Nuclear localization signal-tagged systems: relevant nuclear import principles in the context of current therapeutic design.

Nuclear targeting of therapeutics provides a strategy for enhancing efficacy of molecules active in the nucleus and minimizing off-target effects. 'Active' nuclear-directed transport and efficient translocations across nuclear pore complexes provide the most effective means of maximizing nuclear localization. Nuclear-targeting systems based on nuclear localization signal (NLS) motifs have progressed significantly since the beginning of the current millennium. Here, we offer a roadmap for understanding the basic mechanisms of nuclear import in the context of actionable therapeutic design for developing NLS-therapeutics with improved treatment efficacy.

Biodegradable nanoemulsion-based bioorthogonal nanocatalysts for intracellular generation of anticancer therapeutics.

Bioorthogonal catalysis mediated by transition metal catalysts (TMCs) provides controlled in situ activation of prodrugs through chemical reactions that do not interfere with cellular bioprocesses. The direct use of 'naked' TMCs in biological environments can have issues of solubility, deactivation, and toxicity. Here, we demonstrate the design and application of a biodegradable nanoemulsion-based scaffold stabilized by a cationic polymer that encapsulates a palladium-based TMC, generating bioorthogonal nanocatalyst "polyzymes". These nanocatalysts enhance the stability and catalytic activity of the TMCs while maintaining excellent mammalian cell biocompatibility. The therapeutic potential of these nanocatalysts was demonstrated through efficient activation of a non-toxic prodrug into an active chemotherapeutic drug, leading to efficient killing of cancer cells.

Interfacing Nanomaterials with Biology through Ligand Engineering.

Nanoparticles (NPs) have incredible potential in biology and biomedicine. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have become a cornerstone of the nanomedicine revolution due to their ease of synthesis, inertness, and versatility. The widespread use of AuNPs can be traced to the development of accessible, bottom-up wet synthesis methods that emphasized the role of ligands in controlling the size, dispersity, and stability of colloids in solution. Decoration of AuNPs with organic ligands can be used to dictate the interactions of these nanomaterials with biosystems on multiple scales. The tunability of the AuNP ligand monolayer via covalent and noncovalent approaches allows the use of AuNPs in a broad range of biomedical fields.In this Account, we describe our use of AuNPs to answer a central question in the ligand engineering of colloidal nanoparticles: can we fabricate NPs that are nontoxic, modular, and functional in biological environments? We explored spherical AuNPs of different sizes and ligand structures, empirically exploring the AuNP-biomolecule interaction. We show here how the atom-by-atom control provided by organic synthesis can be used to create engineered ligands. Presenting these ligands on the surface of AuNPs creates multivalent constructs with unique and useful properties. Ligand design is a key feature of these AuNPs. We have developed ligands that have three distinct structural segments: 1) a hydrophobic alkanethiol interior that imparts stability; 2) a tetra(ethylene glycol) segment that creates a noninteracting tabula rasa surface; and 3) ligand headgroups that dictate how the AuNP interacts with the outside world. Our research into the design principles of ligands on AuNPs and their interactions with biological systems can be translated to other nanoparticle systems.This Account also summarizes the trajectory of ligand engineering in our laboratory and further afield. At the outset, experimental and theoretical fundamental studies were focused on the interactions between AuNPs and cellular components, such as proteins and lipid membranes. Understanding these behaviors provided the direction for investigating how ligands mediate the interface of AuNPs with mammalian and bacterial cells. In these experiments, it was particularly noteworthy that the ligand hydrophobicity and charge play a significant role in the uptake and toxicity of AuNPs. These revelations formed a basis for translating AuNPs to physiological environments. We present how we have integrated our synthetic abilities to construct AuNPs for biomedical applications, including delivery, bioorthogonal catalysis, antimicrobial and antitumor therapeutics, and biosensing.Overall, we hope that this Account will give the reader insight into how our research has evolved, changing AuNPs from synthetic curiosities into functional nanoplatforms for nanomedicine, all through the power of ligand design and synthesis.

Identification of Proteins Using Supramolecular Gold Nanoparticle-Dye Sensor Arrays.

The rapid detection of proteins is very important in the early diagnosis of diseases. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) can be engineered to bind biomolecules efficiently and differentially. Cross-reactive sensor arrays have high sensitivity for sensing proteins using differential interactions between sensor elements and bioanalytes. A new sensor array was fabricated using surface-charged AuNPs with dyes supramolecularly encapsulated into the AuNP monolayer. The fluorescence of dyes is partially quenched by the AuNPs and can be restored or further quenched due to the differential interactions between AuNPs with proteins. This sensing system enables the discrimination of proteins in both buffer and human serum, providing a potential tool for real-world disease diagnostics.

Biodegradable Antibacterial Bioorthogonal Polymeric Nanocatalysts Prepared by Flash Nanoprecipitation.

Bioorthogonal activation of pro-dyes and prodrugs using transition-metal catalysts (TMCs) provides a promising strategy for imaging and therapeutic applications. TMCs can be loaded into polymeric nanoparticles through hydrophobic encapsulation to generate polymeric nanocatalysts with enhanced solubility and stability. However, biomedical use of these nanostructures faces challenges due to unwanted tissue accumulation of nonbiodegradable nanomaterials and cytotoxicity of heavy-metal catalysts. We report here the creation of fully biodegradable nanocatalysts based on an engineered FDA-approved polymer and the naturally existing catalyst hemin. Stable nanocatalysts were generated through kinetic stabilization using flash nanoprecipitation. The therapeutic potential of these nanocatalysts was demonstrated through effective treatment of bacterial biofilms through the bioorthogonal activation of a pro-antibiotic.

Bioorthogonal nanozymes for breast cancer imaging and therapy.

Bioorthogonal catalysis via transition metal catalysts (TMCs) enables the generation of therapeutics locally through chemical reactions not accessible by biological systems. This localization can enhance the efficacy of anticancer treatment while minimizing off-target effects. The encapsulation of TMCs into nanomaterials generates "nanozymes" to activate imaging and therapeutic agents. Here, we report the use of cationic bioorthogonal nanozymes to create localized "drug factories" for cancer therapy in vivo. These nanozymes remained present at the tumor site at least seven days after a single injection due to the interactions between cationic surface ligands and negatively charged cell membranes and tissue components. The prodrug was then administered systemically, and the nanozymes continuously converted the non-toxic molecules into active drugs locally. This strategy substantially reduced the tumor growth in an aggressive breast cancer model, with significantly reduced liver damage compared to traditional chemotherapy.

In vitro cell culture models for ultrasound treatments using collagen-based scaffolds.

Applications involving ultrasound treatment as a therapeutic strategy have gained interest due to its enhanced tissue penetration, broad availability, and minimal invasiveness. Recently, ultrasound treatment has been utilized for applications such as controlled drug delivery, enhanced drug penetration, sonodynamic therapy for generating ROS species, and targeted tissue ablation. However, our ability to study and explore applications is limited by the lack of in vitro models that enable efficient and representative screening of ultrasound-based therapeutic strategies. There is a need for cell culture approaches that mimic the mechanical environment of native tissues, which can prevent uncontrolled cell lysis due to ultrasonic energy. We developed two-dimensional and three-dimensional collagen-based materials for culturing cells in vitro that withstand ultrasound treatment. We hypothesized that the collagen matrix mimics the extracellular matrix and absorb most of the energy from ultrasound treatment - similar to in vivo effects - thereby preventing uncontrolled cell lysis. In this study, we developed a strategy for fabricating both the 2D coatings and 3D hydrogels coatings and tested the viability of the cultured cells post different durations of ultrasound treatment.

Ultrasound-Enhanced Antibacterial Activity of Polymeric Nanoparticles for Eradicating Bacterial Biofilms.

Bacterial biofilms are a major healthcare concern resulting in refractory conditions such as chronic wounds, implant infections and failure, and multidrug-resistant infections. Aggressive and invasive strategies are employed to cure biofilm infections but are prone to long and expensive treatments, adverse side-effects, and low patient compliance. Recent strategies such as ultrasound-based therapies and antimicrobial nanomaterials have shown some promise in the effective eradication of biofilms. However, maximizing therapeutic effect while minimizing healthy tissue damage is a key challenge that needs to be addressed. Here a combination treatment involving ultrasound and antimicrobial polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs) that synergistically eradicate bacterial biofilms is reported. Ultrasound treatment rapidly disrupts biofilms and increases penetration of antimicrobial PNPs thereby enhancing their antimicrobial activity. This results in superior biofilm toxicity, while allowing for a two- to sixfold reduction in both the concentration of PNPs as well as the duration of ultrasound. Furthermore, that this reduction minimizes cytotoxicity toward fibroblast cells, while resulting in a 100- to 1000-fold reduction in bacterial concentration, is demonstrated.

Porous Polymerized High Internal Phase Emulsions Prepared Using Proteins and Essential Oils for Antimicrobial Applications.

High internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) provide a versatile platform for encapsulating large volumes of therapeutics that are immiscible in water. A stable scaffold is obtained by polymerizing the external phase, resulting in polyHIPEs. However, fabrication of polyHIPEs usually requires using a considerable quantity of surfactants along with nonbiocompatible components, which hinders their biological applications, e.g., drug-eluting devices. We describe here a straightforward method for generating porous biomaterials by using proteins as both the emulsifier and the building blocks for the fabrication of polyHIPEs. We demonstrate the versatility of this method by using different essential oils as the internal phase. After the gelation of protein building blocks is triggered by the addition of reducing agents, a stable protein hydrogel containing essential oils can be formed. These oils can be either extracted to obtain protein-based porous scaffolds or slowly released for antimicrobial applications.

Macrophage-Encapsulated Bioorthogonal Nanozymes for Targeting Cancer Cells.

Macrophages migrate to tumor sites by following chemoattractant gradients secreted by tumor cells, providing a truly active targeting strategy for cancer therapy. However, macrophage-based delivery faces challenges of cargo loading, control of release, and effects of the payload on the macrophage vehicle. We present a strategy that employs bioorthogonal "nanozymes" featuring transition metal catalysts (TMCs) to provide intracellular "factories" for the conversion of prodyes and prodrugs into imaging agents and chemotherapeutics. These nanozymes solubilize and stabilize the TMCs by embedding them into self-assembled monolayer coating gold nanoparticles. Nanozymes delivered into macrophages were intracellularly localized and retained activity even after prolonged (72 h) incubation. Significantly, nanozyme-loaded macrophages maintained their inherent migratory ability toward tumor cell chemoattractants, efficiently killing cancer cells in cocultures. This work establishes the potential of nanozyme-loaded macrophages for tumor site activation of prodrugs, providing readily tunable dosages and delivery rates while minimizing off-target toxicity of chemotherapeutics.

Engineered Polymer-Supported Biorthogonal Nanocatalysts Using Flash Nanoprecipitation.

Transition-metal catalysts (TMCs) effect bioorthogonal transformations that enable the generation of therapeutic agents in situ, minimizing off-target effects. The encapsulation of insoluble TMCs into polymeric nanoparticles to generate "polyzymes" has vastly expanded their applicability in biological environments by enhancing catalyst solubility and stability. However, commonly used precipitation approaches provide limited encapsulation efficiency in polyzyme fabrication and result in a low catalytic activity. Herein, we report the creation of polyzymes with increased catalyst loading and optimized turnover efficiency using flash nanoprecipitation (FNP). Polyzymes with controlled size and catalyst loading were fabricated by tuning the process conditions of FNP. The biological applicability of polyzymes was demonstrated by efficiently transforming a non-toxic prodrug into the active drug within cancer cells.

Degradable ZnS-Supported Bioorthogonal Nanozymes with Enhanced Catalytic Activity for Intracellular Activation of Therapeutics.

Bioorthogonal catalysis using transition-metal catalysts (TMCs) provides a toolkit for the in situ generation of imaging and therapeutic agents in biological environments. Integrating TMCs with nanomaterials mimics key properties of natural enzymes, providing bioorthogonal "nanozymes". ZnS nanoparticles provide a platform for bioorthogonal nanozymes using ruthenium catalysts embedded in self-assembled monolayers on the particle surface. These nanozymes uncage allylated profluorophores and prodrugs. The ZnS core combines the non-toxicity and degradability with the enhancement of Ru catalysis through the release of thiolate surface ligands that accelerate the rate-determining step in the Ru-mediated deallylation catalytic cycle. The maximum rate of reaction (Vmax) increases ∼2.5-fold as compared to the non-degradable gold nanoparticle analogue. The therapeutic potential of these bioorthogonal nanozymes is demonstrated by activating a chemotherapy drug from an inactive prodrug with efficient killing of cancer cells.

Selective treatment of intracellular bacterial infections using host cell-targeted bioorthogonal nanozymes.

Intracellular bacterial infections are difficult to treat, and in the case of Salmonella and related infections, can be life threatening. Antibiotic treatments for intracellular infections face challenges including cell penetration and intracellular degradation that both reduce antibiotic efficacy. Even when treatable, the increased dose of antibiotics required to counter infections can strongly impact the microbiome, compromising the native roles of beneficial non-pathogenic species. Bioorthogonal catalysis provides a new tool to combat intracellular infections. Catalysts embedded in the monolayers of gold nanoparticles (nanozymes) bioorthogonally convert inert antibiotic prodrugs (pro-antibiotics) into active species within resident macrophages. Targeted nanozyme delivery to macrophages was achieved through mannose conjugation and subsequent uptake VIA the mannose receptor (CD206). These nanozymes efficiently converted pro-ciprofloxacin to ciprofloxacin inside the macrophages, selectively killing pathogenic Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium relative to non-pathogenic Lactobacillus sp. in a transwell co-culture model. Overall, this targeted bioorthogonal nanozyme strategy presents an effective treatment for intracellular infections, including typhoid and tuberculosis.

Nanomaterial-based bioorthogonal nanozymes for biological applications.

Bioorthogonal transformations are chemical reactions that use pathways which biological processes do not access. Bioorthogonal chemistry provides new approaches for imaging and therapeutic strategies, as well as tools for fundamental biology. Bioorthogonal catalysis enables the development of bioorthogonal "factories" for on-demand and in situ generation of drugs and imaging tools. Transition metal catalysts (TMCs) are widely employed as bioorthogonal catalysts due to their high efficiency and versatility. The direct application of TMCs in living systems is challenging, however, due to their limited solubility, instability in biological media and toxicity. Incorporation of TMCs into nanomaterial scaffolds can be used to enhance aqueous solubility, improve long-term stability in biological environment and minimize cytotoxicity. These nanomaterial platforms can be engineered for biomedical applications, increasing cellular uptake, directing biodistribution, and enabling active targeting. This review summarizes strategies for incorporating TMCs into nanomaterial scaffolds, demonstrating the potential and challenges of moving bioorthogonal nanocatalysts and nanozymes toward the clinic.

Erythrocyte-mediated delivery of bioorthogonal nanozymes for selective targeting of bacterial infections.

Bioorthogonal transformation of imaging and therapeutic substrates using transition metal catalysts (TMCs) provides a toolkit with diverse applications in biomedicine. Controlled localization of bioorthogonal catalysis is key for enhancing their therapeutic efficacy by minimizing off-target effects. Red blood cells (RBCs) are highly biocompatible and are susceptible to hemolysis by bacterial toxins, providing them with intrinsic targeting to bacterial infections. A hitchhiking strategy using RBCs is reported, that activates bioorthogonal catalysis at infection sites. A library of nanoparticles embedded with TMCs (nanozymes) featuring diverse functional groups with different binding ability to RBCs is generated. These engineered nanozymes bind to RBCs and subsequently release upon hemolysis by bacterial toxins, resulting in selective accumulation at the site of bacterial infections. The antimicrobial action is specific: catalytic activation of pro-antibiotics eradicated pathogenic biofilms without harming non-virulent bacterial species.

Biodegradable Poly(lactic acid) Stabilized Nanoemulsions for the Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Biofilms.

Biofilm infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria are an urgent global health threat. Incorporation of natural essential oils into biodegradable oil-in-water cross-linked polymeric nanoemulsions (X-NEs) provides effective eradication of MDR bacterial biofilms. The X-NE platform combines the degradability of functionalized poly(lactic acid) polymers with the antimicrobial activity of carvacrol (from oregano oil). These X-NEs exhibited effective penetration and killing of biofilms formed by pathogenic bacteria. Biofilm-fibroblast coculture models demonstrate that X-NEs selectively eliminate bacteria without harming mammalian cells, making them promising candidates for antibiofilm therapeutics.

Engineering the Interface between Inorganic Nanoparticles and Biological Systems through Ligand Design.

Nanoparticles (NPs) provide multipurpose platforms for a wide range of biological applications. These applications are enabled through molecular design of surface coverages, modulating NP interactions with biosystems. In this review, we highlight approaches to functionalize nanoparticles with "small" organic ligands (Mw < 1000), providing insight into how organic synthesis can be used to engineer NPs for nanobiology and nanomedicine.

Protection and Isolation of Bioorthogonal Metal Catalysts by Using Monolayer-Coated Nanozymes.

We demonstrate here the protection of biorthogonal transition metal catalysts (TMCs) in biological environments by using self-assembled monolayers on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Encapsulation of TMCs in this hydrophobic environment preserves catalytic activity in presence of pH conditions and complex biological media that would deactivate free catalyst. Significantly, the protection affords by these nanozymes extends to isolation of the catalyst active site, as demonstrated by the independence of rate over a wide pH range, in strong contrast to the behavior of the free catalyst.