A comprehensive review on preparation and functional application of the wood aerogel with natural cellulose framework.

As the traditional aerogel has defects such as poor mechanical properties, complicated preparation process, high energy consumption and non-renewable, wood aerogel as a new generation of aerogel shows unique advantages. With a natural cellulose framework, wood aerogel is a novel nano-porous material exhibiting exceptional properties such as light weight, high porosity, large specific surface area, and low thermal conductivity. Furthermore, its adaptability to further functionalization enables versatile applications across diverse fields. Driven by the imperative for sustainable development, wood aerogel as a renewable and eco-friendly material, has garnered significant attention from researchers. This review introduces preparation methods of wood aerogel based on the top-down strategy and analyzes the factors influencing their key properties intending to obtain wood aerogels with desirable properties. Avenues for realizing its functionality are also explored, and research progress across various domains are surveyed, including oil-water separation, conductivity and energy storage, as well as photothermal conversion. Finally, potential challenges associated with wood aerogel exploitation and utilization are addressed, alongside discussions on future prospects and research directions. The results emphasize the broad research value and future prospects of wood aerogels, which are poised to drive high-value utilization of wood and foster the development of green multifunctional aerogels.

Application progress of nanocellulose in food packaging: A review.

With the increasing environmental and ecological problems caused by petroleum-based packaging materials, the focus has gradually shifted to natural resources for the preparation of functional food packaging materials. In addition to biodegradable properties, nanocellulose (NC) mechanical properties, and rich surface chemistry are also fascinating and desired to be one of the most probable green packaging materials. In this review, we firstly introduce the recent progress of novel applications of NC in food packaging, including intelligent packaging, nano(bio)sensors, and nano-paper; secondly, we focus on the modification techniques of NC to summarize the properties (antimicrobial, mechanical, hydrophobic, antioxidant, and so on) that are required for food packaging, to expand the new synthetic methods and application areas. After presenting all the latest advances related to material design and sustainable applications, an overview summarizing the safety of NC is presented to promote a continuous and healthy movement of NC toward the field of truly sustainable packaging.

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.

Habitual feeding patterns impact polystyrene microplastic abundance and potential toxicity in edible benthic mollusks.

That increasing microplastics (MPs, <5 mm) eventually end up in the sediment which may become a growing menace to diverse benthic lives is worthy of attention. In this experiment, three edible mollusks including one deposit-feeding gastropod (Bullacta exarate) and two filter-feeding bivalves (Cyclina sinensis and Mactra veneriformis) were exposed to polystyrene microplastic (PS-MP) for 7 days and depurated for 3 days. PS-MP numbers in the digestive system and non-digestive system, digestive enzymes, oxidative stress indexes, and a neurotoxicity index of three mollusks were determined at day 0, 3, 7, 8 and 10. After seven-day exposure, the PS-MP were found in all three mollusks' digestive and non-digestive systems. And PS-MP in M. veneriformis (9.57 ± 2.19 items/individual) was significantly higher than those in C. sinensis (3.00 ± 2.16 items/individual) and B. exarate (0.83 ± 1.07 items/individual) at day 7. Three-day depuration could remove most of the PS-MP in the mollusks, and higher PS-MP clearance rates were found in filter-feeding C. sinensis (77.78 %) and M. veneriformis (82.59 %) compared to surface deposit-feeding B. exarate (50.00 %). The digestive enzymes of B. exarate significantly reacted to PS-MP exposure, while oxidative responses were found in C. sinensis. After three-day depuration, the changes of digestive enzymes and the oxidative states were fixed, but neurotoxicity induced by PS-MP was not recoverable. Besides, it is noteworthy that changes of digestive enzymes and acetylcholinesterase are related to feeding patterns.

Arginine-tocopherol bioconjugated lipid vesicles for selective pTRAIL delivery and subsequent apoptosis induction in glioblastoma cells.

The incorporation of specific therapeutic gene into glioblastoma offers potent therapeutic strategy to treat the disease. Non-viral gene delivery vectors are of particular interest due to their tuneable transfection efficiency and easy scale-up. Herein, we demonstrate successful delivery of plasmid encoding tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (pTRAIL) using arginine-conjugated tocopherol lipid (AT) nanovesicles into glioblastoma cell lines. Another cationic lipid, glycine-conjugated tocopherol lipid (GT) having glycine in the head group region is also synthesized as a control lipid. Both lipid-derived liposomes effectively condensed the pDNA and the corresponding biomacromolecular assemblies (lipoplexes) are efficiently transfected into different cell lines. AT-based liposomes exhibit higher transfection efficacy in various cell lines, particularly selective in glioma cell lines. At an optimized N/P ratio, both the liposomal formulations show low cytotoxicity. AT-based lipoplexes have superior cellular uptake in U87 than the control lipid GT. The expression of TRAIL protein regulated death receptor and apoptosis signaling pathway is assayed by western blot using transfection of AT-based/pTRAIL into U87 cell lines. Induction of apoptosis in U87 cells exposed to AT-based/pTRAIL plasmid is evaluated by MTT assay as well as Annexin V-propidium iodide dual-staining assay. All results indicate that the developed AT-based/pTRAIL system offers a potentially safe and efficient therapeutic strategy for glioblastoma gene therapy.

Quality of life after oesophageal stenting in patients with palliative oesophageal cancer.

AIM: Patients with incurable oesophageal cancer have poor outcomes, with disabling symptoms and a poor quality of life (QOL), which may be improved by oesophageal stenting. We aimed to measure change in symptoms related specifically to oesophageal cancer and overall QOL before and 30 days after stent insertion, to measure adverse effects and to define any patient factors that may be significant in predicting patients who may benefit most. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled patients in an observational study at Middlemore Hospital, New Zealand, and administered validated QOL- and symptomatology-based questionnaires before and 30 days after stent insertion. Additional patient-related demographics, procedural characteristics, adverse events and outcomes were collected. RESULTS: Between 31 March 2014 and 3 July 2020, 57 patients were initially recruited. Four patients withdrew from the study, and 13 patients died before 30 days. Forty patients (29 males; mean±SD age, 72±12 years) completed the study. A significant improvement was noted at one-month post stent insertion in the overall global QOL score (mean 35 to 46, p=0.01). The most significant score improvements were seen in dysphagia, trouble eating, trouble swallowing saliva and dry mouth (p<0.001). Physical, emotional, cognitive and social functioning did not change. Post-procedural adverse events occurred in 17 patients (43%). A poorer initial level of functioning was associated with reduced improvement in global QOL (p≤0.04). Patients followed-up died a mean of 2.8 months after insertion. CONCLUSION: In patients surviving longer than 30 days, there is significant improvement of overall QOL and dysphagia one-month post oesophageal stent insertion for malignant, palliative dysphagia. Multiple psychosocial facets were unchanged with this intervention. Stent-related adverse events were common.

Polypyrrole-based nanotheranostic agent for MRI guided photothermal-chemodynamic synergistic cancer therapy.

Polypyrrole (PPy) nanoparticles have been widely studied in tumor photothermal therapy (PTT) for their significant photostability, good biocompatibility, and excellent photothermal performance. Herein, we report bovine serum albumin (BSA) stabilized PPy that were mineralized by MnO2 nanozyme on the surface (PPy@BSA-MnO2) to achieve synergistic photothermal and chemodynamic therapy (CDT) for breast cancer. In this multifunctional nanoplatform, the surface-loaded MnO2 undergoes a redox reaction with glutathione (GSH) to generate glutathione disulfide (GSSG) and Mn2+. Then, Mn2+ can convert H2O2 into a highly cytotoxic ˙OH to achieve chemodynamic therapy (CDT) and possess good magnetic resonance (MR) T1-weighted imaging capabilities to realize contrast imaging of the 4T1 tumor-bearing mouse models. In addition, PPy nanoparticles can efficiently convert near-infrared light energy into heat and achieve PTT. Most importantly, PPy@BSA-MnO2 nanoprobes have excellent in vitro 4T1 cell-killing effect and in vivo tumor-suppressive properties. The acute toxicity assessment results indicate that PPy@BSA-MnO2 nanoprobes have good biological safety. Therefore, the as-prepared multifunctional PPy@BSA-MnO2 nanoprobes possess excellent performance to promote MRI-guided PTT/CDT synergistic therapy for breast cancer treatment and have extensive clinical transformation and application prospects.

Arsenene Nanodots with Selective Killing Effects and their Low-Dose Combination with ß-Elemene for Cancer Therapy.

Arsenical drugs have achieved hallmark success in treating patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia, but expanding their clinical utility to solid tumors has proven difficult with the contradiction between the therapeutic efficacy and the systemic toxicity. Here, leveraging efforts from materials science, biocompatible PEGylated arsenene nanodots (AsNDs@PEG) with high monoelemental arsenic purity that can selectively and effectively treat solid tumors are synthesized. The intrinsic selective killing effect of AsNDs@PEG is closely related to high oxidative stress in tumor cells, which leads to an activated valence-change of arsenic (from less toxic As0 to severely toxic oxidation states), followed by decreased superoxide dismutase activity and massive reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. These effects occur selectively within cancer cells, causing mitochondrial damage, cell-cycle arrest, and DNA damage. Moreover, AsNDs@PEG when applied in a multi-drug combination strategy with ß-elemene, a plant-derived anticancer drug, achieves synergistic antitumor outcomes, and its newly discovered on-demand photothermal properties facilitate the elimination of the tumors without recurrence, potentially further expanding its clinical utility. In line of the practicability for a large-scale fabrication and negligible systemic toxicity of AsNDs@PEG (even at high doses and with repetitive administration), a new-concept arsenical drug with high therapeutic efficacy for selective solid tumor therapy is provided.

Multi-Stimuli-Responsive DOX Released from Magnetosome for Tumor Synergistic Theranostics.

BACKGROUND: To improve responses to tumor microenvironments for achieving a better therapeutic outcome in combination cancer therapy, poly(ε-caprolactone)-SS-poly(methacrylic acid) diblock copolymer (PCL-SS-PMAA) with a disulfide linkage between the hydrophobic and hydrophilic junctions was synthesized. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Repeating units of PCL and PMAA in PCL-SS-PMAA were controlled and formulated into polymersomes (PSPps). Truncated octahedral Fe3O4 nanoparticles (IONPs) were synthesized and encapsulated to produce IONPs-PSPps NPs and doxorubicin (DOX) was further loaded to produce IONPs-PSPps@DOX NPs for theranostic applications. RESULTS: IONPs-PSPps NPs remained a superparamagnetic property with a saturation magnetization value of 85 emu⋅gFe3O4 -1 and a relaxivity value of 180 mM-1⋅s-1. Upon exposure to an alternating magnetic field (AMF), IONPs-PSPps NPs increased temperature from 25°C to 54°C within 15 min. Among test groups, the cell apoptosis was greatest in the group exposed to IONPs-PSPps@DOX NPs with AMF and magnet assistance. In vivo T2-weighted magnetic resonance images of A549 tumor-bearing mice also showed highest contrast and greatest tumor suppression in the tumor with AMF and magnet assistance. CONCLUSION: IONPs-PSPps@DOX NPs are a potential theranostic agent having multifaceted applications involving magnetic targeting, MRI diagnosis, hyperthermia and chemotherapy.

Preparation of PU/Fibrin Vascular Scaffold with Good Biomechanical Properties and Evaluation of Its Performance in vitro and in vivo.

PURPOSE: The development of tissue-engineered blood vessels provides a new source of donors for coronary artery bypass grafting and peripheral blood vessel transplantation. Fibrin fiber has good biocompatibility and is an ideal tissue engineering vascular scaffold, but its mechanical property needs improvement. METHODS: We mixed polyurethane (PU) and fibrin to prepare the PU/fibrin vascular scaffolds by using electrospinning technology in order to enhance the mechanical properties of fibrin scaffold. We investigated the morphological, mechanical strength, hydrophilicity, degradation, blood and cell compatibility of PU/fibrin (0:100), PU/fibrin (5:95), PU/fibrin (15:85) and PU/fibrin (25:75) vascular scaffolds. Based on the results in vitro, PU/fibrin (15:85) was selected for transplantation in vivo to repair vascular defects, and the extracellular matrix formation, vascular remodeling, and immune response were evaluated. RESULTS: The results indicated that the fiber diameter of the PU/fibrin (15:85) scaffold was about 712nm. With the increase of PU content, the mechanical strength of the composite scaffolds increased, however, the degradation rate decreased gradually. The PU/fibrin scaffold showed good hydrophilicity and hemocompatibility. PU/fibrin (15:85) vascular scaffold could promote the adhesion and proliferation of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). Quantitative RT-PCR experimental results showed that the expression of collagen, survivin and vimentin genes in PU/fibrin (15:85) was higher than that in PU/fibrin (25:75). The results in vivo indicated the mechanical properties and compliance of PU/fibrin grafts could meet clinical requirements and the proportion of thrombosis or occlusion was significantly lower. The graft showed strong vasomotor response, and the smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells, and ECM deposition of the neoartery were comparable to that of native artery after 3 months. At 3 months, the amount of macrophages in PU/fibrin grafts was significantly lower, and the secretion of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines decreased. CONCLUSION: PU/fibrin (15:85) vascular scaffolds had great potential to be used as small-diameter tissue engineering blood vessels.

Cellulose binding domain fusion enhanced soluble expression of fructosyl peptide oxidase and its simultaneous purification and immobilization.

Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is a hemoglobin molecule in which the N-terminal valine residue of the ß subunit has been grafted with the glucose in blood. Its detection has important implications for the diagnosis of diabetes. Enzymatic colorimetric method using fructosyl peptide oxidase (FPO) is simple and rapid for HbA1c detection. A FPO mutant with enhanced activity was constructed and produced by E. coli; however, most of expressed mutant FPO was insoluble. Significantly enhanced expression solubility was achieved when cellulose-binding domain (CBD) from Clostridium thermocellum was fused to the N-terminal of FPO mutant. Via the high affinity interaction between CBD and cellulose, the CBD fusion also facilitated the simultaneous purification and immobilization of FPO directly from E. coli cells lysate using bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofibrils as a matrix of very high specific area. A never-dried and water durable nanocellulose film with FPO activity could be easily obtained by collecting the FPO immobilized BC nanofibrils suspension on the surface of a microfiltration membrane. The activity of the ready-use FPO nanocellulose film was stable at least 7 days at room temperature for the detection of HbA1c level of 5.3-11% in blood samples.

Rapid quantitative analysis of clarithromycin in rat plasma by UPLC-MS/MS after intravenous injection of the clarithromycin-loaded ultrafine PLGA nanoparticles.

Nanoparticles were designed to encapsulate drugs to alter their pharmacological behaviors, therefore, it is very essential to monitor the pharmacokinetic profile of drug encapsulated in nanoparticles in order to clarify and predict their efficacy and side effects. In this paper, we reported a simple, rapid µ-elution 96-well solid phase extraction (µSPE) method combining with ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) for determination of nanoformulated drug in rat plasma. This method presented satisfactory results in terms of sensitivity, precision, accuracy, and recovery, for the first time, of quantitatively analyzing clarithromycin (CLA) in rat plasma after intravenous administration CLA-loaded ultrafine PLGA nanoparticles for pharmacokinetic study. This method has been proved to be fast, reliable and reproducible to accurately analyze drug encapsulated in polymeric nanoparticles sample for a pharmacokinetic study.

Sustained intraspinal delivery of neurotrophic factor encapsulated in biodegradable nanoparticles following contusive spinal cord injury.

Glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) induces neuronal survival and tissue repair after spinal cord injury (SCI). A continuous GDNF supply is believed to gain greater efficacy in the neural restoration of the injured spinal cord. Accordingly, nanovehicle formulation for their efficient delivery and sustained release in injured spinal cord was examined. We first used fluorescence-labeled bovine serum albumin (FBSA) loaded in biodegradable poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) for intraspinal administration after SCI and for in vitro study. Our results showed that the preservation of PLGA-FBSA was observed in the injured spinal cord at 24h, and PLGA-FBSA nanoparticles were well absorbed by neurons and glia, indicating that PLGA as a considerable nanovehicle for the delivery of neuroprotective polypeptide into injured spinal cord. Furthermore, intraspinal injection of GDNF encapsulated in PLGA (PLGA-GDNF) nanoparticles into the injured spinal cord proximal to the lesion center had no effect on gliosis when compared to that observed in SCI rats receiving PLGA injection. However, local administration of PLGA-GDNF effectively preserved neuronal fibers and led to the hindlimb locomotor recovery in rats with SCI, providing a potential strategy for the use of PLGA-GDNF in the treatment of SCI.