Carrier-free 5-Fu nanoparticle-mediated domestication therapy for scar treatment: A preclinical and first-in-human study

Porcine plasma protein cold-set hydrogel crosslinked by genipin and the immunomodulatory, proliferation promoting and scar-remodeling in wound healing

Addressing the critical need for biocompatible and multifunctional wound dressings for chronic and non-healing wounds, cold-set hydrogel using natural biomacromolecules are potential candidates. This study developed a novel cold-set hydrogel of porcine plasma protein (PPP) through genipin (GP) as crosslinker and glucono delta-lactone (GDL) as acidifier. GP promoted hardness, springiness, water holding capacity (WHC) and modulus in a dose-dependent manner in the presence of GDL, and significantly enhanced microstructural density, integrity and anti-degradation, critical as wound dressing, achieving the optimal performance at 0.15 % GP and 0.2 % GDL. Subsequently, biocompatibility assessments revealed that the optimum PPP gel was low cytotoxicity and could support cell migration and proliferation, reduce apoptosis with dose-effect relationship of the filler PPP. Meanwhile, in vivo skin wound healing model indicated the efficacy in accelerating wound healing, reducing inflammation, and promoting tissue remodeling without excessive scar formation. These effects are attributed to the ability of PPP in the hydrogel to modulate local inflammatory responses, enhance angiogenesis, and balance extracellular matrix remodeling processes. In conclusion, this pioneering work establishes PPP cold-set hydrogels as promising candidates for advanced wound care solutions, combining the benefits of natural protein-based biomaterials with innovative crosslinking strategies to meet urgent clinical needs in regenerative medicine.

Orthogonal upconversion nanocarriers for combined photodynamic therapy and precisely triggered gene silencing in combating keloids

Keloids are pathological scars characterized by excessive fibroblast proliferation, abnormal collagen deposition, and chronic inflammation, which often result in high recurrence rates and limited treatment success. Targeting BACH1 with gene therapy has shown promise in regulating fibroblast activity and reducing inflammation. However, effective delivery systems for targeted gene therapy in keloids remain a major challenge. Here, we develop a novel nanocarrier platform based on orthogonal upconversion nanoparticles (OUNCs) to achieve spatiotemporal silencing of BACH1 and combined photodynamic therapy (PDT). The OUNCs are composed of orthogonal upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), photosensitizer (Rose Bengal), ROS-sensitive diselenide bonds (SeSe), therapeutic siBACH1, and an active targeting moiety (hyaluronic acid) to specifically target keloid fibroblasts (KFs). We demonstrate that the OUNCs can effectively induce KFs apoptosis, inhibit KFs proliferation, and reduce M2 macrophages recruitment by modulating the Rap1/MEK/ERK signaling pathway. Our study represents a breakthrough in precision therapy for keloids, providing a promising platform that integrates siBACH1-based gene therapy with NIR light-triggered PDT.

Visible light accelerates skin wound healing and alleviates scar formation in mice by adjusting STAT3 signaling

During the wound healing process, the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is considered crucial for the migration and proliferation of epithelial cells, as well as for establishing the inflammatory environment. However, an excessive STAT3 activation aggravates scar formation. Here we show that 450 nm blue light and 630 nm red light can differentially regulate the phosphorylation of STAT3 (p-STAT3) and its downstream cytokines in keratinocytes. Further mechanistic studies reveal that red light promotes wound healing by activating the PI3 kinase p110 beta (PI3Kβ)/STAT3 signaling axis, while blue light inhibits p-STAT3 at the wound site by modulating cytochrome c-P450 (CYT-P450) activity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. In a mouse scar model, skin wound healing can be significantly accelerated with red light followed by blue light to reduce scar formation. In summary, our study presents a potential strategy for regulating epithelial cell p-STAT3 through visible light to address skin scarring issues and elucidates the underlying mechanisms.

Supercritical Fluids: An Innovative Strategy for Drug Development

Nanotechnology plays a pivotal role in the biomedical field, especially in the synthesis and regulation of drug particle size. Reducing drug particles to the micron or nanometer scale can enhance bioavailability. Supercritical fluid technology, as a green drug development strategy, is expected to resolve the challenges of thermal degradation, uneven particle size, and organic solvent residue faced by traditional methods such as milling and crystallization. This paper provides an insight into the application of super-stable homogeneous intermix formulating technology (SHIFT) and super-table pure-nanomedicine formulation technology (SPFT) developed based on supercritical fluids for drug dispersion and micronization. These technologies significantly enhance the solubility and permeability of hydrophobic drugs by controlling the particle size and morphology, and the modified drugs show excellent therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, pathological scarring, and corneal neovascularization, and their performance and efficacy are highlighted when administered through multiple routes of administration. Overall, supercritical fluids have opened a green and efficient pathway for clinical drug development, which is expected to reduce side effects and enhance therapeutic efficacy.

Super‐Stable Homogeneously Sustained‐Release System Mediates Transcatheter Arterial Ionic‐Embolization Strategy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Therapy

The clinical effectiveness of locoregional therapies in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is frequently constrained by multi‐drug resistance and/or tumor metastasis. To surmount these challenges, a promising approach, transcatheter arterial ionic‐embolization (TAIE) is proposed, which can specifically and continuously disrupt the intracellular ionic balance to significantly inhibit tumor activity and invasion. The hydrophilic micro‐nanoscale sodium chloride particles (SCPs) are ingeniously intermixed with hydrophobic lipiodol to create a super‐stable homogeneous embolic formulation (lipiodol‐sodium chloride, LSC). After interventional administration, the LSC selectively deposits in HCC lesions, where lipiodol stably delivers SCPs to disrupt the cell's ionic balance, causing cell death without drug resistance. Notably, it is demonstrated that LSC can significantly hinder tumor cell migration and invasion. The mechanism is through SCP disruption of the ionic balance, which induces cell swelling and subsequent vimentin hydrolysis‐mediated cytoskeletal remodeling. In addition, it is found that LSC treatment notably downregulates the expression of MYLK, TLN, and THBS2 genes in the focal adhesion (FA) signaling pathway of HepG2 cells. LSC formulation integrated tumor‐specific deposition, intratumoral sustained release, efficient tumoricidal activity, significant metastasis inhibition, and excellent biological safety, thereby demonstrating superior in vivo tumor therapeutic effects via TAIE strategy, and showing a promising cancer therapeutic approach for clinical application.

Microneedle-mediated drug delivery for scar prevention and treatment

Scars are an inevitable natural outcome of most wound healing processes and affect skin functions, leading to cosmetic, psychological and social problems. Several strategies, including surgery, radiation, cryotherapy, laser therapy, pressure therapy and corticosteroids, can be used to either prevent or treat scars. However, these strategies are ineffective, have side effects and are typically expensive. Microneedle (MN) technology is a powerful, minimally invasive platform for transdermal drug delivery. This review discusses the most recent progress in MN-mediated drug delivery to prevent and treat pathological scars (hypertrophic and keloids). A comprehensive overview of existing challenges and future perspectives is also provided.