Purpose: Phototherapy has remarkable advantages in cancer treatment, owing to its high efficiency and minimal invasiveness. Indocyanine green (ICG) plays an important role in photo-mediated therapy. However, it has several disadvantages such as poor stability in aqueous solutions, easy aggregation of molecules, and short plasma half-life. This study aimed to develop an efficient nanoplatform to enhance the effects of photo-mediated therapy. Methods: We developed a novel bio-nanoplatform by integrating edible ginger-derived exosome-like nanoparticles (GDNPs) and the photosensitizer, ICG (GDNPs@ICG). GDNPs were isolated from ginger juice and loaded with ICG by co-incubation. The size distribution, zeta potential, morphology, total lipid content, and drug release behavior of the GDNPs@ICG were characterized. The photothermal performance, cellular uptake and distribution, cytotoxicity, anti-tumor effects, and mechanism of action of GDNPs@ICG were investigated both in vitro and in vivo. Results: GDNPs@ICG were taken up by tumor cells via a lipid-dependent pathway. When irradiated by an 808 nm NIR laser, GDNPs@ICG generated high levels of ROS, MDA, and local hyperthermia within the tumor, which caused lipid peroxidation and ER stress, thus enhancing the photo-mediated breast tumor therapy effect. Furthermore, in vivo studies demonstrated that engineered GDNPs@ICG significantly inhibited breast tumor growth and presented limited toxicity. Moreover, by detecting the expression of CD31, N-cadherin, IL-6, IFN-γ, CD8, p16, p21, and p53 in tumor tissues, we found that GDNPs@ICG substantially reduced angiogenesis, inhibited metastasis, activated the anti-tumor immune response, and promoted cell senescence in breast tumor. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that the novel bio-nanoplatform GDNPs@ICG enhanced the photo-mediated therapeutic effect in breast tumor. GDNPs@ICG could be an alternative for precise and efficient anti-tumor phototherapy.

In this study, we find that silk fibroin as an antioxidant is capable of scavenging OH˙ and accelerating the degradation of water-soluble fullerene, which provides further insight into the application of WSF in intratracheal instillation and inhalation.

Cancer, a highly heterogeneous and complex disease characterized by multiple genetic and metabolic abnormalities, remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Although conventional treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, can mitigate the disease to some extent, their efficacy remains constrained by various factors. In recent years, nanotechnology has emerged as a promising approach for cancer treatment, with copper-based nanomaterials garnering significant attention due to their unique physicochemical properties and favorable biocompatibility. Copper sulfide (CuS) nanomaterials, in particular, have shown great potential as a versatile platform for both diagnosis and therapy, primarily due to their superior photothermal properties. Moreover, copper plays a crucial role in tumorigenesis, progression, and multiple cell death pathways, further highlighting its potential in cancer therapy. This review discusses the metabolic regulation of copper and its diverse roles in tumor biology, examines the applications and recent advances of CuS nanomaterials in cancer therapy, and explores their future potential in cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, posing a serious threat to human health. Atherosclerosis (AS), the pathological basis of most cardiovascular diseases, is characterized by arterial wall thickening caused by chronic inflammation. In recent years, molecular probes have attracted much attention as versatile tools for the diagnosis and treatment of AS, offering capabilities in imaging, drug monitoring, and surgical navigation. The existing probes include fluorescent probes, SERS probes, nuclear medicine probes, self-assembled nanoprobes, UC-FRET probes, photothermal probes, and multimodal probes. Among them, fluorescent probes have emerged as a research focus because of their excellent targeting effect, biocompatibility, and multimodal compatibility. This review summarizes recent advances in the classification and synthesis of fluorescent probes, their targeted applications in AS, and their auxiliary diagnosis and treatment of AS. By highlighting current progress and key challenges, this work aims to provide valuable insights to support further development and facilitate the advancement of fluorescent probe technologies in the context of AS, while promoting the clinical application of fluorescent probes.