Ferritin nanocages: a versatile platform for nanozyme design

Laser-activable murine ferritin nanocage for chemo-photothermal therapy of colorectal cancer

Chemotherapy, as a conventional strategy for tumor therapy, often leads to unsatisfied therapeutic effect due to the multi-drug resistance and the serious side effects. Herein, we genetically engineered a thermal-responsive murine Ferritin (mHFn) to specifically deliver mitoxantrone (MTO, a chemotherapeutic and photothermal agent) to tumor tissue for the chemotherapy and photothermal combined therapy of colorectal cancer, thanks to the high affinity of mHFn to transferrin receptor that highly expressed on tumor cells. The thermal-sensitive channels on mHFn allowed the effective encapsulation of MTO in vitro and the laser-controlled release of MTO in vivo. Upon irradiation with a 660 nm laser, the raised temperature triggered the opening of the thermal-sensitive channel in mHFn nanocage, resulting in the controlled and rapid release of MTO. Consequently, a significant amount of reactive oxygen species was generated, causing mitochondrial collapse and tumor cell death. The photothermal-sensitive controlled release, low systemic cytotoxicity, and excellent synergistic tumor eradication ability in vivo made mHFn@MTO a promising candidate for chemo-photothermal combination therapy against colorectal cancer.

Platinum Nanoparticles-Enhanced Ferritin-Mn2+ Interaction for Magnetic Resonance Contrast Enhancement and Efficient Tumor Photothermal Therapy

Nanoplatforms with high Mn2+ coordination can display efficient T1 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast enhancement. Herein, an earth gravity-like method for enhanced interaction between Ferritin (Fn) and Mn2+ by the growth of platinum nanoparticles (PNs) in Fn's cage structure via a biomineralization method is first proposed. Fn has good biocompatibility and can provide a suitable growth site for PNs. PNs with negative charge have certain attraction to Mn2+ with positive charge, improving Fn's loading capacity of Mn2+ by attraction force; and thus, achieving efficient MRI contrast enhancement. In addition, PNs can be applied for efficient photothermal therapy (PTT) under near infrared ray (NIR) irradiation. Systemic delivery of this nanoplatform shows obvious MRI contrast enhancement and tumor progression inhibition after NIR irradiation, as well as no obvious side effects. Therefore, this nanoplatform has the potential to contribute to nanotheranostic for clinical transformation.

Mobility Selective Ion Soft-Landing and Characterization Enabled Using Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulation

While conventional ion-soft landing uses the mass-to-charge (m/z) ratio to achieve molecular selection for deposition, here we demonstrate the use of Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulation (SLIM) for mobility-based ion selection and deposition. The dynamic rerouting capabilities of SLIM were leveraged to enable the rerouting of a selected range of mobilities to a different SLIM path (rather than MS) that terminated at a deposition surface. A selected mobility range from a phosphazene ion mixture was rerouted and deposited with a current pulse (∼150 pA) resembling its mobility peak. In addition, from a mixture of tetra-alkyl ammonium (TAA) ions containing chain lengths of C5-C8, selected chains (C6, C7) were collected on a surface, reconstituted into solution-phase, and subsequently analyzed with a SLIM-qToF to obtain an IMS/MS spectrum, confirming the identity of the selected species. Further, this method was used to characterize triply charged tungsten-polyoxometalate anions, PW12O403- (WPOM). The arrival time distribution of the IMS/MS showed multiple peaks associated with the triply charged anion (PW12O403-), of which a selected ATD was deposited and imaged using TEM. Additionally, the identity of the deposited WPOM was ascertained using energy-dispersive (EDS) spectroscopy. Further, we present theory and computations that reveal ion landing energies, the ability to modulate the energies, and deposition spot sizes.

Protein-guided biomimetic nanomaterials: a versatile theranostic nanoplatform for biomedical applications

Over the years, bioinspired mineralization-based approaches have been applied to synthesize multifunctional organic-inorganic nanocomposites. These nanocomposites can address the growing demands of modern biomedical applications. Proteins, serving as vital biological templates, play a pivotal role in the nucleation and growth processes of various organic-inorganic nanocomposites. Protein-mineralized nanomaterials (PMNMs) have attracted significant interest from researchers due to their facile and convenient preparation, strong physiological activity, stability, impressive biocompatibility, and biodegradability. Nevertheless, few comprehensive reviews have expounded on the progress of these nanomaterials in biomedicine. This article systematically reviews the principles and strategies for constructing nanomaterials using protein-directed biomineralization and biomimetic mineralization techniques. Subsequently, we focus on their recent applications in the biomedical field, encompassing areas such as bioimaging, as well as anti-tumor, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory therapies. Furthermore, we discuss the challenges encountered in practical applications of these materials and explore their potential in future applications. This review aspired to catalyze the continued development of these bioinspired nanomaterials in drug development and clinical diagnosis, ultimately contributing to the fields of precision medicine and translational medicine.

Bioelectrochemically triggered apoferritin-based bionanoreactors: synthesis of CdSe nanoparticles and monitoring with leaky waveguides

Herein, we describe a novel method for producing cadmium-selenide nanoparticles (CdSe NPs) with controlled size using apoferritin as a bionanoreactor triggered by local pH change at the electrode/solution interface. Apoferritin is known for its reversible self-assembly at alkaline pH. The pH change is induced electrochemically by reducing O2 through the application of sufficiently negative voltages and bioelectrochemically through O2 reduction catalyzed by laccase, co-immobilized with apoferritin on the electrode surface. Specifically, a Ti electrode is modified with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane, followed by glutaraldehyde cross-linking (1.5% v/v in H2O) of apoferritin (as the bionanoreactor) and laccase (as the local pH change triggering system). This proposed platform offers a universal approach for controlling the synthesis of semiconductor NPs within a bionanoreactor solely driven by (bio)electrochemical inputs. The CdSe NPs obtained through different synthetic approaches, namely electrochemical and bioelectrochemical, were characterized spectroscopically (UV-Vis, Raman, XRD) and morphologically (TEM). Finally, we conducted online monitoring of CdSe NPs formation within the apoferritin core by integrating the electrochemical system with LWs. The quantity of CdSe NPs produced through bioelectrochemical means was determined to be 2.08 ± 0.12 mg after 90 minutes of voltage application in the presence of O2. TEM measurements revealed that the bioelectrochemically synthesized CdSe NPs have a diameter of 4 ± 1 nm, accounting for 85% of the size distribution, a result corroborated by XRD data. Further research is needed to explore the synthesis of nanoparticles using different biological nanoreactors, as the process can be challenging due to the elevated buffer capacitance of biological media.

Recent Advancements in the Formulation of Nanomaterials-Based Nanozymes, Their Catalytic Activity, and Biomedical Applications

Nanozymes are nanoparticles with intrinsic enzyme-mimicking properties that have become more prevalent because of their ability to outperform conventional enzymes by overcoming their drawbacks related to stability, cost, and storage. Nanozymes have the potential to manipulate active sites of natural enzymes, which is why they are considered promising candidates to function as enzyme mimetics. Several microscopy- and spectroscopy-based techniques have been used for the characterization of nanozymes. To date, a wide range of nanozymes, including catalase, oxidase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase, have been designed to effectively mimic natural enzymes. The activity of nanozymes can be controlled by regulating the structural and morphological aspects of the nanozymes. Nanozymes have multifaceted benefits, which is why they are exploited on a large scale for their application in the biomedical sector. The versatility of nanozymes aids in monitoring and treating cancer, other neurodegenerative diseases, and metabolic disorders. Due to the compelling advantages of nanozymes, significant research advancements have been made in this area. Although a wide range of nanozymes act as potent mimetics of natural enzymes, their activity and specificities are suboptimal, and there is still room for their diversification for analytical purposes. Designing diverse nanozyme systems that are sensitive to one or more substrates through specialized techniques has been the subject of an in-depth study. Hence, we believe that stimuli-responsive nanozymes may open avenues for diagnosis and treatment by fusing the catalytic activity and intrinsic nanomaterial properties of nanozyme systems.