New insights of bacterial and eukaryotic phenotypes on the plastics collected from the typical natural habitat of the endangered crocodile lizard.

Although accumulating evidence indicates that endangered animals suffer from plastic pollution, this has been largely overlooked. Here, we explored the bacteria and eukaryotes living in the plastics gathered from the natural habitat of the highly endangered crocodile lizard. The results demonstrated that the bacterial and eukaryotic communities on plastics formed a unique ecosystem that exhibited lower diversity than those in the surrounding water and soil. However, microbes displayed a more complex and stable network on plastic than that in water or soil, implying unique mechanisms of stabilization. These mechanisms enhanced their resilience and contributed to the provision of stable ecological services. Eukaryotes formed a simpler and smaller network than bacteria, indicating different survival strategies. The bacteria residing on the plastics played a significant role in carbon transformation and sequestration, which likely impacted carbon cycling in the habitat. Furthermore, microbial exchange between plastics and the crocodile lizard was observed, suggesting that plastisphere serves as a mobile gene bank for the exchange of information, including potentially harmful substances. Overall, microbes on plastic appear to significantly impact the crocodile lizard and its natural habitat via various pathways. These results provided novel insights into risks evaluation of plastic pollution and valuable guidance for government efforts in plastic pollutant control in nature reserves.

Effect of Substituents on the Homopolymerization Activity of Methyl Alkyl Diallyl Ammonium Chloride.

Among nitrogen-containing cationic electrolytes, diallyl quaternary ammonium salt is a typical monomer with the highest positive charge density, which has attracted the most attention, especially in the research on homopolymers and copolymers of dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride (DMDAAC), which occupy a very unique and important position. In order to improve the lipophilicity of substituted diallyl ammonium chloride monomers under the premise of high cationic charge density, the simplest, most direct, and most efficient structure design strategy was selected in this paper. Only one of the substituents on DMDAAC quaternary ammonium nitrogen was modified by alkyl; the substituents were propyl and amyl groups, and their corresponding monomers were methyl propyl diallyl ammonium chloride (MPDAAC) and methyl amyl diallyl ammonium chloride (MADAAC), respectively. The effect of substituent structure on the homopolymerization activity of methyl alkyl diallyl ammonium chloride was illustrated by quantum chemical calculation and homopolymerization rate determination experiments via ammonium persulfate (APS) as the initiator system. The results of quantum chemistry simulation showed that, with the finite increase in substituted alkyl chain length, the numerical values of the bond length and the charge distribution of methyl alkyl diallyl ammonium chloride monomer changed little, with the activation energy of the reactions in the following order: DMDAAC < MPDAAC < MADAAC. The polymerization activities measured by the dilatometer method were in the order DMDAAC > MPDAAC > MADAAC. The activation energies Ea of homopolymerization were 96.70 kJ/mol, 97.25 kJ/mol, and 100.23 kJ/mol, and the rate equation of homopolymerization of each monomer was obtained. After analyzing and comparing these results, it could be easily found that the electronic effect of substituent was not obvious, whereas the effect of the steric hindrance was dominant. The above studies have laid a good foundation for an understanding of the polymerization activity of methyl alkyl diallyl ammonium chloride monomers and the possibility of preparation and application of these polymers with high molecular weight.

Health behaviors and tooth retention among older adults in China: findings from the 4th Chinese national oral health survey.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine the association between oral health behaviors and tooth retention among Chinese older adults. METHODS: Data were used from the 4th Chinese National Oral Health Survey, a nationally representative sample. The sample included 9054 older adults aged 55 to 74. Control variables and oral health behaviors were measured through a questionnaire interview, and the number of remaining teeth and periodontal health were obtained from an oral health examination. A chi-square test was used for univariate analysis. Multivariate Logistic regression was used to explore the association between health behaviors and the number of remaining teeth. RESULTS: The average number of remaining teeth in the sample was 24.4 ± 7.7. There was a higher proportion of older adults living in urban areas with 20 or more teeth than those living in rural areas (83.2% vs. 79.4%, P < 0.001); and a higher proportion of individuals with high education levels with 20 or more teeth compared to those with low education levels (P < 0.001). Logistic regression models showed that older adults who used toothpicks `(OR = 3.37, 95% CI 2.94-3.85), dental floss (OR = 1.93, 95% CI 1.05-3.53), toothpaste (OR = 3.89, 95% CI 3.14-4.83); and never smoked (OR = 1.43 95% CI 1.20-1.70) were more likely to retain 20 or more natural teeth; whereas older adults who had a dental visit were less likely to retain 20 or more natural teeth (OR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.39-052). CONCLUSION: Good oral hygiene practices, never smoking, and regular dental visits focusing on prevention are significantly associated with teeth retention. It is critical to promote a healthy lifestyle and improve prevention-oriented oral health care systems.

Facile One-Step Fabrication of Ordered Ultra-Long Organic Microwires Film for Flexible Near-Infrared Photodetectors.

Micro/nanoscale electronic devices, such as transistors and sensors, made from single-crystalline organic micro/nano-structures with tunable molecular/structural design are much smaller and more versatile than those that rely on conventional polycrystalline/amorphous organic films, but their development for mass production has been thwarted by difficulties in aligning and integrating the organic crystals required. Here, we developed an improved evaporation induced self-assemble method to accomplish large-area uniform growth of ultra-long methyl-squarylium (MeSq) microwires (MWs) films. The MWs could align along the dewetting direction of the solution with length over the entire substrate, thus lessening the requirement for precisely addressing the positions of MWs. Near infrared (NIR) photodetectors based on the ordered organic MWs film were directly constructed on Si/SiO2 substrate. The MeSq MWs showed high sensitivity to the NIR light with excellent stability and repeatability. To evaluate the potential applications of the organic MWs film in flexible and transparent electronics, flexible photodetectors were constructed by transferring the MWs film to polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate. Significantly, the device showed good flexibility and could stand a large bending stress due to the superior mechanical flexibility of the organic MWs. This characteristic opens new prospects for the applications of the MeSq MWs.

[Particle evaluation of cardiovascular stents].

This paper has briefly introduced the definition, classification, harms, sources and control of particles, lists the particle evaluation method of coronary stents. And the development trend of particle evaluation method of coronary stents is also analyzed.

The effect of oral motor intervention with different initiation times to improve feeding outcomes in preterm infants: protocol for a single-blind, randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Premature infants commonly encounter difficulties with oral feeding, a complication that extends hospital stays, affects infants' quality of life, and imposes substantial burdens on families and society. Enhancing preterm infants' oral feeding skills and facilitating their transition from parenteral or nasal feeding to full oral feeding pose challenges for neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) healthcare professionals. Research indicates that oral motor interventions (OMIs) can enhance preterm infants' oral feeding capabilities and expedite the transition from feeding initiation to full oral feeding. Nonetheless, the most suitable timing for commencing these interventions remains uncertain. METHODS: This is a single-blind, randomized controlled trial. Preterm with a gestational age between 29+0 to 34+6 weeks will be eligible for the study. These infants will be randomized and allocated to one of two groups, both of which will receive the OMIs. The intervention commences once the infant begins milk intake during the early OMIs. Additionally, in the late OMIs group, the intervention will initiate 48 h after discontinuing nasal continuous positive airway pressure. DISCUSSION: OMIs encompass non-nutritive sucking and artificial oral stimulation techniques. These techniques target the lips, jaw, muscles, or tongue of premature infants, aiming to facilitate the shift from tube feeding to oral feeding. The primary objective is to determine the ideal intervention timing that fosters the development of oral feeding skills and ensures a seamless transition from parenteral or nasal feeding to full oral feeding among preterm infants. Furthermore, this study might yield insights into the long-term effects of OMIs on the growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants. Such insights could bear substantial significance for the quality of survival among preterm infants and the societal burden imposed by preterm birth. TRIAL REGISTRATION: chictr.org.cn ChiCTR2300076721. Registered on October 17, 2023.

Carrier-free, functionalized pure drug nanorods as a novel cancer-targeted drug delivery platform.

A one-dimensional drug delivery system (1D DDS) is highly attractive since it has distinct advantages such as enhanced drug efficiency and better pharmacokinetics. However, drugs in 1D DDSs are all encapsulated in inert carriers, and problems such as low drug loading content and possible undesirable side effects caused by the carriers remain a serious challenge. In this paper, a novel, carrier-free, pure drug nanorod-based, tumor-targeted 1D DDS has been developed. Drugs are first prepared as nanorods and then surface functionalized to achieve excellent water dispersity and stability. The resulting drug nanorods show enhanced internalization rates mainly through energy-dependent endocytosis, with the shape-mediated nanorod (NR) diffusion process as a secondary pathway. The multiple endocytotic mechanisms lead to significantly improved drug efficiency of functionalized NRs with nearly ten times higher cytotoxicity than those of free molecules and unfunctionalized NRs. A targeted drug delivery system can be readily achieved through surface functionalization with targeting group linked amphipathic surfactant, which exhibits significantly enhanced drug efficacy and discriminates between cell lines with high selectivity. These results clearly show that this tumor-targeting DDS demonstrates high potential toward specific cancer cell lines.

Plastisphere characterization in habitat of the highly endangered Shinisaurus crocodilurus: Bacterial composition, assembly, function and the comparison with surrounding environment.

Plastisphere is a new niche for microorganisms that complicate the ecological effects of plastics, and may profoundly influence biodiversity and habitat conservation. The DaGuishan National Nature Reserve, one of the largest habitats of the highly endangered crocodile lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus), is experiencing plastic pollution without sufficient attention. Here, plastisphere collected from captive tanks of crocodile lizards in this nature reserve was characterized for the first time. Three types of plastic (PE-PP, PE1, and PE2) together with the surrounding water and soil samples, were collected, and 16S rRNA sequencing technology was used to characterize the bacterial composition. The results demonstrated that plastisphere was driven by stochastic process and had a distinct bacterial community with higher diversity than that in surrounding water (p < 0.05). Bacteria related to nitrogen and carbon cycles (Pseudomonas psychrotolerans, Methylobacterium-Methylorubrum) were more abundant in plastisphere than in water or soil (p < 0.05). More importantly, plastics recruited pathogens and those bacteria function in antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) coding. Bacteria related to polymer degradation also proliferated in plastisphere, especially Bacillus subtilis with a fold change of 42.01. The PE2 plastisphere, which had the lowest diversity and was dominated by Methylobacterium-Methylorubrum differed from PE 1 and PE-PP plastispheres totally. Plastics' morphology and aquatic nutrient levels contributed to the heterogeneity of different plastispheres. Overall, this study demonstrated that plastispheres diversify in composition and function, affecting ecosystem services directly or indirectly. Pathogens and bacteria related to ARGs expression enriched in the plastisphere should not be ignored because they may threaten the health of crocodile lizards by increasing the risk of infection. Plastic pollution control should be included in conservation efforts for crocodile lizards. This study provides new insights into the potential impacts of plastisphere, which is important for ecological risk assessments of plastic pollution in the habitats of endangered species.

Development, characterization and anti-tumor effect of a sequential sustained-release preparation containing ricin and cobra venom cytotoxin.

Cobra venom cytotoxin (CVC) loaded in poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microspheres was mixed with ricin and encapsulated in a thermosensitive PLGA-PEG-PLGA hydrogel for this study. This sequential sustained-release preparation (SSRP) containing ricin and CVC could avoid burst release effect of CVC from microspheres. In addition, in SSRP, the two biotoxins have different drug release rates and antitumor mechanisms, which can be complementary to each other. Ricin has a faster release rate than CVC. It can combine with the tumor cell membrane and enter the cell, inhibiting protein synthesis within 2 weeks. Whereas CVC releases slowly in 5 weeks directly dissolving the tumor cell membrane and killing the cells which are less-sensitive to ricin. The in vivo experiments showed that intratumoral injection of SSRP could inhibit hepatocellular carcinoma growth significantly, and the tumor growth inhibition rate reached 73.5%. It appears that a new medicine preparation for cancer local treatment should be further studied for clinical applications.

Recent advances in nanotechnology-based COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutic antibodies.

COVID-19 has caused a global pandemic and millions of deaths. It is imperative to develop effective countermeasures against the causative viral agent, SARS-CoV-2 and its many variants. Vaccines and therapeutic antibodies are the most effective approaches for preventing and treating COVID-19, respectively. SARS-CoV-2 enters host cells through the activities of the virus-surface spike (S) protein. Accordingly, the S protein is a prime target for vaccines and therapeutic antibodies. Dealing with particles with dimensions on the scale of nanometers, nanotechnology has emerged as a critical tool for rapidly designing and developing safe, effective, and urgently needed vaccines and therapeutics to control the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, nanotechnology was key to the fast-track approval of two mRNA vaccines for their wide use in human populations. In this review article, we first explore the roles of nanotechnology in battling COVID-19, including protein nanoparticles (for presentation of protein vaccines), lipid nanoparticles (for formulation with mRNAs), and nanobodies (as unique therapeutic antibodies). We then summarize the currently available COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics based on nanotechnology.

Isolation and Identification of Adipose Stem Cell Exosomes and the Study of Its Potential as Drug Delivery Carrier In Vitro.

Most small molecule anticancer drugs have high lipophilicity and low water solubility, which is often regarded as a key obstacle to their development and clinical applications. A variety of nano-size drug carriers, like liposomes, has been developed for solubilizing these drugs. Naturally secreted by cells, exosomes have good biocompatibility and are considered as "natural liposomes." Exosomes released by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) not only have the properties like the ones generated by other cells but may also possess many therapeutic bioactive factors uniquely secreted by stem cells. In the present study, exosomes secreted by murine adipose stem cells (mASCs) were isolated, identified, and characterized. Its potential as drug delivery carrier and its biological effects on hepatoma cells and normal liver cell lines were explored in vitro. The data indicated that mASC exosomes separated by our improved sequential filtration method have particle size distribution in 30-150 nm, positively expresses TSG101, CD63, CD9, GADPH, and negatively expresses calnexin. The exosomes of mASCs obtained by this method could be taken up by cells and inhibit the cell activity of hepatoma cells HepG2, while enhance the normal cell activity of THLE-2. The results suggest that ASC exosomes are ideal potential drug delivery carriers and have the prospect of applications in carcinoma treatments.

Effects of grape seed proanthocyanidins on the expression of inflammatory mediators in gingival epithelial cells.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to determine the effect of grape seed proanthocyanidin (GSP) pretreatment on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation of human gingival epithelial cells (HGECs). METHODS: HGECs were cultivated with different concentrations of GSPs (0, 1, 5, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 µg·mL-1) for 6, 12, 24, and 48 h. CCK-8 was used to detect the proliferation activity of HGECs. HGECs were treated with different concentrations of GSPs (0, 10, 20, and 40 µg·mL-1) for 24 h and then cultured with 1.0 µg·mL-1 LPS. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1ß, and IL-6 and anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4, IL-10, and transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-4, IL-10, and TGF-ß. RESULTS: When the GSP concentration was 0-40 µg·mL-1, the cell proliferation had no significant difference. When the action time reached 24 h, the cell proliferation was the highest. The results of ELISA and QRT-PCR showed that 10, 20, and 40 µg·mL-1 GSPS decreased the expression levels of TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 (P<0.05) and increased the expression levels of IL-4, IL-10, and TGF-ß compared with 0 µg·mL-1 GSPS (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: GSPS (0-40 µg·mL-1) has no significant effect on the proliferation activity of HGECs. Pretreatment with GSPS can inhibit the expression of pro-inflammatory factors and enhance the expression of anti-inflammatory factors. Hence, GSPS has a certain preventive effect on the resistance of HGECs to the stimulation of endotoxin.

Physiologic Factors Affecting the Circulatory Persistence of Copolymer Microbubbles and Comparison of Contrast-Enhanced Effects between Copolymer Microbubbles and Sonovue.

Ultrasound contrast agents have been widely used in clinical diagnosis. Knowledge of the physiologic factors affecting circulatory persistence is helpful in preparing long-lasting microbubbles (MBs) for blood perfusion and drug delivery research. In the study described here, we prepared copolymer MBs, compared their characteristics and contrast-enhanced effects with those of SonoVue and investigated the influence of external pressure, temperature, plasma components, renal microcirculation and cardiac motion on their circulatory persistence. The mean size of the copolymer MBs was 3.57 µm, larger than that of SonoVue. The copolymer MBs had longer circulatory persistence than SonoVue. At external pressures of 110 and 150 mm Hg, neither the quantity nor the morphology of the copolymer MBs changed. Further, their quantity and size were similar after incubation at 4°C and 39.4°C and when rabbit plasma and saline were compared. In vivo contrast-enhanced ultrasonography revealed a slightly larger area under the curve for the renal artery than for the renal vein. Thus, copolymer MBs exhibited good stability. However, the quantity of copolymer MBs decreased significantly after 180 s of circulation in an isolated toad heart perfusion model, indicating that cardiac motion was the main factor affecting their circulatory persistence.

Comparison of caspase genes for the induction of apoptosis following gene delivery.

The polycation poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) was used to deliver the plasmids coding for various combinations of caspases to Cox-2 overexpressing cancer cell lines. It was found that the expression of the delivered genes, controlled by the Cox-2 promoter, correlated with the expression of the endogenous Cox-2 gene in each cell line in a relatively linear manner. Among the various caspase combination regimens, the combination of caspase 3 plus caspase 9 proved to be the most effective because of an apparent synergy between the two gene products, and produced phosphatidylserine flipping in addition to fragmentation of genomic DNA. Caspase 1 appeared to work independently of either caspases 3 or 9, as no synergistic effect was observed. Transfections with genes coding for granzyme B and caspase 8 yielded a lesser amount of cell death. The delivery of a combination of caspase genes could be readily moved to in vivo research of bladder and colon cancer treatments, and holds great applicability to a wide array of additional tumor types.

Transcriptomic analysis identifies genes and pathways related to myrmecophagy in the Malayan pangolin (Manis javanica).

The Malayan pangolin (Manis javanica) is an unusual, scale-covered, toothless mammal that specializes in myrmecophagy. Due to their threatened status and continuing decline in the wild, concerted efforts have been made to conserve and rescue this species in captivity in China. Maintaining this species in captivity is a significant challenge, partly because little is known of the molecular mechanisms of its digestive system. Here, the first large-scale sequencing analyses of the salivary gland, liver and small intestine transcriptomes of an adult M. javanica genome were performed, and the results were compared with published liver transcriptome profiles for a pregnant M. javanica female. A total of 24,452 transcripts were obtained, among which 22,538 were annotated on the basis of seven databases. In addition, 3,373 new genes were predicted, of which 1,459 were annotated. Several pathways were found to be involved in myrmecophagy, including olfactory transduction, amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism, lipid metabolism, and terpenoid and polyketide metabolism pathways. Many of the annotated transcripts were involved in digestive functions: 997 transcripts were related to sensory perception, 129 were related to digestive enzyme gene families, and 199 were related to molecular transporters. One transcript for an acidic mammalian chitinase was found in the annotated data, and this might be closely related to the unique digestive function of pangolins. These pathways and transcripts are involved in specialization processes related to myrmecophagy (a form of insectivory) and carbohydrate, protein and lipid digestive pathways, probably reflecting adaptations to myrmecophagy. Our study is the first to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying myrmecophagy in M. javanica, and we hope that our results may play a role in the conservation of this species.

Smart surface coating of drug nanoparticles with cross-linkable polyethylene glycol for bio-responsive and highly efficient drug delivery.

Many drug molecules can be directly used as nanomedicine without the requirement of any inorganic or organic carriers such as silica and liposome nanostructures. This new type of carrier-free drug nanoparticles (NPs) has great potential in clinical treatment because of its ultra-high drug loading capacity and biodegradability. For practical applications, it is essential for such nanomedicine to possess robust stability and minimal premature release of therapeutic molecules during circulation in the blood stream. To meet this requirement, herein, we develop GSH-responsive and crosslinkable amphiphilic polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecules to modify carrier-free drug NPs. These PEG molecules can be cross-linked on the surface of the NPs to endow them with greater stability and the cross-link is sensitive to intracellular environment for bio-responsive drug release. With this elegant design, our experimental results show that the liberation of DOX from DOX-cross-linked PEG NPs is dramatically slower than that from DOX-non-cross-linked PEG NPs, and the DOX release profile can be controlled by tuning the concentration of the reducing agent to break the cross-link between PEG molecules. More importantly, in vivo studies reveal that the DOX-cross-linked PEG NPs exhibit favorable blood circulation half-life (>4 h) and intense accumulation in tumor areas, enabling effective anti-cancer therapy. We expect this work will provide a powerful strategy for stabilizing carrier-free nanomedicines and pave the way to their successful clinical applications in the future.

The aspect ratio effect of drug nanocrystals on cellular internalization efficiency, uptake mechanisms, and in vitro and in vivo anticancer efficiencies.

In this paper, we investigated the aspect ratio (AR) effect of anticancer drug nanocrystals (NCs) on their cellular internalization efficiency, uptake mechanisms, biodistributions as well as in vitro and in vivo antitumor efficiencies. Both confocal imaging and flow cytometry show that shorter NCs with AR = 1.3 have a much faster cellular uptake rate and a much higher anticancer efficacy than longer NCs. All NCs with different ARs were found to enter the cells via an energy-dependent clathrin-mediated pathway. In vivo experiments indicate that NCs with higher ARs have a shorter half-life and are more easily captured by the liver, while the corresponding tumor uptake decreased. We also observed that NCs with the smallest AR have the highest therapeutic efficacy with appreciably less weight loss. These results would assist in the future design of drug NCs and may lead to the development of new drug nanostructures for biomedical applications.

Smart nanorods for highly effective cancer theranostic applications.

Combination of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy is considered to be a promising strategy for the next generation of cancer treatments. However, it has been limited by difficulties in obtaining high drug payload chemo-photothermal agents, and thus complete destruction of tumor without recurrence has never been achieved, unless they are conjugated with some targeting ligands for special targeted drug delivery. Herein, iron oxide nanoparticle (IONP)-doped 10-hydroxycamptothecin drug nanorods (HCPT NRs), with an organic conducting polymer poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT) coating outside, are developed for cancer diagnosis and chemo-photothermal therapy. The drug-loading capacity of HCPT in the complex NRs reaches up to 72%, which is much higher than previously reported carrier-based nanocomposites. In vitro studies show that the resulting NRs demonstrate an excellent chemo-photothermal synergistic effect for tumor ablation. More importantly, 100% in vivo tumor elimination is achieved under a low laser power density of 1 W cm(-) (2) without weight loss and tumor recurrence. Moreover, IONP endow these drug nanocomposites with imaging capabilities, thus rendering the resulting HCPT-PEDOT NR an all-in-one processing system for diagnosis and treatment with low systematic toxicity.

Ultrasound exposure improves the targeted therapy effects of galactosylated docetaxel nanoparticles on hepatocellular carcinoma xenografts.

PURPOSE: The distribution of targeted nanoparticles in tumor tissue is affected by a combination of various factors such as the physicochemical properties of the nanoparticles, tumor hemoperfusion and tumor vascular permeability. In this study, the impact of the biological effects of ultrasound on nanoparticle targeting to liver carcinoma was explored. METHODS: The copolymer MePEG-PLGA was used to prepare the galactosylated docetaxel nanoparticles (GDN), and the physical and chemical properties as well as the acute toxicity were then assayed. The impact of ultrasound exposure (UE) on tumor hemoperfusion was observed by contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS), and the distribution of docetaxel in tumors and liver were detected by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In the GDN combined with UE treatment group, the mice were injected intravenously with GDN, followed by ultrasound exposure on the human hepatocellular carcinoma xenografts. Twenty-eight days post-administration, the tumor growth inhibition rate was calculated, and the expression of Survivin and Ki67 in tumor tissues were determined by immunohistochemistry assay and quantitative real-time PCR. RESULTS: The mean size of prepared liver-targeting nanoparticles GDN was 209.3 nm, and the encapsulation efficiency was 72.28%. The median lethal dose of GDN was detected as 219.5 mg/kg which was about four times higher than that of docetaxel. After ultrasound exposure, the tumor peak - base intensity difference value, examined by CEUS, increased significantly. The drug content in the tumor was 1.96 times higher than in the GDN treated control. In vivo, GDN intravenous injection combined with ultrasound exposure therapy achieved the best anti-tumor effect with a tumor growth inhibition rate of 74.2%, and the expression of Survivin and Ki67 were significantly decreased as well. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound exposure can improve targeting nanoparticles accumulation in the tumor, and achieve a synergism antitumor effect on the hepatocellular carcinoma xenografts.

Shape design of high drug payload nanoparticles for more effective cancer therapy.

We developed different-shaped drug nanocrystals with similar hydrodynamic sizes and surface charges, and found that nanorods exhibited much higher in vitro and in vivo anticancer efficacy than that of nanospheres.