NIR Diradical-Featured Croconaine Nanoagent for Cancer Photoacoustic Imaging and Photothermal Therapy.

Radical-featured organic materials usually demonstrate significantly narrower bandgap than that of regular organic materials, which is beneficial for near-infrared (NIR) absorption and non-radiative decay process, making them good candidates for photothermal agents (PTAs) of photothermal therapy (PTT). However, most organic radicals are too short-lived to be separated and stable. Herein, a stable pyrylium-croconaine (CR) dye CR845 with high diradical character was synthesized and assembled into CR845 nanoparticles (NPs) to explore the photoacoustic imaging (PAI) and photothermal therapeutic performance under NIR irradiation in vitro and in vivo.

Development of the novel formulations of perospirone for the treatment of schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness. Its clinical features include positive symptoms (hallucinations, delusions, thought disorders), negative symptoms (avolition, anhedonia, poverty of thought, social withdrawal), and cognitive dysfunction. A large number of antipsychotic drugs with traditional dosage forms are available to mitigate the symptoms of schizophrenia but the duration of action is commonly short, often requiring frequent administration.

Alendronate-functionalized polymeric micelles target icaritin to bone for mitigating osteoporosis in a rat model.

Formulating drugs into nanoparticles that target sites of disease can lead to strong therapeutic effects with lower doses of drugs and lower rates of off-target adverse effects. Few ways to target drugs to bone have been described, hampering the treatment of osteoporosis. Here we exploit the ability of alendronate to bind tightly to hydroxyapatite in bone as a tactic to target polymeric micelles loaded with the plant flavonoid icaritin to osteoporotic lesions.

Hyaluronic acid-modified liposomes Potentiated anti-hepatocellular carcinoma of icaritin.

Icaritin (ICT), a promising anti-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prenylated flavonoid, is hindered from being applied due to its low water solubility and high lipophilicity in poorly differentiated HCC which is associated with upregulation of CD44 isoforms. Thus, hyaluronic acid (HA), a natural polysaccharide with high binding ability to CD44 receptors, was used to formulate a modified liposome as a novel targeted ICT-delivery system for HCC treatment. The ICT-Liposomes (Lip-ICT) with and without HA were prepared by a combined method of thin-film dispersion and post-insertion.

The adaptive mechanisms of the marine diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii to long-term high CO and warming.

While it is known that increased dissolved CO concentrations and rising sea surface temperature (ocean warming) can act interactively on marine phytoplankton, the ultimate molecular mechanisms underlying this interaction on a long-term evolutionary scale are relatively unexplored. Here, we performed transcriptomics and quantitative metabolomics analyses, along with a physiological trait analysis, on the marine diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii adapted for approximately 3.5 years to warming and/or high CO conditions.

Injectable Hydrogel To Deliver Bone Mesenchymal Stem Cells Preloaded with Azithromycin To Promote Spinal Cord Repair.

Spinal cord injury is a disease that causes severe damage to the central nervous system. Currently, there is no cure for spinal cord injury. Azithromycin is commonly used as an antibiotic, but it can also exert anti-inflammatory effects by down-regulating M1-type macrophage genes and up-regulating M2-type macrophage genes, which may make it effective for treating spinal cord injury.

Zein-Based Triple-Drug Nanoparticles to Promote Anti-Inflammatory Responses for Nerve Regeneration after Spinal Cord Injury.

Defects in autophagy contribute to neurological deficits and motor dysfunction after spinal cord injury. Here a nanosystem is developed to deliver autophagy-promoting, anti-inflammatory drugs to nerve cells in the injured spinal cord. Celastrol, metformin, and everolimus as the mTOR inhibitor are combined into the zein-based nanoparticles, aiming to solubilize the drugs and prolong their circulation.

Nanotechnology-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Honokiol: Enhancing Therapeutic Potential and Overcoming Limitations.

Honokiol (HNK) is a small-molecule polyphenol that has garnered considerable attention due to its diverse pharmacological properties, including antitumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-obesity effects. However, its clinical application is restricted by challenges such as low solubility, poor bioavailability, and rapid metabolism. To overcome these limitations, researchers have developed a variety of nano-formulations for HNK delivery.

Long-Circulating Lipid Nanospheres Loaded with Flurbiprofen Axetil for Targeted Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment.

Background: Flurbiprofen axetil (FA) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with good analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. However, it suffers from poor solubility, short circulation time, and off-target binding profile, which significantly limit its clinical application. Here, we loaded FA into stealth lipid microspheres modified with the arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptide (cRGD-FA-SLM), and examined the therapeutic potential of the resulting platform for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Correlation of ultrasound features with Bcl-2 protein expression in basal cell carcinomas (BCCs).

Background: The expression of the Bcl-2 protein is frequently observed in basal cell carcinomas (BCCs), making it a significant biological marker and potential therapeutic target. Skin ultrasonography offers a noninvasive means of obtaining anatomical information about cutaneous tumors.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between ultrasound features and Bcl-2 expression in BCCs, to provide a reference for developing pharmacological treatment plans.

Nanoparticles that target the mitochondria of tumor cells to restore oxygen supply for photodynamic therapy: Design and preclinical validation against breast cancer.

Photodynamic therapy, in which photosensitizers locally generate cytotoxic reactive oxygen species, can treat tumor tissue with minimal effects on surrounding normal tissue, but it can be ineffective because of the anoxic tumor microenvironment. Here we developed a strategy to inactivate the mitochondria of tumor cells in order to ensure adequate local oxygen concentrations for photodynamic therapy. We conjugated the photosensitizer 5-aminolevulinic acid to the lipophilic cation triphenylphosphine, which targets mitochondria.

Biomineral-binding liposomes with dual antibacterial effects for preventing and treating dental caries.

Dental caries is a chronic oral disease that results from the demineralization of dental hard tissues caused by the long-term interaction of various pathogenic factors in the human oral cavity. Although magnolol (Mag) and fluconazole (FLC) have shown promising antibacterial activity against () and (), their clinical application is limited due to hydrophobicity. In this study, we constructed biomineral-binding liposomes co-loaded with Mag and FLC (PPi-Mag/FLC-LPs) to overcome the hydrophobicity and achieve a dual antibacterial activity in the acidic microenvironment of caries.

L. suppresses non-small cell lung cancer downregulating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway based on network pharmacology and experimental investigation.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer. L (SOL), a traditional Chinese herbal medicine called Diyu, has been shown to have potent antitumor effects. However, the role of SOL in suppressing NSCLC remains unknown.

Inhibition of A1 Astrocytes and Activation of A2 Astrocytes for the Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious injury to the central nervous system that causes significant physical and psychological trauma to the patient. SCI includes primary spinal cord injuries and secondary spinal cord injuries. The secondary injury refers to the pathological process or reaction after the primary injury.

Generation of Schrödinger Cat States in a Hybrid Cavity Optomechanical System.

We present an alternative scheme to achieve Schrödinger cat states in a strong coupling hybrid cavity optomechanical system. Under the single-photon strong-coupling regime, the interaction between the atom-cavity-oscillator system can induce the mesoscopic mechanical oscillator to Schrödinger cat states. Comparing to previous schemes, the proposed proposal consider the second order approximation on the Lamb-Dicke parameter, which is more universal in the experiment.

CAQK modification enhances the targeted accumulation of metformin-loaded nanoparticles in rats with spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) often causes neuronal membrane rupture and immediate death of neurons, followed by complicated secondary injuries. Treatment of SCI still remains a major challenge in clinical practice; thus, a great advance is urgently needed in this field. Metformin (MET) has anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic and neuroprotective properties, which may exert a potential therapeutic effect on SCI.

A novel dual-prodrug carried by cyclodextrin inclusion complex for the targeting treatment of colon cancer.

Background: There is an obvious correlation between ulcerative colitis and colorectal cancer, and the risk of colorectal cancer in patients with ulcerative colitis is increasing. Therefore, the combination therapy of anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor drugs may show promising to inhibit colon cancer. 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) with anti-inflammatory function is effective for maintaining remission in patients with ulcerative colitis and may also reduce colorectal cancer risk.

New instrument based on electrostatic sensor array for measuring tribo-electrification charging due to single particle impacts.

In the processing of particulate solids, particle-particle and particle-wall collisions can generate electrostatics. This is called contact/impact/frictional electrification and can lead to many problems such as affecting powder flow and explosion hazards. It is necessary to research the tribo-electrification charging due to single particle impacts on a target as the fundamental understanding of tribo-electrification.

Identification methods of charged particles based on aero-engine exhaust gas electrostatic sensor array.

This paper presents a study of aero-engine exhaust gas electrostatic sensor array to estimate the spatial position, charge amount and velocity of charged particle. Firstly, this study establishes a mathematical model to analyze the inducing characteristics and obtain the spatial sensitivity distribution of sensor array. Then, Tikhonov regularization and compressed sensing are used to estimate the spatial position and charge amount of particle based on the obtained sensitivity distribution; cross-correlation algorithm is used to determine particle's velocity.

TAT-modified tetramethylpyrazine-loaded nanoparticles for targeted treatment of spinal cord injury.

Tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) has been effectively used for treating spinal cord injury (SCI) due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective activity. However, its clinical application is limited due to poor water solubility and insufficient spinal cord targeting through the traditional dosage forms. Given that intravascular neutrophils are quickly recruited to the injury site as part of the inflammatory response in SCI, we conjugated the cell-penetrating HIV trans-activator of transcription (TAT) peptide to human serum albumin nanoparticles (NPs) to make a TMP delivery system (TAT-TMP-NPs) that could be internalized by neutrophils and delivered to SCI lesions.

Recent Advances in Macrophage-Mediated Drug Delivery Systems.

Macrophages have been extensively used in the development of drug delivery systems, as they can prolong the circulation and release of drugs, extend their half-life, increase their stability and targeting ability, and reduce immunogenicity. Moreover, they have good biocompatibility and degradability and offer abundant surface receptors for targeted delivery of a wide variety of drugs. Macrophage-mediated drug delivery systems can be prepared by loading drugs or drug-loaded nanoparticles into macrophages, macrophage membranes or macrophage-derived vesicles.

Iron-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks in Drug Delivery and Biomedicine.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are crystalline materials comprising metal centers and organic linkers that feature structural rigidity and functional flexibility. These attractive materials offer large surface areas, high porosity, and good chemical stability; they have shown promise in chemistry (H separation and catalysis), magnetism, and optics. They have also shown potential for drug delivery following the demonstration in 2006 that chromium-based MOFs can be loaded with ibuprofen.

TAT-modified serum albumin nanoparticles for sustained-release of tetramethylpyrazine and improved targeting to spinal cord injury.

Background: Spinal Cord injury (SCI) is a kind of severe traumatic disease. The inflammatory response is a significant feature after SCI. Tetramethylpyrazine (TMP), a perennial herb of umbelliferae, is an alkaloid extracted from ligustici.

Preparation and Formulation Optimization of Methotrexate-loaded Human Serum Albumin Nanoparticles Modified by Mannose.

Background: Methotrexate (MTX) is the representative drug among the disease- modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. However, the conventional treatment with MTX showed many limitations and side effects.

Objective: To strengthen the targeting ability and circulation time of MTX in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, the present study focused on developing a novel drug delivery system of methotrexate-loaded human serum albumin nanoparticles (MTX-NPs) modified by mannose, which are referred to as MTX-M-NPs.

Redox-sensitive polymeric micelles with aggregation-induced emission for bioimaging and delivery of anticancer drugs.

Background: Nano-drug delivery systems show considerable promise for effective cancer therapy. Polymeric micelles have attracted extensive attention as practical nanocarriers for target drug delivery and controlled drug delivery system, however, the distribution of micelles and the release of the drug are difficult to trace in cancer cells. Therefore, the construction of a redox-sensitive multifunctional drug delivery system for intelligent release of anticancer drugs and simultaneous diagnostic imaging and therapy remains an attractive research subject.