Minimally Invasive Delivery of Percutaneous Ablation Agent via Magnetic Colloidal Hydrogel Injection for Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Percutaneous thermotherapy, a minimally invasive operational procedure, is employed in the ablation of deep tumor lesions by means of target-delivering heat. Conventional thermal ablation methods, such as radiofrequency or microwave ablation, to a certain extent, are subjected to extended ablation time as well as biosafety risks of unwanted overheating. Given its effectiveness and safety, percutaneous thermotherapy gains a fresh perspective, thanks to magnetic hyperthermia.

Predictive value of radiomics analysis of enhanced CT for three-tiered microvascular invasion grading in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Microvascular invasion (MVI) is a major risk factor, for recurrence and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after radical surgery and liver transplantation. However, its diagnosis depends on the pathological examination of the resected specimen after surgery; therefore, predicting MVI before surgery is necessary to provide reference value for clinical treatment. Meanwhile, predicting only the existence of MVI is not enough, as it ignores the degree, quantity, and distribution of MVI and may lead to MVI-positive patients suffering due to inappropriate treatment.

Injectable Hydrogels Including Magnetic Nanosheets for Multidisciplinary Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma via Magnetic Hyperthermia.

Relapse and unresectability have become the main obstacle for further improving hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment effect. Currently, single therapy for HCC in clinical practice is limited by postoperative recurrence, intraoperative blood loss and poor patient outcomes. Multidisciplinary therapy has been recognized as the key to improving the long-term survival rate for HCC.

Self-assembling ferrimagnetic fluorescent micelles for bioimaging guided efficient magnetic hyperthermia therapy.

Multifunctional magnet-fluorescent nanocomposites are widely applied in biomedical applications. Incorporating biocompatible quantum dots with highly ferrimagnetic magnetic nanoparticles into one nanoplatform for achieving efficient magnetic hyperthermia therapy (MHT) is very important. Herein, we reported an amphiphilic block copolymer with a flowable hydrophobic chain to encapsulate highly ferrimagnetic magnetic nanoparticles and ZnS/InP quantum dots a facile self-assembly method.

Injectable magnetic montmorillonite colloidal gel for the postoperative treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Bioactive materials have been extensively developed for the adjuvant therapy of cancer. However, few materials can meet the requirements for the postoperative resection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) due to massive bleeding and high recurrence. In particular, combination therapy for HCC has been highly recommended in clinical practice, including surgical resection, interventional therapy, ablation therapy and chemotherapy.

Thermal-Responsive Magnetic Hydrogel for Multidisciplinary Therapy of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Current surgical single modality treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were restricted by recurrence, blood loss, significant trauma, and poor prognostic. Although multidisciplinary strategies for HCC treatment have been highly recommended by the clinical guidelines, there was limited choice of materials and treatments. Herein, we reported an formed magnetic hydrogel with promising bioapplicable thermal-responsiveness, strong adhesion in wet conditions, high magnetic hyperthermia, and biocompatibility, leading to efficient HCC multidisciplinary treatment including postoperative treatment and transarterial embolization therapy.

Effects of iron oxide nanoparticles as T-MRI contrast agents on reproductive system in male mice.

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs)-based contrast agents are widely used for T-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in clinical diagnosis, highlighting the necessity and importance to evaluate their potential systematic toxicities. Although a few previous studies have documented the toxicity concerns of IONPs to major organs, limited data are available on the potential reproductive toxicity caused by IONPs, especially when administrated via intravenous injection to mimic clinical use of MRI contrast agents. Our study aimed to determine whether exposure to IONPs would affect male reproductive system and cause other related health concerns in ICR mice.

Parkin overexpression reduces inflammation-mediated cardiomyocyte apoptosis through activating Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway.

Inflammation has been acknowledged as one of the pathological alterations in various cardiovascular disorders. Parkin has been found to be associated with mitochondrial protection. In the present study, we explored the influence of Parkin overexpression on cardiomyocyte induced by LPS-mediated inflammation response.

Injectable ferrimagnetic silk fibroin hydrogel for magnetic hyperthermia ablation of deep tumor.

Due to the well-recognized biocompatibility, silk fibroin hydrogels have been developed for biomedical applications including bone regeneration, drug delivery and cancer therapy. For the treatment of cancer, silk-based photothermal agents exhibit the high photothermal conversion efficiency, but the limited light penetration depth of photothermal therapy restricts the treatment of some tumors in deep positions, such as liver tumor and glioma. To provide an alternative strategy, here we developed an injectable magnetic hydrogel based on silk fibroin and iron oxide nanocubes (IONCs).

Ferrimagnetic mPEG--PHEP copolymer micelles loaded with iron oxide nanocubes and emodin for enhanced magnetic hyperthermia-chemotherapy.

As a non-invasive therapeutic method without penetration-depth limitation, magnetic hyperthermia therapy (MHT) under alternating magnetic field (AMF) is a clinically promising thermal therapy. However, the poor heating conversion efficiency and lack of stimulus-response obstruct the clinical application of magnetofluid-mediated MHT. Here, we develop a ferrimagnetic polyethylene glycol-poly(2-hexoxy-2-oxo-1,3,2-dioxaphospholane) (mPEG--PHEP) copolymer micelle loaded with hydrophobic iron oxide nanocubes and emodin (denoted as EMM).

PEGylated rhenium nanoclusters: a degradable metal photothermal nanoagent for cancer therapy.

A common issue of functional nanoagents for potential clinical translation is whether they are biodegradable or renal clearable. Previous studies have widely explored noble metal nanoparticles (Au and Pd) as the first generation of photothermal nanoagents for cancer therapy, but all of the reported noble metal nanoparticles are non-degradable. On the other hand, rhenium (Re), one of the noble and precious metals with a high atomic number ( = 75), has been mainly utilized as a jet superalloy or chemical catalyst, but the biological characteristics and activity of Re nanoparticles have never been evaluated until now.

Fluorine and Nitrogen Co-Doped Carbon Dot Complexation with Fe(III) as a T Contrast Agent for Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Commercial gadolinium-based materials have been widely used as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), but the high toxicity of leaking free Gd ions still raises biosafety concerns. Here, we develop a novel, safe, and efficient MRI contrast agent based on a stable Fe(III) complex of fluorine and nitrogen co-doped carbon dots (F,N-CDs) that was prepared from glucose and levofloxacin by a simple microwave-assisted thermal decomposition method. The obtained Fe@F,N-CD complex exhibits higher longitudinal relaxivity ( r = 5.

Magnetic liposomal emodin composite with enhanced killing efficiency against breast cancer.

As an active natural ingredient extracted from the plant Rheum palmatum, emodin exhibits various pharmacological activities, especially the inhibition of tumor growth and migration. However, the anticancer activity of emodin is limited mainly due to its poor solubility and the lack of specific targeting. Herein, we employed liposome to load emodin into the lipid bilayer, and high-performance ferromagnetic iron oxide nanocubes were simultaneously encapsulated in the hydrophilic bilayer.

Epitaxial growth of ultrathin layers on the surface of sub-10 nm nanoparticles: the case of β-NaGdF:Yb/Er@NaDyF nanoparticles.

Upconversion core-shell nanoparticles have attracted a large amount of attention due to their multifunctionality and specific applications. In this work, based on a NaGdF sub-10 nm ultrasmall nanocore, a series of core-shell upconversion nanoparticles with uniform size doped with Yb, Er and NaDyF shells with different thicknesses were synthesized by a facile sequential growth process. NaDyF coated upconversion luminescent nanoparticles showed an obvious fluorescence quenching under excitation at 980 nm as a result of energy resonance transfer between Yb, Er and Dy.

Stable gadolinium based nanoscale lyophilized injection for enhanced MR angiography with efficient renal clearance.

There is a great demand to develop high-relaxivity nanoscale contrast agents for magnetic resonance (MR) angiography with high resolution. However, there should be more focus on stability, ion leakage and excretion pathway of the intravenously injected nanoparticles, which are closely related to their clinic potentials. Herein, uniform ultrasmall-sized NaGdF nanocrystal (sub-10 nm) was synthesized using a facile high temperature organic solution method, and the nanocrystals were modified by a ligand-exchange approach using PEG-PAA di-block copolymer.

Sequential growth of CaF:Yb,Er@CaF:Gd nanoparticles for efficient magnetic resonance angiography and tumor diagnosis.

It is a significant challenge to develop nanoscale magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents with high performance of relaxation. In this work, Gd-doped CaF-based core-shell nanoparticles (CaF:Yb,Er@CaF:Gd) of sub-10 nm size were controllably synthesized by a facile sequential growth method. The as-prepared hydrophilic CaF:Yb,Er@CaF:Gd nanoparticles modified using PEG-PAA di-block copolymer benefited from the presence of Gd only in the outer CaF layer of the nanoparticles, which exhibited r as high as 21.

Iron oxide nanoclusters for T magnetic resonance imaging of non-human primates.

Iron-oxide-based contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) had been clinically approved in the United States and Europe, yet most of these nanoparticle products were discontinued owing to failures to meet rigorous clinical requirements. Significant advances have been made in the synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles and their biomedical applications, but several major challenges remain for their clinical translation, in particular large-scale and reproducible synthesis, systematic toxicity assessment, and their preclinical evaluation in MRI of large animals. Here, we report the results of a toxicity study of iron oxide nanoclusters of uniform size in large animal models, including beagle dogs and the more clinically relevant macaques.

Sequential Growth of NaYF:Yb/Er@NaGdF Nanodumbbells for Dual-Modality Fluorescence and Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Upconversional core-shell nanostructures have gained considerable attention due to their distinct enhanced fluorescence efficiency, multifunctionality, and specific applications. Recently, we have developed a sequential growth process to fabricate unique upconversion core-shell nanoparticles. Time evolution of morphology for the NaYF:Yb/Er@NaGdF nanodumbbells has been extensively investigated.

Lanthanide co-doped paramagnetic spindle-like mesocrystals for imaging and autophagy induction.

We synthesized two novel lanthanide doped spindle-like mesocrystals, YF3:Ce,Eu,Gd and YF3:Ce,Tb,Gd (abbreviated as YEG and YTG mesospindles, respectively). Both of them possess paramagnetic and fluorescent properties, and their excellent cyto-compatibility and low haemolysis are further confirmed. Therefore, they could act as dual mode contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and fluorescence imaging.

Magnetic hydroxyapatite nanoworms for magnetic resonance diagnosis of acute hepatic injury.

Inorganic non-metallic biomaterials, including the silicon frustule of a unicellular diatom, the carbonate shell of a mollusk and the calcium skeleton of the vertebrate, which are the main constituent part of an organism, serve as the supportive and protective components of soft tissue. Among them, hydroxyapatite, which primarily makes up the enamel and bone, is widely used in tissue engineering. Recently, the inorganic nonmetallic biomaterials, especially the applications of hydroxyapatites have attracted great attention.

Exogenous hTERT gene transfected endothelial progenitor cells from bone marrow promoted angiogenesis in ischemic myocardium of rats.

Objective: To explore the biological behavior and the revascularizative ability of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) transfected with human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) gene.

Methods: EPCs were isolated from mononuclear cells in bone marrow by using the method of density gradient centrifugation, then cultured with differential velocity adherent method, EPCs were transfected by recombinant plasmid carrying GFP report gene EGFP-hTERT. The EPCs secretion and proliferation ability were detected before and after transfection.

Bioinspired greigite magnetic nanocrystals: chemical synthesis and biomedicine applications.

Large scale greigite with uniform dimensions has stimulated significant demands for applications such as hyperthermia, photovoltaics, medicine and cell separation, etc. However, the inhomogeneity and hydrophobicity for most of the as prepared greigite crystals has limited their applications in biomedicine. Herein, we report a green chemical method utilizing β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) to synthesize bioinspired greigite (Fe₃S₄) magnetic nanocrystals (GMNCs) with similar structure and magnetic property of magnetosome in a large scale.

PEGylated upconverting luminescent hollow nanospheres for drug delivery and in vivo imaging.

Upconversion luminescent hollow Y2 O3 :Yb(3+) /Er(3+) nanospheres can be synthesized by an etching-free process, which hold promising potential for applications such as drug delivery, angiography, and high-contrast cellular as well as tissue imaging, with no damage from radiation or toxicity.