Cancer cells possess some inherent characteristics, such as glucose-dependence and intolerance to heat and exogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, a strategy has been developed to target these vulnerable weaknesses of cancer cells using glucose oxidase (GOx) and polydopamine (PDA) functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄@PDA/GOx NPs). PDA is first deposited on the surfaces of iron oxide NPs through self-polymerization, and then GOx is covalently linked with PDA upon mixing the enzyme and Fe₃O₄@PDA under alkaline conditions. In this system, the PDA layer along with iron oxide NPs serves as a photothermal transfer material converting near infrared (NIR) radiation into heat. The covalently linked GOx can competitively consume glucose and spontaneously generate ROS H₂O₂ that can be further converted by the iron oxide NPs into more toxic ˙OH, inducing apoptosis of cancer cells. The selective toxicity of Fe₃O₄@PDA/GOx NPs on cancer cells is demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo. In particular, a single injection rather than multiple doses results in significant suppression of tumors, and does not induce apparent histological lesions in the 4T1 tumor-bearing Balb/c mice. The versatility of the functionalization strategy reported in this study will contribute to developing efficient therapies for selective cancer treatment.

Chitosan is a typical hydrophilic biomass building block widely used in material science and engineering. However, its intrinsic amphiphilicity has been seldom noted so far. Herein, a series of glutaraldehyde-crosslinked chitosan cryogels with superamphiphilicity are fabricated at moderately frozen conditions through a freezing–thawing process. The micron-sized porous cryogel samples display a 0° contact angle toward both water and oil, 0° water contact angle under oil, and over 120° oil contact angle underwater. By comparing the wetting behavior of the tablet compressed by pure chitosan powders, the superamphiphilicity of the chitosan sample is proven to be independent on crosslinkers. This special wettability endows the chitosan cryogels with high separation efficiency for various surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions under continuous flow mode driven by gravity as well as a peristaltic pump.

Stimuli-responsive polymers have received growing attention in recent years owing to their wide applications in diverse fields. A novel stimuli-responsive polymer, based on oligo(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (OEGDA) and methacrylic acid (MAA), P(OEGDA-MAA), is prepared by precipitation polymerization and is shown to have a LCST-type VPTT (volume phase transition temperature) at 33 °C in water and a UCST-type VPTT at 43 °C in ethanol, all at concentration of 1 mg/mL. Both VPTTs are strongly concentration and pH dependent, providing an easy way to tune the phase transition temperature. The polymer is characterized with regard to its composition and its morphology in water and in ethanol at different concentration. The two transitions are studied and interpreted based on the results. This work provides a novel way for the preparation of a new type of stimuli-responsive polymer with great potential for different applications, particularly those in biomedical areas because PEG-based stimuli-responsive polymers are known to be nontoxic and non-immunogenic.