ATP Inhibition for Starvation/Mild Photothermal/Photodynamic Synergy Therapy Using Polypeptide Nanoparticles Conjugating 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose and Dye under NIR Phototheranostic Strategy

Active Substances from the Micro-Immunotherapy Medicine 2LMIREG Display Antioxidative Properties In Vitro in Two Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines

Mitochondria play a crucial role in oxidative stress control and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, impacting many cellular processes. Dysregulated mitochondria are linked to diseases such as colorectal cancer (CRC), known for its aggressiveness. Since ROS plays a role in tumor growth and metastasis, there is considerable interest in developing therapies that target these reactives. This study investigates the effects of some active substances from the micro-immunotherapy (MI) medicine 2LMIREG® on mitochondrial metabolism parameters in two CRC-derived cell lines. HT-29 and the metastasis-derived SW620 cell lines, which heavily rely on ROS for proliferation, were used to evaluate the effects of the tested active substances. Cellular viability and various mitochondrial metabolism parameters were measured: ROS production, mitochondrial mass index, and mitochondrial DNA levels. In both cell lines, the tested MI formulation reduced cellular viability as well as ROS production compared to the vehicle used as a control. The treatment also appeared to increase the mitochondrial mass index without affecting mitochondrial DNA levels in the two CRC models. Altogether, these preliminary results report for the first time the mitochondria-related effects of some actives from 2LMIREG® in two CRC cell models and open perspectives for further in-depth metabolism-based studies.

Silk fibroin aerogels with AIE-featured berberine and MXene for rapid hemostasis and efficient wound healing

Rapid hemostasis and wound healing are crucial in emergency trauma situations for saving patients' lives. Traditional hemostatic materials often have drawbacks such as slow hemostasis and susceptibility to post-hemostasis bacterial infections. Therefore, there is an urgent need for advanced wound dressing materials that can provide both rapid hemostasis and antimicrobial properties. In this study, we designed and fabricated a biocompatible hemostatic silk fibroin (SF) aerogel loaded with aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-featured berberine (BBr) and Ti3C2Tx MXene. The resulting SFMB aerogel demonstrates robust mechanical properties and a porous structure that enables quick hemostasis. This aerogel exhibits photodynamic and photothermal responses for antimicrobial activity, releases BBr upon light exposure to enhance bacterial-killing efficiency (99.33 % in vitro and 99.09 % in vivo), and effectively promotes the healing of infected wounds in vivo through combined photothermal/photodynamic antibacterial and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Furthermore, the aerogel shows high hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility, supporting its potential biomedical applications. Overall, the synthesized SFMB aerogel holds promise for treating bacteria-infected wounds and for use in first aid applications in clinical settings.

Phototherapeutic applications of benzophenone-containing NIR-emitting photosensitizers based on different receptor modulations

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) plays a crucial role in treating cancer and major infectious diseases. However, the hypoxic microenvironment and deep-seated tumors often compromise the effectiveness of photosensitizers (PSs). PSs primarily generate type-II reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are limited under hypoxic conditions. Pyridinium salts frequently exhibit critical dark toxicity in vitro. Moreover, PDT alone often fails to achieve optimal anti-tumor effects compared to its combined application with photothermal therapy (PTT). To address these issues, we replaced pyridinium with quinolinium, significantly reducing dark toxicity. Additionally, the incorporation of benzophenone enhanced ROS generation, achieving a synergistic effect of type-I and type-II PDT. Fine-tuning the conjugated structure enhanced the donor-acceptor (D-A) intensity, while the stretching vibrations of carbon-carbon double bonds and carbon-nitrogen triple bonds red-shifted the excitation wavelength to the near-infrared (NIR) region and improved the photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE). This strategy provides a molecular design approach for achieving synergy between PDT and PTT. The synthesized four NIR-emitting aggregation-induced emission quinolinium salts exhibited mitochondrial targeting ability and low dark toxicity. Among them, FCN-TPAQ-BP showed excellent ROS generation capability, a PCE of 39.2%, good biocompatibility, and low dark toxicity, making it an ideal candidate for enhancing PDT's antitumor efficacy.