Endogenous Fe-triggered self-targeting nanomicelles for self-amplifying intracellular oxidative stress.

Background: Artesunate (ASA) acts as an •O₂ source through the breakdown of endoperoxide bridges catalyzed by Fe, yet its efficacy in ASA-based nanodrugs is limited by poor intracellular delivery.

Methods: ASA-hyaluronic acid (HA) conjugates were formed from hydrophobic ASA and hydrophilic HA by an esterification reaction first, and then self-targeting nanomicelles (NM) were developed using the fact that the amphiphilic conjugates of ASA and HA are capable of self-assembling in aqueous environments.

Results: These ASA-HA NMs utilize CD44 receptor-mediated transcytosis to greatly enhance uptake by breast cancer cells.

"Watson-Crick G[triple bond, length as m-dash]C"-inspired supramolecular nanodrug of methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil for tumor microenvironment-activatable self-recognizing synergistic chemotherapy.

Carrier-free nanodrugs, generated via the straightforward small-molecule self-assembly of anticancer drugs, provide a promising route for cancer chemotherapy. However, their low structural stability, lack of targeting specificity, and poor stimulus responsiveness are still limiting their therapeutic effect. Inspired by Watson-Crick G[triple bond, length as m-dash]C base pairing, the FDA-approved chemo-drug methotrexate (MTX, which can bind with folate receptors) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU, a DNA/RNA synthetase inhibitor) were adopted for direct assembly into self-recognizing MTX-5-FU nanoparticles via "Watson-Crick-like base pairing"-driven precise supramolecular assembly.

Cylindrical NIR-Responsive Metallopolymer Containing Möbius Metalla-aromatics.

Metalla-aromatic complexes are very stable and excellent light-absorbing compounds, owing to their highly conjugated frameworks. The metallopolymers containing metalla-aromatic substructures consist of a new type of functional polymer, because they exhibit characteristics of both metalla-aromatic and polymeric units. Herein, we reported a corn-like cylindrical metallopolymer, prepared from the controlled polymerization of -isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) by a polyrotaxane-based macroinitiator, followed by postpolymerization modification with a photothermal metalla-aromatic complex.