Tuning stiffness of hyaluronan-cholesterol nanogels by mussel-inspired dopamine-Fe coordination: Preparation and properties evaluation.

In the evolving field of nanomedicine, tailoring the mechanical properties of nanogels to fine-tune their biological performance is a compelling avenue of research. This work investigates an innovative method for modulating the stiffness of hyaluronan-cholesterol (HACH) nanogels, an area that remains challenging. By grafting dopamine (DOPA) onto the HA backbone, characterized through UV, H NMR, and FT-IR analyses, we synthesized a novel polymer that spontaneously forms nanogels in aqueous environments.

Cell Membrane Fragment-Wrapped Parenteral Nanoemulsions: A New Drug Delivery Tool to Target Gliomas.

Poor prognosis in high-grade gliomas is mainly due to fatal relapse after surgical resection in the absence of efficient chemotherapy, which is severely hampered by the blood-brain barrier. However, the leaky blood-brain-tumour barrier forms upon tumour growth and vascularization, allowing targeted nanocarrier-mediated drug delivery. The homotypic targeting ability of cell-membrane fragments obtained from cancer cells means that these fragments can be exploited to this aim.

Evaluation of the cytotoxic and immunomodulatory effects of sonodynamic therapy in human pancreatic cancer spheroids.

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) exploits the energy generated by ultrasound (US) to activate sound-sensitive drugs (sonosensitizers), leading to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cancer cell death. Two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) cultures of human pancreatic cancer BxPC-3 cells were chosen as the models with which to investigate the therapeutic effects of the US-activated sonosensitizer IR-780 as pancreatic cancer is still one of the most lethal types of cancer. The effects of SDT, including ROS production, cancer cell death and immunogenic cell death (ICD), were extensively investigated.

ROS-generating nanoplatforms as selective and tunable therapeutic weapons against cancer.

Reactive species refers to a group of chemicals, mainly reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), that are naturally formed by cells as a byproduct of cell metabolism and regulated by various internal and external factors. Due to their highly chemical reactivity, ROS play a crucial role in physiological and pathological processes which is why studies on ROS regulation for disease treatment show attracted increasing interest. Notably, ROS are now studied as a powerful therapeutic weapon in ROS-regulating therapies such as ROS-based cytotoxic therapies mediated by ROS-increasing agents for cancer treatment.

Development of ARPE-19-Equipped Ocular Cell Model for In Vitro Investigation on Ophthalmic Formulations.

Repeated intravitreal (IVT) injections in the treatment of retinal diseases can lead to severe complications. Developing innovative drug delivery systems for IVT administration is crucial to prevent adverse reactions, but requires extensive investigation including the use of different preclinical models (in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo). Our previous work described an in vitro tricompartmental ocular flow cell (TOFC) simulating the anterior and posterior cavities of the human eye.