Design of Cyclodextrin-Based Functional Systems for Biomedical Applications.

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are a family of α-1,4-linked cyclic oligosaccharides that possess a hydrophobic cavity and a hydrophilic outer surface with abundant hydroxyl groups. This unique structural characteristic allows CDs to form inclusion complexes with various guest molecules and to functionalize with different substituents for the construction of novel sophisticated systems, ranging from derivatives to polymers, metal-organic frameworks, hydrogels, and other supramolecular assemblies. The excellent biocompatibility, selective recognition ability, and unique bioactive properties also make these CD-based functional systems especially attractive for biomedical applications. In this review, we highlight the characteristics and advantages of CDs as a starting point to design different functional materials and summarize the recent advances in the use of these materials for bioseparation, enzymatic catalysis, biochemical sensing, biomedical diagnosis and therapy.

Supramolecular Polymer Nanocomposites for Biomedical Applications.

Polymer nanocomposites, a class of innovative materials formed by polymer matrixes and nanoscaled fillers (e.g., carbon-based nanomaterials, inorganic/semiconductor nanoparticles, metal/metal-oxide nanoparticles, polymeric nanostructures, etc.), display enhanced mechanical, optoelectrical, magnetic, catalytic, and bio-related characteristics, thereby finding a wide range of applications in the biomedical field. In particular, the concept of supramolecular chemistry has been introduced into polymer nanocomposites, which creates myriad "smart" biomedical materials with unique physicochemical properties and dynamic tunable structures in response to diverse external stimuli. This review aims to provide an overview of the chemical composition, morphological structures, biological functionalities, and reinforced performances of supramolecular polymer nanocomposites. Additionally, recent advances in biomedical applications such as therapeutic delivery, bioimaging, and tissue engineering are also discussed, especially their excellent properties leveraged in the development of multifunctional intelligent biomedical materials.

Irinotecan and berberine co-delivery liposomes showed improved efficacy and reduced intestinal toxicity compared with Onivyde for pancreatic cancer.

Onivyde is the first irinotecan (IRI) nanoliposome that could improve pharmacokinetics and tumor biodistribution of irinotecan. Although FDA approves Onivyde for the treatment of pancreatic cancer patients who are not effective for GEM, the gastrointestinal toxicity caused by Onivyde is still a problem to be solved in clinical application. Berberine (BER), an isoquinolone alkaloid extracted from several different plants, has been reported to exhibit beneficial effect in alleviating intestinal mucositis and generating synergistic anticancer effect in combination with cytotoxic drugs. However, its therapeutic effect is affected by the different pharmacokinetic behavior of two drugs. Therefore, we utilized triethylamine-sucrose octasulfate gradient to construct nanoliposomes for co-delivery of irinotecan and berberine, termed as lipBI. This co-delivery nanoliposomes remained the synergistic ratio in the body and improved tumor distribution of IRI and BER. The lipBI significantly inhibited tumor growth in the BXPC-3 pancreatic cancer model compared with Onivyde (p < 0.05) and reduced the gastrointestinal toxicity in mice caused by IRI. Overall, IRI/BER co-loaded liposomes possessed great potential in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Graphene oxide-based colorimetric detection of organophosphorus pesticides via a multi-enzyme cascade reaction.

Size-tunable graphene oxides (GO) were synthesized as a horseradish peroxidase (HRP) mimic for colorimetric detection of organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) at nanomolar levels via a cascade reaction. A GO-based colorimetric method showed high sensitivity and stability toward OPs, which hold great potential in public health applications.

Computational Design and Study of Artificial Selenoenzyme with Controllable Activity Based on an Allosteric Protein Scaffold.

The establishment of new enzymatic function in an existing scaffold is a great challenge for protein engineers. In previous work, a highly efficient artificial selenoenzyme with controllable activity was constructed, based on a Ca2+ -responsive recoverin (Rn) protein. In this study, a design strategy combining docking, molecular dynamics, and MM-PBSA is presented, to predict the catalytically active site of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) on the allosteric domain of Rn. The energy contributions of the binding hot spot residues are evaluated further by energy decomposition analysis to determine the detailed substrate recognition mechanism of Rn, which provides clear guidance for artificial enzyme design for improved substrate binding (Michaelis-Menten constant, Km ).