Polydopamine (PDA) is a natural melanin derived from marine mussels that has good biocompatibility, biodegradability, and photothermal conversion ability. As a new coating material, it offers a novel way to modify the surface of various substances. The drug loading capacity and encapsulation efficiency of PDA are greatly improved via the use of mesoporous materials. The abundant pore canals on mesoporous polydopamine (MPDA) exhibit a uniquely large surface area, which provides a structural basis for drug delivery. In this review, we systematically summarized the characteristics and manufacturing process of MPDA, introduced its application in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and discussed the existing problems in its development and clinical application. This comprehensive review will facilitate further research on MPDA in the fields of medicine including cancer therapy, materials science, and biology.

As reported, breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies in women and has overtaken lung cancer as the most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide by 2020. Currently, phototherapy is a promising anti-tumor therapy due to its fewer side effects, less invasiveness, and lower cost. However, its application in cancer therapeutics is limited by the incomplete therapeutic effect caused by low drug penetration and monotherapy. Herein, we built a charge-reversal nanoplatform (Ce6-PLGA@PDA-PAH-DMMA NPs), including polydopamine (PDA) and chlorin e6 (Ce6) for enhancing photothermal/photodynamic synergistic therapy. The PAH-DMMA charge-reversal layer enabled Ce6-PLGA@PDA-PAH-DMMA NPs to have long blood circulation at the normal physiological environment and to successfully realize charge reversal under the weakly acidic tumor microenvironment, improving cellular uptake. Besides, in vitro tests demonstrated that Ce6-PLGA@PDA-PAH-DMMA NPs had high photothermal conversion and greater anti-tumor activity than no charge-reversal nanoparticles, which overcame the limited tumor therapeutic efficacy of PTT or photodynamic therapy alone. Overall, the design of pH-responsive and charge-reversal nanoparticles (Ce6-PLGA@PDA-PAH-DMMA NPs) provided a promising approach for synergistic PTT/PDT therapy against breast cancer.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing with highly flexible fabrication offers unlimited possibilities to create complex constructs. With the addition of active substances such as biomaterials, living cells, and growth factors, 3D printing can be upgraded to 3D bioprinting, endowing fabricated constructs with biological functions. Urology, as one of the important branches of clinical medicine, covers a variety of organs in the human body, such as kidneys, bladder, urethra, and prostate. The urological organs are multi-tubular, heterogeneous, and anisotropic, bringing huge challenges to 3D printing and bioprinting. This review aims to summarize the development of 3D printing and bioprinting technologies in urology in the last decade based on the Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCI-E) in the Web of Science Core Collection online database (Clarivate). First, we demonstrate the search strategies for published papers using the keywords such as “3D printing,” “3D bioprinting,” and “urology.” Then, eight common 3D printing technologies were introduced in detail with their characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages. Furthermore, the application of 3D printing in urology was explored, such as the fabrication of diseased organs for doctor–patient communication, surgical planning, clinical teaching, and the creation of customized medical devices. Finally, we discuss the exploration of 3D bioprinting to create in vitro bionic 3D environment models for urology. Overall, 3D printing provides the technical support for urology to better serve patients and aid teaching, and 3D bioprinting enables the clinical applications of fabricated constructs for the replacement and repair of urologically damaged organs in future.

Renal fibrosis is a critical pathological process driving chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Early diagnosis is essential for timely intervention, yet traditional methods like renal biopsy are invasive and present significant limitations. Consequently, noninvasive techniques are gaining attention for renal fibrosis assessment. Biomarkers such as transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) and platelet-derived growth factor D (PDGF-D) have been explored for monitoring fibrosis progression, though their specificity and reliability challenges persist. Emerging imaging techniques, including molecular and functional imaging, offer valuable structural and functional insights but remain limited in detecting early-stage fibrosis. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a promising tool to enhance diagnostic accuracy by integrating imaging and biomarker data. Machine learning algorithms applied to ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging have demonstrated improved predictive capabilities for renal fibrosis detection. Furthermore, AI-driven multimodal approaches, combining clinical, imaging, and biomarker data, provide new opportunities for accurate, noninvasive diagnosis and monitoring. Despite these advancements, challenges such as small sample sizes, lack of standardization, and AI model interpretability must be addressed. Future research should focus on refining noninvasive biomarkers, improving imaging techniques, and developing AI-driven models to enhance diagnostic accuracy and clinical applicability in renal fibrosis assessment. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in noninvasive approaches for detecting renal fibrosis, highlighting their potential to advance clinical decision-making and ultimately benefiting CKD management and patient outcomes.