Liposomes: from a clinically established drug delivery system to a nanoparticle platform for theranostic nanomedicine

For decades, clinicians have used liposomes, self-assembled lipid vesicles, as nanoscale systems to deliver encapsulated anthracycline molecules for cancer treatment. The more recent proposition to combine liposomes with nanoparticles remains at the preclinical development stages; however, such hybrid constructs present great opportunities to engineer theranostic nanoscale delivery systems, which can combine simultaneous therapeutic and imaging functions. Many novel nanoparticles of varying chemical compositions are being developed in nanotechnology laboratories, but further chemical modification is often required to make these structures compatible with the biological milieu in vitro and in vivo. Such nanoparticles have shown promise as diagnostic and therapeutic tools and generally offer a large surface area that allows covalent and non-covalent surface functionalization with hydrophilic polymers, therapeutic moieties, and targeting ligands. In most cases, such surface manipulation diminishes the theranostic properties of nanoparticles and makes them less stable. From our perspective, liposomes offer structural features that can make nanoparticles biocompatible and present a clinically proven, versatile platform for further enhancement of the pharmacological and diagnostic efficacy of nanoparticles. In this Account, we describe two examples of liposome-nanoparticle hybrids developed as theranostics: liposome-quantum dot hybrids loaded with a cytotoxic drug (doxorubicin) and artificially enveloped adenoviruses. We incorporated quantum dots into lipid bilayers, which rendered them dispersible in physiological conditions. This overall vesicular structure allowed them to be loaded with doxorubicin molecules. These structures exhibited cytotoxic activity and labeled cells both in vitro and in vivo. In an alternative design, lipid bilayers assembled around non-enveloped viral nanoparticles and altered their infection tropism in vitro and in vivo with no chemical or genetic capsid modifications. Overall, we have attempted to illustrate how alternative strategies to incorporate nanoparticles into liposomal nanostructures can overcome some of the shortcomings of nanoparticles. Such hybrid structures could offer diagnostic and therapeutic combinations suitable for biomedical and even clinical applications.     

Mechanized silica nanoparticles: a new frontier in theranostic nanomedicine

Medicine can benefit significantly from advances in nanotechnology because nanoscale assemblies promise to improve on previously established therapeutic and diagnostic regimes. Over the past decade, the use of delivery platforms has attracted attention as researchers shift their focus toward new ways to deliver therapeutic and/or diagnostic agents and away from the development of new drug candidates. Metaphorically, the use of delivery platforms in medicine can be viewed as the "bow-and-arrow" approach, where the drugs are the arrows and the delivery vehicles are the bows. Even if one possesses the best arrows that money can buy, they will not be useful if one does not have the appropriate bow to deliver the arrows to their intended location. Currently, many strategies exist for the delivery of bioactive agents within living tissue. Polymers, dendrimers, micelles, vesicles, and nanoparticles have all been investigated for their use as possible delivery vehicles. With the growth of nanomedicine, one can envisage the possibility of fabricating a theranostic vector that could release powerful therapeutics and diagnostic markers simultaneously and selectively to diseased tissue. In our design of more robust theranostic delivery systems, we have focused our attention on using mesoporous silica nanoparticles (SNPs). The payload "cargo" molecules can be stored within this robust domain, which is stable to a wide range of chemical conditions. This stability allows SNPs to be functionalized with stimulus-responsive mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs) in the shape of bistable rotaxanes and psuedorotaxanes to yield mechanized silica nanoparticles (MSNPs). In this Account, we chronicle the evolution of various MSNPs, which came about as a result of our decade-long collaboration, and discuss advances in the synthesis of novel hybrid SNPs and the various MIMs which have been attached to their surfaces. These MIMs can be designed in such a way that they either change shape or shed off some of their parts in response to a specific stimulus, such as changes in redox potential, alterations in pH, irradiation with light, or the application of an oscillating magnetic field, allowing a theranostic payload to be released from the nanopores to a precise location at the appropiate time. We have also shown that these integrated systems can operate not only within cells, but also in live animals in response to pre-existing biological triggers. Recognizing that the theranostics of the future could offer a fresh approach to the treatment of degenerative diseases including cancer, we aim to start moving out of the chemical domain and into the biological one. Some MSNPs are already being tested in biological systems.     

Gold nanocages: from synthesis to theranostic applications

Gold nanostructures have garnered considerable attention in recent years for their potential to facilitate both the diagnosis and treatment of cancer through their advantageous chemical and physical properties. The key feature of Au nanostructures for enabling this diverse array of biomedical applications is their attractive optical properties, specifically the scattering and absorption of light at resonant wavelengths due to the excitation of plasmon oscillations. This phenomenon is commonly known as localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and is the source of the ruby red color of conventional Au colloids. The resonant wavelength depends on the size, shape, and geometry of the nanostructures, providing a set of knobs to manipulate the optical properties as needed. For in vivo applications, especially when optical excitation or transduction is involved, the LSPR peaks of the Au nanostructures have to be tuned to the transparent window of soft tissues in the near-infrared (NIR) region (from 700 to 900 nm) to maximize the penetration depth. Gold nanocages represent one class of nanostructures with tunable LSPR peaks in the NIR region. These versatile nanostructures, characterized by hollow interiors and ultrathin, porous walls, can be prepared in relatively large quantities using a remarkably simple procedure based on the galvanic replacement between Ag nanocubes and aqueous chloroauric acid. The LSPR peaks of Au nanocages can be readily and precisely tuned to any wavelength in the NIR region by controlling their size, wall thickness, or both. Other significant features of Au nanocages that make them particularly intriguing materials for biomedical applications include their compact sizes, large absorption cross sections (almost five orders of magnitude greater than those of conventional organic dyes), and their bio-inertness, as well as a robust and straightforward procedure for surface modification based on Au-thiolate chemistry. In this Account, we present some of the most recent advances in the use of Au nanocages for a broad range of theranostic applications. First, we describe their use as tracers for tracking by multiphoton luminescence. Gold nanocages can also serve as contrast agents for photoacoustic (PA) and mutimodal (PA/fluorescence) imaging. In addition, these nanostructures can be used as photothermal agents for the selective destruction of cancerous or diseased tissue. Finally, Au nanocages can serve as drug delivery vehicles for controlled and localized release in response to external stimuli such as NIR radiation or high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU).     

Supramolecular Luminescence from Oligofluorenol-Based Supramolecular Polymer Semiconductors

Supramolecular luminescence stems from non-covalent exciton behaviors of active π-segments in supramolecular entities or aggregates via intermolecular forces. Herein, a π-conjugated oligofluorenol, containing self-complementary double hydrogen bonds, was synthesized using Suzuki coupling as a supramolecular semiconductor. Terfluorenol-based random supramolecular polymers were confirmed via concentration-dependent nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The photoluminescent spectra of the TFOH-1 solution exhibit a green emission band (g-band) at approximately ~520 nm with reversible features, as confirmed through titration experiments. Supramolecular luminescence of TFOH-1 thin films serves as robust evidence for the aggregates of g-band. Our results suggest that the presence of polyfluorene ketone defects is a sufficient condition, rather than a sufficient-necessary condition for the g-band. Supramolecular electroluminescence will push organic devices into the fields of supramolecular optoelectronics, spintronics, and mechatronics.     

Supramolecular networking of macrocycles based on exo-coordination: from discrete to continuous frameworks

Macrocyclic ligands typically show high selectivity for specific metal ions and small molecules, and these features make such molecules attractive candidates for nanoscale chemical sensing applications. Crown ethers are macrocyclic structures with polyether linkages where the oxygen donors are often separated by an ethylene unit (-O-CH(2)-CH(2)-O-). Because the oxygen lone pairs in crown-type macrocycles are directed inward, the preorganized macrocyclic cavity tends to form complexes where metals coordinate inside the cavity (endo-coordination). However, sulfur-containing macrocycles often demonstrate metal coordination outside of the cavity (exo-coordination). This coordination behavior results from the different torsion arrangements adopted by the X-CH(2)-CH(2)-X atom sequence (X = O, gauche; X = S, anti) in these molecules. Exo-coordination is synthetically attractive because it would provide a means of connecting macrocyclic building blocks in diverse arrangements. In fact, exo-coordination could allow the construction of more elaborate network assemblies than are possible using conventional endocyclic coordination (which gives metal-in-cavity products). Exo-coordination can also serve as a tool for crystal engineering through the use of diverse controlling factors. Although challenges remain in the development of exo-coordination-based synthetic approaches and, in particular, for the architectural control of supramolecular coordination platforms, we have established several strategies for the rational synthesis of new metallosupramolecules. In this Account, we describe our recent studies of the assembly of metallosupramolecules and coordination polymers based on sulfur-containing macrocycles that employ simple and versatile exo-coordination procedures. Initially, we focus on the unusual topological products such as sandwich (1:2, metal-to-ligand), club sandwich (2:3), and cyclic oligomeric complexes as discrete network systems. The primary structures we achieve in these networked macrocycles are one to three dimensional coordination polymers based on homo- and heteronuclear metal systems. Using crystal engineering methods, we have also investigated variation in the donors, interdonor distances, ligand isomer structures, and the effect of counter anions on the chemical and physical properties of the products. Understanding the relationship between structure and function in these exo-coordination products is an important step in the design of these new supramolecules for practical applications. We investigated the photophysical properties of the exocyclic complexes and a chromogenic macrocycle, which exhibited cation-selective and anion-controlled color change depending on an exo- or endo- ligand binding mode. Overall, we suggest that the exocyclic coordination behavior provides a versatile strategy for the preparation of new molecular networks and materials.     

超分子材料研究进展

本文综述了超分子材料的发展概况,并介绍了超分子器件、超分子液晶、超分子生物材料和超分子纳米材料等超分子化技术的研究进展,展望了超分子材料的发展前景及其开发应用潜力。     

Supramolecular control of reactivity in the solid state: from templates to ladderanes to metal-organic frameworks

We describe how reactivity can be controlled in the solid state using molecules and self-assembled metal-organic complexes as templates. Being able to control reactivity in the solid state bears relevance to synthetic chemistry and materials science. The former offers a promise to synthesize molecules that may be impossible to realize from the liquid phase while also taking advantage of the benefits of conducting highly stereocontrolled reactions in a solvent-free environment (i.e., green chemistry). The latter provides an opportunity to modify bulk physical properties of solids (e.g., optical properties) through changes to molecular structure that result from a solid-state reaction. Reactions in the solid state have been difficult to control owing to frustrating effects of molecular close packing. The high degree of order provided by the solid state also means that the templates can be developed to determine how principles of supramolecular chemistry can be generally employed to form covalent bonds. The paradigm of synthetic chemistry employed by Nature is based on integrating noncovalent and covalent bonds. The templates assemble olefins via either hydrogen bond or coordination-driven self-assembly for intermolecular [2 + 2] photodimerizations. The olefins are assembled within discrete, or finite, self-assembled complexes, which effectively decouples chemical reactivity from effects of crystal packing. The control of the solid-state assembly process affords the supramolecular construction of targets in the form of cyclophanes and ladderanes. The targets form stereospecifically, in quantitative yield, and in gram amounts. Both [3]- and [5]-ladderanes have been synthesized. The ladderanes are comparable to natural ladderane lipids, which are a new and exciting class of natural products recently discovered in anaerobic marine bacteria. The organic templates function as either hydrogen bond donors or hydrogen bond acceptors. The donors and acceptors generate cyclobutanes lined with pyridyl and carboxylic acid groups, respectively. The metal-organic templates are based on Zn(II) and Ag(I) ions. The reactivity involving Zn(II) ions is shown to affect optical properties in the form of solid-state fluorescence. The solids based on both the organic and metal-organic templates undergo rare single-crystal-to-single-crystal reactions. We also demonstrate how the cyclobutanes obtained from this method can be applied as novel polytopic ligands of metallosupramolecular assemblies (e.g., self-assembled capsules) and materials (e.g., metal-organic frameworks). Sonochemistry is also used to generate nanostructured single crystals of the multicomponent solids or cocrystals based on the organic templates. Collectively, our observations suggest that the organic solid state can be integrated into more mainstream settings of synthetic organic chemistry and be developed to construct functional crystalline solids.     

Supramolecular Nanofibers Self-Assembled from Foldamers: Structure Control through Preassembly

We used a helical polymer backbone (polyacrylamide) as a scaffold to organize perylene diimide chromophores into well-defined foldamers, which further undergo self-assembly into supramolecular tube-like arrays in aqueous media, as revealed by cryo-TEM imaging. The arrays are supramolecular polymers, whose structure is templated by folded primary building blocks, representing a useful tool for directing self-assembly . Exciton migration in the supramolecular arrays was studied by transient absorption and revealed a moderate exciton diffusion propensity.     

Supramolecular Materials from Inorganic Building Blocks

Inorganic materials of nanometric dimensions and controllable morphologies are now widely available permitting their use as building blocks in supramolecular structures. Incorporation of inorganic blocks into hybrid structures can yield unique materials that have no naturally occurring or organic synthetic analogues. In this short review, we describe the construction and functions of supramolecular materials prepared using inorganic building blocks, with emphasis on material-like components. Examples described in this review are categorized as (i) inorganic structures within organic assemblies (silica-supported Langmuir monolayers, organic–inorganic lipid bilayer vesicles etc.), (ii) organic components in inorganic nanospaces (mesoporous materials including biocomponents such as peptides and proteins), (iii) organic/inorganic nanohybrid blends (nanorod-liquid crystal blends and surfactant-guided gold nanostructures), and (iv) hierarchic structures (layer-by-layer assemblies of mesoporlous carbons and capsules).     

Structural DNA nanotechnology: from design to applications

The exploitation of DNA for the production of nanoscale architectures presents a young yet paradigm breaking approach, which addresses many of the barriers to the self-assembly of small molecules into highly-ordered nanostructures via construct addressability. There are two major methods to construct DNA nanostructures, and in the current review we will discuss the principles and some examples of applications of both the tile-based and DNA origami methods. The tile-based approach is an older method that provides a good tool to construct small and simple structures, usually with multiply repeated domains. In contrast, the origami method, at this time, would appear to be more appropriate for the construction of bigger, more sophisticated and exactly defined structures.     

Supramolecular Capsules Derived from Calixpyrrole Scaffolds

This review article describes recent results obtained in the self-assembly of supramolecular capsules derived from calixpyrrole components. Due to their ease of synthesis, calix[4]pyrroles are by far the most typically used units in these systems. A clear conformational and structural analogy exists between calix[4]arenes and calix[4]pyrroles. However, to date, the number of examples in the literature that use calix[4]pyrrole scaffolds instead of calix[4]arenes for the construction of supramolecular capsules is still meager. Four different approaches are considered for the use of calix[4]pyrrole derivatives in the assembly of molecular capsules. Firstly, in an analogous manner to resorcin[4]arenes and pyrogallol[4]arenes, aryl-extended calix[4]pyrroles with hydroxyl groups in their upper rim self-assemble through direct or mediated rim-to-rim interactions into capsular aggregates. Secondly, aryl-extended calix[4]pyrroles having non-complementary hydrogen-bonding groups in their upper rim form dimeric templated capsules with suitable substrates. Thirdly, the elaboration of the upper rim of the calix[4]pyrroles with urea groups affords dimeric capsules with polar functionalized interiors that closely resemble their tetraurea calix[4]arene analogs. Finally, the chemical modification of the pyrrole units of octamethyl calix[4]pyrrole into tetrathiafulvalene derivatives yields dimeric capsules induced by anion coordination that display interesting properties in the binding of electron-poor guests.     

Supramolecular design in biopolymers and biomimetic polymers for advanced mechanical properties

This mini review uses two examples to illustrate the importance of supramolecular chemistry in natural and biomimetic polymers for advanced mechanical properties. In the first example, dragline silk, one of the strongest and toughest natural fibers, uses intermolecular weak forces to self‐assemble into nanocomposites composed of β‐sheet nanocrystals imbedded in an amorphous matrix. In the second example, a load‐bearing protein, the sarcomere muscle protein titin, uses intramolecular weak forces to fold into repetitive modules for combined strength, toughness, and elasticity. Both examples show vividly that many natural polymers can combine important mechanical properties through programming supramolecular weak interactions into covalently formed biopolymers. This mini review attempts to summarize the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms that contribute to the exceptional mechanical properties for each natural polymer. Following that, the efforts from others and the author's own laboratory on developing synthetic polymers to mimic these natural counterparts are discussed. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Mixed oxide nanotubes in nanomedicine: A dead-end or a bridge to the future?

Nanomedicine has seen a significant rise in the development of new research tools and clinically functional devices. In this regard, significant advances and new commercial applications are expected in the pharmaceutical and orthopedic industries. For advanced orthopedic implant technologies, appropriate nanoscale surface modifications are highly effective strategies and are widely studied in the literature for improving implant performance. It is well-established that implants with nanotubular surfaces show a drastic improvement in new bone creation and gene expression compared to implants without nanotopography. Nevertheless, the scientific and clinical understanding of mixed oxide nanotubes (MONs) and their potential applications, especially in biomedical applications are still in the early stages of development. This review aims to establish a credible platform for the current and future roles of MONs in nanomedicine, particularly in advanced orthopedic implants. We first introduce the concept of MONs and then discuss the preparation strategies. This is followed by a review of the recent advancement of MONs in biomedical applications, including mineralization abilities, biocompatibility, antibacterial activity, cell culture, and animal testing, as well as clinical possibilities. To conclude, we propose that the combination of nanotubular surface modification with incorporating sensor allows clinicians to precisely record patient data as a critical contributor to evidence-based medicine.     

酶工程：从人工设计到人工智能

计算机在酶工程中的应用使得酶的序列空间探索度不断被扩大。随着不同分子力场参数的建立,涌现出诸多以计算分子能量为基础的算法,并被用于酶的催化活性、稳定性、底物特异性等的改造与筛选。伴随计算机硬件的提升与算法的优化,从头设计全新功能的人工酶取得成功并得以发展。近年来,人工智能在蛋白质结构预测上不断获得突破,同时也被应用到酶的设计中。介绍了分子力场基础和酶设计与筛选的算法,重点阐述了从头设计的方法和成功案例,以及机器学习设计酶的流程和最新的研究进展,展望了人工智能在酶工程领域的未来发展,为酶的改造与全新功能的生物催化剂的设计助力。     

Carbon nanotubes-graft-polyglycerol: Biocompatible hybrid materials for nanomedicine

New biocompatible and water soluble hybrid materials containing multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as core and hyperbranched polyglycerol (PG) as shell were synthesized successfully. In this work, pristine MWCNTs were opened and functionalized through treatment with acid and polyglycerol was covalently grafted onto their surface by the “grafting from” approach based on in-situ ring-opening polymerization of glycidol. Some short-term In vitro cytotoxicity and hemocompatibility tests were conducted on HT1080 cell line (human Fibrosarcoma), because this epithelial cell line can be one of the first route of entry of the exogenous materials to the vascular system and therefore subsequent interactions with the whole body, in order to investigate their potential application in nanomedicine and to understand the limitation and capability of these material as nanoexcipients in biological systems.     

One-dimensional self-assembly of planar pi-conjugated molecules: adaptable building blocks for organic nanodevices

In general, fabrication of well-defined organic nanowires or nanobelts with controllable size and morphology is not as advanced as for their inorganic counterparts. Whereas inorganic nanowires are widely exploited in optoelectronic nanodevices, there remains considerable untapped potential in the one-dimensional (1D) organic materials. This Account describes our recent progress and discoveries in the field of 1D self-assembly of planar pi-conjugated molecules and their application in various nanodevices including the optical and electrical sensors. The Account is aimed at providing new insights into how to combine elements of molecular design and engineering with materials fabrication to achieve properties and functions that are desirable for nanoscale optoelectronic applications. The goal of our research program is to advance the knowledge and develop a deeper understanding in the frontier area of 1D organic nanomaterials, for which several basic questions will be addressed: (1) How can one control and optimize the molecular arrangement by modifying the molecular structure? (2) What processing factors affect self-assembly and the final morphology of the fabricated nanomaterials; how can these factors be controlled to achieve the desired 1D nanomaterials, for example, nanowires or nanobelts? (3) How do the optoelectronic properties (e.g., emission, exciton migration, and charge transport) of the assembled materials depend on the molecular arrangement and the intermolecular interactions? (4) How can the inherent optoelectronic properties of the nanomaterials be correlated with applications in sensing, switching, and other types of optoelectronic devices? The results presented demonstrate the feasibility of controlling the morphology and molecular organization of 1D organic nanomaterials. Two types of molecules have been employed to explore the 1D self-assembly and the application in optoelectronic sensing: one is perylene tetracarboxylic diimide (PTCDI, n-type) and the other is arylene ethynylene macrocycle (AEM, p-type). The materials described in this project are uniquely multifunctional, combining the properties of nanoporosity, efficient exciton migration and charge transport, and strong interfacial interaction with the guest (target) molecules. We see this combination as enabling a range of important technological applications that demand tightly coupled interaction between matter, photons, and charge. Such applications may include optical sensing, electrical sensing, and polarized emission. Particularly, the well-defined nanowires fabricated in this study represent unique systems for investigating the dimensional confinement of the optoelectronic properties of organic semiconductors, such as linearly polarized emission, dimensionally confined exciton migration, and optimal pi-electronic coupling (favorable for charge transport). Combination of these properties will make the 1D self-assembly ideal for many orientation-sensitive applications, such as polarized light-emitting diodes and flat panel displays.     

Orthogonally bifunctionalised polyacrylamide nanoparticles: a support for the assembly of multifunctional nanodevices

Polyacrylamide nanoparticles bearing two orthogonal reactive functionalities were prepared by reverse microemulsion polymerisation. Water-soluble photosensitisers and peptide or carbohydrate moieties were sequentially attached to the new nanospecies by orthogonal conjugations based on copper-catalysed azide-alkyne cycloaddition and isothiocyanate chemistry.     

Large‐scale sonochemical reactors for process intensification: design and experimental validation

Acoustic cavitation results in substantial enhancement in the rates of various chemical reactions but the existing knowledge about the application of reactors based on acoustic cavitation is limited to very small capacities (of the order of few millilitres). In the present work, an overview of the application of acoustic cavitation for the intensification of chemical reactions has been presented briefly, discussing the causes for the observed enhancement and highlighting some of the typical examples. A novel reactor has been developed operating at a capacity of 7 dm³ and tested with two reactions, ie liberation of iodine from aqueous potassium iodide and degradation of formic acid. The energy efficiency of the reactor has been calculated and compared with the conventional sonochemical reactors. The effect of frequency of irradiation on the percentage conversion of the reactants has been studied. Due to quite low conversions in the case of formic acid degradation, further intensification was attempted using aeration, addition of hydrogen peroxide, and the presence of solid particles (TiO₂). Compared with conventional reactors the novel reactor gives excellent results and it can be said that the future of using acoustic cavitation for process intensification lies in the development of large‐scale multiple frequency multiple transducer reactors. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry