Biosynthesis of Lysosomally Escaped Apoptotic Bodies Inhibits Inflammasome Synthesis in Macrophages.

Hyperglycemia and bacterial colonization in diabetic wounds aberrantly activate Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) in macrophages, resulting in extensive inflammatory infiltration and impaired wound healing. Targeted suppression of the NLRP3 inflammasome shows promise in reducing macrophage inflammatory disruptions. However, challenges such as drug off-target effects and degradation via lysosomal capture remain during treatment.

Reduce electrical overload via threaded Chinese acupuncture in nerve electrical therapy.

Bioelectrical stimulation is a powerful technique used to promote tissue regeneration, but it can be hindered by an "electrical overload" phenomenon in the core region of stimulation. We develop a threaded microneedle electrode system that protects against "electrical overload" by delivering medicinal hydrogel microspheres into the core regions. The threaded needle body is coated with polydopamine and chitosan to enhance the adhesion of microspheres, which are loaded into the threaded grooves, allowing for their stereoscopic release in the core regions.

Homologous-adhering/targeting cell membrane- and cell-mediated delivery systems: a cancer-catch-cancer strategy in cancer therapy.

Low tumor enrichment remains a serious and urgent problem for drug delivery in cancer therapy. Accurate targeting of tumor sites is still a critical aim in cancer therapy. Though there have been a variety of delivery strategies to improve the tumor targeting and enrichment, biological barriers still cause most delivered guests to fail or be excreted before they work.

Antibacterial and osteogenic gain strategy on titanium surfaces for preventing implant-related infections.

Infection and insufficient osseointegration are the primary factors leading to the failure of titanium-based implants. Surface coating modifications that combine both antibacterial and osteogenic properties are commonly employed strategies. However, the challenge of achieving rapid antibacterial action and consistent osteogenesis with these coatings remains unresolved.

Drug-phospholipid conjugate nano-assembly for drug delivery.

Phospholipid-based liposomes are among the most successful nanodrug delivery systems in clinical use. However, these conventional liposomes present significant challenges including low drug-loading capacity and issues with drug leakage. Drug-phospholipid conjugates (DPCs) and their assemblies offer a promising strategy for addressing these limitations.

Downregulation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/MMP-13 pathway for promoting interface healing via lubricating microspheres.

Interface friction impedes tissue healing and stimulates interface cells to produce matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs); however, the precise mechanisms underlying matrix degradation, and the formation of fibrous scars remain unclear. This research involved the development of interface lubricating microspheres that inhibit the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in tenocytes. This inhibition significantly decreased MMP-13 expression and increased COL-1 production, thereby facilitating interface repair and regeneration.

Slide-Ring Structured Stress-Electric Coupling Hydrogel Microspheres for Low-Loss Transduction Between Tissues.

High transductive loss at tissue injury sites impedes repair. The high dissipation characteristics in the electromechanical conversion of piezoelectric biomaterials pose a challenge. Therefore, supramolecular engineering and microfluidic technology is utilized to introduce slide-ring polyrotaxane and conductive polypyrrole to construct stress-electric coupling hydrogel microspheres.

Thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) inhibition promotes retinal ganglion cell survival and facilitates M1-like microglial transformation via the PI3K/Akt pathway in glaucoma.

Background: Glaucoma is a group of heterogeneous neurodegenerative diseases with abnormal energy metabolism and imbalanced neuroinflammation in the retina. Thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) is involved in glucose and lipid metabolism, and associated with oxidative stress and inflammation, however, not known whether to be involved in glaucoma neuropathy and its underlying mechanisms.

Methods: To establish the chronic ocular hypertension (COH) mice model.

Bio-energy-powered microfluidic devices.

Bio-microfluidic technologies offer promising applications in diagnostics and therapy, yet they face significant technical challenges, particularly in the need for external power sources, which limits their practicality and user-friendliness. Recent advancements have explored innovative methods utilizing body fluids, motion, and heat to power these devices, addressing the power supply issue effectively. Among these, body-motion and body-heat-powered systems stand out for their potential to create self-sustaining, wearable, and implantable devices.

Reactive oxygen species switcher via MnO-coated Prussian blue loaded hyaluronic acid methacrylate hydrogel microspheres for local anti-tumor treatment.

ROS-induced therapy can eradicate breast tumors when combined with thermal ablation, but excessive ROS also threatens peritumoral tissue with inflammation. To eradicate tumors and avoid inflammatory sequela, it is necessary to generate ROS in treatment stage and scavenge ROS in prognostic stage. However, it is a great challenge to reverse ROS in different stages.

Intelligent Hydrogel-Assisted Hepatocellular Carcinoma Therapy.

Given the high malignancy of liver cancer and the liver's unique role in immune and metabolic regulation, current treatments have limited efficacy, resulting in a poor prognosis. Hydrogels, soft 3-dimensional network materials comprising numerous hydrophilic monomers, have considerable potential as intelligent drug delivery systems for liver cancer treatment. The advantages of hydrogels include their versatile delivery modalities, precision targeting, intelligent stimulus response, controlled drug release, high drug loading capacity, excellent slow-release capabilities, and substantial potential as carriers of bioactive molecules.

Local glycolysis-modulating hydrogel microspheres for a combined anti-tumor and anti-metastasis strategy through metabolic trapping strategy.

Anti-glycolysis is well-recognized for inhibition of tumor proliferation. However, tumor metabolic heterogeneity confers great challenges in the therapeutic efficacy of glycolysis inhibitors. Here, a metabolic trapping strategy was employed to avoid metabolism heterogeneity in tumors.

Advanced Piezoelectric Materials, Devices, and Systems for Orthopedic Medicine.

Harnessing the robust electromechanical couplings, piezoelectric materials not only enable efficient bio-energy harvesting, physiological sensing and actuating but also open enormous opportunities for therapeutic treatments through surface polarization directly interacting with electroactive cells, tissues, and organs. Known for its highly oriented and hierarchical structure, collagen in natural bones produces local electrical signals to stimulate osteoblasts and promote bone formation, inspiring the application of piezoelectric materials in orthopedic medicine. Recent studies showed that piezoelectricity can impact microenvironments by regulating molecular sensors including ion channels, cytoskeletal elements, cell adhesion proteins, and other signaling pathways.

Implantable Multifunctional Micro-Oxygen Reservoir System for Promoting Vascular-Osteogenesis via Remodeling Regenerative Microenvironment.

Hypoxia and reactive oxygen species (ROS) overaccumulation cause persistent oxidative stress and impair intrinsic regenerative potential upon tissue injury. For local tissue injury with hypoxia, such as bone fracture and defects, a localized-sufficient oxygen supply is highly desirable but remains challenging. Therefore, to explore a strategy and its intrinsic mechanism for supplying oxygen locally and remodeling the regenerative microenvironment, an innovative oxygenating hydrogel microsphere system with sustained oxygenation and antioxidant properties is introduced by loading CaO@SiO@PDA (CSP) nanoparticles.

Medicated tri-layer fibers based on cellulose acetate and polyvinylpyrrolidone for enhanced antibacterial and wound healing properties.

Wound dressing is commonly used for skin injuries. The design of wound dressing typically stems from the principles of open-wound management such as infection prevention, moisture balance and healing response. A new wound dressing comprising polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-berberine hydrochloride (BHC)/PVP-cellulose acetate (CA)-BHC/CA-aloin tri-layer Janus fiber was successfully fabricated using trifluid side-by-side electrospinning for antibacterial and wound healing functions.

Engineered Biomimetic Cancer Cell Membrane Nanosystems Trigger Gas-Immunometabolic Therapy for Spinal-Metastasized Tumors.

Despite great progress in enhancing tumor immunogenicity, conventional gas therapy cannot effectively reverse the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment (TIME), limiting immunotherapy. The development of therapeutic gases that are tumor microenvironment responsive and efficiently reverse the TIME for precisely targeted tumor gas-immunometabolic therapy remains a great challenge. In this study, a novel cancer cell membrane-encapsulated pH-responsive nitric oxide (NO)-releasing biomimetic nanosystem (MP@AL) is prepared.

Boosting mRNA-Engineered Monocytes via Prodrug-Like Microspheres for Bone Microenvironment Multi-Phase Remodeling.

Monocytes, as progenitors of macrophages and osteoclasts, play critical roles in various stages of bone repair, necessitating phase-specific regulatory mechanisms. Here, icariin (ICA) prodrug-like microspheres (ICA@GM) are developed, as lipid nanoparticle (LNP) transfection boosters, to construct mRNA-engineered monocytes for remodeling the bone microenvironment across multiple stages, including the acute inflammatory and repair phases. Initially, ICA@GM is prepared from ICA-conjugated gelatin methacryloyl via a microfluidics system.

Intelligent nanocatalyst mediated lysosomal ablation pathway to coordinate the amplification of tumor treatment.

The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is susceptible to external excitation or insufficient supply of related participants (, hydrogen peroxide (HO) and sensitizer), liming ROS-driven tumor treatment. Additionally, the lysosomal retention effect severely hinders the utilization of ROS-based nanosystems and severely restricted the therapeutic effect of tumors. Therefore, first reported herein an intelligent nanocatalyst, TCPP-Cu@MnO ((Mn)(Mn)(Mn)O), and proposed a programmed ROS amplification strategy to treat tumors.

A wearable and stretchable dual-wavelength LED device for home care of chronic infected wounds.

Phototherapy can offer a safe and non-invasive solution against infections, while promoting wound healing. Conventional phototherapeutic devices are bulky and limited to hospital use. To overcome these challenges, we developed a wearable, flexible red and blue LED (r&bLED) patch controlled by a mobile-connected system, enabling safe self-application at home.