Morphology-driven photothermal performance of polymer-functionalized mos₂ nanoplatforms for targeted therapeutic applications.

In this study, we report the synthesis and photothermal evaluation of polymer-functionalized molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nanoplatforms with distinct morphologies; three-dimensional (3D) nanoflowers (MNF) and two-dimensional (2D) nanorods (MNR), tailored for targeted drug delivery applications. The MoS₂ nanostructures were synthesized via a hydrothermal route by modulating the sulfur precursor, yielding morphology-dependent growth. The resulting nanostructures were subsequently functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polyethyleneimine (PEI), producing MNF@PEG@PEI (MFPP) and MNR@PEG@PEI (MRPP) platforms.

NIR Light-Responsive TiC MXenes Mediate Controlled Aqueous Degradation and Highly Efficient Photothermal Conversion for Targeted Cancer Phototherapy.

Many cancer types are typically diagnosed in advanced stages and tend to have low survival rates. There are numerous varieties of nanomedicine platforms developed to tackle them. Among them, two-dimensional TiC MXene nanosheets (NSs) have emerged as a versatile platform, owing to their high surface area enriched with various functional groups, near-infrared (NIR) responsiveness, and superior photothermal characteristics.

Carboxymethyl Chitosan Delaminated TiC MXenes as a Potential Therapeutic Nano Platform to Combat Chronic Wounds.

The present study introduces carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) delaminated TiC MXene (MX_CMC) as a novel therapeutic nanoplatform for chronic wound treatment. MXene was delaminated with CMC in water. Electron microscopy confirmed the 2D layered structure of MX_CMC, which demonstrated 60% higher dispersibility in aqueous media compared to MX alone.

BSA-ICG-Cu(ii) complex as an NIR-responsive multifunctional platform for wound healing: deciphering therapeutic action .

Therapeutic platforms suitable for NIR-responsive antimicrobial treatments through photothermal and photodynamic modalities are gaining attention in treating chronic wounds. The efficiency of such platforms can be further enhanced by making them angiogenic and a promoter of fibroblast activities. Herein, we report a novel molecular platform composed of bovine serum albumin (BSA), indocyanine green (ICG) and bivalent copper (Cu(ii)) using green chemistry by exploiting the affinity of ICG and Cu(ii) ions towards BSA.

Engineering Tumor-Specific Nanotheranostic Agent with MR Image-Guided NIR-II & -III Photodynamic Therapy to Combat Against Deeply Seated Orthotopic Glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most aggressive, incurable, and difficult-to-treat malignant brain tumor with very poor survival rates. The gold standard in treating GBMs includes neurosurgical resection of the tumor, followed by the chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, these strategies remain ineffective in treating patients with GBMs, as tumor recurrence always occur in most cases.

Ultrasonic-assisted europium decorated cuprous oxide nanoparticles: exploring their photothermal capabilities and antioxidant properties for biomedical applications.

Metal oxide nanoparticles offer capabilities for cancer therapeutics, but their applicability is often jeopardized due to toxicity hurdles. To tackle this problem, in this study, we have synthesized europium decorated cuprous oxide nanoparticles (Eu-CuO NPs) a facile ultrasonic-assisted method. Surface decoration of nanoparticles is an effective strategy to tailor their physicochemical and biological properties.

NIR-Responsive Black Phosphorus Nanosheet-Integrated Niosomes for Combinatorial Chemo-phototherapy of Cancers.

Cancer remains one of the major challenges in the field of clinical biomedicine. There is a great deal of scope for the development of various innovative therapies. To advance in the field of cancer therapeutics, the research trend has gradually shifted to the development of biocompatible, controlled, and stable carrier systems.

Coordinately unsaturated single Fe-atoms with N vacancies and enhanced sp carbon defects in Fe-N(sp)-C structural units for suppression of cancer cell metabolism and electrochemical oxygen evolution.

Installing coordinately unsaturated Fe-N-C structural units on polymer-composite-derived N-doped carbon offers highly active Fe-N sites for the electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in tumor cells. An NHCl-driven high-temperature etching method was employed for the formation of FeSA950NC with coordinately unsaturated single Fe-atoms in an Fe-N(sp)-C structural unit together with N vacancies () and sp defects. The carbonization of Fe-phen@ZIF-8 at 800 °C for 30 min under argon, followed by grinding Fe-ZIF-8@RF-urea with NHCl at 950 °C for 2 hours, resulted in sp carbon defects and sites with coordination unsaturation in Fe-N due to NHCl decomposition to NH and HCl, which produced substantial internal stress for etching the carbon matrix.

Light-responsive functional nanomaterials as pioneering therapeutics: a paradigm shift to combat age-related disorders.

Aging, marked by dysregulated cellular systems, gives rise to a spectrum of age-related disorders, including neurodegeneration, atherosclerosis, immunosenescence, and musculoskeletal issues. These conditions contribute significantly to the global disease burden, posing challenges to health span and economic resources. Current therapeutic approaches, although diverse in mechanism, often fall short in targeting the underlying cellular pathologies.

Cisplatin Encapsulated Plasmonic Blackbodies for NIR Light Activatable Chemo-Phototherapy and Reduction of 4-Nitrophenol.

Cisplatin (CDDP) is an FDA-approved chemotherapeutic drug used for treating various solid tumors. Despite of its effectiveness towards chemotherapy, it faces several challenges, such as multi-drug resistance (MDR) and significant damage to the normal tissues. To address these challenges, various nanoformulations were developed to improve the delivery and safety of CDDP.

Membrane cholesterol enrichment and folic acid functionalization lead to increased accumulation of erythrocyte-derived optical nano-constructs within the ovarian intraperitoneal tumor implants in mice.

Cytoreductive surgery remains as the gold standard to treat ovarian cancer, but with limited efficacy since not all tumors can be intraoperatively visualized for resection. We have engineered erythrocyte-derived nano-constructs that encapsulate the near infrared (NIR) fluorophore, indocyanine green (ICG), as optical probes for NIR fluorescence imaging of ovarian tumors. Herein, we have enriched the membrane of these nano-constructs with cholesterol, and functionalized their surface with folic acid (FA) to target the folate receptor-α.

Near-infrared light activatable niosomes loaded with indocyanine green and plasmonic gold nanorods for theranostic applications.

Light-mediated theranostic platforms involve the use of agents (small molecules/nanomaterials), which can absorb light to produce either heat or reactive chemical species (RCS) and emit fluorescence. Such platforms are advantageous in the field of personalized medicine, as they provide enhanced diagnostic capabilities, improved therapeutic efficiencies, and can also simultaneously monitor the treatment outcomes using imaging modalities. Specifically, agents absorbing near-infrared (NIR) light can provide minimal scattering, low autofluorescence, superior spatio-temporal resolution, and deeper tissue penetration depths.

Facile Synthesis of Multifunctional Carbon Dots Derived from Camel Milk for Mn Sensing and Antiamyloid and Anticancer Activities.

Carbon dots (CDs) are promising biocompatible fluorescent nanoparticles mainly used in bioimaging, drug delivery, sensing, therapeutics, and various other applications. The utilization of natural sources and green synthetic approaches is resulting in highly biocompatible and nontoxic nanoparticles. Herein, we report an unprecedented facile and green synthesis of highly luminescent carbon dots derived from camel milk (CM) for sensing manganese (Mn) ions and for identifying the anticancer potential and antiamyloid activity against α-synuclein amyloids.

A Label-Free and Ultrasensitive Prussian Blue-Based Dipstick Sensor for Bacterial and Biofilm Detection.

Water and food contamination has become the major contributor to infections and deaths. However, rapid and sensitive bacterial detection still remains an unmet demand that has attracted widespread attention. Often water and food samples are sent out for laboratory testing to detect the presence of contamination, which is time-consuming and laborious.

Cellular metabolic activity and electrochemical stability assay of embedded oxidoreductase enzyme confined in the nanospace of a framework exoskeleton.

In the present study, we sought to reveal how embedding oxidoreductase enzymes in a metal-organic framework influences restoring the biofunctionality when encapsulated within zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8 and ZIF-90), wherein these biocomposites were explored for their cellular metabolic activity using the (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) (MTT) assay on A549 lung cancer cells and NIH3T3 (mouse fibroblasts) cells. We chose two biocomposites, namely catalase-encapsulated ZIF-8 and ZIF-90, wherein the enzyme was encapsulated at varied loadings through a rapid self-triggered nucleation around the protein surfaces of the enzyme. Interestingly, this embedding pattern of catalase in both ZIF-8 and ZIF-90 depended on the surface chemistry of the enzyme.

Effects of the aspect ratio of plasmonic gold nanorods on the inhibition of lysozyme amyloid formation.

Amyloid formation due to altered protein folding and aggregation has gained significant attention due to its association with neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and systemic lysozyme amyloidosis. Amyloids are characterized by parallel and anti-parallel cross-β-strands arranged to form stacks of sheets that provide stability and rigidity to the amyloid core. The prototypic protein Hen Egg White Lysozyme (HEWL) has been extensively used to understand protein hydrolysis, fragmentation, folding, misfolding, and amyloid formation.

Optical Characteristics of Indocyanine Green J-Aggregates Induced by Cisplatin for Phototheranostic Applications.

The development of an optical system for combinatorial theranostics is of significant interest. Clinical translation of such theranostic agents need to cross several barriers. Herein, we have developed a facile method for the preparation of J-aggregates using FDA approved agents, namely, NIR fluorophore indocyanine green (ICG) and a chemotherapeutic drug, cisplatin (CDDP), which induces ICG to form indocyanine green J-aggregates (IJAs).

Erythrocyte-Derived Nanoparticles with Folate Functionalization for Near Infrared Pulsed Laser-Mediated Photo-Chemotherapy of Tumors.

Despite its common side effects and varying degrees of therapeutic success, chemotherapy remains the gold standard method for treatment of cancer. Towards developing a new therapeutic approach, we have engineered nanoparticles derived from erythrocytes that contain indocyanine green as a photo-activated agent that enables near infrared photothermal heating, and doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) as a chemotherapeutic drug. We hypothesize that milliseconds pulsed laser irradiation results in rapid heating and photo-triggered release of DOX, providing a dual photo-chemo therapeutic mechanism for tumor destruction.

Recent Progress in Red Blood Cells-Derived Particles as Novel Bioinspired Drug Delivery Systems: Challenges and Strategies for Clinical Translation.

Red Blood Cells (RBCs)-derived particles are an emerging group of novel drug delivery systems. The natural attributes of RBCs make them potential candidates for use as a drug carrier or nanoparticle camouflaging material as they are innately biocompatible. RBCs have been studied for multiple decades in drug delivery applications but their evolution in the clinical arena are considerably slower.

Membrane Cholesterol Enrichment of Red Blood Cell-Derived Microparticles Results in Prolonged Circulation.

Particles fabricated from red blood cells (RBCs) can serve as vehicles for delivery of various biomedical cargos. Flipping of phosphatidylserine (PS) from the inner to the outer membrane leaflet normally occurs during the fabrication of such particles. PS externalization is a signal for phagocytic removal of the particles from circulation.

Multifunctional CuO/CuO Truncated Nanocubes as Trimodal Image-Guided Near-Infrared-III Photothermal Agents to Combat Multi-Drug-Resistant Lung Carcinoma.

Despite the development of various therapeutic modalities to tackle cancer, multidrug resistance (MDR) and incomplete destruction of deep tissue-buried tumors remain as long-standing challenges responsible for tumor recurrence and low survival rates. In addition to the MDR and deep tissue photoactivation problems, most primary tumors metastasize to the lungs and lymph nodes to form secondary tumors. Therefore, it leaves a great challenge to develop theranostic approaches to combat both MDR and deep tissue photoactivation problems.

Recent advances in near infrared light responsive multi-functional nanostructures for phototheranostic applications.

Light-based theranostics have become indispensable tools in the field of cancer nanomedicine. Specifically, near infrared (NIR) light mediated imaging and therapy of deeply seated tumors using a single multi-functional nanoplatform have gained significant attention. To this end, several multi-functional nanomaterials have been utilized to tackle cancer and thereby achieve significant outcomes.

Phototheranostics Using Erythrocyte-Based Particles.

There has been a recent increase in the development of delivery systems based on red blood cells (RBCs) for light-mediated imaging and therapeutic applications. These constructs are able to take advantage of the immune evasion properties of the RBC, while the addition of an optical cargo allows the particles to be activated by light for a number of promising applications. Here, we review some of the common fabrication methods to engineer these constructs.

Near Infrared Fluorescence Imaging of Intraperitoneal Ovarian Tumors in Mice Using Erythrocyte-Derived Optical Nanoparticles and Spatially-Modulated Illumination.

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecological cancer. Cytoreductive surgery to remove primary and intraperitoneal tumor deposits remains as the standard therapeutic approach. However, lack of an intraoperative image-guided approach to enable the visualization of all tumors can result in incomplete cytoreduction and recurrence.

Recent Advances of Polyaniline-Based Biomaterials for Phototherapeutic Treatments of Tumors and Bacterial Infections.

Conventional treatments fail to completely eradicate tumor or bacterial infections due to their inherent shortcomings. In recent years, photothermal therapy (PTT) has emerged as an attractive treatment modality that relies on the absorption of photothermal agents (PTAs) at a specific wavelength, thereby transforming the excitation light energy into heat. The advantages of PTT are its high efficacy, specificity, and minimal damage to normal tissues.