Carrier

Smart theranostic nanoprobes with the integration of multiple therapeutic modalities are preferred for precise diagnosis and efficient therapy of tumors. However, it remains a big challenge to arrange the imaging and two or more kinds of therapeutic agents without weakening the intended performances. In addition, most existing fluorescence (FL) imaging agents suffer from low spatiotemporal resolution due to the short emission wavelength (<900 nm). Here, novel three-in-one Ag2 S quantum dot (QD)-based smart theranostic nanoprobes were proposed for in situ ratiometric NIR-II FL imaging-guided ion/gas combination therapy of tumors...

Carnosine is a natural bioactive dipeptide with important physiological functions widely used in food and medicine. Dipeptidase (PepD) from Serratia marcescens can catalyze the reverse hydrolytic reaction of β-alanine with l-histidine to synthesize carnosine in the presence of Mn2+ . However, it remains challenging to practice carnosine biosynthesis due to the low activity and high cost of the enzyme. Therefore, the development of biocatalysts with high activity and stability is of significance for carnosine synthesis...

Single biofilm biomimetic nanodrug delivery systems based on single cell membranes, such as erythrocytes and cancer cells, have immune evasion ability, good biocompatibility, prolonged blood circulation, and high tumor targeting. Because of the different characteristics and functions of each single cell membrane, more researchers are using various hybrid cell membranes according to their specific needs. This review focuses on several different types of biomimetic nanodrug-delivery systems based on composite biofilms and looks forward to the challenges and possible development directions of biomimetic nanodrug-delivery systems based on composite biofilms to provide reference and ideas for future research...

Ternary copper (Cu) halides are promising candidates for replacing toxic lead halides in the field of perovskite light-emitting diodes (LEDs) toward practical applications. However, the electroluminescent performance of Cu halide-based LEDs remains a great challenge due to the presence of serious nonradiative recombination and inefficient charge transport in Cu halide emitters. Here, we report the rational design of host-guest [dppb]2 Cu2 I2 (dppb denotes 1,2-bis[diphenylphosphino]benzene) emitters and its utility in fabricating efficient Cu halide-based green LEDs that show a high external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 13...

Liposomes have garnered significant attention owing to their favorable characteristics as promising carriers. Microfluidic based hydrodynamic flow focusing, or micro-mixing approaches enable precise control of liposome size during their synthesis due to the comparable size scale. However, current microfluidic approaches still have issues such as high flow rate dependency, complex chip structures, and ease of clogging. Herein, we present a novel microfluidic platform for size-tunable liposome synthesis based on an ultra-high-frequency acoustic resonator...

Tuberculosis (TB) continues to pose a significant global health threat, with millions of new infections recorded annually. Current treatment strategies, such as Directly Observed Treatment (DOT), face challenges, including patient non-compliance and the emergence of drug-resistant TB strains. In response to these obstacles, innovative approaches utilizing inorganic/metallic nanomaterials have been developed to enhance drug delivery to target alveolar macrophages, where Mycobacterium tuberculosis resides. These nanomaterials have shown effectiveness against various strains of TB, offering benefits such as improved drug efficacy, minimized side effects, and sustained drug release at the infection site...

Colloidal semiconductor quantum dots have many potential optical applications, including quantum dot light-emitting diodes, single-photon sources, or biological luminescent markers. The optical properties of colloidal quantum dots can be affected by their dielectric environment. This study investigated the photoluminescence (PL) decay of thick-shell gradient-alloyed colloidal semiconductor quantum dots as a function of solvent refractive index. These measurements were conducted in a wide range of delay times to account for both the initial spontaneous decay of excitons and the delayed emission of excitons that has the form of a power law...

Methane and its oxidation product (i.e., CO2) are both greenhouse gases. In the product chain of CO hydrogenation to hydrocarbon reaction, methane is also an unwanted product due to its poor added value. Herein we investigated the effect of structure-directing agent urotropine on cobalt-based catalyst supported on Al-O-Zn type carrier and achieved an initial and pioneering exploration of methane-free CO hydrogenation to hydrocarbon reaction at mild CO conversion range. The catalyst modified by urotropine has a nanoflower micromorphology and can significantly change the reaction performance, almost completely eliminating the ability of the catalyst to inhibit C-C coupling within a mild CO conversion range, that is, it can produce no or less C1-C4 gaseous hydrocarbons, while rich in condensed hydrocarbons (i...

Semiconductor-based photoelectrochemical (PEC) test protocols offer a viable solution for developing efficient individual health monitoring by converting light and chemical energy into electrical signals. However, slow reaction kinetics and electron-hole complexation at the interface limit their practical application. Here, we reported a triple-engineered CdS nanohierarchical structures (CdS NHs) modification scheme including morphology, defective states, and heterogeneous structure to achieve precise monitoring of the neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) in plasma and noninvasive body fluids...

The therapeutic potential of small interfering RNA (siRNA) is monumental, offering a pathway to silence disease-causing genes with precision. However, the delivery of siRNA to target cells in-vivo remains a formidable challenge, owing to degradation by nucleases, poor cellular uptake and immunogenicity. This overview examines recent advancements in the design and application of nucleic acid-based integrated macromolecular complexes for the efficient delivery of siRNA. We dissect the innovative delivery vectors developed in recent years, including lipid-based nanoparticles, polymeric carriers, dendrimer complexes and hybrid systems that incorporate stimuli-responsive elements for targeted and controlled release...

BACKGROUND: The nerve growth factor (NGF) has been previously shown to be involved in cellular proliferation, differentiation, survival, or wound healing. This factor displays a variety of biological effects that yet remain to be explored. Previous data on cell lines show a pro-inflammatory role of NGF on monocytes. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was to investigate the pro-inflammatory effect of NGF, using a model of fresh human monocytes. METHODS: Monocytes obtained from PBMC were exposed to NGF at various concentrations...

Small membranes known as exosomes surround them and are released by several cell types both in vitro and in vivo. These membranes are packed with a variety of biomolecules, including proteins, lipids, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA), and non-coding RNA (ncRNA). As a source of biological nanomaterials, exosomes play a role in information and substance transmission between cells and have been identified as a general method of facilitating communication during interactions between the body, target organs, and toxins...

Cultivated meat production requires bioprocess optimization to achieve cell densities that are multiple orders of magnitude higher compared to conventional cell culture techniques. These processes must maximize resource efficiency and cost-effectiveness by attaining high cell growth productivity per unit of medium. Microcarriers, or carriers, are compatible with large-scale bioreactor use, and offer a large surface-area-to-volume ratio for the adhesion and proliferation of anchorage-dependent animal cells. An ongoing challenge persists in the efficient retrieval of cells from the carriers, with conflicting reports on the effectiveness of trypsinization and the need for additional optimization measures such as carrier sieving...

Exploration of multifunctional integrated catalysts is of great significance for photocatalysis toward practical application. Herein, a 1D confined nanoreactor with a heterogeneous core-shell structure is designed for synergies of efficient catalysis and temperature monitoring by custom encapsulation of Z-scheme heterojunction CuS quantum dots/BiVO4 (CuS QDs/BiVO4 ) and Y2 O2 S-Er, Yb. The dispersed active sites created by the QDs with high surface energy improve the mass transfer efficiency, and the efficient electron transport channels at the heterogeneous interface extend the carrier lifetime, which endows the nanoreactor with excellent catalytic performance...

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are attracting widespread research and attention as highly promising candidates in the field of electronic photovoltaics owing to their exceptional power conversion efficiency (PCE). However, rigid or flexible PSCs still face challenges in preparing full-coverage and low-defect perovskite films, as well as achieving highly reproducible and highly stable devices. Herein, a multifunctional additive 2-aminoethyl hydrogen sulfate (AES) is designed to regulate the film crystallization and thereby form flat and pinhole-free perovskite films...

Ionic liquids have been widely used to improve the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), and are generally believed to passivate defects on the grain boundaries of perovskites. However, few studies have focused on the relevant effects of ionic liquids on intragrain defects in perovskites which have been shown to be critical for the performance of PSCs. In this work, the effect of ionic liquid 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium iodide (HMII) on intragrain defects of formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI3 ) perovskite is investigated...

Efficient support materials are crucial for maximizing the efficacy of nanomaterials in various applications such as energy storage, drug delivery, catalysis, and environmental remediation. However, traditional supports often hinder nanomaterial performance due to their high weight ratio and limited manageability, leading to issues like tube blocking and secondary pollution. To address this, a novel grapefruit-inspired polymeric capsule (GPC) as a promising carrier platform is introduced. The millimeter-scale GPC features a hydrophilic shell and an internal hierarchical microstructure with 80% void volume, providing ample space for encapsulating diverse nanomaterials including metals, polymers, metal-organic frameworks, and silica...

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a polyphenol derived from Green Tea, is one of the sources of natural bioactive compounds which are currently being developed as medicinal ingredients. Besides other biological activities, this natural compound exhibits anti-cariogenic effects. However, EGCG has low physical-chemical stability and poor bioavailability. Thus, the purpose of this study was to develop and characterize lipid-chitosan hybrid nanoparticle with EGCG and to evaluate its in vitro activity against cariogenic planktonic microorganisms...

The region-to-region spread of human infectious diseases is considered to be dependent on the human mobility flow (HMF). However, it has been hard to obtain the evidence for this. Since the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Japan 2020, the government has enforced countermeasures against COVID-19 nationwide, namely the restriction of personal travelling, universal masking, and hand hygiene. As a result, the spread of acute respiratory infections had been effectively controlled. However, COVID-19 as well as pediatric respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections were not well-controlled...

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction to high-value-added C2+ products presents significant challenges, which is attributed to the slow kinetics of multi-e- CO2 photoreduction and the high thermodynamic barrier for C-C coupling. Incorporating redox-active Co2+ /Ni2+ cations into lead halide photocatalysts has high potentials to improve carrier transport and introduce charge polarized bimetallic sites, addressing the kinetic and thermodynamic issues, respectively. In this study, we have developed a coordination-driven synthetic strategy to introduce 3d transition metals into the interlamellar region of layered organolead iodides with atomic precision...