The development of efficient and reusable supported catalysts is key to promoting eco-friendly catalytic processes in both research and industry. In this work, we present a bioengineered golden sponge catalyst, created by leveraging the natural metal-binding and reducing abilities of dried loofah (Luffa aegyptiaca) sponge. This sustainable, sponge-like catalyst can be easily cut into various sizes (up to 15 × 4 cm2), making it convenient for use, removal, and reuse. Thanks to its high absorptivity (~ 4.29 mL/g) and open fibrous structure (~ 0.5 ± 0.1 cm2), a single piece of this catalyst can rapidly process up to 2 L of 4-nitrophenol solution (15 mg/L), achieving a high reaction rate of 0.41 min⁻1. The gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are strongly anchored to the loofah fibers, combining with their natural mechanical strength to provide excellent chemical stability, efficient adsorption, and compatibility with real-time reaction monitoring and intermediate analysis. Even after use, the loofah's carbon-rich nature allows for effective gold recovery (~ 85.5 ± 8%) using Aqua Regia, making the system both cost-effective and sustainable. This study demonstrates the promise of natural, bio-derived materials as resilient, scalable, and hand-exchangeable catalysts for detoxifying harmful effluents.

The stability and dispersity of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) against diverse biological, physicochemical, and physiological transformations while retaining biocompatibility are fundamental for their myriad utilization in various theragnostic applications. This comprehensive review provides a comprehensive analysis of the principles governing the colloidal stability of AuNPs and the factors influencing their physicochemical, chemical, and biological stability. Key parameters such as resistance to aggregation in aqueous and biological medium, stability under physiological pH and ionic conditions, and the impact of protein corona formation on nanoparticle functionality are illustrated in detail. Diverse surface engineering strategies that are employed for achieving ultra-stable AuNPs, including electrostatic and steric stabilization methods are explored. Attention is also given to the widely used polymers like polyethylene glycol, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyethylenimine, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid), and polydopamine, which have demonstrated significant efficacy in enhancing nanoparticle stability under physiological conditions along with their controversies and negative impacts. Alternatively, the emergence of safe bioconjugation strategies using proteins, peptides, and nucleic acids that offer promising pathways to improve biocompatibility and facilitate targeted applications are discussed. We also highlight the emerging sustainable approaches for AuNP stabilization using resilient biomolecules such as glycans, lipids, and plant-derived phytochemicals. Innovations like fish-scale-derived proteins and glycan-based coatings showcase the potential of biogenic methodologies to provide ultra-stable nanoparticles with minimal environmental impact. By advancing sustainable and innovative surface engineering strategies, this review underscores the potential for ultra-stable, biocompatible AuNPs to drive safer, more effective solutions in nanomedicine while reducing the ecological footprint of their production. The objective of this review is to systematically present both conventional and emerging strategies for stabilizing AuNPs, with a particular focus on sustainable, biocompatible, and high-performance approaches that support safer and more effective applications in nanomedicine. Unlike existing reviews that primarily focus on classical polymer-based stabilization or biomedical applications alone, this work uniquely integrates a critical evaluation of conventional polymers with a comprehensive overview of innovative, eco-friendly biogenic alternatives. It emphasizes the dual imperative of performance and sustainability, offering a forward-looking framework for designing next-generation AuNPs with minimal ecological impact.

Drug resistance in bacteria is a major problem that calls for new classes of antimicrobial drugs. We report a biodegradable poly(imidazolium ester) (PIE), P8, with excellent broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, high therapeutic selectivity, and an unexploited mechanism of action. P8, a short oligomer, translocates across bacterial membrane and phase separates with intracellular nucleic acids, forming biomolecular condensates. P8 binds the DNA minor groove and intercalates with DNA, interacting with it via electrostatic and hydrogen-bonding interactions. The phase separation of nucleic acids modulated by P8 inhibits in vitro transcription, thereby impeding translation and potentially leading to cell death. Bacterial cytological profiling indicates that the antimicrobial mechanism of P8 differs from those of conventional antibiotics, though it also suggests that P8 may inhibit RNA synthesis. P8 is safe and effective against drug-resistant bacteria in murine models of systemic, intramuscular, and lung infections. This study shows the great potential of intracellular biomolecular condensate formation for combating drug-resistant bacteria.

Development of tumor microenvironment (TME) modifying nanomedicine with cooperative effect between multiple stimuli responsive therapeutic modalities is necessary to achieve lower dosage induced tumor specific therapy. Accordingly, herein, a multifunctional MnOx NSs@BSA-IR780-GOx nanocomposite (MBIG NCs) is developed to modulate the oxidative stress in TME, and thus attain higher therapeutic efficacy. In the presence of glucose, the as-synthesized MBIG NCs are served as a chemodynamic agents and generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) by self-activation through a cascade of reactions from glucose oxidase (GOx) and manganese oxide nanosheets (MnOx NSs). Also, the MBIG NCs demonstrated excellent photodynamic properties upon irradiation with 808 nm laser owing to the presence of IR780. The combination of glucose-mediated chemodynamic and light-mediated photodynamic properties generated higher ROS than that obtained with individual stimuli. Further, the MBIG NCs exhibited photothermal effect with conversion efficiency of 33.8 %, which helped to enhance the enzymatic activities. In in vitro studies, the MBIG NCs exhibited good biocompatibility to cancerous and non-cancerous cells under non-stimulus conditions. Nevertheless, in the presence of glucose and light stimuli, they triggered more than 90 % cell toxicity at 200 ppm concentration via the cooperative effect between starvation therapy, chemodynamic therapy, and phototherapy. Furthermore, the MBIG NCs demonstrated magnetic resonance and fluorescence imaging properties. These results are suggesting that MBIG NCs would be potential theranostic agents to for cancer diagnosis and target specific therapy. More importantly, the fabrication process is paving a way to improve the aqueous dispersibility, stability, and bio-applicability of MnOx NSs and IR780.

In this study, for the first time, red-emitting CsMgxPb1-xI3 quantum dots (QDs) are prepared by doping with magnesium (Mg) ions via the one-pot microwave pyrolysis technique. The X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results have confirmed partial substitution of Pb2+ by Mg2+ inside the CsPbI3 framework. The as-synthesized CsMgxPb1-xI3 QDs have exhibited excellent morphology, higher quantum yield (upto ∼89%), better photostability and storage stability than undoped CsPbI3. Next, the bioavailability of as-synthesized hydrophobic CsMgxPb1-xI3 QDs is improved by encapsulating them into gadolinium-conjugated pluronic 127 (PF127-Gd) micelles through hydrophobic interactions (PQD@Gd). The optical properties of perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) and the presence of Gd could endow the PQD@Gd with fluorescence imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and phototherapeutic properties. Accordingly, the MRI contrasting effects of PQD@Gd nanoagents are demonstrated by employing T1 and T2 studies, which validated that PQD@Gd nanoagents had superior MR contrasting effect with a r2/r1 ratio of 1.38. In vitro MRI and fluorescence imaging analyses have shown that the PQD@Gd nanoagents are internalized into the cancer cells via a caveolae-mediated endocytosis pathway. The PQD@Gd nanoagents have exhibited excellent biocompatibility even at concentrations as high as 450 ppm. Interestingly, the as-prepared PQD@Gd nanoagents have efficiently produced cytotoxic reactive oxygen species in the cancer cells under 671 nm laser illumination and thereby induced cell death. Moreover, the PQD@Gd nanoagent also demonstrated excellent photocatalytic activity toward organic pollutants under visible light irradiation. The organic pollutants rhodamine b, methyl orange, and methylene blue were degraded by 92.11, 89.21, and 76.21%, respectively, under 60, 80, and 100 min, respectively, irradiation time. The plausible mechanism for the photocatalytic activity is also elucidated. Overall, this work proposes a novel strategy to enhance the optical properties, stability, and bioapplicability of PQDs. The multifunctional PQD@Gd nanoagents developed in this study could be the potential choice of components not only for cancer therapy due to dual-modal imaging and photodynamic therapeutic properties but also for organic pollutant or bacterial removal due to excellent photocatalytic properties.

The surface of Ti3C2 MXene nanosheets (TC NSs) was first modified with the antioxidants sodium ascorbate (SA) and dopamine (DA) (DSTC NS) to improve their stability in oxidative and hydration environments and thereby improve their bioapplications. This novel approach not only improved MXene stability by arresting oxidation but also increased the available functional groups for further functionalization with various biomolecules. The DSTC NSs were then sequentially conjugated with enzyme glucose oxidase (GOx) and photosensitizer Ce6 to render the obtained CGDSTC NSs with glucose starvation and photodynamic therapeutic properties and thus attain high efficiency in killing cancer cells through the cooperative effect. The as-synthesized CGDSTC NSs demonstrated tremendous photothermal effect with conversion efficiency of 45.1% and pho-todynamic (ROS generation) properties upon irradiation with 808 and 671 nm lasers. Furthermore, it was observed that the enzymatic activity of CGDSTC NSs increased upon laser irradiation due to enhanced solution temperature. During in vitro studies, the CGDSTC NSs exhibited cytocompata-bility to HePG2 and HeLa cells under nonstimulus conditions. However, they elicited more than 90% cell-killing efficiency in the presence of glucose and laser irradiation via the cooperative effect between starvation therapy and phototherapy. These results indicate that CGDSTC NSs could be used as potential therapeutic agents to eradicate cancers with no or few adverse effects. This surface modification approach is also simple and facile to adopt in MXene-based research.

Traditional wound dressings neither promote the cellular activities that heal wounds nor support the monitoring of the progress of that healing. This work develops an engineered electroactive dressing that comprises a layer of polydopamine-crosslinked carboxymethyl chitosan conductive hydrogel and an interdigitated array (IDA) electrode. The dressing is evaluated in a mouse model with a full-thickness skin defect. The conductive hydrogel provides a channel that transmits endogenous bioelectrical signals to the wound; these stimulate electrical stimuli-responsive cells, and thereby accelerate the restoration of the wounded tissue. The IDA electrode detects the electrical resistance or output current across the wounded tissue for the noninvasive real-time monitoring of the overall healing process. This wound monitoring system is integrated with a WIFI-based system for wireless data collection and transmission using a personal smartphone. Such a real-time wound monitoring system can be worn by patients, to whom it issues early warnings of potential infections and it wirelessly sends data on the progression of healing to remote medical staff for dynamic intervention as required.

The rational design and development of economical, high-performance, and stable counter electrodes (CE) are critical to bringing the quantum dot-sensitized solar cell (QDSSCs) from the laboratory to a practical application. In this respect, we used a two-step approach to fabricate ternary copper chalcogenide (Cu2−xSySe1−y) alloyed semiconductors onto fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO). In the first step, the binary copper chalcogenides CuS nanostructures that are synthesized using the microwave-irradiation technique are screen-printed onto the FTO substrate and annealed in a nitrogen atmosphere to obtain Cu2−xS CE. In the second step, ternary Cu2−xSySe1−y alloyed electrocatalyst is obtained through a composition engineering approach in which the elemental Se was incorporated on the surface of as-synthesized Cu2−xS nanostructures using the drop-casting method. Compared to the pristine Cu2−xS CE, the as-synthesized Cu2−xSySe1−y CE has exhibited tunable crystal structures, compositions, morphologies. The electrochemical analysis revealed that the optimized Cu2−xSySe1−y CE has exhibited low charge transfer resistance (Rct), and excellent reduction activity to Sn2− species of the polysulfide electrolyte. Accordingly, QDSSCs assembled with Cu2−xSySe1−y CE have delivered conversion efficiencies of 8.02%, which are higher than those of pristine Cu2−xS CE (7.24%). Noticeably, Cu2−xSySe1−y CE has demonstrated outstanding electrochemical stability in polysulfide redox couple, exhibiting no substantial fluctuations in either the current density or shape of the curve even after 200 continuous cyclic voltammetry (CV) cycles. Moreover, the best cell devices constructed using Cu2−xSySe1−y CE validated remarkable stability under open-air conditions, retaining <60% of the original performance after 120 h of illumination. Overall, the ease of synthesis, low cost, time efficiency, and excellent electrocatalytic characteristics of the Cu2−xSySe1−y alloyed semiconductors film demonstrated in this work make it an encouraging applicant for use as a CE material in photovoltaic applications.

The use of conductive materials to promote the activity of electrically responsive cells is an effective means of accelerating wound healing. This article focuses on recent advancements in conductive materials, with emphasis on overviewing their incorporation with non-conducting polymers to fabricate electroactive wound dressings. The characteristics of these electroactive dressings are deliberated, and the mechanisms on how they accelerate the wound healing process are discussed. Potential directions for the future development of electroactive wound dressings and their potential in monitoring the course of wound healing in vivo concomitantly are also proposed.

For quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs), modifying conservative polysulfide electrolytes with polymer additives has been proven as an effective method to control charge recombination processes at the TiO2/QDs/electrolyte interface and to accomplish efficient cell devices. In this respect, the polysulfide electrolyte is modified with polymeric and sulfur-rich graphitic carbon nitride (SGCN) to enhance the photovoltaic performance of QDSSCs. For the first time, SGCN is used to passivate surface trap states and act as the steric hindrance between TiO2/QDs/electrolyte interfaces. The QDSSCs fabricated with GCN and SGCN additives exhibited higher efficiencies, especially improved short-circuit current (JSC) and fill factors (FFs) than those of the liquid electrolyte. Cu-In-S sensitized QDSSCs constructed with GCN and SGCN additives exhibited efficiencies of 6.73% and 7.13%, respectively, whereas the liquid electrolytes delivered an efficiency of 6.16%. Additionally, the applicability of SGCN additives in various Cu-based QDSSCs to enhance their photovoltaic performance is further verified using Cu-In-Se QDSSCs. An increase in the conversion efficiencies of QDSSCs with SGCN additives is possibly due to (1) their electron-rich surface which can act as an obstacle for electron-hole recombination, thereby suppressing the back-transfer of photo-induced electrons to the QD/electrolyte interface; (2) SGCN facilitates the reduction of Sn2- to S2- redox couple, thus providing holes towards the QDs/electrolyte more efficiently. Overall, this work provides an innovative and economic additive to modify polysulfide electrolytes, thereby controlling the TiO2/QDs/electrolyte interfaces of QDSSCs. This journal is

Combining phototherapy with the cancer cell metabolic pathway altering strategies, that is, glucose starvation, would be a promising approach to accomplish high curative efficiency of cancer treatment. Accordingly, herein, we sought to construct a multifunctional biomimetic hybrid nanoreactor by fastening nanozyme AuNPs (glucose oxidase activity) and PtNPs (catalase and peroxidase activity) and photosensitizer Indocyanine green (ICG) onto the polydopamine (PDA) surface (ICG/Au/Pt@PDA-PEG) to attain superior cancer cell killing efficiency though win-win cooperation between starvation therapy, phototherapy, and chemodynamic therapy. The as-synthesized ICG/Au/Pt@PDA-PEG has shown excellent light-to-heat conversion (photothermal therapy) and reactive oxygen species generation (photodynamic therapy) properties upon laser irradiation and also red-shifted ICG absorption (from 780 to 800 nm) and enhanced its photostability. Further, the ICG/Au/Pt@PDA-PEG NRs have reduced the solution glucose concentration and slightly increased solution oxygen levels and also enhanced 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine oxidation in the presence of glucose through a cascade of enzymatic activities. The in vitro results demonstrated that the ICG/Au/Pt@PDA-PEG NRs have superior therapeutic efficacy against cancer cells via the cooperative effect between starvation/photo/chemodynamic therapies and not much toxicity to normal cells.

Light-based theranostics have become indispensable tools in the field of cancer nanomedicine. Specifically, near infrared (NIR) light mediated imaging and therapy of deeply seated tumors using a single multi-functional nanoplatform have gained significant attention. To this end, several multi-functional nanomaterials have been utilized to tackle cancer and thereby achieve significant outcomes. The present review mainly focuses on the recent advances in the development of NIR light activatable multi-functional materials such as small molecules, quantum dots, and metallic nanostructures for the diagnosis and treatment of deeply seated tumors. The need for improved disease detection and enhanced treatment options, together with realistic considerations for clinically translatable nanomaterials will be the key driving factors for theranostic agent research in the near future. NIR-light mediated cancer imaging and therapeutic approaches offer several advantages in terms of minimal invasiveness, deeper tissue penetration, spatiotemporal resolution, and molecular specificities. Herein, we have reviewed the recent developments in NIR light responsive multi-functional nanostructures for phototheranostic applications in cancer therapy.

Modifying the polysulfide electrolytes with the polymer additives to suppress the electron-hole recombination process has been proven to be rationally a simple and effective strategy to accomplish efficient and stable quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs). However, compared to the extensively studied organic or inorganic polymer additives, the use of the natural bio-polymer additives in the electrolyte has been less concerned. In this respect, a novel nature-inspired biopolymer, polydopamine (PDA)-based additives are introduced to the polysulfide electrolyte to achieve efficient and stable QDSSCs. Further, the surface and chemical properties of PDA are enriched by functionalization with PEG-NH2 (P-PDA) and subsequent Se doping (Se-PDA). This is the first-ever report using PDA-based additives to regulate the electron-hole recombination dynamics at the TiO2/QDs/electrolyte interface. The QDSSCs fabricated with P-PDA and Se-PDA electrolytes have accomplished higher conversion efficiencies of 7.83% and 8.59%, respectively, compared with that of reference electrolyte (7.62%). Most importantly, PDA-based additives have considerably improved the performance stability of the QDSSCs. The devices that are fabricated with P-PDA and Se-PDA electrolytes displayed 91% and 79% of their original performance after 60 h, respectively; whereas, the liquid electrolyte retained only 11% of its initial performance in the same duration. The long-term stabilities of PDA-based additives are possibly due to the antioxidative property of PDA which may feasibly neutralize the light-induced radicals (R•) in the device. Overall, the novelty of the present work is based on the fabrication of efficient and stable QDSSCs through a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly bio-polymer additive to polysulfide electrolytes.

In this study, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging or generation ability of the carbon dots (CDs) was regulated by incorporating with heteroatoms (Cu and Cl ions). The pristine CDs were found to be powerful anti-oxidants to scavenge ROS, with half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of •O2− and •OH radicals estimated to be 6.89 and 6.12 μg/mL, respectively, whereas Cu and Cl co-doped CDs (CuCl-CDs) possessed not only ROS generation ability upon laser irradiation for photodynamic therapy (PDT), but also peroxidase-mimic activity that generates oxidative •OH from hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for chemodynamic therapy (CDT). Moreover, the colorimetric assay, 1O2 emission peak, and ESR results supported the efficient production of •O2−, •OH, and 1O2 radicals. Furthermore, CuCl-CDs with ROS-generating abilities and peroxidase-mimetic properties were successfully integrated with polydopamine (PDA) and glucose oxidase (GOx) to fabricate multifunctional GOx/CuCl-CD@PDA-PEG (GCP) nanocomposites with hydrodynamic sizes of 135.5 nm. These novel GCP nanocomposites possessed satisfactory photothermal conversion efficacies (η = 24.4%) and gave a high yield of ROS via the combination of H2O2 and laser irradiation. Moreover, the presence of GOx in GCP nanocomposites enables these compounds to decrease the intracellular glucose levels for starvation therapy and the enzymatic cascade activity for enhanced ROS-mediated therapy. In vitro studies and confirmed that these GCP nanocomposites displayed good biocompatibility with concentrations from 100 to 1000 ppm, but induced 90% reduction in B16F1 cell viability at 200 ppm via the cooperative effects of CDT, phototherapeutic effect, and starvation therapy.

Most cancer vaccines under development are associated with defined tumor antigens rather than with all antigens of whole tumor cells, limiting the anti-tumor immune responses that they elicit. This work proposes an immunomodulator (R848)-loaded nanoparticle system (R848@NPs) that can absorb near-infrared light (+NIR) to cause low-temperature hyperthermia that interacts synergistically with its loaded R848 to relieve the tumor-mediated immunosuppressive microenvironment, generating robust anti-tumor memory immunity. In vitro results reveal that the R848@NPs could be effectively internalized by dendritic cells, causing their maturation and the subsequent regulation of their anti-tumor immune responses. Post-treatment observations in mice in which tumors were heat-treated at high temperatures reveal that tumor growth was significantly inhibited initially but not in the longer term, while low-temperature hyperthermia or immunotherapy alone simply delayed tumor growth. In contrast, a combined therapy that involved low-temperature hyperthermia and immunotherapy using R848@NPs/+NIR induced a long-lasting immunologic memory and consequently inhibited tumor growth and prevented cancer recurrence and metastasis. These results suggest that the method that is proposed herein is promising for generating cancer vaccines in situ, by using the tumor itself as the antigen source and the introduced R848@NPs/+NIR to generate a long-term anti-tumor immunity, for personalized immunotherapy.

Conventional treatments fail to completely eradicate tumor or bacterial infections due to their inherent shortcomings. In recent years, photothermal therapy (PTT) has emerged as an attractive treatment modality that relies on the absorption of photothermal agents (PTAs) at a specific wavelength, thereby transforming the excitation light energy into heat. The advantages of PTT are its high efficacy, specificity, and minimal damage to normal tissues. To this end, various inorganic nanomaterials such as gold nanostructures, carbon nanostructures, and transition metal dichalcogenides have been extensively explored for PTT applications. Subsequently, the focus has shifted to the development of polymeric PTAs, owing to their unique properties such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, non-immunogenicity, and low toxicity when compared to inorganic PTAs. Among various organic PTAs, polyaniline (PANI) is one of the best-known and earliest-reported organic PTAs. Hence, in this review, we cover the recent advances and progress of PANI-based biomaterials for PTT application in tumors and bacterial infections. The future prospects in this exciting area are also addressed.

A disturbance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis may cause the pathogenesis of many diseases. Inspired by natural photosynthesis, this work proposes a photo-driven H2-evolving liposomal nanoplatform (Lip NP) that comprises an upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP) that is conjugated with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) via a ROS-responsive linker, which is encapsulated inside the liposomal system in which the lipid bilayer embeds chlorophyll a (Chla). The UCNP functions as a transducer, converting NIR light into upconversion luminescence for simultaneous imaging and therapy in situ. Functioning as light-harvesting antennas, AuNPs are used to detect the local concentration of ROS for FRET biosensing, while the Chla activates the photosynthesis of H2 gas to scavenge local excess ROS. The results thus obtained indicate the potential of using the Lip NPs in the analysis of biological tissues, restoring their ROS homeostasis, possibly preventing the initiation and progression of diseases.

Vaccination is an effective medical intervention for preventing disease. However, without an adjuvant, most subunit vaccines are poorly immunogenic. This work develops a bioinspired nanocomposite hyaluronic acid hydrogel system that incorporates N-trimethyl chitosan nanoparticles (TMC/NPs) that carry a model subunit vaccine ovalbumin (OVA) that can elicit a potent and prolonged antigen-specific humoral response. Experimental results indicate that the nanocomposite hydrogel system (NPs-Gel) can retain a large proportion of its TMC/NPs that are bonded by covalent/electrostatic interactions and extend the release of the encapsulated OVA, enabling their localization at the site of hydrogel injection. The positively charged TMC/NPs can be effectively internalized by dendritic cells, significantly augmenting their maturation, suggesting that TMC can function as an adjuvant-based OVA delivery system. Upon subcutaneous implantation in mice, the NPs-Gel acts as an in situ depot that recruits and concentrates immune cells. The TMC/NPs that do not have any specific interactions with the hydrogel network are released rapidly and internalized by the neighboring immune cells, providing a priming dose, while those retained inside the NPs-Gel are ingested by the recruited and concentrated immune cells over time, acting as a booster dose, eliciting high titers of OVA-specific antibody responses. These experimental results suggest particulate vaccines that are integrated in such a bioinspired hydrogel system may be used as single-injection prime-boost vaccines, enabling effective and persistent humoral immune responses.

Focal infections that are caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria are becoming an ever-growing challenge to human health. To address this challenge, a pH-responsive amphiphilic polymer of polyaniline-conjugated glycol chitosan (PANI-GCS) that can self-assemble into nanoparticles (NPs) in situ is developed. The PANI-GCS NPs undergo a unique surface charge conversion that is induced by their local pH, favoring bacterium-specific aggregation without direct contact with host cells. Following conjugation onto GCS, the optical-absorbance peak of PANI is red-shifted toward the near-infrared (NIR) region, enabling PANI-GCS NPs to generate a substantial amount of heat, which is emitted to their neighborhood. The local temperature of the NIR-irradiated PANI-GCS NPs is estimated to be approximately 5 °C higher than their ambient tissue temperature, ensuring specific and direct heating of their aggregated bacteria; hence, damage to tissue is reduced and wound healing is accelerated. The above results demonstrate that PANI-GCS NPs are practical for use in the photothermal ablation of focal infections.

Repeated cancer treatments are common, owing to the aggressive and resistant nature of tumors. This work presents a chitosan (CS) derivative that contains self-doped polyaniline (PANI) side chains, capable of self-assembling to form micelles and then transforming into hydrogels driven by a local change in pH. Analysis results of small-angle X-ray scattering indicate that the sol-gel transition of this CS derivative may provide the mechanical integrity to maintain its spatial stability in the microenvironment of solid tumors. The micelles formed in the CS hydrogel function as nanoscaled heating sources upon exposure to near-infrared light, thereby enabling the selective killing of cancer cells in a light-treated area. Additionally, photothermal efficacy of the micellar hydrogel is evaluated using a tumor-bearing mouse model; hollow gold nanospheres (HGNs) are used for comparison. Given the ability of the micellar hydrogel to provide spatial stability within a solid tumor, which prevents its leakage from the injection site, the therapeutic efficacy of this hydrogel, as a photothermal therapeutic agent for repeated treatments, exceeds that of nanosized HGNs. Results of this study demonstrate that this in situ-formed micellar hydrogel is a highly promising modality for repeated cancer treatments, providing a clinically viable, minimally invasive phototherapeutic option for therapeutic treatment.

A wide range of diaryl selenides can be synthesized through CSe bond formation using readily available copper(I) iodide as catalyst under mild reaction conditions (82C) from aryl iodides and diphenyl diselenide. In this coupling reaction, solvent acetonitrile acts as ligand for copper(I) iodide and no external ligand is required. Less reactive aryl bromides also provide the di-aryl selenides in good isolated yields. © Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart • New York.