{"title":"Confined nanoarchitectonics for nano-reactors: <i>in situ</i> characterization and tracking systems at the nanoscale.","authors":"Na Kong, Katsuhiko Ariga","doi":"10.1039/d5nh00252d","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5nh00252d","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Nanoscale confinement environments, such as surface-confined interfaces, porous nanostructures, nanopores, and hollow nanoparticles, are increasingly recognized as powerful platforms for controlling and enhancing chemical reactions. Confinement at the nanoscale significantly alters the physical and chemical properties of reactants, enabling novel reaction pathways, accelerated kinetics, and unique catalytic behaviours. However, constructing the required nanosctuctures as well as characterizing and monitoring these reactions in real-time remains a significant challenge due to the complexity of confined environments. This review provides a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art <i>in situ</i> characterization and tracking systems used to study reactions in confined interfaces. We explore cutting-edge techniques, including optical, electrochemical, and molecular-level monitoring approaches, which enable real-time analysis of reaction dynamics. Finally, we outline future directions for the development of more efficient <i>in situ</i> tracking systems and advanced characterization techniques, which hold the potential to unlock new frontiers in nanotechnology and materials science.</p>","PeriodicalId":93,"journal":{"name":"Nanoscale Horizons","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144323836","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lucrezia Caselli, Lucia Paolini, Wye-Khay Fong, Costanza Montis, Andrea Zendrini, Jacopo Cardellini, Paolo Bergese, Debora Berti
{"title":"The gold nanoparticle-lipid membrane synergy for nanomedical applications.","authors":"Lucrezia Caselli, Lucia Paolini, Wye-Khay Fong, Costanza Montis, Andrea Zendrini, Jacopo Cardellini, Paolo Bergese, Debora Berti","doi":"10.1039/d5nh00292c","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5nh00292c","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The integration of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with lipid bilayers gives rise to powerful synergistic effects arising from nanoscale interactions. Precise control over these interactions enables the rational design of hybrid AuNP-lipid membrane multifunctional composites, unlocking advanced analytical tools and cutting-edge biomedical applications. From a materials design standpoint, functionalizing AuNPs with lipid membranes reduces cytotoxicity and enhances stability in complex biological environments. This biomimetic strategy also enables precise modulation of interactions at biological interfaces, opening new avenues to endow AuNPs with selective recognition and targeting abilities. Importantly, the combination leads to emergent collective behaviors. For instance, the self-assembly of AuNPs on lipid membranes creates plasmonic 'hot spots' that amplify Raman signals for ultrasensitive SERS-based diagnostics. Membrane-embedded AuNPs can also act as nanoscale heaters, enabling spatiotemporally controlled drug release through light-triggered lipid phase transitions or nanomechanical disruption of the lipid carriers. Furthermore, membrane-mediated AuNP clustering enhances magnetic, catalytic, and optical responses, contributing to the development of smart nanomotors and multifunctional therapeutic platforms. These synergistic functionalities arise specifically from the interplay between AuNPs and lipid architectures and cannot be replicated by either system alone. This review critically explores the functional synergy between AuNPs and lipid membranes, highlights recent key advancements, addresses current challenges, and outlines innovative applications in nanomedicine, including targeted drug delivery, photothermal therapy, and biomolecular sensing.</p>","PeriodicalId":93,"journal":{"name":"Nanoscale Horizons","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144323839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Hyperconjugated linker design in giant dimeric donors enabled superior short-circuit current in organic solar cells.","authors":"Caixuan Wang, Mengying Wu, Dan Deng, Ruixiang Fang, Jianqi Zhang, Ruimin Zhou, Zhixiang Wei","doi":"10.1039/d5nh00223k","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5nh00223k","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Giant dimeric donors possess definite chemical structures and regulatable molecular skeletons and are expected to become alternative photovoltaic materials for polymer donors with batch differences. However, the design of giant dimeric donors is still at an early stage and needs to be further explored. Here, through creative semi-flexible and flexible linker design, we synthesized three interesting giant dimeric donors with relative monomer positions ranging from parallel to staircase to perpendicular in their optimized conformation. Unusually, the hyperconjugation effect in the semi-flexible linker stabilizes the perpendicular conformation, which results in the strongest homo-molecular interactions exhibiting non-planar molecular conformation. Combining calculations and multiple morphology characterization on dynamic and thermal packing, we systematically analyze the hyperconjugation effects, flexibility, and hetero-molecular interaction on the assembly. As a result, applying Y6 as an acceptor, the giant dimeric donor of BDT-Dimer3 with a semi-flexible non-planar linker achieved a satisfactory efficiency of 15.68% with a cutting-edge short-circuit current of 27.39 mA cm<sup>-2</sup> and an improved photostability with a <i>T</i><sub>80</sub> of 630 hours. Our results provide hyperconjugated linker design for efficient and stable OSC devices with definite structures, as well as a deep understanding of the assembly in both pure and mixed systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":93,"journal":{"name":"Nanoscale Horizons","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144323838","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Karolina Saczuk, Maria V Cottini, Marta Dudek, Leszek M Mazur, Dario Puchán Sánchez, Lucía López-Pacios, Ahmad Kassem, Katarzyna Matczyszyn, Juan J Nogueira, Cyrille Monnereau, Lara Martínez-Fernández, Jan Jamroskovic, Clément Cabanetos, Marco Deiana
{"title":"G-quadruplex-driven molecular disassembly and type I-to-type II photophysical conversion of a heavy-atom-free photosensitizer for site-specific oxidative damage.","authors":"Karolina Saczuk, Maria V Cottini, Marta Dudek, Leszek M Mazur, Dario Puchán Sánchez, Lucía López-Pacios, Ahmad Kassem, Katarzyna Matczyszyn, Juan J Nogueira, Cyrille Monnereau, Lara Martínez-Fernández, Jan Jamroskovic, Clément Cabanetos, Marco Deiana","doi":"10.1039/d5nh00237k","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5nh00237k","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>G-quadruplex (G4)-targeted photosensitizers (PSs) are advancing precision oncology by confining DNA damage to malignant cells while sparing healthy tissue. Yet, molecular-level studies on the mechanisms and dynamics of G4 structure damage under PSs light-activation are limited. Here, we introduce DBI-POE, an activatable, heavy-atom-free PS derived from the G4-specific sulfur-substituted dibenzothioxanthene imide (S-DBI) and modified with a hydrophilic, bio-compatible polyoxyethylene (POE) side chain. In aqueous solution, owing to its amphiphilic character, DBI-POE self-assembles into nanoaggregates that disassemble upon binding to G4 DNA. This disassembly switches its photophysical behavior \"turning on\" its fluorescence while enabling two-photon near-infrared (NIR) excitation. Moreover, while DBI-POE follows a type I pathway in the aggregated state, producing superoxide anion (O<sub>2</sub>˙<sup>-</sup>) and hydroxyl (OH˙) radicals, it shifts to a type II mechanism that predominantly generates singlet oxygen (<sup>1</sup>O<sub>2</sub>) upon G4 binding. The generated <sup>1</sup>O<sub>2</sub> selectively oxidizes guanine residues, triggering G4 unfolding, a mechanism validated through biophysical experiments, dot blot assay and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Furthermore, biochemical experiments at single-base resolution reveal that photoactivated DBI-POE induces site-specific oxidative lesions at G4 sites, stalling DNA polymerase, while non-G4 regions remain unaffected. This combination of supramolecular disassembly, photophysical pathway switching, and G4-selective oxidative damage underscores the high specificity of DBI-POE, opening new avenues for the design of next-generation G4-targeted PSs for photodynamic cancer therapies.</p>","PeriodicalId":93,"journal":{"name":"Nanoscale Horizons","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144323837","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Overview and SWOT analysis of nano-ferroptosis therapy for cancers.","authors":"Qian Chen, Junli Zhu, Junhuang Jiang, Zhengwei Huang","doi":"10.1039/d5nh00170f","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5nh00170f","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. In the search for effective treatments, conventional therapies such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy have emerged as mainstream options. However, these therapies often come with significant side effects, resulting in unsatisfactory treatment outcomes. In contrast, the emerging field of nano-ferroptosis therapy has considerable promise for cancer treatment, offering notable advantages in tumor targeting, mitigating drug resistance, and minimizing toxicity. Nano-ferroptosis therapy leverages nanocarriers with high loading capacities and structural tunability to deliver ferroptosis inducers, thereby inhibiting tumor growth through mechanisms such as the enhanced permeability and retention effect or active targeting for precise delivery to the tumor site. This review outlines the current status of research on nano-ferroptosis therapy for various cancer types, with a focus on four key aspects: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). Based on these insights, we propose recommendations and solutions for each aspect of the SWOT analysis. It is expected that this review will provide some insights for advancing nanomedicine design, deepening our understanding of ferroptosis mechanisms, and guiding the development of more effective strategies for cancer treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":93,"journal":{"name":"Nanoscale Horizons","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144315606","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Famin Yu, Wei Feng, Baiqiang Liu, Rui-Qin Zhang, Zhigang Wang
{"title":"Conductance of metal superatom-based molecular wires influenced by nanoscale effects.","authors":"Famin Yu, Wei Feng, Baiqiang Liu, Rui-Qin Zhang, Zhigang Wang","doi":"10.1039/d5nh00180c","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5nh00180c","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>High-conductance molecular wires are critical for advancing molecular-scale electronics, yet their performance typically diminishes exponentially with length. Here, we reveal an unconventional phenomenon where nanoscale molecular wires constructed from metal superatoms demonstrate enhanced conductance as their length increases. Through first-principles calculations, we find that quasi-one-dimensional assemblies of W@Cu<sub>12</sub> superatoms, below 2.5 nanometers in length, exhibit a gradual conductance decay. Importantly, when organized into bundle-like configurations, their conductance transitions to an increasing trend, with the decay factor shifting from 1.25 nm<sup>-1</sup> to -0.95 nm<sup>-1</sup>. This reverse phenomenon can be attributed to the energy alignment of the dominant electron transport orbitals with the Fermi level of the electrode-scattering region-electrode systems, effectively lowering the tunneling barrier. Our results demonstrate that negative decay factors in molecular-scale devices are not intrinsic but can be engineered through structural design. This study provides a theoretical foundation for optimizing molecular circuitry through structural control and highlights the potential of metal superatoms in next-generation electronic transport applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":93,"journal":{"name":"Nanoscale Horizons","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144315605","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Toward next-generation smart medical care wearables: where microfluidics meet microneedles.","authors":"Xin Li, Shuoshuo Wan, Tamim Suza Pronay, Xuejiao Yang, Bingbing Gao, Chwee Teck Lim","doi":"10.1039/d5nh00060b","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5nh00060b","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The integration of microneedles (MNs) with microfluidic platforms has emerged as a transformative approach for developing next-generation smart wearable devices aimed at precise drug delivery and real-time physiological monitoring. This review introduces a multifunctional wearable device that combines the minimally invasive penetration of MNs with the dynamic fluid manipulation capabilities of microfluidics to enhance wound care and chronic disease management. We systematically examine recent advancements in materials, structural design, and manufacturing techniques that enable this integration, highlighting the role of porous, hollow, and bioinspired microneedles in synergistic drug administration and biosensing. By leveraging microfluidic control, these devices enable autonomous therapeutic modulation and high-resolution biomarker detection with potential for closed-loop feedback systems. This convergence of MNs and microfluidics paves the way for intelligent, personalized healthcare solutions with broad applicability beyond wound healing, including telemedicine, chronic condition management, and on-demand therapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":93,"journal":{"name":"Nanoscale Horizons","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144300749","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Connie Wen, Yixun Wang, Kyungsene Lee, Xuelin Wang, Yong Wang
{"title":"DNA-triggered activation of aptamer-neutralized enzyme for <i>in situ</i> formation of injectable hydrogel.","authors":"Connie Wen, Yixun Wang, Kyungsene Lee, Xuelin Wang, Yong Wang","doi":"10.1039/d5nh00314h","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d5nh00314h","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Injectable hydrogels have been widely studied for the embolization of vascular malformations and the control of bleeding in hemorrhages. An ideal injectable hydrogel in these applications needs to form once contacting with the blood components, which enables easy control of hydrogel formation and injectability. However, this type of injectable hydrogel has not yet been widely studied. In this work, an injectable hydrogel system was developed by using a bispecific aptamer-neutralized enzyme and a triggering DNA. The results show that the system remained in its solution or pre-gelation state in the presence of the bispecific aptamer. Upon contact with the triggering DNA, the system was transformed into a hydrogel state. <i>In vitro</i> aneurysm and endovascular embolization were further conducted, and the results showed the DNA administered out of the hydrogel system could trigger the activation of aptamer-bound enzymes for the accelerated formation of the injectable hydrogel. Therefore, this study has successfully demonstrated that a bispecific aptamer-neutralized enzyme in the pre-gelation system can be rapidly released to accelerate the formation of injectable hydrogels when the system is in contact with the blood that contains a triggering DNA.</p>","PeriodicalId":93,"journal":{"name":"Nanoscale Horizons","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12169211/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144300748","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shuhui Yu, Yiming Xie, Yunfei Jiao, Na Li, Baoquan Ding
{"title":"Nucleic acid-based chiral nanostructures and their biomedical applications.","authors":"Shuhui Yu, Yiming Xie, Yunfei Jiao, Na Li, Baoquan Ding","doi":"10.1039/d5nh00140d","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5nh00140d","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chirality is a universal phenomenon in nature. Chiral structures refer to two objects that are mirror images and cannot be superimposed on each other by any kind of translation or rotation. Nucleic acids, including DNA and RNA, are chiral structures. Different chiral geometries of nucleic acids, such as A-form, B-form, and Z-form DNA, and mirror L-nucleic acids, have different properties and physiological functions. This review covers the fundamentals and recent progress in nucleic acid-based chiral nanostructures and their biomedical applications. We begin by introducing chiral geometries of nucleic acids, including naturally occurring A-form, B-form, and Z-form DNA, and artificially synthesized mirror L-nucleic acids. Then the recent advances in creating chiral nanostructures using nucleic acids themselves are presented in the following part. In particular, we highlight the emerging biomedical applications of nucleic acid-based chiral nanostructures. Finally, in the Conclusion section, we provide our views on future challenges and prospects of nucleic acid-based chiral nanostructures.</p>","PeriodicalId":93,"journal":{"name":"Nanoscale Horizons","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144273675","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zixuan Huang, Yunpei Si, Yi Zhang, Zicheng Huang, Xuehao Xiu, Yunshan Wang, YuDong Wang, Chunhai Fan, Ping Song
{"title":"A nanoscale quality control framework for assessing FFPE DNA integrity in cancer research.","authors":"Zixuan Huang, Yunpei Si, Yi Zhang, Zicheng Huang, Xuehao Xiu, Yunshan Wang, YuDong Wang, Chunhai Fan, Ping Song","doi":"10.1039/d5nh00176e","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5nh00176e","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples are widely used in cancer research and clinical diagnostics for preserving tissue morphology and enabling long-term storage. However, FFPE-induced DNA degradation, crosslinking, and inconsistent quality control significantly hinder their utility in molecular analyses. In this study, we established a robust nanoscale quality control (QC) framework incorporating gel electrophoresis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to evaluate DNA integrity in clinical tissue FFPE samples. Our findings demonstrate a quantifiable inverse correlation between the degree of DNA fragmentation and amplification efficiency in FFPE samples. Further analysis of 26 single nucleotide polymorphism loci using targeted next-generation sequencing demonstrated substantial improvements in DNA integrity after enzymatic repair. A comparative whole-exome sequencing analysis of endometrial carcinoma samples with different archival durations demonstrated significantly increased damage levels across multiple genomic features in long-term stored specimens, highlighting the cumulative impact of archival duration. These findings emphasize the detrimental effects of prolonged storage on FFPE DNA quality. Our QC framework enables effective sample stratification, facilitating the selection of high-integrity specimens for sequencing and guiding heavily degraded samples toward targeted short-amplicon assays. This strategy provides a standardized approach to assess the integrity of FFPE-derived DNA, supporting accurate and reproducible use of archival biospecimens in clinical genomics.</p>","PeriodicalId":93,"journal":{"name":"Nanoscale Horizons","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144273674","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}