Hypoxia-ameliorated photothermal manganese dioxide nanoplatform for reversing doxorubicin resistance

Drug resistance is a huge hurdle in tumor therapy. Tumor hypoxia contributes to chemotherapy resistance by inducing the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) pathway. To reduce tumor hypoxia, novel approaches have been devised, providing significant importance to reverse therapeutic resistance and improve the effectiveness of antitumor therapies. Herein, the nanosystem of bovine serum albumin (BSA)-templated manganese dioxide (MnO2) nanoparticles (BSA/MnO2 NPs) loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) (DOX-BSA/MnO2 NPs) developed in our previous report was further explored for their physicochemical properties and capacity to reverse DOX resistance because of their excellent photothermal and tumor microenvironment (TME) response effects. The DOX-BSA/MnO2 NPs showed good biocompatibility and hemocompatibility. Meanwhile, DOX-BSA/MnO2 NPs could greatly affect DOX pharmacokinetic properties, with prolonged circulation time and reduced cardiotoxicity, besides enhancing accumulation at tumor sites. DOX-BSA/MnO2 NPs can interact with H2O2 and H+ in TME to form oxygen and exhibit excellent photothermal effect to further alleviate hypoxia due to MnO2, reversing DOX resistance by down-regulating HIF-1α expression and significantly improving the antitumor efficiency in DOX-resistant human breast carcinoma cell line (MCF-7/ADR) tumor model. The hypoxia-ameliorated photothermal MnO2 platform is a promising strategy for revering DOX resistance

Improve the Midpoint Voltage and Structural Stability of Li-Rich Manganese-Based Cathode Material by Increasing the Nickel Content

Lithium-rich manganese is a promising new-generation cathode material for lithium-ion batteries. However, it has the common problems of serious discharge capacity decline, poor rate performance, and faster midpoint voltage decay. In this experiment, a sol-gel method was used to synthesize a high-nickel, lithium-rich layered oxide (1 − x)Li1.2Mn0.54Co0.13Ni0.13O2 − xLiNiO2 (x = 0, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0) that was characterized by XRD, SEM, XPS, TEM, and charge-discharge performance tests. The research results show that increasing Ni content can improve the stability of the material structure and enhance the electrochemical performance of the cathode material. When the LiNiO2 is 0.3, the electrochemical performance is better, the capacity retention rate is 100.3% after 60 cycles at a current density of 0.2 C, and the capacity retention rate for 100 cycles at 0.5 C is 99.0%

Improve the Midpoint Voltage and Structural Stability of Li-Rich Manganese-Based Cathode Material by Increasing the Nickel Content

Lithium-rich manganese is a promising new-generation cathode material for lithium-ion batteries. However, it has the common problems of serious discharge capacity decline, poor rate performance, and faster midpoint voltage decay. In this experiment, a sol-gel method was used to synthesize a high-nickel, lithium-rich layered oxide (1 − x)Li1.2Mn0.54Co0.13Ni0.13O2 − xLiNiO2 (x = 0, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0) that was characterized by XRD, SEM, XPS, TEM, and charge-discharge performance tests. The research results show that increasing Ni content can improve the stability of the material structure and enhance the electrochemical performance of the cathode material. When the LiNiO2 is 0.3, the electrochemical performance is better, the capacity retention rate is 100.3% after 60 cycles at a current density of 0.2 C, and the capacity retention rate for 100 cycles at 0.5 C is 99.0%

Synergistic chemotherapy/PTT/oxygen enrichment by multifunctional liposomal polydopamine nanoparticles for rheumatoid arthritis treatment

Amultifunctional liposomal polydopamine nanoparticle (MPM@Lipo) was designed in this study, to combine chemotherapy, photothermal therapy (PTT) and oxygen enrichment to clear hyperproliferating inflammatory cells and improve the hypoxic microenvironment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment. MPM@Lipo significantly scavenged intracellular reactive oxygen species and relieved joint hypoxia, thus contributing to the repolarization of M1 macrophages into M2 phenotype. Furthermore, MPM@Lipo could accumulate at inflammatory joints, inhibit the production of inflammatory factors, and protect cartilage in vivo, effectively alleviating RA progression in a rat adjuvant-induced arthritis model. Moreover, upon laser irradiation, MPM@Lipo can elevate the temperature to not only significantly obliterate excessively proliferating inflammatory cells but also accelerate the production of methotrexate and oxygen, resulting in excellent RA treatment effects. Overall, the use of synergistic chemotherapy/PTT/oxygen enrichment therapy to treat RA is a powerful potential strategy

Self-delivery nanodrug to manipulate tumor microenvironment for boosting photodynamic cancer immunotherapy

Immunotherapy has captured attention for its high clinical efficacy. However, its efficacy is limited by inadequate immune activation. Therefore, a platform to activate the immune system and amplify the host's immune response against tumors is urgently needed. Herein, a self-delivery photodynamic nanodrug (VAC@HSA) is reported as inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD), promoting the recruitment of dendritic cells (DCs), and normalizing tumor blood vessels. Firstly, verteporfin with laser assistance releases tumor-associated antigen to induce ICD, while celecoxib downregulates prostaglandin E2 and releases CCL5 to activate DC recruitment. Moreover, vasculature is normalized through axitinib, which contributes to reducing tumor hypoxia and reversing the immunosuppressive effects of vascular endothelial growth factor. This joint action promotes the infiltration of immune effector cells into the tumor. Therefore, the amplified photodynamic nanodrug with excellent biocompatibility effectively inhibits tumor growth and lung metastasis and produces a cascade of immune responses. Our study demonstrates a practically innovative strategy for activating cancer immunotherapy, which can alter the ''cold'' properties of tumors

The Efficient Removal of Calcium and Magnesium Ions from Industrial Manganese Sulfate Solution through the Integrated Application of Concentrated Sulfuric Acid and Ethanol

In the process of preparing high-purity MnSO4 from industrial MnSO4 solution, it is difficult to remove Ca2+ and Mg2+ due to their closely similar properties. In this study, thermodynamic software simulation and experimental procedures were combined to remove Ca2+ and Mg2+ from industrial MnSO4 solution to obtain high-purity MnSO4. The simulation model was applied to predict the trend of the crystallization of different ions in the solution upon the addition of H2SO4, which revealed that, at a volume ratio of H2SO4 to MnSO4 solution of more than 0.2, MnSO4 started to crystallize and precipitate. The experimental results further verified the simulation results, and the yield of MnSO4 increased with the increasing ratio of H2SO4, while the removal rate of Ca2+ and Mg2+ decreased gradually. Keeping the economic aspect in mind, the 0.3 ratio of H2SO4 was selected at which the yield of MnSO4 reached 86.44%. The removal rate of Ca2+ and Mg2+ by recrystallization reached 99.68% and 99.17% respectively after six consecutive cycles. The recrystallized sample was washed twice with anhydrous ethanol (volume ratio of ethanol to MnSO4 solution of 0.5) and dried for 6 h at 120 °C, and the purity of MnSO4·H2O reached the battery grade requirements with the final yield as high as 80.54%. This study provides important guideline information for the purification of MnSO4·H2O from industrial MnSO4 solution via a cost-effective, simple and facile approach

Hierarchical Morphology and Formation Mechanism of Collision Surface of Al/Steel Dissimilar Lap Joints via Electromagnetic Pulse Welding

The aim of this study was to characterize detailed microstructural changes and bonding characteristics and identify the formation mechanism of collision surface of Al6061–Q355 steel dissimilar welded joints via electromagnetic pulse welding (EMPW). The collision surface was observed to consist of five zones from the center to the outside. The central non-weld zone exhibited a concave and convex morphology. The welding-affected zone mainly included melting features and porous structures, representing a porous joining. The secondary weld zone presented an obvious mechanical joining characterized by shear plateaus with stripes. The primary weld zone characterized by dimples with cavity features suggested the formation of diffusion or metallurgical bonding. The impact-affected zone denoted an invalid interfacial bonding due to discontinuous spot impact. During EMPW, the impact energy and pressure affected the changes of normal velocity and tangential velocity, and in turn, influenced the interfacial deformation behavior and bonding characteristics, including the formation of micropores which continued to grow into homogeneous or uneven porous structures via cavitation, surface tension, and depressurization, along with the effect of trapped air

Cubosomes-assisted transdermal delivery of doxorubicin and indocyanine green for chemo-photothermal combination therapy of melanoma

Melanoma is a highly aggressive form of skin cancer with limited therapeutic options. Chemo-photothermal combination therapy has demonstrated potential for effectively treating melanoma, and transdermal administration is considered the optimal route for treating skin diseases due to its ability to bypass first-pass metabolism and enhance drug concentration. However, the stratum corneum presents a formidable challenge as a significant barrier to drug penetration in transdermal drug delivery. Lipid-nanocarriers, particularly cubosomes, have been demonstrated to possess significant potential in augmenting drug permeation across the stratum corneum. Herein, cubosomes co-loaded with doxorubicin (DOX, a chemotherapeutic drug) and indocyanine green (ICG, a photothermal agent) (DOX-ICG-cubo) transdermal drug delivery system was developed to enhance the therapeutic efficiency of melanoma by improving drug permeation. The DOX-ICG-cubo showed high encapsulation efficiency of both DOX and ICG, and exhibited good stability under physiological conditions. In addition, the unique cubic structure of the DOX-ICG-cubo was confirmed through transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images, polarizing microscopy, and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The DOX-ICG-cubo presented high photothermal conversion efficiency, as well as pH and thermo-responsive DOX release. Notably, the DOX-ICG-cubo exhibited enhanced drug permeation efficiency, good biocompatibility, and improved in vivo anti-melanoma efficacy through the synergistic effects of chemo-photothermal therapy. In conclusion, DOX-ICG-cubo presented a promising strategy for melanoma treatment