An active shrinkage and antioxidative hydrogel with biomimetic mechanics functions modulates inflammation and fibrosis to promote skin regeneration.

Achieving scar-free skin regeneration in clinical settings presents significant challenges. Key issues such as the imbalance in macrophage phenotype transition, delayed re-epithelialization, and excessive proliferation and differentiation of fibroblasts hinder wound healing and lead to fibrotic repair. To these, we developed an active shrinkage and antioxidative hydrogel with biomimetic mechanical functions (P&G@LMs) to reshape the healing microenvironment and effectively promote skin regeneration.

Self-targeted smart polyester nanoparticles for simultaneous Delivery of photothermal and chemotherapeutic agents for efficient treatment of HCC.

Advances in nanotechnology offer promising strategies to overcome the limitations of single-drug therapies in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and other cancers such as multidrug resistance and variable drug tolerances. This study proposes a targeted nanoparticle system based on a poly(β-aminoester) (PβAE) core and a hyaluronic acid (HA) shell, designed for the codelivery of doxorubicin (DOX) and indocyanine green (ICG) to effectively treat HCC. These nanoparticles demonstrated remarkable physicochemical and colloidal stability, pH- and temperature-responsive release, enhanced cellular uptake, and drug retention within tumors.

The potential of nanosystems in disrupting adenosine signaling pathways for tumor immunotherapy.

Introduction: Adenosine (ADO) is a naturally occurring nucleoside primarily synthesized through the hydrolysis of extracellular adenosine triphosphate. Within the tumor microenvironment, ADO levels substantially increase, resulting in suppressed immune responses.

Areas Covered: Nanosystems offer a promising approach for precise drug delivery to tumor lesions.

Self-Illuminating Nanoagonist Simultaneously Induces Dual Cell Death Pathways via Death Receptor Clustering for Cancer Therapy.

Inducing death receptor 5 (DR5) clustering holds particular promise in tumor-specific therapeutics because it could trigger an apoptotic cascade in cancerous cells. Herein, we present a tumor microenvironment HO-responsive self-illuminating nanoagonist, which could induce dual tumor cell death pathways through enhancing DR5 clustering. By conjugating DR5 ligand peptides onto the surfaces of self-illuminating nanoparticles with cross-linking capacity, this strategy not only provides scaffolds for ligands to bind receptors but also cross-links them through photo-cross-linking.

Versatile dopamine-functionalized hyaluronic acid-recombinant human collagen hydrogel promoting diabetic wound healing via inflammation control and vascularization tissue regeneration.

The management of chronic wounds in diabetes remains challenging due to the complexity of impaired wound healing, delayed healing, susceptibility to infection, and elevated risk of reopening, highlighting the need for effective chronic wound management with innovative approaches such as multifunctional hydrogels. Here, we have produced HA-DA@rhCol hydrogels consisting of dopamine-modified hyaluronic acid and recombinant human collagen type-III (rhCol) by oxidative coupling of the catechol group using the HO/HRP catalytic system. The post-reactive hydrogel has a good porous structure, swelling rate, reasonable degradation, rheological and mechanical properties, and the catechol group and dopamine impart to the hydrogel tissue adhesiveness, antioxidant capacity, and excellent photothermal effects leading to superior in vitro antimicrobial activity.

Correction: An E-selectin targeting and MMP-2-responsive dextran-curcumin polymeric prodrug for targeted therapy of acute kidney injury.

Correction for 'An E-selectin targeting and MMP-2-responsive dextran-curcumin polymeric prodrug for targeted therapy of acute kidney injury' by Jing-Bo Hu , , 2018, , 3397-3409, https://doi.org/10.1039/C8BM00813B.

Sialic Acid-Modified O-GlcNAc Transferase Inhibitor Liposome Presents Antitumor Effect in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

O-linked--acetylglucosaminylation (O-GlcNAcylation) plays a key role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development, and the inhibition of O-GlcNAcylation has therapeutic potential. To decrease the systemic adverse events and increase targeting, we used sialic acid (SA)-decorated liposomes loaded with OSMI-1, an inhibitor of the O-GlcNAcylation, to further improve the anti-HCC effect. Fifty pairs of HCC tissue samples and the cancer genome atlas database were used to analyze the expression of O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and its effects on prognosis and immune cell infiltration.

Nanodrug Delivery Strategies to Signaling Pathways in Alopecia.

Over 50% of the global population suffers from hair loss. The mixed results in the treatment of hair loss reveal the limitations of conventional commercial topical drugs. One the one hand, the definite pathogenesis of hair loss is still an enigma.

A photo-activable nano-agonist for the two-signal model of T cell in vivo activation.

The two-signal model of T cell activation has helped shape our understanding of the adaptive immune response for over four decades. According to the model, activation of T cells requires a stimulus through the T cell receptor/CD3 complex (signal 1) and a costimulatory signal 2. Stimulation of activatory signals via T cell agonists has thus emerged.

Biomaterials evolution: from inert to instructive.

The field of biomaterials has experienced substantial evolution in recent years, driven by advancements in materials science and engineering. This has led to an expansion of the biomaterials definition to include biocompatibility, bioactivity, bioderived materials, and biological tissues. Consequently, the intended performance of biomaterials has shifted from a passive role wherein a biomaterial is merely accepted by the body to an active role wherein a biomaterial instructs its biological environment.

Gene liposome nanocomplex-loaded dermal substitute promotes diabetic chronic wound healing and angiogenesis in rat.

The incidence of chronic diabetic wounds is increasing with the growing number of diabetic patients, and conventional wound dressings have proven to be ineffective in treating them. To address this challenge, researchers have developed artificial dermal substitutes using collagen and hyaluronic acid, which are crucial extracellular matrices. However, these subsitiues lack precision and targeted treatment.

Combining nanotechnology with monoclonal antibody drugs for rheumatoid arthritis treatments.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic immune disease characterized by synovial inflammation. Patients with RA commonly experience significant damage to their hand and foot joints, which can lead to joint deformities and even disability. Traditional treatments have several clinical drawbacks, including unclear pharmacological mechanisms and serious side effects.

Recent Advances in Well-Designed Therapeutic Nanosystems for the Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Treatment Dilemma.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly malignant tumor with an extremely poor prognosis and low survival rate. Due to its inconspicuous symptoms, PDAC is difficult to diagnose early. Most patients are diagnosed in the middle and late stages, losing the opportunity for surgery.

Effective decolonization strategy for mupirocin-resistant by TPGS-modified mupirocin-silver complex.

The widespread utilization of mupirocin to treat methicillin-resistant (MRSA)-caused infectious diseases has led to the emergence of mupirocin-resistant (MuRSA), posing a serious global medical threat. In order to counteract MuRSA, we develop a d-α-tocopherol polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) modified mupirocin and silver complex (TPGS/Mup-Ag) to combat MuRSA. The surfactivity of TPGS endows Mup-Ag with a homogeneous and small particle size (∼16 ​nm), which significantly enhances bacterial internalization.

Extracellular matrix modulating enzyme functionalized biomimetic Au nanoplatform-mediated enhanced tumor penetration and synergistic antitumor therapy for pancreatic cancer.

Background: Excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) severely limits therapeutic drug penetration into tumors and is associated with poor prognosis. Collagen is the most abundant matrix protein in the tumor ECM, which is the main obstacle that severely hinders the diffusion of chemotherapeutic drugs or nanomedicines.

Methods: We designed a collagenase-functionalized biomimetic drug-loaded Au nanoplatform that combined ECM degradation, active targeting, immune evasion, near-infrared (NIR) light-triggered drug release, and synergistic antitumor therapy and diagnosis into one nanoplatform.

The compound losartan cream inhibits scar formation via TGF-β/Smad pathway.

The role of angiotensin receptor blocker in wound healing and cutaneous fibrosis has become a hotspot in recent years. We have developed a losartan cream that is comparable to triamcinolone ointment in inhibiting scarring. Considering the effects of chitosan and asiaticoside on wound healing and scarring, we added them to the losartan cream this time and improved the formula, expecting to get a better anti-scarring effect.

Arginine Supplementation Targeting Tumor-Killing Immune Cells Reconstructs the Tumor Microenvironment and Enhances the Antitumor Immune Response.

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is characterized by several immunosuppressive factors, of which weak acidity and l-arginine (l-arg) deficiency are two common features. A weak acidic environment threatens the survival of immune cells, and insufficient l-arg will severely restrain the effect of antitumor immune responses, both of which affect the efficiency of cancer treatments (especially immunotherapy). Meanwhile, l-arg is essential for tumor progression.

Ultra-thin layered double hydroxide-mediated photothermal therapy combine with asynchronous blockade of PD-L1 and NR2F6 inhibit hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: The efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is limited due to low levels of tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes and deficient checkpoint blockade in this immunologically "cool" tumor. Thus, combination approaches are needed to increase the response rates of ICB and induce synergistic antitumor immunity.

Methods: Herein, we designed a pH-sensitive multifunctional nanoplatform based on layered double hydroxides (LDHs) loaded with siRNA to block the intracellular immune checkpoint NR2F6, together with the asynchronous blockade surface receptor PD-L1 to induce strong synergistic antitumor immunity.

Mussel-inspired collagen-hyaluronic acid composite scaffold with excellent antioxidant properties and sustained release of a growth factor for enhancing diabetic wound healing.

Long-term non-healing diabetic wounds are always a serious challenge and a global healthcare burden that needs to be resolved urgently in the clinic. Prolonged inflammation and impaired angiogenesis are the main direct causes of diabetic wounds. With the development of polymer biomaterials, various wound dressings have been created, but a few of them have been applied to the clinical management of diabetic wounds.

A Melanin-like Nanoenzyme for Acute Lung Injury Therapy via Suppressing Oxidative and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Response.

Nanoenzyme-mediated catalytic activity is emerging as a novel strategy for reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging in acute lung injury (ALI) treatment. However, one of the main hurdles for these metal-containing nanoenzymes is their potential toxicity and single therapeutic mechanism. Herein, we uncovered a melanin-like nanoparticles derived from the self-polymerization of 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene (PDH nanoparticles), showing a significant anti-inflammation therapeutic effect on ALI mice.

A Luminol-Based Self-Illuminating Nanocage as a Reactive Oxygen Species Amplifier to Enhance Deep Tumor Penetration and Synergistic Therapy.

The dense extracellular matrix (ECM) in tumor tissues resists drug diffusion into tumors and leads to a poor prognosis. To address this problem, glucose oxidase (GOx)-modified ferritin loaded with luminol-curcumin was fabricated. Once delivered to the tumor, this luminol-based self-illuminating nanocage could actively convert glucose to reactive oxygen species (ROS) to achieve starvation therapy.

Self-amplification of oxidative stress with tumour microenvironment-activatable iron-doped nanoplatform for targeting hepatocellular carcinoma synergistic cascade therapy and diagnosis.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma is insensitive to many chemotherapeutic agents. Ferroptosis is a form of programmed cell death with a Fenton reaction mechanism. It converts endogenous hydrogen peroxide into highly toxic hydroxyl radicals, which inhibit hepatocellular carcinoma progression.

Biomimetic Melanosomes Promote Orientation-Selective Delivery and Melanocyte Pigmentation in the HO-Induced Vitiligo Mouse Model.

Extremely limited drug retention and depigmentation represent the greatest barriers against vitiligo treatment advancement. Here, inspired by biological melanosomes, the primary melanin transporter, we developed biomimetic melanosomes to combat reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated melanocyte damage and depigmentation. Briefly, methylprednisolone (MPS) and melanin-mimicking polydopamine (PDA) were encapsulated inside lysine-proline-valine (KPV)-modified deformable liposomes (KPV-Lipos).