Hyperbaric oxygen augments Doxil antitumor efficacy by reducing tumor-induced lactate.

Compared to healthy individuals, cancer patients exhibit significantly elevated lactate. While numerous studies have revealed the critical role of lactate in fostering an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, the effects of lactate on cancer nanomedicine (e.g.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Regulates Tumor pH to Boost Copper-Doped Hydroxyethyl Starch Conjugate Nanoparticles Against Cancer Stem Cells.

An extracellular acidic environment and an intracellular mildly alkaline environment induced by carbonic anhydrase 9 (CA9) play a critical role in self-renewal, invasion, migration, and drug resistance of cancer stem cells (CSCs) within hypoxic solid tumors. Here, we report an antitumor strategy leveraging hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) to regulate tumor pH and boost hydroxyethyl starch-doxorubicin-copper nanoparticles (HHD-Cu NPs) against CSCs. HBO overcomes tumor hypoxia, downregulates pH-regulatory proteins such as CA9, and leads to intracellular accumulation of acidic metabolites.

Obesity enhances ovarian cancer chemotherapy efficacy through C1q-mediated tumor targeting and immune activation.

Personalized protein corona significantly influences the biodistribution and therapeutic efficacy of nanomedicines, generating unique profiles that can impact treatment outcomes. Here, we demonstrate that pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) exhibits increased tumor accumulation and enhanced antitumor immunity in obese mice bearing ovarian tumor, inducing a greater capacity to inhibit tumor growth compared to normal mice. Mechanistically, the protein corona, particularly enriched with complement component 1q (C1q) in the plasma of obese mice, significantly enhances the internalization of PLD by ovarian cancer cells and elicits strong immunogenic cell death (ICD) effects.

Emerging nanoparticles that target and eliminate cancer stem cells.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs), a distinct subpopulation within tumors possessing self-renewal and multilineage differentiation capacities, represent the pivotal drivers of therapeutic resistance, tumor recurrence, and metastatic dissemination. The inherent heterogeneity and drug resilience of CSCs render conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy largely ineffective against this population despite their ability to eliminate bulk tumor cells, ultimately limiting treatment outcomes. In recent years, nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged as promising therapeutic platforms for CSCs-targeted intervention due to their unique physicochemical properties and multifunctional capabilities.

Immunosenescence: signaling pathways, diseases and therapeutic targets.

Immunosenescence refers to the abnormal activation or dysfunction of the immune system as people age. Inflammaging is a typical pathological inflammatory state associated with immunosenescence and is characterized by excessive expression of proinflammatory cytokines in aged immune cells. Chronic inflammation contributes to a variety of age-related diseases, such as neurodegenerative disease, cancer, infectious disease, and autoimmune diseases.

Advances in the Mechanism and Applications of Stimulus-Responsive DNA Hydrogels.

DNA hydrogels possess numerous unique and attractive features, including excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability, as well as inherent programmability, catalytic functionality, therapeutic potential, and precise molecular recognition and bonding capabilities. Furthermore, intelligent DNA hydrogels exhibit stimuli-responsive behaviors, transitioning between gel and sol states in response to various stimuli, including pH, temperature, enzymes, and others. Through intelligent, rational design and controlled preparation of DNA nanostructures, a broad spectrum of advanced applications has been realized.

Living therapeutics of nonpathogenic bacteria as biosynthesis factory and active carriers for enhancing tumor-targeted therapy.

Anaerobic bacteria-mediated tumor therapy faces multiple challenges, including potential toxic side effects, complex manufacturing processes, and impaired hypoxic targeting. Here, based on the excellent biocompatibility and distinctive metabolic ability of natural anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) to dissimilate sulfate into sulfide, we construct in situ-biosynthesized ferrous sulfide nanoparticle-SRB (FeS@SRB) biohybrid to enhance tumor-targeted therapy. Interestingly, SRB acts as both a biosynthesis factory and active tumor-targeted delivery vehicles.

Modulating tumor acidity with hydroxyethyl starch-based nanoparticles by targeting CA9 to eliminate cancer stem cells and overcome immunosuppression.

The acidic microenvironment in solid tumors, primarily driven by Warburg effect, promotes tumor progression, immune evasion, and resistance to therapy. Cancer stem cells (CSCs), a critical subset within tumor tissues, exacerbate this acidity through overexpression of pH-regulating proteins such as carbonic anhydrase IX (CA9), which plays a pivotal role in maintaining pH homeostasis, contributes to immune suppression, and sustains CSC stemness and proliferation. In this study, we designed CA9 inhibitor (CAi) coupled hydroxyethyl starch-based nanoparticles (CHHD-Cu NPs) that integrate doxorubicin (DOX) mediated chemotherapy with copper ions (Cu) mediated chemodynamic therapy to target and eliminate CA9-expressing CSCs.

Integration of acoustic, optical, and electrical methods in picoliter droplet microfluidics for rare particles enrichment.

Rare particle enrichment plays a pivotal role in advancing numerous scientific research areas and industrial processes. Traditional enrichment methods encounter obstacles such as low efficiency, high cost, and complexity. Acoustic focusing, optical fiber detection, and electrical manipulation have shown potential in microfluidics for particle manipulation and analysis.

Progress in the mechanical properties of nanoparticles for tumor-targeting delivery.

Cancer nanomedicines have attracted significant attention in the past several decades, and the physicochemical properties, such as the size, shape, composition, surface charge, hydrophobicity, and mechanical properties, of nanoparticles have been optimized for potent cancer therapy. Since publishing our 2020 tutorial review "Influence of nanomedicine mechanical properties on tumor targeting delivery" in , substantial advancements have been made in understanding the role of mechanical properties in cancer nanomedicine. Notably, transport processes that are dependent on the mechanical properties of nanomedicine, including long circulation, tumor accumulation, and deep penetration, have been extensively studied using various nano-drug delivery systems.

Elevating single-particle encapsulation in droplet microfluidics by utilizing surface acoustic wave and flow control.

Target particle encapsulation is crucial in droplet microfluidics for high-throughput applications like single-cell sequencing and drug screening. However, it faces limitations, with encapsulation rates of only 10% to 30% due to suspension density and the inherent functionality of the chip being restricted by the Poisson distribution. This leads to reagent waste and reduced effectiveness in applications requiring ultra-high multiplexing or extensive particle analysis, due to the massive empty droplets.

Triple-Functional Probiotics with Intracellularly Synthesized Selenium Nanoparticles for Colitis Therapy by Regulating the Macrophage Phenotype and Modulating Gut Microbiota.

The dysregulated macrophage phenotype, as the main cause of colitis, not only enhanced oxidative stress to exacerbate inflammatory responses but was closely related with gut microbial dysbiosis. It was needed to simultaneously address the three issues for the effective treatment of colitis, but it was not satisfied. Here, we developed "three-birds-one-stone" probiotics, named Se@EcN-C/A, for colitis treatment.

Screening and validation of sponge materials assembled to a sampling device for enrichment and determination of amphetamine drugs in exhaled breath by HPLC-TQ-MS/MS.

Exhaled breath aerosol (EBA) analysis of the amphetamine drugs (AMPs) and ephedrine (EPH) has a great potential to monitor illicit drug abuse due to its simple, non-invasive, convenient, and easily accepted sampling. Nevertheless, the extremely low concentration of AMPs and EPH in EBA poses great challenges to instrumental analysis. In this study, a self-designed sampling device equipped with sponge-based material was developed and coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-TQ-MS/MS) for monitoring of the AMPs and EPH in EBA.

Emerging strategies in lymph node-targeted nano-delivery systems for tumor immunotherapy.

The emergence of immunotherapy has led to the clinical approval of several related drugs. However, their efficacy against solid tumors remains limited. As the hub of immune activation, lymph nodes (LNs) play a critical role in tumor immunotherapy by initiating and amplifying immune responses.

Spatial Regulation of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts and Tumor Cells via pH-Responsive Bispecific Antibody Delivery for Enhanced Chemo-Immunotherapy Synergy.

The effectiveness of chemotherapy is often compromised by physiological barriers and an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) significantly contribute to the reconfiguration of the tumor extracellular matrix (ECM) and the suppression of immune responses, making them crucial targets for therapeutic intervention. Here, a tumor acidic microenvironment-responsive delivery system that utilizes tumor cell-derived microparticles (MPs) as carriers for the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin (DOX) and the bispecific antibody YM101 targeting both TGF-β and PD-L1 is developed (DOX@MPs-YM101) to spatially regulate both CAFs and tumor cells for enhanced chemotherapeutic efficacy.

Lipoic Acid/Choline Ionic Liquid Enhanced Intratumoral Heat/Mass Transfer for Suppressing Thermo-Mediated Tumor Relapse and Metastasis.

Thermal ablation (TA) is widely used for clinical treatment of various cancers. However, TA often struggles to efficiently kill tumor cells without injuring adjacent normal tissues/cells, leading to thermo-mediated tumor relapse and metastasis, owing to the immunosuppressive microenvironment surrounding residual tumor cells. In this study, a temperature-sensitive ionic liquid composed of lipoic acid and choline (LACH/PNA) is developed as a multifunctional TA sensitizer to suppress tumor metastasis induced by incomplete microwave ablation.

Preparation of Polydeoxyribonucleotide Nanoliposomes and their Applicability to Cosmetic Formulations.

Introduction: The use of polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) in promoting tissue repair and anti-aging has been hindered by several challenges, including its large molecular weight, susceptibility to decomposition, low bioavailability, and poor stability and skin permeability. Liposome formulation technology has emerged as a promising method in cosmetics, enhancing the penetration and protection of active ingredients.

Method: In this study, a PDRN-loaded nanoliposomal (PDRN-NL) formulation, which exhibited an average particle size of 125 ± 1 nm, a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.

Cost-effective microfluidic flow cytometry for precise and gentle cell sorting.

Microfluidic flow cytometry (MFCM) is considered to be an effective substitute for traditional flow cytometry, because of its advantages in terms of higher integration, smaller device size, lower cost, and higher cell sorting activity. However, MFCM still faces challenges in balancing parameters such as sorting throughput, viability, sorting efficiency, and cost. Here, we demonstrate a cost-effective and high-performance microfluidic cytometry cell sorting system, along with a customized microfluidic chip that integrates hydrodynamic focusing, droplet encapsulation, and sorting for precise cell manipulation.

A mitochondria-interfering nanocomplex cooperates with photodynamic therapy to boost antitumor immunity.

Immunotherapeutics against triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) hold great promise. In this work, we provide a combination therapy for simultaneous increasing tumor immunogenicity and down-regulating programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) to boost antitumor immunity in TNBC. We prepare bis (diethyldithiocarbamate)-copper/indocyanine green nanoparticles (CuET/ICG NPs) simply in aqueous with one-pot method.

Tumor-Repopulating Cell-Derived Microparticle-Based Therapeutics Amplify the Antitumor Effect through Synergistic Inhibition of Chemoresistance and Immune Evasion.

Traditional chemotherapy often encounters failure attributed to drug resistance mediated by tumor-repopulating cells (TRCs) and chemotherapy-triggered immune suppression. The effective inhibition of TRCs and the mitigation of drug-induced immune suppression are pivotal for the successful chemotherapy. Here, TRC-derived microparticles (3D-MPs), characterized by excellent tumor-targeting and high TRC uptake properties, are utilized to deliver metformin and the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin ((DOX+Met)@3D-MPs).

Permeation enhancer decorated nanoparticles for oral delivery of insulin: manipulating the surface density of borneol and PEG for absorption barriers.

Oral protein drugs' delivery faces challenges due to multiple absorption barriers for macromolecules. Co-administration with permeation enhancers and encapsulation in nano-carriers are two promising strategies to enhance their oral absorption. Herein, the poly(lactic--glycolic acid) nanoparticles (PLGA NPs) are decorated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and a traditional Chinese medicine-derived permeation enhancer borneol (BO) for oral insulin delivery.

Recent advances of self-assembled nanoparticles in the diagnosis and treatment of atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis remains a significant global health challenge, with its related conditions as the leading cause of death, underscoring the urgent need for enhanced diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Recently, self-assembled nanoparticles (SANPs) have shown remarkable promise in treating atherosclerosis, attributed to their superior bioavailability, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and ease of functional modification. Numerous SANP variants, such as DNA origami, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), nanozymes, peptide-based nanoparticles, and self-assembled prodrug nanoparticles, have been engineered, extending their utility in targeted drug delivery and imaging.