Flexible microneedles incorporating gold nanorods and tacrolimus for effective synergistic photothermal-chemotherapy of rheumatoid arthritis.

Transdermal drug delivery systems for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have garnered substantial attention due to their great potential to overcome limitations observed in conventional oral or injection strategies, including limited selectivity and adverse effects on extra-articular tissues. Microneedles (MNs) appear to be highly desirable carriers for transdermal drug delivery of RA. However, microneedles typically are unable to keep up with the flexibility of joints, which decreases the effectiveness of administration. In this study, we developed a flexible microneedles (FMNs) delivery system. And gelatin was employed for the fabrication of flexible backings for microneedles owing to its excellent ductility and biocompatibility. We achieved synergisticphotothermal-chemotherapy of RA by incorporating the chemical drug Tacrolimus (TAC) and the photothermal agent gold nanorods (AuNRs) into dissolving microneedles. Results showed a high mechanical strength of the proposed FMNs. In the animal model of adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA), it is indicated that the prepared FMNs inhibited the expression of related inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1ß and TNF-α while enhancing bone repair and other related factors. Thus, the combination therapy of FMNs-mediated hyperthermia and chemotherapy can serve as a novel and synergistic treatment option for RA.

Understanding the role of swirling flow in dry powder inhalers implications for design considerations and pulmonary delivery.

Dry powder inhalers (DPIs) are widely employed to treat respiratory diseases, offering numerous advantages such as high dose capacity and stable formulations. However, they usually face challenges in achieving sufficient pulmonary drug delivery and minimizing excessive oropharyngeal deposition. This review provides a new viewpoint to address these challenges by focusing on the role of swirling flow, a crucial yet under-researched aspect that induces strong turbulence. In the review, we comprehensively discuss both key classic designs (tangential inlet, swirling chamber, grid mesh, and mouthpiece) and innovative designs in inhalers, exploring how the induced swirling flow initiates powder dispersion and promotes delivery efficiency. Valuable design considerations to effectively coordinate inhalers with formulations and patients are also provided. It is highlighted that the delicate manipulation of swirling flow is essential to maximize benefits. By emphasizing the role of swirling flow and its potential application, this review offers promising insights for advancing DPI technology and optimizing therapeutic outcomes in inhaled therapy.

Assembled pH-Responsive Gastric Drug Delivery Systems Based on 3D-Printed Shells.

Gastric acid secretion is closely associated with the development and treatment of chronic gastritis, gastric ulcers, and reflux esophagitis. However, gastric acid secretion is affected by complex physiological and pathological factors, and real-time detection and control are complicated and expensive. A gastric delivery system for antacids and therapeutics in response to low pH in the stomach holds promise for smart and personalized treatment of stomach diseases. In this study, pH-responsive modular units were used to assemble various modular devices for self-regulation of pH and drug delivery to the stomach. The modular unit with a release window of 50 mm2 could respond to pH and self-regulate within 10 min, which is related to its downward floatation and internal gas production. The assembled devices could stably float downward in the medium and detach sequentially at specific times. The assembled devices loaded with antacids exhibited smart pH self-regulation under complex physiological and pathological conditions. In addition, the assembled devices loaded with antacids and acid suppressors could multi-pulse or prolong drug release after rapid neutralization of gastric acid. Compared with traditional coating technology, 3D printing can print the shell layer by layer, flexibly adjust the internal and external structure and composition, and assemble it into a multi-level drug release system. Compared with traditional coating, 3D-printed shells have the advantage of the flexible adjustment of internal and external structure and composition, and are easy to assemble into a complex drug delivery system. This provides a universal and flexible strategy for the personalized treatment of diseases with abnormal gastric acid secretion, especially for delivering acid-unstable drugs.

Fabrication of controlled porous and ultrafast dissolution porous microneedles by organic-solvent-free ice templating method.

Porous Microneedles (PMNs) have been widely used in drug delivery and medical diagnosis owing to their abundant interconnected pores. However, the mechanical strength, the use of organic solvent, and drug loading capacity have long been challenging. Herein, a novel strategy of PMNs fabrication based on the Ice Templating Method is proposed that is suitable for insoluble, soluble, and nanosystem drug loading. The preparation process simplifies the traditional microneedle preparation process with a shorter preparation time. It endows the highly tunable porous morphology, enhanced mechanical strength, and rapid dissolution performance. Micro-CT three-dimensional reconstruction was used to better quantify the internal structures of PMNs, and we further established the equivalent pore network model to statistically analyze the internal pore structure parameters of PMNs. In particular, the mechanical strength is mainly negatively correlated with the surface porosity, while the dissolution velocity is mainly positively correlated with the permeability coefficient by the correlation heatmap. The poorly water-soluble Asiatic acid was encapsulated in PMNs in nanostructured lipid carriers, showing prominent hypertrophic scar healing trends. This work offers a quick and easy way of preparation that may be used to expand PMNs function and be introduced in industrial manufacturing development.

An FOF1-ATPase motor-embedded chromatophore as a nanorobot for overcoming biological barriers and targeting acidic tumor sites.

Despite the booming progress of anticancer nanomedicines in the past two decades, precise tumor-targetability and sufficient tumor-accumulation are less successful and still require further research. To tackle this challenge, herein we present a biomolecular motor (FOF1-ATPase)-embedded chromatophore as nanorobot to efficiently overcome biological barriers, and thoroughly investigate its chemotactic motility, tumor-accumulation ability and endocytosis. Chromatophores embedded with FOF1-ATPase motors were firstly extracted from Thermus thermophilus, then their properties were fully characterized. Specifically, two microfluidic platforms (laminar flow microchip and tumor microenvironment (TME) microchip) were designed and developed to fully investigate the motility, tumor-accumulation ability and endocytosis of the chromatophore nanorobot (CN). The results from the laminar flow microchip indicated that the obtained CN possessed the strongly positive chemotaxis towards protons. And the TME microchip experiments verified that the CN had a desirable tumor-accumulation ability. Cellular uptake experiments demonstrated that the CN efficiently promoted the endocytosis of the fluorescence DiO into the HT-29 cells. And the in vivo studies revealed that the intravenously administered CN exhibited vigorous tumor-targetability and accumulation ability as well as highly efficient antitumor efficacy. All the results suggested that FOF1-ATPase motors-embedded CN could be promising nanomachines with powerful self-propulsion for overcoming physiological barriers and tumor-targeted drug delivery. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: In this study, we demonstrated that FOF1-ATPase-embedded chromatophore nanorobots exhibit a strong proton chemotaxis, which not only plays a key role in tumor-targetability and accumulation, but also promotes tumor tissue penetration and internalization. The results of in vitro and in vivo studies indicated that drug-loaded chromatophore nanorobots are capable to simultaneously accomplish tumor-targeting, accumulation, penetration and internalization for enhanced tumor therapy. Our study provides a fundamental basis for further study on FOF1-ATPase-embedded chromatophore as tumor-targeting drug delivery systems that have promising clinical applications. It offers a new and more efficient delivery vehicle for cancer related therapeutics.

Distinct functional neutrophil phenotypes in sepsis patients correlate with disease severity.

Purpose: Sepsis is a clinical syndrome defined as life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Sepsis is a highly heterogeneous syndrome with distinct phenotypes that impact immune function and response to infection. To develop targeted therapeutics, immunophenotyping is needed to identify distinct functional phenotypes of immune cells. In this study, we utilized our Organ-on-Chip assay to categorize sepsis patients into distinct phenotypes using patient data, neutrophil functional analysis, and proteomics. Methods: Following informed consent, neutrophils and plasma were isolated from sepsis patients in the Temple University Hospital ICU (n=45) and healthy control donors (n=7). Human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HLMVEC) were cultured in the Organ-on-Chip and treated with buffer or cytomix ((TNF/IL-1ß/IFNγ). Neutrophil adhesion and migration across HLMVEC in the Organ-on-Chip were used to categorize functional neutrophil phenotypes. Quantitative label-free global proteomics was performed on neutrophils to identify differentially expressed proteins. Plasma levels of sepsis biomarkers and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) were determined by ELISA. Results: We identified three functional phenotypes in critically ill ICU sepsis patients based on ex vivo neutrophil adhesion and migration patterns. The phenotypes were classified as: Hyperimmune characterized by enhanced neutrophil adhesion and migration, Hypoimmune that was unresponsive to stimulation, and Hybrid with increased adhesion but blunted migration. These functional phenotypes were associated with distinct proteomic signatures and differentiated sepsis patients by important clinical parameters related to disease severity. The Hyperimmune group demonstrated higher oxygen requirements, increased mechanical ventilation, and longer ICU length of stay compared to the Hypoimmune and Hybrid groups. Patients with the Hyperimmune neutrophil phenotype had significantly increased circulating neutrophils and elevated plasma levels NETs. Conclusion: Neutrophils and NETs play a critical role in vascular barrier dysfunction in sepsis and elevated NETs may be a key biomarker identifying the Hyperimmune group. Our results establish significant associations between specific neutrophil functional phenotypes and disease severity and identify important functional parameters in sepsis pathophysiology that may provide a new approach to classify sepsis patients for specific therapeutic interventions.

MgO@polydopamine Nanoparticle-Loaded Photothermal Microneedle Patches Combined with Chitosan Gel Dressings for the Treatment of Infectious Wounds.

As for wound drug delivery, microneedles (MNs) have attracted wide attention. However, while effective at increasing the depth of drug delivery, traditional MNs often have limited drug loads and have difficulty penetrating scabs on wounds. Herein, we develop a drug delivery system combining MgO@polydopamine (MgO@PDA) nanoparticle-loaded photothermal MN patches and chitosan (CS) gel to inhibit the formation of scabs and deliver sufficient drugs into deep tissue. When inserted into the wound, the MN system can keep the wound bed moist and weakly acidic to inhibit the formation of scabs and accelerate wound closure. The released MgO@PDA nanoparticles from both the tips and the backing layer, which immensely increase the drug load, continuously release Mg2+ in the moist, weakly acidic wound bed, promoting tissue migration and the formation of microvessels. MgO@PDA nanoparticles show excellent antibacterial activity under near-infrared irradiation synergized with the CS gel, and the PDA coating can also overcome the adverse effects of oxidative stress. Through in vitro and in vivo experiments, the MN system showed remarkable antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and pro-angiogenic effects, indicating its potential in the treatment of infectious wounds.

Natural herb wormwood-based microneedle array for wound healing.

Artemisia argyi, commonly known as wormwood, is a traditional Chinese herbal food and medicine celebrated for its notable antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. This study explores a novel delivery method for wormwood, aiming for more convenient and versatile applications. Specifically, we present the first investigation into combining wormwood with microstructures to create a microneedle (MN) patch for wound healing. The wormwood microneedle (WMN) patch is formulated with milled wormwood sap, calcium carbonate, and sodium hyaluronate. The addition of 0.3% (w/v) sodium hyaluronate enhances the mechanical strength of the WMN patch. Pectin, derived from wormwood, is combined with calcium carbonate to create a gelatinous and solidified substance. The WMN patch exhibits a well-defined shape and sufficient mechanical strength to penetrate the epidermis, as confirmed by our results. In vitro experiments demonstrate the biocompatibility of the WMN patch with fibroblasts and highlight its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, the patch facilitates collagen deposition at the wound site. In an excisional rat model, the WMN patch significantly accelerates the wound closure rate compared to the control group. Our findings suggest that the WMN patch has the potential to serve as a natural treatment for wound healing. Additionally, this approach can be extended to other biologically active substances with similar physiochemical characteristics in future applications.

Methotrexate-loaded hyaluronan-modified liposomes integrated into dissolving microneedles for the treatment of psoriasis.

Methotrexate (MTX) is a first-line drug in treating psoriasis because of its strong anti-proliferation and anti-inflammatory effects. However, systemic administration of MTX will lead to many side effects, such as gastrointestinal irritation, liver and kidney toxicity, etc. Herein, we developed liposome-loaded microneedles (MNs) system to improve transdermal efficiency, which was used to overcome the problems of low transdermal efficiency and poor therapeutic effect of traditional transdermal drug delivery methods. Hyaluronic acid (HA) was modified on the surface of MTX-loaded liposomes. The interaction of HA and CD44 could increase the adhesion of HA-MTX-Lipo to HaCaT cells, thereby promoting the apoptosis or death of HaCaT cells. Results indicated HA-MTX-Lipo MNs could inhibit the development of psoriasis and reduce the degree of skin erythema, scaling, and thickening. The mRNA levels of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-17A, IL-23, and TNF-α were decreased. The epidermal thickness and proliferative cell-associated antigen Ki67 expression were also reduced. Specifically, the expression of mRNA levels of proinflammatory cytokines was down-regulated. The MNs transdermal delivery of HA-modified-MTX liposomes provided a promising method for treating psoriasis.

Protein corona, influence on drug delivery system and its improvement strategy: A review.

Nano drug delivery systems offer several benefits, including enhancing drug solubility, regulating drug release, prolonging drug circulation time, and minimized toxicity and side effects. However, upon entering the bloodstream, nanoparticles (NPs) encounter a complex biological environment and get absorbed by various biological components, primarily proteins, leading to the formation of a 'Protein Corona'. The formation of the protein corona is affected by the characteristics of NPs, the physiological environment, and experimental design, which in turn affects of the immunotoxicity, specific recognition, cell uptake, and drug release of NPs. To improve the abundance of a specific protein on NPs, researchers have explored pre-coating, modifying, or wrapping NPs with the cell membrane to reduce protein adsorption. This paper, we have reviewed studies of the protein corona in recent years, summarized the formation and detection methods of the protein corona, the effect of the protein corona composition on the fate of NPs, and the design of new drug delivery systems based on the optimization of protein corona to provide a reference for further study of the protein corona and a theoretical basis for the clinical transformation of NPs.

3D-printed dosage forms for oral administration: a review.

Oral administration is the most commonly used form of treatment due to its advantages, including high patient compliance, convenient administration, and minimal preparation required. However, the traditional preparation process of oral solid preparation has many defects. Although continuous manufacturing line that combined all the unit operations has been developed and preliminarily applied in the pharmaceutical industry, most of the currently used manufacturing processes are still complicated and discontinuous. As a result, these complex production steps will lead to low production efficiency and high quality control risk of the final product. Additionally, the large-scale production mode is inappropriate for the personalized medicines, which commonly is customized with small amount. Several attractive techniques, such as hot-melt extrusion, fluidized bed pelletizing and spray drying, could effectively shorten the process flow, but still, they have inherent limitations that are challenging to address. As a novel manufacturing technique, 3D printing could greatly reduce or eliminate these disadvantages mentioned above, and could realize a desirable continuous production for small-scale personalized manufacturing. In recent years, due to the participation of 3D printing, the development of printed drugs has progressed by leaps and bounds, especially in the design of oral drug dosage forms. This review attempts to summarize the new development of 3D printing technology in oral preparation and also discusses their advantages and disadvantages as well as potential applications.

Photopolymerizable, immunomodulatory hydrogels of gelatin methacryloyl and carboxymethyl chitosan as all-in-one strategic dressing for wound healing.

Microenvironment regeneration in wound tissue is crucial for wound healing. However, achieving desirable wound microenvironment regeneration involves multiple stages, including hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. Traditional wound dressings face challenges in fully manipulating all these stages to achieve quick and complete wound healing. Herein, we present a VEGF-loaded, versatile wound dressing hydrogel based on gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS), which could be easily fabricated using UV irradiation. The newly designed GelMA-CMCS@VEGF hydrogel not only exhibited strong tissue adhesion capacity due to the interactions between CMCS active groups and biological tissues, but also possessed desirable extensible properties for frequently moving skins and joints. Furthermore, the hydrogel demonstrates exceptional abilities in blood cell coagulation, hemostasis and cell recruitment, leading to the promotion of endothelial cells proliferation, adhesion, migration and angiogenesis. Additionally, in vivo studies demonstrated that the hydrogel drastically shortened hemostatic time, and achieved satisfactory therapeutic efficacy by suppressing inflammation, modulating M1/M2 polarization of macrophages, significantly promoting collagen deposition, stimulating angiogenesis, epithelialization and tissue remodeling. This work contributes to the design of versatile hydrogel dressings for rapid and complete wound healing therapy.

Nickel-Catalyzed Asymmetric Synthesis of P-Stereogenic Phosphanyl Hydrazine Building Blocks.

Catalytic asymmetric methods for the synthesis of synthetically versatile P-stereogenic building blocks offer an efficient and practical approach for the diversity-oriented preparation of P-chiral phosphorus compounds. Herein, we report the first nickel-catalyzed synthesis of P-stereogenic secondary aminophosphine-boranes by the asymmetric addition of primary phosphines to azo compounds. We further demonstrate that the P-H and P-N bonds on these phosphanyl hydrazine building blocks can be reacted sequentially and stereospecifically to access various P-stereogenic compounds with structural diversity.

Construction and application of microneedle-mediated photothermal therapy and immunotherapy combined anti-tumor drug delivery system.

Conventional treatments for tumors were frequently accompanied by drawbacks and side effects. It might be useful to use the revolutionary microneedle technology which combines photothermal therapy with tumor immunotherapy. In this study, we created a microneedle drug delivery system with mercapto-modified gold nanorods and immune checkpoint blocker anti-PD-1 polypeptide. With good mechanical strength, the microneedle system can efficiently penetrate the skin and deliver drugs. When inserted into human skin, anti-PD-1 peptides and gold nanorods can be released, boosting the capacity of cytotoxic T lymphocytes to destroy tumor cells. Additionally, the elimination of the tumor is aided by the production of heat while being exposed to near-infrared light. This microneedle drug delivery system can enhance the immunological reaction and prolong the survival time of mice. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that the system has mild toxic and side effects on normal tissues and can effectively inhibit the growth of tumors, indicating a bright prospect for the treatment of cancers.

FOF1-ATPase Motor-Embedded Chromatophore as Drug Delivery System: Extraction, Cargo Loading Ability and Mucus Penetration Ability.

Mucosal drug delivery permits direct and prompt drug absorption, which is capable of reducing undesirable decomposition that occurs before absorption. However, mucus clearance of those mucosal drug delivery systems strongly retards their actual application. Herein, we propose chromatophore nanoparticles embedded with FOF1-ATPase motors to promote mucus penetration. The FOF1-ATPase motor-embedded chromatophores were firstly extracted from Thermus thermophilus by using a gradient centrifugation method. Then, the model drug (curcumin) was loaded onto the chromatophores. The drug loading efficiency and entrapment efficiency were optimized by using different loading approaches. The activity, motility, stability and mucus permeation of the drug-loaded chromatophore nanoparticles were thoroughly investigated. Both the in vitro and in vivo studies revealed that the FOF1-ATPase motor-embedded chromatophore successfully enhanced mucus penetration glioma therapy. This study indicates that the FOF1-ATPase motor-embedded chromatophore is a promising alternative as a mucosal drug delivery system.

Application and evaluation of fused deposition modeling technique in customized medical products.

The fused deposition modeling (FDM) technique has enormous potential for developing customized medical products with complicated structures. In this study, the application of the FDM technique to three medical products was investigated, and the risk factors affecting product quality were evaluated. For FDM-printed matrix and reservoir preparations, special attention should be paid to spacing width reduction and layered coating thickness. Therefore, spacing printing fidelity and interlayer bonding strength was established as unique indexes to characterize the effectiveness and safety of FDM-printed medicine. For FDM-printed orthopedic implants, layer height affected the dimensional deviation of surface morphology, which could be digitally evaluated. Moreover, internal structure affected the biomechanical behavior, which could be investigated using in silico simulation. The results reveal the broad application of FDM technology in customized medical products and might help to establish scientific and reasonable evaluation systems for them.

3D-printed morphology-customized microneedles: Understanding the correlation between their morphologies and the received qualities.

Despite remarkable progress in the last decade in transdermal microneedle drug delivery systems, great difficulties in precisely manufacturing microneedles with sophisticated microstructures still strongly retard their practical applications. Herein we propose morphology-customized microneedles (spiral, conical, cylindroid, ring-like, arrow-like and tree-like) fabricated by stereolithography (SLA) based 3D-printing technique, and in-depth investigate the correlation between the customized morphologies and the received qualities of the corresponding microneedles such as the mechanical properties and skin penetration behavior, drug loading capacity and the drug release profiles. Results indicated that 3D-printed morphology-customized microneedles not only enhanced the mechanical strength but also improved both drug loading capacity and drug release behavior, which resulted from their highly controllable and 3D-printable morphologies (surface area and volume). And the in vivo study demonstrated that the 3D-printed morphology-customized microneedles successfully promoted the transdermal delivery of the loaded drug (verapamil hydrochloride) with an enhanced therapeutic efficacy for the treatment of hypertrophic scar.

Three-Dimensional-Printed Oral Films Based on LCD: Influence Factors of the Film Printability and Received Qualities.

As an oral mucosal drug delivery system, oral films have been of wide concern in recent years because of their advantages such as rapid absorption, being easy to swallow and avoiding the first-pass effect common for mucoadhesive oral films. However, the currently utilized manufacturing approaches including solvent casting have many limitations, such as solvent residue and difficulties in drying, and are not suitable for personalized customization. To solve these problems, the present study utilizes liquid crystal display (LCD), a photopolymerization-based 3D printing technique, to fabricate mucoadhesive films for oral mucosal drug delivery. The designed printing formulation includes PEGDA as the printing resin, TPO as the photoinitiator, tartrazine as the photoabsorber, PEG 300 as the additive and HPMC as the bioadhesive material. The influence of printing formulation and printing parameters on the printing formability of the oral films were elucidated in depth, and the results suggested that PEG 300 in the formulation not only provided the necessary flexibility of the printed oral films, but also improved drug release rate due to its role as pore former in the produced films. The presence of HPMC could greatly improve the adhesiveness of the 3D-printed oral films, but excessive HPMC increased the viscosity of the printing resin solution, which could strongly hinder the photo-crosslinking reaction and reduce printability. Based on the optimized printing formulation and printing parameters, the bilayer oral films containing a backing layer and an adhesive layer were successfully printed with stable dimensions, adequate mechanical properties, strong adhesion ability, desirable drug release and efficient in vivo therapeutic efficacy. All these results indicated that an LCD-based 3D printing technique is a promising alternative to precisely fabricate oral films for personalized medicine.

FOF1-ATP synthase molecular motor biosensor for miRNA detection of colon cancer.

AIMS: To establish a FOF1-ATP synthase molecular motor biosensor to accurately identify colon cancer miRNAs. MAIN METHODS: The FOF1-ATP synthase molecular motor is extracted by fragmentation-centrifugation and connected to the colon cancer-specific miR-17 capture probe in the manner of the ε subunit-biotin-streptavidin-biotin system. Signal probes are designed for dual-signal characterization to increase detection accuracy. The FOF1-ATPase rotation rate decreases when the signaling and capture probes are combined with the target miRNA, resulting in a decrease in ATP synthesis. miR-17 concentrations are determined by changes in ATP-mediated chemiluminescence intensity and signal probe-mediated OD450nm. KEY FINDINGS: The chemiluminescence intensity and OD450nm show a good linear relationship with the miR-17 concentration in the range of 5 to 200 nmol L-1 (R2 = 0.9985, 0.9989). The colon cancer mouse model is established for the blood samples, and miR-17 in serum and RNA extracts is quantitatively determined using the constructed sensor. SIGNIFICANCE: The results are consistent with colon cancer progression, and the low concentration of miR-17 detecting accuracy is comparable to the PCR assay. In conclusion, the developed method is a direct, rapid, and promising method for miRNA detection of colon cancer.

Synthesis of P-Stereogenic Phosphine Oxides via Nickel-Catalyzed Asymmetric Cross-Coupling of Secondary Phosphine Oxides with Alkenyl and Aryl Bromides.

A general and mild nickel-catalyzed enantioselective C(sp2 )-P cross-coupling for synthesizing P-stereogenic phosphine oxides has been developed. The asymmetric alkenylation/arylation of racemic secondary phosphine oxides with alkenyl/aryl bromides generated P-stereogenic phosphine oxides with high yields and enantioselectivities. Various functional groups were tolerated, and the applications of this method were demonstrated through late-stage functionalization and product transformations.