{"title":"Recent advances in polymer 4D printing: 3D printing techniques, smart material design, and healthcare applications","authors":"Ziwen Wang, Zebang Zhang, Xiao Kuang","doi":"10.1016/j.smaim.2025.09.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smaim.2025.09.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fourth-dimensional (4D) printing has progressed tremendously since its first conceptualization in 2013. 4D printing is an emerging branch of three-dimensional (3D) printing that allows printed parts to change their shapes and properties as a function of time under external stimuli. It has revolutionized the fabrication of smart polymer composites with customized geometry and programmed dynamic functions for expanding engineering and healthcare applications. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in the 4D printing of polymer composites, emphasizing three pivotal areas: 3D printing methodologies, smart material design, and their healthcare applications. We start with 3D printing techniques, encompassing traditional methods, multimaterial printing approaches, and other emerging technologies for functional polymer systems. We discuss the molecular engineering of shape-shifting smart polymers, including shape memory polymers, liquid crystal elastomers, magnetoactive soft materials, and hydrogel composites. The structural design strategies and modeling-guided design of smart materials are also covered. We summarize the emerging healthcare applications of 4D-printed polymer composites in medical devices, soft robotics, wearables, drug delivery, and tissue repair/regeneration. Finally, challenges, opportunities, and future directions are highlighted in material design and printing techniques for 4D printing to advance next-generation healthcare solutions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22019,"journal":{"name":"Smart Materials in Medicine","volume":"6 3","pages":"Pages 305-333"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145108727","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chau Nguyen Minh Hoang , Son Hai Nguyen , Mai Thi Tran
{"title":"Nanoparticles in cancer therapy: Strategies to penetrate and modulate the tumor microenvironment – A review","authors":"Chau Nguyen Minh Hoang , Son Hai Nguyen , Mai Thi Tran","doi":"10.1016/j.smaim.2025.07.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smaim.2025.07.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite advances in conventional cancer treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, these approaches still face significant challenges, including systemic toxicity, limited tumor specificity, and therapy resistance. These limitations highlight the need for more effective, targeted therapeutic strategies. Nanotechnology has emerged as a promising solution in oncology, offering enhanced drug delivery, improved therapeutic efficacy, and reduced side effects. Among nanotechnology-based approaches, nanoparticle-based systems have gained clinical interest due to their biocompatibility, stability, and safety. Although various studies have investigated inorganic, organic, biological, and hybrid nanoparticles, existing reviews often focus solely on individual types, lacking direct comparisons of their performance regarding tumor penetration, controlled drug release, toxicity profiles, therapy resistance, and immune evasion capabilities. This review provides a comprehensive comparative analysis of these nanoparticle systems within the context of tumor microenvironment barriers. It also discusses critical challenges in clinical translation and highlights emerging hybrid platforms that integrate the advantages of multiple nanoparticle types, offering promising strategies for advancing cancer nanotherapy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22019,"journal":{"name":"Smart Materials in Medicine","volume":"6 2","pages":"Pages 270-284"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144865918","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Engineered gold nanoparticle-based miRNA precision regulation for tumor diagnosis and synergistic therapy","authors":"Li Chen, Haoyu Wang, Handan Zhang, Wenyun Mu, Xinran Shi, Xin Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.smaim.2025.07.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smaim.2025.07.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cancer remains a major global health challenge, with traditional therapies such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery often limited by side effects, drug resistance, and incomplete tumor eradication. Recent advances in molecular biology have highlighted the dual role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in cancer, acting both as oncogenes and tumor suppressors, thereby offering new avenues for targeted therapy. Due to their unique physicochemical properties, including excellent biocompatibility, surface functionalization capabilities, and photothermal effects, gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) have emerged as a promising platform for miRNA delivery. However, a systematic understanding of how to effectively design Au NPs-miRNA systems for integrated tumor diagnosis and therapy, and their synergistic effects with photothermal therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy to enhance therapeutic efficacy, remains lacking. In this review, we comprehensively summarized the advantages and challenges of the current Au NPs-miRNA system and discussed its recent advances in tumor diagnosis and therapy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22019,"journal":{"name":"Smart Materials in Medicine","volume":"6 2","pages":"Pages 225-239"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144757304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles as promising biotherapeutic tools: recent advances and challenges","authors":"Di Liu , Jingxian Gao , Xueling Wu , Lu Han","doi":"10.1016/j.smaim.2025.07.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smaim.2025.07.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Exosomes, naturally occurring extracellular vesicles with diameters of 30–150 nm, have been extensively characterized in mammalian systems. In contrast, plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles (PELNs) are emerging as versatile therapeutic carriers, offering distinct advantages including intrinsically low immunogenicity, inherent biocompatibility, enhanced biological barrier penetrability, and inherent cell-targeting capabilities. Notably, recent studies reveal that PELNs mediate unprecedented cross-kingdom communication by delivering plant-derived bioactive components to human cells, where they orchestrate immunomodulation, redox homeostasis, and tissue regeneration. This review systematically summarizes cutting-edge advances in PELNs research, emphasizing five critical dimensions: (1) context-dependent biogenesis pathways across plant species, (2) standardized isolation protocols combining ultracentrifugation and density gradient separation, (3) compositional profiles (proteins/lipids/nucleic acids/metabolites), (4) cellular internalization mechanisms, and (5) engineered applications as precision drug delivery platforms. We particularly highlight innovations in PELNs functionalization strategies - including chemical modification, genetic engineering, and biomimetic membrane hybridization - that enhance payload capacity and site-specific delivery. While discussing current limitations such as scalable production bottlenecks and pharmacokinetic characterization gaps, we summarize emerging strategies that aim to bridge botanical nanobiology and clinical practice. By delineating structure-function correlations and quality control standards, this critical review provides insights that may accelerate the development of PELN-based next-generation nanomedicines, ultimately fostering their transition from laboratory breakthroughs to FDA-approved therapeutic solutions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22019,"journal":{"name":"Smart Materials in Medicine","volume":"6 2","pages":"Pages 285-304"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144865840","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dongqi You , Lining Lin , Minyi Dong , Yunhong Wu , Yijie Hu , Xinyue Hu , Yangjie Shao , Yuan Xie , Menghan Xu , Guancong Chen , Rong Lan , Haiying Ma , Yunting Zhou , Huiming Wang , Binjie Jin , Mengfei Yu
{"title":"Recent advances in shape memory polymers for biomedical applications: Bridging macro- and micro-scale effects","authors":"Dongqi You , Lining Lin , Minyi Dong , Yunhong Wu , Yijie Hu , Xinyue Hu , Yangjie Shao , Yuan Xie , Menghan Xu , Guancong Chen , Rong Lan , Haiying Ma , Yunting Zhou , Huiming Wang , Binjie Jin , Mengfei Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.smaim.2025.06.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smaim.2025.06.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are a class of materials capable of undergoing deformation in response to external stimuli, and their unique shape-changing properties offer vast potential for applications in the biomedical field. Based on the dimensionality of the shape memory effect (SME), deformation can be categorized into macroscopic and microscopic levels. Macroscopic deformation enables SMPs to perform functions such as adaptation, filling, and support through overall structural changes. On the other hand, microscopic deformation involves dynamic modulation of the surface morphology of micro- and nanoscale scaffolds, influencing cell morphology and further regulating cell behavior and fate. Whether at the macroscopic or microscopic level, SME significantly enhances the performance of SMPs as tissue scaffolds or medical devices. This review summarizes the progress of SMP applications in the biomedical field, focusing on SME at different dimensional levels, and provides insights into future development directions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22019,"journal":{"name":"Smart Materials in Medicine","volume":"6 2","pages":"Pages 240-269"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144779946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Two-dimensional materials for anti-inflammatory applications","authors":"Rui Liu , Xinxin Zhang , Zhengbao Zha , Cheng-Yan Xu , Zhaohua Miao","doi":"10.1016/j.smaim.2025.07.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smaim.2025.07.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Due to unique physicochemical properties including high surface-to-volume ratio, abundant active sites, and tunable surface functionalities, two-dimensional (2D) materials have emerged as an intriguing platform for anti-inflammatory therapy. This review comprehensively explores the physicochemical characteristics, types, and anti-inflammatory mechanisms of representative 2D materials, including MXenes, black phosphorus (BP), transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), boron nitride (BN), metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and layered double hydroxides (LDHs). These materials exhibit intriguing anti-inflammatory mechanisms, such as scavenging reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS), regulating cytokine networks, inhibiting pro-inflammatory signaling pathways, and promoting macrophage polarization. Furthermore, their applications in treating diverse inflammatory diseases are summarized, including accelerated wound healing via ROS elimination, colitis therapy through gut microbiota modulation, mitigation of acute kidney injury (AKI) via oxidative stress reduction, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and neurodegenerative disorders treatment via neuroimmune regulation. Critical challenges in clinical translation, such as biodegradability and long-term biocompatibility, are addressed. This review underscores the vital role of 2D anti-inflammatory materials in bridging material science with biomedical field, offering insights into the design of future anti-inflammatory drugs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22019,"journal":{"name":"Smart Materials in Medicine","volume":"6 2","pages":"Pages 205-224"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144738347","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
RenKai Fu , Zhenghong Chen , Hua Tian , Jiajie Hu , Fangxin Bu , Peng Zheng , Liang Chi , Lulu Xue , Qing Jiang , Lan Li , Liya Zhu
{"title":"A review on the applications of machine learning in biomaterials, biomechanics, and biomanufacturing for tissue engineering","authors":"RenKai Fu , Zhenghong Chen , Hua Tian , Jiajie Hu , Fangxin Bu , Peng Zheng , Liang Chi , Lulu Xue , Qing Jiang , Lan Li , Liya Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.smaim.2025.06.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smaim.2025.06.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In recent years, machine learning, a powerful data analysis and modeling technique, is continuously revolutionizing the field of tissue engineering. Its ability to learn and extract information from complex datasets opens up new opportunities for the development of tissue engineering. In this paper, we first provide a categorized overview of different types of machine learning algorithms, and then focus on the recent advances in the application of machine learning in tissue engineering. We summarize the technology's latest applications in biomaterials, biomechanics, and biomanufacturing, discuss the challenges faced, and explore future prospects aiming at providing scientific references for researchers to achieve further progress in the fields of tissue engineering and machine learning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22019,"journal":{"name":"Smart Materials in Medicine","volume":"6 2","pages":"Pages 171-204"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144557608","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yaqin Chen , Juan Pei , Jie Mou , Jin Fan , Lingting Fan , Yaolei Zhang , Xin Guo , Yonghong Fan , Hongyu Sun
{"title":"Revolutionizing high altitude cerebral edema management: nanotechnology-enabled diagnostics and targeted drug delivery","authors":"Yaqin Chen , Juan Pei , Jie Mou , Jin Fan , Lingting Fan , Yaolei Zhang , Xin Guo , Yonghong Fan , Hongyu Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.smaim.2025.06.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smaim.2025.06.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Due to the increasing commercial activities and adventure travels, millions of people visit high-altitude regions every year. A rapid increase in altitude results in high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE), an acute form of HAI characterized by altered mental status and ataxia, which necessitates immediate medical intervention to prevent patient mortality. Nevertheless, despite significant advancements in medical research and technology, the available diagnostic and therapeutic options for this disease remain limited. Currently, the accurate diagnosis of HACE relies predominantly on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), while treatment strategies for this condition include passive descent to lower altitudes, oxygen supplementation, and pharmacological interventions. Unfortunately, these interventions are limited by their low efficacy, severe side effects, and poor availability under severe environmental conditions. Hence, alternative approaches are highly desired in the management of HACE. With the advancement of nanotechnology in theranostics, which enables more sensitive diagnosis, real-time monitoring, and targeted drug delivery, nanomedicine holds significant potential for the management of HACE. In this review, the pathological mechanism of HACE and the current theranostic options employed in clinics are described, and the potential applications and design strategy of nanomedicines for HACE management are discussed. We hope that this review can provide creative inspirations for the development of more precise, efficient, and low-side-effect theranostic alternatives for the management of HACE. This review will be of great interest to those working in materials science, nanotechnology, biomedical engineering, and translational medicine, and especially to those in military medicine and special medicine.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22019,"journal":{"name":"Smart Materials in Medicine","volume":"6 2","pages":"Pages 152-170"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144518438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Qinqi Wang , Jiazhen Yang , Meng Sun , Lei Dang , Liana Shestakova , Youry Ostrovsky , Wenliang Li , Leijiao Li , Jianxun Ding
{"title":"Advanced oxygen therapeutics for treatments of acute hemorrhagic shock and organ preservation","authors":"Qinqi Wang , Jiazhen Yang , Meng Sun , Lei Dang , Liana Shestakova , Youry Ostrovsky , Wenliang Li , Leijiao Li , Jianxun Ding","doi":"10.1016/j.smaim.2025.04.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smaim.2025.04.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Oxygen (O<sub>2</sub>) is vital in respiratory process that maintains biological balance in mammals. O<sub>2</sub> therapeutics treat ischemic tissues by facilitating O<sub>2</sub> transport and alleviating cellular hypoxia. The development of O<sub>2</sub> carriers focuses on their interactions with molecular O<sub>2</sub> to achieve therapeutic effects. This review examines the distinct O<sub>2</sub>-carrying mechanisms of hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) and fluorocarbon-based oxygen carriers (FBOCs), emphasizing their chemical and physical differences. The rational design of O<sub>2</sub> carriers for biomedical applications and recent research advances are discussed, focusing on their therapeutic use in acute hemorrhagic shock and organ preservation. Moreover, this review highlights the need to explore the biomedical mechanisms underlying O<sub>2</sub> therapeutics further, offering insights for improving O<sub>2</sub>-carrying capacity and optimizing their applications in medicine.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22019,"journal":{"name":"Smart Materials in Medicine","volume":"6 2","pages":"Pages 139-151"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143943533","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Оlga Y. Аntonova, Olga Y. Kochetkova, Maxim Tailakov, Igor L. Kanev
{"title":"Light-responsible ECM-mimetic scaffolds for neural differentiation. Intracellular versus extracellular photothermal stimulation","authors":"Оlga Y. Аntonova, Olga Y. Kochetkova, Maxim Tailakov, Igor L. Kanev","doi":"10.1016/j.smaim.2025.02.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smaim.2025.02.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The development of approaches and materials that combine several types of stimulatory effects on nerve tissue growth is a promising task for biotechnology. The aim of this work was a comparative study of the influence of intracellularly and extracellularly localized polydopamine-containing materials on the heat-mediated facilitation of neuronal differentiation. Scaffolds made from aligned nylon nanofibers, mimicking the structure of the extracellular matrix, were used as a matrix for immobilizing photothermal nanoparticles. The composite material combines an ultrastructure capable of accelerating and directing the growth of nerve extensions and the ability for controlled thermal remote influence on cell activity under NIR irradiation within the biological transparency range. The materials demonstrated high photostability and biocompatibility without the drawbacks associated with intracellular nanoparticle delivery, such as cytotoxicity and gradual elimination from the body. The immobilization of thermoplasmonic elements on the fibers surface allows for more controlled and manageable heating compared to intracellular introduction of PDA nanoparticles. The fibrous material's ultrastructure directs neurite growth and enhances elongation. Photothermal stimulation further enhances this process by increasing the proportion of cells with longer neurites, thus enhancing neuronal differentiation. Composite nanomaterials can be used for neuromodulation, managing the functional activity of cells, particularly where directed growth is needed, such as in the regeneration of peripheral nerve tissue. This work brings us closer to the creation of smart materials that are biocompatible and easy to manufacture for developing scalable thermal stimulation techniques in regenerative medicine.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22019,"journal":{"name":"Smart Materials in Medicine","volume":"6 1","pages":"Pages 8-22"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143610204","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}