Biopolymer-Based Nanomedicine for Cancer Therapy: Opportunities and Challenges.

Cancer, as the foremost challenge among human diseases, has plagued medical professionals for many years. While there have been numerous treatment approaches in clinical practice, they often cause additional harm to patients. The emergence of nanotechnology has brought new directions for cancer treatment, which can deliver anticancer drugs specifically to tumor areas. This article first introduces the application scenarios of nanotherapies and treatment strategies of nanomedicine. Then, the noteworthy characteristics exhibited by biopolymer materials were described, which make biopolymers stand out in polymeric nanomedicine delivery. Next, we focus on summarizing the state-of-art studies of five categories of proteins (Albumin, Gelatin, Silk fibroin, Zein, Ferritin), nine varieties of polysaccharides (Chitosan, Starch, Hyaluronic acid, Dextran, cellulose, Fucoidan, Carrageenan, Lignin, Pectin) and liposomes in the field of anticancer drug delivery. Finally, we also provide a summary of the advantages and limitations of these biopolymers, discuss the prevailing impediments to their application, and discuss in detail the prospective research directions. This review not only helps readers understand the current development status of nano anticancer drug delivery systems based on biopolymers, but also is helpful for readers to understand the properties of various biopolymers and find suitable solutions in this field through comparative reading.

Preparation and evaluation of decellularized epineurium as an anti-adhesive biofilm in peripheral nerve repair.

Following peripheral nerve anastomosis, the anastomotic site is prone to adhesions with surrounding tissues, consequently impacting the effectiveness of nerve repair. This study explores the development and efficacy of a decellularized epineurium as an anti-adhesive biofilm in peripheral nerve repair. Firstly, the entire epineurium was extracted from fresh porcine sciatic nerves, followed by a decellularization process. The decellularization efficiency was then thoroughly assessed. Subsequently, the decellularized epineurium underwent proteomic analysis to determine the remaining bioactive components. To ensure biosafety, the decellularized epineurium underwent cytotoxicity assays, hemolysis tests, cell affinity assays, and assessments of the immune response following subcutaneous implantation. Finally, the functionality of the biofilm was determined using a sciatic nerve transection and anastomosis model in rats. The result indicated that the decellularization process effectively removed cellular components from the epineurium while preserving a number of bioactive molecules, and this decellularized epineurium was effective in preventing adhesion while promoting nerve repairment and functional recovery. In conclusion, the decellularized epineurium represents a novel and promising anti-adhesion biofilm for enhancing surgical outcomes of peripheral nerve repair.

Bioinspired core-shell nanofiber drug-delivery system modulates osteogenic and osteoclast activity for bone tissue regeneration.

Osteogenic-osteoclast coupling processes play a crucial role in bone regeneration. Recently, strategies that focus on multi-functionalized implant surfaces to enhance the healing of bone defects through the synergistic regulation of osteogenesis and osteoclastogenesis is still a challenging task in the field of bone tissue engineering. The aim of this study was to create a dual-drug release-based core-shell nanofibers with the intent of achieving a time-controlled release to facilitate bone regeneration. We fabricated core-shell P/PCL nanofibers using coaxial electrospinning, where alendronate (ALN) was incorporated into the core layer and hydroxyapatite (HA) into shell. The surface of the nanofiber construct was further modified with mussel-derived polydopamine (PDA) to induce hydrophilicity and enhance cell interactions. Surface characterizations confirmed the successful synthesis of PDA@PHA/PCL-ALN nanofibers endowed with excellent mechanical strength (20.02 ± 0.13 MPa) and hydrophilicity (22.56°), as well as the sustained sequential release of ALN and Ca ions. In vitro experiments demonstrated that PDA-functionalized core-shell PHA/PCL-ALN scaffolds possessed excellent cytocompatibility, enhanced cell adhesion and proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity and osteogenesis-related genes. In addition to osteogenesis, the engineered scaffolds also significantly reduced osteoclastogenesis, such as tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity and osteoclastogenesis-related gene expression. After 12-week of implantation, it was observed that PDA@PHA/PCL-ALN nanofiber scaffolds, in a rat cranial defect model, significantly promoted bone repair and regeneration. Microcomputed tomography, histological examination, and immunohistochemical analysis collectively demonstrated that the PDA-functionalized core-shell PHA/PCL-ALN scaffolds exhibited exceptional osteogenesis-inducing and osteoclastogenesis-inhibiting effects. Finally, it may be concluded from our results that the bio-inspired surface-functionalized multifunctional, biomimetic and controlled release core-shell nanofiber provides a promising strategy to facilitate bone healing.

A dual diffusion model enables 3D molecule generation and lead optimization based on target pockets.

Structure-based generative chemistry is essential in computer-aided drug discovery by exploring a vast chemical space to design ligands with high binding affinity for targets. However, traditional in silico methods are limited by computational inefficiency, while machine learning approaches face bottlenecks due to auto-regressive sampling. To address these concerns, we have developed a conditional deep generative model, PMDM, for 3D molecule generation fitting specified targets. PMDM consists of a conditional equivariant diffusion model with both local and global molecular dynamics, enabling PMDM to consider the conditioned protein information to generate molecules efficiently. The comprehensive experiments indicate that PMDM outperforms baseline models across multiple evaluation metrics. To evaluate the applications of PMDM under real drug design scenarios, we conduct lead compound optimization for SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) and Cyclin-dependent Kinase 2 (CDK2), respectively. The selected lead optimization molecules are synthesized and evaluated for their in-vitro activities against CDK2, displaying improved CDK2 activity.

Emerging Polymer-Based Nanosystem Strategies in the Delivery of Antifungal Drugs.

Nanosystems-based antifungal agents have emerged as an effective strategy to address issues related to drug resistance, drug release, and toxicity. Among the diverse materials employed for antifungal drug delivery, polymers, including polysaccharides, proteins, and polyesters, have gained significant attention due to their versatility. Considering the complex nature of fungal infections and their varying sites, it is crucial for researchers to carefully select appropriate polymers based on specific scenarios when designing antifungal agent delivery nanosystems. This review provides an overview of the various types of nanoparticles used in antifungal drug delivery systems, with a particular emphasis on the types of polymers used. The review focuses on the application of drug delivery systems and the release behavior of these systems. Furthermore, the review summarizes the critical physical properties and relevant information utilized in antifungal polymer nanomedicine delivery systems and briefly discusses the application prospects of these systems.

Research Progress with Membrane Shielding Materials for Electromagnetic/Radiation Contamination.

As technology develops at a rapid pace, electromagnetic and radiation pollution have become significant issues. These forms of pollution can cause many important environmental issues. If they are not properly managed and addressed, they will be everywhere in the global biosphere, and they will have devastating impacts on human health. In addition to minimizing sources of electromagnetic radiation, the development of lightweight composite shielding materials to address interference from radiation has become an important area of research. A suitable shielding material can effectively reduce the harm caused by electromagnetic interference/radiation. However, membrane shielding materials with general functions cannot effectively exert their shielding performance in all fields, and membrane shielding materials used in different fields must have specific functions under their use conditions. The aim of this review was to provide a comprehensive review of these issues. Firstly, the causes of electromagnetic/radiation pollution were briefly introduced and comprehensively identified and analyzed. Secondly, the strategic solutions offered by membrane shielding materials to address electromagnetic/radiation problems were discussed. Then, the design concept, technical innovation, and related mechanisms of the existing membrane shielding materials were expounded, the treatment methods adopted by scholars to study the environment and performance change laws were introduced, and the main difficulties encountered in this area of research were summarized. Finally, on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of the protection provided by membrane shielding materials against electromagnetic/radiation pollution, the action mechanism of membrane shielding materials was expounded in detail, and the research progress, structural design and performance characterization techniques for these materials were summarized. In addition, the future challenges were prospected. This review will help universities, research institutes, as well as scientific and technological enterprises engaged in related fields to fully understand the design concept and research progress of electromagnetic/radiation-contaminated membrane shielding materials. In addition, it is hoped that this review will facilitate efforts to accelerate the research and development of membrane shielding materials and offer potential applications in areas such as electronics, nuclear medicine, agriculture, and other areas of industry.

Characteristics of Marine Biomaterials and Their Applications in Biomedicine.

Oceans have vast potential to develop high-value bioactive substances and biomaterials. In the past decades, many biomaterials have come from marine organisms, but due to the wide variety of organisms living in the oceans, the great diversity of marine-derived materials remains explored. The marine biomaterials that have been found and studied have excellent biological activity, unique chemical structure, good biocompatibility, low toxicity, and suitable degradation, and can be used as attractive tissue material engineering and regenerative medicine applications. In this review, we give an overview of the extraction and processing methods and chemical and biological characteristics of common marine polysaccharides and proteins. This review also briefly explains their important applications in anticancer, antiviral, drug delivery, tissue engineering, and other fields.

Preparation of Alginate-Based Biomaterials and Their Applications in Biomedicine.

Alginates are naturally occurring polysaccharides extracted from brown marine algae and bacteria. Being biocompatible, biodegradable, non-toxic and easy to gel, alginates can be processed into various forms, such as hydrogels, microspheres, fibers and sponges, and have been widely applied in biomedical field. The present review provides an overview of the properties and processing methods of alginates, as well as their applications in wound healing, tissue repair and drug delivery in recent years.