Biomimetic Plasmonic Nanophages by Head/Tail Self-Assembling: Gold Nanoparticle/Virus Interactions.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), because of their dual plasmonic and catalytic functionalities, are among the most promising nanomaterials for the development of therapeutic and diagnostic tools for severe diseases such as cancer and neurodegeneration. Bacteriophages, massively present in human biofluids, are emerging as revolutionary biotechnological tools as they can be engineered to display multiple specific binding moieties, providing effective targeting ability, high stability, low cost, and sustainable production. Coupling AuNPs with phages can lead to an advanced generation of nanotools with great potential for biomedical applications.

Platinum Nanozymes Counteract Photoreceptor Degeneration and Retina Inflammation in a Light-Damage Model of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Degeneration of photoreceptors in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is associated with oxidative stress due to the intense aerobic metabolism of rods and cones that if not properly counterbalanced by endogenous antioxidant mechanisms can precipitate photoreceptor degeneration. In spite of being a priority eye disease for its high incidence in the elderly, no effective treatments for AMD exist. While systemic administration of antioxidants has been unsuccessful in slowing down degeneration, locally administered rare-earth nanoparticles were shown to be effective in preventing retinal photo-oxidative damage.

Catalytic Bioswitch of Platinum Nanozymes: Mechanistic Insights of Reactive Oxygen Species Scavenging in the Neurovascular Unit.

Oxidative stress is known to be the cause of several neurovascular diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders, since the increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels can lead to cellular damage, blood-brain barrier leaking, and inflammatory pathways. Herein, we demonstrate the therapeutic potential of 5 nm platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) to effectively scavenge ROS in different cellular models of the neurovascular unit. We investigated the mechanism underlying the PtNP biological activities, analyzing the influence of the evolving biological environment during particle trafficking and disclosing a key role of the protein corona, which elicited an effective switch-off of the PtNP catalytic properties, promoting their selective activity.

Tissue-Engineered Models of the Human Brain: State-of-the-Art Analysis and Challenges.

Neurological disorders affect billions of people across the world, making the discovery of effective treatments an important challenge. The evaluation of drug efficacy is further complicated because of the lack of in vitro models able to reproduce the complexity of the human brain structure and functions. Some limitations of 2D preclinical models of the human brain have been overcome by the use of 3D cultures such as cell spheroids, organoids and organs-on-chip.

Lipoplexes for effective in vitro delivery of microRNAs to adult human cardiac fibroblasts for perspective direct cardiac cell reprogramming.

Design of nanocarriers for efficient miRNA delivery can significantly improve miRNA-based therapies. Lipoplexes based on helper lipid, dioleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) and cationic lipid [2-(2,3-didodecyloxypropyl)-hydroxyethyl] ammonium bromide (DE) were formulated to efficiently deliver miR-1 or a combination of four microRNAs (miRcombo) to adult human cardiac fibroblasts (AHCFs). Lipoplexes with amino-to-phosphate groups ratio of 3 (N/P 3) showed nanometric hydrodynamic size (372 nm), positive Z-potential (40 mV) and high stability under storage conditions.