The role of graphene quantum dots in cutting‐edge medical therapies

Polymers for Advanced Technologies, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 35(9)

Published: Sept. 1, 2024

Abstract Graphene quantum dots (GQDs), owing to their unique optical, electrical, and chemical properties, have emerged as promising nanomaterials for various biomedical applications. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in utilization GQDs tissue engineering, wound healing, drug delivery systems, other therapies. The inherent properties GQDs, including high biocompatibility, tunable photoluminescence, significant surface area, make them ideal candidates enhancing medical treatments diagnostics. In improve mechanical biological performance scaffolds, promoting cell proliferation differentiation. For enhance antimicrobial activity facilitate faster regeneration. Their potential DDS is highlighted by ability deliver therapeutic agents efficiently, ensuring targeted controlled release. Additionally, play crucial role therapies, particularly cancer treatment, efficacy reducing side effects. While offer diagnostics, challenges such understanding long‐term cytotoxicity at higher concentrations, need standardized synthesis methods remain critical areas further research. also discusses future directions opportunities emphasizing transformative advancing modern healthcare solutions. insights presented here contribute expanding field GQD research, highlighting significantly patient outcomes drive innovations.

Language: Английский

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Zwitterionic Polymers for Biomedical Applications: Antimicrobial and Antifouling Strategies toward Implantable Medical Devices and Drug Delivery

Langmuir, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 40(44), P. 23125 - 23145

Published: Oct. 25, 2024

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is extensively utilized in biomedical applications due to its biocompatibility; however, thermal instability and susceptibility oxidative degradation significantly constrain long-term effectiveness. Zwitterionic polymers, characterized by their distinctive structure, enhanced stability, superior biocompatibility, offer a more advantageous alternative. These polymers exhibit super hydrophilicity, resist nonspecific protein adsorption, maintain stability biological environments charge-neutral ionic nature. enhance anticancer drug delivery precisely targeting tumor cells facilitating an efficient release. Their inherent antifouling properties prolonged circulation within the bloodstream render them highly suitable for redox-sensitive carriers, thereby augmenting antitumor efficacy. Moreover, zwitterionic markedly mitigate biofouling implants, biosensors, wound dressings, improving both functionality therapeutic outcomes. advantages arise from formation of robust hydration layers, which hemocompatibility inhibit adhesion proteins, platelets, bacteria. including sulfobetaine (SB), phosphorylcholine (PC), carboxybetaine (CB), are increasingly employed blood-contacting devices as effective coating materials implantable devices. This mini-review paper aims explore recent diverse highlight compared with unmodified polymers. We will cover use systems, nanocarriers, antibiofouling antibacterial activities devices, tissue engineering, diagnostic demonstrating how unique can translate into different applications. Through this exploration, Perspective display potential innovative polymer field engineering beyond.

Language: Английский

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Graphene Quantum Dots as Antifibrotic Therapy for Kidney Disease

ACS Applied Bio Materials, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Jan. 15, 2025

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have received much attention for their biomedical applications, such as bioimaging and drug delivery. Additionally, they antioxidant anti-inflammatory properties. We used GQDs to treat renal fibrosis confirmed ability protect cells from excessive oxidative stress in vitro vivo. Tubulointerstitial was induced by unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) 7- 8-week-old male C57BL/6 mice. were administered intravenous injection mimic clinical treatment. The levels of stress, ROS production, apoptosis proinflammatory cytokines the activity TGFβ1/Smad pathway evaluated after treatment with GQDs. In vitro, rhTGF-β1 induce primary kidney tubule epithelial cells. alleviated morphological changes UUO induction. At mRNA protein levels, significantly reduced expression fibrotic markers cytokines, decreased production TGF-β1 expression, affected Smad-dependent signaling pathways. inhibited rhTGF-β1-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition accumulation. This study revealed role fibrosis: effectively attenuated major fibrogenesis events inhibiting accumulation vicious cycle TGF-β1/Smad pathways, well alleviating cell inflammation. Thus, may be a therapeutic option chronic disease progression.

Language: Английский

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Nanozymes for Treating Ocular Diseases

Advanced Healthcare Materials, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: May 13, 2024

Nanozymes, characterized by their nanoscale size and enzyme-like catalytic activities, exhibit diverse therapeutic potentials, including anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-angiogenic effects. These properties make them highly valuable in nanomedicine, particularly ocular therapy, bypassing the need for systemic delivery. Nanozymes show significant promise tackling multi-factored diseases, those influenced oxidation inflammation, like dry eye disease, age-related macular degeneration. Their small size, coupled with ease of modification integration into soft materials, facilitates effective penetration barriers, thereby enabling targeted or prolonged therapy within eye. This review is dedicated to exploring diseases that are intricately linked shedding light on role nanozymes managing these conditions. Additionally, recent studies elucidating advanced applications therapeutics, along materials disease management, discussed. Finally, this outlines directions future investigations aimed at bridging gap between nanozyme research clinical applications.

Language: Английский

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Harnessing the power of traceable system C-GAP: homologous-targeting to fire up T-cell immune responses with low-dose irradiation

Journal of Nanobiotechnology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 23(1)

Published: March 12, 2025

While radiotherapy-induced immunogenic cell death (ICD) holds potential for enhancing cancer immunotherapy, the conventional high-dose irradiation often leads to an immunosuppressive microenvironment and systemic toxicity. Therefore, a biomimetic nanoplatform membrane coated-nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots combined with Au nanoparticles (C-GAP) was developed in this study. Firstly, homologous traceable targeting features of C-GAP enables tumor-selective accumulation, providing reference selection timing radiotherapy. Secondly, radiosensitization by Low-dose (LDI) amplifies reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation trigger potent ICD. Thirdly, remarkable immune remodeling induced enhances CD8+ T infiltration effector function. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed that C-GAP-LDI combination upregulates TNF CCL signaling pathway expression tumor-infiltrating cells which potentiates tumor eradication. Our findings present novel approach safe effective radioimmunotherapy, where sensitized LDI achieves therapeutic enhancement through precise ICD induction activation.

Language: Английский

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Bringing ophthalmology into the scientific world: Novel nanoparticle-based strategies for ocular drug delivery

The Ocular Surface, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: March 1, 2025

Language: Английский

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High-Resolution Tracking of Aging-Related Small Molecules: Bridging Pollutant Exposure, Brain Aging Mechanisms, and Detection Innovations

Biosensors, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 15(4), P. 242 - 242

Published: April 11, 2025

Brain aging is a complex process regulated by genetic, environmental, and metabolic factors, increasing evidence suggests that environmental pollutants can significantly accelerate this interfering with oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial function-related signaling pathways. Traditional studies have focused on the direct damage of macromolecules (e.g., proteins, DNA), while central role senescence-associated small molecules ROS, PGE2, lactate) in early regulatory mechanisms has been long neglected. In study, we innovatively proposed cascade framework "small molecule imbalance-signaling pathway dysregulation-macromolecule collapse", which reveals exacerbate dynamics brain through activation NLRP3 inflammatory vesicles inhibition HIF-1α. Meanwhile, to address technical bottleneck spatiotemporal monitoring, paper systematically reviews cutting-edge detection tools such as electrochemical sensors, genetically encoded fluorescent probes antioxidant quantum dots (AQDs). Among them, AQDs show unique advantages real-time monitoring ROS fluctuations intervention virtue their ultra-high specific surface area, controllable modification, free radical scavenging ability. By integrating multimodal techniques mechanism studies, work provides new perspective for analyzing pollutant-induced lays methodological foundation strategies based networks.

Language: Английский

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Inactivation of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria by Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots through Spontaneous Generation of Intracellular and Extracellular Reactive Oxygen Species

Materials Today Bio, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 30, P. 101428 - 101428

Published: Dec. 24, 2024

The widespread antibiotic resistance has called for alternative antimicrobial agents. Carbon nanomaterials, especially carbon quantum dots (CQDs), may be promising alternatives due to their desirable physicochemical properties and potential activity, but mechanism remains investigated. In this study, nitrogen-doped (N-CQDs) were synthesized inactivate antibiotic-resistant bacteria treat bacterial keratitis. N-CQDs via a facile hydrothermal approach displayed uniform particle size of less than 10 nm, featuring graphitic structure functional groups including -OH -NH2. demonstrated activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) methicillin-resistant S. aureus, which was both dose- time-dependent, reducing the survival rate below 1 %. confirmed by live/dead staining. in vivo studies, more efficient treating drug-resistant keratitis corneal damage compared common levofloxacin. shown generate intracellular extracellular ROS, potentially caused oxidative stress, membrane disruption, cell death. This supported scanning transmission electron microscopy, significant regulation genes related increased protein lactate dehydrogenase leakage. study provided insight into development, application, applications.

Language: Английский

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