Taking inspiration from nature, the biomimetic concept has been integrated into drug delivery systems in cancer therapy. Disguised with cell membranes, the nanoparticles can acquire various functions of natural cells. The cell membrane-coating technology has pushed the limits of common nano-systems (fast elimination in circulation) to more effectively navigate within the body. Moreover, because of the various functional molecules on the surface, cell membrane-based nanoparticles (CMBNPs) are capable of interacting with the complex biological microenvironment of the tumor. Various sources of cell membranes have been explored to camouflage CMBNPs and different tumor-targeting strategies have been developed to enhance the anti-tumor drug delivery therapy. In this review article we highlight the most recent advances in CMBNP-based cancer targeting systems and address the challenges and opportunities in this field.

Tumor necrosis factor-α-inducible protein 8 (TNFAIP8) family are very recently identified proteins which share considerable sequence homology to regulate cellular and immune homeostasis. However, it is unknown whether TNFAIP8 family is expressed in the kidney and contributes to the regulation of renal functions. Therefore, the present study was designed to characterize the members of TNFAIP8 family in the kidney and to explore their possible roles in the development and progression of diabetic nephropathy. By RT-PCR and Western blot analyses, we found that all members of TNFAIP8 family were detected in the kidney. TNFAIP8 and TIPE2 expression was significantly increased in glomeruli from streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats, and this upregulation was further confirmed in renal biopsies of diabetic patients. In in vitro study, TNFAIP8 was upregulated in response to high glucose in mesangial cells rather than podocytes. Moreover, a direct correlation was observed between expression of TNFAIP8 and mesangial cell proliferation and this regulation was associated with NADPH oxidase-mediated signaling pathway. However, we failed to observe the upregulation of TIPE2 in both mesangial cells and podocytes in response to high glucose. In conclusion, the present study addressed the role of TNFAIP8 family in diabetic nephropathy. These findings for the first time demonstrate that TNFAIP8 is one of critical components of a signal transduction pathway that links mesangial cell proliferation to diabetic renal injury.

Limited circulating tumor cells (CTCs) capturing efficiency and lack of regulation capability on CTC-supportive metastatic niches (MNs) are two main obstacles hampering the clinical translation of conventional liposomes for the treatment of metastatic breast cancers. Traditional delivery strategies, such as ligand modification and immune modulator co-encapsulation for nanocarriers, are inefficient and laborious. Here, a multifunctional Rg3 liposome loading with docetaxel (Rg3-Lp/DTX) was developed, in which Rg3 was proved to intersperse in the phospholipid bilayer and exposed its glycosyl on the liposome surface. Therefore, it exhibited much higher CTC-capturing efficiency via interaction with glucose transporter 1 (Glut1) overexpressed on CTCs. After reaching the lungs with CTCs, Rg3 inhibited the formation of MNs by reversing the immunosuppressive microenvironment. Together, Rg3-Lp/DTX exhibited excellent metastasis inhibition capacity by CTC (“seeds”) neutralization and MN (“soil”) inhibition. The strategy has great clinical translation prospects for antimetastasis treatment with enhanced therapeutic efficacy and simple preparation process.

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RhoE/Rnd3 is an atypical member of the Rho superfamily of proteins, However, the global biological function profile of this protein remains unsolved. In the present study, a RhoE-knockout H9C2 cardiomyocyte cell line was established using cRISPR/Cas9 technology, following which differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the knockout and wild-type cell lines were screened using whole genome expression gene chips. A total of 829 DEGs, including 417 upregulated and 412 downregulated, were identified using the threshold of fold changes ≥1.2 and P<0.05. Using the ingenuity pathways analysis system with a threshold of-Log (P-value)>2, 67 canonical pathways were found to be enriched. Many of the detected signaling pathways, including that of oncostatin M signaling, were found to be associated with the inflammatory response. Subsequent disease and function analysis indicated that apart from cardiovascular disease and development function, RhoE may also be involved in other diseases and function, including organismal survival, cancer, organismal injury and abnormalities, cell-to-cell signaling and interaction, and molecular transport. In addition, 885 upstream regulators were enriched, including 59 molecules that were predicated to be strongly activated (Z-score >2) and 60 molecules that were predicated to be significantly inhibited (Z-scores <-2). In particular, 33 regulatory effects and 25 networks were revealed to be associated with the DEGs. Among them, the most significant regulatory effects were 'adhesion of endothelial cells' and 'recruitment of myeloid cells' and the top network was 'neurological disease', 'hereditary disorder, organismal injury and abnormalities'. In conclusion, the present study successfully edited the RhoE gene in H9c2 cells using cRISPR/cas9 technology and subsequently analyzed the enriched DEGs along with their associated canonical signaling pathways, diseases and functions classification, upstream regulatory molecules, regulatory effects and interaction networks. The results of the present study should facilitate the discovery of the global biological and functional properties of RhoE and provide new insights into role of RhoE in human diseases, especially those in the cardiovascular system.

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Dual-confined porous Si@c-ZIF@carbon nanofibers (Si@c-ZIF@CNFs) are fabricated, possessing excellent antioxidant capacity, high surface area and abundant pores, which availably enhance conductivity, relieve volume expansion and facilitate electrolyte penetration during cycling....