Facile <i>in Situ</i> Growth of High Strong BiOI Network Films on Metal Wire Meshes with Photocatalytic Activity

Novel visible-light-sensitive BiOI network films with hierarchical microstructure have been first fabricated on 304 stainless steel (304SS) wire mesh substrates through a facile <i>in situ</i> growth method. Factors influencing the formation of BiOI films, including the amount of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), the reaction time, and temperature, have been explored. Physical and chemical properties of BiOI films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, a scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and a fluorescence spectrophotometer. The photocatalytic ability of BiOI films on 304SS wire mesh substrates was studied by degrading methylene blue, methyl orange, rhodamine B, and phenol as target water pollutants and the killing of <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> as target pathogenic bacteria under visible light irradiation. The BiOI film on the 304SS wire mesh substrate fabricated at 140 °C for 4 h with 0.1 g of PVP had excellent photocatalytic activity, stability, and reusability in the cycled experiments. The reasons for these unique features can be ascribed to the large film surface area, the stable film structure, and the open framework structure of the 304SS wire mesh. The current work could provide new strategies to construct novel photoactive functional films for water purification and disinfection

Liposomes Combined an Integrin α_vβ₃‑Specific Vector with pH-Responsible Cell-Penetrating Property for Highly Effective Antiglioma Therapy through the Blood–Brain Barrier

Glioma, one of the most common aggressive malignancies, has the highest mortality in the present world. Delivery of nanocarriers from the systemic circulation to the glioma sites would encounter multiple physiological and biological barriers, such as blood–brain barrier (BBB) and the poor penetration of nanocarriers into the tumor. To circumvent these hurdles, the paclitaxel-loaded liposomes were developed by conjugating with a TR peptide (PTX-TR-Lip), integrin α_vβ₃-specific vector with pH-responsible cell-penetrating property, for transporting drug across the BBB and then delivering into glioma. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) studies confirmed the very high affinity of TR-Lip and integrin α_vβ₃. In vitro results showed that TR-Lip exhibited strong transport ability across BBB, killed glioma cells and brain cancer stem cells (CSCs), and destroyed the vasculogenic mimicry (VM) channels. In vivo results demonstrated that TR-Lip could better target glioma, and eliminated brain CSCs and the VM channels in tumor tissues. The median survival time of tumor-bearing mice after administering PTX-TR-Lip (45 days) was significantly longer than that after giving free PTX (25.5 days, <i>p</i> < 0.001) or other controls. In conclusion, PTX-TR-Lip would improve the therapeutic efficacy of brain glioma in vitro and in vivo