Biomimetic Nanomaterials for the Immunomodulation of the Cardiosplenic Axis Postmyocardial Infarction.

The spleen is an important mediator of both adaptive and innate immunity. As such, attempts to modulate the immune response provided by the spleen may be conducive to improved outcomes for numerous diseases throughout the body. Here, biomimicry is used to rationally design nanomaterials capable of splenic retention and immunomodulation for the treatment of disease in a distant organ, the postinfarct heart.

Ultrasound-Guided Microbubble-Mediated Locoregional Delivery of Multiple MicroRNAs Improves Chemotherapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

To assess treatment effects of 4 complementary miRNAs (miRNA-100/miRNA-122/antimiRNA-10b/antimiRNA-21) encapsulated in a biodegradable PLGA-PEG nanoparticle, administered by an ultrasound-guided microbubble-mediated targeted delivery (UGMMTD) approach in mouse models of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). apoptotic index was measured in HepG2 and Hepa1-6 HCC cells treated with various combinations of the 4 miRNAs with doxorubicin. Three promising combinations were further tested by using UGMMTD.

Engineered Cell-Derived Vesicles Displaying Targeting Peptide and Functionalized with Nanocarriers for Therapeutic microRNA Delivery to Triple-Negative Breast Cancer in Mice.

Polymeric nanocarriers (PNCs) can be used to deliver therapeutic microRNAs (miRNAs) to solid cancers. However, the ability of these nanocarriers to specifically target tumors remains a challenge. Alternatively, extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from tumor cells show homotypic affinity to parent cells, but loading sufficient amounts of miRNAs into EVs is difficult.

Bio-inspired nanomaterials as novel options for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its sequelae have long been the leading causes of death and disability in the developed world. Although mortality associated with CVD has been decreasing, due in large part to novel therapeutic options, the rate of decrease has flattened. Thus, there is a great need to investigate alternate therapeutic strategies that can increase efficacy while decreasing adverse effects.

Biomimetic bacterial and viral-based nanovesicles for drug delivery, theranostics, and vaccine applications.

Smart nanocarriers obtained from bacteria and viruses offer excellent biomimetic properties which has led to significant research into the creation of advanced biomimetic materials. Their versatile biomimicry has application as biosensors, biomedical scaffolds, immobilization, diagnostics, and targeted or personalized treatments. The inherent natural traits of biomimetic and bioinspired bacteria- and virus-derived nanovesicles show potential for their use in clinical vaccines and novel therapeutic drug delivery systems.

Labeling and tracking cells with gold nanoparticles.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have garnered much attention as contrast agents for computerized tomography (CT) because of their facile synthesis and surface functionalization, in addition to their significant X-ray attenuation and minimal cytotoxicity. Cell labeling using AuNPs and tracking of the labeled cells using CT has become a time-efficient and cost-effective method. Actively targeted AuNPs can enhance CT contrast and sensitivity, and further reduce the radiation dosage needed during CT imaging.

Biodegradable polymers for modern vaccine development.

Most traditional vaccines are composed either of a whole pathogen or its parts; these vaccines, however, are not always effective and can even be harmful. As such, additional agents known as adjuvants are necessary to increase vaccine safety and efficacy. This review summarizes the potential of biodegradable materials, including synthetic and natural polymers, for vaccine delivery.

Current potential and challenges in the advances of liquid crystalline nanoparticles as drug delivery systems.

Lyotropic nonlamellar liquid crystalline nanoparticles (NPs) (LCN), such as cubosomes and hexosomes, are useful tools for applications in drug delivery because of their unique structural properties. LCNs are highly versatile carriers that can be applied for use with topical, oral, and intravenous treatments. In recent years, significant research has focused on improving their preparation and characterization, including controlling drug release and enhancing the efficacy of loaded bioactive molecules.

Molecular Imaging of Retinoic Acids in Live Cells Using Single-Chain Bioluminescence Probes.

Retinoic acid (RA) is a key metabolite necessary for embryonic development and differentiation in vertebrates. We demonstrate the utility of genetically encoded, ligand-activatable single-chain bioluminescence probes for detecting RAs from different biological sources. We examined 13 different molecular designs to identify an efficient single-chain probe that can quantify RA with significant sensitivity.

Bioengineered stem cell membrane functionalized nanocarriers for therapeutic targeting of severe hindlimb ischemia.

Bioengineering strategies to enhance the natural targeting function of nanocarriers would expand their therapeutic applications. Here, we designed bioengineered stem cell membrane-functionalized nanocarriers (BSMNCs) harboring C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) to achieve robust targeting and also to increase their retention time in ischemic tissue. Stem cell membrane coated nanocarrier (SMNCs) or poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanocarriers (PNCs) and BSMNCs were prepared by functionalizing PNCs with human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) membranes and hASCs engineered to overexpress CXCR4-receptor, respectively.

Cell membrane-coated nanocarriers: the emerging targeted delivery system for cancer theranostics.

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. The use of nanocarriers (NCs) has generated significant interest to improve cancer therapy by targeted delivery. However, conventional NCs in general lack specificity and have poor biodistribution, resulting in low efficacy in cancer therapy.

Lipid-based surface engineering of PLGA nanoparticles for drug and gene delivery applications.

The use of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)-based nanocarriers presents several major challenges, including their synthetic hydrophobic surface, low transfection efficiency, short circulation half-life, and nonspecific tissue distribution. Numerous engineering strategies have been employed to overcome these problems, with lipid-based surface functionalization of PLGA nanoparticles (NPs) showing promising results in the development of PLGA-based clinical nanomedicines. Surface engineering with different lipids enhances the target specificity of the carrier and improves its physicochemical properties as well as NP-cell associations, such as cellular membrane permeability, immune responses, and long circulation half-life in vivo.