Journal of Materials Chemistry B最新文献

Expression of concern for ‘The design and synthesis of redox-responsive oridonin polymeric prodrug micelle formulation for effective gastric cancer therapy’ by Luzhou Xu et al., J. Mater. Chem. B, 2021, 9, 3068–3078, https://doi.org/10.1039/D1TB00127B.

The interplay between iron, sulfur, and oxygen underpins the redox regulation of iron across biological and geochemical systems. Prior to the great oxygenation event (GOE), sulfur fostered a reducing environment essential for Fe²⁺ bioavailability. Post-GOE, the advent of the oxidative environment depleted iron-bioavailability and likely spurred the evolution of ferritin, a nanocage protein that detoxifies Fe²⁺ and catalytically synthesizes the ferrihydrite bio-mineral. Biological iron usage necessitates its reduction and mobilization from bio-minerals, where thiols can play a critical role as electron donors. This study probes the efficacy of various cellular and synthetic thiols in mediating Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ redox-cycling, O₂ consumption, and the dissolution/mobilization of iron minerals from bare and ferritin protein-encapsulated ferrihydrites to correlate their structure–activity relationship. Furthermore, the antioxidative properties of thiols were assessed through DNA protection and radical scavenging assays. This work reports the formation of thiol-specific transient species upon interaction of thiols with Fe³⁺, which exhibit synergistic O₂ consumption, rapidly generating a hypoxic microenvironment. The thiol-mediated iron mobilization is influenced by the mineral accessibility/size (Na₂S/TG vs. GSH), O₂ consumption ability and iron chelating feature (–SH/–COO⁻vs. –NH₃⁺: TG/DHLA vs. Cys/GSH), highlighting entropic contributions (higher efficacy of dithiols over monothiol: DTT/DHLA vs. 2-ME) and restriction posed by protein encapsulation (bare vs. encapsulated ferrihydrites). Inclusion of ferritin cage-variants offers a perspective on evolutionary upgradation of the protein coat, showing how the stability of a mineral core is governed by the specific design of its inorganic–protein interface. These findings underscore the crucial role of cooperativity among iron–sulfur–oxygen interactions in cellular homeostasis, providing quintessential insights into therapeutic strategies for regulating iron metabolism and oxidative stress mitigation.

Stent placement has become a standard intervention for occlusive luminal diseases across both vascular and non-vascular systems. Beyond their well-established use in endovascular therapy, stents play essential roles in managing obstructions in non-vascular conduits such as the airway, esophagus, urethra, ocular outflow tract, bile duct, and colon. However, conventional permanent stents are frequently associated with complications such as migration, restenosis, infection, and granulation tissue formation, which often necessitate secondary removal procedures. To overcome these limitations, biodegradable stents have emerged as a promising alternative, providing temporary mechanical support before safely degrading in situ. In parallel, drug-eluting stents offer site-specific therapeutic delivery to modulate local tissue responses, suppress fibrosis, and reduce infection risk. Although coronary stent technologies are extensively reviewed, an integrated analysis of biodegradable and drug-eluting stent innovations for non-vascular applications remains lacking. This review addresses this gap by systematically evaluating current and emerging stent technologies for major non-vascular luminal diseases. We examine the interplay between material properties, device mechanics, and the unique pathophysiological challenges of each anatomical site. We further highlight recent advances in biodegradable and drug-eluting stent design, discuss key barriers to clinical translation, and provide a forward-looking perspective on future directions in non-vascular stent development.

Correction for ‘Encapsulation of living cells into sporopollenin microcapsules’ by Shwan A. Hamad et al., J. Mater. Chem., 2011, 21, 18018–18023, https://doi.org/10.1039/C1JM13719K.

Wound care has garnered significant attention due to the limitations of current dressings, which often exhibit suboptimal clinical efficacy. There is an urgent need to develop advanced multifunctional materials with high mechanical strength, blood repellency, antibacterial properties, and anti-adhesion capabilities for improved wound management. In this study, we developed a novel hydrophobic gauze, termed LA–ZnO/MG, by synthesizing zinc oxide (ZnO) in situ on medical gauze (MG) utilizing a hydrothermal method and subsequently modifying the surface with lauric acid (LA) via an impregnation technique. LA–ZnO/MG can maintain good mechanical stability, water repellency and durability in the tests of sandpaper wear, tape stripping, self-cleaning, knife scratching and heat treatment. Furthermore, LA–ZnO/MG showed good permeability and biocompatibility. LA–ZnO/MG-2 exhibited significant antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Escherichia coli (E. coli); the hydrophobicity of LA–ZnO/MG, coupled with the release of Zn²⁺ ions, plays a significant role in preventing bacterial adhesion and inhibiting bacterial growth. LA–ZnO/MG-2 also successfully reduced blood loss with low stripping force and exhibited excellent blood repellency, as confirmed by in vitro and in vivo hemostasis assays. In the dorsal wound model test with mice, LA–ZnO/MG-2 showed bacteriostatic and anti-adhesion effects that enhanced the rate of wound healing compared to the control group treated with MG alone. By the 14th day, the wounds in the LA–ZnO/MG-2 group had nearly healed, with a healing rate of approximately 95.2 ± 0.8%. LA–ZnO/MG presents a simplified approach for developing new dressings and shows promising potential for application in wound dressings.

New molecular positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agents with high radiolabel stability are needed to expand the use of modality in oncology. Due to the radioactive decay of radiometals suitable for PET imaging, the development of a rapid, efficient, and reproducible method is also critical. We present here a novel “shake and use” approach for the production of copper-64 (⁶⁴Cu) nanoparticle-based PET imaging agents based on a cation exchange reaction in metal chalcogenides. ⁶⁴Cu:bismuth sulfide (⁶⁴Cu:Bi₂S₃) nanorods could be prepared within 10 min and under ambient conditions, with an extremely high radiochemical yield of almost 100% and an outstanding radiolabel stability of 99% at 24 h in serum at 37 °C. Remarkably, the ⁶⁴Cu cation exchange reaction can be performed with Cetuximab-functionalized Bi₂S₃ nanorods without impacting the binding performance. The simplicity of the method and excellent radiolabeling and radiolabel stability afforded by the cation exchange reaction of ⁶⁴Cu in Bi₂S₃ suggest the feasibility of “point-of-need” radiolabeling and warrant further investigation.

Nanomotors endowed with active migration capabilities represent a promising strategy to overcome physical tumor microenvironmental (TME) barriers, thereby enabling deep drug penetration for precise cancer therapy. Nevertheless, their widespread application is still constrained by complex fabrication processes and limited internal loading capacity. Herein, we report a simple and reproducible hard-template layer-by-layer coating approach for the construction of eccentric hollow nanomotors (Au@MONs), which are loaded with low-boiling-point perfluorohexane (PFH) as the propulsion fuel. Under near-infrared irradiation, the Au@MONs@PFH nanomotor efficiently converts light energy into heat, triggering rapid vaporization of the encapsulated PFH. This vaporization process generates gas bubbles that serve as the driving force for nanomotor propulsion. The as-prepared Au@MONs exhibit exceptional photothermal stability and superior propulsion performance. After irradiation, a marked increase in bubble generation, reduced hydrodynamic size, elevated mean-square displacement (MSD), and a directional migration trajectory were observed, collectively confirming efficient light-driven jet propulsion. Furthermore, these light-driven jet-propelled nanomotors effectively enhanced cellular internalization and facilitated deep intratumoral delivery of doxorubicin (DOX), ultimately leading to superior tumor accumulation and therapeutic efficacy in vivo. This work provides a facile platform for constructing multifunctional nanomotors with robust propulsion and therapeutic performance, opening new avenues for advancing precision cancer treatment.

Calcium sulfate cement (CSC) is limited in clinical applications due to its low mechanical strength, rapid degradation, and insufficient bioactivity. Here, we developed a novel composite bone cement by integrating acrylamide-grafted chitosan (CS–AM) with calcium glycerophosphate (CaGP) and incorporating magnesium polyphosphate (MPP) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to enhance structural and functional properties. The composite was systematically evaluated using experimental characterization and Materials Studio molecular simulations to elucidate intermolecular interactions. Molecular simulations revealed strong interactions between CS–AM and CaGP, as well as between MPP and PVA, forming a dense hydrogen-bond network. Electrostatic potential and electron density analyses confirmed stable interfacial bonding and structural integrity. The test results of compressive strength, injectability and degradation profile demonstrated the combination of the components. Notably, the HCMP composite greatly enhanced osteogenic differentiation, with quantitative PCR showing substantial upregulation of Runx2, BMP2, OCN, OPN, and COL1 enhanced by 4.11-, 2.77-, 4.34-, 2.60-, and 3.57-fold, respectively, relative to controls. Hydroxytyrosol (HT) was further introduced to confer antibacterial activity. Collectively, these findings indicate that the engineered composite exhibits superior mechanical and biological performance and that molecular-level insights provide a rational foundation for the design of high-performance bone repair materials.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a crucial role in regulating cellular interactions and cell signaling pathways through several biochemical cues. In this context, designing bioinspired ECM mimics, particularly supramolecular hydrogels derived from major ECM components, has gained great attention owing to their biocompatibility, diverse biofunctionalities and biodegradability. Additionally, the employment of non-conventional approaches to control self-assembly and access diverse properties in a single molecular domain is emerging as a powerful strategy to fabricate tunable biomaterials. Therefore, by combining these two strategies, we explored one of the crucial basal membrane proteins of the ECM, i.e., laminin. In the present work, we mainly focus on the α5β1 laminin protein-derived peptide sequence, IVVSIVNGR. The gelation in this short, newly identified peptide sequence was induced through a solvent-mediated self-assembly approach. To our knowledge, this is the first report exploring the hydrogelation behavior and biological applications of this ECM-derived bioactive peptide sequence. Interestingly, by varying the concentration of the peptide, we were able to access diverse gels with differential nanofibrous morphologies, mechanical behaviors, and cellular responses. Biocompatibility and cellular proliferation studies on the hydrogels were performed using both neuronal (SH-SY5Y) and fibroblast (L929) cell lines. The results demonstrated that as the peptide concentration increases, more entangled networks of nanofibers were formed that offered a more uniform and suitable interface for cellular adhesion and interactions than the loosely bound, wider fibrous structures formed at lower concentration, as evident from the 2D and 3D cell culture studies. Thus, this study highlights the potential of these newly designed laminin-inspired cell-instructive scaffolds for possible futuristic applications in tissue engineering.

The development of sensitive and high-throughput methods for detecting foodborne viruses is crucial for disease prevention and public health protection. In this study, we present a novel localized Cas13a-based DNA walker (LCas13a-DNA walker) for the ultrasensitive, stable, and rapid detection of norovirus (NoV). When the DNA walker was confined in AuNPs, the spatial confinement effect improved the local concentration of reaction substrates, accelerated the reaction speed, and enhanced the sensitivity of the DNA walker. Besides, an original design of uracil-rich hairpin (UH)-modified AuNPs as the walking track significantly improves the stability of the detection system. Meanwhile, employing CRISPR/Cas13a as the driving force streamlines viral RNA recognition and substantially reduces the reaction time down to 30 minutes by eliminating the reverse transcription step. Additionally, a biomimetic array, formed by photonic crystals (PCs), enabled high-throughput signal acquisition with a microplate reader, and concurrently amplified the fluorescence signal. The proposed assay realized ultra-sensitivity of NoV with a detection limit as low as 4.1 pM and a wide linear range from 10 pM to 5 nM. Due to the advantages of high sensitivity, high-throughput, stability, and rapid analysis, this proposed method provides a potential strategy for point-of-care detection of pathogenic viruses in food safety monitoring and disease diagnosis.