仿生矿化纳米材料在肿瘤诊疗中的研究进展

全球癌症负担日益加重,现有的手术及放化疗等治疗方式在处理肿瘤多发性转移病灶及肿瘤多药耐药方面存在重大挑战。仿生矿化是通过模拟生物体内的矿化过程,利用生物矿化机制来合成矿物或有机无机复合材料的方法,已在抵御外界胁迫、疫苗改进、骨再生、能源生产和生物传感等方面展示出巨大潜力。基于仿生矿化的纳米材料具备药物靶向递送、物理阻隔、优异的生物相容性和固有治疗特性,因而在肿瘤诊疗领域也得到了广泛应用。综述了常见仿生矿化纳米材料在生物医学中的应用及肿瘤矿化与肿瘤生长、预后之间的潜在关联,重点总结了仿生矿化纳米材料介导的肿瘤诊断和治疗的最新进展,讨论了其在肿瘤治疗中面临的挑战和未来研发方向,以期进一步拓展仿生矿化在肿瘤诊疗中的应用。     

生物启发的细菌表面人造矿物壳:通过仿生矿化保护活细胞

【目的】生物启发的细菌表面仿生矿化人造矿物壳被用于保护活细胞。【方法】将细菌限制在坚固而完整的矿物壳中,有限的物理空间和物质交换使其暂时进行休眠,降低长期保存期间的活力损失以及提高在各种极端环境中的生存能力,并且能够通过酸去除矿物壳而重新激活细菌。【结果】相较于未仿生矿化的细菌(EcN),矿化细菌(EcN@CaCO₃)在32 d的储存实验中活力最高提升262倍;在pH 2.5的强酸环境中存活率提高837倍;在pH 12.0的强碱环境中存活率提高171倍;在80 ℃的高温条件下存活率提高59.1倍;甚至在抗生素溶液中,EcN@CaCO₃中细菌的存活率是EcN的729.7倍。【结论】本研究利用仿生矿化提高了细菌的保存稳定性,使其能在酸刺激下去除涂层恢复活性,也能在极端环境下保留细菌的活力,为微生物在环境生态、食品制造和生物医药等领域的应用提供研究基础。     

纳米生物仿生技术研究进展

纳米生物仿生学是一门新兴的交叉学科,它集仿生、纳米技术、生物技术及新材料科学于一身,是仿生学研究的一个重要分支,是材料领域一个重要的、前瞻性的研究方向.本文重点综述了国内外纳米生物仿生技术领域最新研究进展,着重介绍了纳米生物仿生技术在仿生矿化、仿生DNA纳米机器、仿生智能纳米通道、仿免疫细胞生物黏附、仿生人造血管和仿生...     

以短肽组装体为模板仿生矿化二氧化硅纳米管

目的 二氧化硅纳米管由于具有生物相容性好、光学性质优异等特殊性能在不同领域展现出良好的应用前景,其尺寸和形貌可显著影响材料性质。为制备尺寸较大的纳米管并拓展其在不同领域的应用,本研究选择尺寸较大的多肽组装体为模板,进行二氧化硅的仿生矿化。方法 以Bola型多肽Ac-KI₃VK-CONH₂自组装形成的尺寸较大（直径约40 nm）的纳米管为模板,通过仿生矿化的方法制备二氧化硅纳米材料。首先考察了多肽纳米管的稳定性,发现在稀释、加入有机溶剂和改变溶液pH值时,纳米管的形貌均被破坏,展示出较差的稳定性。在此基础上,以该多肽纳米管为模板,选择反应速率较快的正硅酸甲酯（TMOS）为前驱体仿生矿化二氧化硅纳米材料,探索了不同矿化条件对二氧化硅纳米管尺寸和形貌的影响。结果 以反应速率较快的TMOS为硅源、体积百分比浓度为1.11%~3.33%、溶液为中性或者弱碱性时能够矿化形成形貌和尺寸较大且分布均匀的二氧化硅纳米管。结论 通过选择合适的多肽组装体模板和反应速率快的TMOS为硅源,成功制备出了尺寸较大的二氧化硅纳米管,这为拓展其在不同领域的应用奠定了基础,具有重要意义。     

磷烯纳米材料的生物毒性研究进展

磷烯,即单层黑磷（BP）,由于具有直接带隙、显著的结构和功能各向异性、高电荷载流子迁移率等,已经在生物医学、药物输送、生物传感、疾病的诊断和治疗等领域取得了很大的进展。和其他纳米材料相比,磷烯具有更优异的生物相容性和生物可降解性,在生物医药领域有很好的应用前景。虽然已有大量磷烯生物学效应的报道,但磷烯与生物大分子,如核酸、脂质、蛋白质之间相互作用的过程细节仍缺乏系统的研究。目前实验上无法观测磷烯与生物分子相互作用的动力学过程,分子模拟在获取精确动态结构方面具有独特的优势,被广泛应用于纳米材料和生物学领域。本文综述了近年来国内外利用计算机仿真和实验方法在磷烯纳米材料与蛋白质、脂质膜和DNA等生物大分子相互作用方面取得的最新研究进展,对磷烯生物毒性目前的研究进行了评述,并对未来需要解决的问题作了分析。本文将促进磷烯生物学效应的基础研究,也将推动磷烯纳米材料在生物医药领域的应用。     

纳米材料固定化酶的研究进展

近年来,纳米技术为酶固定化提供了多种纳米级材料,纳米材料固定化酶不仅具有高的酶负载量,而且具有良好的酶稳定性。本文基于纳米材料固定化酶,对纳米材料的种类进行了总结,分析了纳米材料对固定化酶性能的影响,并介绍了纳米级固定化方法及纳米材料固定化酶在生物转化、生物传感器、生物燃料电池等领域的应用。     

细胞膜仿生修饰纳米粒肿瘤治疗的研究进展

大量研究证明,细胞膜仿生修饰通过将不同细胞膜包被于纳米粒表面,赋予纳米粒新的生物学功能.纳米粒被细胞膜仿生修饰后,获得了细胞膜表面丰富的蛋白质并保留了纳米粒的高载药能力,延长体内循环时间,使纳米粒具有逃避免疫系统,跨越各种生理屏障的能力.本文总结了近年来细胞膜仿生修饰纳米粒用于肿瘤治疗的最新进展,讨论了细胞膜仿生修饰纳...     

仿生技术在合成农药中的应用进展

仿生学是近年来发展起来的工程技术与生物科学相结合的交叉学科.人们发现,一些关于植物和动物的相类似的功能,实际上是超越了人类自身在此方面的技术设计方案的.植物、动物和微生物在几百万年的自然进化当中不仅完全适应了自然,而且其适应程度接近完美.仿生学试图在技术方面模仿动物和植物在自然中的功能,而仿生技术在生物学和技术之间架起了一座桥梁,并且对解决技术难题提供了帮助.通过再现生物学的原理,人类不仅找到了技术上的解决方案,而且同时该方案也完全适应了自然的需要.仿生学的目的就是分析生物过程和结构,并把得到的分析结果用于未来的设计.     

蜜蜂巢房的结构与仿生

蜜蜂素以勤劳与团结著称 ,成千上万只蜜蜂聚集在一起 ,采集花粉、酿制蜂蜜、生长、繁殖 ,过着组织严密的社会性生活。蜂巢是蜜蜂居住与繁衍的场所。野生蜂群多在树洞、山崖、峭壁等处筑巢。如果需要 ,这些能工巧匠能够在短时间内完全利用自己分泌的蜡筑造成一个精巧的巢。人工放养蜂群的蜂巢则是养蜂人为它们准备的各式蜂箱 ,虽然现代养蜂人为蜜蜂提供了巢础 ,但每个巢脾上数千个被称为巢房的蜡室却是蜜蜂自己建造的。1　蜂巢房的结构及研究简史蜜蜂的巢房有两种功用 :或作为产卵与幼蜂的哺育室 ,或作为存放花粉和蜂蜜的储藏室。尽管巢房的…     

工程纳米材料对污水生物处理影响的研究进展

工程纳米材料因其独特的物理化学性质被广泛应用于生产和生活中,但其潜在的风险正逐渐引起越来越多研究者的关注。目前国内外的研究主要探讨了工程纳米材料对模式微生物的毒性效应,但是对污水处理微生物的潜在影响尚缺乏系统和完整的报道。因此,本文综述了常见纳米材料对污水生物处理的影响,如碳、氮、磷的去除、甲烷化以及功能微生物种群结构演变等;同时还探讨了两种削减纳米银颗粒毒性的途径。综述内容为深入研究纳米材料对污水生物处理的潜在影响奠定了重要的理论基础。     

Current developments and future directions of bio-inspired computation and implications for ecoinformatics

Evolutionary and neural computation has been used widely in solving various problems in biological ecosystems. This paper reviews some of the recent work in evolutionary computation and neural network ensembles that could be explored further in the context of ecoinformatics. Although these bio-inspired techniques were not developed specifically for ecoinformatics, their successes in solving complex problems in other fields demonstrate how these techniques could be adapted and used for tackling difficult problems in ecoinformatics. Firstly, we will review our work in modelling and model calibration, which is an important topic in ecoinformatics. Secondly one example will be given to illustrate how coevolutionary algorithms could be used in problem-solving. Thirdly, we will describe our work on neural network ensembles, which can be used for various classification and prediction problems in ecoinformatics. Finally, we will discuss ecosystem-inspired computational models and algorithms that could be explored as directions of future research.     

Principles of goal-directed spatial robot navigation in biomimetic models

Mobile robots and animals alike must effectively navigate their environments in order to achieve their goals. For animals goal-directed navigation facilitates finding food, seeking shelter or migration; similarly robots perform goal-directed navigation to find a charging station, get out of the rain or guide a person to a destination. This similarity in tasks extends to the environment as well; increasingly, mobile robots are operating in the same underwater, ground and aerial environments that animals do. Yet despite these similarities, goal-directed navigation research in robotics and biology has proceeded largely in parallel, linked only by a small amount of interdisciplinary research spanning both areas. Most state-of-the-art robotic navigation systems employ a range of sensors, world representations and navigation algorithms that seem far removed from what we know of how animals navigate; their navigation systems are shaped by key principles of navigation in ‘real-world’ environments including dealing with uncertainty in sensing, landmark observation and world modelling. By contrast, biomimetic animal navigation models produce plausible animal navigation behaviour in a range of laboratory experimental navigation paradigms, typically without addressing many of these robotic navigation principles. In this paper, we attempt to link robotics and biology by reviewing the current state of the art in conventional and biomimetic goal-directed navigation models, focusing on the key principles of goal-oriented robotic navigation and the extent to which these principles have been adapted by biomimetic navigation models and why.     

Toxicology of engineered nanomaterials: Focus on biocompatibility,biodistribution and biodegradation

Background

It is widely believed that engineered nanomaterials will be increasingly used in biomedical applications. However, before these novel materials can be safely applied in a clinical setting, their biocompatibility, biodistribution and biodegradation needs to be carefully assessed.

Scope of Review

There are a number of different classes of nanoparticles that hold promise for biomedical purposes. Here, we will focus on some of the most commonly studied nanomaterials: iron oxide nanoparticles, dendrimers, mesoporous silica particles, gold nanoparticles, and carbon nanotubes.

Major Conclusions

The mechanism of cellular uptake of nanoparticles and the biodistribution depend on the physico-chemical properties of the particles and in particular on their surface characteristics. Moreover, as particles are mainly recognized and engulfed by immune cells special attention should be paid to nano–immuno interactions. It is also important to use primary cells for testing of the biocompatibility of nanoparticles, as they are closer to the in vivo situation when compared to transformed cell lines.

General Significance

Understanding the unique characteristics of engineered nanomaterials and their interactions with biological systems is key to the safe implementation of these materials in novel biomedical diagnostics and therapeutics. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Nanotechnologies - Emerging Applications in Biomedicine.     

Production of bioelectricity,bio-hydrogen,high value chemicals and bioinspired nanomaterials by electrochemically active biofilms

Microorganisms naturally form biofilms on solid surfaces for their mutual benefits including protection from environmental stresses caused by contaminants, nutritional depletion or imbalances. The biofilms are normally dangerous to human health due to their inherited robustness. On the other hand, a recent study suggested that electrochemically active biofilms (EABs) generated by electrically active microorganisms have properties that can be used to catalyze or control the electrochemical reactions in a range of fields, such as bioenergy production, bioremediation, chemical/biological synthesis, bio-corrosion mitigation and biosensor development. EABs have attracted considerable attraction in bioelectrochemical systems (BESs), such as microbial fuel cells and microbial electrolysis cells, where they act as living bioanode or biocathode catalysts. Recently, it was reported that EABs can be used to synthesize metal nanoparticles and metal nanocomposites. The EAB-mediated synthesis of metal and metal–semiconductor nanocomposites is expected to provide a new avenue for the greener synthesis of nanomaterials with high efficiency and speed than other synthetic methods. This review covers the general introduction of EABs, as well as the applications of EABs in BESs, and the production of bio-hydrogen, high value chemicals and bio-inspired nanomaterials.     

Multifaceted applications of nanomaterials in cell engineering and therapy

Nanomaterials with superior physiochemical properties have been rapidly developed and integrated in every aspect of cell engineering and therapy for translating their great promise to clinical success. Here we demonstrate the multifaceted roles played by innovatively-designed nanomaterials in addressing key challenges in cell engineering and therapy such as cell isolation from heterogeneous cell population, cell instruction in vitro to enable desired functionalities, and targeted cell delivery to therapeutic sites for prompting tissue repair. The emerging trends in this interdisciplinary and dynamic field are also highlighted, where the nanomaterial-engineered cells constitute the basis for establishing in vitro disease model; and nanomaterial-based in situ cell engineering are accomplished directly within the native tissue in vivo. We will witness the increasing importance of nanomaterials in revolutionizing the concept and toolset of cell engineering and therapy which will enrich our scientific understanding of diseases and ultimately fulfill the therapeutic demand in clinical medicine.     

Enhancement of cytochrome c catalytic behaviour by affecting the heme environment using functionalized carbon-based nanomaterials

The effect of carbon-based nanomaterials (CBNs), such as multi-wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene oxide (GO) nanomaterials functionalized with carboxyl, alkyl and amine groups, on the peroxidase-like activity and structure of cytochrome c (cyt c) was investigated. The catalytic efficiency of cyt c increases up to 78-fold in the presence of graphene oxide and up to 2.5-fold in the presence of other functionalized CBNs. Moreover, the use of functionalized CBNs enhances the thermal stability of the protein as well as its tolerance against hydrogen peroxide up to 2.5-fold. UV–vis and circular dichroism spectroscopy studies suggest that the increase in the peroxidase activity of cyt c in the presence of some functionalized GO nanomaterials, correlates to perturbations of the heme microenvironment, while the secondary structure of the enzyme remains intact. These results indicate that the beneficial effect the functionalized CBNs have on the activity and on the stability of cyt c depends on CBNs geometry and surface functionalization.     

Shape and surface properties of titanate nanomaterials influence differential cellular uptake behavior and biological responses in THP-1 cells

We investigated cellular uptake behavior and biological responses of spherical and fibrous titanate nanomaterials in human monocyte THP-1 cells. Two titanate nanofibers (TiNFs), namely TF-1 and TF-2, were synthesized from anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles (TNPs) via hydrothermal treatment. The synthesized TiNFs and TNPs were thoroughly characterized for their size, crystallinity, surface area and surface pH. TF-1 (～2 µm in length) was amorphous with an acidic surface, while TF-2 (～7 µm in length) was brookite with a basic surface. The results demonstrated that none of these titanate nanomaterials resulted in significant cytotoxicity, even at the highest doses tested (50 µg/ml), consistent with an absence of ROS generation and lack of change of mitochondrial membrane potential. While no cytotoxic effect was found in the titanate nanomaterials, TF-2 tended to decrease the proliferation of THP-1 cells. Furthermore, TF-2 resulted in an inflammatory cytokine response, as evidenced by dramatic induction of IL-8 and TNF-α release in TF2 but not TF-1 nor TNPs. These results suggest that shape of titanate nanomaterials plays an important role in cellular internalization, while surface pH may play a prominent role in inflammatory response in THP-1 cells.