Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory bowel disease with limited therapeutic options. Here, we report carrier-free nanoparticles (BG NPs) rationally assembled from berberine (BBR) and gallic acid (GA)—two natural products whose pharmacological activities target distinct pathological features of UC. BG NPs exhibited a uniform rod-like morphology and maintained colloidal stability under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. In a DSS-induced murine colitis model, orally administered BG NPs outperformed 5-aminosalicylic acid in reducing the disease activity index, restoring colon length, and preserving intestinal barrier integrity by upregulating the tight junction proteins Occludin and ZO-1. Mechanistically, BG NPs inhibited ferroptosis by upregulating GPX4 and downregulating ACSL4 at the transcriptional level, accompanied by reduced Fe²⁺, lipid ROS, and 4-HNE accumulation, and simultaneously suppressed NF-κB-driven inflammation by blocking p65 nuclear translocation. In vitro, BG NPs protected colonic epithelial cells from DSS-induced oxidative stress at non-cytotoxic concentrations, restored glutathione levels, and preserved mitochondrial membrane potential, with efficacy comparable to the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine while exhibiting ferroptosis pathway regulation that NAC lacks. No organ toxicity was detected at therapeutic doses. These findings establish BG NPs as a safe oral nanotherapeutic that concurrently targets ferroptosis and NF-κB-mediated inflammation in UC and illustrate a design-driven strategy for constructing natural product-based nanomedicines.
Calcium phosphate (CaP) nanoparticles have emerged as highly promising systems in nanomedicine due to their excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and low immunogenicity. These properties are associated with their close resemblance to the biomineral phase of human bone and teeth, and with the possibility of producing them through bio-inspired synthesis approaches. As a result, synthetic CaP nanoparticles can serve as versatile carriers for a wide range of biomolecules, including peptides, proteins, and nucleic acids. Among these applications, gene therapy has gained increasing attention because of the high specificity and therapeutic potential of nucleic acid cargos such as plasmid DNA (pDNA), messenger RNA (mRNA), and small regulatory RNAs (siRNA and miRNA), for the treatment of numerous diseases. In this context, CaP-based systems represent promising non-viral alternatives to conventional viral vectors, potentially overcoming several limitations associated with viral gene delivery. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in CaP nanoparticle-based systems for non-viral gene delivery, with a specific focus on their physicochemical properties, nucleic acid loading strategies, and surface functionalization approaches designed to improve colloidal stability, targeting capability, and cellular uptake. Finally, the review critically discusses the major challenges and current limitations that must be addressed to promote the clinical translation of CaP nanoparticles as next-generation gene delivery systems.
Chronic wounds remain a major clinical challenge due to excessive oxidative stress, prolonged inflammation, and impaired tissue regeneration. In this study, a fish collagen/gellan gum (FC/GEL) composite hydrogel incorporating lucuma extract (LE) was developed as a multifunctional wound dressing material. LE exhibited high phenolic and flavonoid contents and demonstrated potent antioxidant activity. Furthermore, LE effectively suppressed lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses in RAW 264.7 macrophages. The LE-loaded FC/GEL hydrogels showed excellent cytocompatibility with L929 fibroblasts, significantly reduced nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production, and promoted fibroblast migration in vitro. The wound-healing efficacy was further evaluated using a murine full-thickness excisional wound model. FC/GEL hydrogel containing 3
Fibrosis around cochlear implant electrode arrays increases impedance and disrupts predictable stimulus propagation. Electrospun hydrophobic silicone coatings represent a promising strategy to mitigate fibrosis. However, electrospinning silicone elastomers remains challenging because their low glass transition temperature causes deposited fibers to collapse before curing is complete. Previous approaches have focused on developing in situ curing systems, such as heated collectors. Although fiber-like structures have been generated, nonwovens with interconnected pores have not yet been achieved. A pre-curing-based electrospinning strategy was developed that enables the fabrication of pure silicone elastomer nonwovens without the need for polymer blends, sacrificial carrier polymers, or coaxial spinnerets. Sylgard 184 dilutions in acetone and tetrahydrofuran were electrospun at different pre-curing times prior to gelation and characterized rheologically to investigate the influence of curing-induced rheological evolution on electrospinnability. Initially, the dilutions exhibited near-Newtonian flow behavior. Shortly before loss of flowability, the maximum first normal stress difference increased to 3228 Pa for acetone- and 6722 Pa for tetrahydrofuran-based systems, accompanied by increased storage modulus and more pronounced shear-thinning behavior. This rheological transition coincided with the transition from electrospraying to electrospinning. By controlling the curing time, nonwoven structures with well-defined fiber geometry and interconnected pores were successfully fabricated from Sylgard/tetrahydrofuran systems. Fiber diameters ranging from 21 µm to 136 µm were achieved by adjusting the diluent and curing time. These findings demonstrate that precise control of rheological evolution during curing enables the fabrication of structurally defined electrospun silicone elastomer nonwovens, providing a foundation for anti-fibrotic coatings on cochlear implants.
This study aimed to evaluate the influence of polydopamine (PDA), a bioinspired catecholamine polymer, on the functional performance of a commercial etch-and-rinse dentin adhesive when incorporated at 2
