Production and Application of Cellulose, Dietary Fiber, and Nanocellulose from Bamboo Shoot

The cellulose from bamboo has excellent toughness, hygroscopicity, and high crystallinity. Bamboo shoot dietary fiber can modulate the gut microbiota to prevent high-fat diet-induced obesity and can be applied for food fortification. Bamboo shoot contains a low content of lignin and is extracted easily for nanocellulose, which is used to prepare all kinds of composite materials. In this chapter, lignification process of bamboo shoot shells will first be discussed to reveal the principle of lignification. Then, the preparation methods and applications of cellulose, dietary fiber, and nanocellulose from bamboo shoots that were successively generalized to further improve the exploration and application of bamboo shoots or bamboo shoot wastes such as bamboo shoot shells

Application of graphene-based materials for detection of nitrate and nitrite in water—a review

Nitrite and nitrate are widely found in various water environments but the potential toxicity of nitrite and nitrate poses a great threat to human health. Recently, many methods have been developed to detect nitrate and nitrite in water. One of them is to use graphene-based materials. Graphene is a two-dimensional carbon nano-material with sp2 hybrid orbital, which has a large surface area and excellent conductivity and electron transfer ability. It is widely used for modifying electrodes for electrochemical sensors. Graphene based electrochemical sensors have the advantages of being low cost, effective and efficient for nitrite and nitrate detection. This paper reviews the application of graphene-based nanomaterials for electrochemical detection of nitrate and nitrite in water. The properties and advantages of the electrodes were modified by graphene, graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite in the development of nitrite sensors are discussed in detail. Based on the review, the paper summarizes the working conditions and performance of different sensors, including working potential, pH, detection range, detection limit, sensitivity, reproducibility, repeatability and long-term stability. Furthermore, the challenges and suggestions for future research on the application of graphene-based nanocomposite electrochemical sensors for nitrite detection are also highlighted

Reversing tumor stemness via orally targeted nanoparticles achieves efficient colon cancer treatment

The acquisition of stemness in colorectal cancer (CRC) attributed to the recurrence and metastasis in CRC treatment. Therefore, targeting the stemness of CRC forms a basis for the development of novel therapeutic approaches. However, the pain and systemic side effect from long-term of venipuncture injection remain great challenges to neoplastic treatment. Here, we introduce an oral drug delivery system for sustained release of BMI-1 inhibitor (PTC209) that reverse the stemness of CRC to over-come these obstacles. In this system, nanoparticles modified with hyaluronic acid (HA) showed high-affinity to CD44 / CD168 overexpressed-CRC cells, and efficiently targeted to tumor site in a metastatic orthotropic colon cancer mouse model by oral administration. Significantly, the observed tumor growth inhibition is accompanied by decreased expression of stemness markers in the tumor tissues. Furthermore, HA-NPs-PTC209 also significantly prevented metastasis to the gastrointestinal system, while failing to exhibit acute side effects. In summary, we have developed an orally active, easily synthesized nanomedicine that shows promise for the treatment of colon cancer

Sulforaphane Mediates Glutathione Depletion via Polymeric Nanoparticles to Restore Cisplatin Chemosensitivity

Platinum (Pt)-based chemotherapy is a widely used therapeutic regimen against various cancers. However, the insufficient cellular uptake, deactivation by thiol-containing species and nonspecific distribution of cisplatin (CDDP) result in its low chemosensitivity as well as systemic side effects, which can largely constrain the employment of CDDP in clinical treatment. To circumvent these problems, in this study, polymeric nanoparticles were utilized to co-deliver a water-soluble CDDP derivative, poly (γ, L-glutamic acid)-CDDP conjugate, and a naturally occurring compound derived from broccoli, sulforaphane, which can achieve efficient glutathione (GSH) depletion, to enhance the accumulation of CDDP in cancer cells. Results show that compared with combinational treatment of CDDP and SFN, the nanoparticles were more effectively internalized and could significantly reduce GSH content in breast cancer cells, leading to a notable increase in DNA-bound Pt and DNA damage-induced apoptosis. Moreover, in an orthotopic breast cancer model, the nanoparticles achieved a significantly higher tumor accumulation and exhibited a more powerful anti-tumor activity. Finally, this nano-enhanced chemotherapy was further confirmed in a liver cancer model with high-expression of GSH. Taken together, this sulforaphane-based nano-strategy holds great promise to enhance the sensitivity and therapeutic efficacy of Pt-based chemotherapy

Suppression of Tumor Energy Supply by Liposomal Nanoparticle-Mediated Inhibition of Aerobic Glycolysis

Aerobic glycolysis enables cancer cells to rapidly take up nutrients (e.g., nucleotides, amino acids, and lipids) and incorporate them into the biomass needed to produce a new cell. In contrast to existing chemotherapy/radiotherapy strategies, inhibiting aerobic glycolysis to limit the adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) yield is a highly efficient approach for suppressing tumor cell proliferation. However, most, if not all, current inhibitors of aerobic glycolysis cause significant adverse effects because of their nonspecific delivery and distribution to nondiseased organs, low bioavailability, and a narrow therapeutic window. New strategies to enhance the biosafety and efficacy of these inhibitors are needed for moving them into clinical applications. To address this need, we developed a liposomal nanocarrier functionalized with a well-validated tumor-targeting peptide to specifically deliver the aerobic glycolysis inhibitor 3-bromopyruvate (3-BP) into the tumor tissue. The nanoparticles effectively targeted tumors after systemic administration into tumor-bearing mice and suppressed tumor growth by locally releasing 3-BP to inhibit the ATP production of the tumor cells. No overt side effects were observed in the major organs. This report demonstrates the potential utility of the nanoparticle-enabled delivery of an aerobic glycolysis inhibitor as an anticancer therapeutic agent

Learning and Memory Alterations Are Associated with Hippocampal N-acetylaspartate in a Rat Model of Depression as Measured by 1H-MRS

It is generally accepted that cognitive processes, such as learning and memory, are affected in depression. The present study used a rat model of depression, chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), to determine whether hippocampal volume and neurochemical changes were involved in learning and memory alterations. A further aim was to determine whether these effects could be ameliorated by escitalopram treatment, as assessed with the non-invasive techniques of structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Our results demonstrated that CUMS had a dramatic influence on spatial cognitive performance in the Morris water maze task, and CUMS reduced the concentration of neuronal marker N-acetylaspartate (NAA) in the hippocampus. These effects could be significantly reversed by repeated administration of escitalopram. However, neither chronic stress nor escitalopram treatment influenced hippocampal volume. Of note, the learning and memory alterations of the rats were associated with right hippocampal NAA concentration. Our results indicate that in depression, NAA may be a more sensitive measure of cognitive function than hippocampal volume

Intelligent nanomaterials for cancer therapy: recent progresses and future possibilities

Intelligent nanomedicine is currently one of the most active frontiers in cancer therapy development. Empowered by the recent progresses of nanobiotechnology, a new generation of multifunctional nanotherapeutics and imaging platforms has remarkably improved our capability to cope with the highly heterogeneous and complicated nature of cancer. With rationally designed multifunctionality and programmable assembly of functional subunits, the in vivo behaviors of intelligent nanosystems have become increasingly tunable, making them more efficient in performing sophisticated actions in physiological and pathological microenvironments. In recent years, intelligent nanomaterial-based theranostic platforms have showed great potential in tumor-targeted delivery, biological barrier circumvention, multi-responsive tumor sensing and drug release, as well as convergence with precise medication approaches such as personalized tumor vaccines. On the other hand, the increasing system complexity of anti-cancer nanomedicines also pose significant challenges in characterization, monitoring and clinical use, requesting a more comprehensive and dynamic understanding of nano-bio interactions. This review aims to briefly summarize the recent progresses achieved by intelligent nanomaterials in tumor-targeted drug delivery, tumor immunotherapy and temporospatially specific tumor imaging, as well as important advances of our knowledge on their interaction with biological systems. In the perspective of clinical translation, we have further discussed the major possibilities provided by disease-oriented development of anti-cancer nanomaterials, highlighting the critical importance clinically-oriented system design