Bacterial infection at the surface of oral implants is one of the primary reasons for surgical failure. To counter the risk of biofilm infection on oral implants and prevent the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria, an increasing number of researchers are focusing on the study of surface coatings for oral implants. Therefore, an antibacterial hydrophilic coating was developed in this study. This coating combines a biomimetic adhesive (dopamine-modified oxidized hyaluronic acid) with a long-acting drug-loaded carrier (aminated mesoporous silica particles) on a polyurethane material through electrostatic self-assembly and a Schiff base reaction. The results showed that the drug-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles prepared by the solvent template method had a diameter of approximately 200 nm and a pore size of about 3 nm. The drug could be continuously released in vitro for more than 9 days. Dopamine-modified hyaluronic acid can firmly adhere the drug-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles to the material surface, forming a uniform and stable coating. Additionally, the composite coating exhibited effective antibacterial properties against S. aureus and E. coli. The CCK-8 and fluorescence staining results showed that the coating had excellent biocompatibility.

The persistent threat of phytopathogenic fungi necessitates precision-targeted and sustainable antifungal strategies beyond conventional agrochemicals. This study presents a hierarchically structured micro/nanosystem (CMC@Eu-ZIF@ZnO) engineered for precision antifungal delivery by leveraging the specific virulence mechanisms of Botrytis cinerea. The composite features a dual core-shell architecture: a ZnO microsphere core encapsulated within a ZIF-8 intermediate shell and an outer carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) coating. This intelligent design integrates pH- and cellulase-triggered release pathways, exploiting fungal-induced and enzymatic secretion for on-demand cargo delivery. Synergistic action between Eu and ZnO nanoparticles enhances membrane disruption and oxidative stress, resulting in superior antifungal activity. The system achieved 91.5 % cumulative release under dual stimuli and 67.9 % rainfast retention, with negligible phytotoxicity in soybean germination assays and effective lesion control in tomato leaves. By overcoming instability, non-target leakage, and limited responsiveness of conventional fungicides, this study establishes a microenvironment-responsive hierarchical delivery platform. This work highlights the potential of integrating natural antifungals with hierarchical nanostructures for eco-friendly, precision crop protection.

Currently, the groundbreaking progress of immune checkpoint inhibitors has benefited patients with various types of tumors. However, the efficacy of these inhibitors is constrained by the tumor immune-suppressive microenvironment. Furthermore, the hypoxia mediated by intratumoral vascular compression further weakens the anti-tumor immune response within the tumor. Herein, we have meticulously developed a drug-sustained-release scaffold that contains three drug components of oxaliplatin, losartan, and immune checkpoint inhibitor (anti-PD-L1), structured with a thermosensitive hydrogel F127 that can gel in situ upon triggering at body temperature. Oxaliplatin, an effective chemotherapeutic agent, can induce immunogenic cell death in tumor, effectively alleviating the tumor immune-suppressive microenvironment. Meanwhile, losartan potassium, a clinical antihypertensive drug, can reduce tumor stroma, lower tumor solid stress, and relieve intratumoral vascular compression, thereby improving tumor hypoxia. The anti-PD-L1 is a widely used immune checkpoint inhibitor and can precisely block the binding of PD-L1 to PD-1, activating T cell-mediated anti-tumor immune responses. The constructed F127@Oxpt-Los-aPDL1 scaffold triggers a potent anti-tumor immune response, achieving outstanding tumor suppression effects and even induces a powerful abscopal effect, effectively inhibiting the growth of distant tumors. This research presents a novel combination treatment strategy aimed at enhancing the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibition therapy in stroma-rich tumors.

Serous ovarian carcinoma (SOC) is distinguished by marked invasiveness, early dissemination and rapid drug resistance, creating an urgent demand for non‑cross‑resistant alternative therapies. Consequently, the exploration of minimally invasive yet highly effective treatment modalities has become a central research priority. In the present work, a heterobimetallic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) sonosensitizer, namely Mn‑MX@MIL‑125(Ti), was synthesized by introducing manganese(II) ions into MXene-trussed Ti‑based organic frameworks. The obtained Mn-MX@MIL-125(Ti) exhibited high specific surface area, tunable mesoporous, and abundant metal sites, which collectively conferred excellent catalytic activity. Through a series of tests, it was found that Mn‑MX@MIL‑125(Ti) enhanced the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under low‑intensity ultrasound. For the SK-OV-3 cells, the PEG ylated Mn-MX@MIL-125(Ti) displayed good biocompatibility, but upon ultrasound irradiation, it accomplished half‑maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of 27.5 µg mL⁻¹ . And, the pronounced decline in mitochondrial membrane potential indicated that it was the ROS‑mediated mitochondrial damage to effectively curtail tumour proliferation. Besides, in subcutaneous SOC murine model, the tumour‑inhibition rate of 83 % was achieved without discernible systemic toxicity. These results highlight that the Mn-MX@MIL-125(Ti) as a promising bimetallic sonosensitizer is capable of efficiently suppressing the SOC via ultrasound-induced ROS generation.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains a major global health problem due to its aggressive nature and the limitations of conventional chemotherapy, including poor drug specificity and severe systemic toxicity. To address this challenge, in the present study we have designed a smart, injectable hydrogel with dual responsiveness (pH and temperature) enabling to reduce the tumor growth. The hydrogel was fabricated by crosslinking sodium alginate (SA) with calcium ions and integrating poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) grafted dextran (dx) (PNIPAM-g-dx), and loaded with doxorubicin (Dox) resulting in a multi-stimuli responsive network named DSPD-Hg. This fabricated hydrogel maintains structural integrity under physiological conditions but exhibited enhanced drug release in acidic and hyperthermic tumour settings, particularly under NIR irradiation. The in vitro and in vivo evaluations reveal that DSPD-Hg facilitates sustained Dox release, significantly enhances tumour inhibition through combined chemotherapeutic and photothermal effects, and demonstrates excellent biocompatibility. Prominently, the hydrogel was found to be biocompatible and accumulated preferentially at the tumor site, minimizing harm to healthy tissue. Our findings suggest that DSPD-Hg smart hydrogel system offers a promising, targeted, and less toxic alternative for the treatment of OSCC.

Exosomes, endogenous nanoscale vesicles secreted by various cell types, have emerged as promising natural carriers for therapeutic delivery due to their excellent biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, prolonged systemic circulation, and intrinsic ability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). They can encapsulate diverse bioactive molecules-including nucleic acids, proteins, and small-molecule drugs-showing great potential in cancer therapy. However, their clinical translation remains hindered by low production yield and limited drug-loading capacity. To overcome these limitations, engineered approaches such as exosome-liposome fusion have been developed. This strategy integrates the biological targeting and membrane stability of exosomes with the tunable physicochemical properties of liposomes, resulting in hybrid exosome-liposome nanoparticles (HELNs) that exhibit improved stability, loading efficiency, and therapeutic performance. This review systematically summarizes the biological characteristics of exosomes from different cellular origins, current methodologies for HELNs fabrication, and their recent advances in drug delivery, gene therapy, and immunotherapy. Finally, the review highlights key advantages of this hybrid strategy for cancer theranostics and discusses ongoing challenges and future perspectives for large-scale production and clinical translation.

Bacterial adhesion on substrate surface is governed by multiple factors, with ligand-bacteria interactions and substrate stiffness among the most important. Using Mycobacterium smegmatis (M. smegmatis) and trehalose as a model system, we synthesized trehalose-functionalized polyacrylamide (Tre-PAAm) of varying stiffness and investigated how trehalose content and substrate stiffness affect the adhesion of M. smegmatis on Tre-PAAm hydrogels. Results show that glycan-bacteria interactions play a more dominant role than substrate stiffness. At 30 % trehalose monomer loading, M. smegmatis adhered more strongly to soft than to hard Tre-PAAm hydrogels. However, this stiffness-dependent effect was reduced at lower trehalose monomer loading, and minimal adhesion was observed on PAAm hydrogels without trehalose. Furthermore, non-complementary glycan-bacterium combinations, e.g., E. coli on Tre-PAAm and M. smegmatis on mannose-functionalized polyacrylamide (Man-PAAm) hydrogels, showed almost no bacterial adhesion regardless of hydrogel stiffnesses. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that specific glycan-bacteria interactions play a dominant role over substrate stiffness in governing bacterial adhesion.

The skin is highly susceptible to damage from various factors of daily life, which can cause wounds to form. Accelerated wound healing is important for enhancing patient quality of life and reducing healthcare burdens. Chiral biomaterials (CBMs), with non-superimposable mirror-image molecular structures, have emerged as promising candidates for enhancing wound healing due to their unique biointeractions. However, there are few comprehensive reviews on the role of CBMs across different wound healing phases. This review first introduces common methods for preparing CBMs, including ligand conjugation, self-assembly, and template-assisted synthesis. The effects of CBMs on different aspects of wound healing are summarized, including hemostasis, antibacterial activity, inflammatory regulation, the proliferation phase, the remodeling phase, and wound healing monitoring, and the underlying mechanisms exerted by CBMs are elucidated. Furthermore, the biosafety of CBMs is critically discussed. Finally, the review highlights current challenges and future directions in the field and proposes potential strategies to address current limitations. By providing a thorough analysis, this work aims to offer valuable insights and inspire innovative approaches for research on CBMs in wound healing.

Anticoagulant therapy substantially increases the risk of post-extraction hemorrhage by impairing hemostasis. In this study, we designed a quaternized carboxymethyl chitosan/polydopamine composite hemostatic sponge (QCD) that combines mechanical robustness and biocompatibility. Compared with the Gel group, QCD exhibits markedly enhanced in vitro hemostatic and antibacterial performance; the quaternary ammonium modification confers potent antibacterial activity tailored to the complex oral environment and mitigates infection risk. In vivo, tooth extraction test in anticoagulated rats showed that QCD (blood loss 0.011 ± 0.001 g, hemostasis time 59.667 ± 4.163 s) significantly outperformed a commercial gelatin sponge (0.019 ± 0.001 g, 87.000 ± 4.082 s) in hemostasis. This superiority was attributable to its rapid blood absorption and enhanced adhesion of blood cells and platelets, which together promoted clot formation. These results suggest that QCD may serve as a practical and promising approach for managing post-extraction hemorrhage in anticoagulated patients.

The purpose of this study was to design and fabricate hepatocyte and mitochondria dual-targeted nanoparticles for improving the stability and utilization of procyanidins (PC). PC nanoparticles were prepared by emulsion solvent evaporation method using (5-carboxypentyl) (triphenyl) phosphonium bromide modified PC as core materials, lactobionic acid and 3-amino phenylboronic acid modified hyaluronic acid as wall materials. The obtained nanoparticles were spherical, with small size, high encapsulation efficiency (> 80 %) and strong antioxidant capacity. Compared with free PC, the stability of loaded PC was improved under high temperature, UV radiation, long-term storage, freeze-thaw cycles, simulated digestion and other conditions. In vitro studies proved that nanoparticles had reactive oxygen species-responsive, hepatocyte and mitochondria dual targeting functional properties. In addition, dual-targeted PC nanoparticles could also inhibit the elevation of intracellular reactive oxygen species level and the decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential caused by high-fat. This work proposes a new strategy to deliver active compounds to hepatocytes and even mitochondria, which can provide new ideas for nutritional interventions in liver-related chronic diseases induced by high-fat diets.

Tauopathies, containing aging-related Alzheimer's disease (AD) and contact sports-related chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), etc., are neuropathologically characteristic of the tau protein aggregates in the brain. Targeting the oligomeric species formed in the route of tau fibrilization has been considered a promising therapeutic approach to prevent or treat tauopathies. In vitro experiment reported that S305 phosphorylation (Pho-S305) exerted a protective role in tau aggregation. However, the atomic effect and molecular mechanisms of Pho-S305 on tau aggregation are largely elusive. In this study, we performed replica exchange molecular dynamics (REMD) and classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, with a total simulation time of 57 μs, on tau peptides without and with Pho-S305. The protein model was a novel tau fragment (G302-S316), constituting the ordered core of a first intermediate amyloid (FIA) filament of AD- and CTE-specific tau filament. The REMD results revealed that Pho-S305 suppressed the β-sheet formation and weakened the peptide-peptide interaction, thus inhibiting the aggregation of the peptides. Additional MD simulations indicated that the oligomerization dynamics of the peptides were disturbed by Pho-S305. Our findings excavate the mechanistic information underlying the phosphorylation-induced inhibitive effects on tau aggregation, which may provide potential useful clues for the development of therapeutic avenues for tauopathies.

Research on the surface properties of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) has traditionally emphasized isolated measurements, while systematic studies that correlative analysis of multiple surface properties relate these features to one another are still limited. The aim of this study was to provide the first integrated investigation of Lactobacillus surface chemistry by combining comprehensive molecular profiling with multi-technique physicochemical validation to achieve a systematic characterization of LAB surface properties. An initial screening of 42 Lactobacillus strains based on zeta potential and hydrophobicity led to the selection of eight representative strains for in-depth analysis. Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that the most hydrophobic and hydrophilic strains, L. acidophilus ATCC4356 (1-1) and L. helveticus AG10-1 (8-8), exhibited the highest N/C (0.134) and O/C (0.530) ratios, indicating protein-rich and polysaccharide-dominant surfaces, respectively. Water contact angles (58.7°-100.4°) in contact angle measurement (CAM) were closely aligned with hydrophobicity levels determined by microbial adhesion to solvents (MATS), ranging from 4.61 % to 64.42 %. MATS and CAM agreed on hydrophobicity but diverged sharply in their assessment of Lewis acid-base (AB) properties (R² < 0.20). Highly hydrophobic strains, lacking steric hindrance from hydrophilic polysaccharides, exhibited overall greater autoaggregation, though this behavior was also moderately influenced by zeta potential providing electrostatic repulsion between cells. These findings provide new insight into the molecular basis of Lactobacillus surface functionality and emphasize the importance of multi-method strategies for selecting and characterizing strains for probiotic development and biointerface applications.

M2 tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) can promote metastasis of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). TNBC cells release exosomes to exchange information. By doing so, they reprogram the phenotype of TAMs. TRAF3IP2 is a key factor mediating the metastasis and is highly expressed in TNBC; however, it is still unclear whether it has an impact on TAMs. This study explored the mechanism of the interaction between TNBC and TAMs, and evaluated a novel nanotherapy strategy to intervene in this process.

This study investigates the molecular interactions of the antiviral agent oseltamivir phosphate (OSL) with a two-dimensional (2D) Langmuir monolayer model of the influenza A (AH1N1) virus lipid envelope. Targeting the viral lipid envelope, which predominantly contains phosphatidylethanolamines (PE), sphingomyelin (SM), and phosphatidylserines (PS) in the AH1N1 strain, is considered an alternative strategy for developing novel antivirals. The model consists of a ternary lipid mixture (DOPE:DMPS:SM 50:35:15), prepared at the air-water interface and characterized using surface-sensitive techniques including Brewster angle microscopy (BAM), grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD), and polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS). OSL incorporation significantly disorganizes the ternary membrane, causing concentration-dependent shifts in surface pressure-area per molecule (π-A) isotherms toward larger areas. OSL reduces the maximum value of compression modulus (Cs), resulting in a much less organized layer. Analysis of thermodynamic functions obtained from the compression-expansion cycles confirmed reduction of attractive intermolecular interactions, thereby preventing the formation of irreversible assemblies. Studies using single-component monolayers revealed that OSL-lipid interactions were electrostatic-dependent: OSL had minimal impact on neutral DOPE and SM monolayers, but showed significant concentration-dependent influence on the negatively charged DMPS monolayer. For DMPS, OSL induces fluidization, confirmed by PM-IRRAS observations of hydrogen bonding in the headgroup region and shifts in acyl chain bands to higher wavenumbers, indicative of a less ordered conformation. BAM and GIXD studies further demonstrated that OSL hinders the formation of condensed DMPS domains. These findings are crucial for understanding antiviral-lipid envelope mechanisms and designing novel targeted therapies.

In this study, we used an interfacial energy-mediated, anisotropic growth method to synthesize rod-shaped, periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) on the surface of the mesoporous silicon-titanium composite nanoparticles (MSTNs) with a core-shell structure, resulting in sphere-rod structured, Janus composite nanoparticles (MSTNs/PMO). Adjusting the amount of surfactant and the solvent ratio (water/ethanol) in the reaction system allowed for the fabrication of MSTNs/PMO nanoparticles with diverse morphologies, and their growth mechanism was analyzed systematically. The MSTNs/PMO surface was functionalized with amino and thiol groups to facilitate the loading of doxorubicin (DOX) and tetrandrine (TET). Then, folic acid (FA) was grafted onto the drug-loaded nanoparticles (MSTNs/PMO-DOX/TET-FA). This step successfully constructed a stimulus-responsive combinatorial dual-drug delivery system. MSTNs/PMO-DOX/TET-FA exhibited high loading efficiencies, reaching 26.54 % for DOX and 6.37 % for TET. Drug release studies demonstrated significant pH-responsive release behavior and sequential release characteristics of the system. Cytotoxicity and cellular uptake assays revealed that the system exhibited excellent biosafety and significant targeting ability toward tumor cells. Collectively, these findings suggested that the dual-drug delivery system has potent antitumor therapeutic efficacy and offered a viable strategy for synergistic tumor therapy.

Plant proteins exhibit wide variability in emulsifying behavior due to differences in composition, molecular structure, and processing history. This study investigated the relationship between intrinsic physicochemical properties and emulsifying behavior of eleven commercial protein isolates and concentrates derived from bovine milk, soy, canola, faba bean and pea. Key properties including solubility, surface hydrophobicity (SH), molecular weight distribution (MWD), and zeta-potential of the protein ingredients were characterized and evaluated in relation to emulsion droplet size. Among these parameters, MWD showed a moderate correlation with emulsion droplet size (R² = 0.64), while SH and zeta potential exhibited no meaningful correlation (R² < 0.1). When MWD and SH were evaluated together, a clearer trend and separation emerged. Plant proteins with both high molecular weight and low surface hydrophobicity showed a tendency to form heavily flocculated emulsions. This flocculation likely resulted from slower interfacial adsorption and incomplete surface coverage, leading to droplet flocculation at early stages of emulsification. Under a specific set of formulation and processing conditions, emulsions prepared with alkaline-extracted pea and faba protein had smaller droplet size than their air-classified counterparts, likely due to their lower MWD and modified interfacial behavior induced by alkaline treatment. These findings show that the combination of MWD and SH could be useful in understanding the emulsifying behavior of commercial plant protein ingredients and helping in the screening and formulation of plant protein ingredients for food and beverage applications.

Metal-free nanozymes (MFNs), composed of heteroatom-doped carbon frameworks, conductive polymers, and π-conjugated networks, have emerged as versatile enzyme mimics that obviate the toxicity and instability associated with metal-based counterparts. Through the strategic incorporation of nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), sulfur (S), phosphorus (P), iodine (I), and selenium (Se) dopants, alongside the deliberate defect engineering of sp² domains and vacancy sites, these materials replicates superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, oxidase, and peroxidase activities under physiological and environmental conditions. This review not only outlines the structural design principles and catalytic mechanisms of MFNs but also presents a comparative analysis with traditional metal-based nanozymes, highlighting differences in catalytic pathways, stability, and biocompatibility. Recent studies are systematically categorized into four major application domains-antioxidant therapeutics, tumor-targeted catalytic therapy, diagnostic and biosensing platforms, antimicrobial systems, and environmental remediation-showcasing representative examples such as biomass-derived carbon dots, polyphenol-functionalized nanoparticles, single-atom catalysts, conductive polyaniline constructs, and photocatalytic carbon nitride. Representative case studies are discussed to elucidate key structure-function relationships and experimentally supported outcomes, encompassing validated in vitro and in vivo findings across antioxidant, therapeutic, and diagnostic systems. This comparative and integrative perspective establishes a cohesive framework for the rational design and translational development of next-generation MFNs.

The performance of nanoparticle-based biosensors strongly depends on the orientation and density of immobilized antibodies, yet these parameters remain underexplored in platforms based on dynamic light scattering (DLS). This study investigates how the length of molecular crosslinkers influences antibody orientation, surface coverage, and biosensor sensitivity for SARS-CoV-2 detection. The impact of crosslinker spacer length on the analytical performance of 53 nm-gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) functionalized with polyclonal antibodies (pAb) was evaluated using both the spike protein (S Ptn) and intact viral particles as targets. Biosensors were prepared using carboxylic acid-terminated alkanethiol crosslinkers of varying lengths-3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA), 6-mercaptohexanoic acid (MHA), and 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA)-and characterized by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. DLS was used to monitor changes in hydrodynamic diameter (ΔD) upon antigen binding in artificial saliva. Secondary structure analysis and mathematical fitting using the Hill model were employed to evaluate structural effects and binding cooperativity. MUA-functionalized biosensors showed the best performance, with ΔD shifts up to 115.2 nm for the S Ptn and 77.76 nm for the virus, with respective limits of detection of 2.96 ng/mL and 1.8 × 10 ³ PFU/mL. These improvements were associated with increased antibody packing and favorable end-on orientation. A Hill coefficient of 2.82 in virus detection indicated positively cooperative binding behavior. This study enhances our understanding of antibody-antigen interactions on nanostructured surfaces and guides the development of more effective DLS-based biosensors.

Dengue fever, caused by the dengue virus (DENV), remains a major global health challenge in tropical regions. To date, no officially approved antiviral drug has been specifically targeted at DENV infections. Graphene-based materials, composed of carbon, have demonstrated antiviral potential against various viruses. In this study, graphene oxide-niclosamide (GO-Nic) hybrid material was developed by modifying GO with niclosamide, an antiparasitic anthelmintic drug that has recently shown broad-spectrum antiviral activity, including against DENV. GO was synthesized using the Hummers method and functionalized with niclosamide through a simple mixing process. The antiviral activity of GO-Nic was evaluated in vitro against DENV serotype 3 (DENV-3) using RT-qPCR and indirect immunofluorescence assay, as well as TEM to assess viral morphology and its interaction with GO-Nic. GO-Nic exhibited enhanced antiviral activity of 60.5 % DENV-3 inhibition compared to 47.2 % inhibition of GO. Notably, this GO-Nic antiviral activity was achieved at 200-fold lower concentration compared to unmodified GO. The synergistic effect between GO and niclosamide contributed to the inhibition of viral replication. These findings highlight GO-Nic potential as a novel antiviral candidate for dengue infection.

Pathogenic food microbes pose a serious threat to global health, leading to widespread disease outbreaks, economic losses, and disruptions in the food processing and distribution chain. Current detection methods for infectious agents, including conventional culturing and genotypic techniques, are accurate but often face limitations such as costly equipment, the need for specialized personnel, and lengthy analysis times. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) has emerged as a promising alternative that provides a fast, non-invasive, and high-throughput approach for early identification of pathogenic food microbes. HSI combines spatial and spectral characterization to deliver information across a broad wavelength range. This technology enables the recognition and identification of microbial agents by analyzing their unique spectral fingerprints, which reflect the biochemical and physical properties of bacteria, fungi, and viruses in various food matrices, including raw produce, animal protein, and milk-based foods. A typical HSI system can acquire a complete spectral cube in less than a minute per sample, capturing 100-300 contiguous spectral bands across the visible to near-infrared range, thus enabling rapid and comprehensive microbial screening. This review highlights several foodborne pathogens and the strong applicability of HSI for their identification. Additionally, it discusses recent trends, suggests future directions, and emphasizes AI adoption along with the development of portable HSI devices for on-site food safety assessment.