Publications by authors named "Zhongyu Cheng"

The aberrant expression and dysfunction of cell membrane receptors are closely associated with the onset and progression of various major diseases, such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and inflammation. However, conventional membrane protein regulation strategies, such as small-molecule inhibitors or antibody-based therapies, face several challenges, including target dependency, limited degradation scope, and the development of drug resistance. In recent years, DNA nanostructure has emerged as an innovative solution for the precise modulation of membrane receptors, owing to its high programmability, precise spatial control, and dynamic responsiveness.

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Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as promising bioactive carriers for delivering therapeutic agents, including nucleic acids, proteins, and small-molecule drugs, owing to their excellent physicochemical stability and biocompatibility. However, comprehensive reviews on the various types of EV-based nanomedicines for cancer therapy remain scarce. This review explores the potential of EVs as antitumor nanomedicines.

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Drimane-type merosesquiterpenoids (DMT) are a class of natural products with diverse structures and broad biological activity. Classical DMT synthesis relies on atom-inefficient plant-derived chiral pool building blocks, while alternative drimane-type building blocks such as drimenol and albicanol offer more direct routes but face production challenges. In this study, we engineered a microbial platform for efficient production of these building blocks.

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Aptamers have been widely researched and applied in nanomedicine due to their programmable, activatable, and switchable properties. However, there are few reviews on aptamer-controlled stimuli-responsive drug delivery. This article highlights the mechanisms and advantages of aptamers in the construction of stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems.

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In response to the escalating demand for flexible devices in applications such as wearables, sensors, and touch panels, there is a need for innovative fabrication approaches for devices made from nanomaterial-based inks. Subsequent to ink deposition, a pivotal stage in device manufacturing typically involves high-temperature sintering, posing challenges for heat-sensitive substrates. Nonthermal plasma jet sintering utilizing an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma jet enables sintering at room temperature and standard pressure, facilitating the sintering of printed nanoparticle films without compromising substrate or film surface integrity.

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Chemoenzymatic strategies that combine synthetic and enzymatic transformations offer efficient approaches to yield target molecules, which have been increasingly employed in the synthesis of bioactive natural products. In the biosynthesis of macrocyclic nonribosomal peptides, polyketides, and their hybrids, thioesterase (TE) domains play a significant role in late-stage macrocyclization. These domains can accept mimics of native substrates in vitro and exhibit potential for use in total synthesis.

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Purpose: Cervical cancer (CC) ranks the fourth among female malignancies and has become a dominating cause for tumor-associated death nowadays. More and more documents have proposed that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), which emerge as pivotal biomarkers, actively participate in the regulation of human carcinomas. LncRNA ROR1-AS1 is a recently identified RNA that is highlighted for its crucial role in the biological processes of cancers.

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Studies on the third-generation of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) targeting EGFR mutant remain hotspots, specifically for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In the current study, a new series of EGFR-TKIs with thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidine derivatives(6a-6r) bearing quinolin-2(1H)-ones were designed and synthesized, through conformational constrained strategy from the third generation of EGFR-TKI olmutinib. In vitro structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies indicated that compounds 6a, 6l, 6m, 6n and 6o exhibited good selective inhibition to EGFR (IC ≤ 250 nM) over wild type EGFR (IC > 10000 nM).

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