, such as black phosphorus (BP) and graphene. However, efficient manufacture of novel germanene nanostructures is still a challenge. Herein, a simple top-down approach for the liquid-exfoliation of ultra-small germanene quantum dots (GeQDs) is presented.

Co-delivery of Cyclopamine and Doxorubicin Mediated by Bovine Serum Albumin Nanoparticles Reverses Doxorubicin Resistance in Breast Cancer by Down-regulating P-glycoprotein Expression.

Combination chemotherapy is considered to be one of the most effective treatments for breast cancer by reducing the emergence of drug resistance. In this study, a novel drug delivery system based on bovine serum albumin nanoparticles (BSA NPs) was successfully developed. Doxorubicin (DOX) and cyclopamine (CYC), a potential anti-cancer agent that inhibits the hedgehog signaling pathway were entrapped into BSA NPs through electrostatic interactions and hydrophobic interactions, respectively.