Glucose oxidase-instructed biomineralization of calcium-based biomaterials for biomedical applications.

In recent years, glucose oxidase (GOx) has aroused great research interest in the treatment of diseases related to abnormal glucose metabolisms like cancer and diabetes. However, as a kind of endogenous oxido-reductase, GOx suffers from poor stability and system toxicity in vivo. In order to overcome this bottleneck, GOx is encapsulated in calcium-based biomaterials (CaXs) such as calcium phosphate (CaP) and calcium carbonate (CaCO) by using it as a biotemplate to simulate the natural biomineralization process.

A Versatile Calcium Phosphate Nanogenerator for Tumor Microenvironment-activated Cancer Synergistic Therapy.

Gas therapy is an emerging "green" cancer treatment strategy; however, its outcome often restricted by the complexity, diversity, and heterogeneity of tumor. Herein, a tumor targeting and tumor microenvironment-activated calcium phosphate nanotheranostic system (denoted as GCAH) is constructed for effective synergistic cancer starvation/gas therapy. GCAH is obtained by a facile biomineralization strategy using glucose oxidase (GOx) as a biotemplate, followed by loading of l-Arginine (L-Arg) and modification of hyaluronic acid (HA) to allow special selectivity for glycoprotien CD44 overexpressed cancer cells.

ImmunoPET of trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (Trop-2) expression in pancreatic cancer.

Purpose: Without a standard test for pancreatic carcinomas, this highly lethal disease is normally diagnosed at its advanced stage, leading to a low survival rate of patients. Trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (Trop-2), a transmembrane glycoprotein, is associated with cell proliferation and highly expressed in most of solid epithelial tumors, including pancreatic cancer. A non-invasive method of imaging Trop-2 would greatly benefit clinical diagnosis and monitoring of pancreatic cancer.

Ultrasmall Porous Silica Nanoparticles with Enhanced Pharmacokinetics for Cancer Theranostics.

Theranostic nanoparticles hold the potential to greatly improve cancer management by providing personalized medicine. Although many theranostic nanoconstructs have been successful in preclinical studies, clinical translation is still hampered by their limited targeting capability and lack of successful therapeutic efficacy. We report the use of novel ultrasmall porous silica nanoparticles (UPSN) with enhanced pharmacokinetics such as high target tissue accumulation (12% ID/g in the tumor) and evasion from the reticuloendothelial system (RES) organs.

Immunologically programming the tumor microenvironment induces the pattern recognition receptor NLRC4-dependent antitumor immunity.

Background: The efficacy of cancer immunotherapy can be limited by the poor immunogenicity of cancer and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Immunologically programming the TME and creating an immune-inflamed tumor phenotype is critical for improving the immune-responsiveness of cancers. Here, we interrogate the immune modulator Flagrp170, engineered via incorporation of a pathogen-associated molecular pattern (ie, flagellin) into an immunostimulatory chaperone molecule, in transforming poorly immunogenic tumors and establishing a highly immunostimulatory milieu for immune augmentation.

Prevention of Hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury by Carbohydrate-Derived Nanoantioxidants.

Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), which mainly results from excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by a reperfusion burst of oxygen, has long been a major cause of liver dysfunction and failure after surgical procedures. Here, a monodispersed hydrophilic carbohydrate-derived nanoparticle (C-NP) was synthesized as a nanoantioxidant that could effectively prevent hepatic IRI. The spherical C-NPs had a size of ∼78 ± 11.

Selenium-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots Act as Broad-Spectrum Antioxidants for Acute Kidney Injury Management.

The manifestation of acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with poor patient outcomes, with treatment options limited to hydration or renal replacement therapies. The onset of AKI is often associated with a surfeit of reactive oxygen species. Here, it is shown that selenium-doped carbon quantum dots (SeCQDs) have broad-spectrum antioxidant properties and prominent renal accumulation in both healthy and AKI mice.

Y-Labeled Monoclonal Antibody Targeting Tissue Factor for Pancreatic Cancer Theranostics.

Pancreatic cancer is highly aggressive, with a median survival time of less than 6 months and a 5-year overall survival rate of around 7%. The poor prognosis of PaCa is largely due to its advanced stage at diagnosis and the lack of efficient therapeutic options. Thus, the development of an efficient, multifunctional PaCa theranostic system is urgently needed.

A Melanin-Based Natural Antioxidant Defense Nanosystem for Theranostic Application in Acute Kidney Injury.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is frequently associated with oxidative stress and causes high mortality annually in clinics. Nanotechnology-mediated antioxidative therapy is emerging as a novel strategy for the treatment of AKI. Herein, a novel biomedical use of the endogenous biopolymer melanin as a theranostic natural antioxidant defense nanoplatform for AKI is reported.

Selenium-doped hydroxyapatite biopapers with an anti-bone tumor effect by inducing apoptosis.

One-dimensional hydroxyapatite (HA) particularly mimics the structure of mineralized collagen fibrils and displays superior mechanical properties such as toughness. Herein, we report Se-doped HA/chitosan (Se-HA/CS) biopapers constructed with self-assembled Se-doped HA nanowires and chitosan. The Se-HA/CS biopapers with high flexibility and manufacturability can not only be further processed into arbitrary shapes by folding or using scissors but also display high performances in in vitro/vivo anti-bone tumor studies.

Ceria Nanoparticles Meet Hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury: The Perfect Imperfection.

The mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS, e.g., liver, spleen) is often treated as a "blackbox" by nanoresearchers in translating nanomedicines.

Hydroxyapatite nanowire/collagen elastic porous nanocomposite and its enhanced performance in bone defect repair.

The synthetic bone grafts that mimic the composition and structure of human natural bone exhibit great potential for application in bone defect repair. In this study, a biomimetic porous nanocomposite consisting of ultralong hydroxyapatite nanowires (UHANWs) and collagen (Col) with 66.7 wt% UHANWs has been prepared by the freeze drying process and subsequent chemical crosslinking.

Colorimetric analysis of lipopolysaccharides based on its self-assembly to inhibit ion transport.

A new strategy is proposed based on inhibition of ion transport by lipid bilayer derived from spontaneous assembly of lipopolysaccharides (LPS), thereby a colorimetric method is established for analysis of LPS. At acidic pH values, LPS can specially bind with aminophenylboronic acid modified assembled magnetic nanospheres (APBA/AMNSs), resulting in formation of lipid bilayer around APBA/AMNSs. Under acidic condition, the lipid bilayer can inhibit the release of iron ions from AMNSs into the solution so as to decrease the oxidized extent of 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt mediated by hydrogen peroxide.

A novel composite scaffold comprising ultralong hydroxyapatite microtubes and chitosan: preparation and application in drug delivery.

In this work, a novel ultralong hydroxyapatite microtube (HMT)-chitosan (CHS) composite scaffold has been successfully prepared. The mechanical properties of the HMT-CHS composite scaffold is greatly improved compared with the CHS-hydroxyapatite nanorod scaffold and the pure chitosan scaffold. By using gentamicin sulfate (GS) as the model drug, the GS-loaded HMT-CHS composite scaffold has a high drug loading capacity, sustained drug release behavior and high antibacterial activity.

Hydroxyapatite Nanowire@Magnesium Silicate Core-Shell Hierarchical Nanocomposite: Synthesis and Application in Bone Regeneration.

Multifunctional biomaterials that simultaneously combine high biocompatibility, biodegradability, and bioactivity are promising for applications in various biomedical fields such as bone defect repair and drug delivery. Herein, the synthesis of hydroxyapatite nanowire@magnesium silicate nanosheets (HANW@MS) core-shell porous hierarchical nanocomposites (nanobrushes) is reported. The morphology of the magnesium silicate (MS) shell can be controlled by simply varying the solvothermal temperature and the amount of Mg ions.

Comparative study of porous hydroxyapatite/chitosan and whitlockite/chitosan scaffolds for bone regeneration in calvarial defects.

Hydroxyapatite (HAP; Ca(PO)(OH)) and whitlockite (WH; CaMg(HPO)(PO)) are widely utilized in bone repair because they are the main components of hard tissues such as bones and teeth. In this paper, we synthesized HAP and WH hollow microspheres by using creatine phosphate disodium salt as an organic phosphorus source in aqueous solution through microwave-assisted hydrothermal method. Then, we prepared HAP/chitosan and WH/chitosan composite membranes to evaluate their biocompatibility in vitro and prepared porous HAP/chitosan and WH/chitosan scaffolds by freeze drying to compare their effects on bone regeneration in calvarial defects in a rat model.

Evaluation of zinc-doped mesoporous hydroxyapatite microspheres for the construction of a novel biomimetic scaffold optimized for bone augmentation.

Biomaterials with high osteogenic activity are desirable for sufficient healing of bone defects resulting from trauma, tumor, infection, and congenital abnormalities. Synthetic materials mimicking the structure and composition of human trabecular bone are of considerable potential in bone augmentation. In the present study, a zinc (Zn)-doped mesoporous hydroxyapatite microspheres (Zn-MHMs)/collagen scaffold (Zn-MHMs/Coll) was developed through a lyophilization fabrication process and designed to mimic the trabecular bone.

Inorganic Nanowires-Assembled Layered Paper as the Valve for Controlling Water Transportation.

Layered materials with open interlayer channels enable various applications such as tissue engineering, ionic and molecular sieving, and electrochemical devices. However, most reports focus on the two-dimensional nanosheets-assembled layered materials, whose interlayer spacing is limited at the nanometer scale. Herein, we demonstrate that one-dimensional inorganic nanowires are the ideal building blocks for the construction of layered materials with open interlayer channels as well, which has not aroused much attention before.

Preparation and enhanced mechanical properties of hybrid hydrogels comprising ultralong hydroxyapatite nanowires and sodium alginate.

Hydrogels with 3-dimentional cross-linked structures are widely used in various biomedical fields such as bone repair scaffolds, drug carriers and biosensors. However, the applications of hydrogels are usually restricted because of their poor mechanical properties. Currently, nanocomposites, double network systems, hydrophobic association, macromolecules, and nanoparticles are commonly adopted as cross-linking agents to enhance mechanical properties of hydrogels.

Enhanced osteogenesis and angiogenesis by mesoporous hydroxyapatite microspheres-derived simvastatin sustained release system for superior bone regeneration.

Biomaterials with both excellent osteogenic and angiogenic activities are desirable to repair massive bone defects. In this study, simvastatin with both osteogenic and angiogenic activities was incorporated into the mesoporous hydroxyapatite microspheres (MHMs) synthesized through a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method using fructose 1,6-bisphosphate trisodium salt (FBP) as an organic phosphorous source. The effects of the simvastatin-loaded MHMs (S-MHMs) on the osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) and angiogenesis in EA.

Biocompatible, Ultralight, Strong Hydroxyapatite Networks Based on Hydroxyapatite Microtubes with Excellent Permeability and Ultralow Thermal Conductivity.

In the past decade, ultralight materials such as aerogels have become one of the hottest research topics owing to their unique properties. However, most reported ultralight materials are bioinert. In this work, by using biocompatible, monodisperse, single-crystalline hydroxyapatite (HAP) microtubes as the building blocks, ultralight, strong, highly porous, three-dimensional (3-D) HAP networks have been successfully fabricated through a facile freeze-drying method and subsequent sintering at 1300 °C for 2 h.

Copper-doped mesoporous hydroxyapatite microspheres synthesized by a microwave-hydrothermal method using creatine phosphate as an organic phosphorus source: application in drug delivery and enhanced bone regeneration.

The development of multifunctional biomaterials with drug delivery ability, and pro-osteogenic and pro-angiogenic activities has garnered increasing interest in the field of regenerative medicine. In the present study, hypoxia-mimicking copper (Cu)-doped mesoporous hydroxyapatite (HAP) microspheres (Cu-MHMs) were successfully synthesized through a microwave-hydrothermal method by using creatine phosphate as an organic phosphorus source. The Cu-MHMs doped with 0.

Ultralong Hydroxyapatite Nanowire/Collagen Biopaper with High Flexibility, Improved Mechanical Properties and Excellent Cellular Attachment.

Highly flexible hydroxyapatite/collagen (HAP/Col) composite membranes are regarded to be significant for guided bone regeneration application owing to their similar chemical composition to that of natural bone, excellent bioactivity and good osteoconductivity. However, the mechanical strength of the HAP/Col composite membranes is usually weak, which leads to difficult surgical operations and low mechanical stability during the bone healing process. Herein, highly flexible ultralong hydroxyapatite nanowires/collagen (UHANWs/Col) composite biopaper sheets with weight fractions of UHANWs ranging from 0 to 100 % are facilely synthesized.