Concurrent Amplification of Ferroptosis and Immune System Activation Via Nanomedicine-Mediated Radiosensitization for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Therapy.

Radiation therapy (RT) is one of the core therapies for current cancer management. However, the emergence of radioresistance has become a major cause of radiotherapy failure and disease progression. Therefore, overcoming radioresistance to achieve highly effective treatment for refractory tumors is significant yet challenging.

Reversible Structural Phase Transitions in Zero-Dimensional Cu(I)-Based Metal Halides for Dynamically Tunable Emissions.

Exploring structural phase transitions and luminescence mechanisms in zero-dimensional (0D) metal halides poses significant challenges, that are crucial for unlocking the full potential of tunable optical properties and diversifying their functional capabilities. Herein, we have designed two inter-transformable 0D Cu(I)-based metal halides, namely (CHP)CuI and (CHP)CuI, through distinct synthesis conditions utilizing identical reactants. Their optical properties and luminescence mechanisms were systematically elucidated by experiments combined with density functional theory calculations.

Engineering Nanozymes for Tumor Therapy via Ferroptosis Self-Amplification.

Ferroptosis induction is an emerging strategy for tumor therapy. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) can induce ferroptosis but are easily consumed by overexpressed glutathione (GSH) in tumor cells. Therefore, achieving a large amount of ROS production in tumor cells without being consumed is key to efficiently inducing ferroptosis.

Biodegradable Monometallic Aluminum as a Biotuner for Tumor Pyroptosis.

Pyroptosis is an effective anti-tumor strategy. However, monometallic pyroptosis biotuners have not been explored until now. Here, we discover for the first time that biodegradable monometallic Al can act as a pyroptosis biotuner for tumor therapy.

Achieving Orthogonal Upconversion Luminescence of a Single Lanthanide Ion in Crystals for Optical Encryption.

Optical encryption shows great potential in meeting the growing demand for advanced anti-counterfeiting in the information age. The development of upconversion luminescence (UCL) materials capable of emitting different colors of light in response to different external stimuli holds great promise in this field. However, the effective realization of multicolor UCL materials usually requires complex structural designs.

Wireless Photoactivated Targeted Nanosystem for Oncotherapy Synergistic Effects of Hyperthermia/Redox Stress Amplification/GSK-3β Activity Inhibition.

Highly soluble salts and gas mediated therapies are emerging antitumor strategies. However, the therapeutic efficacy remains restricted by difficulty in delivering them to the tumor site and poorly controlled release in deep tissues. Here, an intelligent wireless photoactivated targeted nanosystem is designed for delivering LiCl and H to tumors for therapy.

Near-Infrared-Responsive Rare Earth Nanoparticles for Optical Imaging and Wireless Phototherapy.

Near-infrared (NIR) light is well-suited for the optical imaging and wireless phototherapy of malignant diseases because of its deep tissue penetration, low autofluorescence, weak tissue scattering, and non-invasiveness. Rare earth nanoparticles (RENPs) are promising NIR-responsive materials, owing to their excellent physical and chemical properties. The 4f electron subshell of lanthanides, the main group of rare earth elements, has rich energy-level structures.

New Strategy: Molten Salt-Assisted Synthesis to Enhance Lanthanide Upconversion Luminescence.

Lanthanide-doped upconversion luminescent materials (LUCMs) have attracted much attention in diverse practical applications because of their superior features. However, the relatively weak luminescence intensity and low efficiency of LUCMs are the bottleneck problems that seriously limit their development. Unfortunately, most of the current major strategies of luminescence enhancement have some inherent shortcomings in their implementation.

Multifunctional Superparticles for Magnetically Targeted NIR-II Imaging and Photodynamic Therapy.

Theranostics, the combination of diagnostics and therapies, has been considered as a promising strategy for clinical cancer treatment. Nonetheless, building a smart theranostic system with multifunction for different on-demand applications still remains elusive. Herein, an easy and user-friendly microemulsion based method is developed to modularly assemble upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and Fe O nanoparticles together, forming multifunctional UCNPs/Fe O superparticles with highly integrated functionalities including the 808 nm excitation for real-time NIR-II imaging, magnetic targeting, and the upconversion luminescence upon 980 nm excitation for on-demand photodynamic therapy (PDT).

Hollow nanoparticles synthesized via Ostwald ripening and their upconversion luminescence-mediated Boltzmann thermometry over a wide temperature range.

Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) with hollow structures exhibit many fascinating optical properties due to their special morphology. However, there are few reports on the exploration of hollow UCNPs and their optical applications, mainly because of the difficulty in constructing hollow structures by conventional methods. Here, we report a one-step template-free method to synthesize NaBiF:Yb,Er (NBFYE) hollow UCNPs via Ostwald ripening under solvothermal conditions.

Full shell coating or cation exchange enhances luminescence.

Core-shell structure is routinely used for enhancing luminescence of optical nanoparticles, where the luminescent core is passivated by an inert shell. It has been intuitively accepted that the luminescence would gradually enhance with the coverage of inert shell. Here we report an "off-on" effect at the interface of core-shell upconversion nanoparticles, i.

Decoration of upconversion nanocrystals with metal sulfide quantum dots by a universal in situ controlled growth strategy.

Conjugating transition-metal sulfide quantum dots and upconversion nanocrystals (UCNCs) has aroused widespread concern due to enhanced physical and chemical properties in contrast to only their simple sum. However, the synthesis of such hybrid nanoparticles by a universal in situ growth strategy has been scarcely reported so far. Herein, we developed a facile approach to functionalize NaYF:Yb/Er with chitosan (NaYF:Yb/Er@CS), which not only could improve the hydrophilicity of NaYF:Yb/Er, but also can form stable chelates with transition-metal ions.

Plasmonic Pt Superstructures with Boosted Near-Infrared Absorption and Photothermal Conversion Efficiency in the Second Biowindow for Cancer Therapy.

Photothermal therapy triggered by near-infrared light in the second biowindow (NIR-II) has attracted extensive interest owing to its deeper penetration depth of biological tissue, lower photon scattering, and higher maximum permissible exposure. In spite of noble metals showing great potential as the photothermal agents due to the tunable localized surface plasmon resonance, the biological applications of platinum are rarely explored. Herein, a monocomponent hollow Pt nanoframe ("Pt Spirals"), whose superstructure is assembled with three levels (3D frame, 2D layered shells, and 1D nanowires), is reported.

Ultrafast synthesis of ultrasmall polyethylenimine-protected AgBiS nanodots by "rookie method" for in vivo dual-modal CT/PA imaging and simultaneous photothermal therapy.

Developing a biocompatible nanotheranostic platform integrating diagnostic and therapeutic functions is a great prospect for cancer treatment. However, it is still a great challenge to synthesize nanotheranostic agents using an ultra-facile method. In the research reported here, ultrasmall polyethylenimine-protected silver bismuth sulfide (PEI-AgBiS2) nanodots were successfully synthesized using an ultra-facile and environmentally friendly strategy (1 min only at room temperature), which could be described as a "rookie method".

Simple construction of CuS:Pt nanoparticles as nanotheranostic agent for imaging-guided chemo-photothermal synergistic therapy of cancer.

Synergistic therapy has attracted intense attention in medical treatment because it can make up for the disadvantages of single therapy and greatly improve the efficacy of cancer treatment. However, it remains a challenge to build a simple system to achieve synergistic therapy. In this study, X-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging-guided chemo-photothermal synergistic therapy can be easily achieved by simple construction of Cu2-xS:Pt(0.

Near-infrared optical and X-ray computed tomography dual-modal imaging probe based on novel lanthanide-doped KBiF upconversion nanoparticles.

A novel KBiF upconversion (UC) matrix has been prepared successfully by a solvothermal method. KBiF:Yb/Ln (Ln = Er, Ho, Tm) upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) show a corresponding excellent upconversion luminescence (UCL) under 980 nm laser irradiation. Especially, the strong near-infrared (NIR) UCL of KBiF:20% Yb/0.

Multifunctional Cu-AgS nanoparticles with high photothermal conversion efficiency for photoacoustic imaging-guided photothermal therapy in vivo.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) has attracted increasing interest and become widely used in cancer therapy owing to its noninvasiveness and low level of systemic adverse effects. However, there is an urgent need to develop biocompatible and multifunctional PTT agents with high photothermal conversion efficiency. Herein, biocompatible Cu-AgS/PVP nanoparticles (NPs) with strong near-infrared absorption and high photothermal conversion efficiency were successfully synthesized for high-performance photoacoustic (PA) imaging-guided PTT in vivo.

PEGylated GdF:Fe Nanoparticles as Multimodal T/T-Weighted MRI and X-ray CT Imaging Contrast Agents.

Contrast agents for multimodal imaging are in high demand for cancer diagnosis. To date, integration of T/T-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and X-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging capabilities in one system to obtain an accurate diagnosis still remains challenging. In this work, biocompatible PEGylated GdF:Fe nanoparticles (PEG-GdF:Fe NPs) were reasonable designed and synthesized as multifunctional contrast agents for efficient T/T-weighted MRI and X-ray CT multimodal imaging.

Ultrafast Synthesis of Novel Hexagonal Phase NaBiF Upconversion Nanoparticles at Room Temperature.

Upconversion (UC) nanoparticles (UCNPs) have evoked considerable attention in many fields owing to their fascinating features. However, rigorous synthesis conditions and expensive raw materials often limit their further applications. Here, a novel hexagonal phase NaBiF UC matrix through a very facile method (one min only at room temperature) is synthesized.

Optimization of Bi in Upconversion Nanoparticles Induced Simultaneous Enhancement of Near-Infrared Optical and X-ray Computed Tomography Imaging Capability.

Bioimaging probes have been extensive studied for many years, while it is still a challenge to further improve the image quality for precise diagnosis in clinical medicine. Here, monodisperse NaGdF:Yb,Tm,x% Bi (abbreviated as GYT-x% Bi, x = 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30) upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have been prepared through the solvothermal method. The near-infrared upconversion emission intensity of GYT-25% Bi has been enhanced remarkably than that of NaGdF:Yb,Tm (GYT) with a factor of ∼60.

Core-shell-shell heterostructures of α-NaLuF4:Yb/Er@NaLuF4:Yb@MF2 (M = Ca, Sr, Ba) with remarkably enhanced upconversion luminescence.

Core-shell-shell heterostructures of α-NaLuF4:Yb/Er@NaLuF4:Yb@MF2 (M = Ca, Sr, Ba) have been successfully fabricated via the thermal decomposition method. Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), upconversion luminescence (UCL) spectroscopy, etc. Under 980 nm excitation, the emission intensities of the UCNPs are remarkably enhanced after coating the MF2 (M = Ca, Sr, and Ba) shell.

Rational design of Nd(3+)-sensitized multifunctional nanoparticles with highly dominant red emission.

Controlling excitation and emission wavelengths on demand is very significant in bioimaging. Up-conversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) emit visible light upon near-infrared (NIR) light excitation and are well studied in bioimaging. Red emission is usually preferred to green due to its higher tissue penetration depth in bioimaging.

Lanthanide doped Bi2O3 upconversion luminescence nanospheres for temperature sensing and optical imaging.

Water-soluble lanthanide (Ln(3+)) doped Bi2O3 nanospheres have been successfully prepared through a solid-state-chemistry thermal decomposition process. The nanospheres exhibit intense upconversion luminescence (UCL) by doping the Ln(3+) (Ln = Yb, Er/Ho/Tm) ions into the Bi2O3 host matrix under 980 nm excitation. The ratio of red/green emission of Bi2O3:Yb(3+)/Er(3+) nanospheres exhibits a significant change as the calcination temperature increases and the value could reach 105.

Yb³⁺/Er³⁺-Codoped Bi₂O₃ Nanospheres: Probe for Upconversion Luminescence Imaging and Binary Contrast Agent for Computed Tomography Imaging.

In this work, water-soluble Yb(3+)/Er(3+) codoped Bi2O3 upconversion (UC) nanospheres with uniform morphology have been successfully synthesized via a solid-state-chemistry thermal decomposition process. With 980 nm near-infrared irradiation, the Bi2O3:Yb(3+)/Er(3+) nanospheres have bright UC luminescence (UCL). Moreover, multicolor UC emissions (from green to red) can be tuned by simply changing the Yb(3+) ions doping concentration.

Nd³⁺-sensitized NaLuF₄ luminescent nanoparticles for multimodal imaging and temperature sensing under 808 nm excitation.

In this paper, intense up- and down-conversion luminescence were successfully achieved in well designed and synthesized core-shell structured NaLuF4:Gd/Yb/Er@NaLuF4:Yb@NaLuF4:Nd/Yb@NaLuF4 nanoparticles (NPs) simultaneously under 808 nm continuous-wave laser excitation. The morphologies, luminescent properties and energy transfer mechanism of the nanoparticles were studied in detail. By employing this design, multimodal imaging performance including near-infrared down-conversion optical imaging and X-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging were realized in one kind of NPs.