Polydopamine-Encapsulated Perfluorocarbon for Ultrasound Contrast Imaging and Photothermal Therapy.

Biomedical nanoplatforms have been widely investigated for ultrasound (US) imaging and cancer therapy. Herein, perfluorocarbon (PFC) is encapsulated into biocompatible polydopamine (PDA) to form a theranostic nanosystem, followed by the modification of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to stabilize the nanoparticle via a facile one-pot method. Under 808 nm near-infrared laser irradiation, PDA can generate hyperthermia to transform PFC droplets to bubbles with high US imaging sensitivity. The US imaging detection of the PFC-PDA-PEG nanosystem is achievable in a time span of up to 25 min in vitro at a low US frequency and mechanical index, manifesting a US imaging performance for in vivo application. Moreover, tumor cells incubated with the nanosystem are ablated effectively under laser irradiation at 808 nm. The results illustrate the potential of the PDA-based theranostic agent in US imaging-guided photothermal therapy of tumor.

Advances of blend films based on natural food soft matter: Multi-scale structural analysis.

The blend films made of food soft matter are of growing interest to the food packaging industries as a pro-environment packaging option. The blend films have become a novel pattern to replace traditional plastics gradually due to their characteristics of biodegradability, sustainability, and environmental friendliness. This review discussed the whole process of the manufacturing of food soft matter blend films from the raw material to the application due to multi-scale structural analysis. There are 3 stages and 12 critical analysis points of the entire process. The raw material, molecular self-assembly, film-forming mechanism and performance test of blend films are investigated. In addition, 11 kinds of blend films with different functional properties by casting are also preliminarily described. The industrialization progress of blend films can be extended or facilitated by analysis of the 12 critical analysis points and classification of the food soft matter blend films which has a great potential in protecting environment by developing sustainable packaging solutions.

A mesoporous theranostic platform for ultrasound and photoacoustic dual imaging-guided photothermal and enhanced starvation therapy for cancer.

Tumor starvation therapy utilizing glucose oxidase (GOx), has gained traction due to its non-invasive and bio-safe attributes. However, its effectiveness is often hampered by severe hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment (TME), limiting GOx's catalytic activity. To address this issue, a multifunctional nanosystem based on mesoporous polydopamine nanoparticles (MPDA NPs) was developled to alleviate TME hypoxia. This nanosystem integrated GOx modification and oxygenated perfluoropentane (PFP) encapsulation to address hypoxia-related challenges in the TME. Under NIR laser irradiation, the MPDA NPs exhibit significant photothermal conversion efficacy, activating targeted tumor photothermal therapy (PTT), while also serving as proficient photoacoustic (PA) imaging agents. The ensuing temperature rise facilitates oxygen (O2) release and induces liquid-gas conversion of PFP, generating microbubbles for enhanced ultrasound (US) imaging signals. The supplied oxygen alleviates local hypoxia, thereby enhancing GOx-mediated endogenous glucose consumption for tumor starvation. Overall, the integration of ultrasound/photoacoustic dual imaging-guided PTT and starvation therapy within MPDA-GOx@PFP@O2 nanoparticles (MGPO NPs) presents a promising platform for enhancing the efficacay of tumor treatment by overcoming the complexities of the TME. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: A multifunctional MPDA-based theranostic nanoagent was developed for US/PAI imaging-guided PTT and starvation therapy against tumor hypoxia by direct O2 delivery. The incorporation of oxygenated perfluoropentane (PFP) within the mesoporous structure of MGPO not only enables efficient US imaging but also helps in alleviating tumor hypoxia. Moreover, the strong near-infrared (NIR) absorption of MGPO NPs promote the generation of PFP microbubbles and release of oxygen, thereby enhancing US imaging and GOx-mediated starvation therapy. Such a multifunctional nanosystem leverages synergistic effects to enhance therapeutic efficacy while incorporating US/PA imaging for precise visualization of the tumor.

Characteristics of Pickering emulsions stabilized by microgel particles of five different plant proteins and their application.

Pickering emulsions stabilized by protein particles are of great interest for use in real food systems. This study was to investigate the properties of microgel particles prepared from different plant proteins, i.e., soybean protein isolate (SPI), pea protein isolate (PPI), mung bean protein isolate (MPI), chia seed protein isolate (CSPI), and chickpea protein isolate (CPI). MPI protein particles had most desirable Pickering emulsion forming ability. The particles of SPI and PPI had similar particle size (316.23 nm and 294.80 nm) and surface hydrophobicity (2238.40 and 2001.13) and emulsion forming ability, while the CSPI and CPI particle stabilized emulsions had the least desirable properties. The MPI and PPI particle stabilized Pickering emulsions produced better quality ice cream than the one produced by SPI particle-stabilized emulsions. These findings provide insight into the properties of Pickering emulsions stabilized by different plant protein particles and help expand their application in emulsions and ice cream.

Bioactive poly (methyl methacrylate) bone cement for the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures.

Rationale: Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) bone cement is one of the most commonly used biomaterials for augmenting/stabilizing osteoporosis-induced vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs), such as percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) and balloon kyphoplasty (BKP). However, its clinical applications are limited by its poor performance in high compressive modulus and weak bonding to bone. To address these issues, a bioactive composite bone cement was developed for the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures, in which mineralized collagen (MC) was incorporated into the PMMA bone cement (MC-PMMA). Methods: The in vitro properties of PMMA and MC-PMMA composite bone cement were determined, including setting time, compressive modulus, adherence, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation of rat bone mesenchymal stem cells. The in vivo properties of both cements were evaluated in an animal study (36 osteoporotic New Zealand female rabbits divided equally between the two bone cement groups; PVP at L5) and a small-scale and short-term clinical study (12 patients in each of the two bone cement groups; follow-up: 2 years). Results: In terms of value for PMMA bone cement, the handling properties of MC-PMMA bone cement were not significantly different. However, both compressive strength and compressive modulus were found to be significantly lower. In the rabbit model study, at 8 and 12 weeks post-surgery, bone regeneration was more significant in MC-PMMA bone cement (cortical bone thickness, osteoblast area, new bone area, and bone ingrowth %; each significantly higher). In the clinical study, at a follow-up of 2 years, both the Visual Analogue Score and Oswestry Disability Index were significantly reduced when MC-PMMA cement was used. Conclusions: MC-PMMA bone cement demonstrated good adaptive mechanical properties and biocompatibility and may be a promising alternative to commercial PMMA bone cements for the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral fractures in clinical settings. While the present results for MC-PMMA bone cement are encouraging, further study of this cement is needed to explore its viability as an ideal alternative for use in PVP and BKP.

Transdermal delivery of rapamycin with poor water-solubility by dissolving polymeric microneedles for anti-angiogenesis.

Angiogenesis plays an important role in the occurrence and development of skin tumors and vascular anomalies (VAs). Many drugs have been adopted for the inhibition of angiogenesis, among which rapamycin (RAPA) possesses good application prospects. However, the clinical potential of RAPA for VAs is limited by its poor solubility, low bioavailability, and high cytotoxicity. To extend its application prospect for VAs treatment, in this study, we develop RAPA-loaded dissolving polymeric microneedles (RAPA DMNs) made of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) due to its excellent solubilizing ability. RAPA DMNs are shown to have sufficient mechanical strength to overcome the skin barrier of the stratum corneum and could deliver RAPA to a depth of 200 µm. The microneedle shafts completely dissolve and 80% of the drug could be released within 10 min after insertion ex vivo. The DMNs-penetrated mice skin could repair itself within 4 h after the application of RAPA DMNs. RAPA DMNs also show good anti-angiogenic effect by inhibiting the growth of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and decreasing the secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Therefore, RAPA DMNs promisingly provide a safe and efficient approach for VAs treatment.

Mineralized Collagen Modified Polymethyl Methacrylate Bone Cement for Osteoporotic Compression Vertebral Fracture at 1-Year Follow-up.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective comparative study. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the clinical effects and imaging features of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) bone cement with and without mineralized collagen (MC) in percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: PKP with PMMA is widely performed for OVCF. However, numerous complications have also been reported about the PMMA bone cement. Moreover, PMMA bone cement with and without MC have not been compared with respect to their postoperative efficacy and long-term follow-up. METHODS: From July 2016 to July 2017, 105 OVCF patients were randomly divided into two groups based on their PKP treatment: MC-PMMA group and PMMA group. Clinical operation, cement leakage, Oswestry Disability Index, visual analog scale, height of the fractured vertebrae, Cobb angle, refracture of the adjacent vertebra, recompression, and computed tomography values of the injured vertebra were compared between the two groups postoperatively and after 1-year follow-up. RESULTS: Clinical operation showed no differences between the two groups. Visual analog scale scores, Oswestry Disability Index scores, and Cobb angles showed statistically significant differences between the two groups after 1-year follow-up. The height of the vertebral body showed significant difference at 3 days postoperatively and preoperatively in each group and significant difference after 1 year between the two groups. The rate of refracture and leakage of the MC-PMMA group was lower than that of the PMMA group. The computed tomography value of the MC-PMMA group was obviously higher than that of the PMMA group after 1-year follow-up. CONCLUSION: MC-modified PMMA did not change the beneficial properties of PMMA. This new bone cement has better biocompatibility, can form a stable structure in the vertebral body, and improve the prognosis of patients by reducing pain and reoperation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

Release properties of tannic acid from hydrogen bond driven antioxidative cellulose nanofibrous films.

Layer-by-layer (LBL) assembled films have been exploited for surface-mediated bioactive compound delivery. Here, an antioxidative hydrogen-bonded multilayer electrospun nanofibrous film was fabricated from tannic acid (TA), acting as a polyphenolic antioxidant, and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) via layer-by-layer assembly. It overcame the burst release behavior of nanofibrous carrier, due to the reversible/dynamic nature of hydrogen bond, which was responded to external stimuli. The PEG/TA nanofibrous films disassembled gradually and released TA to the media, when soaked in aqueous solutions. The release rate of TA increased with increasing bilayer number, pH and temperature, but decreased with enhancing ionic strength. The surface morphology of the nanofibrous mats was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The following antioxidant activity assay revealed that it could scavenge DPPH free radicals and ABTS(+) cation radicals, a major biological activity of polyphenols. This technology can be used to fabricate other phenolic-containing slowly releasing antioxidative nanofibrous films.