Single atom nonmetal 2D nanomaterials have shown considerable potential in cancer nanomedicines, owing to their intriguing properties and biocompatibility. Herein, ultrathin boron nanosheets (B NSs) are prepared through a novel top-down approach by coupling thermal oxidation etching and liquid exfoliation technologies, with controlled nanoscale thickness. Based on the PEGylated B NSs, a new photonic drug delivery platform is developed, which exhibits multiple promising features for cancer therapy and imaging, including: i) efficient NIR-light-to-heat conversion with a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 42.5%, ii) high drug-loading capacity and triggered drug release by NIR light and moderate acidic pH, iii) strong accumulation at tumor sites, iv) multimodal imaging properties (photoacoustic, photothermal, and fluorescence imaging), and v) complete tumor ablation and excellent biocompatibility. As far as it is known, this is the first report on the top-down fabrication of ultrathin 2D B NSs by the combined thermal oxidation etching and liquid exfoliation, as well as their application as a multimodal imaging-guided drug delivery platform. The newly prepared B NSs are also expected to provide a robust and useful 2D nanoplatform for various biomedical applications.
As an attractive alternative to plasmid DNA, messenger RNA (mRNA) has recently emerged as a promising class of nucleic acid therapeutics for biomedical applications. Advances in addressing the inherent shortcomings of mRNA and in the development of nanoparticle-based delivery systems have prompted the development and clinical translation of mRNA-based medicines. In this review, we discuss the chemical modification strategies of mRNA to improve its stability, minimize immune responses, and enhance translational efficacy. We also highlight recent progress in nanoparticle-based mRNA delivery. Considerable attention is given to the increasingly widespread applications of mRNA nanomedicine in the biomedical fields of vaccination, protein-replacement therapy, gene editing, and cellular reprogramming and engineering.
Conspectus
Understanding the interactions between nanomaterials
and biological
systems plays a pivotal role in enhancing the efficacy of nanomedicine
and advancing the disease diagnosis. The nanoparticle–protein
corona, an active biomolecular layer, is formed around nanoparticles
(NPs) upon mixing with biological fluid. The surface layer which consists
of rapidly exchanged biomolecules is called the “soft”
corona. The inner layer which is more stable and tightly packed is
called the “hard” corona. It has been suggested that
the NP–protein corona has a decisive effect on the in vivo fate of nanomedicine upon intravenously administration
into the mouse. Furthermore, the features of the NP–protein
corona make it a powerful platform to enrich low-abundance proteins
from serum/plasma for downstream mass-spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics
for biomarker discovery and disease diagnosis.
Herein, we summarize
our recent work on the development of nanomedicine
and disease detection from the level of nano–bio interactions
between nanoparticles and biological systems. Nanomedicine has made
substantial progress over the past two decades. However, the significant
enhancement of overall patient survival by nanomedicine remains a
challenge due to the lack of a deep understanding of nano–bio
interactions in the clinical setting. The pharmacokinetic effect of
the protein corona on PEGylated NPs during blood circulation indicated
that the adsorbed apolipoproteins could prolong the circulation time
of NPs. This mechanistic understanding of the protein corona (active
biomolecule) formed around polymeric NPs offered insights into enhancing
the efficacy of nanomedicine from the biological interactions point
of view. Moreover, we discuss the basic rationale for developing bioresponsive
cancer nanomedicine by exploiting the pathophysiological environment
around the tumor, typically the pH, reactive oxygen species (ROS),
and redox-responsive supramolecular motifs based on synthetic amphiphilic
polymers. The protein corona in vivo determines the
biological fate of NPs, whereas it opens a new avenue to enrich low
abundant proteins in a biospecimen ex vivo to render
them “visible” for downstream analytical workflows,
such as MS-based proteomics. Blood serum/plasma, due to easy accessibility
and great potential to uncover and monitor physiological and pathological
changes in health and disease, has remained a major source of detecting
protein biomarker candidates. Inspired by the features of the NP–protein
corona, a Proteograph platform, which integrates multi-NP–protein
coronas with MS for large-scale efficient and deep proteome profiling
has been developed. Finally, we conclude this Account with a better
understanding of nano–bio interactions to accelerate the nanomedicine
translation and how MS-based proteomics can boost our understanding
of the corona composition and facilitate the identification of disease
biomarkers.
Nanoparticles have attracted increasing attention for local drug delivery to the inner ear recently. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) nanoparticles were prepared by desolvation method followed by glutaraldehyde fixation or heat denaturation. The nanoparticles were spherical in shape with an average diameter of 492 nm. The heat-denatured nanoparticles had good cytocompatibility. The nanoparticles could adhere on and penetrate through the round window membrane of guinea pigs. The nanoparticles were analyzed as drug carriers to investigate the loading capacity and release behaviors. Rhodamine B was used as a model drug in this paper. Rhodamine B-loaded nanoparticles showed a controlled release profile and could be deposited on the osseous spiral lamina. We considered that the bovine serum albumin nanoparticles may have potential applications in the field of local drug delivery in the treatment of inner ear disorders.
Accumulating evidence shows that innate immune responses are associated with extracellular nucleotides, particularly ATP. In this article, we demonstrate extensive protection of ATP/P2X7 signaling in a host against viral infection. Interestingly, we observed a significant increase in ATP as a danger signal in vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-infected cell supernatant and VSV-infected mice in an exocytosis- and pannexin channel-dependent manner. Furthermore, extracellular ATP reduces the replication of VSV, Newcastle disease virus, murine leukemia virus, and HSV in vivo and in vitro through the P2X7 receptor. Meanwhile, ATP significantly increases IFN-β expression in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Mechanistically, ATP facilitates IFN-β secretion through P38/JNK/ATF-2 signaling pathways, which are crucial in promoting antiviral immunity. Taken together, these results demonstrate the protective role of extracellular ATP and P2X7 in viral infection and suggest a potential therapeutic role for ATP/P2X7 in viral diseases.
A biomimicking Z-scheme photocatalytic system was constructed using dual-functionalized polymer covalent cross-linking electron mediator to catenate antimonene and black phosphorus nanosheets.
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