Engineered bacterium-metal-organic framework biohybrids for boosting radiotherapy with multiple effects.

Hypoxia and lactate-overexpressed tumor microenvironment always lead to poor therapeutic effect of radiotherapy. Here, platinum nanoparticles-embellished hafnium metal-organic framework (Hf-MOF-Pt NPs) were elaborately integrated with Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 (SO) to construct an engineered biohybrid platform (SO@Hf-MOF-Pt) for enhancing radiotherapy. Benefiting from the tumor-targeting and metabolic respiration characteristics of SO, SO@Hf-MOF-Pt could enrich in tumor sites and continuously metabolize the overexpressed lactate, which specifically downregulated the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1α), thereby relieving the radiosuppressive tumor microenvironment to some extent.

Light-driven biohybrid system utilizes N for photochemical CO reduction.

Attempting to couple photochemical CO reduction with N fixation is usually difficult, because the reaction conditions for these two processes are typically incompatible. Here, we report that a light-driven biohybrid system can utilize abundant, atmospheric N to produce electron donors via biological nitrogen fixation, to achieve effective photochemical CO reduction. This biohybrid system is constructed by incorporating molecular cobalt-based photocatalysts into N-fixing bacteria.

Self-Assembled Copper-Based Nanoparticles for Glutathione Activated and Enzymatic Cascade-Enhanced Ferroptosis and Immunotherapy in Cancer Treatment.

As an emerging cancer treatment strategy, ferroptosis is greatly restricted by excessive glutathione (GSH) in tumor microenvironment (TME) and low reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation efficiency. Here, this work designs self-assembled copper-alanine nanoparticles (CACG) loaded with glucose oxidase (GOx) and cinnamaldehyde (Cin) for in situ glutathione activated and enzymatic cascade-enhanced ferroptosis and immunotherapy. In response to GSH-rich and acidic TME, CACG allows to effectively co-deliver Cu , Cin, and GOx into tumors.

In Situ Sprayed Biotherapeutic Gel Containing Stable Microbial Communities for Efficient Anti-Infection Treatment.

Systematic administration of antibiotics to treat infections often leads to the rapid evolution and spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Here, an in situ-formed biotherapeutic gel that controls multidrug-resistant bacterial infections and accelerates wound healing is reported. This biotherapeutic gel is constructed by incorporating stable microbial communities (kombucha) capable of producing antimicrobial substances and organic acids into thermosensitive Pluronic F127 (polyethylene-polypropylene glycol) solutions.

Research progress in AIE-based crystalline porous materials for biomedical applications.

Crystalline porous materials (CPMs) not only present the precise integration of molecular building blocks into extensible structures with periodic frameworks and regular pores, but also provide limited molecular spaces for the interactions of guest molecules, electrons and photons. Incorporating aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-based units into crystalline porous frameworks can result in unique luminescent properties. AIE-based CPMs have widely tunable composition, high luminescent efficiency and good photo-stability, which make them useful for biomedical applications involving bio-sensing, bio-imaging and imaging-guided therapies.

Large π-Conjugated Metal-Organic Frameworks for Infrared-Light-Driven CO Reduction.

It remains challenging to excite traditional photocatalysts through near-infrared (NIR) light. Attempts to use NIR-light-response materials for photochemical reduction usually suffer from inapposite band position due to extremely narrow band gaps. Here, we report that large π-conjugated organic semiconductor engineered metal-organic framework (MOF) can result in NIR-light-driven CO reduction catalyst with high photocatalytic activity.

A near infrared ratiometric platform based π-extended porphyrin metal-organic framework for O imaging and cancer therapy.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is widely researched in tumor treatment, but its therapeutic effect is affected by oxygen (O) concentration of tumor site. Here, we developed a Pd-coordinated π-conjugated extended porphyrin doped porphyrin metal-organic-framework (named as PTP). PTP can achieve near infrared (NIR) O concentration ratiometric imaging, solving the problems of short detection wavelengths and influence of self-concentrations.

Highly Stable Iron Carbonyl Complex Delivery Nanosystem for Improving Cancer Therapy.

Metal carbonyl complexes can readily liberate carbon monoxide (CO) in response to activation stimulus. However, applicability of metal carbonyl complexes is limited because they are unstable under natural ambient conditions of moisture and oxygen. Reported here is the rational design of an iron carbonyl complex delivery nanosystem for the improvement of cancer therapy.

Research Progress in Covalent Organic Frameworks for Photoluminescent Materials.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are an emerging kind of crystalline porous polymers that present the precise integration of organic building blocks into extensible structures with regular pores and periodic skeletons. The diversity of organic units and covalent linkages makes COFs a rising materials platform for the design of structure and functionality. Herein, recent research progress in developing COFs for photoluminescent materials is summarised.

Covalent Organic Framework for Improving Near-Infrared Light Induced Fluorescence Imaging through Two-Photon Induction.

Fluorescent materials exhibiting two-photon induction (TPI) are used for nonlinear optics, bioimaging, and phototherapy. Polymerizations of molecular chromophores to form π-conjugated structures were hindered by the lack of long-range ordering in the structure and strong π-π stacking between the chromophores. Reported here is the rational design of a benzothiadiazole-based covalent organic framework (COF) for promoting TPI and obtaining efficient two-photon induced fluorescence emissions.

Cytomembrane nanovaccines show therapeutic effects by mimicking tumor cells and antigen presenting cells.

Most cancer vaccines are unsuccessful in eliciting clinically relevant effects. Without using exogenous antigens and adoptive cells, we show a concept of utilizing biologically reprogrammed cytomembranes of the fused cells (FCs) derived from dendritic cells (DCs) and cancer cells as tumor vaccines. The fusion of immunologically interrelated two types of cells results in strong expression of the whole tumor antigen complexes and the immunological co-stimulatory molecules on cytomembranes (FMs), allowing the nanoparticle-supported FM (NP@FM) to function like antigen presenting cells (APCs) for T cell immunoactivation.

Expandable Immunotherapeutic Nanoplatforms Engineered from Cytomembranes of Hybrid Cells Derived from Cancer and Dendritic Cells.

Using the cytomembranes (FMs) of hybrid cells acquired from the fusion of cancer and dendritic cells (DCs), this study offers a biologically derived platform for the combination of immunotherapy and traditional oncotherapy approaches. Due to the immunoactivation implicated in the cellular fusion, FMs can effectively express whole cancer antigens and immunological co-stimulatory molecules for robust immunotherapy. FMs share the tumor's self-targeting character with the parent cancer cells.

Structural Transformation in Metal-Organic Frameworks for Reversible Binding of Oxygen.

Polycyclic aromatic derivatives can trap O to form endoperoxides (EPOs) for O storage and as sources of reactive oxygen species. However, these materials suffer from structural amorphism, which limit both practical applications and fundamental studies on their structural optimization for O capture and release. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer advantages in O binding, such as clear structure-performance relationships and precise controllability.

ROS-induced NO generation for gas therapy and sensitizing photodynamic therapy of tumor.

This study reports a tumor-specific ROS-responsive nanoplatform capable of the combination of nitric oxide (NO)-based gas therapy and sensitized photodynamic therapy (PDT). The nanoplatform is constructed on porous coordination network (PCN), which contains NO donor L-Arg and is concurrently coated with cancer cell membrane (L-Arg@PCN@Mem). Under near infrared light (NIR) irradiation, L-Arg@PCN@Mem produces plenty of reactive oxygen species (ROS) directly for PDT therapy, while a part of ROS take the role of oxidative to converse L-Arg into NO for combined gas therapy.

A Multifunctional Biomimetic Nanoplatform for Relieving Hypoxia to Enhance Chemotherapy and Inhibit the PD-1/PD-L1 Axis.

Hypoxia is reported to participate in tumor progression, promote drug resistance, and immune escape within tumor microenvironment, and thus impair therapeutic effects including the chemotherapy and advanced immunotherapy. Here, a multifunctional biomimetic core-shell nanoplatform is reported for improving synergetic chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Based on the properties including good biodegradability and functionalities, the pH-sensitive zeolitic imidazolate framework 8 embedded with catalase and doxorubicin constructs the core and serves as an oxygen generator and drug reservoir.

π-Extended Benzoporphyrin-Based Metal-Organic Framework for Inhibition of Tumor Metastasis.

We report on the benzoporphyrin-based metal-organic framework (TBP-MOF), with 10-connected Zr cluster and much improved photophysical properties over the traditional porphyrin-based MOFs. It was found that TBP-MOF exhibited red-shifted absorption bands and strong near-infrared luminescence for bioimaging, whereas the π-extended benzoporphyrin-based linkers of TBP-MOF facilitated O generation to enhance O-dependent photodynamic therapy (PDT). It was demonstrated that poly(ethylene glycol)-modified nanoscale TBP-MOF (TBP-nMOF) can be used as an effective PDT agent under hypoxic tumor microenvironment.

Universal Porphyrinic Metal-Organic Framework Coating to Various Nanostructures for Functional Integration.

A universal strategy was reported that enables functional group-capped nanostructures with various morphologies and compositions to be coated by porphyrin metal-organic framework (MOF). Based on the nanostructure-induced heterogeneous nucleation, the controlled growth of MOF shell on the surface of nanostructures can be realized. It was demonstrated that this modification strategy can realize controlled growth of porphyrin MOF on a series of organic and inorganic nanostructures, such as polydopamine (PDA) nanoparticles, PDA@Pt nanoparticles, graphene oxide sheets, and Au nanorods.