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Metal peroxide-based nanomedicines have emerged as promising theranostic agents for cancer due to their multifunctional properties, including the generation of bioactive small molecules such as metal ions, H2O2, O2, and OH–. Among these metal peroxides, calcium peroxide (CaO2) nanomedicines have attracted significant attention due to their facile synthesis and good biocompatibility. CaO2 nanoparticles have been explored for cancer treatment through three main mechanisms: (1) the release of O2, which helps alleviate tumor hypoxia and enhances oxygen-dependent therapies such as chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy, and immunotherapy; (2) the generation of H2O2, a precursor for ·OH generation, which enables cancer chemodynamic therapy; and (3) the release of Ca2+ ions, which induce calcium overload and promote cell apoptosis (called ion-interference therapy). This review provides a comprehensive summary of recent examples of CaO2 nanoparticle-based cancer therapeutic strategies, as well as discusses the challenges and future directions in the development of CaO2 nanomedicines for cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of poly (vinyl methyl ether) (PVME) on the miscibility, crystallization and rheological behavior of a 50/50 poly(L-lactide) (PLLA)/poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blend was investigated. The PLLA/PMMA blend, with compositional symmetry, was immiscible at room temperature when prepared by solution casting. However, it became miscible when heated to a high temperature, indicating an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) behavior. With the addition of PVME, whose glass transition temperature was much lower than those of PMMA and PLLA, the thermodynamic miscibility was improved for the PLLA/PMMA/PVME blend, all components being miscible at a low temperature. The crystallization kinetics of the blends was studied by observing the PLLA spherulite growth with annealing time at 100 °C via polarized optical microscopy; the addition of PVME accelerated the crystallization kinetics of the PLLA. Rheological sweep results confirmed this conclusion. The reason for this acceleration effect on the crystallization was explored by etching the PVME in the PLLA/PMMA/PVME blends. The participation of PVME in the crystallization of PLLA played a crucial role in the crystallization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungi produce various bioactive secondary metabolites (SMs) as protective and weaponized tools to enhance survival in shared ecological niches. By mimicking a competitive ecosystem, cocultivation has been proven to be particularly successful in stimulating SM discovery. Here, we reported the identification of four novel metabolites, epiclactones A and B, epioxochromane and aoergostane, from the coculture of two biotechnologically important strains, Aspergillus oryzae and Epicoccum dendrobii . Transcriptome and metabolome analyses revealed widespread silent gene activation during fungal-fungal interaction. The majority of differentially expressed gene clusters were summarized for both strains. Based on these highly activated biosynthetic pathways, we suggested that a bidirectional chemical defense occurred under cocultivation. E. dendrobii enhanced the production of the spore inhibitor, fumigermin. Moreover, A. oryzae highly accumulated the antifungal agent kojic acid with a yield of up to 1.10 g/L. This study provides an excellent example for the discovery of hidden natural products by cocultivation.

Metal peroxide-based nanomedicines have emerged as promising theranostic agents for cancer due to their multifunctional properties, including the generation of bioactive small molecules such as metal ions, H 2 O 2 , O 2 , and OH - . Among these metal peroxides, calcium peroxide (CaO 2 ) nanomedicines have attracted significant attention due to their facile synthesis and good biocompatibility. CaO 2 nanoparticles have been explored for cancer treatment through three main mechanisms: (1) the release of O 2 , which helps alleviate tumor hypoxia and enhances oxygen-dependent therapies such as chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy, and immunotherapy; (2) the generation of H 2 O 2 , a precursor for ·OH generation, which enables cancer chemodynamic therapy; and (3) the release of Ca 2+ ions, which induce calcium overload and promote cell apoptosis (called ion-interference therapy). This review provides a comprehensive summary of recent examples of CaO 2 nanoparticle-based cancer therapeutic strategies, as well as discusses the challenges and future directions in the development of CaO 2 nanomedicines for cancer treatment., (© 2023 IOP Publishing Ltd.)