Controlled delivery of protein therapeutics remains a challenge. Here, the inclusion of diselenide-bond-containing organosilica moieties into the framework of silica to fabricate biodegradable mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with oxidative and redox dual-responsiveness is reported. These diselenide-bridged MSNs can encapsulate cytotoxic RNase A into the 8-10 nm internal pores via electrostatic interaction and release the payload via a matrix-degradation controlled mechanism upon exposure to oxidative or redox conditions. After surface cloaking with cancer-cell-derived membrane fragments, these bioinspired RNase A-loaded MSNs exhibit homologous targeting and immune-invasion characteristics inherited from the source cancer cells. The efficient in vitro and in vivo anti-cancer performance, which includes increased blood circulation time and enhanced tumor accumulation along with low toxicity, suggests that these cell-membrane-coated, dual-responsive degradable MSNs represent a promising platform for the delivery of bio-macromolecules such as protein and nucleic acid therapeutics.

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Engineered nanoparticles have provided a basis for innovative agricultural applications, specifically in plant disease management. In this interdisciplinary study, by conducting comparison studies using macroscale magnesium oxide (mMgO), we evaluated the fungicidal activity of MgO nanoparticles (nMgO) against soilborne Phytophthora nicotianae and Thielaviopsis basicola for the first time under laboratory and greenhouse conditions. In vitro studies revealed that nMgO could inhibit fungal growth and spore germination and impede sporangium development more efficiently than could macroscale equivalents. Indispensably, direct contact interactions between nanoparticles and fungal cells or nanoparticle adsorption thereof were found, subsequently provoking cell morphological changes by scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive spectrometry (SEM/EDS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In addition, the disturbance of the zeta potential and accumulation of various modes of oxidative stress in nMgO-exposed fungal cells accounted for the underlying antifungal mechanism. In the greenhouse, approximately 36.58 and 42.35% decreases in tobacco black shank and black root rot disease, respectively, could testify to the efficiency by which 500 µg/ml of nMgO suppressed fungal invasion through root irrigation (the final control efficiency reached 50.20 and 62.10%, respectively) when compared with that of untreated controls or mMgO. This study will extend our understanding of nanoparticles potentially being adopted as an effective strategy for preventing diversified fungal infections in agricultural fields.

There is a pressing need to develop nanoplatforms that integrate multimodal therapeutics to improve treatment responses and prolong the survival of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Mesoporous silica-coated gold nanomaterials have emerged as a novel multifunctional platform combining tunable surface plasmon resonance and mesoporous properties that exhibit multimodality properties in cancer theranostics. However, their reduced radiation-absorption efficiency and limited surface area hinder their further radiochemotherapeutic applications. To address these issues, we designed Janus-structured gold-mesoporous silica nanoparticles using a modified sol-gel method. This multifunctional theranostic nanoplatform was subsequently modified via the conjugation of folic acid for enhanced HCC targeting and internalization. The loaded anticancer agent doxorubicin can be released from the mesopores in a pH-responsive manner, facilitating selective and safe chemotherapy. Additionally, the combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy induced synergistic anticancer effects in vitro and exhibited remarkable inhibition of tumor growth in vivo along with significantly reduced systematic toxicity. Additionally, the Janus NPs acted as targeted computed tomography (CT)-imaging agents for HCC diagnosis. Given their better performance in chemoradiotherapy and CT imaging as compared with that of their core-shell counterparts, this new nanoplatform designed with dual functionalities provides a promising strategy for unresectable HCC theranostics.