Construction of biodegradable and biocompatible AIE-active fluorescent polymeric nanoparticles by Ce(IV)/HNO3 redox polymerization in aqueous solution

Construction of hyperbranched polysiloxane-based multifunctional fluorescent prodrug for preferential cellular uptake and dual-responsive drug release

Hyperbranched polymers hold great promise in nanomedicine for their controlled chemical structures, sizes, multiple terminal groups and enhanced stability than linear amphiphilic polymer assemblies. However, the rational design of hyperbranched polymer-based nanomedicine with low toxic materials, selective cellular uptake, controlled drug release, as well as real-time drug release tracking remains challenging. In this work, a hyperbranched multifunctional prodrug HBPSi-SS-HCPT is constructed basing on the nonconventional aggregation-induced emission (AIE) featured hyperbranched polysiloxanes (HBPSi). The HBPSi is a biocompatible AIE macromolecule devoid of conjugates, showing a high quantum yield of 17.88% and low cytotoxicity. By covalently grafting the anticancer drug, 10-hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT), to the HBPSi through 3,3'-dithiodipropionic acid, HBPSi-SS-HCPT is obtained. The HBPSis demonstrate obvious AIE features and it turned to aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) after grafting HCPT owing to the FRET behavior between HBPSi and HCPT in HBPSi-SS-HCPT. In addition to on-demand HCPT release in response to changes in environmental pH and glutathione, a series of in vitro and in vivo studies revealed that HBPSi-SS-HCPT exhibits enhanced accumulation in tumor tissues through the enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect and preferential cancer cell uptake by charge reversal, thus resulting in apoptotic cell death subsequently. This newly developed multifunctional HBPSi-SS-HCPT prodrug provides a biocompatible strategy for controlled drug delivery, preferential cancer cell uptake, on-demand drug release and enhanced antitumor efficacy.

PEG-Polymer Encapsulated Aggregation-Induced Emission Nanoparticles for Tumor Theranostics

In the field of tumor imaging and therapy, the aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) effect of fluorescent dyes at high concentration is a great challenge. In this regard, the aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) show great potential, since AIEgens effectively overcome the ACQ effect and have better fluorescence quantum yield, photobleaching resistance, and photosensitivity. Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-polymer is the most commonly used carrier to prepare nanoparticles (NPs). The advantage of PEGylation is that it can greatly prolong the metabolic half-life and reduce immunogenicity and toxicity. Considering that the hydrophobicity of most AIEgens hinders their application in organisms, the use of PEG-polymer encapsulation is an effective strategy to overcome this obstacle. Importantly, bioactive functional groups can be modified on PEG-polymers to enhance the biological effect of NPs. The combination of powerful AIEgens and PEG-polymers provides a new strategy for tumor imaging and therapy, which is promising for clinical application.

Biodegradable Materials and Green Processing for Green Electronics

There is little question that the "electronic revolution" of the 20th century has impacted almost every aspect of human life. However, the emergence of solid-state electronics as a ubiquitous feature of an advanced modern society is posing new challenges such as the management of electronic waste (e-waste) that will remain through the 21st century. In addition to developing strategies to manage such e-waste, further challenges can be identified concerning the conservation and recycling of scarce elements, reducing the use of toxic materials and solvents in electronics processing, and lowering energy usage during fabrication methods. In response to these issues, the construction of electronic devices from renewable or biodegradable materials that decompose to harmless by-products is becoming a topic of great interest. Such "green" electronic devices need to be fabricated on industrial scale through low-energy and low-cost methods that involve low/non-toxic functional materials or solvents. This review highlights recent advances in the development of biodegradable materials and processing strategies for electronics with an emphasis on areas where green electronic devices show the greatest promise, including solar cells, organic field-effect transistors, light-emitting diodes, and other electronic devices.

Water-dispersible astaxanthin-rich nanopowder: preparation, oral safety and antioxidant activity in vivo

In this research, astaxanthin-rich nanopowder was prepared by nanoencapsulation and freeze-drying techniques with enhanced bioavailability and antioxidant activities. The nanopowder showed a maximum solubility of 230 mg mL-1 with an astaxanthin content as high as 2.9%. Compared with free astaxanthin, the astaxanthin-loaded nanopowder exhibited a more efficient antioxidant effect: an oral dose of 0.9 mg per kg BW significantly reduced the malondialdehyde and protein carbonyl contents, and increased the glutathione content as well as the superoxide dismutase activities in alcohol-induced acute hepatic injured mice, and maintained these oxidative stress indicators at a normal level for a longer period when treated with nanoencapsulated-astaxanthin than free astaxanthin. Simulated gastrointestinal tract studies demonstrated that the nanopowder with pH and DNase I-dependent dissociation properties delivered astaxanthin efficiently to the small intestine. Astaxanthin-rich nanopowder with a dose as high as 2.4 mg per kg BW (equivalent to astaxanthin) showed no chronic toxicity to mice in terms of hematology and pathological histology, indicating its impressive biocompatibility for biomedical applications. Pharmacokinetics and relative bioavailability (207%) of the nanopowder further proved that DNA/chitosan nanocarriers significantly improved the delivery efficiency of astaxanthin. With enhanced bioavailability and antioxidant activities, this novel type of astaxanthin-loaded nanopowder is expected to find broad application in the food and drug industry.

Simultaneous recognition of cysteine and cytosine using thiophene-based organic nanoparticles decorated with Au NPs and bio-imaging of cells

Biomolecules like cysteine and cytosine play a significant role in many physiological processes, and their unusual level in biological systems can lead to many diseases including cancer. Indeed, the need for selective detection of these moieties by a fluorescence probe is imperative. Thus, thiophene based Schiff N,N'-bis(thiophene-2-ylmethylene)thiophenemethane (BMTM) was synthesized and then characterized using several analytical techniques before converting it into organic nanoparticles (ONPs). Then, fluorescent organic inorganic nanohybrids (FONs) were obtained after decorating ONPs with AuNPs to yield BMTM-Au-ONPs (FONPs). The morphology of the particles, analyzed using a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), shows that AuNPs were embedded with low density organic matter (ONPs). FONPs were employed to recognize cysteine and cytosine simultaneously. No interference was observed from other moieties such as guanine, uracyl, NADH, NAD, ATP, and adenine during the detection. It means that the intensity of the fluorescence signal was significantly changed (enhanced for cytosine and quenched for cysteine). So, FONPs were used to detect cysteine and cytosine in real samples, like Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells. As expected, no considerable fluorescence signal for cysteine was observed, while for cytosine, strong fluorescence signals were detected in the cells. DFT was used to explain the interaction of FONPs with cysteine or cytosine.

Facile preparation of graphitic-C3N4 quantum dots for application in two-photon imaging

A novel one-step method for the preparation of g-C₃N₄ QDs for effective two-photon imaging.

AIE active piperazine appended naphthalimide-BODIPYs: photophysical properties and applications in live cell lysosomal tracking

Piperazine appended naphthalimide-BODIPYs (NPB1–NPB4) exhibiting solvatochromism, aggregation-induced emission, and high selectivity towards lysosomal pH in living cells have been described.

Photoactivation of Aggregation-Induced Emission Molecules for Fast and Efficient Synthesis of Highly Fluorescent Single-Chain Nanoparticles

Single-chain nanoparticles (SCNPs) are ultrasmall soft nanomaterials constructed via intrachain cross-linking of individual precursor polymer chains, with promising prospects for nanomedicine, catalysis, and sensing, among other different fields. SCNPs are versatile building blocks for the construction of new fluorescent probes with ultrasmall size, higher brightness, and better photostability than previous particle-based systems. Herein, we report on a new, fast, and efficient method to produce SCNPs with intense fluorescence emission in solution which is based on the photoactivation of appropriate aggregation-induced emission (AIE) cross-linking molecules containing azide functional groups. Remarkably, the presence of the azide moiety-that can be transformed to highly reactive nitrene species upon UV irradiation-was found to be essential for the SCNPs to display intense fluorescence emission. We attribute the fluorescence properties of the SCNPs to the immobilization of the initially nonfluorescent AIE molecules via intrachain cross-linking upon photoactivation. Such cross-linking-induced immobilization process activates the AIE mechanism and, hence, leads to fluorescent SCNPs in both solution and solid state.

Sericin-chitosan doped maleate gellan gum nanocomposites for effective cell damage in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Polysaccharides are increasingly used as biodegradable nanocarrier to selectively deliver therapeutic agents to specific cells. In this study, maleate gellan gum (MA-GG) formed by addition of free radical polymerizable groups, which can be polymerized presence of acetone to design biodegradable three-dimensional networks, were synthesized by esterification. Natural silk sericin was grafted over the maleate gellan gum surface. Maleate Gellan Gum- Silk Sericin-Chitosan (MA-GG-SS-CS) nanocomposites loaded with rifampicin (RF) and pyrazinamide (PZA) to overcome the problems associated with Tuberculosis (TB) therapy. The pH responsive behavior of gellan gum nanocomposites was reposed by silk sericin and exhibited sustained release of 79% RF and 82% PZA for 120 h at pH 4.0. The designed formulations shows higher antimycobacterial activity and rapid delivery of drugs at TB infected macrophage. Nanomaterial effectively aggregated and internalized into the bacterial cells and MH-S cells. Dual drug release inside the cells makes damage in the cell membrane. Green nanocomposites studies pave the way for important use of macromolecules in pulmonary delivery TB drugs.

Fluorescent Nanoparticles for the Guided Surgery of Ovarian Peritoneal Carcinomatosis

Complete surgical resection is the ideal cure for ovarian peritoneal carcinomatosis, but remains challenging. Fluorescent guided surgery can be a promising approach for precise cytoreduction when appropriate fluorophore is used. In the presence paper, we review already developed near- and short-wave infrared fluorescent nanoparticles, which are currently under investigation for peritoneal carcinomatosis fluorescence imaging. We also highlight the main ways to improve the safety of nanoparticles, for fulfilling prerequisites of clinical application.

A “Turn-On” fluorescent probe for sensitive and selective detection of fluoride ions based on aggregation-induced emission

Based on the fluorophore of 2-(2′-hydroxyphenyl)benzothiazole (HBT) with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties, a highly selective and sensitive fluorescent probe PBT towards F⁻ was investigated. “Turn-On” fluorescence type signaling was realized by employing fluoride-selective cleavage of the latent thiophosphinated probe in mixed aqueous media. The probe is designed in such a way that the excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) of the HBT moiety becomes blocked. The chemodosimetric approach of F⁻ to the probe results in the recovery of the ESIPT by removal of a free AIE-active HBT moiety through a subsequent hydrolysis process. The F⁻ detection limit of the probe was 3.8 nM in the dynamic range of 0.5 μM to 10 μM. In addition, the proposed probe has been used to detect F⁻ in water samples and toothpaste samples with satisfying results.

A “Turn-On” fluorescent probe PBT for sensitive and selective detection of fluoride ions based on aggregation-induced emission.

A biomimetic fluorescent chemosensor for highly sensitive zinc(ii) detection and its application for cell imaging

To fabricate a novel biomimetic fluorescent chemosensor, PSaAEMA-co-PMPC was synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization, and this copolymer could be used for the detection of zinc(ii) and cell imaging. A series tests with various metal ions verified the specific fluorescence response behavior. This novel biomimetic fluorescent chemosensor exhibits excellent selectivity for Zn²⁺ ions over a wide range of tested metal ions in an aqueous solution. Moreover, cytotoxicity and bio-imaging tests were conducted to study the potential bio-application of the chemosensor. Owing to the biomimetic portion (phosphorylcholine), this copolymer possesses outstanding biocompatibility and could clearly image cells. The results indicated that PSaAEMA-co-PMPC has great potential for application in zinc(ii) detection and cell imaging.

To fabricate a novel biomimetic fluorescent chemosensor, PSaAEMA-co-PMPC was synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization, and this copolymer could be used for the detection of zinc(ii) and cell imaging.