Trend in biodegradable porous nanomaterials for anticancer drug delivery

In recent years, biodegradable nanomaterials have exhibited remarkable promise for drug administration to tumors due to their high drug-loading capacity, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and clearance. This review will discuss and summarize the trends in utilizing biodegradable nanomaterials for anticancer drug delivery, including biodegradable periodic mesoporous organosilicas (BPMOs) and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The distinct structure and features of BPMOs and MOFs will be initially evaluated, as well as their use as delivery vehicles for anticancer drug delivery applications. Then, the themes for the development of each material will be utilized to illustrate their drug delivery performance. Finally, the current obstacles and potential for future development as efficient drug delivery systems will be thoroughly reviewed. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease.

Tumor-Selective Biodegradation-Regulated Photothermal H2 S Donor for Redox Dyshomeostasis- and Glycolysis Disorder-Enhanced Theranostics

H₂ S-mediated tumor therapy has received great attention due to its unique physiological activity and synergistical enhancement, but suffers from limited H₂ S donors with promised biosafety to regulate the H₂ S delivery and subsequently the elusive pathway to augment the combined therapy. Herein, a PEGylated porous molybdenum disulfide nanoflower (MSP) with abundant defects is facilely synthesized for tumor-targeted theranostics. MSP possesses good water-dispersity and high photothermal ability, which is used for photoacoustic imaging and photothermal therapy. Interestingly, MSP is selectively degraded upon exposure to superfluous glutathione (GSH) within tumor cells, the mechanism of which is investigated, as a reduction-coordination reaction. This special degradation induces redox dyshomeostasis via GSH depletion for reactive oxygen species-accumulated chemodynamic therapy. Meanwhile, the selective biodegradation of MSP regulates a sustained H₂ S release within tumor and achieves a targeted H₂ S gas therapy via enhancing the glycolysis to acidify the tumor cells (glycolysis disorder). Synergistically, these performances are further enhanced via near-infrared photothermal heating, where excellent therapeutic outcomes with good biosafety are accomplished in vitro and in vivo. These characteristics, together with the unique biodegradation and no obvious side-effects of the nanoparticles, suggest a potential therapeutic strategy for precise tumor treatments.

Biodegradable Amino-Ester Nanomaterials for Cas9 mRNA Delivery in Vitro and in Vivo

Efficient and safe delivery of the CRISPR/Cas system is one of the key challenges for genome-editing applications in humans. Herein, we designed and synthesized a series of biodegradable lipidlike compounds containing ester groups for the delivery of mRNA-encoding Cas9. Two lead materials, termed N-methyl-1,3-propanediamine (MPA)-A and MPA-Ab, showed a tunable rate of biodegradation. MPA-A with linear ester chains was degraded dramatically faster than MPA-Ab with branched ester chains in the presence of esterase or in wild-type mice. Most importantly, MPA-A and MPA-Ab demonstrated efficient delivery of Cas9 mRNA both in vitro and in vivo. Consequently, these biodegradable lipidlike nanomaterials merit further development as genome-editing delivery tools for biological and therapeutic applications.