Search Results (667)

Wound management continues to represent a major global healthcare challenge, with the wound care market growing each year and a rising incidence of chronic wounds worldwide. Effective wound healing requires dressings that protect injured tissue, prevent infection, and actively modulate the wound microenvironment to promote tissue regeneration. In recent years, smart polymeric wound dressings have emerged as a functional, more advanced class of wound dressings, engineered from materials capable of responding to stimuli. Physically responsive systems include moisture-adaptive dressings that prevent wound dryness or maceration, pressure-sensitive dressings incorporating flexible capacitive sensors for high mechanical stress mapping, thermoresponsive dressings exploiting sol–gel transitions for temperature-controlled drug release, light-responsive dressings enabling photothermal and photodynamic therapy, and electro-responsive dressings integrating conductive polymers for self-powered electrical stimulation or closed-loop wound monitoring. Chemically responsive systems exploit endogenous biochemical signals, including pH shifts for wound monitoring, reactive oxygen species-cleavable bonds for on-demand drug release, and glucose-responsive platforms for autonomous glycemic regulation in diabetic wounds. Biologically responsive dressings use enzymatic triggers, such as matrix metalloproteinases, hyaluronidase, and bacterial proteases, to achieve autonomous drug delivery. Film-forming sprays further expand the versatility of smart polymeric dressings by enabling contactless application adaptable to irregular wound shapes. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the design, stimuli-responsive mechanisms, characterization methods, and therapeutic outcomes of smart polymeric dressings for wound treatment. Despite promising preclinical results, challenges related to clinical translation, regulatory standardization, and scalable production remain and must be addressed to facilitate widespread clinical adoption. Future directions include multi-stimuli responsive platforms, artificial intelligence-guided wound monitoring, bioprinting of specific dressings, and environmentally sustainable biomaterial design. Full article

Prostate cancer (PC) is one of the most common cancers in men globally and there is an urgent need for new immune-based approaches because many traditional therapies, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and anti-androgens, have limitations. Due to their distinct physicochemical and biological features, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are emerging as a potential nanoplatform for the development of strategies in prostate cancer therapy. These features include tunable size, shape, and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and high surface-to-volume ratio, which result in enhanced drug loading, targeted delivery and improved bioavailability. In addition, AuNPs can also be functionalized for active targeting to promote selective accumulation in tumors while minimizing systemic toxicity. In addition, the intrinsic optical and photothermal properties of these nanoparticles allow them to serve for PTT, radiosensitization and multimodal imaging, i.e., CT (computed tomography) and photoacoustic imaging. These have shown potential in pre-clinical and clinical evaluation but face issues with long-term toxicity, biodistribution and large-scale manufacturing. In this review, we summarize the organizing features, functional properties, therapeutic activities and translational potentials of AuNPs in prostate cancer treatment, with emphasis on their contributions towards precision nanomedicine. Full article

Breast cancer treatment still faces challenges including local recurrence, systemic toxicity, tumor heterogeneity, drug resistance, and immunosuppression. Conventional systemic administration provides limited exposure at the tumor site and exhibits significant toxicity. Injectable hydrogels, combining the properties of minimally invasive administration, in situ gelation, local retention, and sustained release, have become a key platform for local precision drug delivery. Compared with nanomedicines or free drugs, hydrogels can both prolong drug retention time and achieve on-demand release through the modulation of crosslinking density, degradation rate, and responsive chemical bonds. This review is organized around the material logic of such systems. Injectable hydrogels are first classified into natural, synthetic, hybrid, supramolecular, nanocomposite, and self-healing systems, the in situ gelation chemistries available to each are compared, and network parameters such as crosslinking density, mesh size, swelling, porosity, modulus, and rheology are related to release kinetics and intratumoral retention. Current research is primarily advancing along two directions: one is the construction of pH-, enzyme-, redox/ROS-, hypoxia-, ATP-, glucose-or thermo-responsive hydrogels; the other is achieving active targeting by integrating functionalized hydrogels with targets such as CD44, folate receptor, integrins, EGFR, transferrin receptor, and HER2 or with biomimetic cell-membrane coatings. On this basis, hydrogels have been extended to cancer vaccines, immune checkpoint modulation, local delivery of CAR-T/CAR-NK, as well as combination therapies involving chemotherapy, photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, chemodynamic therapy, sonodynamic therapy, radiosensitization, gene therapy, and theranostics. The constraints imposed on hydrogel design by different payload classes, including small molecules, natural products, proteins and peptides, nucleic acids, antibodies, exosomes, and gene-editing machinery, are further examined, and imaging-integrated theranostic gels are discussed together with the emerging role of machine learning and digital fabrication in hydrogel optimization. Based on the biological foundations of breast cancer, this review summarizes advances in the material design, microenvironment-responsive release, targeting strategies, immunomodulation, and combination therapy of hydrogels, critically evaluates the limitations of each strategy, and aims to provide a reference for the design of mechanistically well-defined and translatable hydrogel delivery systems for breast cancer. Full article

Freshwater shortages have attracted increasing global concern. Solar-driven evaporation from wastewater or seawater has emerged as a promising technology to collect fresh water; however, achieving high-evaporation efficiency remains a significant challenge. Here, we propose a capillary-regulated solar evaporator, CHALS, derived from agricultural waste—specifically, lotus stems. CHALS is constructed by the carbonization and hydrophilization of a compressed assembly of lotus stems. The compression, followed by carbonization, narrows the straight capillary channels; subsequent oxygen plasma treatment optimizes surface hydrophilicity. The two synergistic effects jointly elevate the Laplace capillary driving force to greatly accelerate internal water transportation. Meanwhile, the straight-through channels provide the shortest pathway for water transportation. Moreover, the efficient photothermal conversion raises the surface temperature of CHALS up to 65 °C. Benefiting from these synergistic effects, CHALS achieves an evaporation rate of 2.60 kg·m⁻²·h⁻¹ under 1 sun irradiation. The work not only provides an agricultural waste-derived solar evaporator but also establishes a capillary-regulation strategy to boost solar evaporation efficiency. Full article

Nanoplastics (NPs) in drinking water should be interpreted as the downstream analytical endpoint of a broader continuum of aquatic plastic pollution rather than as an isolated problem. Their detection remains analytically immature because environmentally relevant concentrations are low, particle chemistries are heterogeneous, natural colloids and treatment residuals interfere with measurement, and no single method can simultaneously resolve size, morphology, polymer identity, and mass concentration. Unlike occurrence-centered reviews, this PRISMA-guided review treats drinking-water nanoplastics as a metrological and molecular-identification problem in which preprocessing, particle-level confirmation, polymer-specific quantification, and uncertainty reporting must be integrated. A formal search was closed on 11 April 2026 using prespecified query families across publicly accessible scholarly records and backward citation chaining; 33 unique records were screened, 25 full texts were assessed, and 22 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. Current evidence indicates that conventional FTIR and routine Raman workflows are inadequate for true nanoscale analysis, whereas advanced Raman-based approaches, AFM-IR, optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry offer complementary strengths but still have major limitations in throughput, particle-level information, or quantification. The main conclusion is that current uncertainty reflects unresolved analytical chemistry and metrological constraints as much as environmental variability. Regulatory progress will depend on orthogonal workflows, contamination-controlled preprocessing, validated reference materials, LOD/LOQ reporting, and interlaboratory harmonization. Full article

Detection of nanoplastics in drinking-water systems is only the first analytical step toward exposure interpretation; the next challenge is source attribution. This review examines molecular fingerprinting and transformation pathways that can link nanoscale polymer signals to source waters, drinking-water treatment, distribution infrastructure, packaging materials, laboratory background, or aging processes across the potable-water chain. Nanoplastics are treated here as operationally defined particles below 1 µm, including intentionally manufactured primary nanoplastics and secondary nanoplastics generated by fragmentation, abrasion, weathering, treatment, storage, or packaging stress. The synthesis evaluates how polymer identity, particle morphology, surface oxidation, additive and oligomer profiles, thermal degradation markers, matrix context, and quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) can be combined into defensible source assignments. Analytical platforms considered include surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), atomic force microscopy–infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR), optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy (O-PTIR), stimulated Raman scattering microscopy (SRS), pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation coupled to Py-GC/MS (AF4-Py-GC/MS), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), and chemometric workflows. The central conclusion is that source attribution cannot be inferred from polymer identity alone; robust interpretation requires convergent evidence from particle-level chemistry, polymer-specific mass, additive or marker-ion signatures, aging state, blanks, recovery, and contextual sampling design. Full article

Peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) is a common, prognostically unfavorable manifestation of advanced gastrointestinal and gynecological malignancies whose treatment is constrained by the blood-peritoneal barrier, which limits drug penetration even when cytoreductive surgery is combined with systemic chemotherapy. This review evaluates current intraperitoneal treatment modalities and emerging technologies for overcoming this limitation, based on recent clinical trials and meta-analyses identified through Scopus and PubMed. We sequentially examine conventional intraperitoneal chemotherapy (IPC); hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in ovarian, gastric, and colorectal cancers, with attention to patient selection and the peritoneal cancer index as determinants of survival benefit; pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) and its electrostatic precipitation variant (ePIPAC); and photodynamic and photothermal therapy for tumor treatment. Novel strategies are also discussed, including IPC combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors, optical dosimetry, and nanomedicine-based drug delivery as tools for improving treatment precision. Overall, management of PC is transitioning toward a personalized, multimodal approach: HIPEC and PIPAC provide standardized platforms for regional therapy, but future progress depends on integrating advanced drug delivery systems, immunotherapy, and real-time intraoperative monitoring, with standardization of protocols through large multicenter trials remaining a priority for translating these modalities into clinical practice. Full article

The round window membrane (RWM) presents a major barrier to local drug delivery into the inner ear. Although magnetically guided superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have shown promise for enhancing transport across the RWM, the effectiveness of magnetic-field-driven delivery decreases rapidly with distance from the magnet, limiting clinical applicability. In this study, PEGylated SPIONs were investigated as externally actuated carriers for enhanced transport across membrane barriers using magnetic, photothermal, ultrasonic, and vibrational stimulation. Nanoparticle transport was evaluated using a custom dual-chamber benchtop platform containing porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS) membranes as a model transport barrier. Transport studies demonstrated that magnetic-field-assisted delivery significantly increased magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) transport rates relative to passive diffusion; however, transport enhancement decreased sharply with increasing magnet-to-membrane distance. To overcome this limitation, alternative external actuation strategies were explored. Laser-induced photothermal heating, ultrasonication, and mechanical vibration all significantly enhanced MNP transport, even in the absence of magnetic fields. Among the conditions examined, combined magnetic and photothermal stimulation produced the highest transport rates, indicating synergistic enhancement. These results show that MNP transport can be effectively enhanced through magnetic, thermal, and mechanical mechanisms. The findings establish a multimodal transport-engineering framework for improving drug delivery across the RWM and suggest clinically translatable alternatives to magnetic-field-only approaches for inner-ear therapy. Full article

Graphene oxide (GO), a functionalized derivative of graphene, has emerged as one of the most promising nanomaterials for biomedical applications owing to its unique physicochemical properties, including a large specific surface area, abundant oxygen-containing functional groups, excellent dispersibility, and versatile surface chemistry. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the progress made between 2005 and 2025 in the development and application of GO-based nanomaterials across diverse biomedical fields, including drug and gene delivery, cancer therapy, tissue engineering, antimicrobial treatment, bioimaging, and biosensing. Recent studies demonstrate that GO serves as an effective platform for the delivery of therapeutic agents, enabling targeted delivery, controlled release, and enhanced cellular uptake. Functionalized GO systems have also shown considerable potential in gene delivery and cancer treatment, particularly in combined therapeutic approaches involving chemotherapy and photothermal therapy. Furthermore, GO-based composites have been widely explored in tissue engineering due to their ability to support cell growth, proliferation, and tissue regeneration. In antimicrobial applications, GO exhibits promising activity against a broad range of microorganisms through multiple mechanisms, while its optical and magnetic properties have facilitated advancements in multimodal bioimaging and biosensing technologies. Despite these significant advances, challenges remain regarding the clinical translation of GO-based nanomaterials. Variations in synthesis methods, physicochemical properties, and surface modifications contribute to differences in biological responses, including biocompatibility and toxicity. The long-term safety, environmental impact, and lack of standardized evaluation protocols continue to be major concerns. Overall, graphene oxide represents a versatile and multifunctional nanomaterial with substantial potential for next-generation biomedical applications; however, further studies are required to establish standardized fabrication methods, comprehensive safety assessments, and clinically relevant performance evaluations. Full article

Osteosarcoma, the most common primary malignant bone tumor in adolescents, faces treatment challenges due to metastasis and chemoresistance. This study developed a novel Au@Rh core–shell nanoparticle system functionalized with indocyanine green (ICG) to overcome hypoxia-limited photodynamic therapy (PDT). Au@Rh nanoparticles were synthesized via wet chemistry and characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, TEM, and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The system exhibited a core–shell morphology, well-defined crystalline planes, photothermal conversion and electrocatalytic activity. The Au@Rh nanoparticles (109 nm total size, 90 nm Au core, and 15 nm Rh shell) demonstrated dual functionality: the gold core provided photothermal conversion (a 7 °C temperature increase under NIR irradiation), while the rhodium shell exhibited pH-independent electrocatalytic activity for H₂O₂ decomposition, generating oxygen to alleviate tumor hypoxia. Crucially, the system showed excellent biocompatibility, with no significant cytotoxicity in both osteosarcoma (HOS) or normal osteoblast (hFOB) cells after 48 h of exposure. When activated by NIR irradiation (808 nm, 16.6 J/cm²), the complete Au@Rh-ICG system achieved selective 67% cytotoxicity in HOS cells versus only 30% in hFOB cells, demonstrating targeted therapeutic efficacy. These results position Au@Rh-ICG as a promising theranostic platform for osteosarcoma treatment, combining enhanced PDT with photothermal therapy while addressing tumor hypoxia. Full article

Repairing large bone defects remains a clinical challenge in orthopedics. Near-infrared (NIR) photothermal therapy (PTT) has recently expanded from high-temperature tumor ablation to the field of mild bone regeneration. Maintaining temperatures within a mild window of 40–42 °C accelerates bone healing by activating osteogenic signals, modulating the immune microenvironment, and providing antibacterial effects. It is important to note that the therapeutic efficacy is highly dependent on the precise control of both temperature and exposure duration: temperatures exceeding 42–43 °C can induce cell apoptosis, while temperatures above 45 °C typically cause necrosis. The reviewed studies employed controlled exposure times (typically 5–15 min per session) to maintain cell viability above 85%, with functional assessments confirming preserved osteogenic differentiation capacity of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and maintained macrophage plasticity after mild photothermal treatment. This performance depends on photothermal conversion materials. This paper reviews the applications of MXene, black phosphorus (BP), polydopamine/graphene oxide (PDA/GO), and metal-based nanomaterials in bone repair. We also analyze photothermal-based immune regulation, sequential repair strategies, and tumor theranostics. Finally, we discuss current challenges and future trends to guide the design of next-generation smart bone repair materials. Full article

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), devoid of actionable targets for endocrine or HER2-directed therapy, is highly aggressive with elevated risks of recurrence and metastasis; surgical resection remains the mainstay of treatment, and postoperative chemotherapy serves as a key adjuvant modality for controlling residual disease. Doxorubicin (DOX), although widely used, shows limited tumor selectivity, considerable systemic toxicity, and poor control over drug release at the tumor site. To address these issues, we developed near-infrared (NIR)-responsive gold-decorated phase-change nanodroplets (AuNPs-DOX-NDs) that combine photothermal conversion, liquid-to-gas phase transition, and controlled DOX release in a single platform. Methods: The nanodroplets consisted of a perfluorohexane (PFH) core, a DOX-loaded lipid shell, and polyethyleneimine-modified gold nanoparticles (PEI-AuNPs) conjugated to the surface as the NIR photothermal component. Physicochemical characterization was performed to evaluate morphology, colloidal dispersity, and storage stability. Under 808 nm laser irradiation, the photothermal behavior, PFH vaporization, and DOX release properties of AuNPs-DOX-NDs were investigated. In vitro studies using 4T1 TNBC cells were conducted to assess intracellular DOX accumulation, cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis. Results: Physicochemical characterization showed that the nanodroplets had a uniform nanoscale morphology, good colloidal dispersity, and acceptable storage stability. Under 808 nm laser irradiation, AuNPs-DOX-NDs exhibited concentration-dependent photothermal heating, which induced PFH vaporization and accelerated DOX release, indicating a clear stimulus-responsive release behavior. In vitro studies using 4T1 TNBC cells showed enhanced intracellular DOX accumulation after treatment with AuNPs-DOX-NDs. Upon laser irradiation, the nanodroplets further inhibited cell proliferation and migration and promoted apoptosis, suggesting an enhanced combined photothermal–chemotherapeutic effect in 4T1 TNBC cells. Conclusions: These results indicate that AuNPs-DOX-NDs may serve as a useful NIR-responsive platform for externally controlled drug release and enhanced combined photothermal-chemotherapy, and deserve further evaluation in vivo. Full article

Hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HSNs) were synthesized via the Stöber method using resorcinol–formaldehyde resin as a template and further developed as a multifunctional nanocarrier for synergistic chemo–photothermal therapy. Docetaxel (DTX) and indocyanine green (ICG) were co-loaded into HSNs as the prodrug and photothermal agent. The loading sequence of these agents can critically affect encapsulation efficiency. Preloading DTX followed by ICG incorporation achieved the highest drug loading (38.65%) and preserved the photoactivity of ICG. The resulting ICG&DTX@NH₂-HSNs exhibited strong and stable near-infrared photothermal conversion, as well as pH- and laser-responsive drug release behavior. In vitro studies confirmed efficient cellular uptake by 4T1 tumor cells and enhanced cytotoxicity compared with single treatments. In vivo experiments demonstrated significant tumor growth suppression in 4T1 tumor-bearing mice, with the greatest effect observed under combined ICG&DTX@NH₂-HSNs and laser irradiation. Importantly, histological analysis of major organs revealed no obvious toxicity, confirming the biosafety of the present nanoplatform. This study confirmed the potential of hollow mesoporous silica-based nanocarriers as safe and effective platforms for combined chemotherapy and photothermal cancer therapy. Full article

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is highly malignant with poor prognosis. Its dense tumor microenvironment severely limits the efficacy of conventional chemotherapy and causes severe side-effects. Herein, we adopt the established Schiff-base crosslinked thermoresponsive injectable self-healing poly(2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl methacrylate-co-oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate-co-aldehyde 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)/carboxymethyl chitosan (APMOH/CMCS) hydrogel as the delivery scaffold. By regulating monomer composition, the volume phase transition temperature (T_VPT) of the hydrogel was tuned to around 43 °C to match the therapeutic temperature requirement. Subsequently, copper–metal organic framework (Cu-MOF) nanoparticles co-loaded with 2,2′-azobis(2-methylimidazoline) dihydrochloride (AIPH) and 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) cationic radicals (ABTS·⁺) (denoted as AB@Cu-MOF) were uniformly incorporated into the hydrogel network. Under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation, ABTS·⁺ acts as a photothermal agent to generate hyperthermia for tumor ablation; the elevated temperature further activates AIPH to produce alkyl radicals, which can oxidize inactivated ABTS back to ABTS·⁺ and construct a sustainable photothermal therapy–thermodynamic therapy (PTT-TDT) circulation. Meanwhile, Cu-MOF can consume intracellular glutathione (GSH) to protect active components from deactivation and initiate chemodynamic therapy (CDT) via Fenton-like reactions to produce toxic reactive oxygen species. Benefiting from the thermoresponsive characteristic, the hydrogel undergoes volume shrinkage upon heating, achieving NIR-triggered on-demand drug release with a cumulative release rate of 81.1%. In vitro and in vivo experiments verified that this integrated platform realizes remarkable triple synergistic efficacy of PTT, TDT, and CDT. The tumor volume of the treatment group was merely 13.3% of the control group, and the system also exhibited excellent biocompatibility. Collectively, it offers a feasible and promising intelligent platform for precise local treatment of pancreatic cancer. Full article

Donor–acceptor (D–A) molecular systems are gaining increasing attention in cancer imaging and phototherapy due to their tunable optical properties and high photosensitizing efficiency. Encapsulation of such D–A molecules in nano-sized polymeric carriers can enhance the efficiency of antitumor therapy by passive tumor accumulation and controlled drug release. Here, we synthesized two D–A molecules—TTDCV and TTInd—based on triphenylamine with thiophene π-spacers and electron-withdrawing dicyanovinyl or indene-1,3-dione moieties. These molecules were used to preparate nanoparticles (NPs) via nanoprecipitation with amphiphilic polymers—poly(ethylene glycol)-block polylactide methyl ether (PEG-b-PLA) and polyethylene oxide-polypropylene oxide (PEO-PPO-PEO, Pluronic^® F-127). The resulting NPs had spherical morphology, core–shell structure and a tunable mean size (66–139 nm), depending on the polymer type used. Photothermal and photodynamic properties of the NPs were confirmed by intracellular reactive oxygen species generation and efficient heating even under 530 nm low dose irradiation (1 J/cm²), leading to substantial in vitro cytotoxicity against Sk-Br-3 and MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. Pluronic-encapsulated systems showed the strongest effect, reducing IC₅₀ values down to 0.99 µg/mL and achieving phototoxicity indices up to 22, accompanied by increased intracellular accumulation studied by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. This study establishes relationships between molecular design, encapsulation approaches, and the biological performance of nanoparticles, enabling the rational engineering of D–A-derived nanotherapeutics for precision cancer treatment. Full article