Journal of Materials Chemistry B最新文献

Review articles are critical to the scientific enterprise. They are often the starting point for researchers exploring a new area or those searching for a quick overview of the field. Good reviews serve as references for years to come and can be crucial teaching tools. Review articles typically receive more citations and more views than research articles and can elevate the impact of the research articles cited within. Yet, many authors struggle with writing reviews. As editors of the Journal of Materials Chemistry B, we prepared this article to assist authors in crafting impactful reviews. Although our focus is JMCB, these thoughts should be broadly translatable to other journals.

Large soft tissue injuries require several weeks to heal and frequently leave fibrotic scars that can negatively impact tissue function. However, the applicability of traditional skin and mucous membrane transplantation for the treatment of lesions in the ocular surface and urethra is limited owing to the unique locations and functions of these tissues. Oral mucosa has been widely used in the repair of such injuries owing to its reduced propensity for inducing an inflammatory response, angiogenesis, and scarring. Enhancing chronic wound healing while avoiding scar formation requires a broader understanding of the cellular and molecular pathways that drive wound repair in the oral mucosa. This review integrates current knowledge on the mechanisms underlying the resistance of the oral mucosa to inflammation and its application as a graft material, highlighting its challenges and potential advancements. The aim of this review is to offer insights into future therapeutic strategies for wound healing and related conditions.

Bone defects resulting from trauma, tumors, or other injuries significantly impact human health and quality of life. However, current treatments for bone defects are constrained by donor shortages and immune rejection. Bone tissue engineering has partially alleviated the limitations of traditional bone repair methods. The development of smart biomaterials that can respond to external stimuli to modulate the biofunctions has become a prominent area of research. Ultrasound technology is regarded as an optimal “remote controller” and “trigger” for bone repair biomaterials. This review reports the comprehensive and systematic overview of ultrasound-responsive bone repair smart biomaterials. It presents the fundamental theories of bone repair, the definition of ultrasound, and its applications. Furthermore, the review summarizes the ultrasound effect mechanisms of biomaterials and their roles in bone repair, including detailed studies on anti-inflammation, immunomodulation, and cell therapy. Finally, the advantages of ultrasound-responsive smart biomaterials and their future prospects in this field are discussed.

Recently, digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing has garnered significant interest for fabricating high-fidelity hydrogels. However, the intrinsic weak and loose network of hydrogels, coupled with uncontrollable light projection, leads to low printing resolution and restricts their broader applications. Herein, we propose a straightforward DLP 3D printing strategy utilizing in situ phase separation to produce high-fidelity, high-modulus, and biocompatible hydrogels. By selecting acrylamide monomers with poor compatibility within a polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) network during polymerization, we create phase-separated domains within polyacrylamide (PAM) that effectively inhibit ultraviolet (UV) light transmission. This regulation of UV light distribution results in anhydrous inks with exceptional properties: ultra-high resolution (1.5 μm), ultra-high modulus (1043 MPa), and high strength (70.0 MPa). Upon hydration, the modulus and strength of the hydrogels decrease to approximately 4000 times those of the anhydrous gels, exhibiting high mechano-moisture sensitivity suitable for actuator applications. Additionally, the DLP 3D-printed hydrogels, featuring micro-scale structures, demonstrate good biocompatibility and facilitate nutrient transport for cell proliferation. This versatile DLP 3D printing strategy paves the way for the fabrication of high-fidelity and multifunctional hydrogels.

Healthy eating choices and adequate nutritional foods are the most important factors in extending a person's life expectancy. Synthetic antioxidants are frequently used in the food industry as preservatives despite their toxicity and hence have drawn much attention for their accurate monitoring. This study explores the newly designed cobalt tetramenthol substituted phthalocyanine (CoTMPc) for the electrocatalytic detection of an artificial food preservative, i.e., tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ). A highly selective, cost-effective electrochemical probe is developed for the nanomolar detection of TBHQ. Its efficacy is evaluated and validated by different electrochemical techniques, namely cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), and chronoamperometry (CA) and the CA results demonstrated a good sensitivity of 1.3102 μA nM⁻¹ cm⁻² with a linear range of 20–200 nM and a detection limit (LOD) of 4.5 nM in comparison to other techniques. The developed sensor was successfully applied to real samples. The CoTMPc electrode exhibited superior sensitivity, excellent selectivity, repeatability, and reproducibility, with anti-interference ability, over a broad linear range towards TBHQ detection. The mechanism of electrochemical detection is supported by fluorescence resonance energy/electron transfer and provides insights into the design of high-performing electroactive molecules that induce specificity and selectivity.

Antagonistic peptide Leu-Ser-Lys-Leu (LSKL) is capable of blocking the transforming growth factor-β₁ (TGF-β₁) signaling pathway and exhibits anti-fibrotic effects. Herein, we constructed LSKL nanoparticles (NPs) in situ based on an alkaline phosphatase (ALP)-instructed self-assembly strategy for improving its specific therapeutic effect against liver fibrosis.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) and gas therapy (GT) were used in combination to enhance the antitumor effect by leveraging the dual cytotoxic mechanisms of nitric oxide (NO) and peroxynitrite (ONOO⁻), along with the localized heating capability of photothermal materials. Arginine-supra-carbon nanodots (Arg-sCNDs) were obtained through a one-pot hydrothermal method without subsequent modification, allowing them to produce endogenous NO and photothermal effects on a single platform. The photothermal conversion efficiency of Arg-sCNDs reaches 77.09% and 58.01% under 730 nm and 808 nm irradiation, respectively. Arg-sCNDs demonstrated good killing and ablation effects on cancer cells and had minimal side effects on normal cells. The photothermal and NO effects reinforce each other. The cell apoptosis mechanism was demonstrated through measurements of cell temperature, NO levels, ONOO⁻ levels, and mitochondrial membrane potential. Therefore, the in vitro study demonstrated that Arg-sCNDs with dual functions present broad application prospects in tumor cell ablation.

Effectively managing infected diabetic wounds involves the elimination of bacteria, neutralization of reactive oxygen species (ROS), suppression of inflammation, and induction of angiogenesis. This study describes the development of a multifunctional hyaluronic acid (HA)-based microgel system capable of serving as either an injectable wet microgel or dry microspheres (MSs). After initially engineering Fe²⁺/tea polyphenol (TP) metal–polyphenol network (MPN)-functionalized HAMA MS, these particles were found to suppress inflammation and facilitate ROS scavenging. A deferoxamine (DFO)-loaded zinc-based metal–organic framework (ZIF-8@DFO) was then coated using phenylboronic acid (PBA)-functionalized ε-polylysine (PPL) to produce PPZD nanoparticles with antibacterial and pro-angiogenic properties. The dynamic loading of PPZD into MPN-functionalized MS (MMS) via boron ester bonds then yielded a pH/ROS-responsive microgel system (MMS@PPZD). PPL coating endowed the prepared materials with antimicrobial properties while mitigating cytotoxic effects resulting from the rapid release of Zn²⁺ and DFO in acidic micro-environments. This microgel system showed superior biocompatibility and phased intervention activities aligned with the various stages of the wound healing process in vitro and in vivo. Specifically, under acidic conditions, the system sequentially released TP, PL, Zn²⁺, and DFO, enabling effective ROS scavenging, suppressing inflammation, exhibiting antibacterial activity, and inducing angiogenesis. Overall, this environmentally-responsive, multifunctional, versatile microgel system offers significant promise for infected diabetic wound management.

Joint injuries caused by severe acute trauma seriously affect patients’ mobility and quality of life. Traumatic or postoperative wound healing and rehabilitation training are both essential for restoring joint functions, calling for effective wound healing materials that are also capable of monitoring rehabilitation training for joint condition evaluation and physical therapy guiding. Herein, a structural color hydrogel for wound care and naked-eye rehabilitation exercise monitoring of injured joints is designed by constructing a hybrid double-network, which contains a covalently crosslinked network and a Zn²⁺ coordination based dynamic network. The crosslinking formed by Zn²⁺ coordination endows the structural color hydrogel with enhanced mechanical properties for joint wounds with motion requirements, as well as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and pro-angiogenic properties that promote wound healing. Meanwhile, the Poisson's ratio of the structural color hydrogel can be easily tuned by varying the covalently-crosslink density to achieve sensibility ranging from 3.6 nm to 6.2 nm photonic-bandgap shift per 1% strain, achieving a remarkable color change responding to joint range-of-motion from minimal (0–2°) to wide-range (0–90°) bending during rehabilitation exercises. This structural color hydrogel provides an approach to the multi-stage management of joint injuries and real-time clinical insights into rehabilitation progress.

This study presents two new hybrid nanosystems (G–PMA(1 : 1)@AuBPs and G–PMA(1 : 3)@AuBPs), constructed from amine graphene (G-NH₂) functionalized with poly(methacrylic acid) (PMA) and gold nanoparticles with a bipyramidal shape (AuBPs). These nanoplatforms behave like efficient photothermal agents, making them suitable for effective in vitro photothermal therapy and for bioimaging applications simultaneously. The nanosystems were synthesized by combining covalent and supramolecular approaches and characterized by several techniques including XPS, Raman spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, XRD, and STEM. It was observed that G–PMA@AuBP systems demonstrate remarkable light-to-heat conversion efficiency under near-infrared irradiation at 785 and 808 nm. Both systems showed an enhancement of the photothermal properties compared to the individual materials. Particularly, a photothermal conversion efficiency exceeding 70% was estimated for the G–PMA(1 : 3)@AuBP sample under 808 nm irradiation. Beyond their photothermal capabilities, G–PMA@AuBP systems can be effective as label-free bioimaging probes. G–PMA(1 : 1)@AuBP has been successfully visualized within B16F10 melanoma cells using FLIM, conventional fluorescence, and dark-field microscopy techniques, with localization observed in the perinuclear region. Cytotoxicity assays confirmed the biocompatibility of both nanosystems. Finally, the in vitro phototherapeutic efficacy was validated under 808 nm laser irradiation, showing promising results for melanoma cell treatment through photothermal therapy.