cause of nontraumatic limb amputations, threatening patient health and quality of life. [1,2] Wound healing is a fascinatingly complex biological process. Traditionally, it is divided into four overlapping phases: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation and remodeling. [3,4] Compared with the healing of other wounds, the healing of diabetic wounds gets stalled in the inflam matory phase, which is characterized by excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), proinflammatory cytokines and proteases. [5,6] Excessive ROS produc tion cause irreversible oxidative damage to biomacromolecules (such as lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins) and the cells within the wound (such as endothelial cells, keratino cytes, and fibroblasts). This inhibits angiogenesis, granulation tissue forma tion, and wound healing. [7,8] The endo genous antioxidant system is inadequate to remove excessive ROS, and the use of exogenous antioxidants is recommended to prevent oxidative stress damage. With the rapid advancements in nanomedicine, numerous antioxidative nanomaterialsincluding melanin nanoparticles (NPs), metalbased nanomaterials (Au, Ag, Pt NPs), metal oxidebased nanomaterials (CeO 2 , Fe 3 O 4 , TiO 2 , alumina, SiO 2 ), [9,10] and quantum dots-are being used in wound dressing systems to scavenge excess ROS. [11] In addition to oxidative damage, bacterial infections also hinder diabetic wound healing. [12,13] Diabetic wounds are more prone to bacterial infection owing to impaired immune responses, and bacterial infections cause increased ROS pro duction and worsen the inflammatory response in wounds. [14,15] Bacteria easily acquire multidrug resistance owing to antibi otic misuse. Therefore, among various available antimicrobial therapies, photothermal therapy (PTT) has been attracting widespread attention. [16] In PTT, nearinfrared (NIR) laser irra diation is used to induce a local increase in temperature, which can damage bacterial cell membranes and denature bacterial proteins, thus causing bactericidal effects. [16,17] So far, a variety of nanomaterialbased photothermal agents have been incorpo rated into wound dressings to treat bacteriainfected wounds. [17] However, monotherapy with PTT may lead to additional local ROS production, thus delaying wound healing. Therefore, anThe treatment of diabetic wounds remains challenging due to the excess levels of oxidative stress, vulnerability to bacterial infection, and persistent inflammation response during healing. The development of hydrogel wound dressings with ideal anti-inflammation, antioxidant, and anti-infective properties is an urgent clinical requirement. In the present study, an injectable thermosensitive niobium carbide (Nb 2 C)-based hydrogel (Nb 2 C@Gel) with antioxidative and antimicrobial activity is developed to promote diabetic wound healing. The Nb 2 C@Gel system is composed of Nb 2 C and a PLGA-PEG-PLGA triblock copolymer. The fabricated Nb 2 C nanosheets (NSs) show good biocompatibility during in vitro cytotoxicity and hemocompatibility assays and in vivo t...
Parkinson’s disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disease that shows a high incidence in older individuals, is becoming increasingly prevalent. Unfortunately, there is no clinical cure for PD, and novel anti-PD drugs are therefore urgently required. However, the selective permeability of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) poses a huge challenge in the development of such drugs. Fortunately, through strategies based on the physiological characteristics of the BBB and other modifications, including enhancement of BBB permeability, nanotechnology can offer a solution to this problem and facilitate drug delivery across the BBB. Although nanomaterials are often used as carriers for PD treatment, their biological activity is ignored. Several studies in recent years have shown that nanomaterials can improve PD symptoms via their own nano-bio effects. In this review, we first summarize the physiological features of the BBB and then discuss the design of appropriate brain-targeted delivery nanoplatforms for PD treatment. Subsequently, we highlight the emerging strategies for crossing the BBB and the development of novel nanomaterials with anti-PD nano-biological effects. Finally, we discuss the current challenges in nanomaterial-based PD treatment and the future trends in this field. Our review emphasizes the clinical value of nanotechnology in PD treatment based on recent patents and could guide researchers working in this area in the future.
Today, about 50% of men and 15–30% of women are estimated to face hair-related problems, which create a significant psychological burden. Conventional treatments, including drug therapy and transplantation, remain the main strategies for the clinical management of these problems. However, these treatments are hindered by challenges such as drug-induced adverse effects and poor drug penetration due to the skin’s barrier. Therefore, various efforts have been undertaken to enhance drug permeation based on the mechanisms of hair regrowth. Notably, understanding the delivery and diffusion of topically administered drugs is essential in hair loss research. This review focuses on the advancement of transdermal strategies for hair regrowth, particularly those involving external stimulation and regeneration (topical administration) as well as microneedles (transdermal delivery). Furthermore, it also describes the natural products that have become alternative agents to prevent hair loss. In addition, given that skin visualization is necessary for hair regrowth as it provides information on drug localization within the skin’s structure, this review also discusses skin visualization strategies. Finally, it details the relevant patents and clinical trials in these areas. Together, this review highlights the innovative strategies for skin visualization and hair regrowth, aiming to provide novel ideas to researchers studying hair regrowth in the future.
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