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Designing reactive calcium-based nanogenerators to produce excess calcium ions (Ca 2+ ) in tumor cells is an attractive tumor treatment method. However, nanogenerators that introduce exogenous Ca 2+ are either overactive incapable of on-demand release, or excessively inert incapable of an overload of calcium rapidly. Herein, inspired by inherently diverse Ca 2+ -regulating channels, a photo-controlled Ca 2+ nanomodulator that fully utilizes endogenous Ca 2+ from dual sources was designed to achieve Ca 2+ overload in tumor cells. Specifically, mesoporous silica nanoparticles were used to co-load bifunctional indocyanine green as a photodynamic/photothermal agent and a thermal-sensitive nitric oxide (NO) donor (BNN-6). Thereafter, they were coated with hyaluronic acid, which served as a tumor cell-targeting unit and a gatekeeper. Under near-infrared light irradiation, the Ca 2+ nanomodulator can generate reactive oxygen species that stimulate the transient receptor potential ankyrin subtype 1 channel to realize Ca 2+ influx from extracellular environments. Simultaneously, the converted heat can induce BNN-6 decomposition to generate NO, which would open the ryanodine receptor channel in the endoplasmic reticulum and allow stored Ca 2+ to leak. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that the combination of photo-controlled Ca 2+ influx and release could enable Ca 2+ overload in the cytoplasm and efficiently inhibit tumor growth., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The pathogenesis of acute lung injury (ALI) involves various mechanisms, such as oxidative stress, inflammation, and epithelial cell apoptosis. However, current drug therapies face limitations due to issues like systemic distribution, drug degradation in vivo, and hydrophobicity. To address these challenges, we developed a pH-responsive nano-drug delivery system for delivering antioxidant peptides to treat ALI. In this study, we utilized low molecular weight chitosan (LMWC) and hyaluronic acid (HA) as carrier materials. LMWC carries a positive charge, while HA carries a negative charge. By stirring the two together, the electrostatic adsorption between LMWC and HA yielded aggregated drug carriers. To specifically target the antioxidant drug WNWAD to lung lesions and enhance therapeutic outcomes for ALI, we created a targeted drug delivery system known as HA/LMWC@WNWAD (NPs) through a 12-h stirring process. In our research, we characterized the particle size and drug release of NPs. Additionally, we assessed the targeting ability of NPs. Lastly, we evaluated the improvement of lung injury at the cellular and animal levels to investigate the therapeutic mechanism of this drug targeting delivery system., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors report no declarations of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Exploring multifunctional sulfur host materials with high immobilization ability and catalytic activity is of great significance for realizing high-performance Lithium-sulfur (Li–S) batteries. Recently, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) receive extensive attention for advanced energy storage applications owing to their intrinsically exceptional physical/chemical properties and natural abundance. Herein, a highly dispersed cobalt clusters/nanoparticles embedded into CNC derived carbon aerogel composite (CA/Co-2) is for the first time synthesized. Benefiting from the interconnected hierarchical porous structure, homogeneously anchored Co clusters/nanoparticles and N-doped species, the designed CA/Co-2 could enable rapid electron/ion transport, efficient sulfur utilization, effective suppression of the shuttle effect and fast catalytic conversion of polysulfides, thereby contributing to outstanding electrochemical performance. Consequently, CA/Co-2@S cathode delivers high initial discharge capacity (1553.1 mAh g−1 at 0.1C) and superior cycle stability. Moreover, a remarkable rate performance of 681.4 mAh g−1 at 5.0C and exceptional long-term cycling stability with an ultralow capacity decay of 0.028 % per cycle at 5.0C over 1000 cycles could be achieved when coupled with carbon paper interlayer. This work develops a workable strategy for fabricating multifunctional sulfur host derived from the fascinating bio-nanomaterial of CNC, which provides valuable guidance for the future design of high-performance Li–S batteries. [Display omitted] • Highly dispersed Co clusters/nanoparticles embedded in cellulose nanocrystal derived carbon aerogel (CA) was fabricated. • CA/Co-2@S exhibited superior rate capability and outstanding cycling stability. • CA/Co-2@S coupled with carbon paper interlayer delivered ultralow decay rate of 0.028 % per cycle (1000 cycles) at 5C. • Well-dispersed Co species and hierarchical CA synergistically enhanced performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]