Co-Delivery of Gemcitabine and Honokiol by Lipid Bilayer-Coated Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Enhances Pancreatic Cancer Therapy via Targeting Depletion of Tumor Stroma.

Syndecan-1 (SDC1) modified lipid bilayer (LB)-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) to co-deliver gemcitabine (GEM) and honokiol (HNK) were prepared for the targeting treatment of pancreatic cancer. The encapsulation efficiencies of GEM and HNK in SDC1-LB-MSN-GEM/HNK were determined to be 60.3 ± 3.2% and 73.0 ± 1.1%. The targeting efficiency of SDC1-LB-MSN-GEM/HNK was investigated in BxPC-3 cells in vitro. The fluorescence intensity in the cells treated with SDC1-LB-MSN-Cou6 was 2-fold of LB-MSN-Cou6-treated cells, which was caused by SDC1/IGF1R-mediated endocytosis. As anticipated, its cytotoxicity was significantly increased. Furthermore, the mechanism was verified that SDC1-LB-MSN-HNK induced tumor cell apoptosis through the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. Finally, the biodistribution, tumor growth inhibition, and preliminary safety studies were performed on BALB/c nude mice bearing BxPC-3 tumor models. The tumor growth inhibition index of SDC1-LB-MSN-GEM/HNK was 56.19%, which was 1.45-fold and 1.33-fold higher than that of the free GEM/HNK and LB-MSN-GEM/HNK treatment groups, respectively. As a result, SDC1-LB-MSN-GEM/HNK combined advantages of both GEM and HNK and simultaneously targeted and eliminated pancreatic cancerous and cancer-associated stromal cells. In summary, the present study demonstrated a new strategy of synergistic GEM and HNK to enhance the therapeutic effect of pancreatic cancer via the targeting depletion of tumor stroma.

A three-dimensional flower-like NiCo-layered double hydroxide grown on nickel foam with an MXene coating for enhanced oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalysis.

Electrolysis of water is currently one of the cleanest and most efficient ways to produce high-purity hydrogen. The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the anode of electrolysis is the key factor affecting the reaction efficiency, which involves the transfer of four electrons and can slow down the overall reaction process. In this work, using nickel foam coated with MXene (Ti3C2T x ) as the carrier, a three-dimensional flower-shaped layered double hydroxide (NiCo-LDH) is grown on Ti3C2T x by a hydrothermal method to fabricate a NiCo-LDH/Ti3C2T x /NF hybrid electrocatalyst for enhanced OER performance. The results reveal that the hybrid electrocatalyst has excellent OER activity in alkaline solution, in which a low overpotential of 223 mV and a small Tafel slope of 47.2 mV dec-1 can be achieved at a current density of 100 mA cm-2. The interface interaction and charge transfer between Ti3C2T x and NiCo-LDH can accelerate the electron transfer rate during the redox process and improve the catalytic activity of the overall reaction. This NiCo-LDH/Ti3C2T x /NF hybrid electrocatalyst may have important research significance and great application potential in catalytic electrolysis of water.

Medium-chain triglyceride/water Pickering emulsion stabilized by phosphatidylcholine-kaolinite for encapsulation and controlled release of curcumin.

Pickering emulsions have received widespread attention for encapsulating lipophilic guests in the biomedical and food fields. However, control of the stabilities and demulsification of Pickering emulsions to allow the release of encapsulated species remains a challenge in gastrointestinal conditions. In this work, phosphatidylcholine-kaolinite was prepared by modification of natural kaolinite with phosphatidylcholine and was used as an emulsifier to stabilize medium-chain triglyceride (MCT)/water Pickering emulsions for encapsulating curcumin, a natural antioxidant drug. Simulated gastric and intestinal digestion and a cell uptake assay were implemented for the curcumin-loaded MCT/water Pickering emulsion to study its demulsification and the bioavailability of curcumin. The results revealed that the wettability of phosphatidylcholine-kaolinite could be tailored by controlling the modification temperature so that it could control the emulsion stability. The prepared phosphatidylcholine-kaolinite, with a three-phase contact angle of 123°, was an optimal emulsifier for the enhanced stabilization of the MCT/water Pickering emulsion, especially in the presence of gastric acid. The phosphatidylcholine-kaolinite distributed at the water-oil interface and formed a dense shell structure on the surfaces of the emulsion droplets, controlling the demulsification efficiency to release the encapsulated curcumin. Only 18.9% of the curcumin was released in the simulated gastric conditions after 120 min of digestion due to the demulsification of the MCT/water Pickering emulsion, while it was completely released after 150 min of digestion in simulated intestinal conditions, as expected. This Pickering emulsion stabilized by phosphatidylcholine-kaolinite is a promising delivery system for lipophilic foods or drugs to enhance their bioavailability.