Combination of theoretical analysis and experiments: Exploring the role of PLA2G7 in human cancers, including renal cancer.

Background: The pivotal role of phospholipase A2 group VII (PLA2G7) has been identified in specific human cancers, such as prostate cancer, diffuse large B cell lymphoma, and melanoma. Given PLA2G7's significant involvement in established tumors, exploring its role in other cancers is highly relevant. Methods: In this study, we acquired and analyzed data from The Cancer Genome Atlas database, the UCSC XENA website, and other online platforms including Gene Set Cancer Analysis, cBioPortal, Tumor Immune Estimation Resource, and TISIDB to investigate PLA2G7's role in human cancers, including renal cancer. Furthermore, in vitro experiments, including immunofluorescence, western blotting, and CCK-8 assays, were conducted to elucidate PLA2G7's role in renal cancer. Finally, the relationship between PLA2G7 and various drug sensitivity was explored. Results: Our findings demonstrate that PLA2G7 is highly expressed and may serve as a valuable candidate biomarker in pan-cancer. PLA2G7 exhibits distinct alteration frequencies across human cancers and is correlated with tumor mutation burden, tumor microenvironment, DNA stemness score, RNA stemness score, tumorigenesis, tumor immunity, and microsatellite instability in pan-cancer. Immunofluorescence and western blotting revealed a relative high level of PLA2G7 protein in renal cancer cell lines (ACHN and 786-O), predominantly localized in the cytoplasm. Treatment with a PLA2G7 gene inhibitor (darapladib) significantly decreased the viability of ACHN and 786-O cell lines. Additionally, we observed an association between PLA2G7 mRNA levels and various drug sensitivity. Conclusions: Our study suggests that PLA2G7 has the potential to serve as a valuable biomarker and therapeutic target for cancer, particularly in the context of renal cancer.

Recent progress on bismuth-based light-triggered antibacterial nanocomposites: Synthesis, characterization, optical properties and bactericidal applications.

Bacterial infections pose a seriously threat to the safety of the environment and human health. In particular, the emergence of drug-resistant pathogens as a result of antibiotic abuse and high trauma risk has rendered conventional therapeutic techniques insufficient for treating infections by these so-called "superbugs". Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop highly efficient and environmentally-friendly antimicrobial agents. Bismuth-based nanomaterials with unique structures and physicochemical characteristics have attracted considerable attention as promising antimicrobial candidates, with many demonstratingoutstanding antibacterial effects upon being triggered by broad-spectrum light. These nanomaterials have also exhibited satisfactory energy band gaps and electronic density distribution with improved photonic properties for extensive and comprehensive applications after being modified through various engineering methods. This review summarizes the latest research progress made on bismuth-based nanomaterials with different morphologies, structures and compositions as well as the different methods used for their synthesis to meet their rapidly increasing demand, especially for antibacterial applications. Moreover, the future prospects and challenges regarding the application of these nanomaterials are discussed. The aim of this review is to stimulate interest in the development and experimental transformation of novel bismuth-based nanomaterials to expand the arsenal of effective antimicrobials.

A Systematic Analysis of the Role of Unc-5 Netrin Receptor A (UNC5A) in Human Cancers.

Unc-5 netrin receptor A (UNC5A), a netrin family receptor, plays a key role in neuronal development and subsequent differentiation. Recently, studies have found that UNC5A plays an important role in multiple cancers, such as bladder cancer, non-small cell lung carcinoma, and colon cancer but its pan-cancer function is largely unknown. Herein, the R software and multiple databases or online websites (The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), The Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), The Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER), The Gene Set Cancer Analysis (GSCA), Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), and cBioPortal etc.) were utilized to examine the role of UNC5A in pan-cancer. UNC5A was found to be highly expressed across multiple human cancer tissues and cells, was linked to clinical outcomes of patients, and was a potential pan-cancer biomarker. The mutational landscape of UNC5A exhibited that patients with UNC5A mutations had poorer progress free survival (PFS) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) and prostate adenocarcinoma (PRAD). Furthermore, UNC5A expression was associated with tumor mutation burden (TMB), neoantigen, tumor microenvironment (TME), tumor microsatellite instability (MSI), immunomodulators, immune infiltration, DNA methylation, immune checkpoint (ICP) genes, and drug responses. Our results suggest the potential of UNC5A as a pan-cancer biomarker and an efficient immunotherapy target, which may also guide drug selection for some specific cancer types in clinical practice.

An outstanding role of novel virus-like heterojunction nanosphere BOCO@Ag as high performance antibacterial activity agent.

The development of highly efficient photonic nanomaterials with synergistic biological effects is critical and challenging task for public hygiene health well-being and has attracted extensive interest. In this study, a type of near-infrared (NIR) driven, virus-like heterojunction was first developed for synergistic biological application. The Ag-coated Bi2CO5 nanomaterial (BOCO@Ag) demonstrated good biocompatibility, low cytotoxicity, high antibacterial activity and excellent light utilization stability. The synthesized BOCO@Ag performed a potential high photothermal conversion (efficiency~46.81%) to generate high temperatures when irradiated with near-infrared light illumination. As expected, compared to single Ag+ disinfection, BOCO@Ag can exhibit better antibacterial performance when combined with photothermal energy and released Ag+ . These results suggest that BOCO@Ag can be a promising photo-activate antimicrobial candidate and provide security for humans health and the environment treatment.

Virus-Inspired Gold Nanorod-Mesoporous Silica Core-Shell Nanoparticles Integrated with tTF-EG3287 for Synergetic Tumor Photothermal Therapy and Selective Therapy for Vascular Thrombosis.

Synergetic therapy includes the combination of two or more conventional therapeutic approaches and can be used for tumor treatment by combining the advantages and avoiding the drawbacks of each type of treatment. In the present study, truncated tissue factor (tTF)-EG3287 fusion protein-encapsulated gold nanorod (GNR)-virus-inspired mesoporous silica core-shell nanoparticles (vinyl hybrid silica nanoparticles; VSNP) (GNR@VSNP-tTF-EG3287) were synthesized to achieve synergetic therapy by utilizing selective vascular thrombosis therapy (SVTT) and photothermal therapy (PTT). By integrating the targeted coagulation activity of tTF-EG3287 and the high tumor ablation effect of GNR@VSNP, local hyperthermia could induce a high percentage of apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells by using near-infrared light. This provided additional phospholipid sites for tTF-EG3287 and enhanced its procoagulant activity in vitro. In addition, the nanoparticles, which had unique topological viral structures, exhibited superior cellular uptake properties leading to significant antitumor efficacy. The in vivo antitumor results further demonstrated an interaction between SVTT and PTT, whereas the synergetic therapy (SVTT and PTT) achieved an enhanced effect, which was superior to the respective treatment efficacy of each modality or the additive effect of their individual efficacies. In summary, the synthesized GNR@VSNP-tTF-EG3287 exerted synergetic effects and enhanced the antitumor efficiency by avoiding multiple injections and suboptimal administration. These effects simultaneously affected both tumor blood supply and cancer cell proliferation. The data suggested that the integration of SVTT induced by tTF-EG3287 and PTT could provide potential strategies for synergetic tumor therapy.

N2E4, a Monoclonal Antibody Targeting Neuropilin-2, Inhibits Tumor Growth and Metastasis in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma via Suppressing FAK/Erk/HIF-1α Signaling.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive malignancy with extremely limited treatment; the effective targeting strategy stays an urgent unmet need. Neuropilin-2 (NRP2), a multifunctional transmembrane non-tyrosine-kinase glycoprotein, enhances various signal transduction pathways to modulate cancer progression. However, the application value of NRP2 as a therapeutic target in pancreatic cancer is still unclear. Here, we detected the elevated NRP2 was associated with the poor prognosis of pancreas carcinoma. The mouse monoclonal antibody targeting NRP2 (N2E4) that could specifically bind to PDAC cells was developed. Moreover, N2E4 inhibits PDAC proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro, and repressed growth and metastasis in vivo. Mechanistically, the effect of N2E4 was mainly related to the blocking of interaction between NRP2 with integrinß1 to inhibit FAK/Erk/HIF-1a/VEGF signaling. Therefore, N2E4 has the potential for targeting therapy of PDAC. This study lays a foundation for the future development of NRP2-based targeted therapy for PDAC.

Facile Fabrication of BiF3: Ln (Ln = Gd, Yb, Er)@PVP Nanoparticles for High-Efficiency Computed Tomography Imaging.

X-ray computed tomography (CT) has been widely used in clinical practice, and contrast agents such as Iohexol are often used to enhance the contrast of CT imaging between normal and diseased tissue. However, such contrast agents can have some toxicity. Thus, new CT contrast agents are urgently needed. Owing to the high atomic number (Z = 83), low cost, good biological safety, and great X-ray attenuation property (5.74 cm2 kg-1 at 100 keV), bismuth has gained great interest from researchers in the field of nano-sized CT contrast agents. Here, we synthesized BiF3: Ln@PVP nanoparticles (NPs) with an average particle size of about 380 nm. After coating them with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), the BiF3: Ln@PVP NPs possessed good stability and great biocompatibility. Meanwhile, compared with the clinical contrast agent Iohexol, BiF3: Ln@PVP NPs showed superior in vitro CT imaging contrast. Subsequently, after in situ injection with BiF3: Ln@PVP NPs, the CT value of the tumor site after the injection was significantly higher than that before the injection (the CT value of the pre-injection and post-injection was 48.9 HU and 194.58 HU, respectively). The morphology of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract can be clearly observed over time after oral administration of BiF3: Ln@PVP NPs. Finally, the BiF3: Ln@PVP NPs were completely discharged from the GI tract of mice within 48 h of oral administration with no obvious damage to the GI tract. In summary, our easily synthesized BiF3: Ln@PVP NPs can be used as a potential clinical contrast agent and may have broad application prospects in CT imaging.

Construction of Smart Nanotheranostic Platform Bi-Ag@PVP: Multimodal CT/PA Imaging-Guided PDT/PTT for Cancer Therapy.

High-efficiency nanotheranostic agents with multimodal imaging guidance have attracted considerable interest in the field of cancer therapy. Herein, novel silver-decorated bismuth-based heterostructured polyvinyl pyrrolidone nanoparticles (NPs) with good biocompatibility (Bi-Ag@PVP NPs) were synthesized for accurate theranostic treatment, which can integrate computed tomography (CT)/photoacoustic (PA) imaging and photodynamic therapy/photothermal therapy (PDT/PTT) into one platform. The Bi-Ag@PVP NPs can enhance light absorption and achieve a better photothermal effect than bismuth NPs. Moreover, after irradiation under an 808 nm laser, the Bi-Ag@PVP NPs can efficiently induce the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby synergizing PDT/PTT to exert an efficient tumor ablation effect both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, Bi-Ag@PVP NPs can also be employed to perform enhanced CT/PA imaging because of their high X-ray absorption attenuation and enhanced photothermal conversion. Thus, they can be utilized as a highly effective CT/PA imaging-guided nanotheranostic agent. In addition, an excellent antibacterial effect was achieved. After irradiation under an 808 nm laser, the Bi-Ag@PVP NPs can destroy the integrity of Escherichia coli, thereby inhibiting E. coli growth, which can minimize the risk of infection during cancer therapy. In conclusion, our study provides a novel nanotheranostic platform that can achieve CT/PA-guided PDT/PTT synergistic therapy and have potential antibacterial properties. Thus, this work provides an effective strategy for further broad clinical application prospects.

Hetero-Core-Shell BiNS-Fe@Fe as a Potential Theranostic Nanoplatform for Multimodal Imaging-Guided Simultaneous Photothermal-Photodynamic and Chemodynamic Treatment.

Photothermal/photodynamic therapy (PTT/PDT) and synergistic therapeutic strategies are often sought after, owing to their low side effects and minimal invasiveness compared to chemotherapy and surgical treatments. However, in spite of the development of the most PTT/PDT materials with good tumor-inhibitory effect, there are some disadvantages of photosensitizers and photothermal agents, such as low stability and low photonic efficiency, which greatly limit their further application. Therefore, in this study, a novel bismuth-based hetero-core-shell semiconductor nanomaterial BiNS-Fe@Fe with good photonic stability and synergistic theranostic functions was designed. On the one hand, BiNS-Fe@Fe with a high atomic number exhibits good X-ray absorption, enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) T2-weighted imaging, and strong photoacoustic imaging (PAI) signals. In addition, the hetero-core-shell provides a strong barrier to decline the recombination of electron-hole pairs, inducing the generation of a large amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) when irradiated with visible-NIR light. Meanwhile, a Fenton reaction can further increase ROS generation in the tumor microenvironment. Furthermore, an outstanding chemodynamic therapeutic potential was determined for this material. In particular, a high photothermal conversion efficiency (η = 37.9%) is of significance and could be achieved by manipulating surface decoration with Fe, which results in tumor ablation. In summary, BiNS-Fe@Fe could achieve remarkable utilization of ROS, high photothermal conversion law, and good chemodynamic activity, which highlight the multimodal theranostic potential strategies of tumors, providing a potential viewpoint for theranostic applications of tumors.

"One stone, two birds": engineering 2-D ultrathin heterostructure nanosheet BiNS@NaLnF4 for dual-modal computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging guided, photonic synergetic theranostics.

It is interesting yet challenging to design theranostic nanoplatforms for the accurate diagnosis and therapy of diseases; these nanoplatforms consist of single contrast-enhanced imaging or therapeutic agents, and they possess their own unique shortcomings that limit their widespread bio-medical applications. Therefore, designing a potential theranostic agent is an emerging approach for the synergistic diagnosis and therapeutics in bio-medical applications. Herein, a lanthanide-loaded (NaLnF4) heterostructure BiOCl ultrathin nanosheet (BiNS@NaLnF4) as a theranostic agent was synthesized facilely by a solvothermal protocol. BiNS@NaLnF4 was employed as a multi-modal contrast agent for computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), showing a high-performance X-ray absorption contrast effect, an outstanding T1-weighted imaging function result, good cytocompatibility and favorable in vivo effective imaging for CT. Notably, BiNS@NaLnF4 was applied to achieve a satisfactory photon-thermal conversion efficiency (35.3%). Moreover, the special heterostructure barrier achieved increased utilization of electrons/holes, enhancing the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under visible-light irradiation to further expand the therapeutic effect. Dramatically, visible light emission with the up-conversion law was employed to stimulate ROS after irradiation with a 980 nm laser. Simultaneously, the as-prepared BiNS@NaLnF4 can be applied in photothermal/photodynamic therapy (PTT/PDT) investigation for tumor ablation. In summary, the results reveal that BiNS@NaLnF4 is a potential multi-modal theranostic candidate, providing new insights for synergistic theranostics of tumors.