D-type neuropeptide decorated AIEgen/RENP hybrid nanoprobes with light-driven ROS generation ability for NIR-Ⅱ fluorescence imaging-guided through-skull photodynamic therapy of gliomas

Glioma is one of the most common malignant tumors of the central nervous system,leading high mortality rates in human.Aggregation-induced emission(AIE)photosensitizers-based photodynamic therapy(PDT)has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy for least-invasive treatment of glioma,which involves local irradiation of the tumor using an external near-infrared(NIR)laser.Unfortunately,most AIE photosensitizers suffered from poorly penetration of the visible light excitation,bad spatiotemporal resolution in deep tissues and low efficient blood-brain barrier(BBB)crossing ability,which greatly limited the clinical practice of AIE photosensitizers for especially deep-seated brain tumor treatment.In this work,we developed a multifunctional NIR-driven theranostic agent through hybrid of AIE photosensitizers TIND with rare-earth doping nanoparticles(RENPs)NaGdF4:Nd/Yb/Tm with up/down dual-mode conversion luminescence.The theranostic agent was further decorated with D-type neuropeptide DNPY for crossing BBB and targeting glioma.Under the 808-nm light irradiation,the down-conversion NIR-II luminescence could indicate the position glioma and the upconversion NIR-I luminescence could trigger the AIE photosensitizers producing reactive oxygen species to inhibit orthotopic glioma tumor growth in situ.These results demonstrate that the integration of Dtype neuropeptide,AIE photosensitizers and RENPs could be promising candidates for in vivo NIR-II fluorescence image-guided through-skull PDT treatments of brain tumors.

Two-dimensional layered nanomaterials fortumor diagnosis and treatment

With the evolution of nanomedicine,the past decades witnessed diversified nanomaterials as marvelous antitumor tools ushering in a new era of tumor diagnosis and treatment.Among them,two-dimensional layered nano-material as an emerging class of nanomaterials has one dimension less than 100 nm,showing a high specific area and the thinnest sheet-like structure(Liu S,Pan X,Liu H.Twodimensional nanomaterials for photothermal therapy.Angew Chem Int Ed 2020;59:5890–900).The discovery of graphene drove the exploration of various new two-dimensional layered nanomaterials for tumor diagnosis and treatment including graphene-based nanomaterials,black phosphorus(BP),transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDs),layered double hydroxides(LDHs),and bismuth oxyhalides(BiOX,X=F,Cl,Br,I)(Ma H,Xue MQ.Recent advances in the photothermal applications of two-dimensional nanomaterial:photothermal therapy and beyond.J Mater Chem 2021;9:17569).On the one hand,they exhibit strong near-infrared(NIR)absorption and the capacity of optimizing corresponding properties by adjusting the crystal structure.On the other hand,they own unique strengths such as fantastic physicochemical properties(graphene-based nanomaterials),high loading capacity(BP),distinct phase-dependent optical properties(TMDs),a specific chemical response to the tumor microenvironment(LDHs),and large X-ray attenuation coefficient(BiOX).Herein,we briefly introduce three typical two-dimensional layered nanomaterials,their prospects and future research priorities in tumor diagnosis and treatment are concluded.

Tumor microenvironment-activatable neuropeptide-drug conjugates enhanced tumor penetration and inhibition via multiple delivery pathways and calcium deposition

Peptide-drug conjugates have achieved considerable development and application as a novel strategy for targeted delivery of anticancer drugs. Bioactive peptides induced calcium deposition can irreversibly assist inhibition of tumors. However, active regulation of calcium level through signal transduction of bioactive substances has not been reported yet. In this study, novel neuropeptide-doxorubicin conjugates(NP-DOX) with lysosome-specific acid response were described for neuropeptide Y_1 receptor(Y_1R)-overexpressed triple-negative breast cancer. The delivery mechanism of NP-DOX was clarified that diverse pathways were involved, including intracellular and intercellular transport. Importantly, up-regulation of Y_1 R-mediated intracellular calcium level via second messenger inositol triphosphate was presented in NP-DOX treated MDA-MB-231 cells. In vivo antitumor efficacy demonstrated that NP-DOX showed less organ toxicity and enhanced tumor inhibition benefited from its controlled release and Y_1R-mediated calcium deposition, compared with free DOX. This bioconjugate is a proof-of-concept confirming that neuropeptide-mediated control of signaling responses in neuropeptide-drug conjugates enables great potential for further applications in tumor chemotherapy.

用于常见疾病成像的纳米材料造影剂

生物医学精准诊断对于疾病的有效治疗十分重要.纳米基成像造影剂具有灵敏度高、特异性强、生物相容性好等特点,在生物医学成像诊断中具有巨大的临床转化潜力.目前,尽管研究者们构筑了大量的纳米基探针材料作为疾病诊断造影剂,但纳米材料造影剂在临床转化方面仍然面临极大的挑战.这里我们主要概述了不同生物医学成像类型的纳米基造影剂所面临的问题,并针对这些难题提出了应对方案和未来的研究重点,最后对纳米基造影剂的临床转化前景进行了展望.