Self-Assembling Polymer Micelle/Clay Nanodisk/Doxorubicin Hybrid Injectable Gels for Safe and Efficient Focal Treatment of Cancer

The purpose of this study was to fabricate a safe and effective doxorubicin (DOX)-delivery system for focal cancer chemotherapy. A novel biodegradable injectable gel was developed through self-assembly of poly­(d,l-lactide-<i>co</i>-glycolide)-<i>b</i>-poly­(ethylene glycol)-<i>b</i>-poly­(d,l-lactide-<i>co</i>-glycolide) (PLGA-PEG-PLGA) copolymer micelles, clay nanodisks (CNDs), and DOX. We discovered that DOX loaded in the hybrid gels acts as an anticancer drug and as a building block to organize new gel networks. Accordingly, long-term sustained release of DOX from hybrid injectable gels without initial burst release was achieved. Moreover, it was revealed that the DOX incorporated into gel networks controls its own release profile. This hybrid injectable gel is a self-controlled drug release system, which is a novel concept in controlled drug release. Importantly, a single injection of PLGA-PEG-PLGA/CND/DOX hybrid gel provides long-term sustained antitumor activity in vivo against human xenograft tumors in mice, suggesting the potential of hybrid gels as a valuable local DOX-delivery platform for cancer focal therapy

Enhanced Immunostimulating Activity of Lactobacilli-Mimicking Materials by Controlling Size

The design and synthesis of materials capable of activating the immune system in a safe manner is of great interest in immunology and related fields. Lactobacilli activate the innate immune system of a host when acting as probiotics. Here, we constructed lactobacilli-mimicking materials in which polysaccharide–peptidoglycan complexes (PS–PGs) derived from lactobacilli were covalently conjugated to the surfaces of polymeric microparticles with a wide variety of sizes, ranging from 200 nm to 3 μm. The artificial lactobacilli successfully stimulated macrophages without cytotoxicity. Importantly, we found that the size of artificial lactobacilli strongly influenced their immunostimulating activities, and that artificial lactobacilli of 1 μm exhibited 10-fold higher activity than natural lactobacilli. One major advantage of the artificial lactobacilli is facile control of size, which cannot be changed in natural lactobacilli. These findings provide new insights into the design of materials for immunology as well as the molecular biology of lactobacillus