Smart nanostructures for targeted oxygen-producing photodynamic therapy of skin photoaging and potential mechanism.

Background: Photodynamic therapy increases collagen and decreases solar fibrosis in photoaged skin; however, the efficacy of photodynamic therapy is limited in tissues with a hypoxic microenvironment. Methods: A novel autogenous oxygen-targeted nanoparticle, named MCZT, was synthesized based on the zeolitic imidazole framework material ZIF-8, methyl aminolevulinate, catalase and an anti-TRPV1 monoclonal antibody, and its effects on skin photoaging were investigated. Results: MCZT was successfully synthesized and showed uniform particle size, good dispersion, and excellent biocompatibility and safety. Moreover, MCZT effectively alleviated UV-induced inflammation, cellular senescence and apoptosis in HFF-1 cells. In in vivo models, MCZT ameliorated UV-evoked erythema and wrinkling, inflammation and oxidative stress, as well as the loss of collagen fibers and water, in the skin of mice. Conclusion: These findings suggest that MCZT holds promising potential for the treatment of skin photoaging.

Hyaluronic acid-covered piezoelectric nanocomposites as tumor microenvironment modulators for piezoelectric catalytic therapy of melanoma.

Increasing the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reducing the elimination of ROS are the two main objectives in the development of novel inorganic sonosensitizers for use in sonodynamic therapy (SDT). Therefore, BTO-Pd-MnO2-HA nanocomplexes with targeted tumor cells and degradable oxygen-producing shells were designed as piezoelectric sonosensitizers for enhancing SDT. The deposition of palladium particles (Pd NPs) leads to the formation of Schottky junctions, promoting the separation of electron-hole pairs and thereby increasing the efficiency of toxic ROS generation in SDT. The tumor microenvironment (TME) triggers the degradation of MnO2, and the released Mn2+ ions catalyze the generation of hydroxyl radicals (•OH) from H2O2 through a Fenton-like reaction. BTO-Pd-MnO2-HA can continuously consume glutathione (GSH) and generate O2, thereby improving the efficiency of SDT and chemodynamic therapy (CDT). A multistep enhanced SDT process mediated by the piezoelectric sonosensitizers BTO-Pd-MnO2-HA was designed, targeted by hyaluronic acid (HA), activated by decomposition in TME, and amplified by deposition of Pd. This procedure not only presents a new alternative for the improvement of sonosensitizers but also widens the application of piezoelectric nanomaterials in biomedicine.

Smart PdH@MnO2 Yolk-Shell Nanostructures for Spatiotemporally Synchronous Targeted Hydrogen Delivery and Oxygen-Elevated Phototherapy of Melanoma.

Hydrogen therapy, an emerging therapeutic strategy, has recently attracted much attention in anticancer medicine. Evidence suggests that hydrogen (H2) can selectively reduce intratumoral overexpressed hydroxyl radicals (•OH) to break the redox homeostasis and thereby lead to redox stress and cell damage. However, the inability to achieve stable hydrogen storage and efficient hydrogen delivery hinders the development of hydrogen therapy. Furthermore, oxygen (O2) deficiency in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the electron-hole separation inefficiency in photosensitizers have severely limited the efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT). Herein, a smart PdH@MnO2/Ce6@HA (PHMCH) yolk-shell nanoplatform is designed to surmount these challenges. PdH tetrahedrons combine stable hydrogen storage and high photothermal conversion efficiency of palladium (Pd) nanomaterials with near-infrared-controlled hydrogen release. Subsequently, the narrow bandgap semiconductor manganese dioxide (MnO2) and the photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6) are introduced into the PHMCH nanoplatform. Upon irradiation, the staggered energy band edges in heterogeneous materials composed of MnO2 and Ce6 can efficiently facilitate electron-hole separation for increasing singlet oxygen (1O2). Moreover, MnO2 nanoshells generate O2 in TME for ameliorating hypoxia and further improving O2-dependent PDT. Finally, the hyaluronic acid-modified PHMCH nanoplatform shows negligible cytotoxicity and selectively targets CD44-overexpressing melanoma cells. The synergistic antitumor performance of the H2-mediated gas therapy combined with photothermal and enhanced PDT can explore more possibilities for the design of gas-mediated cancer therapy.

Palladium cubes with Pt shell deposition for localized surface plasmon resonance enhanced photodynamic and photothermal therapy of hypoxic tumors.

Multifunctional phototherapy nanoagents for imaging-guided synergistic photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) are highly desirable in the field of solid tumor therapy. Nevertheless, the tumor microenvironment (TME) inherently associated with hypoxia significantly hampers the photodynamic effect of these multifunctional nanoagents. Herein, Pd nanocubes coated with an ultrathin Pt shell were prepared and further conjugated with fluorescein labeled and thiol functionalized polyethylene glycol (FITC-PEG-SH) (denoted as Pd@Pt-PEG). The deposition of a Pt shell on Pd nanocubes not only enhances the photothermal performance, exhibiting excellent hyperthermia outcomes and impressive photothermal (PT) imaging quality, but also leads to the formation of singlet oxygen (1O2) induced by plasmonic excitation. In the meantime, the catalytic activity of the Pt layer is enhanced by electronic coupling and the plasmonic effect, which induces the decomposition of endogenous overexpressed hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in tumors to generate O2 for conquering TME and augmenting 1O2 generation for efficacious tumor cell apoptosis. The modification of FITC-PEG-SH improves the biocompatibility and provides outstanding fluorescence (FL) imaging properties. Upon NIR laser irradiation, Pd@Pt-PEG allows in situ O2 generation and dual-mode imaging-guided synergistic PTT/PDT that effectively kills hypoxic tumor cells, which makes it a promising nanotherapeutic agent for enhanced tumor therapy.

Multitarget Reaction Programmable Automatic Diagnosis and Treatment Logic Device.

Accurate diagnosis and precise and effective treatment are currently the two magic weapons for dealing with cancer. However, a single marker is often associated with multiple cellular events, which is not conducive to accurate diagnosis, and overly mild treatment methods often make the treatment effect unsatisfactory. In this paper, we construct a Au/Pd octopus nanoparticle-DNA nanomachine (Au/Pd ONP-DNA nanomachine) as a fully automatic diagnosis and treatment logic system. In this system, multiple DNA components are targeting detection units, Au/Pd ONPs act as carriers, and Au/Pd ONPs with an 808 nm laser is the treatment unit. In order to achieve the purpose of precise treatment, we will detect two secondary markers under the premise of detecting one major tumor marker. When all of the designated targets are detected (the logic system input is (1, 1, 1), and the output is (1, 1)), the 808 nm laser can be programmed to automatically radiate tumors and perform photothermal therapy and photodynamic therapy. In vivo and in vitro experiments show that this logic system not only can accurately identify tumor cells but also has considerable therapeutic effects.

Identification of genes and pathways leading to metastasis and poor prognosis in melanoma.

Melanoma causes the highest mortality rate among all skin cancers. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms leading to metastasis and poor prognosis in melanoma have not been fully elucidated. In this study, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to metastasis in melanoma were screened out. The results of gene annotation was combined with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The microRNA (miRNA) network that regulates key genes and their correlation with BRAFV600E was preliminarily analyzed. Cell and molecular biology experiments were conducted to verify the results of bioinformatics analysis. Results showed that the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway contained the key genes CDK2, CDK4, KIT, and Von Willebrand factor. Survival analysis showed that high expression of the four key genes significantly reduced the survival rate of patients with melanoma. Correlation analysis showed that BRAFV600E may regulate the expression of the four key genes, and a total of 240 miRNAs may regulate this expression. Experiments showed that the inactivation of key genes inhibits the proliferation, migration, and invasion of melanoma. In conclusion, the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and the four key genes promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of melanoma, and related to poor prognosis of patients with melanoma.

[SREBP-1c knockdown attenuated fatty degeneration in hepatic L02 cells and inhibited CCL2 and FGF21 protein expression].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of SREBP-1c silencing on lipid metabolism and expression of inflammatory chemokines in a NAFLD model with endoplasmic reticulum stress. METHOD: NAFLD model was established in L02 cells treated with oleic acid. SREBP-1c expression was inhibited using RNA interference with a p Silencer-1.0-U6-4476 vector. After transfection with p Silencer-1.0-U6-4476 or control vector for 0 h, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h, the extent of fatty degeneration was shown by Oil Red O staining. The mRNA and protein expression of inflammatory chemokine CCL2 and basic fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21) were determined by real time PCR and Western blot respectively. RESULTS: SREBP-1c silenced L02 cells showed fat droplets with smaller diameter and attenuated fatty deposition, as compared with control cells. The relative CCL2 mRNA levels in SREBP-1c silencing vector transfected L02 cells were 1.03+/-0.11 for 0 h, 1.11+/-0.21 for 24 h, 0.88+/-0.16 for 48 h, and 1.05+/-0.15 for 72 h, which showed no significant difference as compared with control cells (P>0.05, respectively). In addition, no difference was found between the different time points within the same group (P>0.05). However, CCL2 protein levels in SREBP-1c silenced cells were 1.19+/-0.15, 1.07+/-0.18, 0.48+/-0.14, and 0.05+/-0.24 after transfection for 0 h, 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h respectively, which were significantly downregulated as compared to the control group (P<0.01). And CCL2 protein levels between different time points in SREBP-1c silenced cells were also distinct (P<0.01). The relative FGF21 mRNA levels in SREBP-1c silenced L-02 cells were 1.01+/-0.08, 0.91+/-0.22, 0.98+/-0.20, and 1.02+/-0.12 for 0 h, 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h respectively, which were not statistically different as compared with the corresponding control cells. Statistic difference of FGF21 mRNA levels in SREBP-1c knockdown cells of different time points was not found (P>0.05). In striking contrast, robust down regulation of FGF21 protein in SREBP-1c silenced cells was observed, with 0.81+/-0.05, 0.66+/-0.12, 0.58+/-0.08 and 0.19+/-0.13 after transfection for 0 h, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h respectively, as compared to control group (P<0.01). And differences in FGF21 protein level between different time points in SREBP-1c silenced cells were also demonstrated (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: SREBP-1c knockdown attenuated fatty deposition in oleic acid treated L02 cells. In addition, silencing of SREBP-1c expression reduced expressions of CCL2 and FGF21 proteins posttranscriptionally, which may play a role in endoplasmic reticulum stress induced inflammatory response in NAFLD.