Current cancer therapy is seriously challenged by tumor metastasis and recurrence. One promising solution to these problems is to build antitumor immunity. However, immunotherapeutic efficacy is ...highly impeded by the immunosuppressive state of the tumors. Here a new strategy is presented, catalytic immunotherapy based on artificial enzymes. Cu2−xTe nanoparticles exhibit tunable enzyme‐mimicking activity (including glutathione oxidase and peroxidase) under near‐infrared‐II (NIR‐II) light. The cascade reactions catalyzed by the Cu2−xTe artificial enzyme gradually elevates intratumor oxidative stress to induce immunogenic cell death. Meanwhile, the continuously generated oxidative stress by the Cu2−xTe artificial enzyme reverses the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, and boosts antitumor immune responses to eradicate both primary and distant metastatic tumors. Moreover, immunological memory effect is successfully acquired after treatment with the Cu2−xTe artificial enzyme to suppress tumor relapse.
Stressed out: Cu2−xTe nanoparticles are presented as a new artificial multienzyme with enzymatic activity reinforced by near‐infrared‐II (NIR‐II) light. Cu2−xTe catalyzes cascade reactions continuously and elevates intratumor oxidative stress, which not only eradicates primary tumors, but also reverses the tumor immunosuppressive (cold) state into a proinflammatory (hot) state to combat tumor metastasis and recurrence.
A black phosphorus (BP)‐based drug delivery system for synergistic photodynamic/photothermal/chemotherapy of cancer is constructed. As a 2D nanosheet, BP shows super high drug loading capacity and ...pH‐/photoresponsive drug release. The intrinsic photothermal and photodynamic effects of BP enhance the antitumor activities. The synergistic photodynamic/photothermal/chemotherapy makes BP‐based drug delivery system a multifunctional nanomedicine platform.
As a new family member of the emerging two‐dimensional (2D) monoelemental materials (Xenes), germanene has shown promising advantages over the prototypical 2D Xenes, such as black phosphorus (BP) and ...graphene. However, efficient manufacture of novel germanene nanostructures is still a challenge. Herein, a simple top‐down approach for the liquid‐exfoliation of ultra‐small germanene quantum dots (GeQDs) is presented. The prepared GeQDs possess an average lateral size of about 4.5 nm and thickness of about 2.2 nm. The functionalized GeQDs were demonstrated to be robust photothermal agents (PTAs) with outstanding photothermal conversion efficacy (higher than those of graphene and BPQDs), superior stability, and excellent biocompatibility. As a proof‐of‐principle, 2D GeQDs‐based PTAs were used in fluorescence/photoacoustic/photothermal‐imaging‐guided hyperpyrexia ablation of tumors. This work could expand the application of 2D germanene to the field of photonic cancer nanomedicine.
A facile, top‐down, liquid‐exfoliation approach to produce ultra‐small germanene quantum dots (GeQDs) is presented. 2D GeQDs are robust photothermal therapeutic (PTT) agents and can be used for hyperpyrexia ablation of tumors guided by multimodal (photoacoustic, PA; NIR fluorescence, FL; photothermal, PT) imaging.
Protecting the whole small intestine from radiation-induced intestinal injury during the radiotherapy of abdominal or pelvic solid tumors remains an unmet clinical need. Amifostine is a promising ...selective radioprotector for normal tissues. However, its oral application in intestinal radioprotection remains challenging. Herein, we use microalga Spirulina platensis as a microcarrier of Amifostine to construct an oral delivery system. The system shows comprehensive drug accumulation and effective radioprotection in the whole small intestine that is significantly superior to free drug and its enteric capsule, preventing the radiation-induced intestine injury and prolonging the survival without influencing the tumor regression. It also shows benefits on the gut microbiota homeostasis and long-term safety. Based on a readily available natural microcarrier, this work presents a convenient oral delivery system to achieve effective radioprotection for the whole small intestine, providing a competitive strategy with great clinical translation potential.
The treatment of diabetic ulcer (DU) remains a major clinical challenge due to the complex wound-healing milieu that features chronic wounds, impaired angiogenesis, persistent pain, bacterial ...infection, and exacerbated inflammation. A strategy that effectively targets all these issues has proven elusive. Herein, we use a smart black phosphorus (BP)-based gel with the characteristics of rapid formation and near-infrared light (NIR) responsiveness to address these problems. The in situ sprayed BP-based gel could act as 1) a temporary, biomimetic “skin” to temporarily shield the tissue from the external environment and accelerate chronic wound healing by promoting the proliferation of endothelial cells, vascularization, and angiogenesis and 2) a drug “reservoir” to store therapeutic BP and pain-relieving lidocaine hydrochloride (Lid). Within several minutes of NIR laser irradiation, the BP-based gel generates local heat to accelerate microcirculatory blood flow, mediate the release of loaded Lid for “on-demand” pain relief, eliminate bacteria, and reduce inflammation. Therefore, our study not only introduces a concept of in situ sprayed, NIR-responsive pain relief gel targeting the challengingwound-healing milieu in diabetes but also provides a proof-of-concept application of BP-based materials in DU treatment.
Transition‐metal dyshomeostasis is recognized as a critical pathogenic factor at the onset and progression of neurodegenerative disorder (ND). Excess transition‐metal ions such as Cu2+ can catalyze ...the generation of cytotoxic reactive oxygen species and thereafter induce neuronal cell apoptosis. Exploring new chelating agents, which are not only capable of capturing excess redox‐active metal, but can also cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB), are highly desired for ND therapy. Herein, it is demonstrated that 2D black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets can capture Cu2+ efficiently and selectively to protect neuronal cells from Cu2+‐induced neurotoxicity. Moreover, both in vitro and in vivo studies show that the BBB permeability of BP nanosheets is significantly improved under near‐infrared laser irradiation due to their strong photothermal effect, which overcomes the drawback of conventional chelating agents. Furthermore, the excellent biocompatibility and stability guarantee the biosafety of BP in future clinical applications. Therefore, these features make BP nanosheets have the great potential to work as an efficient neuroprotective nanodrug for ND therapy.
Black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets, having the capability of capturing Cu2+ efficiently and selectively, can not only act as an antioxidant to extenuate cellular oxidative stress and inhibit cell apoptosis, but also improve the blood–brain barrier permeability under near‐infrared laser irradiation through the photothermal effect. These properties of BP nanosheets make them an efficient neuroprotective nanodrug for neurodegenerative disorder therapy.
Schematic illustration showed the applications of SDT against various diseases and synergistic effects of SDT in combination with other therapeutic modalities.
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•This review highlights ...the recent advances of nanomaterials based SDT against various diseases, and its possible mechanisms of action.•The synergistic effects of SDT in combination with other therapeutic modalities against different diseases are summarized.•The potential limitations and future prospects of SDT in nanoscience are also discussed.
As an effective treatment approach, photo-therapeutic has great potential in treating various diseases, but this light-activated strategy suffers from the major shortcoming of low tissue penetration depth. Low-intensity ultrasound features with non-invasive and high tissue-penetrating ability have been widely used in clinical diagnostic, which can effectively overcome the major limitation of light. Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) is a novel noninvasive therapeutic modality that involves a combination of low-intensity ultrasound and sonosensitizers. Combining nanotechnology with SDT can effectively augment the SDT efficiency and may essentially reverse the disadvantages of traditional SDT, paving an avenue for more efficient and safer therapeutic options. In this review, we highlight the recent advances of SDT in nanoscience in terms of its possible mechanisms of action, applications against various diseases and synergistic effects of SDT in combination with other therapeutic modalities. Moreover, potential limitations and future prospects are also discussed.
Abstract
The use of photothermal agents (PTAs) in cancer photothermal therapy (PTT) has shown promising results in clinical studies. The rapid degradation of PTAs may address safety concerns but ...usually limits the photothermal stability required for efficacious treatment. Conversely, PTAs with high photothermal stability usually degrade slowly. The solutions that address the balance between the high photothermal stability and rapid degradation of PTAs are rare. Here, we report that the inherent Cu
2+
-capturing ability of black phosphorus (BP) can accelerate the degradation of BP, while also enhancing photothermal stability. The incorporation of Cu
2+
into BP@Cu nanostructures further enables chemodynamic therapy (CDT)-enhanced PTT. Moreover, by employing
64
Cu
2+
, positron emission tomography (PET) imaging can be achieved for in vivo real-time and quantitative tracking. Therefore, our study not only introduces an “ideal” PTA that bypasses the limitations of PTAs, but also provides the proof-of-concept application of BP-based materials in PET-guided, CDT-enhanced combination cancer therapy.
Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have drawn tremendous attention due to their unique physicochemical properties and promising applications in the fields of electronics, energy storage, and ...catalysis. Recently, the biomedicine community has gradually started to recognize the great potential of these nanostructured materials for biomedical applications - in particular those related to cancer therapy. In this review, we provide a brief overview of a few representative 2D nanomaterials, discuss their preparation strategies and physicochemical properties, and highlight their applications in cancer nanomedicine. We expect that this review will shed some light on the new opportunities associated with 2D nanomaterials for biomedical research.
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