BMEMat最新文献

In article number 10.1002/bmm2.12024, Yihao Huang, Ximing Chen, and their co-workers have comprehensively summarized the aptamers against SARS-CoV-2. They have described the aptamer-based diagnostic and therapeutic tools for SARS-CoV-2. In addition, they have discussed the introduction of nanostructures to improve the properties of aptamers and broaden their applications in sensing, therapeutics, mechanistic studies and vaccine design. Finally, they have provided a perspective on the future development of aptamers against SARS-CoV-2 or other virus.

The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is a fascinatingly complex and crucial component of the human body, responsible for transmitting vital signals throughout the body's intricate network of nerves. Its efficient functioning is paramount to our health, with any dysfunction often resulting in serious medical conditions, including motor disorders, neurological diseases, and psychiatric disorders. Recent strides in science and technology have made neuromodulation of the PNS a promising avenue for addressing these health issues. Neuromodulation involves modifying nerve activity using a range of techniques, such as electrical, chemical, optical, and mechanical stimulation. Bioelectronics plays a critical role in this effort, allowing for precise, controlled, and sustained stimulation of the PNS. This paper provides an overview of the PNS, discusses the current state of neuromodulation devices, and presents emerging trends in the field, including advances in wireless power transfer and materials, that are shaping the future of neuromodulation.

Nanozymes have emerged as a promising alternative to natural enzymes, effectively addressing natural enzymes' inherent limitation. Versatility and potential applications of nanozyme span across various fields, with catalytic tumor therapy being one prominent area. This has sparked significant interest and exploration in the utilization of nanozymes for targeted cancer treatment. Recent advancements in interdisciplinary research, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and catalytic technology have led to the emergence of multi-metallic-based nanozymes, which exhibit tremendous potential for further development. This review focuses on investigating the synergistic effects of multi-metallic-based nanozymes, aiming to enhance our understanding of their catalytic activities and facilitate their broader applications. We comprehensively survey the remarkable achievements in the synthesis, catalytic mechanisms, and the latest applications of multi-metallic-based nanozymes in cancer catalytic therapy. Furthermore, we identify the current limitations and prospects of multi-metallic-based nanozymes in the development of new materials and the application of novel technologies, along with the potential challenges associated with catalytic cancer therapy. This review underscores the significance of multi-metallic-based nanozymes and emphasizes the need for continued exploration as well as their potential impact on the development of novel materials and the realization of breakthroughs in catalytic tumor therapy.

Cell culture encompasses procedures for extracting cells from their natural tissue and cultivating them under controlled artificial conditions. During this process, various factors, including cell physiological/morphological properties, culture environments, metabolites, and contaminants, have to be precisely controlled and monitored for the survival of cells and the pursuit of the desired properties of the cells. This review summarizes recent advances in sensor technologies and manufacturing strategies for various cell culture platforms using traditional plastics, microfluidic chips, and scalable bioreactors. We share the details of newly developed biological sensors, chemical sensors, optical sensors, electronic chip technologies, and material integration methods. The precise control of parameters based on the feedback by these sensors and electronics enhances cell culture quality and throughput.

As a multifunctional fluorescent nanomaterial, carbon dots (CDs) not only have small size, stable chemical properties, excellent photoluminescence characteristics, but also exhibit good biocompatibility and low toxicity. It has attracted considerable attention in the field of nanotechnology and biological science. CDs contain abundant functional groups on the surface, which not only retain part of the properties of raw materials, but also may have new photoelectric, catalytic, biomedical, and other functions. In this review, we systematically summarize the synthesis methods, modifications, optical properties, and main biological functions of CDs in recent years. The application of functionalized modified CDs in biological detection, biological imaging, photodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy, targeted therapy, drug delivery, gene delivery, protein delivery, and other biomedical fields is introduced. The latest progress of CDs with its own biomedical function in antioxidant, anti-pathogen, and disease treatment is summarized. Finally, we discuss some problems in the practical application of CDs and look forward to the future development trend of self-functional CDs combined with surface modification to achieve multimodal treatment of diseases.

Bone defects are encountered substantially in clinical practice, and bionic scaffolds represent a promising solution for repairing bone defects. However, it is difficult to fabricate scaffolds with bionic structures and reconstruct the microenvironment to fulfill the satisfying repair effects. In this review article, we first discuss various strategies for the design and construction of bionic scaffolds to promote bone defect repair, especially including the structural construction of the scaffold and the integration of bioactive substances together with the application of external stimuli. We then discuss the roles of artificial intelligence and medical imaging in aiding clinical treatment. Finally, we point out the challenges and future outlooks in developing multifunctional bone repair scaffolds, aiming to provide insights for improving bone regeneration efficacy and accelerating clinical translation.

Microneedles (MNs) have been broadly used for transdermal delivery of a variety of drugs, ranging from small chemicals to biological macromolecules, due to the properties of increased drug permeability, minimal invasiveness and improved patient compliance. Despite these MNs can be made of different materials, such as metal, silicon, and glass, polymers have attracted the most attention as a microneedle (MN) matrix because of their excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability, which eliminates the requirement of MN removal after drug release. To satisfy different needs of transdermal drug delivery, polymeric MNs have been fabricated with several special designs. In this review, we summarize the advancement of the fabrication designs of polymeric MNs, including integrated MNs, two-segment MNs, core-shell or multi-layered MNs, and arrowhead MNs. The related biomedical applications of MNs with these different specific designs are also discussed. Finally, we provide our perspectives on the future development of polymeric MNs.

Polylactic acid (PLA)-graphene nanocomposites have attracted significant attention in the biomedical field because of their biodegradability, biocompatibility, and excellent mechanical properties. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the recent developments in the biomedical applications of PLA/graphene nanocomposites. The discussed applications include tissue engineering, drug delivery, biomedical imaging and sensing, antimicrobial and anticancer treatments, and photothermal and photodynamic therapies. The properties and synthesis of these nanocomposites are also addressed. This review shows that although significant advancements have been made in the development of biomedical applications for PLA/graphene nanocomposites, further research is still required to overcome the existing challenges and limitations, such as improving biocompatibility and biodegradability and optimizing synthesis and processing methods. Despite these challenges, the potential of PLA/graphene nanocomposites in the biomedical field is significant and holds promise for future advancements.

Destruction of cellular redox homeostasis to induce cancer cell apoptosis is an emerging tumor therapeutic strategy. To achieve this goal, elevating exogenous oxidative stress or impairing the antioxidant defense system of cancer cells is an effective method. Herein, we firstly report a biocompatible and versatile nanoplatform based on mesoporous polydopamine (MpDA) nanoparticles and a phase-change material (PCM) for delivering calcium ascorbate (Vc-Ca), simultaneously enabling combination therapy of hyperthermia, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and suppression of tumor antioxidant capability. In this design, Vc-Ca encapsulated in MpDA using PCM is controllably released due to the melting of PCM matrix in response to photothermal heating upon near-infrared irradiation. Vc-Ca is proved to be a pro-oxidant that can promote the production of ROS (H₂O₂) in the tumor site. Remarkably, MpDA can not only act as a photothermal agent but also can break the redox balance of cancer cells through depleting the primary antioxidant glutathione, thus amplifying Vc-Ca-mediated oxidative therapy. Both in vitro and in vivo results demonstrate the significantly enhanced antitumor activity of boosted ROS combined with local hyperthermia. This study highlights the potential applications of Vc-Ca in cancer treatment, and the prepared multifunctional nanoplatform provides a novel paradigm for high-efficiency oxidation-photothermal therapy.

Zinc oxide nanorods have been extensively studied for the specific killing of breast cancer (BC) cells, and their killing mechanism and anticancer effects have been initially demonstrated. However, systematic studies at the single-cell level are still necessary to explore cellular functions in detail. In this work, a hydrothermal method was used to synthesize zinc oxide nanorod arrays (ZnO NRs). Their effect on BC cells was demonstrated at single-cell resolution for the first time through microfluidic chips and a single-cell analysis platform. The inhibitory effects of ZnO NRs were observed. First, ZnO NRs suppressed cell proliferation and migration abilities. Moreover, Interferon-γ, Tumor Necrosis Factor-α, and Granzyme B in BC cells turned out to be antitumor instead of tumorigenic under ZnO NRs stimulation. Furthermore, ZnO NRs inhibition altered cellular functions and thus weakened intercellular and intercluster correlations. More importantly, MDA-MB-231 cells (strongly metastatic) showed much greater resistance to ZnO NRs than MCF-7 cells (nonmetastatic). The experiments complemented the findings at the single-cell level and provided a more comprehensive consideration of the potential risks and applications of ZnO NRs in breast cancer therapy, which is of great importance for biomedical research on nanomaterials.