Life systems are complex systems,and the self-assembly behaviour represents the transition from disorder to order and serves as a concrete indicator and starting point for understanding complex systems.Super-self-asse...Life systems are complex systems,and the self-assembly behaviour represents the transition from disorder to order and serves as a concrete indicator and starting point for understanding complex systems.Super-self-assembly behaviour was observed in the decoctions of various natural herbs,and this behaviour was characterized by multistep and multilevel assembly processes.The super-self-assemblies were multilevel particles resulting from inorganic-organic assembly,specifically observed ascomposite spheres,cubes,and tetragonal bipyramids.The preparation process was environmentally friendly and safe,and the resulting super-self-assemblies were regular in shape and rich in variety;this process has numerous possibilities for development and application in medicine and materials research.展开更多
Soft matter has attracted extensive attention due to its special physical/chemical properties and holds great promise in many applications. However, obtaining a detailed understanding of both complex fluid and mass tr...Soft matter has attracted extensive attention due to its special physical/chemical properties and holds great promise in many applications. However, obtaining a detailed understanding of both complex fluid and mass transport in soft matter, especially in hierarchical porous media of biological tissues, still remains a huge challenge. Herein, inspired by fast tracer transport in loose connective tissues of living systems, we observed an interesting phenomenon of fast molecular transport in situ in an artificial hierarchical multiphase porous medium （a micrometer scale hydrophobic fiber network filled with nanometer scale hydrophilic porous medium）, which was simply fabricated through electro- spinning technology and polymerization. The transportation speed of molecules in the micrometer fiber network is larger than simple diffusion in nanometer media, which is better described by Fick＇s law. We further proved that the phenomenon is based on the nanoconfined air/water/solid interface around the micrometer hydrophobic fibers. We focus on the key factors, referring to SA, （the confined multiphase area around the microfibers） and Nc （the connectivity node degree of the skeletal portion in the nanometer hydrogel medium）. Next, a quantitative parameter, VTCM （transport chance mean-value）, was introduced to describe the molecular transport capability of the fiber network within hierarchical multiphase porous systems. These fundamental advances can be applied de novo to understand the process of so-called simple diffusion in biological systems, and even to re-describe many molecular events in biologically nanoconfined spaces.展开更多
The fascia and the fascial space can help provide a better understanding of the body. An intervaginal space injection （ISI） provides unique advantages that require further investigation. An upper limb model includin...The fascia and the fascial space can help provide a better understanding of the body. An intervaginal space injection （ISI） provides unique advantages that require further investigation. An upper limb model including physiological conditions and the tumor process was chosen to determine the flow behavior of liquid metal after ISI. In normal rats, after the injection of liquid metal into the intervaginal space comprising tendons, vessels, and nerves, magnetic resonance imaging and an anatomy experiment indicated that the liquid metal wrapped around the fascial space and finally reached the fingertip downstream and the armpit upstream in addition to the neurovascular bundle without vessels or lymph nodes. Using environmental scanning electron microscopy （ESEM） images, we discovered that the liquid metal was wrapped around the fibers of the fascia and moved forward in microscale or nanoscale areas. These data confirmed a fascia-based pathway. In tumors, the liquid metal moved to the tumor capsule through the damaged spot, where cancer cells destroy the integrity of the fascia between the normal cells and cancer cells. The liquid metal partly wrapped around the tumor and separated the tumor from the surrounding normal muscle. The ESEM images showed that fibers of the fascia penetrated the tumor, thus forming a network through which the liquid metal penetrated the tumor. Our study illustrated the physiological and pathological flow behavior of liquid metal in the upper limb after ISI and demonstrated a nonvascular pathway in the fascia. ISI may be useful for clinical treatment in the fascial pathway.展开更多
Nowadays,nanoparticles(NPs)are considered to be ideal tools for bioimaging and drug delivery.Although increasing research has focused on NP biodistribution,transportation in the interstitial architecture has been negl...Nowadays,nanoparticles(NPs)are considered to be ideal tools for bioimaging and drug delivery.Although increasing research has focused on NP biodistribution,transportation in the interstitial architecture has been neglected.The entire body is connected by the interstitial architecture,which can provide a long-range and direct pathway for NP biodistribution in a nonvascular system.In this study,we report that 10-nm gold NPs injected directly into the interstitial architecture of the tarsal tunnel of rats(intervaginal space injection(ISI))were delivered to the brain without crossing the blood-brain barrier.Furthermore,NaGdF4 nanoparticles were used to explore the transportation route by magnetic resonance imaging.The results demonstrated that,after ISI,the NaGdF4 nanoparticles were transported through the perivascular interstitial space of the carotid arteries and brain vessels to the brain.This is a special nonvascular transportation route like a stream based on the interstitial architecture that provides an alternative pathway for NP biodistribution.展开更多
The micro/-nanoscaled functional biointerfaces aroused much interest of their key unit element to present unique functions. So far it is still difficult to describe the whole picture of this process. More and more evi...The micro/-nanoscaled functional biointerfaces aroused much interest of their key unit element to present unique functions. So far it is still difficult to describe the whole picture of this process. More and more evidences are beginning to support the theory of ‘‘mirco/-nanotopography-coupled-mechanical(TCM) action'' into functional biointerfaces.Herein, we aim to highlight TCM action on varied micro/-nanoscaled functional biointerfaces, namely to achieve better understanding of micro/-nanoscaled structures by introducing interfacial mechanical behaviors. In this article, recent progressions on ‘‘TCM on air/liquid/solid-phase biointerfaces in nature'', ‘‘in vivo TCM behaviors at micro/-nanoscales' ',‘‘TCM in micro/-nanoscaled artificial surface with living Cells' ' and ‘‘topography, interfacial curvature, mechanics' 'are reviewed. Certain new concepts of ‘‘TCM action based on spatial curvature'', ‘‘medically functional biointerfaces' ' and‘‘biomechanopharmacology'' are also proposed.展开更多
Nature inspired deformable heterogeneous smart hydrogels have attracted much attention in many fields such as biomedicine devices and soft actuators.However,normal spatial heterogeneous hydrogel structures can only re...Nature inspired deformable heterogeneous smart hydrogels have attracted much attention in many fields such as biomedicine devices and soft actuators.However,normal spatial heterogeneous hydrogel structures can only respond to single factor and take one action as set in fabrication.Herein,we report a pre-stretched metal-liganded shape memory hydrogel with fiber reinforced,P(AAc-co-AAm)/CCNFs-Fe3+(CCNFs:carboxylated cellulose nanofibers,AAc:acrylic acid,AAm:acrylamide),which can conduct shape deformation by solvent induction and ultraviolet(UV)light.The deformation pattern could be programmed by the deposing of ferroin ions.Also,the pre-stretched shape memory hydrogels could effectively produce cyclic actuation or complex shape actuation by UV light.More importantly,combining the solvent response with the light response enabled complex reversible actuations,such as simulating the bending and unfolding of fingers.The addition of CCNFs significantly enhanced the mechanical properties of the hydrogels.The hydrogels with 3 wt.%CCNFs showed an elongation at break of about 500%and a significant increase in tensile strength of 8.7-fold to 1.55 MPa after coordination with metal ions,which was able to meet the mechanical requirements of the bionic actuated hydrogels.This work demonstrated that combining light-programmed and light-responsive shape-memory hydrogels,complemented by another independent response property,could achieve complex and reversible programmed actuations.展开更多
The interstitial space, a widespread fluid-filled compartment throughout the body, is related to many pathophysiological alterations and diseases, attracting increasing attention. The vital role of interstitial space ...The interstitial space, a widespread fluid-filled compartment throughout the body, is related to many pathophysiological alterations and diseases, attracting increasing attention. The vital role of interstitial space in malaria infection and treatment has been neglected current research efforts. We confirmed the reinfection capacity of parasites sequestrated in interstitial space, which replenish the mechanism of recurrence. Malaria parasite-infected mice were treated with artemisinin-loaded liposomes through the interstitial space and exhibited a better therapeutic response. Notably, compared with oral administration, interstitial administration showed an unexpectedly high activation and recruitment of immune cells, and resulted in better clearance of sequestered parasites from organs, and enhanced pathological recovery. The interstitial route of administration prolongs the blood circulation time of artemisinin and increases its plasma concentration, and may compensate for the inefficiency of oral administration and the nanotoxicity of intravenous administration, providing a potential strategy for infectious disease therapy.展开更多
Integrated multimodal imaging in theranostics nanomaterials offers extensive prospects for precise and noninvasive cancer treatment.Precisely controlling the structural evolution of plasmonic nanoparticles is crucial ...Integrated multimodal imaging in theranostics nanomaterials offers extensive prospects for precise and noninvasive cancer treatment.Precisely controlling the structural evolution of plasmonic nanoparticles is crucial in the development of pho-tothermal agents.However,previous successes have been limited to static assemblies and single-component structures.Here,an activatable plasmonic theranostics system utilizing self-assembled 1D silver-coated gold nanochains(1D nanochains)is pre-sented for precise tumor diagnosis and effective treatment.The absorbance of the adaptable core–shell chain structure can shift from visible to near-infrared(NIR)regions due to the fusion between nearby Au@Ag nanoparticles induced by ele-vated H2O2 levels in the tumor microenvironment(TME),resulting in the creation of a novel 3D aggregates with strong NIR absorption.With a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 60.2%at 808 nm,nanochains utilizing the TME-activated characteristics show remarkable qualities for photoacoustic imaging and signifi-cantly limit tumor growth in vivo.This study may pave the way for precise tumor diagnosis and treatment through customizable,optically tunable adaptive plasmonic nanostructures.展开更多
基金We are grateful for support from Chinese Academy of Sciences for funding XDB3600000(Nos.QYKIZD-SSW-SLH02 and ZDBS-LY SLH036)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.XDB36000000).
文摘Life systems are complex systems,and the self-assembly behaviour represents the transition from disorder to order and serves as a concrete indicator and starting point for understanding complex systems.Super-self-assembly behaviour was observed in the decoctions of various natural herbs,and this behaviour was characterized by multistep and multilevel assembly processes.The super-self-assemblies were multilevel particles resulting from inorganic-organic assembly,specifically observed ascomposite spheres,cubes,and tetragonal bipyramids.The preparation process was environmentally friendly and safe,and the resulting super-self-assemblies were regular in shape and rich in variety;this process has numerous possibilities for development and application in medicine and materials research.
基金This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China （No. 81141118） and the National Basic Research Program of China （973 Program） （Nos. 2012CB9333800 and 2012CB518506）.
文摘Soft matter has attracted extensive attention due to its special physical/chemical properties and holds great promise in many applications. However, obtaining a detailed understanding of both complex fluid and mass transport in soft matter, especially in hierarchical porous media of biological tissues, still remains a huge challenge. Herein, inspired by fast tracer transport in loose connective tissues of living systems, we observed an interesting phenomenon of fast molecular transport in situ in an artificial hierarchical multiphase porous medium （a micrometer scale hydrophobic fiber network filled with nanometer scale hydrophilic porous medium）, which was simply fabricated through electro- spinning technology and polymerization. The transportation speed of molecules in the micrometer fiber network is larger than simple diffusion in nanometer media, which is better described by Fick＇s law. We further proved that the phenomenon is based on the nanoconfined air/water/solid interface around the micrometer hydrophobic fibers. We focus on the key factors, referring to SA, （the confined multiphase area around the microfibers） and Nc （the connectivity node degree of the skeletal portion in the nanometer hydrogel medium）. Next, a quantitative parameter, VTCM （transport chance mean-value）, was introduced to describe the molecular transport capability of the fiber network within hierarchical multiphase porous systems. These fundamental advances can be applied de novo to understand the process of so-called simple diffusion in biological systems, and even to re-describe many molecular events in biologically nanoconfined spaces.
基金We are sincerely thankful to Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry at the Chinese Academy of Sciences for providing the liquid metal. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China （NSFC） （No. 31470905）.
文摘The fascia and the fascial space can help provide a better understanding of the body. An intervaginal space injection （ISI） provides unique advantages that require further investigation. An upper limb model including physiological conditions and the tumor process was chosen to determine the flow behavior of liquid metal after ISI. In normal rats, after the injection of liquid metal into the intervaginal space comprising tendons, vessels, and nerves, magnetic resonance imaging and an anatomy experiment indicated that the liquid metal wrapped around the fascial space and finally reached the fingertip downstream and the armpit upstream in addition to the neurovascular bundle without vessels or lymph nodes. Using environmental scanning electron microscopy （ESEM） images, we discovered that the liquid metal was wrapped around the fibers of the fascia and moved forward in microscale or nanoscale areas. These data confirmed a fascia-based pathway. In tumors, the liquid metal moved to the tumor capsule through the damaged spot, where cancer cells destroy the integrity of the fascia between the normal cells and cancer cells. The liquid metal partly wrapped around the tumor and separated the tumor from the surrounding normal muscle. The ESEM images showed that fibers of the fascia penetrated the tumor, thus forming a network through which the liquid metal penetrated the tumor. Our study illustrated the physiological and pathological flow behavior of liquid metal in the upper limb after ISI and demonstrated a nonvascular pathway in the fascia. ISI may be useful for clinical treatment in the fascial pathway.
基金the Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.ZDKYYQ20190002)。
文摘Nowadays,nanoparticles(NPs)are considered to be ideal tools for bioimaging and drug delivery.Although increasing research has focused on NP biodistribution,transportation in the interstitial architecture has been neglected.The entire body is connected by the interstitial architecture,which can provide a long-range and direct pathway for NP biodistribution in a nonvascular system.In this study,we report that 10-nm gold NPs injected directly into the interstitial architecture of the tarsal tunnel of rats(intervaginal space injection(ISI))were delivered to the brain without crossing the blood-brain barrier.Furthermore,NaGdF4 nanoparticles were used to explore the transportation route by magnetic resonance imaging.The results demonstrated that,after ISI,the NaGdF4 nanoparticles were transported through the perivascular interstitial space of the carotid arteries and brain vessels to the brain.This is a special nonvascular transportation route like a stream based on the interstitial architecture that provides an alternative pathway for NP biodistribution.
基金supported by the project of 973 in Ministry of Science and Technology of China(2012CB933800)the Key Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(KJZD-EW-M01)
文摘The micro/-nanoscaled functional biointerfaces aroused much interest of their key unit element to present unique functions. So far it is still difficult to describe the whole picture of this process. More and more evidences are beginning to support the theory of ‘‘mirco/-nanotopography-coupled-mechanical(TCM) action'' into functional biointerfaces.Herein, we aim to highlight TCM action on varied micro/-nanoscaled functional biointerfaces, namely to achieve better understanding of micro/-nanoscaled structures by introducing interfacial mechanical behaviors. In this article, recent progressions on ‘‘TCM on air/liquid/solid-phase biointerfaces in nature'', ‘‘in vivo TCM behaviors at micro/-nanoscales' ',‘‘TCM in micro/-nanoscaled artificial surface with living Cells' ' and ‘‘topography, interfacial curvature, mechanics' 'are reviewed. Certain new concepts of ‘‘TCM action based on spatial curvature'', ‘‘medically functional biointerfaces' ' and‘‘biomechanopharmacology'' are also proposed.
基金funded supported by the Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences of CAS(Nos.ZDBS-LY-SLH036 and QYKJZD-SSW-SLH02).
文摘Nature inspired deformable heterogeneous smart hydrogels have attracted much attention in many fields such as biomedicine devices and soft actuators.However,normal spatial heterogeneous hydrogel structures can only respond to single factor and take one action as set in fabrication.Herein,we report a pre-stretched metal-liganded shape memory hydrogel with fiber reinforced,P(AAc-co-AAm)/CCNFs-Fe3+(CCNFs:carboxylated cellulose nanofibers,AAc:acrylic acid,AAm:acrylamide),which can conduct shape deformation by solvent induction and ultraviolet(UV)light.The deformation pattern could be programmed by the deposing of ferroin ions.Also,the pre-stretched shape memory hydrogels could effectively produce cyclic actuation or complex shape actuation by UV light.More importantly,combining the solvent response with the light response enabled complex reversible actuations,such as simulating the bending and unfolding of fingers.The addition of CCNFs significantly enhanced the mechanical properties of the hydrogels.The hydrogels with 3 wt.%CCNFs showed an elongation at break of about 500%and a significant increase in tensile strength of 8.7-fold to 1.55 MPa after coordination with metal ions,which was able to meet the mechanical requirements of the bionic actuated hydrogels.This work demonstrated that combining light-programmed and light-responsive shape-memory hydrogels,complemented by another independent response property,could achieve complex and reversible programmed actuations.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.81641002.81841001 and 31971245)Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences of CAS(No.ZDBS-LY-SLH036).
文摘The interstitial space, a widespread fluid-filled compartment throughout the body, is related to many pathophysiological alterations and diseases, attracting increasing attention. The vital role of interstitial space in malaria infection and treatment has been neglected current research efforts. We confirmed the reinfection capacity of parasites sequestrated in interstitial space, which replenish the mechanism of recurrence. Malaria parasite-infected mice were treated with artemisinin-loaded liposomes through the interstitial space and exhibited a better therapeutic response. Notably, compared with oral administration, interstitial administration showed an unexpectedly high activation and recruitment of immune cells, and resulted in better clearance of sequestered parasites from organs, and enhanced pathological recovery. The interstitial route of administration prolongs the blood circulation time of artemisinin and increases its plasma concentration, and may compensate for the inefficiency of oral administration and the nanotoxicity of intravenous administration, providing a potential strategy for infectious disease therapy.
基金Chinese Academy of Sciences,Grant/Award Number:ZDBS-LY-SLH036CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences,Grant/Award Number:2023-I2M-3-009+1 种基金Science and Technology Support Program of Jiangsu Province,Grant/Award Number:BZ2022056Ministry of Education-Singapore,Grant/Award Number:Tier 1 A-8000013-00-00。
文摘Integrated multimodal imaging in theranostics nanomaterials offers extensive prospects for precise and noninvasive cancer treatment.Precisely controlling the structural evolution of plasmonic nanoparticles is crucial in the development of pho-tothermal agents.However,previous successes have been limited to static assemblies and single-component structures.Here,an activatable plasmonic theranostics system utilizing self-assembled 1D silver-coated gold nanochains(1D nanochains)is pre-sented for precise tumor diagnosis and effective treatment.The absorbance of the adaptable core–shell chain structure can shift from visible to near-infrared(NIR)regions due to the fusion between nearby Au@Ag nanoparticles induced by ele-vated H2O2 levels in the tumor microenvironment(TME),resulting in the creation of a novel 3D aggregates with strong NIR absorption.With a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 60.2%at 808 nm,nanochains utilizing the TME-activated characteristics show remarkable qualities for photoacoustic imaging and signifi-cantly limit tumor growth in vivo.This study may pave the way for precise tumor diagnosis and treatment through customizable,optically tunable adaptive plasmonic nanostructures.
