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Polytonic Drug Release via Multi-Hierarchical Microstructures Enabled by Nano-Metamaterials
Qi Lou1, Feng Feng1, Junfeng Hui2
1Institute of Process Equipment, College of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China.
Advanced Healthcare Materials
|March 5, 2023
Summary
Novel nano-metamaterials offer a new approach to drug delivery systems (DDS). These materials exhibit a unique release profile, enhancing treatment efficacy at the single-cell level and overcoming drug resistance.
Area of Science:
- Nanotechnology and Materials Science
- Biomedical Engineering
- Pharmacology and Drug Delivery
Background:
- Drug delivery systems (DDS) face challenges in achieving targeted efficacy and overcoming drug resistance.
- Metamaterials, with their unique structural properties, have potential applications in advanced biomedical fields.
- Understanding the single-cell level interactions of drug delivery vehicles is crucial for optimizing therapeutic outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce nano-metamaterials into drug delivery systems and investigate their impact on treatment efficacy.
- To reveal the relationship between drug release profiles and therapeutic effects at the single-cell level.
- To synthesize and characterize novel Fe3+-core-shell-corona nano-metamaterials (Fe3+-CSCs) for drug delivery.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of Fe3+-CSCs using a dual-kinetic control strategy, resulting in a hierarchical core-shell-corona structure.
- Characterization of the nano-metamaterials' hierarchical structure, including homogeneous core, onion-like shell, and porous corona.
- Analysis of the drug release profile, identifying three distinct stages: burst, metronomic, and sustained release.
Main Results:
- Fe3+-CSCs demonstrated a novel polytonic drug release profile with three sequential stages.
- These nano-metamaterials induced significant accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in tumor cells, leading to unregulated cell death.
- The induced cell death modality involved membrane blebbing, effectively overcoming drug resistance issues.
Conclusions:
- Nano-metamaterials with well-defined microstructures can precisely modulate drug release profiles at the single-cell level.
- This modulation influences downstream biochemical reactions and subsequent cell death modalities, offering a new therapeutic strategy.
- The findings have significant implications for designing intelligent nanostructures for advanced diagnostics and therapeutics.
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