Cancer is still one of the most serious diseases with threats to health and life. Although some advances have been made in targeting delivery of antitumor drugs over the past number of years, there are still many problems needing to be solved, such as poor efficacy and high systemic toxicity. Micro/nanomotors capable of self‐propulsion in fluid provide promising platforms for improving the efficiency of tumor delivery. Herein, the recent progress in micro/nanomotors for tumor targeting delivery and therapy is reviewed, with special focus on the contributions of micro/nanomotors to the different stages of tumor targeting delivery as well as the combination therapy by micro/nanomotors. The present limitations and future directions are also put forward for further development.

Solid tumors always exhibit local hypoxia, resulting in the high metastasis and inertness to chemotherapy. Reconstruction of hypoxic tumor microenvironment (TME) is considered a potential therapy compared to directly killing tumor cells. However, the insufficient oxygen delivery to deep tumor and the confronting “Warburg effect” compromise the efficacy of hypoxia alleviation. Herein, we construct a cascade enzyme-powered nanomotor (NM-si), which can simultaneously provide sufficient oxygen in deep tumor and inhibit the aerobic glycolysis to potentiate anti-metastasis in chemotherapy. Catalase (Cat) and glucose oxidase (GOx) are co-adsorbed on our previously reported CAuNCs@HA to form self-propelled nanomotor (NM), with hexokinase-2 (HK-2) siRNA further condensed (NM-si). The persistent production of oxygen bubbles from the cascade enzymatic reaction propels NM-si to move forward autonomously and in a controllable direction along H 2 O 2 gradient towards deep tumor, with hypoxia successfully alleviated in the meantime. The autonomous movement also facilitates NM-si with lysosome escaping for efficient HK-2 knockdown to inhibit glycolysis. In vivo results demonstrated a promising anti-metastasis effect of commercially available albumin-bound paclitaxel (PTX@HSA) after pre-treated with NM-si for TME reconstruction. This cascade enzyme-powered nanomotor provides a potential prospect in reversing the hypoxic TME and metabolic pathway for reinforced anti-metastasis of chemotherapy.

The transfer of mitochondria between cells has recently been revealed as a spontaneous way to protect the injured cells. However, the utilization of this natural transfer process for disease treatment is so far limited by its unsatisfactory transfer efficiency and selectivity. Here, we demonstrate that iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) can augment the intercellular mitochondrial transfer from human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) selectively to diseased cells, owing to the enhanced formation of connexin 43-containing gap junctional channels triggered by ionized IONPs. In a mouse model of pulmonary fibrosis, the IONP-engineered hMSCs achieve a remarkable mitigation of fibrotic progression because of the promoted intercellular mitochondrial transfer, with no serious safety issues identified. The present study reports a potential method of using IONPs to enable hMSCs for efficient and safe transfer of mitochondria to diseased cells to restore mitochondrial bioenergetics.

BackgroundCollege students in China are emerging as one of the most vulnerable groups to contract HIV, because they are in a sexually active age group and also because of their open attitude toward sex and high risk sexual behaviors. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of willingness among college students to utilize HIV testing and counseling (HTC) service and the factors that may affect willingness, including predisposing, enabling and need factors, based on the Andersen’s behavioral model.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from October 6, 2016 to December 31, 2016 in Hubei University of Science and Technology in China. After signing informed consent, college students completed a self-designed online questionnaire distributed via https://www.wjx.cn/ voluntarily, anonymously and confidentially. Pearson’s chi-square test and Logistic regression models were chosen to analyze the factors associated with willingness to utilize HTC service.ResultsOut of 3314 college students in the sample, 2583 (77.9%) expressed their willingness to utilize HTC service. After adjustment, those with low levels of discrimination towards people living with HIV (PLHIV) (OR = 1.41, 95%CI:1.17–1.68), being more knowledgeable about free HTC service centers (OR = 1.44, 95%CI:1.17–1.77), having recognized the necessity to provide HTC service in the local university (OR = 2.20, 95%CI:1.73–2.80), and having a higher HIV risk perception (OR = 1.64, 95%CI:1.37–1.95) were more willing to utilize HTC service, compared with their respective counterparts.ConclusionsIn order to improve their willingness to utilize HTC service and finally to achieve the goal of zero-AIDS, a comprehensive intervention measure should be taken to publicize HTC service, eliminate stigma and discrimination against PLHIV, recruit and train peer volunteers to serve in the local university, and increase self-perceived risk of HIV infection.

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