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The development of new approaches for pesticide delivery is a most relevant subject in the area of crop protection, which typically involves relatively high pesticide dosing combined with low deposition and limited biosafety. Herein, we investigate a pesticide carrier system based on plant-derived, eco-friendly cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) modified with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and tannic acid (TA). A broad-spectrum and widely used pesticide, fenitrothion (XCM), was shown to bind to the carrier through hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding interactions and Cu2+ coordination, enabling pH-controlled delivery. The high axial aspect of CNCs and surface features endowed by β-CD binding facilitated contact and enhanced the deposition efficiency on the foliage. The tannic acid further improved wetting, adhesion and retention on leaves (1.8-fold higher than TA-free systems). The bioactivity tests showed efficient antifungal (74%) and insecticidal (97%) effects along with excellent biosafety, highlighting the introduced carrier for its promise in the area of pesticide delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spinal multiple myeloma (MM) and solitary plasmacytoma of bone (SPB), both plasma cell neoplasms, greatly affect patients’ quality of life due to spinal involvement. Accurate prediction of surgical outcomes is crucial for personalized patient care, but systematic treatment guidelines and predictive models are lacking.This study aimed to develop and validate a machine learning (ML)-based model to predict postoperative outcomes and identify prognostic factors for patients with spinal MM and SPB.A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients diagnosed with MM or SPB from 2011 to 2015, followed by prospective data collection from 2016 to 2017. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, clinical treatments, and laboratory results were analyzed as input features. Four types of ML algorithms were employed for model development. The performance was assessed using discrimination and calibration measures, and the Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method was applied for model interpretation.A total of 169 patients were included, with 119 for model training and 50 for validation. The Gaussian Naïve Bayes (GNB) model exhibited superior predictive accuracy and stability. Prospective validation on the 50 patients revealed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.863, effectively distinguishing between 5-year survivors and non-survivors. Key prognostic factors identified included International Staging System (ISS) stage, Durie–Salmon (DS) stage, targeted therapy, and age.The GNB model has the best performance and high reliability in predicting postoperative outcomes. Variables such as ISS stage and DS stage were significant in influencing patient prognosis. This study enhances the ability to identify patients at risk of poor outcomes, thereby aiding clinical decision-making.Objective: Spinal multiple myeloma (MM) and solitary plasmacytoma of bone (SPB), both plasma cell neoplasms, greatly affect patients’ quality of life due to spinal involvement. Accurate prediction of surgical outcomes is crucial for personalized patient care, but systematic treatment guidelines and predictive models are lacking.This study aimed to develop and validate a machine learning (ML)-based model to predict postoperative outcomes and identify prognostic factors for patients with spinal MM and SPB.A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients diagnosed with MM or SPB from 2011 to 2015, followed by prospective data collection from 2016 to 2017. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, clinical treatments, and laboratory results were analyzed as input features. Four types of ML algorithms were employed for model development. The performance was assessed using discrimination and calibration measures, and the Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method was applied for model interpretation.A total of 169 patients were included, with 119 for model training and 50 for validation. The Gaussian Naïve Bayes (GNB) model exhibited superior predictive accuracy and stability. Prospective validation on the 50 patients revealed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.863, effectively distinguishing between 5-year survivors and non-survivors. Key prognostic factors identified included International Staging System (ISS) stage, Durie–Salmon (DS) stage, targeted therapy, and age.The GNB model has the best performance and high reliability in predicting postoperative outcomes. Variables such as ISS stage and DS stage were significant in influencing patient prognosis. This study enhances the ability to identify patients at risk of poor outcomes, thereby aiding clinical decision-making.Methods: Spinal multiple myeloma (MM) and solitary plasmacytoma of bone (SPB), both plasma cell neoplasms, greatly affect patients’ quality of life due to spinal involvement. Accurate prediction of surgical outcomes is crucial for personalized patient care, but systematic treatment guidelines and predictive models are lacking.This study aimed to develop and validate a machine learning (ML)-based model to predict postoperative outcomes and identify prognostic factors for patients with spinal MM and SPB.A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients diagnosed with MM or SPB from 2011 to 2015, followed by prospective data collection from 2016 to 2017. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, clinical treatments, and laboratory results were analyzed as input features. Four types of ML algorithms were employed for model development. The performance was assessed using discrimination and calibration measures, and the Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method was applied for model interpretation.A total of 169 patients were included, with 119 for model training and 50 for validation. The Gaussian Naïve Bayes (GNB) model exhibited superior predictive accuracy and stability. Prospective validation on the 50 patients revealed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.863, effectively distinguishing between 5-year survivors and non-survivors. Key prognostic factors identified included International Staging System (ISS) stage, Durie–Salmon (DS) stage, targeted therapy, and age.The GNB model has the best performance and high reliability in predicting postoperative outcomes. Variables such as ISS stage and DS stage were significant in influencing patient prognosis. This study enhances the ability to identify patients at risk of poor outcomes, thereby aiding clinical decision-making.Results: Spinal multiple myeloma (MM) and solitary plasmacytoma of bone (SPB), both plasma cell neoplasms, greatly affect patients’ quality of life due to spinal involvement. Accurate prediction of surgical outcomes is crucial for personalized patient care, but systematic treatment guidelines and predictive models are lacking.This study aimed to develop and validate a machine learning (ML)-based model to predict postoperative outcomes and identify prognostic factors for patients with spinal MM and SPB.A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients diagnosed with MM or SPB from 2011 to 2015, followed by prospective data collection from 2016 to 2017. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, clinical treatments, and laboratory results were analyzed as input features. Four types of ML algorithms were employed for model development. The performance was assessed using discrimination and calibration measures, and the Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method was applied for model interpretation.A total of 169 patients were included, with 119 for model training and 50 for validation. The Gaussian Naïve Bayes (GNB) model exhibited superior predictive accuracy and stability. Prospective validation on the 50 patients revealed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.863, effectively distinguishing between 5-year survivors and non-survivors. Key prognostic factors identified included International Staging System (ISS) stage, Durie–Salmon (DS) stage, targeted therapy, and age.The GNB model has the best performance and high reliability in predicting postoperative outcomes. Variables such as ISS stage and DS stage were significant in influencing patient prognosis. This study enhances the ability to identify patients at risk of poor outcomes, thereby aiding clinical decision-making.Conclusions: Spinal multiple myeloma (MM) and solitary plasmacytoma of bone (SPB), both plasma cell neoplasms, greatly affect patients’ quality of life due to spinal involvement. Accurate prediction of surgical outcomes is crucial for personalized patient care, but systematic treatment guidelines and predictive models are lacking.This study aimed to develop and validate a machine learning (ML)-based model to predict postoperative outcomes and identify prognostic factors for patients with spinal MM and SPB.A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients diagnosed with MM or SPB from 2011 to 2015, followed by prospective data collection from 2016 to 2017. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, clinical treatments, and laboratory results were analyzed as input features. Four types of ML algorithms were employed for model development. The performance was assessed using discrimination and calibration measures, and the Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method was applied for model interpretation.A total of 169 patients were included, with 119 for model training and 50 for validation. The Gaussian Naïve Bayes (GNB) model exhibited superior predictive accuracy and stability. Prospective validation on the 50 patients revealed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.863, effectively distinguishing between 5-year survivors and non-survivors. Key prognostic factors identified included International Staging System (ISS) stage, Durie–Salmon (DS) stage, targeted therapy, and age.The GNB model has the best performance and high reliability in predicting postoperative outcomes. Variables such as ISS stage and DS stage were significant in influencing patient prognosis. This study enhances the ability to identify patients at risk of poor outcomes, thereby aiding clinical decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The failure of orthopedic implants is usually caused by inflammation, poor tissue integration, and infection, which can lead to pain, limited mobility, dysfunction of patients. This may require additional surgical interventions, such as removal, replacement, or repair of implants, as well as related treatment measures such as antibiotic therapy, physical therapy. Here, an injectable hydrogel carrier was developed for the steady release of inflammatory regulators to reduce the surface tissue inflammatory response of orthopedic implants and induce soft tissue regeneration, ultimately achieving the promotion of implants stability. The hydrogels carrier was prepared by hydroxyphenyl propionic acid-modified ε-Poly- l -lysine (EPA), hydrogen peroxide and horseradish peroxidase, which showed antibacterial bioactive and stable factor release ability. Due to the introduction of IL-4, EPA@IL-4 hydrogels showed good inflammatory regulation. EPA@IL-4 hydrogels regulated the differentiation of macrophages into M2 in inflammatory environment in vitro, and promoted endothelial cells to show a more obvious trend of tube formation. The composite hydrogels reduced the inflammation on the surface of the implants in vivo, induced local endothelial cell angiogenesis, and had more collagen deposition and new granulation tissue. Therefore, EPA hydrogels based on IL-4 release are promising candidates for promoting of implants surface anti-inflammatory, soft tissue regeneration, and anti-infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticle was suggested to be a new and promising drug delivery agent due to the suitable particle size and controllable release. However, the low drug loading capacity has been a critical problem in the improvement of the nano-carrier systems. At present work, we have designed and developed smart nanoparticles with cholesterol-cisplatin (IV) conjugate contained to enhance the drug loading capacity. The predesigned drug delivery system showed enhanced synergistic effect through co-delivery of cisplatin and Ce6 and the drug released in a controllable way due to the polyaniline mediated photothermal conversion. The prepared polyaniline nanoparticles showed a favorable particle size of 109.6 nm and spread harmoniously in aqueous solution. Moreover, the near infrared radiation (NIR) stimulus-responsive characteristic of the polyaniline nanoparticles prompts the release of cisplatin from the nanoparticles inside the cytoplasm and the αvβ3/αvβ5 integrins targeted ligands (cRGD) enhanced the cellular uptake of the polyaniline nanoparticles in receptor-overexpressing MCF-7 cells. Furthermore, the singlet oxygen generated by Ce6 further enhances the cytotoxicity and obtained the expected synergistic effect with cisplatin. Thus, the prepared cRGD-conjugated co-delivery of cisplatin and Ce6 polyaniline nanoparticles consider to be a promising nanoplatform in nano-biomedicine. Highlights • Cisplatin coupled with cholesterol derivative and PEG-PCL, lecithin blend to produce nanoparticles were sustainable. • The prepared nanoparticles co-deliver two drugs of cisplatin and Ce6 for the purpose of synergistic therapy. • The polyaniline possess the capability to convert near infrared into heat for controlled release. • A cyclic Arg-Gly-Asp (cRGD) peptide ligand was employed for targeted delivey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The complexes of the type [PtCl(L2)(ACRAMTU)](NO 3) 2 (ACRAMTU = 1-[2-(acridin-9-ylamino)ethyl]-1,3-dimethylthiourea) were synthesized: PT-ACRAMTU (1), L2 = ethane-1,2-diamine (en); PT(dach)-ACRAMTU (2), L2 = (1 R ,2 R)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane (dach); PT(pda-OH)-ACRAMTU (3), L2 = 2-hydroxy-1,3-propanediamine (pda-OH). The complexes containing diverse diamines exhibit different DNA binding capacity and cytotoxicity. Complex 3 shows excellent capability not only on the strongest non-cisplatin-type DNA damage, but also superior anticancer activity in NCI-H460 cells (IC 50 = 0.23 ± 0.05 μM). For overcoming water insolubly and side effects, we encapsulated complex 3 into liposomes. PT@NPs were characterized in terms of particle size, morphology, drug loading capacity (DLC), encapsulation efficiency (EE) and stability. In vitro triggered release showed that the release of the platinum drug was steerable and the release rate was fast under low pH (<7.0) and high temperature (> T m = 41 °C). PT@NPs showed significant inhibitory effect in NCI-H460 cells. Flow cytometry analysis indicates G0/G1 phase arrest of cells treated with complex 3 , whereas cells treated with cisplatin progress to G2/M of the cell cycle. The mechanistic differences validate that complex 3 is a potent anticancer agent superior than current clinical platinum-based therapies. PT@NPs have the potential in drug delivery systems (DDS) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Functional drug delivery systems enabling various favorable characteristics including specific targets, efficient cellular uptake and controllable release. At present work, a folate and cRGD dual modified nanoparticles based on NIR light and glutathione dual stimuli-responsive release system was successfully prepared and which simultaneously deliver cisplatin and ICG to tumor sites to enhance controllability. The prepared nanoparticles showed a stable uniform spherical morphology of 77.59 nm particle size range in PBS (pH = 7.4, 25 °C) and the encapsulated cisplatin were rapidly released in acidic environment especially added glutathione (GSH) and NIR irradiation. Moreover, the prepared nanoparticles can be efficiently internalized by tumor cells through the enhanced dual targeted ligands (folate and cRGD) for ICG imaging. The cytotoxicity assays showed that the cells viability decreased to 1.95% (SGC-7901) when been exposed to NIR light, and which further decreased to 1.25% in MCF-7 cells. Thus, the prepared nanoparticles showed excellent performance for photothermal conversion therapy of tumor cells and especially on human breast tumor cells. Our research highlights the great potential of stimuli-responsive smart nanoparticles in biomaterial and nano-biomedicine. Highlights • The amphiphilic copolymer and lecithin blend to produce nanoparticles were sustainable and biodegradable. • Folate and cyclic Arg-Gly-Asp (cRGD) were used as the targeted ligands to obtain enhanced active targeting. • NIR and glutathione dual stimuli-responsive release strategy to further enhance controlled release. • ICG was used to convert near infrared into heat which achieved chemo-photothermal synergistic treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA is considered to be one of the most promising targets for anticancer agents. Acridine analogues have anticancer activity based on DNA binding and topoisomerases inhibition. However, due to the side effects, resistance and low bioavailability, a few have entered into clinical usage and the mechanisms of action are not fully understood. Novel acridine derivatives are needed for effective cancer therapy. A series of novel 3-nitroacridine-based derivatives were synthesized, their DNA binding and anticancer activities were evaluated. The chemical modifications at position 9 of the 3-nitroacridine were crucial for DNA affinity, thus optimizing anticancer activity. UV–Vis and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy indicated interaction of compounds with DNA, and the binding modes were intercalation and groove binding. MTT assay and clonogenic assay showed that compounds 1, 2 and 3 had obvious cell growth inhibition effect. They induced cell apoptosis in human breast cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner, and exhibited anticancer effect via DNA damage as well as cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phage. Using confocal fluorescent microscope, the apoptotic features were observed. The results suggested that compounds 1–3 with high DNA binding affinity and good inhibitory effect of cancer cell proliferation can be developed as prime candidates for further chemical optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The functionalized nanoparticles have been widely studied and reported as carriers of drug transport recently. Furthermore, many groups have focused more on developing novel and efficient treatment methods, such as photodynamic therapy and photothermal therapy, since both therapies have shown inspiring potential in the application of antitumor. The mentioned treatments exhibited the superiority of cooperative manner and showed the ability to compensate for the adverse effects caused by conventional monotherapy in proposed strategies. In view of the above descriptions, we formulated a thermosensitive drug delivery system, which achieved the enhanced delivery of cisplatin and two photosensitizers (ICG and Ce6) by dual-targeting traction. Drawing on the thin film hydration method, cisplatin and photosensitizers were encapsulated inside nanoparticles. Meanwhile, the targeting peptide cRGD and targeting molecule folate can be modified on the surface of nanoparticles to realize the active identification of tumor cells. The measurements of dynamic light scattering showed that the prepared nanoparticles had an ideal dispersibility and uniform particle size of 102.6 nm. On the basis of the results observed from confocal laser scanning microscope, the modified nanoparticles were more efficient endocytosed by MCF-7 cells as a contrast to SGC-7901 cells. Photothermal conversion-triggered drug release and photo-therapies produced a significant apoptosis rate of 85.9% on MCF-7 cells. The distinguished results made it believed that the formulated delivery system had conducted great efforts and innovations for the realization of concise collaboration and provided a promising strategy for the treatment of breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A combination of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy as a promising strategy has exhibited noticeable therapeutic effect on cancer therapy. To ensure the exertion of synergistic effect on a tumor region, a multifunctional vehicle for selectively delivering therapeutic agent into tumor cells is highly desirable. Thus, folate-poly (ethylene glycol)-distearoylphosphatidylcholine (FA-PEG-DSPE), cRGD [cyclic (Arg-Gly-Asp-D-Phe-Lys)]-PEG-DSPE and lecithin were employed to develop dual modified nanoparticles (FA/cRGD-PNPs) encapsulating polyaniline and cisplatin by a film-ultrasonic dispersion method. The FA/cRGD-PNPs showed a uniform size of 102.7 nm, remarkable stability and monodispersity, and highly localized temperature respond. Compared to chemo or photothermal treatment alone, the combined treatment on cellsin vitrosignificantly suppressed the survival rate of MDA-MB-231 cells (1.87%) and MGC-803 cells (2.37%) treated for 48 h. The results further indicated the induced cell apoptosis rate of MDA-MB-231 cells reached to 92.6% with treatment for 24 h. Hence, our research highlights the great potential in drug delivery and the combination of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synergistic therapy has caused increasing interest in recent treatment of cancer owing to its preferable therapeutic efficiency to most single antineoplastic protocol. Herein, we design a co-delivery two drugs nanosystem based on biodegradable liposomes, loading cisplatin, Indocyanine green (ICG), and CJM126 coupled with cholesterol derivative (CJM-Chol) for the purpose of synergistic therapy. The obtained nanoparticles showed a uniform diameter of 103.8 nm and a favorable morphology. The investigation on near infrared radiated (NIR) responsive release showed that NIR mediated photothermal conversion induced a controllable drug release from liposomes. Furthermore, the designed liposomes (only 50 μg/mL) displayed an inspiring photothermal conversion efficiency and received a high temperature (65.6 °C, Tm = 42 °C) when exposed to an 808 nm near infrared laser (1.54 W, 5 min). Besides, it turned out that the delivery system could be efficiently endocytosed by tumor cells, which attributed to its admirable biocompatibility and the targeting role of folate. The prepared nanoparticles showed significantly excellent inhibitory effect (3.05% cell viability in 24 h) on MDA-MB-231 cells when added irradiation as compared with free cisplatin (28.41%) or treatment without NIR (11.24%) in our study. Our research highlights the present nanoparticles provide a promising strategy for targeted delivery and photothermal treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles have received growing interest as one of the most promising agents for drug delivery. In the present work, functional and core-crosslinked poly(ethylene glycol) with poly(ϵ-caprolactone) (PEG5k-PCL10k) block copolymer and lecithin as biodegradable polymer doped with polyaniline was used to assemble nanoparticles which were prepared for targeted delivery and controlled release of cisplatin. The morphology of the polyaniline nanoparticles was determined by dynamic light scattering and the prepared nanoparticles showed a size of 83(±1) nm and a uniform spherical shape. For targeting to HER2 receptors, Herceptin was applied to guide the nanoparticles to breast cancer cells. Studies on cellular uptake and drug release of the nanocarriers showed that the prepared nanoparticles were efficiently taken up by breast cancer cells and the drug was released efficiently under acidic conditions when exposed to a near-infrared laser (808 nm, 1.54 W) for 5 min. Our research highlights the great potential of near-infrared light and pH dual-responsive release by core-crosslinked nanoparticles in nanobiomedicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the concept of nanoparticles being used as an intelligent drug carrier has gained great attention. In this paper, the formulation of a liposome delivery system loaded with a novel benzothiazole-containing cisplatin derivative (CJM-Pt) was carried out. The particle size distributions were determined using dynamic light scattering, and the prepared liposomes showed a suitable size of around 98 nm. Stability studies showed that the CJM-Pt loaded liposomes were stable at 4 °C for more than four weeks. Investigation of triggered release indicated that the release performance of the prepared liposomes was controllable and the releasing effect was remarkable under low pH (＜pH 6.8) and high temperature (＞42 °C). To test the suitability of the chosen formulation, CJM-Pt loaded liposomes were investigated against several tumor cell lines: MGC-803, SGC-7901, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231. Furthermore, the cell cycle arrest was examined. The CJM-Pt loaded liposomes have the potential to be applied in drug delivery systems (DDS) for breast cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past few years, the development of smart pesticide-controlled release systems has emerged as an important strategy in modern precision agriculture, particularly to increase retention efficiency and improve the utilization of pesticides. In order to achieve effective retention of pesticide spraying formulations on foliage surfaces, the present study aimed to develop a novel bio‐based mesh‐like pesticide carrier (named PDA/HDA‐Cu/MEP@CNC), using polydopamine (PDA) and hexadecylamine (HDA) -coated cellulose nanocrystal (CNC), wherein copper ion was used for chelation. Fenitrothion (MEP) was used as a model pesticide in the study. The use of PDA/HDA‐Cu/MEP@CNC exhibited sustained stimuli‐response release behavior under an alkaline environment, which was attributed to the coordination of copper ions on CNC. The deposition efficiency of the prepared PDA/HDA‐Cu/MEP@CNC was enhanced owing to the presence of the PDA layer. In addition to this, the use of PDA/HDA‐Cu/MEP@CNC resulted in more than 75% enhancement in the antifungal activity towards Rhizoctoni solani (R.s.), as compared to commercial MEP. Further, the results for biosafety assessment demonstrated that the prepared pesticide carrier exhibited remarkable biosafety properties. Altogether, enhanced retention property, controlled release behavior, and biosafety activity of this modified nanocellulose based controlled release system highlighted its potential to be explored as a commercial formulation for pesticide spraying. • A natural biocompatible mesh-like pesticide carrier for prolonging pesticide retention on foliage was synthesized. • The biohydrogel by the coordination of copper ions on CNC provides large contact area and high pesticide loading capacity. • The mixed PDA greatly enhanced the deposition efficiency of the pesticide- loaded mesh-like biohydrogel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When compared with traditional petroleum-based materials, bio-based materials show greater application potential in the field of biomedicine owing to the good biocompatibility, in specifical, the application of natural macromolecular polymers in chemotherapeutics has become a hot topic in anticancer treatment. In this study, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were selected as carriers, and Au nanoparticles (NPs) were directly conjugated on their surface, with the highly reactive Cu2+ ions serving as an ion–ligand bridge, to construct a multifunctional nanocatalyst. These findings suggest that the nanosystem delivers a large amount of highly reactive Cu2+ ions (3.75 wt%) and DOX (7.71 wt%) by the surface loading of cellulose nanocrystals, which greatly improves ROS yield and promotes the application of the Fenton reaction system in cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A biocompatible ROS generator for efficient chemodynamic therapy was developed. • The Fe3+ catalyzes H 2 O 2 to produce OH, which further leads to oxidative damage. • The DPA increased the adhesion to cells and the 5-ALA increased ROS production. • The loaded PTX was able to combine with ROS to efficiently kill tumor cells. Traditional therapeutic regimens are currently far from satisfactory, and the integration of biocompatible carbohydrate polymers and nanotechnologies with conventional therapeutics has become a focus of research in cancer therapy. Herein, A novel biocompatible and pH-responsive nanohydrogel composed of two functional polymeric chains was developed from cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), or dopamine (DPA). The biological molecules PDA and ALA were respectively conjugated to CNC through the coordination of iron ions to form two functional polymeric chains (PDA/Fe@CNC and ALA/Fe@CNC). The PDA/Fe@CNC chain increased the adhesion of the nanohydrogels to cells, while the ALA/Fe@CNC chain significantly increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Furthermore, PTX molecules loaded into the nanohydrogels combined with ROS to efficiently kill tumor cells. The nanohydrogels displayed excellent cell affinity, high ROS yield (8.0-fold greater than that in control), and strong cytotoxicity (2.7 % of cell viability). The present study highlights the great potential of biocompatible natural polysaccharide-based materials for biomedical applications, and provides a new strategy for reducing the toxicity and side effects associated with traditional chemotherapy, demonstrating a novel antitumor treatment paradigm with high-efficiency but with only minor side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogel for various applications, such as cell encapsulation and controlled release of drugs, has attracted the field of biomaterials in the past decades. Specially, research on the surface-modified nanocellulose hydrogel has grown rapidly on account of the importance of target delivery in the anti-cancer therapy. In this work, surface-modified nanocellulose was mixed with hexadecyl amine as long chains to blend to build a network to produce hydrogel, which was successfully developed for controlled and targeted delivery of paclitaxel. The pH-stimuli surface-modified nanocellulose hydrogel was characterized and biological evaluated in vitro. The hydrogel was stable at pH 7.4 and paclitaxel was released by the shape change of hydrogel in an acidic environment (pH 5.5), and the sustained release of paclitaxel was observed at pH 5.5. The vitro cytotoxicity studies indicated that the drug accumulation and the inhibition of A549 and HepG2 cells was effectively increased by the surface-modified nanocellulose hydrogel as compared with free paclitaxel. The inhibitory effect of A549 cells was improved by nearly 30% as compared with free paclitaxel and the apoptosis rate was up to 90.5% after 12 h incubation. In addition, the inversion test and the results of a series of cell experiments in vitro demonstrated a good performance of the surface-modified nanocellulose hydrogel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the emergence of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) like TAT has greatly improved the efficiency of cancer therapy by enhancing cellular uptake of nanomaterials. Here, we designed a near-infrared (NIR) triggered TAT-based targeted nanoplatform (cRGD@TAT-DINPs), which co-delivered anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) and biocompatible dye indocyanine green (ICG) to realize combined chemo/photothermal/photodynamic therapy of cancer in vitro. The resulting nanoparticles showed favorable monodispersity and colloidal stability. Impressively, the DOX could be released in a promoted manner once the nanoparticles were exposed to NIR light. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and flow cytometry analysis demonstrated an immensely enhanced cellular accumulation of DOX after the simultaneous introduction of targeted ligand cRGD and CPP TAT. In addition, the obtained nanoparticles exhibited explosive temperature elevation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation mediated by encapsulated ICG under NIR irradiation, and in vitro cytotoxicity assay confirmed the cRGD@TAT-DINPs had an increasing cytotoxicity and excellent synergistic inhibition capacity. Thus, TAT-based nanosystems provide a high-efficient drug delivery strategy for optimizing combined therapy efficiency of cancer. • TAT peptide was shielded by long PEG chains, but the cellular internalization of nanoparticles was evidently enhanced by TAT. • Anticancer drug DOX could be released in a promoted manner once the nanoparticles were exposed to NIR light. • Biodegradable dye ICG could efficiently convert NIR light into violent heat and plentiful ROS. • The therapy efficacy of resulting nanoparticles was dramatically improved under NIR light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic resistance is increasing to dangerous levels across the globe. A growing list of bacterial infections that lead to blood poisoning or foodborne diseases are becoming challenging to treat due to the loss of antibiotic efficacy. Studies on the antibacterial performance of Ag nanoparticles and other transitional metal oxides have gained increasing attention as an alternative therapeutic strategy. In this study, NiCo2O4 and Ag/NiCo2O4 composites with different contents of Ag were synthesized through a simple co-precipitation method. The composites were assessed via transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results demonstrated that the morphology of NiCo2O4 was unaffected by the addition of Ag. The NiCo2O4 and Ag/NiCo2O4 composites with different contents of Ag showed a suitable size of approximately 10 nm. The NiCo2O4 and Ag/NiCo2O4 composites displayed potent activity against a range of disease-causing bacteria. The Ag/NiCo2O4 composites with low Ag content displayed weak antibacterial activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three peroxidovanadium(V) compounds with different ligands (L1–L3) {L1 = N-tris(hydroxymethyl)methylglycine; L2 = ethylenediamine-N,N′-diacetic acid; L3 = 2,2-[(2-amino-2-oxoethyl)imino]diacetic acid} were first synthesized, characterized and further investigated for their anticancer activities under the mediation of transition metal cations. Encouragingly, all compounds showed preferentially enhanced cytotoxicity toward cancer cells (MCF-7 and A549) compared to normal cells (BEAS-2B) under the mediation of transition metal cations (Mn2+ or Fe2+), especially for Mn2+. It was noted that cell death was triggered by the transition metal cation-mediated peroxidovanadium(V) compounds through the induction of early apoptosis, inhibition of cell cycles, and boosting the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Mechanistic studies further elucidated the vital roles of an acidic environment and transition metal cations for the anticancer activity of peroxidovanadium(V) compounds. Therefore, this study will offer precious insight into the development of the transition metal cation-mediated peroxidovanadium(V) compounds for further clinical translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With rising living standards and environmental awareness, materials-oriented chemical engineering has increasingly transitioned from traditional rough models to more resource-saving and eco-friendly models, providing an avenue for bio-based materials in the drug carrier field. Because of its excellent physical and chemical properties, including high specific surface area, abundant accessible hydroxyl groups, biocompatibility, and degradability, nanocellulose (NC) is an emerging bio-based material that has been widely exploited as biomedical materials. The modification techniques of NC, as well as advancements in the design and applications of drug carriers, were primarily discussed in this study. First, the NC modification methods are described; second, the applications of NC and its derivatives as drug carriers are summarized, focusing on NC-based carrier models, types of loaded therapeutic agents, and controlled release stimulators; and finally, the current challenges of NC in the drug carrier field and the directions of future research are also discussed. Scheme 1. Recent advances in nanocellulose-based drug carriers including modification methods, carrier models, types of loaded therapeutic agents, and controlled release stimulators are comprehensively summarized. [Display omitted] • A comprehensive review of nanocellulose-based carriers is presented. • Surface modification of nanocellulose through various strategies is summarized. • Classification of nanocellulose-based carriers and types of cargo are introduced. • The stimuli-responsive switches of nanocellulose-based carriers are demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The green diesel from lipid hydrotreatment can replace directly the fossil diesel. In order to solve the problem of Co agglomeration, Co nanoparticle on nitrogen-rich carbon (Co-NP/NC) was synthesized by using the Co-MOF as precursor. After tuning the method of Co-MOF preparation and the subsequent pyrolysis temperature, the preparation parameters of Co-NP/NC were optimized. At 220 °C, the oleic acid hydrotreatment over Co-NP/NC-1:20-400 catalyst attained 99.6% conversion and 99.6% alkane yield, much higher than that over traditional Co/AC (76.8% conversion and 14.9% total alkane yield). The apparent activation energy of octadecanol hydrotreatment over Co-NP/NC-1:20-500 was much lower than Co/AC (148.86 vs. 204.01 kJ/mol), further revealing the high catalytic performance of Co-NP/NC catalyst. From the characterizations of Co-NP/NC series catalysts, the highly dispersed Co nanoparticles with 4.37 nm, abundant pyridine nitrogen and pyrrole nitrogen as well as the layered morphology providing sufficient active area contributed the decent activity in lipid deoxygenation. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The catalytic performance of Ni catalyst in lipid deoxygenation into green diesel is commonly limited by the quantity of accessible active sites, the specific surface area, and the acidity of the catalyst. To cope with these problems, the Fe-promoted Ni catalyst on ZrO 2 with 60 wt% Ni loading (60%Ni–Fe/ZrO 2) is synthesized by the co-precipitation method. The deoxygenation of oleic acid over 60%Ni–Fe/ZrO 2 catalyst attained 98.7% conversion and 91.8% alkane yield, much higher than that of 20%Ni–Fe/ZrO 2 -2 prepared with the impregnation method (42.8% conversion and 16.2% alkane yield). The kinetics of octadecanol hydrotreatment revealed that the activation energy over 60%Ni–Fe/ZrO 2 was much lower than Ni–Fe/ZrO 2 -2 (78.48 kJ/mol vs.191.90 kJ/mol). From the catalyst characterizations, the excellent performance of 60%Ni–Fe/ZrO 2 was ascribed to its fine Ni particles, abundant Ni sites, high surface area, and coordinated acidity. Moreover, the mechanism of lipid deoxygenation over 60%Ni–Fe/ZrO 2 was proposed. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The sulfonated cellulose nanocrystals/sodium alginate (SCNCs/SA) beads prepared with excellent adsorbing force as matrine adsorbents was developed. • The adsorbent offers enhanced stability, efficiency, sustainability and biocompatibility. • The underlying mechanisms between matrine and adsorbents were demonstrated. Matrine is a type of alkaloid found in plants, exhibiting a wide range of biological and pharmacological activities. The process of separating and purifying matrine poses challenges due to its low concentration and frequent presence in mixtures during raw extraction. This work aims at synthesizing suitable adsorbents for efficient separation and purification of matrine from plant materials. The sulfonated cellulose nanocrystals/sodium alginate beads (SCNCs/SA) were synthesized by the ionic gelation method, characterized and investigated for the adsorption of matrine from water. The equilibrium adsorption capacity of SCNCs/SA beads for matrine at 298 K was approximately 55.66 mg/g. The adsorption enthalpy, entropy, and free energy of matrine on the SCNCs/SA beads were evaluated, indicating that the adsorption process was spontaneous, exothermic, and primarily driven by physisorption. 95 % of the adsorption equilibrium could be achieved within 60 min, and approximately 20 bed volumes of an 80 % (v/v) ethanol aqueous solution for effective recovery. The adsorption isotherms are analyzed using both Langmuir and Freundlich models, the kinetic of adsorption using the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models, and the breakthrough curves using four breakthrough models. These results suggested that the rapid adsorption and effortless regeneration render SCNCs/SA beads as promising adsorbents for the efficient adsorption and separation of matrine from plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inefficient and improper use of conventional pesticides has prompted the development of targeted and cost-effective pesticide delivery systems, which aim to optimize the efficient utilization of pesticides while minimizing environmental pollution in surrounding areas. In this paper, a dual-stimuli-responsive pesticide slow-release nanopesticide system (NES@DMONs@LGN) was designed in this study, utilizing mesoporous silica (DMONs) as a nanocarrier and lignin (LGN) as a capping agent to encapsulate the pesticide molecules within DMONs. This system enables intelligent release of pesticide molecules while preventing environmental pollution caused by leakage. Additionally, NES@DMONs@LGN exhibit excellent specific loading efficiency. The abundant hydrophilic functional groups in the lignin layer on the surface of NES@DMONs@LGN can establish hydrogen bonds with advanced fatty acids and fatty alcohols present in the waxy epidermis of plants, thereby significantly enhancing carrier wettability and adhesion. Typically, phytophagous lepidopteran pests have an alkaline midgut and possess lignin-degrading enzymes. The NES@DMONs@LGN developed in this study are capable of rapid release under high temperature and alkaline conditions. Therefore, the precise release of pesticide molecules in the target pests can be achieved, thus increasing the actual utilization rate of pesticides. The experimental results demonstrated that NES@DMONs@LGN effectively prevented photodegradation of the active ingredient after 48 h of UV irradiation, resulting in a 3.7-fold improvement in photostability and providing robust UV protection. By encapsulating pesticide molecules with nanocarriers, the release of pesticides in non-targeted environments can be prevented, thereby significantly reducing toxicity to zebrafish. Thus, this study provides a promising solution for sustainable greening of agriculture. • The presence of numerous hydrophilic groups in LGN facilitates enhanced deposition of the drug carrier onto leaves. • The carrier of DMONs shows significant capacity and effectively prevent pesticides deactivation by UV light. • The designed system is responsive to the alkaline condition of pests' mid gut, thereby enhancing the efficacy of pesticides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of stimulus-responsive controlled-release formulation is an ideal selection to enhance the effective utilization and minimize the excessive use of pesticides in agriculture. In this work, a glutathione-responsive pesticide delivery systems using hollow mesoporous organosilicon nanospheres fortified with thioether-bonded shell (HMS-ss) as carriers were developed for controlling abamectin release. The results demonstrated the loading capacity of abamectin@HMS-ss for abamectin was approximately 11.65% and the HMS-ss could protected the abamectin effectively from UV-induced degradation. The cumulative release rate of abamectin from abamectin@HMS-ss reached 84% with the addition of glutathione (96 h), which indicated that the disulfide-bridged structure of nanoparticles could be decomposed and consequently release of the abamectin on demand when nanoparticles were metabolized by glutathione. Furthermore, the survival rate of aphid with treatment of abamectin@HMS-ss treatment (50 mg L−1) was about 21.67%, which is lower than that of abamectin suspension. The bioactivity survey confirmed that abamectin@HMS-ss had a longer duration in controlling aphid compared to abamectin suspension. In consideration of the superior insecticidal activity and simplicity of preparation, this target-specific pesticide release system has promising potential in pest management. [Display omitted] ● A kind of hollow mesoporous structure was designed. ● HMS-ss shielded abamectin from UV light-induced decomposition. ● Abamectin-loaded HMS-ss showed a glutathione-triggered release property. ● Abamectin-loaded nanoparticles exhibited excellent bioactivity against aphids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of nanomaterials to develop a system capable of regulating pesticide release in response to environmental cues, enhancing the deposition efficacy on plant leaves, and increasing resistance against rainwater erosion holds immense significance in improving the efficiency of pesticide usage while minimizing residual pollution. Cellulose-based green nanocomposites have emerged as a promising candidate for intelligent drug delivery systems. In this study, we had successfully developed a novel biocompatible interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) gel, named SPCs, by incorporating sodium alginate (SA), polydopamine (PDA), and cellulose nanocrystal (CNC), and a stable gel-like network structure emulsion (MJ@SPCs) was achieved by coating the pesticide azoxystrobin (MJ). The resulting MJ@SPCs exhibited excellent pH responsiveness and temperature sensitivity. Compared to free MJ, MJ@SPCs exhibited improved foliar wettability, rain erosion resistance, deposition rate, and controlled release performance. The results of the bacteriostatic performance test indicated that MJ@SPCs exhibited a higher inhibitory efficiency against Gibperella zeae (GZ) than MJ at equivalent concentrations. Moreover, the in vivo biosafety evaluation of MJ@SPCs had confirmed its relative safety for aquatic zebrafish. This study offers insights into the potential applications of nanopesticides for sustainable plant protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tumor microenvironment is distinct from normal tissue cells in characteristic physiochemical conditions, based on which we can design tumor-specific therapy modalities. Herein, we introduce a concept of multimodal therapies, which integrates the characteristics of each therapy modality for efficient tumor therapy: tumor starvation-triggered synergism with enhanced chemodynamic therapy and activated chemotherapy. Fe3O4 nanoparticles (Fenton reaction catalysts) and a hypoxic prodrug tirapazamine (TPZ) were loaded in mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) and GOX was grafted onto its surface, which was designed and fabricated for sequential multimodal therapies. Logically, glucose oxidase (GOX) deprived tumor cells of nutrients (glucose and oxygen) for starvation therapy and tumorous abnormality amplifications (elevated acidity, exacerbated hypoxia, and increased H2O2) were amplified by the GOX-driven oxidation reaction simultaneously. Specifically, elevated acidity could accelerate the release of iron ions and enhanced Fenton reaction efficiency. Associated with increased H2O2, an elevated ROS level was detected, which enhanced the chemodynamic therapy. Exacerbated hypoxia activated the hypoxic prodrug TPZ for tumor-specific chemotherapy programmatically. Particularly, via integrating starvation therapy, enhanced chemodynamic therapy, and activated chemotherapy, the sequential multimodal therapies were specifically designed for the tumor microenvironment and achieved effective abnormality amplifications and high therapeutic efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Phase change materials was used to realize intelligent release of drugs. • A multifunctional nanoframes integrated chemotherapy and thermotherapy. • The introduction of oligopeptides improve the targeting ability of nanoframes. Abstract Tumor cells experience higher chemotherapy stress under condition of elevated temperature. As a result, developing novel nanoagents that integrates chemotherapy and thermotherapy holds great promise in biomedicine. Herein, utilizing spatially confined galvanic replacement method, we fabricated a yolk-shell Au@mSiO 2 nanoframes with Au NPs and mesoporous silica as yolk and shell, respectively, to sever as an excellent drug nanocarrier with effective photothermal conversion efficiency. Taking full advantage of the high temperature response of the Au@mSiO 2 nanoframes, the phase change material 1-tetradecanol (TD) was creatively employed as gatekeepers, intelligently controlling the release of loaded agents. Then, the actively targeted Alanine-Alanine-Asparagine, legumain-recognizable oligopeptides was decorated on the surface of the prepared nanoframes. Upon exposure to near-infrared light, the GC-PtAu@mSiO 2 -TD nanoframes not only exhibited a high localized temperature response, but also triggered the quick release of loaded cargos, and thus improved the chemotherapeutic efficacy. The in vitro cytotoxicity studies indicated the remarkable synergistic effects. Meanwhile, the laser confocal studies and flow cytometry showed the oligopeptides facilitated the intracellular uptake of GC-PtAu@mSiO 2 -TD nanoframes in MGC-803 cells. Our study highlighted the great potential of the GC-PtAu@mSiO 2 -TD nanoframes in drug delivery and the combination of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Herein, crystalline metal organic framework (MOF) nanosheets have been fabricated through using a modified soft physical exfoliation method from bulk crystals of a layered MOF, [Cd(4,4′‑bpy) 2 (H 2 O) 2 ](ClO 4) 2 ·(2,4′‑bpy) 2 ·H 2 O (MOF-1), and fully characterized via transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscope (AFM). The delaminated MOF-1 nanosheets with porous structure showed good growth potential in selective gas adsorption. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Using a modified soft physical exfoliation method from bulk crystals, we firstly synthesized a layered MOF nanosheets. • The MOF-2 nanosheets revealed a superior absorption performance. • The delaminated MOF nanosheets with porous structure showed good growth potential in selective gas adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dysregulated autophagy is involved in various human disorders including cancer. An autophagy-associated cell death pathway can be seen as a back-up cell death mechanism in cancer cells that are deficient in the apoptosis pathway. Therefore, many attempts have been made to induce autophagy for anticancer therapy. Anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL can inhibit autophagy via binding to the BH3-only protein Beclin 1, an essential autophagy stimulator. In a previous study, we discovered several small molecule Beclin 1 mimetics as autophagy inducers through high-throughput screening and structural optimization, in which 3-nitroacridine warrants further exploration. Here, a series of novel 3-nitroacridine derivatives were designed, synthesized, and their pharmaceutical activities and mechanism of action were investigated against gastric cancer cell lines. As a result, compounds 3, 4, and 9 displayed potent cytotoxicity and induced autophagy in MGC-803 and SGC-7901 gastric cancer cells. Besides, compounds 3 and 9 also inhibited the migration of SGC-7901 cells. The development of 3-nitroacridine analogues as autophagy inducers is not only likely to be a potential strategy for cancer therapy, but it will also facilitate a better understanding of the complicated roles of autophagy in normal physiology and pathophysiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cisplatin is a potent antitumor drug, which is widely applied in clinical cancer treatment. However, cisplatin can hardly distinguish between healthy tissue and tumor tissue, resulting in serious toxic side effects. Indocyanine green (ICG) is a FDA-approved near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence dye which has been used in photothermal therapy and optically mediated diagnostic, but the application of ICG is limited by its concentration-dependent aggregation, poor aqueous stabilityin vitro, lack of target specificity and rapid elimination from the body. Herein, to overcome these limitations of cisplatin and ICG, we fabricated folate-modified, cisplatin, ICG-loaded lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (FCINPs) using a single-step sonication method. The FCINPs exhibited well-defined monodispersity, significant stability and excellent NIR penetration ability. The intracellular uptake experiment showed that the targeting efficacy of the FCINPs was more effective in folate receptors (FRs) over-expressing MCF-7 cells than FRs negative A549 cells. In addition, compared with chemo or photothermal treatment alone, the treatment of FCINPs in combination with 808 nm NIR laser irradiation can significantly induce the apoptosis and necrosis of MCF-7 cells. These findings indicated that the FCINPs would be a promising nanosized drug formulation for tumor-targeted therapy in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Cisplatin-therapy has faced limitations in the gastric cancer therapy. To settle the bottleneck, enhanced specificity and controlled-release property are choosen. We synthesize cisplatin and indocyanine green (ICG) loaded PLGA-(DSPE-PEG2000) nanoparticles, which is abbreviated as CINPs. And we conjugate the Gly-Cys-Gly-Ala-Ala-Asn-Leu (GCGAANL) heptapeptide upon the surface of CINPs, the product is abbreviated as ACINPs. ACINPs with nearly 110 nm exhibit good monodispersity and size stability. The EE (efficiency of encapsulation) and LE (loading of encapsulation) of cisplatin loaded into ACINPs are optimized as 29.81% and 3.88%. MGC803 cells overexpressing the legumain and MKN28 cells, which negatively express the legumain as well as the normal stomach cells, are selected. In vitro studies have suggested ACINPs, compared with CINPs, could be recognized by MGC803 cells and efficiently killed the cancer cells, while be harmless to MKN28 cells, which indicates the specificity and safety of ACINPs. Under irradiation of 808 nm NIR irradiation, ICG loaded in ACINPs could rapidly transform the light to heat up to 60 ℃. Nanoparticles compared with non-irraditaion group could be quickly disrupted and release the cisplatin which could enhance the controlled-release ability. Hence, the ACINPs exhibit great potential in avoiding the side effects and enhancing the therapy ability of cisplatin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• MOF-containing sandwich-like 2D nanosheets were constructed via a mild method. • The targeted nanosheets showed the activatable drug release and OH generation. • The nanosheets possessed an effective cellular uptake and tumor enrichment. • The autophagy inhibition could promote the ROS-involved chemodynamic activity. The ingenious construction of transition metal-containing nanomaterials holds great potential for desired chemodynamic therapy (CDT). Herein, Cu2+-based porous metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) were laterally grown on the substrate of ultrathin sSiO 2 nanosheets (NSs) for high-efficiency chloroquine (CQ) loading, which was then modified by CD44-targeted hyaluronic acid (HA) to develop targeted sandwich-like two-dimensional (2D) NSs (HA-CQ/HT@sSiO 2 NSs) for activatable autophagy inhibition-primed CDT. Specifically, the obtained HA-CQ/HT@sSiO 2 NSs initiated the reduction of Cu2+ to Cu+ by depleting overexpressed glutathione (GSH), which concomitantly induced the decomposition of MOFs for controllable cargo unloading. The formed Cu+ then exerted Fenton-like catalyzing activity to generate detrimental hydroxyl radicals (OH) for ROS-involved CDT. Meanwhile, the released CQ was utilized to inhibit autophagy via blocking autolysosomes formation and degradation, thereby turning off self-protection pathway of oxidative stress for harvesting autophagy inhibition-primed chemodynamic activity. Particularly, HA-CQ/HT@sSiO 2 NSs could effectively accumulate at tumor site and be rapidly internalized into tumor cells benefiting from unique sheet-like morphology and CD44-targeting specificity. Both in vitro and in vivo results confirmed the potent autophagy inhibition-primed CDT effect, suggesting the activatable targeted sandwich-like 2D NSs may be referential to the creative design of therapy regimen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel size-switchable concept based on MOF-Shielded silver nanocubes is proposed. • The siver nanofactory shows high anticancer and antibacterial activity. • This study possesses the size limit of siver NPs in biomedicine application. Ag nanoparticles, a widely used antimicrobial agent, have been recently found to show unexpected anticancer effects. However, its medical applications in anticancer and antibacterial field are significantly hindered due to the size-dependent bioactivity. Considering the close relationship between tumor incidence and infection, herein, we reported the controlled encapsulation of large-size single Ag nanocube (50 nm) in zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF), accompanied with embedding of glucose oxidase (GOD). The obtained GOD/Ag@ZIF could act as Ag nano-factory to generate ultrasmall Ag NPs (5 nm) as a response to tumor microenvironment. Specifically, GOD-induced generated H 2 O 2 in glycolysis continuously decomposed AgNC into Ag+ and ultrasmall Ag NPs, where biocompatible ZIF-8 acted as the porous support for Ag+ and Ag NPs formation. Further, the GOD/Ag@ZIF were coated with hyaluronic acid (HA), termed by GOD/Ag@ZIF-HA, to allow the nanocomposites with good biocompatibility and target ability. GOD/Ag@ZIF-HA could completely suppress growth of two model bacteria strains at low concentration (E. coli. for 5 μg/mL, S. aureus for 10 μg/mL). More importantly, the high-performance anticancer activity of GOD/Ag@ZIF-HA and the underlying mechanism was also elaborated based on MCF-7 breast tumor model. We believe this study presents enticing possibilities to break through the size restriction of Ag NPs in biomedicine application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• NIR-elevated drug release realized intelligent drug delivery. • More therapeutic hydroxyl radical generated by GSH depletion-enhanced CDT. • The novel versatile Yolk-shell nanosystem achieved synergistic cancer therapy. In this study, a versatile doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded yolk-shell nano-particles (HMCMD) assembled with manganese dioxide (MnO 2) as the core and copper sulfide (HMCuS) as the mesoporous (∼ 6.4 nm) shell, was designed and synthesized. The resulting HMCMD possess excellent photothermal conversion efficiency. The DOX release from the yolk-shell nanoparticles could be promoted by laser irradiation, which increased the chemotherapy of DOX. Meanwhile, Mn2+ could be released from the HMCMD through a redox reaction between MnO 2 and abundant glutathione (GSH) in tumor cells. The released Mn2+ could promote the decomposition of the intracellular hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) by Fenton-like reaction to generate the highly toxic hydroxyl radicals (·OH), thus exhibiting the effective chemodynamic therapy (CDT). Additionally, the efficiency of Mn2+-mediated CDT could be effectively enhanced by NIR irradiation. Further modification of polyethylene glycol (PEG) would improve the water solubility of the HMCMD to promote the uptake by MCF-7 cells. Hence, the HMCMD with synergistic effects of chemotherapy and chemodynamic/photothermal therapy would provide an alternative strategy in antitumor research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, Ce3+ and Ce3+/Dy3+ co-doped Ca 3 Al 2 O 6 phosphors have been designed and synthesized via a facile citrate-based sol-gel technique, and their structural, photoluminescence properties and energy transfer phenomenon were investigated comprehensively. The XRD analysis indicated that pure Ca 3 Al 2 O 6 phase can be synthesized at low temperature (1000 °C) for merely 2 h. The photoluminescence spectra showed the dominant emission of Ce3+ singly doped phosphors is located in the blue region even at low Ce3+ doping level, which indeed favors the energy transfer from Ce3+ to other luminescent centers. When Dy3+ is co-doped into Ca 3 Al 2 O 6 :Ce3+ phosphors, the remarkable sensitizing effect of Ce3+ on Dy3+ is validated by comparatively analyzing the excitation, emission spectra and average lifetimes of the series of samples. Through the concentration quenching theory, the critical distance between Ce3+ and Dy3+ is calculated to be 13.50 Å. Furthermore, the energy transfer mechanism between them is most likely ascribed to electric dipole-dipole interaction. In virtue of the variation of the emission intensities of Ce3+ and Dy3+, the emitting colors of Ca 3 Al 2 O 6 :Ce3+, Dy3+ phosphors can realize tunable luminescence from deep blue to bluish-white region through controlling the Dy3+ content. Based on these analysis, Ca 3 Al 2 O 6 :Ce3+, Dy3+ phosphors could potentially be applied as a single-phase color-tunable phosphors pumped by near-ultraviolet (n-UV) radiation. • Developed a facile sol-gel method to prepare successfully Ca 3 Al 2 O 6 compound. • The blue emission of as-prepared Ca 3 Al 2 O 6 :Ce3+ phosphors dominates, which favors the energy transfer process. • The possible mechanism for the dominance of blue emission was discussed. • The energy transfer phenomenon in Ca 3 Al 2 O 6 :Ce3+, Dy3+ phosphors was investigated in detailed. • Ca 3 Al 2 O 6 :Ce3+, Dy3+ can serve as a single-phase color-tunable phosphors excited by near-ultraviolet radiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhododendron molle G. Don (Ericaceae) (RM) is a natural medicinal plant. Its root extracts have been applied in clinic and proved to be effective in chronic glomerulonephritis and rheumatoid arthritis in China. Surprising, little is understood about the key compound of RM and the exact mechanisms underlying its treatment on kidney diseases. In this study, we will explore whether rhodojaponin II (R–II), as the important compound of RM, also exerts the major effect. Mouse model of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis was induced by single dose of adriamycin injection. Induced adriamycin nephropathy (ADRN) mice were treated individually with RM root extract (5 mg/kg, n = 5), RM root extract (60 mg/kg, n = 5), R–II (0.04 mg/kg, n = 6) or captopril (30 mg/kg, n = 5) for five weeks. Podocyte marker (nephrin and podocin) expressions were examined by immunohistochemical staining and Western Blot analysis. Fibronectin level was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining and Western Blot analysis. Interstitial infiltrated inflammatory cells (CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and CD68+ macrophages) were examined with immunohistochemical staining. The expressions of NF- ĸ B p-p65 and TGF-β1/Smad pathway associated key proteins, such as TGF-β1, Smad3, phosphorylated-Smad3 (p-Smad3), and Smad7, were analyzed respectively by Western Blot analysis. RM root extract (5 mg/kg) and its important compound R–II (0.04 mg/kg) significantly ameliorated proteinuria, podocyte injury, and glomerulosclerosis, meanwhile, they hampered interstitial fibrosis in mice with ADRN. R–II significantly reduced NF- ĸ B p65 phosphorylation, interstitial infiltrated CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and CD68+ macrophages, at the same time, down-regulated TGF-β1 and p-Smad3 protein expressions in mice with ADRN. RM root extract, R–II, could effectively ameliorate proteinuria and kidney injury in ADRN, related to its anti-inflammatory effects, as well as suppression of TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]