Oral delivery of nucleic acid therapeutics: Challenges, strategies, and opportunities.

In recent decades, advances in chemical synthesis and delivery systems have accelerated the development of therapeutic nucleic acids, several of which have been approved by the Us Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Oral nucleic acid delivery is preferred because of its simplicity and patient compliance, but it still presents distinct challenges. The negative charge, hydrophilicity, and large molecular weight of nucleic acids combined with in vivo gastrointestinal (GI) barriers (e.g., acidic pH, enzymes, mucus, and intestinal epithelial cells) severely hinder their delivery efficacy. Recently, various nanoparticles (NPs), ranging from polymeric to lipid-based (L)NPs and extracellular vesicles (EVs), have been extensively explored to address these obstacles. In this review, we describe the physiological barriers in the GI tract and summarize recent advances in NP-based oral nucleic acid therapeutics.

Employing carbon dots modified with vancomycin for assaying Gram-positive bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus.

By employing attractive performance of fluorescent carbon dots, we herein successfully established an assay for analyzing bacteria firstly. Specifically, carbon dots with blue fluorescence were initially synthesized according to a previous report, and modified with vancomycin on their surfaces. Subsequently, the prepared carbon dots were applied to detect Staphylococcus aureus accompanied with a linear range of 3.18×10(5)-1.59×10(8) cfu/mL as well as a detection limit of 9.40×10(4) cfu/mL. Compared with other regular methods, our method is more rapid and convenient in term of methodology. Meanwhile, the current strategy was applied for detection of other bacteria including Bacillus subtilis, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli, and the modified carbon dots showed obvious affinity with Gram-positive bacteria owing to the ligand-receptor interactions between vancomycin and the cell walls, suggesting its value for detecting Gram-positive bacteria. Additionally, the practicability of this sensing approach was validated by recovery experiments conducted in orange juice, confirming its potential to broaden avenues for detection of Gram-positive bacteria.