DSPE-PEG2000-methotrexate nanoparticles encapsulating phenobarbital sodium kill cancer cells by inducing pyroptosis.

Cancer is a life-threatening disease worldwide. Nanomedicine and nanodelivery systems are recently developed scientific field that employs specific materials in the nanoscale range to deliver drugs. Lipid-based nanoparticles are an ideal delivery system since they exhibit many advantages, including high bioavailability, self-assembly, formulation simplicity, and the ability to exhibit a plethora of physicochemical properties. Herein, we report that phenobarbital sodium can kill cancer cells by using the DSPE-PEG2000-methotrexate nanoparticle delivery system, which can target folate receptors that are usually overexpressed on a variety of cancer cells. The released phenobarbital then executes cancer cells by inducing pyroptosis. Results from our animal model further indicate that the nanomedicine of nanoparticle-encapsulated phenobarbital sodium is a promising anticancer therapy.

A composite hydrogel loaded with the processed pyritum promotes bone repair via stimulate the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs.

Tissue engineering shows promise in repairing extensive bone defects. The promotion of proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) by biological scaffolds has a significant impact on bone regeneration outcomes. In this study we used an injectable hydrogel, known as aminated mesoporous silica gel composite hydrogel (MSNs-NH2@GelMA), loaded with a natural drug, processed pyritum (PP), to promote healing of bone defects. The mechanical properties of the composite hydrogel were significantly superior to those of the blank hydrogel. In vitro experiments revealed that the composite hydrogel stimulated the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs, and significantly increased the expression of type I collagen (Col 1), runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx 2), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin (OCN). In vivo experiments showed that the composite hydrogel promoted the generation of new bones. These findings provide evidence that the composite hydrogel pyritum-loaded holds promise as a biomaterial for bone repair.

Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)/Polycaprolactone Nanofibrous Membranes for High-Efficient Capture of Nano- and Microsized Particulate Matter.

The incidence of many diseases is closely related to air pollution. Suspended particulate matter of different sizes represents a major source of environmental pollution. Fine particles, especially ultrafine particles smaller than 2.5 µm, might be more harmful to human health because of their extremely small size, which enables them to penetrate human lungs and bronchi and makes them difficult to filter out. Therefore, the fatal risks associated with PM call for the development of air purification materials with high efficiency and low resistance. In this study, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) and polycaprolactone were used to prepare nanofibrous membranes suitable for the efficient capture of particulate matter formed in haze-fog episodes, especially particles smaller than 0.5 µm. The present nanofibrous membranes exhibit superior filtration efficiency for particulate matter, with a much lower pressure drop compared to typical commercial microfiber air filters. Thanks to the combination of small pore size, high porosity, and robust mechanical properties, the poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)/polycaprolactone (6:4) composite membrane exhibits a high filtration efficiency of 97.81% and a low pressure drop of 181 Pa. These favorable features, combined with the easy availability and biocompatibility of the component materials, highlight the promising potential of the present nanofibrous membranes for the development of personal wearable air purifiers.

Nucleosome-inspired nanocarrier obtains encapsulation efficiency enhancement and side effects reduction in chemotherapy by using fullerenol assembled with doxorubicin.

Chemodrugs have been widely used to treat cancer; however, the chemotherapy usually leads to serious side effects and failure. Various nanomaterials and strategies have been explored for drug delivery to improve the efficacy of chemodrugs. One key to loading chemodrugs onto a nano-delivery system is enhancement of the encapsulation efficiency, especially for polymeric nanoparticles being loaded with hydrophilic drugs. Inspired by the ability of eukaryote to package millions of genes in the nucleus wrapping and condensing DNA around histones to form chromosomes, here we developed a karyon-like hybrid nanoparticle to achieve ultra-high encapsulation of doxorubicin (Dox) with reduced side effects. We utilized fullerenol as a "histone", packaged a great number of Dox, and used PEG-PLGA as the "karyotheca" coating the "nucleosome" (fullerenol and Dox complex) to stabilize the complex. It is noteworthy that the encapsulation efficiency of Dox in the polymeric micelles was increased from ∼5% to ∼79%. What's more, the biomimetic-inspired delivery system significantly reduced the chemodrug side effects by utilizing the radical scavenging ability of fullerenol. This novel drug-delivery design approach provides useful insights for improving the applicability of fullerenol in drug delivery systems for cancer therapy.

Mussel Inspired Polynorepinephrine Functionalized Electrospun Polycaprolactone Microfibers for Muscle Regeneration.

Electrospun scaffolds with excellent mechanical properties, high specific surface area and a commendable porous network are widely used in tissue engineering. Improving the hydrophilicity and cell adhesion of hydrophobic substrates is the key point to enhance the effectiveness of electrospun scaffolds. In this study, polycaprolactone (PCL) fibrous membranes with appropriate diameter were selected and coated by mussel-inspired poly norepinephrine (pNE). And norepinephrine is a catecholamine functioning as a hormone and neurotransmitter in the human brain. The membrane with smaller diameter fibers, a relative larger specific surface area and the suitable pNE functionalization provided more suitable microenvironment for cell adhesion and proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. The regenerated muscle layer can be integrated well with fibrous membranes and surrounding tissues at the impaired site and thus the mechanical strength reached the value of native tissue. The underlying molecular mechanism is mediated via inhibiting myostatin expression by PI3K/AKT/mTOR hypertrophy pathway. The properly functionalized fibrous membranes hold the potential for repairing muscle injuries. Our current work also provides an insight for rational design and development of better tissue engineering materials for skeletal muscle regeneration.

Promoting DNA loading on magnetic nanoparticles using a DNA condensation strategy.

Maximizing DNA loading on magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) is crucial for their successful utilization in gene transfer, DNA isolation, and bio-analytical applications. This enhancement is typically achieved by altering particle size and surfaces as well as charge density and ionic strength. We demonstrate a novel route for promoting DNA loading on amino-modified silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles (ASMNPs) by prior condensation of elongated DNA to a compact globule before adsorption. The enhanced DNA-loading capacity, as demonstrated by a reduction in the number of ASMNPs needed to achieve complexation, was presumably due to the elimination of DNA wrapping around nanoparticles and substantially reduced electrostatic interactions of DNA with nanoparticles because the compacted DNA globule conformation decreases its exposed surface charge. The maximum loading capacity of ASMNPs for condensed DNA was 4.4 times greater than that for elongated coiled DNA, achieving the highest ever reported value of 385 µg mg(-1). Practical applications for plasmid DNA isolation from cleared lysate confirmed the reliability of the proposed method.