International Journal of Nanomedicine最新文献

Sepsis remains a major challenge in critical care, with high mortality despite ongoing improvements in treatment. The early uncontrolled burst of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) and cytokine storms form a vicious cycle, ultimately leading to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). The absence of effective therapies to interrupt this process is likely a key reason for poor outcomes. In recent years, the emergence of nanozymes has represented a transformative breakthrough in addressing this challenge. With strong antioxidant capacity, high stability, and low cost, nanozymes surpass conventional antioxidants and offer a promising therapeutic strategy for sepsis, especially through effective redox regulation. Nanozymes not only efficiently scavenge diverse RONS but also inhibit hyperactivated inflammatory pathways, thereby breaking the fatal vicious cycle between oxidative stress and cytokine storms. This provides a novel approach for immunomodulation and organ protection in sepsis. This review summarizes the key role of redox imbalance in sepsis progression and the therapeutic potential of nanozymes targeting redox imbalance, discusses their in vivo metabolic distribution and biosafety, and outlines prospects for future clinical translation and development. The objective is to provide insights that facilitate the development of innovative therapies targeting the RONS-inflammation axis in sepsis.

Obesity is a multifactorial metabolic disorder associated with increased risks of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other comorbidities. Conventional pharmacological interventions are often limited by poor patient adherence, systemic side effects, and suboptimal drug bioavailability. Microneedle (MN)-based transdermal drug delivery systems have emerged as a promising alternative, offering minimally invasive, painless, and patient-friendly administration. MN platforms not only bypass gastrointestinal degradation and hepatic first-pass metabolism but also enable targeted delivery to adipose tissue, thereby reducing systemic toxicity. Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of MNs to deliver diverse therapeutic agents, including small molecules, peptides, nucleic acids, and nanoparticles, for regulating adipose tissue metabolism, modulating the inflammatory microenvironment, and promoting browning of white adipose tissue. Various MN designs, such as dissolving, hydrogel-forming, and stimuli-responsive systems, allow precise control over release kinetics, ranging from ultrarapid drug exposure to long-term sustained delivery. Despite these advantages, several key challenges hinder clinical translation, including limited drug loading capacity, interindividual variability in skin penetration, potential local skin reactions with chronic use, and the difficulty of scaling up MN fabrication to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards while maintaining reproducibility and quality. Future perspectives emphasize the integration of nanocarrier systems, artificial intelligence-driven MN design, and multifunctional wearable devices to achieve personalized and adaptive therapy. With continued technological and translational advances, MN-based delivery could enable a new approach for obesity treatment, pending robust clinical validation.

Peptide self-assembly has emerged as a pivotal strategy for constructing biomimetic functional materials, demonstrating extensive application potential in biomedicine and materials science owing to its superior biocompatibility, structural programmability, and dynamic tunability. Despite significant advances in this field, a comprehensive synthesis of molecular mechanisms and design methodologies remains lacking. This paper presents, for the first time, a systematic overview grounded in the hierarchical design of polypeptide molecules, elucidating key principles and strategies for engineering self-assembled peptide materials. This paper, for the first time, starts from the hierarchical design of polypeptide molecules and systematically sorts out the design principles and strategies of self-assembled peptide materials: from intramolecular factors such as amino acid sequence regulation, amphiphilic balance and chirality induction, to the hierarchical assembly mechanism driven by non-covalent interactions such as hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic interactions and π - π stacking. The influence of molecular engineering methods such as cofactor modification and co-assembly modification on the fine regulation of structure and function was further explored. Particular emphasis was placed on the methodological innovation of de novo design and bioinformatics aided design in the construction of self-assembled peptides, providing new ideas for achieving structural prediction and function-oriented design. This paper aims to construct a systematic strategy system from molecular basis to design framework, filling the gap in the summary of design methods in this field, and providing theoretical basis and design guidelines for the precise construction and functional expansion of polypeptide self-assembled materials.

The high mortality rate associated with cancer presents a significant clinical challenge, necessitating breakthroughs to overcome the limitations of traditional therapies, which often entail substantial side effects, as well as the complexities associated with existing nanodelivery systems (NDDS) that lack adequate targeting capabilities. Self-assembled nanoparticles (SANs) form spontaneously through weak interactions between drugs and functional molecules, such as hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. They exhibit revolutionary advantages, including ultra-high drug loading capacity, stimulus responsiveness, precise drug release, self-driven targeting capabilities, and a straightforward preparation process that does not require complex carrier synthesis. This review systematically summarizes the latest advancements in SANs for tumor therapy, emphasizing their molecular design principles and mainstream preparation strategies, while detailing their efficacy in multi-modal synergistic therapies, including chemotherapy, photodynamic/photothermal therapy, immunotherapy, and gene therapy. The technology of SANs establishes a robust foundation for the development of highly efficient and low-toxicity anti-cancer strategies, demonstrating significant potential to offer a transformative new paradigm for clinical precision therapy. We believe that the continued evolution of SANs holds great promise for clinical translation, potentially offering transformative solutions for personalized oncology in the near future.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease with a continuously increasing incidence worldwide. The existing treatment options are limited due to low drug bioavailability and systemic side effects. Natural products, such as curcumin, have emerged as potential effective drugs for UC treatment due to their multi-target and multi-mechanism therapeutic advantages. However, the clinical trial and experimental research results of curcumin show a contrast due to its own physicochemical limitations (low solubility, low bioavailability, etc). gastrointestinal digestion factors (pH, digestive enzymes, etc). and the combined limitations of the colonic intestinal barrier (intestinal flora, mucus barrier, intestinal epithelial barrier, etc). The clinical translation is thus hindered. The Nano-Drug Delivery System (NDDS) uses size control, surface functionalization, and intelligent stimulus-responsive design to transform the factors that limit curcumin absorption and utilization into delivery targets, constructing pH-dependent, gut flora-dependent, receptor-dependent, etc. NDDS, achieving improved drug solubility, enhanced absorption, controlled release, and targeted delivery, significantly enhancing the therapeutic effect of curcumin for UC. This review focuses on the pathophysiology of UC and uniquely systematically analyzes the construction logic of natural product NDDS from the perspective of the above biological barriers, clarifying the applicable scenarios and core advantages of various strategies. At the same time, this article also discusses the key challenges faced by the clinical translation of NDDS, including the toxicity risk caused by enhanced drug absorption, the safety of the carrier itself, and the transformation obstacles caused by species receptor spectrum differences etc. as well as an important point to recognize is that there is still a considerable distance to the clinical translation of NDDS. In summary, NDDS brings broad prospects for the clinical application of natural products, but the current research level is far from meeting the needs of clinical translation. Future design must deeply align with the pathological characteristics of UC to promote its transition from the laboratory to clinical application.

The clinical significance of bone defects is not well understood; these pathological conditions not only compromise patients' quality of life but may also result in permanent functional impairment if inadequately addressed. Consequently, the development of effective therapeutic interventions for bone defect repair and regeneration is a critical medical challenge. Recent advancements in nanotechnology, particularly engineered nanoparticle systems, have introduced promising new strategies for bone tissue regeneration. However, it is important to note that most nanoparticle-based approaches remain at the preclinical or experimental stage, and their clinical translation is still limited. These sophisticated nanomaterials enhance critical biological processes including osteoconduction, osteoinduction, and osteogenesis which collectively facilitate optimal bone healing. Notably, certain nanoparticles possess intrinsic properties that enable modulation of the inflammatory microenvironment and immunological responses during bone repair. Furthermore, the integration of nanoparticles with complementary biomaterials yielded composite systems with superior therapeutic efficacy in addressing complex bone defects. This comprehensive review summarizes the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying bone repair, systematically examines the preclinical and experimental therapeutic applications of various nanoparticle formulations across different phases of the bone-healing cascade, highlights recent technological innovations in nanoparticle engineering for enhanced bone regeneration, and critically discusses the existing limitations and challenges of clinical translation as well as promising future research directions in this rapidly evolving field.

The integration of phytochemicals with nanotechnology represents a promising approach to enhance nasal drug delivery, improving therapeutic efficacy and targeted brain delivery. This review explores recent advances in phytochemical-nanotechnology formulations and their applications in managing neurodegenerative diseases, respiratory disorders, and cancers. Phytochemicals such as curcumin, resveratrol, and quercetin exhibit potent pharmacological properties but suffer from poor solubility and limited bioavailability. Nanotechnology-based systems-including nanoparticles, liposomes, and nanoemulsions-overcome these drawbacks by improving stability, absorption, and controlled release. However, challenges such as nasal mucosa irritation, formulation complexity, regulatory barriers, and scalability still impede clinical translation. Notably, encapsulation of curcumin in polymeric nanoparticles has been shown to enhance its solubility and bioavailability, producing improved therapeutic outcomes in preclinical Alzheimer's models. Overall, this review underscores the synergistic potential of phytochemicals and nanotechnology in developing innovative nasal delivery platforms capable of providing targeted, effective, and patient-friendly treatment options for a range of medical conditions.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the most prevalent and lethal primary liver malignancies worldwide. Despite significant advances in surgical resection and local ablation therapies, challenges such as low early detection rates, high postoperative recurrence, and limited local tumor control persist in clinical practice. In recent years, the rapid advancement of nanobiotechnology has opened new avenues for precise diagnosis and personalized therapy of HCC. Owing to their excellent biocompatibility and functional tunability, various nanocarriers have been extensively explored in ablation-based treatments to achieve targeted drug delivery, controlled release, enhanced image guidance, and immune modulation. These innovations have substantially improved both the efficacy and safety of ablation therapies. This review focuses on recent progress in the application of nanobiotechnology to HCC ablation, systematically summarizing its mechanisms, innovative strategies, and future prospects across radiofrequency ablation (RFA), microwave ablation (MWA), cryoablation (CRA), high-intensity ultrasound focused ablation (HIFU), irreversible electroporation (IRE) and photothermal therapy (PTT). This review aims to comprehensively summarize recent advances in the application of nanobiomaterials-biocompatible and functionally engineered nanomaterials-in ablation-based therapies for HCC, emphasizing their roles in enhancing therapeutic efficacy, imaging guidance, and immune modulation.

Hyaluronic acid (HA), a natural polysaccharide present in human connective tissues, is widely used in biomedicine because of its excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. However, products based on natural HA have several drawbacks, leading to widespread studies on the modification and processing of HA to improve its clinical use. This review discusses common methods of modifying HA, including physical and chemical modification as well as crosslinking. It focuses in detail on various chemical modification strategies from the perspective of the resultant chemical bonds, systematically organizes HA chemistry according to bond types, and refines the design rules for linking chemistry in relation to degradability, mechanical properties, responsiveness, and safety. It then summarizes the latest applications of HA-based products in the fields of ophthalmology, bone and joint treatment, aesthetic medicine, wound healing, and drug delivery. Finally, it explores challenges for the clinical application of HA and provides an outlook on future research directions. By summarizing the applications of HA across distinct biomedical domains, we hope to provide new ideas and directions for its further development and use.

Plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEVs) have emerged as a highly promising and disruptive class of natural nanoparticles for anticancer drug delivery. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of PDEVs, positioning them within the broader landscape of nanomedicine through a direct comparison with conventional synthetic nanoparticles (eg, liposomes) and mammalian cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs). We highlight how the unique origin of PDEVs confers significant advantages, including superior natural biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, and the remarkable "dual-functionality" of acting as both inherent therapeutic agents and efficient drug carriers. The capacity of PDEVs to efficiently encapsulate a diverse range of therapeutic agents-from chemotherapeutic drugs and RNA interference molecules to gene-editing tools-is discussed in contrast to the more limited loading versatility and complex manufacturing of some alternative systems. The review systematically covers recent advances in PDEV isolation, characterization, and drug-loading techniques, emphasizing their demonstrated ability to cross biological barriers for targeted therapy and controlled release. Finally, we critically address the translational pathway, outlining key challenges in standardization and clinical translation, while forecasting their pivotal role in advancing personalized cancer nanomedicine. Through this comparative and functional perspective, PDEVs are poised to transition from a promising biological curiosity to a cornerstone of next-generation anticancer strategies.