Search

Multifunctional nanoparticles (NPs) have gained considerable attention for cancer imaging and treatment. Herein, we develop novel multifunctional nanoprobes called SiO2@Au@Au porous shells (SiO2@Au@AuPS). SiO2@Au is fabricated by introducing 4 nm Au NPs to the thiol-modified SiO2 surface, after which alloy shells with different Ag/Au ratios are added. Shell modification is then implemented to obtain a porous structure via Ag etching using a dealloying reaction. Among the NPs, SiO2@Au@AuPS with an Au/Ag ratio of 1.5 (SiO2@Au@AuPS1.5) has a well-structured porous Au shell, with a number of nanogaps confirmed by the strongest Raman signal. Furthermore, SiO2@Au@AuPS decorated with PEG, 4-MBA, and anti-CD44 antibodies shows photothermal conversion effects under 980 nm, with a maximum drug loading capacity of 75.7 μg mg–1 for doxorubicin (DOX) and a releasing efficiency reaching 53.9% in a pH 6.0 buffer solution within 4 h. In vitro treatment of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells with SiO2@Au@AuPS1.5@PEG/4-MBA/anti-CD44/DOX decreases the cell viability to 20.3% under near-infrared laser irradiation with successful NP delivery and DOX release. Additionally, in vivo photothermal therapy/chemotherapy with tail-vein-injected SiO2@Au@AuPS1.5@PEG/4-MBA/anti-CD44/DOX is effective for cancer cell treatment. Our developed porous nanostructure presents possibilities for synergetic methods of effective photothermal treatment and drug delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Minimally invasive medical treatments for peripheral nerve stimulation are critically needed to minimize surgical risks, enhance the precision of therapeutic interventions, and reduce patient recovery time. Magnetoelectric nanoparticles (MENPs), known for their unique ability to respond to both magnetic and electric fields, offer promising potential for precision medicine due to their dual tunable functionality. In this study a multi-physics modeling of the MENPs was performed, assessing their capability to be targeted through external magnetic fields and become electrically activated. In particular, by integrating electromagnetic, fluid dynamics, and biological models, the efficacy of MENPs as wireless nano-tools to trigger electrical stimulation in the peripheral Nervous system present within the dermal microenvironment was assessed. The simulations replicate the blood venous capillary network, accounting for the complex interactions between MENPs, blood flow, and vessel walls. Results demonstrate the precise steering of MENPs (>95%) toward target sites under a low-intensity external magnetic field (78 mT) even with a low susceptibility value (0.45). Furthermore, the extravasation and electrical activation of MENPs within the dermal tissue are analyzed, revealing the generation of high-induced electric fields in the surrounding area when MENPs are subjected to external magnetic fields. Overall, these findings predict that MENPs can be targeted in a tissue site when intravenously administrated, dragged through the microvessels of the venous system, and activated by generating high electric fields for the stimulation of the peripheral nervous system.

Curcumin (Cur) is a natural polyphenol that is one of the most valuable natural products. However, its use as a functional food is limited by low water solubility, chemical instability and poor bioavailability. In this study, a supramolecular co-assembly strategy was used to construct an oleanolic acid-curcumin (OLA-Cur) co-assembly composite nano-slow-release treatment system. As a co-assembled compound, OLA is a widely present pentacyclic triterpenoid compound with multiple biological activities in the plant kingdom, which is expected to jointly alleviate the damaging effects of papain-induced mouse osteoarthritis model. The OLA-Cur NPs shows the solid core-shell structure, which can effectively improve the water solubility of Cur and OLA, and has good stability and sustained release characteristics. The analysis results show that the two compounds are mainly assembled through hydrogen bonding interactions, hydrophobic interactions, and π - π stacking interactions. The OLA-Cur NPs can inhibit the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β induced by LPS in RAW264.7 mouse macrophages, promote the secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, and improve the oxidative stress index of hydrogen peroxide induced human rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts. In addition, it has a certain improvement effect on cartilage and subchondral bone damage in mouse osteoarthritis models. These findings suggest that constructing co-assembled composite nanoparticles based on pure natural compounds may break through the limitations of a variety of important nutritional ingredients in functional foods. [Display omitted] • OLA-Cur NPs solve the problems of low water solubility, chemical instability, and poor bioavailability of curcumin. • OLA-Cur NPs improve the water solubility of Cur and OLA and maintaining good stability and sustained-release properties. • OLA and Cur form stable composite structures through supramolecular interactions, enhancing their biological activity. • OLA-Cur has both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, demonstrating good therapeutic potential for osteoarthritis mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer cells possess distinct bioelectrical properties, yet therapies leveraging these characteristics remain underexplored. Herein, we introduce an innovative nanobioelectronic system combining a piezoelectric barium titanate nanoparticle core with a conducting poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) shell (BTO@PEDOT NPs), designed to modulate cancer cell bioelectricity through noninvasive, wireless stimulation. Our hypothesis is that acting as nanoantennas, BTO@PEDOT NPs convert mechanical inputs provided by ultrasound (US) into electrical signals, capable of interfering with the bioelectronic circuitry of two human breast cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231. Upon US stimulation, the viability of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells treated with 200 μg mL -1 BTO@PEDOT NPs and US reduced significantly to 31% and 24%, respectively, while healthy human mammary fibroblasts (HMF) were unaffected by the treatment. Subsequent assays shed light on how this approach could interact with cell's bioelectrical mechanisms, namely, by increasing intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and calcium concentrations. Furthermore, this system was able to polarize cancer cell membranes, halting their cell cycle and potentially harnessing their tumorigenic characteristics. These findings underscore the crucial role of bioelectricity in cancer progression and highlight the potential of nanobioelectronic systems as an emerging and promising strategy for cancer intervention.

With polymer nanoparticles now playing an influential role in biological applications, the synthesis of nanoparticles with precise control over size, shape, and chemical functionality, along with a responsive ability to environmental changes, remains a significant challenge. To address this challenge, innovative polymerization methods must be developed that can incorporate diverse functional groups and stimuli-responsive moieties into polymer nanostructures, which can then be tailored for specific biological applications. By combining the advantages of emulsion polymerization in an environmentally friendly reaction medium, high polymerization rates due to the compartmentalization effect, chemical functionality, and scalability, with the precise control over polymer chain growth achieved through reversible-deactivation radical polymerization, our group developed the temperature-directed morphology transformation (TDMT) method to produce polymer nanoparticles. This method utilized temperature or pH responsive nanoreactors for controlled particle growth and with the added advantages of controlled surface chemical functionality and the ability to produce well-defined asymmetric structures (e.g., tadpoles and kettlebells). This review summarizes the fundamental thermodynamic and kinetic principles that govern particle formation and control using the TDMT method, allowing precision-engineered polymer nanoparticles, offering a versatile and an efficient means to produce 3D nanostructures directly in water with diverse morphologies, high purity, high solids content, and controlled surface and internal functionality. With such control over the nanoparticle features, the TDMT-generated nanostructures could be designed for a wide variety of biological applications, including antiviral coatings effective against SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogens, reversible scaffolds for stem cell expansion and release, and vaccine and drug delivery systems.

Urinalysis is one of the predominant tools for clinical testing owing to the abundant composition, sufficient volume, and non-invasive acquisition of urine. As a critical component of routine urinalysis, urine protein testing measures the levels and types of proteins, enabling the early diagnosis of diseases. Traditional methods require three separate steps including strip testing, protein/creatinine ratio measurement, and electrophoresis respectively to achieve qualitative, quantitative, and classification analyses of proteins in urine with long time and cumbersome operations. Herein, this work demonstrates a "three-in-one" protocol to analyze the urine composition by combining multifunctional nanoparticles with machine learning. This work constructs a sensor array to analyze proteinuria by employing nanoparticles with unique optical properties, outstanding catalytic activity, diverse composition, and tunable structure as probes. Different proteins interacted with nanoprobes differently and are classified by this sensor array based on their physicochemical heterogeneities. With the aid of machine learning, the urine composition is precisely detected for the diagnosis of bladder cancer. This protocol enables quantification and classification of 5 proteinuria in 10 min without any tedious pretreatment, showing proimise for the comprehensive analysis of body fluid for early disease diagnosis., (© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)