Photodynamic therapy (PDT) kills cancer cells by converting tumour oxygen into reactive singlet oxygen (1O2) using a photosensitizer. However, pre-existing hypoxia in tumours and oxygen consumption during PDT can result in an inadequate oxygen supply, which in turn hampers photodynamic efficacy. Here to overcome this problem, we create oxygen self-enriching photodynamic therapy (Oxy-PDT) by loading a photosensitizer into perfluorocarbon nanodroplets. Because of the higher oxygen capacity and longer 1O2 lifetime of perfluorocarbon, the photodynamic effect of the loaded photosensitizer is significantly enhanced, as demonstrated by the accelerated generation of 1O2 and elevated cytotoxicity. Following direct injection into tumours, in vivo studies reveal tumour growth inhibition in the Oxy-PDT-treated mice. In addition, a single-dose intravenous injection of Oxy-PDT into tumour-bearing mice significantly inhibits tumour growth, whereas traditional PDT has no effect. Oxy-PDT may enable the enhancement of existing clinical PDT and future PDT design.

Combination of photothermal and photodynamic therapy (PTT/PDT) offer unique advantages over PDT alone. However, to achieve synergetic PDT/PTT effect, one generally needs two lasers with different wavelengths. Near-infrared dye IR-780 could be used as photosensitizer both for PTT and PDT, but its lipophilicity limits its practical use and in vivo efficiency. Herein, a simple multifunctional IR780-loaded nanoplatform based on transferrin was developed for targeted imaging and phototherapy of cancer compatible with a single-NIR-laser irradiation. The self-assembled transferrin-IR780 nanoparticles (Tf-IR780 NPs) exhibited narrow size distribution, good photo-stability, and encouraging photothermal performance with enhanced generation of ROS under laser irradiation. Following intravenous injection, Tf-IR780 NPs had a high tumor-to-background ratio in CT26 tumor-bearing mice. Treatment with Tf-IR780 NPs resulted in significant tumor suppression. Overall, the Tf-IR780 NPs show notable targeting and theranostic potential in cancer therapy.

Peripheral nerve injury could lead to chronic neuropathic pain. Understanding transcriptional changes induced by nerve injury could provide fundamental insights into the complex pathogenesis of neuropathic pain. Gene expression profiles of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) in neuropathic pain condition have been studied. However, little is known about transcriptomic changes in individual DRG neurons after peripheral nerve injury. Here we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on dissociated mouse DRG cells after spared nerve injury (SNI). In addition to DRG neuron types that are found under physiological conditions, we identified three SNIinduced neuronal clusters (SNIICs) characterized by the expression of Atf3/Gfra3/Gal (SNIIC1), Atf3/Mrgprd (SNIIC2) and Atf3/S100b/ Gal (SNIIC3). These SNIICs originated from Cldn9 + /Gal + , Mrgprd + and Trappc3l + DRG neurons, respectively. Interestingly, SNIIC2 switched to SNIIC1 by increasing Gal and reducing Mrgprd expression 2 days after nerve injury. Inferring the gene regulatory networks after nerve injury, we revealed that activated transcription factors Atf3 and Egr1 in SNIICs could enhance Gal expression while activated Cpeb1 in SNIIC2 might suppress Mrgprd expression within 2 days after SNI. Furthermore, we mined the transcriptomic changes in the development of neuropathic pain to identify potential analgesic targets. We revealed that cardiotrophin-like cytokine factor 1, which activates astrocytes in the dorsal horn of spinal cord, was upregulated in SNIIC1 neurons and contributed to SNI-induced mechanical allodynia. Therefore, our results provide a new landscape to understand the dynamic course of neuron type changes and their underlying molecular mechanisms during the development of neuropathic pain.

Negative-charge change and conformation transition upon DNA immobilization and hybridization on functionalized graphene sheets were monitored by the EIS technique and adopted as the signal for label-free electrochemical DNA hybridization detection.

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Human health and industrial instruments have been suffering from bacterial colonization on the surface of materials for a long time. Recently, antibacterial coatings are regarded as the new strategy to resist bacterial pathogens. In this work, novel highly transparent and superhydrophobic coatings with extremely low bacterial adhesion and bactericidal performance were prepared by spray-coating hydrophobic silica sol and CuO nanoparticles. The coated glass showed high transmittance in 300-2500 nm with a maximum value of 96.6%. Compared with bare glass, its superhydrophobic characteristics resulted in a reduction in adhesion of bacteria ( Escherichia coli, E. coli) by up to 3.2 log cells/cm. Additionally, the live/dead staining test indicated that the as-prepared coating exhibited excellent bactericidal performance against E. coli. Moreover, the as-prepared coating could maintain their superhydrophobicity after the sand impact test. The proposed method to fabricate such coatings could be applied on various substrates. Therefore, this novel hybrid surface with the abilities to reduce bacterial adhesion and kill attached bacteria make it a promising candidate for biosensors, microfluidics, bio-optical devices, household facilities, lab-on-chips, and touchscreen devices.

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