Endothelial injury is a common occurrence following stent implantation, often leading to complications such as restenosis and thrombosis. To address this issue, we have developed a multi-functional stent coating that combines a dopamine-copper (DA-Cu) base with therapeutic biomolecule modification, including nitric oxide (NO) precursor L-arginine, endothelial glycocalyx heparin, and endothelial cell (EC) catcher vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). In our stent coating, the incorporated Cu acts as a sustainable catalyst for converting endogenous NO donors into NO, and the immobilized arginine serves as a precursor for NO generation under the effect of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). The presence of heparin endows the stent coating with anticoagulant ability and enhances eNOS activity, whilst rapid capture of EC by VEGF accelerates re-endothelialization. After in vivo implantation, the antioxidant elements and produced NO alleviate the inflammatory response, establishing a favorable healing environment. The conjugated VEGF contributes to the formation of a new and intact endothelium on the stent surface to counteract inappropriate vascular cell behaviors. The long-lasting NO flux inhibits smooth muscle cell (SMC) migration and prevents its excessive proliferation, reducing the risk of endothelial hyperplasia. This innovative coating enables the dual delivery of VEGF and NO to target procedural vascular repair phases: promoting rapid re-endothelialization, effectively preventing thrombosis, and suppressing inflammation and restenosis. Ultimately, this innovative coating has the potential to improve therapeutic outcomes following stent implantation.

With the global increase in energy consumption, there is a growing demand for green energy production, which has prompted the development of novel renewable energy sources. Recently, significant momentum has been observed in research on new energy harvesting methods suitable for small devices. In this context, hydrovoltaic power generation, utilizing water due to its ubiquitous presence and easy availability, has emerged as a promising technology. Hydrovoltaic power generation operates by converting the potential energy of water into electrical energy through the interaction between water and materials capable of inducing an electrical potential gradient. The control of material surface wettability, which determines the interaction with water, plays a crucial role in enhancing the electrical output and long-term stability of power generation systems. This review categorizes the mechanisms of hydrovoltaic power generation into flow and diffusion mechanisms, discussing respective case studies based on hydrophobic and hydrophilic substrates. Additionally, representative materials used in hydrovoltaic power generation are discussed and the potential to expand this technology across various fields based on the diverse resources of water is demonstrated. The review concludes with future perspectives, highlighting the applications of hydrovoltaic power generation across multiple domains and outlining directions for future research and development.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) systems harness light absorption to initiate chemical reactions, while electrochemical reactions facilitate the conversion of reactants into desired products, ensuring more efficient and sustainable energy conversion in PECs. Central to optimizing the performance of PECs was the pivotal role played by interface engineering. This intricate process involves manipulating material interfaces at the atomic or nanoscale to enhance charge transfer, improve catalytic activity, and address limitations associated with bulk materials. The careful tuning of factors such as band gap, surface energy, crystallinity, defect characteristics, and structural attributes through interface engineering led to superior catalytic efficiency. Specifically, interface engineering significantly enhanced the efficiency of semiconductor-based PECs. Engineers strategically designed heterojunctions and manipulated catalyst surface properties to optimize the separation and migration of photogenerated charge carriers, minimizing recombination losses and improving performance overall. This review categorizes the discussion into four sections focusing on the interface engineering of PECs, providing valuable insights into recent research trends. Overall, the synergy between PECs and interface engineering holds tremendous promise for advancing renewable energy technologies and addressing environmental challenges by offering innovative solutions for sustainable energy conversion and storage.

Developing smart hydrogel with excellent physicochemical properties and multiple signal output capability for interactively electronic skin still remains challenging. Here, conductive structural color hydrogels with desirable physicochemical properties (including high stretchability and robustness, self-adhesion and self-healing) were developed to provide synchronous electronic and visual color signals for e-skins. Highly charged elastic nanoparticles were elaborately used as building units for structural color and the hydrogel were prepared by the self-assembly of the nanoparticle to form a non-close-packed array in a mixture comprised of acrylamide, silkworm silk fiber proteins (SF), reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and then photopolymerization. Benefiting from the improved interfacial compatibility between flexible hydrogel network and elastic nanoparticle, covalent cross-linking network structure and synergistic multiple non-covalent bonding interactions, the hydrogel exhibits extraordinary mechanical properties, excellent self-adhesion to diverse substrates and self-healing at room temperature. In addition, the hydrogel exhibited sensitive resistance changes and synchronous structural color changes under strain. As a proof-to-concept, the hydrogel displayed superior capability for the color-response and the electrical signal response of various human motions, the spatial distribution of external mechanical stimuli as well as identification of different external stimuli, indicating promising applications in the fields of interactive visual electronic skin, wearable devices, and human-machine interfaces.

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) have attracted significant attention for electrocatalytic energy conversion by virtue of their promisingly high efficiency, stability, and low cost. Recently, encouraging progress has been made in tuning the structure and composition of HEAs used in electrolyzers and fuel cells. However, the understanding on the synthetic methods and the structure-property-performance relationship of well-defined HEAs nanostructures is still inadequate. To gain insight into the future research directions on HEAs for electrocatalysis, in this paper, the synthetic methods commonly used to obtain well-defined HEAs nanostructures (0D nanoparticles, 1D nanowires, 2D nanosheets/nanoplates, 3D nanoporous structures, and other three-dimensional morphologies) are first summarized. Then, the authors discuss the application of well-defined HEAs nanostructures in several typical electrocatalytic reactions, including hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen evolution reaction, oxygen reduction reaction, alcohol oxidation reaction, carbon dioxide reduction reaction, nitrogen reduction reaction, and formic acid oxidation reaction. Finally, a practical perspective on the future research directions on well-defined HEAs nanostructured electrocatalysts is provided.

The outbreak of monkeypox virus (MPXV) was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization (WHO), and the zoonotic disease caused by viral infection was renamed as “Mpox” on November 28, 2022. Currently, there is no approved vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for Mpox, and a main preventive strategy against MPXV infection remains the smallpox vaccine. Although there was an emergency use authorization (EUA) of Brincidofovir and Tecovirimat for the clinical treatment of clade II Mpox, while Tecovirimat failed to reduce the duration of Mpox lesions among patients infected with clade I Mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Therefore, it is still an urgent need to develop an effective medication. This review aims to enhance the understanding of Mpox and contribute to its prevention and treatment strategies, it provides a systemic introduction of the biological and epidemiological characteristics of MPXV, the clinical feature and diagnosis of Mpox, as well as treatment and prevention strategies, which will improve the comprehension about MPXV and offer potential strategies for clinical treatment.

Cancer vaccines are promising to treat malignancy by delivering antigens and adjuvants to elicit host immunity. Beyond aluminum adjuvants, liposomes show efficient adjuvant effects through regulating the accumulation, internalization and release of payloads. However, it remains unknown that whether the liposome will perform intrinsic adjuvant effects in the absence of antigens and adjuvants. Herein, a library of antigen/adjuvant-free liposomes with variable surface charges has been developed and it has been found that highly anionic liposomes show promising adjuvant effects for boosting immune responses. The anionic liposome mobilizes the MyD88 pathways of dendritic cells (DCs) to activate T helper cells and CD8⁺ T cells. The anionic liposomes enhance host immunity by regulating the population of Th1, Th2 and regulatory T cells (Tregs), and boost adaptive CD8⁺ T cells in lymphoid organs with good biosafety. It shows the most efficient protection against MC38 colorectal cancer in mice after a parallel injection of antigens and anionic liposomes. Overall, this study reveals that the surface charge of liposome affects its adjuvant efficiency and provides an anionic nanosized adjuvant formulation for enhancing immunization.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of neural connections and decreased brain tissue volume. Initially affecting the hippocampus and entorhinal complex, which are responsible for memory, the disease later impacts the cerebral cortex, controlling language, logic, and social conduct. While the exact cause is unknown, genetic mutations and environmental factors are implicated. Diagnosis involves computed tomography (CT) scans, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs), Positron emission tomography (PET) scans, and lumbar punctures to detect brain abnormalities, protein deposits, and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers. AD features beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tau tangles that disrupt neuronal function, chronic inflammation, blood-brain barrier impairment, brain atrophy, and neuronal death. There is no cure; current treatments manage symptoms and slow cognitive decline. Research into genetic, cellular, and molecular pathways aims to develop targeted therapies. Tau tangle accumulation is closely linked to AD, making it crucial to explore therapies that restore normal tau pathways and prevent tau accumulation. Nanoparticulate drug delivery technologies offer promise in this area. This review discusses the potential of nanotechnology-based therapies to target AD-related tau accumulation and restore normal tau protein mechanics, which could preserve neuronal transmission, synaptic integrity, and brain tissue volume.

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is a chronic musculoskeletal disorder causing lower back pain, imposing a considerable burden on global health. Hyperglycemia resulting from diabetes mellitus induces advanced glycation end products (AGEs) accumulation in nucleus pulposus cells, leading to IVDD. Mitigating AGEs accumulation is a novel promising strategy for IVDD management. In our study, palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) preferentially colocalized within the endoplasmic reticulum and efficiently degraded AGEs via valosin-containing protein (VCP)-mediated autophagy pathways. Pd NPs promoted the ATPase activity of VCPs, upregulated microtubule-associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3 (LC3) expression, and increased AGEs-degrading autophagosome production. They ameliorated mitochondrial function, relieved endoplasmic reticulum stress, and counteracted the detrimental oxidative stress microenvironment in a high-glucose/high-fat-induced nucleus pulposus cell degeneration model. Consequently, Pd NPs effectively rescued nucleus pulposus cell degeneration in vitro, restored disc height and partially recovered the degenerated phenotype of IVDD in vivo. We provide novel insights regarding IVDD management by targeting AGEs degradation, showing potential for clinical practice.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) poses daunting challenges in treating diseases associated with the central nervous system (CNS). Recently, the traditional notion of the absence of the lymphatic system in the brain is evolving. The discovery of the glymphatic system in the brain has stimulated tremendous interest in developing new strategies for the treatment of CNS diseases. Leveraging the glymphatic system for CNS drug delivery may pave a new avenue to circumvent the BBB and achieve efficient drug delivery. The review focuses on the glymphatic system of the brain, discussing potential factors affecting its functions and exploring their connections with the meningeal lymphatic system. Finally, the review provides an overview of the drug delivery methods through the glymphatic system to circumvent BBB and regulate brain immunity. These innovative drug delivery methods may significantly improve drug utilization and create new avenues for the treatment of brain diseases.

The immunosuppressive microenvironment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) severely impacts the response to various treatments, including systemic chemotherapy. Targeted reprogramming of immunosuppressive GBM microenvironment using RNA interference (RNAi) is largely restricted by poor brain delivery efficiency and targeting specificity. Herein, an acid-cleavable transferrin (Tf) decorated engineering exosome-based brain-targeting delivery system (ACTE) was proposed to efficiently deliver small interference RNA towards transform growth factor-β (siTGF-β) and doxorubicin (DOX) to GBM site for combination chemo-immunotherapy. The siTGF-β and DOX co-loaded ACTE, termed as DOX&siTGF-β@ACTE (Ds@ACTE), is designed to specifically recognize the Tf receptor (TfR) on the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Subsequently, Ds@ACTE undergoes acid-responsive detachment of Tf within lysosome of brain capillary endothelial cells, leading to the separation of DOX&siTGF-β@Exo (Ds@Exo) from the Tf-TfR complex and enhanced BBB transcytosis. After crossing BBB, the separated Ds@Exo can further target GBM cells via the homing effect. In vivo studies validated that Ds@ACTE significantly downregulated the TGF-β expression to reprogram the immunosuppressive microenvironment, and thereby reinforce the chemotherapeutic effect of DOX and DOX-induced anti-tumor immune response. The effectiveness of this strategy not only can provide thinking for designing a more intelligent brain-targeting system based on engineered exosomes but also explore an effective treatment regimen for GBM.

Although drug delivery technology has promoted the clinical translation of small molecule drugs, there is an urgent need for advanced delivery systems to overcome complex physiological barriers and the increasing development of biological drugs. This review overviews the emerging applications of synthetic biology-based engineered cells for drug delivery. We first introduce synthetic biology strategies to engineer cells for biological drug delivery and discuss the benefits in terms of specificity, intelligence, and controllability. Furthermore, we highlight the cutting-edge advancements at the convergence of synthetic biology and nanotechnology in drug delivery. Nanotechnology expands the engineering design and construction concepts of synthetic biology, and synthetic biology drives the development for biotechnology-driven nanomaterial synthesis. In the future, synthetic biology-based engineered cells may be developed to be more modular, standardized, and intelligent, leading to significant breakthroughs in the construction of advanced drug delivery systems.