Macrophages-mediated delivery of protoporphyrin for sonodynamic therapy of rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease characterized by infiltration of inflammatory cells, hyperplasia of synovium, and destruction of the joint cartilage. Owing to the low drug delivery efficiency and limited immunosuppression effect, complete cure for RA remains a formidable challenge. Here, we show that live macrophages (Mφs) carrying protoporphyrin-loaded FeO nanoparticles can migrate to the RA tissues and inhibit the inflammation by sonodynamic therapy.

Tween 80 Micelles Loaded with FeO Nanoparticles and Artemisinin for Combined Oxygen-Independent Ferroptosis Therapy of Cancer.

Artemisinin has an endoperoxide bridge structure, which can be cleaved by ferrous ions to generate various carbonyl radicals in an oxygen-independent manner, highlighting its potential for treating hypoxic tumors. In our study, we fabricated Tween 80 micelles loaded with FeO nanoparticles and artemisinin for cancer therapy. The synthesized FeO nanoparticles and drug-loaded micelles have particle sizes of about 5 nm and 80 nm, respectively, both exhibiting excellent dispersibility and stability.

Collagen/chitosan/genipin hydrogel loaded with phycocyanin nanoparticles and ND-336 for diabetic wound healing.

Diabetic wound healing remains a healthcare challenge due to the overexpression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and the imbalance between angiogenic factors and vascular inhibitory factors. In this study, we developed a nanocomposite injectable collagen/chitosan hydrogel for the treatment of delayed diabetic wound healing, which can promote cell migration to the wound site (through the addition of phycocyanin) and reduce the expression of MMP-9 (through the use of ND-336) to improve the therapeutic effect of diabetic wound healing. Furthermore, different weight ratios of collagen and chitosan hydrogels were prepared to select the hydrogel with proper mechanical properties.

Hollow Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Dual Chemo-starvation Therapy of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Purpose: This study aims at chemotherapy and starvation therapy of HCC via starvation and apoptosis.

Methods: Hollow mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (HMONs) with the thioether-hybrid structure were developed using an organic/inorganic co-templating assembly approach. Hydrofluoric acid was used to remove the internal MSN core for yielding large radial mesopores for loading drug cargos.

Quaternary Ammonium Salt Strategy and Molecular Docking Studies of Novel 5-Acyl-8-(Arylamino)-Quinolines by Acetyl and Methanesulfonyl Chloride for Dual Evaluation Bioactivity.

Unlabelled: Six quinoline derivatives containing quaternary ammonium salts and acyl chloride groups were synthesized from ethyl 8-chloro-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-]quinoline-7-carboxylate in several step. With berberine as the positive control, three human cancer cell lines (HCT-116, Hela and A549) and human normal liver L-02 cell lines were used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of the newly synthesized compounds in vitro. Compound (-) showed good antitumor activity, and the test result of compound () was better than that of positive control group.

Cell-Membrane-Coated Cationic Nanoparticles Disguised as Macrophages for the Prevention and Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by low-grade inflammation and insulin resistance. In this process, innate immune cells play a crucial role in recognizing the stimuli (free fatty acid, lipopolysaccharide, and cytokines) and mediating the inflammatory response, contributing to the development of T2DM. Neutralizing inflammatory cytokines and blocking the inflammation cascade provide great potential for the treatment of T2DM.

One-Step Fabrication of Multifunctional PLGA-HMME-DTX@MnO Nanoparticles for Enhanced Chemo-Sonodynamic Antitumor Treatment.

Background: Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) and its synergistic cancer therapy derivatives, such as combined chemotherapy-SDT (chemo-SDT), are promising approaches for tumor treatment. However, the main drawbacks restricting their applications are hypoxia in tumors and the reducing microenvironment or high glutathione (GSH) levels.

Methods: In this study, a hybrid metal MnO was deposited onto nanoparticles fabricated using poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), carrying docetaxel (DTX) and the sonosensitizer hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME) (PHD@MnO) via a one-step flash nanoprecipitation (FNP) method.

A new approach based on CXCR4-targeted combination liposomes for the treatment of liver fibrosis.

Liver fibrosis results from excessive extracellular matrix accumulation due to injury and leads to cirrhosis, cancer, and death. Herein, we propose a chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4)-targeted combination (CTC) liposomal therapy to treat carbon tetrachloride (CCl)-induced liver fibrosis in a mouse model. This study aims to combine small molecules such as pirfenidone and AMD3100 in a single nanoplatform to investigate their synergistic antifibrotic effects in a setting of CCl-induced liver fibrosis.

Ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles cause significant toxicity by specifically inducing acute oxidative stress to multiple organs.

Background: Iron oxide nanoparticles have been approved by food and drug administration for clinical application as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and are considered to be a biocompatible material. Large iron oxide nanoparticles are usually used as transversal (T) contrast agents to exhibit dark contrast in MRI. In contrast, ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles (USPIONs) (several nanometers) showed remarkable advantage in longitudinal (T)-weighted MRI due to the brighten effect.

Appropriate Size of FeO Nanoparticles for Cancer Therapy by Ferroptosis.

Iron oxide nanoparticles can induce cell death due to the ferroptosis mechanism, showing a great potential for cancer therapy. Here, we synthesized different-sized iron oxide nanoparticles (2-100 nm) to investigate their antitumor effect and toxicity mechanism. It was found that ultrasmall nanoparticles (< ∼5 nm) could accumulate in nucleus and were more efficient in triggering the generation of OH than larger nanoparticles due to the quicker release of Fe, thus exhibiting more remarkable cytotoxicity.

Concise Nanoplatform of Phycocyanin Nanoparticle Loaded with Docetaxel for Synergetic Chemo-sonodynamic Antitumor Therapy.

Combined chemotherapy and sonodynamic therapy (chemo-SDT) based on the nanoplatform/nanocarrier is a potential antitumor strategy that has shown higher therapeutic efficacy than any monotherapy. Therefore, a safe and effective multifunctional system with a concise design and simple preparation process is urgently needed. In this work, by using a one-step cross-linking method, a multifunctional nanosystem, which employs phycocyanin nanoparticles (PCNPs) as a nanocarrier to deliver the chemotherapy drug docetaxel (DTX) and a nanosonosensitizer to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), was prepared and evaluated (PCNP-DTX).

Design, synthesis and mechanistic studies of a TICT based fluorogenic probe for lighting up protein HSA.

Human serum albumin (HSA) in blood serves as an important biomarker for clinical diagnosis, and fluorescence sensing method has attracted extensive attention. In this work, a small organic molecule probe, YS8, involving twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) characteristic, was designed and investigated to detect HSA. YS8 kept silent state in fluorescence under physiological conditions, but the encapsulation of YS8 in the hydrophobic subdomain IB region of HSA inhibited the TICT state and produced a clear light-up fluorescent signal.

Ultrasound responsive self-assembled micelles loaded with hypocrellin for cancer sonodynamic therapy.

Nanoparticles have been demonstrated to be effective in targeted drug delivery to tumor due to the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. However, the inhomogeneous distribution of the nanoparticles in the tumor and the slow release of the drug make the therapeutic effect unsatisfied. Here, we present reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive micelles comprising poly (ethylene glycol)-poly(propylene sulfide) (PEG-PPS) for targeted delivery and in situ release of drug.

CaO/FeO nanocomposites for oxygen-independent generation of radicals and cancer therapy.

The hypoxic tumor environment prevents the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), reducing the therapeutic efficiency. We construct oleylamine (OA) coated CaO/FeO nanocomposites to realize oxygen-independent generation of ROS and high efficient treatment of cancer. In the tumor site, CaO reacts with water to generate HO, which can be catalized by Fe that is produced by FeO, to form highly toxic hydroxyl radicals (∙OH).

Phycocyanin Nanoparticle as a Novel Sonosensitizer for Tumor Sonodynamic Therapy of Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 Cells .

The development of novel sonosensitizers with safety and efficiency is a key problem in anti-tumor sonodynamic therapy. Phycocyanin (PC) has been proved to have the singlet oxygen radicals (ROS) generation ability, and the potential of PC as a novel sonosensitizer has been investigated. To overcome the disadvantages of PC , such as poor stability and low half-life, PC nanoparticles (PCNP) were prepared by the cross-linking method.

Cancer stem cells and strategies for targeted drug delivery.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small proportion of cancer cells with high tumorigenic activity, self-renewal ability, and multilineage differentiation potential. Standard anti-tumor therapies including conventional chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and molecularly targeted therapies are not effective against CSCs, and often lead to enrichment of CSCs that can result in tumor relapse. Therefore, it is hypothesized that targeting CSCs is key to increasing the efficacy of cancer therapies.

Optimization of activity localization of quinoline derivatives: Design, synthesis, and dual evaluation of biological activity for potential antitumor and antibacterial agents.

A novel of quarternary amine around a quinolinium iodide combined with even number alkyl chain were prepared in a several step in moderate yield starting from malonic ester and benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-amine. All of the active structure compounds were identified by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), such as H NMR, C NMR, infrared radiation (IR), high resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS) and Carlo Erba Instruments CHNS-O EA1108 spectra analysis. With regard to the anticancer properties, the in vitro cytotoxicity against three human cancer cell lines (A-549, Hela and SGC-7901) were evaluated.

Design, Synthesis, and Dual Evaluation of Quinoline and Quinolinium Iodide Salt Derivatives as Potential Anticancer and Antibacterial Agents.

A series of novel quinoline and quinolinium iodide derivatives were designed and synthesized to discover potential anticancer and antibacterial agents. With regard to anticancer properties, in vitro cytotoxicities against three human cancer cell lines (A-549, HeLa and SGC-7901) were evaluated. The antibacterial properties against two strains, Escherichia coli (ATCC 29213) and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 8739), along with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were evaluated.

Magnetic thermosensitive micelles with upper critical solution temperature for NIR triggered drug release.

Smart micelles which undergo dramatic property changes in response to temperature have aroused extensive interest in specific cancer therapy. To date, studies on thermosensitive polymers have mainly focused on lower critical solution temperature (LCST) polymers. Materials with upper critical solution temperature (UCST) which can swell and disassemble at elevated temperatures have much less been documented, although they have been reported to be ideal carriers for quick and complete drug release upon applying a stimulus.

Magnetic liposomes for light-sensitive drug delivery and combined photothermal-chemotherapy of tumors.

The targeted delivery of anticancer drugs for improving the therapeutic efficacy and reducing the side effects has attracted great attention in cancer therapy. In this study, multifunctional magnetic nanoparticles-loaded thermosensitive liposomes (FeO-TSL) were developed for the near-infrared (NIR) laser-triggered release and combined photothermal-chemotherapy of tumors. Doxorubicin (DOX) was encapsulated into the FeO-TSL (DOX-FeO-TSL) via an ammonium sulfate gradient, with an encapsulation efficiency of up to 90.

Alginate/chitosan microcapsules for in-situ delivery of the protein, interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), for the treatment of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in a mouse model.

Targeted delivery of bioactive compounds such as proteins to the colon has numerous advantages for the therapeutic treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. The present study sought to fabricate alginate/chitosan microcapsules containing IL-1Ra (Alg/Chi/IL-1Ra MC) via a single-step electrospraying method. Two important factors of efficacy were measured-the pH-responsiveness of the microcapsule and the in-vitro drug release profile.

Engineered nanoparticles disguised as macrophages for trapping lipopolysaccharide and preventing endotoxemia.

Endotoxemia is a severe pathophysiology induced by bacterial endotoxin (also known as lipopolysaccharide, LPS), causing high mortality in clinic due to the life-threatening syndromes, such as sepsis, shock, and multiple organ dysfunction. Removing or neutralizing endotoxin from the circulatory system has been proven to be a potential strategy for the treatment of endotoxemia. However, the selectivity and removal efficiency of existing detoxification approaches are not satisfied.

Effect of magnetic nanoparticles size on rheumatoid arthritis targeting and photothermal therapy.

Nanoparticles based multifunctional system exhibits great potential in diagnosis and therapy of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The size of nanoparticles plays an essential role in biodistribution and cellular uptake, in turn affects the drug delivery efficiency and therapeutic effect. To investigate the optimal size for RA targeting, FeO nanoparticles with well-defined particle sizes (70-350 nm) and identical surface properties were developed as model nanoparticles.

Near-infrared light-responsive nanoparticles with thermosensitive yolk-shell structure for multimodal imaging and chemo-photothermal therapy of tumor.

Thermosensitive yolk-shell nanoparticles were developed as remote-controlled targeting drug delivery platform for multimodal imaging and combined therapy of cancer. The nanoparticles were fabricated using magnetic FeO nanoparticles as photothermal cores, thermo-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-co-1-Vinyl-2-pyrrolidone p(NIPAM-co-NVP) as shells (FeO-PNIPAM), with a hollow space between the two layers for loading of chemotherapeutic drug. The magnetic iron oxide nanoparticle cores could absorb and transform light to heat efficiently upon the irradiation of near infrared (NIR) laser, resulting in the shrink of the PNIPAM shell and the release of chemo-drugs.

[Application of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in magnetic resonance / photothermal dual-modal imaging].

In this study, water-dispersible magnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles were synthesized with solvothermal method. The nanoparticles were characterized with a transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The in vitro magnetic resonance response and photothermal conversion characteristics of the nanoparticles were evaluated.