Sequential-Crosslinking Fibrin Glue for Rapid and Reinforced Hemostasis.

Achieving hemostasis effectively is essential for surgical success and excellent patient outcomes. However, it is challenging to develop hemostatic adhesives that are fast-acting, strongly adherent, long-lasting, and biocompatible for treating hemorrhage. In this study, a sequential crosslinking fibrin glue (SCFG) is developed, of which the first network of the fibrin glue forms in situ within 2 s to act as an initial physical barrier and locks the gelatin methacryloyl precursor for tight construction of the second network to enhance wet adhesion and durability for tissues covered with blood.

Engineering Clinically Relevant Probiotics with Switchable "Nano-Promoter" and "Nano-Effector" for Precision Tumor Therapy.

Probiotics have the potential as biotherapeutic agents for cancer management in preclinical models and human trials by secreting antineoplastic or immunoregulatory agents in the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, current probiotics lack the ability to dynamically respond to unique TME characteristics, leading to limited therapeutic accuracy and efficacy. Although progress has been made in customizing controllable probiotics through synthetic biology, the engineering process is complex and the predictability of production is relatively low.

Artificial-enzymes-armed Bifidobacterium longum probiotics for alleviating intestinal inflammation and microbiota dysbiosis.

Inflammatory bowel disease can be caused by the dysfunction of the intestinal mucosal barrier and dysregulation of gut microbiota. Traditional treatments use drugs to manage inflammation with possible probiotic therapy as an adjuvant. However, current standard practices often suffer from metabolic instability, limited targeting and result in unsatisfactory therapeutic outcomes.

pH-responsive hybrid platelet membrane-coated nanobomb with deep tumor penetration ability and enhanced cancer thermal/chemodynamic therapy.

Despite their outstanding properties in high surface-to-volume ratio and deep penetration, the application of ultrasmall nanoparticles for tumor theranostics remains limited because of their dissatisfied targeting performance and short blood circulation lifetime. Various synthetic materials with complex structures have been prepared as a multifunctional platform for loading ultrasmall nanoparticles. However, their use in nanomedicine is restricted because of unknown metabolic processes and potential physiological toxicity.

Preclinical validation of silibinin/albumin nanoparticles as an applicable system against acute liver injury.

Background: Silibinin (SIL) has been extensively studied for its therapeutic effects on various liver diseases. However, its effect on acute liver injury was limited for poor solubility and low bioavailability. Thus, we prepared SIL and bovine serum albumin (SIL/BSA) nanoparticles and further evaluated their therapeutic efficacy against acute liver injury in mouse models.

Thin film nanoarchitectonics of layer-by-layer assembly with reduced graphene oxide on intraocular lens for photothermal therapy of posterior capsular opacification.

Due to development of surgical techniques and intraocular lens (IOL) implants, vision can often be restored in cataracts patients. However, posterior capsular opacification (PCO) has become the most common and challenging complication in cataracts surgery. While various approaches such as surface modification and drug prophylaxis have been investigated to prevent PCO development, there is no standard treatment that is sufficiently safe and effective to meet clinical demands.

An NIR Discrete Metallacycle Constructed from Perylene Bisimide and Tetraphenylethylene Fluorophores for Imaging-Guided Cancer Radio-Chemotherapy.

To promote the clinical theranostic performances of platinum-based anticancer drugs, imaging capability is urgently desired, and their chemotherapeutic efficacy needs to be upgraded. Herein, a theranostic metallacycle (M) is developed for imaging-guided cancer radio-chemotherapy using perylene bisimide fluorophore (PPy) and tetraphenylethylene-based di-Pt(II) organometallic precursor (TPE-Pt) as building blocks. The formation of this discrete supramolecular coordination complex facilitates the encapsulation of M by a glutathione (GSH)-responsive amphiphilic block copolymer to prepare M-loaded nanoparticles (MNPs).

A thermosensitive, reactive oxygen species-responsive, MR409-encapsulated hydrogel ameliorates disc degeneration in rats by inhibiting the secretory autophagy pathway.

Lumbar disc degeneration is a common cause of chronic low back pain and an important contributor to various degenerative lumbar spinal disorders. However, currently there is currently no effective therapeutic strategy for treating disc degeneration. The pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β (IL-1β) mediates disc degeneration by inducing apoptotic death of nucleus pulposus (NP) cells and degradation of the NP extracellular matrix.

Adaptable hydrogel with reversible linkages for regenerative medicine: Dynamic mechanical microenvironment for cells.

Hydrogels are three-dimensional platforms that serve as substitutes for native extracellular matrix. These materials are starting to play important roles in regenerative medicine because of their similarities to native matrix in water content and flexibility. It would be very advantagoues for researchers to be able to regulate cell behavior and fate with specific hydrogels that have tunable mechanical properties as biophysical cues.

A Nanomedicine Fabricated from Gold Nanoparticles-Decorated Metal-Organic Framework for Cascade Chemo/Chemodynamic Cancer Therapy.

The incorporation of new modalities into chemotherapy greatly enhances the anticancer efficacy combining the merits of each treatment, showing promising potentials in clinical translations. Herein, a hybrid nanomedicine () is fabricated using metal-organic framework (MOF) nanoparticles and gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) as building blocks for cancer chemo/chemodynamic therapy. MOF NPs are used as vehicles to encapsulate camptothecin (CPT), and the hybridization by Au NPs greatly improves the stability of the nanomedicine in a physiological environment.

Enhancement of tumour penetration by nanomedicines through strategies based on transport processes and barriers.

Nanomedicines for antitumour therapy have been widely studied in recent decades, but only a few have been used in clinical applications. One of the most important reasons is the poor tumour permeability of the nanomedicines. In this three-part review, intravascular, transvascular and extravascular transport were introduced one by one according to their roles in the overall process of nanomedicine transport into tumours.

Tumor microenvironment-responsive multifunctional peptide coated ultrasmall gold nanoparticles and their application in cancer radiotherapy.

Two important features are required for promising radiosensitizers: one is selective tumor cell targeting to enhance the therapeutic outcome via lethal DNA damage and the other is rapid clearance to enable excellent biocompatibility for potential clinical application. Herein, ultrasmall gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) with diameter smaller than 5 nm were prepared and covered with a multifunctional peptide to endow them with selective tumor cell uptake capability. Combined with X-ray irradiation, the responsive Au NPs demonstrated superior radio-sensitizing toxicity and rapid renal clearance .

The impact of size and surface ligand of gold nanorods on liver cancer accumulation and photothermal therapy in the second near-infrared window.

Gold nanorods (GNRs) with longitudinal surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peaks in second near-infrared (NIR-II) window have attracted a great amount of attention as photothermal transducer because of their inherently excellent photothermal transition efficiency, high biocompatibility and versatile surface functionalization. One key question for the application of these GNRs against tumors in vivo is which size/shape and surface ligand conjugation are promising for circulation and tumor targeting. In this study, we prepared a series of gold nanorods (GNRs) of similar aspect ratio and LSPR peaks, and thus similar photothermal transfer efficiency under irradiation of 980 nm laser, but with tunable size in width and length.

In situ synthesis of poly (γ- glutamic acid)/alginate/AgNP composite microspheres with antibacterial and hemostatic properties.

In the present work, a poly(γ-glutamic acid)/alginate/silver nanoparticle (PGA/Alg/AgNP) composite microsphere with excellent antibacterial and hemostatic properties was prepared by the in situ UV reduction and emulsion internal gelation method, and its potential application for antibacterial hemostatic dressing was explored. Well dispersed AgNPs were in situ synthesized by a UV reduction method with alginate as stabilizer and reductant. The AgNPs showed excellent antibacterial activities against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria.

Preparation of hydroxylated lecithin complexed iodine/carboxymethyl chitosan/sodium alginate composite membrane by microwave drying and its applications in infected burn wound treatment.

Improving the antibacterial properties of membrane wound dressings of natural polymers is crucial. Iodine is an important safe inorganic antibacterial agent, but was confined in the composition with polymer membranes due to the challenges of homogeneity and stability during drying. In the present work, iodine was complexed with hydroxylated lecithin (HL) to improve its stability and complexing efficiency for the composition with carboxymethly chitosan/sodium alginate.

Preparation of the chitosan/poly(glutamic acid)/alginate polyelectrolyte complexing hydrogel and study on its drug releasing property.

In the current study, a novel semi-dissolution/acidification/sol-gel transition (SD-A-SGT) method was explored for the preparation of polyelectrolyte complexing (PEC) composite hydrogels with natural polymers only. A chitosan (CS) powder was uniformly dispersed in a solution of poly(glutamic acid) (PGA) and alginate (SA) to form a semi-dissolved slurry mixture that was then exposed to an gaseous acidic atmosphere. CS was gradually dissolved and interacted with PGA and SA to form a CS/PGA/SA PEC composite hydrogel with a homogeneous structure.

Bioresponsive Materials for Drug Delivery Based on Carboxymethyl Chitosan/Poly(γ-Glutamic Acid) Composite Microparticles.

Carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) microparticles are a potential candidate for hemostatic wound dressing. However, its low swelling property limits its hemostatic performance. Poly(γ-glutamic acid) (PGA) is a natural polymer with excellent hydrophilicity.

Preparation, Characterization and Properties of Alginate/Poly(γ-glutamic acid) Composite Microparticles.

Alginate (Alg) is a renewable polymer with excellent hemostatic properties and biocapability and is widely used for hemostatic wound dressing. However, the swelling properties of alginate-based wound dressings need to be promoted to meet the requirements of wider application. Poly(-glutamic acid) (PGA) is a natural polymer with high hydrophility.

Preparation and characterization of chitosan physical hydrogels with enhanced mechanical and antibacterial properties.

The chitosan physical hydrogels formed under gaseous ammonia atmospheres usually have poor mechanical properties and low antibacterial activities, which limit its application as biomaterials. In the current study, CTS-Ag/NH physical hydrogels with great comprehensive properties were prepared by the gelation of chitosan in the presence of AgNO under a gaseous ammonia atmosphere. Compared with the previously reported hydrogels made with chitosan and AgNO, the CTS-Ag/NH hydrogels were more homogeneous and transparent.