ACS Applied Bio Materials最新文献

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA), a prevalent form of hair loss primarily affecting younger individuals, remains a significant therapeutic challenge due to the lack of effective treatments. The pathogenesis of AGA is driven by the interaction between androgen receptors (AR) and androgens, as well as by dysregulation of the follicular ecological niche resulting from excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) and insufficient vascularization in the perifollicular microenvironment. Given the multifactorial nature of AGA, a multi-target therapeutic strategy, rather than a single-target approach, has emerged as a promising method to enhance treatment efficacy. In this study, we developed nanoliposomes (NLPs) formulation by self-assembling AR-PROTAC (ARV110) and NFKBIZ siRNA (siNFKBIZ) into nanoparticles, followed by surface modification with liposomes. This design simultaneously targets AR degradation and alleviates oxidative stress, thereby improving the follicular microenvironment and promoting hair regrowth. The NLPs formulation effectively addresses the challenge of delivering payloads to keratinocytes (HaCaT), facilitates efficient skin penetration, scavenges excess ROS, and inhibits the inflammatory response in hair follicles. Additionally, NLPs downregulate AR protein expression to modulate hair growth-associated signaling pathways, achieving a multimodal synergistic therapeutic effect for AGA. Our design offers an effective multi-target strategy for AGA, resulting in enhanced therapeutic effects for hair loss treatment.

Controlled assembly of nanoparticles into higher-order structures is of great interest, because such materials have the potential to exhibit collective properties distinct from those of individual particles. Introducing the capability for reversible assembly and disassembly behavior in response to an environmental stimulus further enables the development of stimulus-responsive smart array materials. In this study, we demonstrate the reversible assembly of protein building blocks into higher-order structures mediated by the oxidation and reduction of thiol groups incorporated into a linker protein. As the building block, we utilized the P22 virus-like particle (VLP), a 60 nm cage-like protein derived from bacteriophage P22 that can encapsulate a variety of cargo molecules. The linker was derived from the decoration (Dec) protein, a homotrimeric protein that binds to symmetry-specific sites on the exterior surface of the matured form of the P22 capsid. We engineered a Dec mutant, DecS134C, by replacing the C-terminal amino acid of Dec with cysteine, enabling the formation of a “back-to-back” dimer (Dec–S–S–Dec) through disulfide bond formation that functions as a ditopic linker. Because each P22 VLP presents 80 Dec binding sites, Dec–S–S–Dec dimers cross-link P22 VLPs to form higher-order three-dimensional arrays. The disulfide bonds in the linkers are cleaved and reformed upon reduction and oxidation, respectively, leading to the reversible disassembly and reassembly of higher-order VLP arrays controlled by redox conditions. Under optimal conditions, disassembly and reassembly were completed within 30 and 5 min, respectively. This study demonstrates a redox-controlled strategy for the reversible assembly and disassembly of VLP-based materials and provides a versatile platform for constructing stimulus-responsive protein array materials.

To develop a safe, efficient, water-soluble, and targeted antibacterial substance for medical applications, we synthesized carbon dots using citric acid and urea as precursors by a solvothermal method. We then coupled the carbon dots and lysozyme by using a simple 1-ethyl-3-(3′-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide-N–hydroxysuccinimide (EDC-NHS) coupling method. After coupling, the carbon dots exhibited improved water dispersibility with particle sizes ranging from 12 to 20 nm. Notably, the highest carbon dot concentration associated with cytotoxicity increased from 2.5 to 5 mg/mL when coupled with lysozyme, implying that coupling could enhance the biocompatibility of carbon nanodots. Furthermore, coupled carbon dots extended the effective inhibition time against Streptococcus mutans from 12 to 36 h, compared to carbon dots alone. The improved biocompatibility and prolonged effective antibacterial duration highlight the potential of lysozyme-coupled carbon dots as a safe, efficient, and water-soluble antibacterial agent for a variety of oral healthcare and medical applications.

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the main causes of osteomyelitis. The problem of antibiotic resistance is particularly acute in osteomyelitis because, in most cases, S. aureus forms biofilms in which the antibiotic sensitivity of bacteria is significantly reduced, and more than 50% of osteomyelitis cases are associated with methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). One of the promising approaches for surgical treatment of osteomyelitis caused by S. aureus may be one-stage replacement of the affected fragment with a spongy scaffold that provides both a bactericidal effect, particularly in relation to antibiotic-resistant S. aureus, and osseointegration of the implant. This work describes the preparation and characterization of porous ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) scaffolds with incorporated microparticles of the silicate ceramic diopside, carrying recombinant bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) as an osteogenic component and lysostaphin as an antibacterial component effective against MRSA strains. The hybrid implant had an optimal pore size and kinetics of recombinant protein release and demonstrated bactericidal and high osteointegrative properties using an in vivo model with implantation of blocks of the material into a segmental defect of critical size (4 mm) complicated with S. aureus infection in mice. In terms of its physical parameters, porous UHMWPE/Diopside is as close to spongy bone tissue as possible compared to other polymeric materials while being bioinert and nonresorbable. The addition of BMP-2 led to a 5-fold increase in the volume of newly formed bone tissue (BV/TV), while the presence of S. aureus completely suppressed this effect. The presence of lysostaphin made it possible to overwhelm the infection, achieve regeneration parameters, and restore a normal load distribution on the limbs after 8 weeks. In combination with recombinant BMP-2 and lysostaphin, porous UHMWPE/Diopside can be considered a promising material for the replacement of extensive infected bone tissue defects, particularly in the nonload-bearing areas.

Lateral flow assays (LFA) are widely regarded as the cheapest, fastest, and easiest point-of-care (PoC) tests available. A key advantage is that results can be visually interpreted without the need for specialized equipment, enabling on-site applications while keeping costs low. However, conventional LFAs are typically qualitative, limiting their use to simply detect the presence or absence of analytes. Additional limitations include narrow dynamic ranges and false negatives due to the Hook Effect in sandwich LFAs. In this work, we present a combo lateral flow assay (CLFA) that integrates both sandwich and competitive assay formats, enabling the quantitative detection of analytes across a broad concentration range without an external instrument. The precision of CLFA measurements can be further enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI)-based image analysis via a smartphone app. Importantly, CLFA is not subject to the Hook Effect. CLFA can be easily implemented by adding just one extra test line to the standard LFA design, resulting in minimal additional manufacturing effort and cost. Given these benefits, we anticipate that CLFA will have broad applications in diagnostics and research applications.

Traditional wound dressings rarely provide both three-dimensional multisite cellular adhesion and controlled drug release–two prerequisites for healing chronic, inflammatory wounds such as diabetic ulcers. We, therefore, introduce a single-step strategy in which curcumin, a natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, is encapsulated in newly synthesized, reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive amphiphilic block copolymers to yield ROS-sensitive, curcumin-loaded nanoparticles. When oxidative injury raises local ROS concentrations, the carriers accelerate drug release to restore the imbalanced wound milieu. To minimize drug degradation during Three-Dimensional Printing (3D-printing) and to maintain micrometer-scale resolution, we formulated a highly thixotropic bioink that extrudes at 37 °C (near-physiological temperature) without secondary curing. The resulting scaffolds integrate two functions: ROS-triggered, site-specific curcumin release and intrinsic radical-scavenging activity. In vitro, the scaffolds demonstrated excellent biocompatibility, supporting multisite adhesion of L929 fibroblasts and RAW264.7 macrophages, while significantly alleviating oxidative stress in fibroblasts. In a murine diabetic wound model, ROS-responsive curcumin-loaded scaffold (ROS-Cur-Scaffold) accelerated closure by attenuating inflammation, promoting angiogenesis, modulating immune cell polarity, and enhancing collagen deposition. Overall, our 3D-printing strategy successfully preserved the drug activity and printing fidelity while generating multifunctional scaffolds that combine biocompatibility with ROS-triggered therapeutic release. Therefore, this integrated approach shows substantial potential for advancing the treatment of chronic wounds, particularly in diabetic ulcer management.

The medical industry contributes significantly to single-use plastic waste, as illustrated most recently by the COVID-19 pandemic. While safety standards mandate the use of disposable, single-use items for the highest-value applications, there is an opportunity to pursue greater circularity in higher-volume, bulk plastic goods, including intravenous (IV) bags. Herein, we assessed two thermoplastic elastomers based on renewable, compostable poly(γ-methyl-ε-caprolactone) (PγMCL) as IV bag material alternatives to the nonrenewable, potentially harmful phthalate-plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) industry standard. We synthesized a thermoplastic poly(urethane-urea) (TPUU) and 4-arm PγMCL-b-poly((−)-lactide) star-block polymer ((ML)₄) on >55 g scales and comprehensively evaluated their mechanical and (bio)chemical readiness for an IV bag application. The TPUU showed excellent mechanical parity with PVC, and both PγMCL-based materials displayed superior cytocompatibility to PVC. An in vivo implantation study in a rat model revealed no significantly adverse histopathology resulting from direct tissue contact with the TPUU or (ML)₄. The PγMCL-based materials also conform to ISO-standardized chemical hazard thresholds similarly to PVC. Our work is the first to target IV bag waste through direct replacement of current materials with intrinsically circular polymers, providing an evaluation framework for future IV bag candidates and expanding PγMCL’s application scope to the biomedical sector.

Glyphosate, a widely used herbicide, poses significant food safety risks in tea production. Conventional detection methods are often instrument-dependent and require complex sample preparation. This study presents an innovative, instrument-free sensing platform that enables direct on-site detection of glyphosate residues on fresh tea leaves. The platform utilizes a Fe-ZIF nanozyme with high peroxidase-like activity. Glyphosate directly inhibits the nanozyme’s active sites via chelation, reducing its ability to oxidize 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and produce a blue color. This color change is captured using a portable colorimetric card and quantitatively analyzed via smartphone RGB readout. The method eliminates the need for biomolecular mediators, extraction, or centrifugation steps. This method achieves in situ glyphosate detection on tea leaves within 15 min, with high selectivity. This work provides a cost-effective, user-friendly tool for rapid field screening of glyphosate residues on fresh tea leaves.

Real-time monitoring of hepatic diseases is of paramount importance in the field of clinical biomedicine research. Methodologies based on the navigation of fluorescent probes for enabling both preoperative visualization of hepatic status and intraoperative delineation of lesion margins have been challenging in clinical applications. This study presents a persistently luminescent NIR-II fluorescent probe, DPTQ08-IDT polymer dots (Pdots), for real-time intraoperative visualization to guide hepatic resection and hepatic ischemia–reperfusion hemodynamic observation. The NIR-II DPTQ08-IDT Pdots emitted at 1050 nm were derived from donor (D)–acceptor (A) structured polymer DPTQ08-IDT, followed by coassembly with folic acid (FA). This probe exhibits a specific binding ability to folate receptor alpha (FRα), which is overexpressed in hepatic tumor cells. Through the specific targeted binding between FA and FRα, the probe achieves rapid hepatic accumulation and robust fluorescence signals in the NIR-II region. The proposed DPTQ08-IDT Pdots provide precise intraoperative guidance for hepatic resection via NIR-II fluorescence imaging. Additionally, this probe facilitates the observation of circulatory dynamics during hepatic ischemia–reperfusion, offering valuable insights into hepatic hemodynamics. This study advances liver-targeted Pdot-based fluorescent probes in the clinical application of liver diseases.

This study aimed to investigate how bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) affects the wettability and thermal stability in carbon-fiber (CF) polymer composites. CF/BNC laminates were fabricated through layer-by-layer hot pressing and evaluated by using contact-angle measurements, thermogravimetric analysis, and low-voltage electrical testing. The CF/BNC interface enhanced nanoscale interlocking, increasing the contact angle from 79.6° to 106.46°. Thermal stability improved, as shown by final degradation temperature and higher residual mass, and electrical tests using a light-emitting diode (LED) confirmed efficient current flow with minimal voltage drop. The results demonstrate a pathway for multifunctional, hydrophobic, and thermally stable composites for low-voltage electronic applications.