Nanozymes have emerged as a promising alternative to natural enzymes, effectively addressing natural enzymes’ inherent limitation. Versatility and potential applications of nanozyme span across various fields, with catalytic tumor therapy being one prominent area. This has sparked significant interest and exploration in the utilization of nanozymes for targeted cancer treatment. Recent advancements in interdisciplinary research, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and catalytic technology have led to the emergence of multi-metallicbased nanozymes, which exhibit tremendous potential for further development. This review focuses on investigating the synergistic effects of multimetallic-based nanozymes, aiming to enhance our understanding of their catalytic activities and facilitate their broader applications. We comprehensively survey the remarkable achievements in the synthesis, catalytic mechanisms, and the latest applications of multi-metallic-based nanozymes in cancer catalytic therapy. Furthermore, we identify the current limitations and prospects of multi-metallic-based nanozymes in the development of new materials and the application of novel technologies, along with the potential challenges associated with catalytic cancer therapy. This review underscores the significance of multi-metallic-based nanozymes and emphasizes the need for continued exploration as well as their potential impact on the development of novel materials and the realization of breakthroughs in catalytic tumor therapy.
The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is a fascinatingly complex and crucial component of the human body, responsible for transmitting vital signals throughout the body’s intricate network of nerves. Its efficient functioning is paramount to our health, with any dysfunction often resulting in serious medical conditions, including motor disorders, neurological diseases, and psychiatric disorders. Recent strides in science and technology have made neuromodulation of the PNS a promising avenue for addressing these health issues. Neuromodulation involves modifying nerve activity using a range of techniques, such as electrical, chemical, optical, and mechanical stimulation. Bioelectronics plays a critical role in this effort, allowing for precise, controlled, and sustained stimulation of the PNS. This paper provides an overview of the PNS, discusses the current state of neuromodulation devices, and presents emerging trends in the field, including advances in wireless power transfer and materials, that are shaping the future of neuromodulation.
Chronic pain is a major cause of suffering that often accompanies diseases and therapies, affecting approximately 20% of individuals at some point in their lives. However, current treatment modalities, such as anesthetic and antipyretic analgesics, have limitations in terms of efficacy and side effects. Nanomedical technology offers a promising avenue to overcome these challenges and introduce new therapeutic mechanisms. This article reviews the recent research on nanomedicine analgesics, integrating analyses of neuroplasticity changes in neurons and pathways related to the transition from acute to chronic pain. Furthermore, it explores potential future strategies using nanomaterials, aiming to provide a roadmap for new analgesic development and improved clinical pain management. By leveraging nanotechnology, these approaches hold the potential to revolutionize pain treatment by delivering targeted and effective relief while minimizing side effects.
Protein aggregate species play a pivotal role in the pathology of various degenerative diseases. Their dynamic changes are closely correlated with disease progression, making them promising candidates as diagnostic biomarkers. Given the prevalence of degenerative diseases, growing attention is drawn to develop pragmatic and accessible protein aggregate species detection technology. However, the performance of current detection methods is far from satisfying the requirements of extensive clinical use. In this review, we focus on the design strategies, merits, and potential shortcomings of each class of detection methods. The review is organized into three major parts: native protein sensing, seed amplification, and intricate program, which embody three different but interconnected methodologies. To the best of our knowledge, no systematic review has encompassed the entire workflow, from the molecular level to the apparatus organization. This review emphasizes the feasibility of the methods instead of theoretical detection limitations. We conclude that high selectivity does play a pivotal role, while signal compilation, multilateral profiling, and other patient-oriented strategies (i.e. less invasiveness and assay speed) are also important.
Photonic crystals have drawn tremendous attention in recent years owing to their unique optical properties and remarkable advantages in various applications such as bioassays, sensors and optical devices. Benefiting from the spatially ordered structures, the flow of visible light can be manipulated by photonic crystals in a controlled manner. In this review, we summarize recent progress toward bio-inspired photonic crystals, including techniques for the construction of spatially ordered structures in diverse dimensions for photonic crystals, and strategies to manipulate the periodicity of the dielectric building blocks to control the light propagation in the presence of external stimuli. We start with the description of structure induced colors in nature with a systematic investigation to reveal the derivation of these colors, followed by a discussion on the design and fabrication of various types of bio-inspired photonic crystals by manipulating the arrangement of dielectric building blocks. We also highlight the stimuli responsive photonic crystals with tunable optical properties and their applications in sensing and color display.
Immunoassay is a powerful technique that uses highly specific antigenantibody interactions to detect biochemical targets such as proteins and toxins. As a diagnostic tool, immunoassay is employed in the screening, diagnosis, and prognosis of diseases, which are crucial for the grasp and control of patient conditions in clinical practice. With the rapid development of nanotechnology, immunoassays based on nanoprobes have attracted more and more attention due to the advantages of high sensitivity, specificity, stability, and versatility. These nanoprobes are nanoscale particles that can act as signal carriers or targeting agents for immunoassays. In this paper, we review the recent advances in various types of nanoprobes for immunoassays, such as colloidal gold, quantum dots, magnetic nanoparticles, nanozymes, aggregation-induced emission, and up-conversion nanoparticles. The effect of the nanoprobe construction and synthesis methods on their detection performance deserves to be studied in depth. We also compare their detection ranges and limits in different immunoassay methods, such as lateral flow immunoassays, fluorescent immunoassays, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering immunoassays. Moreover, we discuss the benefits and challenges of nanoprobes in immunoassays and provide insights into their future development. This study aims to offer a comprehensive and critical perspective on the role of nanoprobes in the field of immunoassays.
Coacervates formed by liquid-liquid phase separation play significant roles in a variety of intracellular and extracellular biological processes. Recently, substantial efforts have been invested in creating protocells using coacervates. Microfluidic technology has rapidly gained prominence in this area due to its capability to construct monodisperse and stable coacervate droplets. This review highlights recent advancements in utilizing microfluidic devices to construct coacervate-core-vesicle (COV) systems. These COV systems can be employed to realize the sequestration and release of biomolecules as well as to control enzymatic reactions within the coacervate systems in a spatiotemporal manner. Lastly, we delve into the current challenges and opportunities related to the development of functional coacervate systems based on microfluidic technology.
The low survival rate and poor differentiation efficiency of stem cells, as well as the insufficient integration of implanted stem cells, limit the regeneration of bone defects. Here, we have developed magnetic ferroferric oxide-hydroxyapatite-polydopamine (Fe3O4-HAp-PDA) nanobelts to assemble mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into a three-dimensional hybrid spheroid for patterning bone tissue. These nanobelts, which are featured by their high-aspect ratio and contain Fe3O4 nanospheres with a PDA coating, can be manipulated by a magnetic field and foster enhanced cell-nanobelt interactions. This strategy has been demonstrated to be effective for both bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells, enabling remote manipulation of stem cell spheroids and efficient spheroid fusion, which in turn accelerates osteogenic differentiation. Consequently, this methodology serves as an efficient and general tool for bone tissue printing and can potentially overcome the low survival rate and poor differentiation efficiency of stem cells, as well as mismatched interface fusion issues.
Multiphasic scaffolds with tailored gradient features hold significant promise for tissue regeneration applications. Herein, this work reports the transformation of two-dimensional (2D) layered fiber mats into three-dimensional (3D) multiphasic scaffolds using a ‘solids-of-revolution‘ inspired gas-foaming expansion technology. These scaffolds feature precise control over fiber alignment, pore size, and regional structure. Manipulating nanofiber mat layers and Pluronic F127 concentrations allows further customization of pore size and fiber alignment within different scaffold regions. The cellular response to multiphasic scaffolds demonstrates that the number of cells migrated and proliferated onto the scaffolds is mainly dependent on the pore size rather than fiber alignment. In vivo subcutaneous implantation of multiphasic scaffolds to rats reveals substantial cell infiltration, neo tissue formation, collagen deposition, and new vessel formation within scaffolds, greatly surpassing the capabilities of traditional nanofiber mats. Histological examination indicates the importance of optimizing pore size and fiber alignment for the promotion of cell infiltration and tissue regeneration. Overall, these scaffolds have potential applications in tissue modeling, studying tissue-tissue interactions, interface tissue engineering, and highthroughput screening for optimized tissue regeneration.