Holistic Study Design Following Quality by Design Approach for Fabrication of Hybrid Polymeric Nanoparticulate Based Dry Powders as Carriers for Ciprofloxacin.

Resistance to antibiotics such as Ciprofloxacin (CIP) is becoming a critical issue and needs to be addressed globally. CIP is widely used because of manifold uses; however, the long-term therapy poses serious health risks including FDA black box warnings such as tendinitis and peripheral neuropathy. Therefore, nanotechnology-based products can be an effective measure to improve therapeutic outcomes by maintaining the dose at the target site while reducing the dose-dependent toxicity. Biodegradable and biocompatible polymers, Chitosan (CS) and Hyaluronic acid (HA) were used in this work due to their diverse biological characteristics. A simple yet economical ionic gelation method was employed to synthesize nanoparticles with a plexus-like network; nanoplexes, followed by spray-drying to obtain the dry powders to improve stability. Quality by Design (QbD) approach was utilized during the study for robustness and standardization followed by Design of Experiment (DoE) for optimization in a holistic way. The mean particle size of the optimized powder sample was found to be 301.1 nm with a percentage encapsulation efficiency (% EE) of 78.8%. In-vitro dissolution studies corroborated the controlled release of CIP over 48 h. Also, mathematical kinetic modeling was applied to obtain thorough insight into the mechanism of drug release. Moreover, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were presented to be lower in the case of prepared dry powder as compared to CIP, stating that nanotechnology can improve antimicrobial activity.

A Green Synthesis of Au-Ag Alloy Nanoparticles using Polydopamine Chemistry: Evaluation of their Anticancer Potency Towards Both MCF-7 Cells and their Cancer Stem Cells Subgroup.

BACKGROUND: Limited chemotherapy efficacy and cancer stem cells (CSCs)-induced therapeutic resistance are major difficulties for tumour treatment. Adopting more efficient therapies to eliminate bulk-sensitive cancer cells and resistant CSCs is urgently needed. METHODS: Based on the potential and functional complementarity of gold and silver nanoparticles (AuNPs or AgNPs) on tumour treatment, bimetallic NPs (alloy) have been synthesized to obtain improved or even newly emerging bioactivity from a combination effect. This study reported a facile, green and economical preparation of Au-Ag alloy NPs using biocompatible polydopamine (PDA) as a reductant, capping, stabilizing and hydrophilic agent. RESULTS: These alloy NPs were quasi-spherical with rough surfaces and recorded in diameters of 80 nm. In addition, these alloy NPs showed good water dispersity, stability and photothermal effect. Compared with monometallic counterparts, these alloy NPs demonstrated a dramatically enhanced cytotoxic/pro-apoptotic/necrotic effect towards bulk-sensitive MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. The underlying mechanism regarding the apoptotic action was associated with a mitochondria-mediated pathway, as evidenced by Au3+/Ag+ mediated Mitochondria damage, ROS generation, DNA fragmentation and upregulation of certain apoptotic-related genes (Bax, P53 and Caspase 3). Attractively, these Au-Ag alloy NPs showed a remarkably improved inhibitory effect on the mammosphere formation capacity of MCF-7 CSCs. CONCLUSION: All the positive results were attributed to incorporated properties from Au, Ag and PDA, the combination effect of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy and the nano-scaled structure of Au-Ag alloy NPs. In addition, the high biocompatibility of Au-Ag alloy NPs supported them as a good candidate in cancer therapy.

4-[(E)-2-(1-Pyrenyl)Vinyl]Pyridine Complexes: How to Modulate the Toxicity of Heavy Metal Ions to Target Microbial Infections.

Pyrene derivatives are regularly proposed for use in biochemistry as dyes due to their photochemical characteristics. Their antibacterial properties are, however, much less well understood. New complexes based on 4-[(E)-2-(1-pyrenyl)vinyl]pyridine (PyPe) have been synthesized with metal ions that are known to possess antimicrobial properties, such as zinc(II), cadmium(II), and mercury(II). The metal ion salts, free ligand, combinations thereof, and the coordination compounds themselves were tested for their antibacterial properties through microdilution assays. We found that the ligand is able to modulate the antibacterial properties of transition metal ions, depending on the complex stability, the distance between the ligand and the metal ions, and the metal ions themselves. The coordination by the ligand weakened the antibacterial properties of heavy metal ions (Cd(II), Hg(II), Bi(III)), allowing the bacteria to survive higher concentrations thereof. Mixing the ligand and the metal ion salts without forming the complex beforehand enhanced the antibacterial properties of the cations. Being non-cytotoxic itself, the ligand therefore balances the biological consequences of heavy metal ions between toxicity and therapeutic weapons, depending on its use as a coordinating ligand or simple adjuvant.

Enhancing radioprotection: A chitosan-based chelating polymer is a versatile radioprotective agent for prophylactic and therapeutic interventions against radionuclide contamination.

To mitigate the risk of radioactive isotope dissemination, the development of preventative and curative measures is of particular interest. For mass treatment, the developed solution must be easily administered, preferably orally, with effective, nontoxic decorporating properties against a wide range of radioactive isotopes. Currently, most orally administered chelation therapy products are quickly absorbed into the blood circulation, where chelation of the radioactive isotope is a race against time due to the short circulation half-life of the therapeutic. This report presents an alternative therapeutic approach by using a functionalized chitosan (chitosan@DOTAGA) with chelating properties that remains within the gastrointestinal tract and is eliminated in feces, that can protect against ingested radioactive isotopes. The polymer shows important in vitro chelation properties towards different metallic cations of importance, including (Cs(I), Ir(III), Th(IV), Tl(I), Sr(II), U(VI) and Co(II)), at different pH (from 1 to 7) representing the different environments in the gastrointestinal tract. An in vivo proof of concept is presented on a rodent model of uranium contamination following an oral administration of Chitosan@DOTAGA. The polymer partially prevents the accumulation of uranium within the kidneys (providing a protective effect) and completely prevents its uptake by the spleen.

Simple distance-based thread analytical device integrated with ion imprinted polymer for Zn2+ quantification in human urine samples.

This article presents the development of a distance-based thread analytical device (dTAD) integrated with an ion-imprinted polymer (IIP) for quantitative monitoring of zinc ions (Zn2+) in human urine samples. The IIP was easily chemically modified onto the thread channel using dithizone (DTZ) as a ligand to bind to Zn2+ with methacrylic acid (MAA) as a functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as well as 2,2-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as cross-linking agents to enhance the selectivity for Zn2+ detection. The imprinted polymer was characterized using Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Under optimization, the linear detection range was from 1.0 to 20.0 mg L-1 (R2 = 0.9992) with a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.0 mg L-1. Other potentially interfering metal ions and molecules did not interfere with this approach, leading to high selectivity. Furthermore, our technique exhibits a remarkable recovery ranging from 100.48% to 103.16%, with the highest relative standard deviation (% RSD) of 5.44% for monitoring Zn2+ in human control urine samples, indicating high accuracy and precision. Similarly, there is no significant statistical difference between the results obtained using our method and standards on zinc supplement sample labels. The proposed method offers several advantages in detecting trace Zn2+ for point-of-care (POC) medical diagnostics and environmental sample analysis, such as ease of use, instrument-free readout, and cost efficiency. Overall, our developed dTAD-based IIP method holds potential for simple, affordable, and rapid detection of Zn2+ levels and can be applied to other metal ions' analysis.

Polymers from Plant Oils Linked by Siloxane Bonds for Programmed Depolymerization.

The increased production of plastics is leading to the accumulation of plastic waste and depletion of limited fossil fuel resources. In this context, we report a strategy to create polymers that can undergo controlled depolymerization by linking renewable feedstocks with siloxane bonds. α,ω-Diesters and α,ω-diols containing siloxane bonds were synthesized from an alkenoic ester derived from castor oil and then polymerized with varied monomers, including related biobased monomers. In addition, cyclic monomers derived from this alkenoic ester and hydrosiloxanes were prepared and cyclized to form a 26-membered macrolactone containing a siloxane unit. Sequential ring-opening polymerization of this macrolactone and lactide afforded an ABA triblock copolymer. This set of polymers containing siloxanes underwent programmed depolymerization into monomers in protic solvents or with hexamethyldisiloxane and an acid catalyst. Monomers afforded by the depolymerization of polyesters containing siloxane linkages were repolymerized to demonstrate circularity in select polymers. Evaluation of the environmental stability of these polymers toward enzymatic degradation showed that they undergo enzymatic hydrolysis by a fungal cutinase from Fusarium solani. Evaluation of soil microbial metabolism of monomers selectively labeled with 13C revealed differential metabolism of the main chain and side chain organic groups by soil microbes.

Melanin-Ce6-loaded polydopamine nanoparticles-based enhanced phototherapy for B16 melanoma cancer cells.

Melanoma is one of the most aggressive and lethal types of cancer owing to its metastatic propensity and chemoresistance property. An alternative therapeutic option is photodynamic and photothermal therapies (PDT/PTT), which employ near-infrared (NIR) light to generate heat and reactive oxygen species (ROS). As per previous reports, Melanin (Mel), and its synthetic analogs (i.e. polydopamine nanoparticles) can induce NIR light-mediated heat energy, thereby selectively targeting and ameliorating cancer cells. Similarly, chlorin e6 (Ce6) also has high ROS generation ability and antitumor activity against various types of cancer. Based on this tenet, In the current study, we have encapsulated Mel-Ce6 in a polydopamine (PDA) nanocarrier (MCP NPs) synthesized by the oxidation polymerization method. The hydrodynamic diameter of the synthesized spherical MCP NPs was 139 ± 10 nm. The MCP NPs, upon irradiation with NIR 690 nm laser for 6 min, showed photothermal efficacy of more than 50 °C. Moreover, the red fluorescence in the MCP NPs due to Ce6 can be leveraged for diagnostic purposes. Further, the MCP NPs exhibited considerable biocompatibility with the L929 cell line and exerted nearly 70% ROS-mediated cytotoxicity on the B16 melanoma cell line after the laser irradiation. Thus, the prepared MCP NPs could be a promising theranostic agent for treating the B16 melanoma cancer.

Enhancement of subunit vaccine delivery with zinc-carnosine coordination polymer through the addition of mannan.

Vaccines represent a pivotal health advancement for preventing infection. However, because carrier systems with repeated administration can invoke carrier-targeted immune responses that diminish subsequent immune responses (e.g., PEG antibodies), there is a continual need to develop novel vaccine platforms. Zinc carnosine microparticles (ZnCar MPs), which are composed of a one-dimensional coordination polymer formed between carnosine and the metal ion zinc, have exhibited efficacy in inducing an immune response against influenza. However, ZnCar MPs' limited suspendability hinders clinical application. In this study, we address this issue by mixing mannan, a polysaccharide derived from yeast, with ZnCar MPs. We show that the addition of mannan increases the suspendability of this promising vaccine formulation. Additionally, since mannan is an adjuvant, we illustrate that the addition of mannan increases the antibody response and T cell response when mixed with ZnCar MPs. Mice vaccinated with mannan + OVA/ZnCar MPs had elevated serum IgG and IgG1 levels in comparison to vaccination without mannan. Moreover, in the mannan + OVA/ZnCar MPs vaccinated group, mucosal washes demonstrated increased IgG, IgG1, and IgG2c titers, and antigen recall assays showed enhanced IFN-γ production in response to MHC-I and MHC-II immunodominant peptide restimulation, compared to the vaccination without mannan. These findings suggest that the use of mannan mixed with ZnCar MPs holds potential for subunit vaccination and its improved suspendability further promotes clinical translation.

Highly water-resistant paper via infiltration with polymeric microspheres from nanocellulose-stabilized plant oil-derived monomer.

Sustainable strategies to improve the water resistance of cellulose paper are actively sought. In this work, polymeric microspheres (PMs), prepared through emulsion polymerization of cellulose nanofibers stabilized rubber seed oil-derived monomer, were investigated as coatings on corrugated medium paper (CMP). After infiltrating porous paper with PMs, the water-resistant corrugated papers (WRCPn) with enhanced mechanical properties were obtained. When 30 wt% PMs were introduced, WRCP30 turned out to be highly compacted with an increased water contact angle of 106.3° and a low water vapor transmission rate of 81 g/(m2 d) at 23 °C. Meanwhile, the tensile strength of WRCP30 increased to 22.2 MPa, a 4-fold increase from CMP. When tested in a well-hydrated state, 71% of its mechanical strength in the dry state was maintained. Even with a low content of 10 wt% PMs, WRCP10 also exhibited stable tensile strength and water wettability during the cyclic soaking-drying process. Thus, the plant oil based sustainable emulsion polymers provide a convenient route for enhancing the overall performance of cellulose paper.

PEGylated chitosan-coated nanophotosensitizers for effective cancer treatment by photothermal-photodynamic therapy combined with glutathione depletion.

The combination of photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as a promising strategy for cancer treatment. However, the poor photostability and photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic small-molecule photosensitizers, and the intracellular glutathione (GSH)-mediated singlet oxygen scavenging largely decline the antitumor efficacy of PTT and PDT. Herein, a versatile nanophotosensitizer (NPS) system is developed by ingenious incorporation of indocyanine green (ICG) into the PEGylated chitosan (PEG-CS)-coated polydopamine (PDA) nanoparticles via multiple π-π stacking, hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. The PEG-CS-covered NPS showed prominent colloidal and photothermal stability as well as high PCE (ca 62.8 %). Meanwhile, the Michael addition between NPS and GSH can consume GSH, thus reducing the GSH-induced singlet oxygen scavenging. After being internalized by CT26 cells, the NPS under near-infrared laser irradiation produced massive singlet oxygen with the aid of thermo-enhanced intracellular GSH depletion to elicit mitochondrial damage and lipid peroxide formation, thus leading to ferroptosis and apoptosis. Importantly, the combined PTT and PDT delivered by NPS effectively inhibited CT26 tumor growth in vivo by light-activated intense hyperthermia and redox homeostasis disturbance. Overall, this work presents a new tactic of boosting antitumor potency of ICG-mediated phototherapy by PEG-CS-covered NPS.

Morphological Transformation and Surface Engineering of Glycovesicles Driven by Bioinspired Hydrogen Bonds of Nucleobases.

Glycopolymer-based supramolecular glycoassemblies with signal-driven cascade morphological deformation and accessible surface engineering toward bioinspired functional glycomaterials have attracted much attention due to their diverse applications in fundamental and practical scenarios. Herein, we achieved the cascade morphological transformation and surface engineering of a nucleobase-containing polymeric glycovesicle through exploiting the bioinspired complementary multiple hydrogen bonds of complementary nucleobases. First, the synthesized thymine-containing glycopolymers (PGal30-b-PTAm249) are capable of self-assembling into well-defined glycovesicles. Several kinds of amphiphilic adenine-containing block copolymers with neutral, positive, and negative charges were synthesized to engineer the glycovesicles through the multiple hydrogen bonds between adenine and thymine. A cascade of morphological transformations from vesicles to ruptured vesicles with tails, to worm-like micelles, and finally to spherical micelles were observed via continuously adding the adenine-containing polymer into the thymine-containing glycovesicles. Furthermore, the surface charge properties of these glyconano-objects can be facilely regulated through incorporating various adenine-containing polymers. This work demonstrates the potential application of a unique bioinspired approach to precisely engineer the morphology and surface properties of glycovesicles for boosting their biological applications.

An Encapsulation-Free and Hierarchical Porous Triboelectric Scaffold with Dynamic Hydrophilicity for Efficient Cartilage Regeneration.

Tissue engineering and electrotherapy are two promising methods to promote tissue repair. However, their integration remains an underexplored area, because their requirements on devices are usually distinct. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have shown great potential to develop self-powered devices. However, due to their susceptibility to moisture, TENGs have to be encapsulated in vivo. Therefore, existing TENGs cannot be employed as tissue engineering scaffolds, which require direct interaction with surrounding cells. Here, the concept of triboelectric scaffolds (TESs) is proposed. Poly(glycerol sebacate), a biodegradable and relatively hydrophobic elastomer, is selected as the matrix of TESs. Each hydrophobic micropore in multi-hierarchical porous TESs efficiently serves as a moisture-resistant working unit of TENGs. Integration of tons of micropores ensures the electrotherapy ability of TESs in vivo without encapsulation. Originally hydrophobic TESs are degraded by surface erosion and transformed into hydrophilic surfaces, facilitating their role as tissue engineering scaffolds. Notably, TESs seeded with chondrocytes obtain dense and large matured cartilages after subcutaneous implantation in nude mice. Importantly, rabbits with osteochondral defects receiving TES implantation show favorable hyaline cartilage regeneration and complete cartilage healing. This work provides a promising electronic biomedical device and will inspire a series of new in vivo applications.

Thermal-Accelerated Urease-Driven Bowl-Like Polydopamine Nanorobot for Targeted Photothermal/Photodynamic Antibiotic-Free Antibacterial Therapy.

The problem of antibiotic resistance seriously affects the treatment of bacterial infections, so there is an urgent need to develop novel antibiotic-independent antimicrobial strategies. Herein, a urease-driven bowl-like mesoporous polydopamine nanorobot (MPDA@ICG@Ur@Man) based on single-wavelength near-infrared (NIR) remote photothermal acceleration to achieve antibiotic-free phototherapy(photothermal therapy, PTT, plus photodynamic therapy, PDT) is first reported. The smart nanorobots can perform active movement by decomposing urea to produce carbon dioxide and ammonia. Particularly, the elevated local temperature during PTT can increase urease activity to enhance the autonomous movement and thus increase the contact between the antimicrobial substance and bacteria. Compared with a nanomotor propelled by urea only, the diffusion coefficient (De) of photothermal-accelerated nanorobots is increased from 1.10 to 1.26 µm2 s-1. More importantly, urease-driven bowl-like nanorobots with photothermal enhancement can specifically identify Escherichia coli (E. coli) and achieve simultaneous PTT/PDT at a single wavelength with 99% antibactericidal activity in vitro. In a word, the urease-driven bowl-like nanorobots guided by photothermal-accelerated strategy could provide a novel perspective for increasing PTT/PDT antibacterial therapeutic efficacy and be promising for various antibiotic-free sterilization applications.

Triboelectric-Responsive Drug Delivery Hydrogel for Accelerating Infected Wound Healing.

Electrotherapy is of great interest in the field of tissue repair as an effective, well-tolerated, and noninvasive treatment. Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has shown advantages in promoting wound healing due to its peak output characteristic and low Joule heating effect. However, it is limited in infected wound healing due to poor antimicrobial capacity. Here, a wearable triboelectric stimulator (WTS) is developed that consists of a flexible TENG (F-TENG) and a triboelectric-responsive drug delivery hydrogel (TR-DDH) for healing of bacterium-infected wounds. F-TENG can generate pulsed current to wounds by converting mechanical energy from body movements. Polypyrrole is prone to reduction and volume contraction under electrical stimulation, resulting in desorption of curcumin nanoparticles (CUR NPs) from the polypyrrole in TR-DDH. Therefore, the highly efficient and controllable release of CUR NPs can be achieved by triboelectric stimulation. According to the in vitro and in vivo experiments, WTS has the greatest antimicrobial effect and the fastest promotion of infected wound healing compared to treatment with electrical stimulation or curcumin. Finally, the safety assessment demonstrates that the WTS has excellent tissue safety for chronic wound healing. Synergistic therapy with WTS provides an efficient strategy for chronic wound healing and smart-responsive drug delivery systems.

Water-Soluble Coffee Melanoidins Inhibit Digestive Proteases.

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages around the world and its consumption contributes to the daily intake of dietary melanoidins. Despite the emerging physiological role of food melanoidins, their effect on digestive processes has not been studied so far. In this study, the activity of the gastrointestinal enzymes pepsin and trypsin was investigated in the presence of water-soluble coffee melanoidins. The gastric enzyme pepsin is only slightly affected, whereas the intestinal enzyme trypsin is severely inhibited by coffee melanoidins. The intestinal digestibility of casein was significantly inhibited by coffee melanoidins at a concentration achievable by regular coffee consumption. The inhibition of proteolytic enzymes by coffee melanoidins might decrease the nutritional value of dietary proteins.

Suitable Isolation Side Chains: A Simple Strategy for Simultaneously Improving the Phototherapy Efficacy and Biodegradation Capacities of Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles.

Utilizing one molecule to realize combinational photodynamic and photothermal therapy upon single-wavelength laser excitation, which relies on a multifunctional phototherapy agent, is one of the most cutting-edge research directions in tumor therapy owing to the high efficacy achieved over a short course of treatment. Herein, a simple strategy of "suitable isolation side chains" is proposed to collectively improve the fluorescence intensity, reactive oxygen species production, photothermal conversion efficiency, and biodegradation capacity. Both in vitro and in vivo results reveal the practical value and huge potential of the designed biodegradable conjugated polymer PTD-C16 with suitable isolation side chains in fluorescence image-guided combinational photodynamic and photothermal therapy. These improvements are achieved through manipulation of aggregated states by only side chain modification without changing any conjugated structure, providing new insight into the design of biodegradable high-performance phototherapy agents.

Chromolaena odorata layered-nitrile rubber polymer transdermal patch enhanced wound healing in vivo.

The objective is to investigate the healing efficacy of a Chromolaena odorata layered-nitrile rubber transdermal patch on excision wound healing in rats. Wounds were induced in Sprague-Dawley rats and were later treated as follows: wound A, the negative control, received no treatment (NC); wound B, the negative control with an empty nitrile rubber patch (NC-ERP); wound C, treated with a C. odorata layered-nitrile rubber patch (CO-NRP); and wound D, the positive control with Solcoseryl gel with a nitrile rubber patch (PC-SG-NRP). After 1, 3, 6, 10, and 14 days, the rats were sacrificed and analyzed for wound contraction, protein content, hexosamine, and uronic acid levels. Macroscopic observation showed enhanced wound healing in wounds treated with CO-NRP with a wound contraction percentage significantly higher (p<0.05) on days 6 and 10 compared to those treated with NC-ERP. Similarly, protein, hexosamine, and uronic acid contents were also significantly higher (p<0.05) in CO-NRP-treated wounds when compared with wounds treated with NC-ERP. Histological findings showed denser collagen deposition and faster granulation tissue formation in wounds treated with CO-NRP. From the results obtained, it is concluded that the C. odorata layered-nitrile rubber transdermal patch was effective in healing skin wounds.

Synthesis of Taxifolin-Loaded Polydopamine for Chemo-Photothermal-Synergistic Therapy of Ovarian Cancer.

Chemotherapy is a well-established method for treating cancer, but it has limited effectiveness due to its high dosage and harmful side effects. To address this issue, researchers have explored the use of photothermal agent nanoparticles as carriers for precise drug release in vivo. In this study, three different sizes of polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA-1, PDA-2, and PDA-3) were synthesized and evaluated. PDA-2 was selected for its optimal size, encapsulation rate, and drug loading rate. The release of the drug from PDA-2@TAX was tested at different pH and NIR laser irradiation levels. The results showed that PDA-2@TAX released more readily in an acidic environment and exhibited a high photothermal conversion efficiency when exposed to an 808 nm laser. In vitro experiments on ovarian cancer cells demonstrated that PDA-2@TAX effectively inhibited cell proliferation, highlighting its potential for synergistic chemotherapy-photothermal treatment.

Tumor Microenvironment-Triggered Self-Adaptive Polymeric Photosensitizers for Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) employs photosensitizers to convert nearby oxygen into toxic singlet oxygen (1O2) upon laser light irradiation, showing great potential as a noninvasive approach for tumor ablation. However, the therapeutic efficacy of PDT is essentially impeded by π-π stacking and the aggregation of photosensitizers. Herein, we propose a tumor microenvironment-triggered self-adaptive nanoplatform to weaken the aggregation of photosensitizers by selenium-based oxidation at the tumor site. The selenide units in a selenium-based porphyrin-containing amphiphilic copolymer (PSe) could be oxidized into hydrophilic selenoxide units, leading to the nanoplatform self-expansion and stretching of the distance between intramolecular porphyrin units. This process could provide a better switch to greatly reduce the aggregation of photosensitive porphyrin units, generating more 1O2 upon laser irradiation. As verified in a series of in vitro and in vivo studies, PSe could be efficiently self-adapted at tumor sites, thus significantly enhancing the PDT therapeutic effect against solid tumors and minimizing side effects.

Highly selective and sensitive molecularly imprinted sensors for the electrochemical assay of quercetin in methanol extracts of Rubus sanctus and Fragaria vesca.

Quercetin (QUE) is a powerful antioxidant and one of the common phenolic compounds found in plants, vegetables, and fruits, which has shown many pharmacological activities. The complex nature of the matrix in which QUE is found and its importance and potential uses in diverse applications force the researchers to develop selective and sensitive sensors. In the present work, a novel molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-based electrochemical sensor was fabricated for the selective and sensitive determination of the QUE in plant extracts and food supplements. Tryptophan methacrylate (TrpMA) was chosen as the functional monomer, whereas the photopolymerization (PP) method was applied using a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Electrochemical and morphological characterizations of the developed sensor (TrpMA@QUE/MIP-GCE) were performed using cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The linear range of the developed sensor was determined to be in the range of 1.0-25 pM, while the limit of detection (LOD) was calculated to be 0.235 pM. In conclusion, The TrpMA@QUE/MIP-GCE sensor might be classified as a promising platform for selective and sensitive determination of QUE not only in plant extracts but also in commercial food supplements because of its reliability, reproducibility, repeatability, stability, and fast response time.