Advanced Nanobiomed Research最新文献

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD), a major cause of low back pain, poses significant global health and socioeconomic challenges. Current therapies have limited effectiveness in reversing degeneration, which underscores the need for advanced treatment strategies. Exosomes, which are nanoscale extracellular vesicles, have emerged as promising therapeutic agents for IVDD due to their unique biological properties. They exert their effects through multiple mechanisms, such as regulating the extracellular matrix, promoting cell proliferation, and exerting anti-inflammatory effects. This review summarizes recent advances in exosome-based therapies for IVDD. It encompasses their mechanisms, cell sources, engineering technologies, and progress in clinical translation. Additionally, the challenges and opportunities related to their future clinical application are discussed, and their potential to revolutionize the treatment of IVDD is highlighted.

The possibility to control the proliferation of stem cells and guide their differentiation toward specific cellular lineages holds great promise as a potential therapeutic approach for regenerating and substituting damaged tissues, and in the treatment of several human diseases. In recent years, developing strategies for obtaining induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from adult tissues has been a groundbreaking scientific discovery; the rationale behind the exploitation of iPSCs in therapy consists in the isolation of adult cells, their reprogramming into iPSCs, and the subsequent differentiation into somatic cells. However, traditional differentiation procedures usually cannot finely tune and control the differentiation of iPSCs, leading to undesired cellular subpopulations and potentially adverse effects in the case of cellular grafting in adult tissues. In this context, nanostructured biomaterial-based approaches for the guided differentiation of iPSCs represent a promising tool for overcoming the limitations of traditional protocols. This review aims to provide the current state of the art concerning the exploitation of nanostructured biomaterials (scaffolds or nanocarriers) to control and tune the differentiation processes of iPSCs. With this work, it is hoped to provide new insights and perspectives into biomaterial designing and application strategies in the context of iPSC-based studies.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a major clinical challenge, particularly for patients treated with paclitaxel (PTX), a highly effective yet neurotoxic chemotherapeutic agent. PTX often causes debilitating neuropathic pain, including mechanical and cold allodynia, driven by neuroinflammation and altered peripheral neuron excitability. This study investigates PTX-loaded cationic PAMAM-Chol nanoparticles (PTX NPs) as a novel strategy to mitigate CIPN. PTX NPs exhibit high drug loading efficiency (99%), sustained release, and reduced neurotoxicity in neuronal cell models. In a murine CIPN model, PTX NPs produce an 85% overall reduction in cold allodynia with a peak inhibition of 90% at day 8 and accelerate the recovery of mechanical allodynia, restoring withdrawal thresholds to baseline levels by day 14, compared to persistent nociception with unencapsulated PTX. PTX NPs also suppress dorsal root ganglia inflammation, reducing the expression of proinflammatory cytokines TNFα and IL-1β. Furthermore, as indicated by phosphorylated ERK, neuronal activation is prevented in PTX NP-treated mice, suggesting a reduction in central sensitization. Importantly, PTX NPs demonstrate no observable toxicity in liver or kidney function. These findings establish a proof of concept that nanomedicine-mediated delivery can alleviate CIPN effectively, offering a promising approach to refine PTX-based chemotherapy regimens.

Nanoparticles (NPs) have become a pivotal technology in biomedical research due to their unique physicochemical properties and nanoscale size, allowing for targeted applications. Among NP materials, proteins and their derivatives stand out for their biocompatibility, engineering flexibility, and inherent biological functions, making them especially attractive for NP design. However, the structural and biochemical complexity of proteins has historically presented challenges in NP development. Recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have transformed this field. Neural network models such as AlphaFold, ProteinMPNN, and RoseTTAFold, along with protein language models like evolutionary scale modeling, enable the design of protein-based NPs (PNPs) with diverse symmetries, shapes, and functionalities. These AI-driven approaches address traditional limitations, unlocking new possibilities in nanomedicine. This review explores the transformative role of AI in PNP design, emphasizing its potential to broaden applications, solve challenges, and drive innovative solutions in biotechnology and medical research.

Due to the lack of targeting specificity, rapid clearance, and high toxicity associated with small molecule drugs in tumor treatment, the design of an effective drug delivery system is crucial. To better overcome physiological barriers and achieve prolonged tumor retention, nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@Au, termed FSA-NPs), made of core–shell NPs (Fe₃O₄@SiO₂), consisting of a Fe₃O₄ core and a mesoporous silica (SiO₂) shell, and with their surfaces decorated with gold NPs, are constructed. The FSA-NPs have a size range of 60–80 nm and a mildly negative surface charge. The magnetic Fe₃O₄ core imparts magnetic targeting capabilities to FSA-NPs, while the high porosity of the mesoporous silica shell enables efficient drug loading. Additionally, the gold NPs can convert light into heat. As a result, after being internalized by A549 lung cancer cells, FSA-NPs exhibit potent cytotoxic effects against the cancer cells under an applied magnetic field, making them a promising theranostic agent for integrated cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Cardiac fibrosis is characterized by excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, driven by the activation of cardiac fibroblasts (cFBs) and endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT). Endothelial cells (ECs) contribute to cardiac fibrosis through EndMT, transforming into myofibroblasts that promote fibrosis, while also playing a regulatory role through signaling pathways, such as PI3K-Akt and Notch. In this article, engineered heart tissue models, composed of cardiomyocytes and cFBs (CMF) and vascularized model incorporating ECs (CMFE) tissues is created to investigate the role of ECs in transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-induced cardiac fibrosis. Prior to fibrosis induction, CMFE exhibits enhanced activation of fibrosis-related signaling, endothelial integrity pathways, and PI3K-Akt and Notch signaling compared to CMF. Following TGF-β treatment, CMF exhibits typical fibrotic features, including increased ECM deposition, tissue stiffening, and reduced contractility. In contrast, the CMFE demonstrates attenuated fibrotic responses, maintaining tissue mechanics and contractile function. Gene expression and histology reveals both fibrotic and protective processes in CMFE. Moreover, the bioprinting-assisted tissue assembly (BATA) approach enable focal fibrosis modeling, revealing that fibrotic regions disrupted calcium propagation and induced electrophysiological abnormalities. These findings highlight BATA as a promising platform for studying cardiac fibrosis and developing targeted therapeutic strategies.

Unraveling the complexity of biomatrices is a persisting challenge in many areas of the life sciences. The detection of soluble signaling molecules—cytokines and growth factors—within multicomponent biopolymer scaffolds is of particular interest as they control important biological processes such as the development of tissues, pathologies, and regeneration. The application of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) for the detection of interleukin-8 (IL-8), a chemokine involved in inflammation and cancer, is explored within biopolymer matrices of different complexity. To establish the workflow, IL-8 is embedded with graded mass fractions in thin biopolymer matrices consisting of heparin and/or bovine serum albumin, followed by a comprehensive ToF-SIMS analysis of the prepared samples. Partial least square regression models are developed and successfully applied to detect IL-8 mass fractions down to 1 ppm on the basis of the measured ToF-SIMS spectra. The methodology is successfully applied to detect IL-8 in Matrigel and poly(ethylene glycol)-heparin matrices with similar sensitivity. Given the high performance of state-of-the-art SIMS instruments and the increasing power of machine learning algorithms, it is envisioned that the established approach, in combination with other methods, will enable a comprehensive assessment of soluble signaling molecules in (engineered) matrix-supported 3D cell and organoid cultures.

Albumin is the most abundant protein in plasma, featuring a unique chemical structure and conformation that underpins its functions. Its excellent biocompatibility, nontoxicity and non-immunogenicity make it an ideal carrier for encapsulating therapeutic agents, particularly in controlled release applications for cancer treatment. Although existing reviews focus on albumin-based particulate delivery systems, there is a lack of comprehensive analysis from the perspective of using albumin's structural characteristics and binding sites for drug delivery. This review categorizes albumin's drug-loading modes based on its surface-active groups and internal binding sites, emphasizing drug-loading strategies and targeting mechanisms. It also details the preparation and modification methods for albumin nanoparticles, along with clinical performance evaluations. Finally, it addresses current challenges and proposes potential solutions. This review aims to provide valuable insights for developing advanced albumin-based anticancer drugs with enhanced therapeutic efficacy.

The ability to form diamond electrodes on insulating polycrystalline diamond substrates using single-step laser patterning and the use of these electrodes as a substrate that supports the adhesion and proliferation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are demonstrated. Laser-induced graphitization results in a conductive amorphous carbon surface, rich in oxygen- and nitrogen-terminated groups. This leads to an electrode with a high specific capacitance of 182 μF cm², a wide water window of 3.25 V, and a low electrochemical impedance of 129 Ω cm² at 1 kHz—essential attributes for effective bioelectronic cell interfaces. The electrode's surface exhibits no cytotoxic responses with hMSCs, supporting cell adhesion and proliferation. Cells cultured on the electrode display significant elongation and alignment along the direction of the laser-patterned microgrooves—an additional modality for cellular modulation. The combination of favorable electrochemical performance and effective cellular control makes laser-patterned diamond electrodes a versatile platform in stem cell therapeutics. This direct fabrication approach paves the way for the integration of diamond electrodes in bioelectronic devices, offering new opportunities for tissue engineering and electroactive biomaterial applications.

Williamson, A., Khoshmanesh, K., Pirogova, E., Yang, P., Snow, F., Williams, R., Quigley, A. and Kapsa, R.M.I. (2024), Bioreactors: A Regenerative Approach to Skeletal Muscle Engineering for Repair and Replacement. Adv. NanoBiomed Res., 4: 2400030. https://doi.org/10.1002/anbr.202400030

Correction to “Table 1. Myogenic Markers”

Table 1, in paragraph 7 of the “Introduction” section, the text “Initiates differentiation of myoblasts to stem cells” was incorrect for myogenic factors Myf5 and MyoD. This should have read: “Initiates differentiation of stem cells to myoblasts.”

We apologize for this error.