Universal Strategy of Efficient Intracellular Macromolecule Directional Delivery Using Photothermal Pump Patch.

The development of a highly efficient, nondestructive, and in vitro/vivo-applicable universal delivery strategy of therapeutic macromolecules into desired cells and tissues is very challenging. Photothermal methods have advantages in intracellular delivery, particularly in in vivo manipulation. However, the inability of directional transmission of exogenous molecules limits their delivery efficiency. Here, a photothermal pump (PTP) patch with numerous "exogenous molecular reservoirs" is reported. Under a laser, the cell membrane ruptures, while "exogenous molecular reservoirs" shrink, resulting in a directional exogenous molecule delivery into cells for a high-efficient intracellular delivery. The PTP patches are considered a universal structure for a highly efficient, nondestructive, and in-vitro/vivo-applicable intracellular macromolecule delivery. Under in vivo transdermal intracellular delivery conditions, the target genes are efficiently and noninvasively delivered into epidermal and dermal cells through the PTP patch and exosomes produced by the epidermal cells, respectively. The PTP patch provides a new strategy for a high-efficiency, nondestructive, and in-vitro/vivo-applicable macromolecule delivery.

Ultrahigh Efficiency and Minimalist Intracellular Delivery of Macromolecules Mediated by Latent-Photothermal Surfaces.

Intracellular delivery of exogenous macromolecules by photothermal methods is still not widely employed despite its universal and clear effect on cell membrane rupture. The main causes are the unsatisfactory delivery efficiency, poor cell activity, poor cell harvest, and sophisticated operation; these challenges stem from the difficulty of simply controlling laser hotspots. Here, we constructed latent-photothermal surfaces based on multiwall carbon nanotube-doped poly(dimethyl siloxane), which can deliver cargoes with high delivery efficiency and cell viability. Also, cell release and harvest efficiencies were not affected by coordinating the hotspot content and surface structure. This system is suitable for use with a wide range of cell lines, including hard-to-transfect types. The delivery efficiency and cell viability were shown to be greater than 85 and 80%, respectively, and the cell release and harvest efficiency were greater than 95 and 80%, respectively. Moreover, this system has potential application prospects in the field of cell therapy, including stem cell neural differentiation and dendritic cell vaccines.

Green Approach for Metal Oxide Deposition at an Air-Liquid-Solid Triphase Interface with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity.

Bioinspired superhydrophobic substrates have been used in many scientific and technological areas. These substrates can trap atmosphere-linked air pockets at the solid-liquid interface, offering an opportunity to address the oxygen-deficit problem in many reaction systems. Herein, we addressed the oxygen-deficit problem in metal oxide electrochemical deposition by using a triphase electrode possessing an air-liquid-solid joint interface. Oxygen in the interface is directly available from the air phase for sufficient OH- production via oxygen cathodic reaction, thereby offering us a green approach to fabricate two-dimensional mesoporous ZnO nanoarrays over a wide range of current densities. Further, because metal oxides are deposited at the triphase interface, sufficient O2, a natural electron scavenger required in photocatalytic reaction to suppress the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, can be directly supplied, and we demonstrated their enhanced photocatalytic reaction kinetics in water remediation. The present work highlights a powerful interface-engineering strategy for fabricating metal oxides with unprecedented photocatalytic ability.

An enhanced enzymatic reaction using a triphase system based on superhydrophobic mesoporous nanowire arrays.

Gaseous reactants play a key role in a wide range of biocatalytic reactions, however reaction kinetics are generally limited by the slow mass transport of gases (typically oxygen) in or through aqueous solutions. Inspired by the morphologies of natural non-wetting surfaces, herein we address this limitation by developing a triphase reaction system possessing a triphase gas-solid-liquid interface. As a proof of concept, we study the kinetics of glucose oxidase (GOx) catalyzed reactions using a triphase system fabricated by layering GOx upon superhydrophobic mesoporous ZnO nanowire arrays through which oxygen, needed for the enzymatic reaction, is supplied directly from the atmosphere to the liquid-solid interface. We find that the enzymatic reaction rate is enhanced by a factor of 30 over that obtained from a conventional diphase system where oxygen is supplied through and from the liquid. The triphase system offers the opportunity to develop high performance bioassay systems, serving as an enabling platform for addressing challenges posed by gas-deficit kinetics.