No abstract

Gene vectors have been extensively applied in various fields. However, the high economic cost of gene vectors limits their development and application, and there is an urgent demand for developing highly efficient gene vectors with low cost, especially for large-scale application. Here, we reported a simple but effective star polycation as a gene vector for pest management. Our polycation was constructed by commercial and cheap material sources, and the facile synthesis procedure was simplified to two reaction steps, decreasing the cost to a large extent. This vector showed a low cytotoxicity as well as a high gene delivery efficacy into live cells. The vector-doublestranded RNA (dsRNA) downregulated the pest key developmental gene expression to inhibit the pest growth. Our work provides an efficient gene vector with low cost for scientific researches, which may also promote the practice and development of RNA interference (RNAi)-based pest management.

Precision phototheranostics, including photoacoustic imaging and photothermal therapy, requires stable photothermal agents. Developing such agents with high stability and high photothermal conversion efficiency (PTCE) remains a considerable challenge. Herein, we introduce a new photothermal agent based on water‐soluble quaterrylenediimide (QDI) that can self‐assemble into nanoparticles (QDI‐NPs) in aqueous solution. Incorporating polyethylene glycol (PEG) into the QDI core significantly enhances both physiological stability and biocompatibility of QDI‐NPs. The highly photostable QDI‐NPs offer advantages including intense absorption in the near‐infrared (NIR) and high PTCE of up to 64.7±4 %. This is higher than that of commercial indocyanine green (ICG). Their small size (ca. 10 nm) enables sustained retention in deep tumor sites and also proper clearance from the body. QDI‐NPs allow high‐resolution photoacoustic imaging and efficient 808 nm laser‐triggered photothermal therapy of cancer in vivo.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide, leading to a large global cancer burden. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and its highaffinity receptor, mesenchymal epithelial transition factor (c-Met), are closely related to the onset, progression, and metastasis of multiple tumors. The HGF/c-Met axis is involved in cell proliferation, movement, differentiation, invasion, angiogenesis, and apoptosis by activating multiple downstream signaling pathways. In this review, we focus on the function of the HGF/c-Met axis in HCC. The HGF/c-Met axis promotes the onset, proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of HCC. Moreover, it can serve as a biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis, as well as a therapeutic target for HCC. In addition, it is closely related to drug resistance during HCC treatment.

The excessive use of chemical pesticides brings many environmental problems. Botanical pesticides seem to be a good alternative to control pests, but their slow action and lack of residual action constrain their further application. Here, we developed a star polycation (SPc) as the drug nanocarrier that could combine matrine into a complex to decrease its particle size to the nanoscale. The combination of SPc and matrine increased the zeta potential and the noncovalent molecular interaction, such as hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions playing an important role in the complex formation. The nanosized matrine/SPc complex exhibited a higher cytotoxicity and an enhanced lethal effect on insect pests compared to those of matrine alone. As a botanical pesticide adjuvant, the SPc could increase the control efficacies of matrine, D-limonene, and pyrethrin against insect pests, achieving a great improvement in toxicity and persistence. The construction of SPc provides a powerful tool for delivering pesticides to increase their control efficacies and decrease their application amounts and rates, showing great potential for sustainable pest management.