Responsive mesoporous silica nanoparticles for sensing of hydrogen peroxide and simultaneous treatment toward heart failure.

Chronic heart failure is often characterized by the elevated amounts of reactive oxygen species such as hydrogen peroxide (HO) in the heart. Thus, it is of importance that selective release of therapeutic drugs occurs at the heart failure site to maximize therapeutic effects. In this work, functional mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) were developed for detection of HO, selective drug release and controlled treatment toward heart failure.

Redox and pH Dual Responsive Polymer Based Nanoparticles for In Vivo Drug Delivery.

Responsive nanomaterials have emerged as promising candidates as drug delivery vehicles in order to address biomedical diseases such as cancer. In this work, polymer-based responsive nanoparticles prepared by a supramolecular approach are loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) for the cancer therapy. The nanoparticles contain disulfide bonds within the polymer network, allowing the release of the DOX payload in a reducing environment within the endoplasm of cancer cells.

Responsive Prodrug Self-Assembled Vesicles for Targeted Chemotherapy in Combination with Intracellular Imaging.

Targeted drug delivery systems having controlled drug release property with an inherent fluorescence reporter have drawn a lot of attention in nanomedicine. However, only very few prodrugs can be directly used to construct such delivery systems. Herein, we report that an amphiphilic chlorambucil-based prodrug consisting of a fluorescence reporter and a d-mannose targeting ligand could directly self-assemble into glutathione-responsive nanovesicles for selective cancer therapy and intracellular imaging.

Perylenetetracarboxylic-metal assemblies and anisotropic charge transport in a Cu(II) assembly.

Structural diversity and uniformity of nanomaterials are usually prerequisites for many practical applications involving the oriented fabrication of various devices with full control over their desired physiochemical properties. Particularly in the optoelectronic field, ordered assembly inside cells is required not only for obtaining attractive configurations but also for playing an important role in the characteristics of photoconduction and conductivity. Here, we present a synergetic self-assembly driven by coordination and intermolecular interactions for the construction of organic-inorganic hybrids with multi-morphologies and tunable physical properties.

Polymeric Prodrug Grafted Hollow Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Encapsulating Near-Infrared Absorbing Dye for Potent Combined Photothermal-Chemotherapy.

In this study, polymeric prodrug coated hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNs) with encapsulated near-infrared (NIR) absorbing dye were prepared and explored for combined photothermal-chemotherapy. A copolymer integrated with tert-butoxycarbonyl protected hydrazide groups and oligoethylene glycols was initially grafted on the surface of HMSNs via reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization followed by the deprotection to reactivate the hydrazide groups for the conjugation of anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). DOX was covalently bound onto the polymer substrate by acid-labile hydrazone bond and released quickly in weak acidic environment for chemotherapy.

Oxidation-triggered aggregation of gold nanoparticles for naked-eye detection of hydrogen peroxide.

Naked-eye detection of H2O2 was realized based on the color change of gold nanoparticles upon aggregation. The removal of polyethylene glycol chains from the nanoparticle surface under H2O2 treatment let to the exposure of inner hydrophobic ligands, causing the nanoparticle aggregation in aqueous medium. This detection system shows a wide dynamic range in the μM scale and a distinguishable limit of 10 μM.

In Situ Integration of Anisotropic SnO₂ Heterostructures inside Three-Dimensional Graphene Aerogel for Enhanced Lithium Storage.

Three-dimensional (3D) graphene aerogel (GA) has emerged as an outstanding support for metal oxides to enhance the overall energy-storage performance of the resulting hybrid materials. In the current stage of the studies, metals/metal oxides inside GA are in uncrafted geometries. Introducing structure-controlled metal oxides into GA may further push electrochemical properties of metal oxide-GA hybrids.

Clicked Isoreticular Metal-Organic Frameworks and Their High Performance in the Selective Capture and Separation of Large Organic Molecules.

Three highly porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with a uniform rht-type topological network but hierarchical pores were successfully constructed by the assembly of triazole-containing dendritic hexacarboxylate ligands with Zn(II) ions. These transparent MOF crystals present gradually increasing pore sizes upon extension of the length of the organic backbone, as clearly identified by structural analysis and gas-adsorption experiments. The inherent accessibility of the pores to large molecules endows these materials with unique properties for the uptake of large guest molecules.

The photoirradiation induced p-n junction in naphthylamine-based organic photovoltaic cells.

The bulk heterojunction (BHJ) plays an indispensable role in organic photovoltaics, and thus has been investigated extensively in recent years. While a p-n heterojunction is usually fabricated using two different donor and acceptor materials such as poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), it is really rare that such a BHJ is constructed by a single entity. Here, we presented a photoirradiation-induced p-n heterojunction in naphthylamine-based organic photovoltaic cells, where naphthylamine as a typical p-type semiconductor could be oxidized under photoirradiation and transformed into a new semiconductor with the n-type character.

Polymer-Coated Hollow Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Triple-Responsive Drug Delivery.

In this study, pH, reduction and light triple-responsive nanocarriers based on hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNs) modified with poly(2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDEAEMA) were developed via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization. Both reduction-cleavable disulfide bond and light-cleavable o-nitrobenzyl ester were used as the linkages between HMSNs and pH-sensitive PDEAEMA polymer caps. A series of characterization techniques were applied to characterize and confirm the structures of the intermediates and final nanocarriers.

An imine-based approach to prepare amine-functionalized Janus gold nanoparticles.

An imine-based approach was developed to prepare Janus gold nanoparticles (Janus AuNPs) having amine functionality on one patch of the surface and a polyethylene glycol unit on the other. This unique technique features covalent bonding as the force to immobilize AuNPs on the template, enabling direct modification of AuNPs in both water and organic solvents. Colloidal clusters were then obtained via electrostatic assembly of these Janus AuNPs with citrate stabilized AuNPs or AgNPs.

An iGlu receptor antagonist and its simultaneous use with an anticancer drug for cancer therapy.

Glutamate receptor antagonists have been known to play a crucial role in the treatment of many neuronal diseases. Recently, these antagonists have also shown therapeutic effects in the treatment of cancer. In this study, an ionotropic glutamate (iGlu) receptor antagonist, 4-hydroxyphenylacetyl spermine (L1), was used concurrently with a common anticancer drug, doxorubicin (Dox), for simultaneous cancer therapy.

"Turn-on" fluorescence probe integrated polymer nanoparticles for sensing biological thiol molecules.

A "turn-on" thiol-responsive fluorescence probe was synthesized and integrated into polymeric nanoparticles for sensing intracellular thiols. There is a photo-induced electron transfer process in the off state of the probe, and this process is terminated upon the reaction with thiol compounds. Configuration interaction singles (CIS) calculation was performed to confirm the mechanism of this process.

Drug encapsulation and release by mesoporous silica nanoparticles: the effect of surface functional groups.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) have been widely used as drug carriers for stimuli-responsive drug delivery. Herein, a catalysis screening technique was adopted for analyzing the effects of chain length, terminal group, and density of disulfide-appended functional ligands on the surface of MSNPs on drug-loading capacity and glutathione-triggered drug-release kinetics. The ligand with an intermediate length (5 carbon atoms) and a bulky terminal group (cyclohexyl) that complexes with theβ-cyclodextrin ring showed the highest drug loading capacity as well as good release kinetics.

Recent advances in biocompatible nanocarriers for delivery of chemotherapeutic cargoes towards cancer therapy.

Cancer is currently one of the major diseases that has gained a lot of scientific attention. Conventional cancer therapeutics involve surgical removal of tumors from patients followed by chemotherapeutic treatment. In the use of anticancer drugs during the chemotherapy process, patients often suffer from a variety of undesirable side effects including damage to normal organs.

Supramolecular nanoparticle carriers self-assembled from cyclodextrin- and adamantane-functionalized polyacrylates for tumor-targeted drug delivery.

The advancement of nanobiotechnology has led to the development of various techniques for addressing target-specific drug delivery issues. In this article, we successfully developed a supramolecular self-assembly approach for the fabrication of polyacrylate-based nanoparticles with simultaneous loading of the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) for targeted delivery towards cancer treatment in vitro and in vivo. Two types of polyacrylates functionalized with adamantane and β-cyclodextrin respectively could self-assemble to form supramolecular nanoparticles through strong host-guest complexation between adamantane and β-cyclodextrin.

Iron(III)-quantity-dependent aggregation-dispersion conversion of functionalized gold nanoparticles.

Developing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with well-designed functionality is highly desirable for boosting the performance and versatility of inorganic-organic hybrid materials. In an attempt to achieve ion recognition with specific signal expressions, we present here 4-piperazinyl-1,8-naphthalimide-functionalized AuNPs for the realization of quantitative recognition of Fe(III) ions with dual (colorimetric and fluorescent) output. The research takes advantage of 1) quantity-controlled chelation-mode transformation of the piperazinyl moiety on the AuNPs towards Fe(III), thereby resulting in an aggregation-dispersion conversion of the AuNPs in solution, and 2) photoinduced electron transfer of a naphthaimide fluorophore on the AuNPs, thus leading to reversible absorption and emission changes.

Functional silica nanoparticles for redox-triggered drug/ssDNA co-delivery.

A mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSNP) based co-delivery system is developed in order to deliver simultaneously drug and single strand DNA (ssDNA) in a controlled manner. Negatively charged ssDNA as a model gene is immobilized onto the surface of positively charged ammonium-functionalized MSNPs through electrostatic interaction, effectively blocking the loaded drugs within the mesopores of MSNPs. When the pre-installed disulfide bond on the ammonium unit is broken by the addition of the reducing agent such as dithiothreitol or glutathione, the ssDNA network on the surface is freed, leading to the release of the loaded drug molecules from the mesopores.

Photoswitchable supramolecular catalysis by interparticle host-guest competitive binding.

On and off: ester hydrolysis catalyzed by a Zn(II) -coordinated β-cyclodextrin dimer can be switched on and off using light in the presence of gold nanoparticles with azobenzene units attached to their surfaces. Under visible light, the azobenzene units are trans and bind tightly to the dimer, thus leading to reduced catalysis. Under UV light, the azobenzene units are cis and bind loosely to the dimer, thus allowing substrates to bind and hydrolysis to occur.

Luminescent color conversion on cyanostilbene-functionalized quantum dots via in-situ photo-tuning.

Photo-responsive CdSe quantum dots functionalized with the cyanostilbene unit are synthesized. The as-prepared quantum dot hybrid reveals a photo-tunable dual fluorescent characteristic. White light emission can be generated in situ from the hybrid through photoirradiation to adjust the relative intensities of the two complementary emissions.

Diaminododecane-based cationic bolaamphiphile as a non-viral gene delivery carrier.

The advancement in gene therapy relies upon the discovery of safe and efficient delivery agents and methods. In this study, we report the design and synthesis of a cationic bolaamphiphile as a non-viral gene delivery agent. The bolaamphiphile is composed of 1,12-diaminododecane as the central hydrophobic unit linked to the hydrophilic pentaethylenehexamine via thioether-based glycidyl units.