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A transient, B cell-targeted tolerance switch using nanoparticles loaded with metabolizable AhR agonists for antigen-specific immune regulation.

Achieving antigen-specific immune tolerance without systemic immunosuppression remains a major challenge in biomaterial-based immunotherapy. Here, we report a simple nanoparticle (NP)-based platform that enables a transient, B cell-targeted tolerance switch. NPs encapsulating metabolizable aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists-FICZ or ITE-preferentially accumulate in splenic marginal zone B cells and convert them into IL-10-producing regulatory B cells (Bregs). This study provides the first in vivo evidence that Bregs can directly present antigen and induce regulatory T cells (Tregs), establishing a NP-controlled Breg-Treg pathway. These Bregs promote antigen-specific Tregs expansion only when co-exposed to antigen, establishing time-gated, antigen-restricted immune regulation. By exploiting the rapid metabolism of AhR agonists, this system provides precise temporal control of tolerance induction while preserving vaccine responses. In mouse models, co-administration of FICZ-containing NP with antigen suppressed anti-drug antibody formation and ameliorated allergic inflammation. This NP platform demonstrates a strategy for safe, antigen-specific immunomodulation and offers a clinically adaptable framework for allergy and biotherapeutic tolerance.

Animals

Enhancing Lipid Nanoparticle-Mediated Circular RNA and mRNA Expression in the Placenta through Inhibition of IFNAR-JAK-STAT Signaling.

The placenta has emerged as a promising target for RNA lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-based therapies to treat obstetric complications, yet efficient extrahepatic RNA transfection remains a challenge. Here, we identify innate immune signaling as a regulator of placental RNA translation and demonstrate that inhibition of IFN-α/β receptor (IFNAR) and JAK-STAT signaling enhances LNP-mediated transgene expression in the placenta for both messenger RNA (mRNA) and circular RNA (circRNA). While a placenta-tropic LNP enabled robust and durable circRNA expression in trophoblasts in vitro, circRNA translation was substantially decreased in vivo compared to mRNA in pregnant mice. Inhibition of IFNAR-JAK-STAT signaling enhanced circRNA translation up to 12-fold in maternal organs and increased circRNA and mRNA translation in the placenta up to 17.5- and 4-fold, respectively. JAK-STAT inhibition also enhanced translation of therapeutically relevant VEGF-encoding circRNA and mRNA in pregnant mice, suggesting innate immune modulation as a broadly applicable strategy to improve RNA therapeutics during pregnancy.

Female

Accelerating diabetic wound healing by ROS-scavenging lipid nanoparticle-mRNA formulation.

Current treatment options for diabetic wounds face challenges due to low efficacy, as well as potential side effects and the necessity for repetitive treatments. To address these issues, we report a formulation utilizing trisulfide-derived lipid nanoparticle (TS LNP)-mRNA therapy to accelerate diabetic wound healing by repairing and reprogramming the microenvironment of the wounds. A library of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive TS LNPs was designed and developed to encapsulate interleukin-4 (IL4) mRNA. TS2-IL4 LNP-mRNA effectively scavenges excess ROS at the wound site and induces the expression of IL4 in macrophages, promoting the polarization from the proinflammatory M1 to the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype at the wound site. In a diabetic wound model of db/db mice, treatment with this formulation significantly accelerates wound healing by enhancing the formation of an intact epidermis, angiogenesis, and myofibroblasts. Overall, this TS LNP-mRNA platform not only provides a safe, effective, and convenient therapeutic strategy for diabetic wound healing but also holds great potential for clinical translation in both acute and chronic wound care.

Wound Healing

Nitric oxide-assisted lipid nanoparticles amplify mRNA vaccine responses.

mRNA vaccines have made substantial clinical advances, yet their full clinical potential can be further expanded by enhancing cytosolic delivery. Here, we integrate a nitric oxide (NO) generator with lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to boost mRNA delivery efficiency and mRNA-based vaccine efficacy. SM-102/DEA LNPs, the lead formulation, achieved significantly higher mRNA delivery compared with the FDA approved SM-102 LNPs in both cellular and animal models. The intramuscular administration of SM-102/DEA LNPs encapsulating mRNA encoding SARS-CoV-2 spike protein elicited substantially higher anti-spike IgG levels and robust CD8+ and CD4+ T cell responses compared to SM-102 LNPs. Mechanistic studies revealed that DEA incorporation promotes endosomal escape of mRNA cargos in SM-102/DEA LNPs. These findings establish NO-assisted LNPs as a unique platform for potent mRNA delivery, which provides a new paradigm for overcoming endosomal barriers and improving the efficacy of mRNA vaccines.

COVID-19

Strain-Promoted mRNA Transdermal Delivery by Lipoic Lipid Nanoparticles for Therapeutic Skin Genome Editing.

Lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-mRNA formulations have revolutionized the field of nucleic acid therapeutics, yet their broader clinical application is constrained by inflammatory side effects and oxidative stress, particularly in the context of inflammatory diseases. Herein, we report the rational design and synthesis of a lipoic acid-based ionizable lipid library to address these limitations. By leveraging the antioxidant properties and thiol-mediated uptake potential of lipoic acid, we identified LA-A2B2CD3 as an optimal candidate through a structure-activity relationship study and design of experiment (DOE) optimization. LA-A2B2CD3 LNPs exhibited superior reactive oxygen species scavenging, enhanced mRNA translation, and reduced inflammatory cytokine production in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistic studies revealed that the efficient cellular uptake and the transdermal delivery capacity of LA-A2B2CD3 heavily rely on the reducible disulfide ring of lipoic acid. Application of LA-A2B2CD3 LNPs for the localized transdermal delivery of Cas9 mRNA and CD93 sgRNA in a murine model of psoriasis resulted in effective CD93 genome editing and the inhibition of the CD93-p38 MAPK-AKT-SMAD2/3 pathway, leading to significant therapeutic improvement. This work presents a robust, biocompatible LNP platform with minimized immunogenicity and strong potential for genome-editing therapies in inflammatory conditions, offering a transformative approach for the mRNA-based treatment of skin and other inflammation-related disorders.

Animals

Efficient prime editing in vivo and in vitro using lipid nanoparticles.

Prime editing is a versatile clinical genome editing method that enables precise substitutions, small insertions and deletions at specified locations in the genomes of living systems including human cells. Although non-viral lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery of RNA in vivo has become a preferred method for gene editing in animals and patients, its application to complex, three-component prime editing systems has yielded low editing efficiencies. Here we developed a systematic prime editing LNP (PE-LNP) optimization platform that addresses key bottlenecks in cargo design that limit editing efficiency. This generalizable workflow yielded PE-LNPs that can achieve 49% average in vivo prime editing in the bulk mouse liver with a single dose of 2 mg kg-1. We applied our workflow to the correction of PAH R408W, a cause of phenylketonuria, in a mouse model and achieved prime editing efficiencies and serum phenylalanine levels anticipated to be curative. We also show that PE-LNPs minimize off-target editing compared with DNA delivery methods, induce only transient elevation of liver enzymes and can be dosed repeatedly to improve editing efficiencies. These PE-LNP systems provide an attractive alternative to viral delivery by offering transient expression that minimizes off-target editing, no observed long-term toxicity and high levels of non-viral in vivo liver prime editing.

Animals

Lung and liver editing by lipid nanoparticle delivery of a stable CRISPR-Cas9 ribonucleoprotein.

Lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) could enable high-efficiency, low-toxicity and scalable in vivo genome editing if efficacious RNP-LNP complexes can be reliably produced. Here we engineer a thermostable Cas9 from Geobacillus stearothermophilus (GeoCas9) to generate iGeoCas9 variants capable of >100× more genome editing of cells and organs compared with the native GeoCas9 enzyme. Furthermore, iGeoCas9 RNP-LNP complexes edit a variety of cell types and induce homology-directed repair in cells receiving codelivered single-stranded DNA templates. Using tissue-selective LNP formulations, we observe genome-editing levels of 16‒37% in the liver and lungs of reporter mice that receive single intravenous injections of iGeoCas9 RNP-LNPs. In addition, iGeoCas9 RNPs complexed to biodegradable LNPs edit the disease-causing SFTPC gene in lung tissue with 19% average efficiency, representing a major improvement over genome-editing levels observed previously using viral or nonviral delivery strategies. These results show that thermostable Cas9 RNP-LNP complexes can expand the therapeutic potential of genome editing.

Gene Editing

Deciphering nanoparticle protein coronas by capillary isoelectric focusing-mass spectrometry-based top-down proteomics.

The nanoparticle (NP) protein corona significantly influences the outcome of nanomedicine. We present the first example of top-down proteomics (TDP) measurement of the protein corona using capillary isoelectric focusing-mass spectrometry, identifying seventy proteoforms of 16 cancer-related genes. This technique has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the protein corona and advance nanomedicine.

Proteomics

Body mass index-specific nanoparticle protein corona signatures in late pregnancy.

The protein corona (PC) formed on the surface of nanoparticles (NPs) upon exposure to human biofluids is a dynamic interface that reflects the physiological and pathological status of the host. In this study, we investigated how the maternal body mass index (BMI) influences the composition of the NPs' PC during late pregnancy. Polystyrene NPs were incubated with plasma samples collected from third-trimester pregnant individuals across normal weight, overweight, and obese BMI categories. Comprehensive characterization using dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential measurements, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed BMI-dependent differences in PC thickness and colloidal stability. SDS-PAGE and label-free quantitative proteomics revealed distinct molecular compositions: PCs from obese individuals were enriched in inflammatory and lipid metabolism-associated proteins (e.g., APOE and CRP), while normal weight-derived PCs showed higher levels of complementary regulators and extracellular matrix proteins. Principal component analysis (PCA) demonstrated clear clustering of proteomic profiles by the BMI group, suggesting BMI-specific PC fingerprints. These findings indicate that the maternal metabolic phenotype shapes nano-bio interactions at the proteomic level and highlight the potential of PC profiling as a non-invasive approach for assessing maternal health and metabolic status. This work lays the foundation for integrating NP-based proteomics into precision nanomedicine for maternal-fetal health monitoring.

Female

Simultaneous targeting of peripheral and brain tumors with a therapeutic nanoparticle to disrupt metabolic adaptability at both sites.

Brain metastasis of advanced breast cancer often results in deleterious consequences. Metastases to the brain lead to significant challenges in treatment options, as the blood-brain barrier (BBB) prevents conventional therapy. Thus, we hypothesized that creation of a nanoparticle (NP) that distributes to both primary tumor site and across the BBB for secondary brain tumor can be extremely beneficial. Here, we report a simple targeting strategy to attack both the primary breast and secondary brain tumors utilizing a single NP platform. The nature of these mitochondrion-targeted, BBB-penetrating NPs allow for simultaneous targeting and drug delivery to the hyperpolarized mitochondrial membrane of the extracranial primary tumor site in addition to tumors at the brain. By utilizing a combination of such dual anatomical distributing NPs loaded with therapeutics, we demonstrate a proof-of-concept idea to combat the increased metabolic plasticity of brain metastases by lowering two major energy sources, oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and glycolysis. By utilizing complementary studies and genomic analyses, we demonstrate the utility of a chemotherapeutic prodrug to decrease OXPHOS and glycolysis by pairing with a NP loaded with pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 inhibitor. Decreasing glycolysis aims to combat the metabolic flexibility of both primary and secondary tumors for therapeutic outcome. We also address the in vivo safety parameters by addressing peripheral neuropathy and neurobehavior outcomes. Our results also demonstrate that this combination therapeutic approach utilizes mitochondrial genome targeting strategy to overcome DNA repair-based chemoresistance mechanisms.

Brain Neoplasms

Phenotypic targeting using magnetic nanoparticles for rapid characterization of cellular proliferation regulators.

Genome-wide CRISPR screens have provided a systematic way to identify essential genetic regulators of a phenotype of interest with single-cell resolution. However, most screens use live/dead readout of viability to identify factors of interest. Here, we describe an approach that converts cell proliferation into the degree of magnetization, enabling downstream microfluidic magnetic sorting to be performed. We performed a head-to-head comparison and verified that the magnetic workflow can identify the same hits from a traditional screen while reducing the screening period from 4 weeks to 1 week. Taking advantage of parallelization and performance, we screened multiple mesenchymal cancer cell lines for their dependency on cell proliferation. We found and validated pan- and cell-specific potential therapeutic targets. The method presented provides a nanoparticle-enabled approach means to increase the breadth of data collected in CRISPR screens, enabling the rapid discovery of drug targets for treatment.

Humans

Lipid-nanoparticle-mediated base editing of the trabecular meshwork rescues glaucoma in vivo.

Mutations in MYOC, the most common genetic cause of glaucoma, cause misfolded myocilin to accumulate in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), leading to trabecular meshwork (TM) dysfunction, elevated intraocular pressure, and progressive vision loss. While gene editing offers curative potential, current delivery methods rely on viral vectors, which are limited by inflammation, off-target effects, and poor translatability. Here, we report a nonviral lipid nanoparticle (LNP) platform that enables selective in vivo delivery of mRNA encoding an adenine base editor and single guide RNA (LNP-ABE) to TM cells. A direct comparison of LNP-mCherry with lentiviral GFP revealed that LNPs outperform viral vectors, achieving markedly higher efficiency and greater selectivity for the TM without inducing ocular inflammation. In a Cre-inducible Tg.CreMYOCY437H glaucoma mouse model, LNP-Cre mRNA selectively induced mutant MYOC expression in the TM, faithfully recapitulating key disease features. A single administration of LNP-ABE achieved efficient on-target editing of mutant MYOC, reducing mutant myocilin protein by approximately 46%, decreasing aggregates, alleviating ER stress, and fully rescuing the glaucomatous phenotype in Tg.CreMYOCY437H mice. Importantly, no off-target editing or ocular toxicity was detected. These findings establish LNP-based mRNA delivery as a safe, efficient, and clinically translatable approach for TM-targeted genome editing with broad therapeutic potential in glaucoma.

Animals

Integrated Optimization, Genomic Characterization, and Functional Evaluation of Biogenic Selenium Nanoparticles from Bacillus licheniformis BLN313: Antibacterial and Anticancer Potential.

Microbial synthesis of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) offers a sustainable alternative to chemical routes, but the genetic basis of selenium handling in Bacillus remains poorly defined, which limits rational strain selection. Here, SeNP production, physicochemical characterization, and closed-genome sequencing are combined for Bacillus licheniformis BLN313. Selenite reduction peaked at 500 µg/mL Na2SeO3 (88.8% conversion; 444 ± 27 µg/mL Se0); at higher concentrations, conversion efficiency and viability diverged, indicating that tolerance and reductive capacity are distinct traits. Purified SeNPs were spherical and partially crystalline trigonal Se0 (TEM 190 ± 52 nm; DLS 166 nm, PDI 0.03; zeta potential -20.8 mV), carrying a proteinaceous capping layer confirmed by XPS, EDS, and FTIR and shown by LC-MS to be enriched in cell wall-derived metabolites. The particles were bactericidal against Micrococcus luteus (MIC 62.5 µg/mL) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (MIC 250 µg/mL) and reduced MCF-7 viability (IC50 2.7 µg/mL) while sparing MCF-10A cells. The 4.11 Mb genome (46.3% GC; ANI 99.7%, dDDH 97.8%) encodes SulP and Pit transporters, multiple trxB copies, and sulfur-metabolism and oxidative-stress genes, defining a candidate gene set for selenium uptake, reduction and detoxification. BLN313 thus provides a genetically defined platform for SeNP production in biomedical and environmental applications.

Selenium

Entropy-Driven Electrolyte Design for Lithium Metal Batteries: Achieving Interfacial Stability With Fluorinated Fullerene Nanoparticle Additives.

Lithium metal batteries are highly attractive for next-generation high-energy-density storage, and ether-based electrolytes such as LiFSI/DME are particularly promising for high-rate operation because of their low viscosity, high ionic conductivity, and favorable compatibility with Li metal. However, current electrolyte optimization strategies still rely mainly on small-molecule additives that regulate bulk solvation or the primary Li+ solvation sheath, whereas entropy-driven modulation of the interfacial solvation environment by large molecular additives remains largely unexplored. Herein, fluorinated fullerene C60F30 (FF) is introduced as a nanoparticle additive to create a dynamically disordered interface that enhances configurational entropy without sacrificing Li+ diffusivity, while accelerating Li+ desolvation and transport. Meanwhile, FF cooperates with FSI--derived species to build a robust fluorine-rich SEI, suppressing dendrite growth and parasitic reactions. As a result, Li||Li symmetric cells cycle stably for 1500 h, while high-loading Li||LiFePO4 cells retain 96.0% capacity after 500 cycles at 2C and 95.9% after 1000 cycles at 10C. Moreover, pouch cells and high-loading Li||NCM811 cells further verify the practical promise of the FF-enabled electrolyte for high-rate, long-cycling LMBs.

Li metal batteries

Synthesis of Padina boergesenii-Derived Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and their Therapeutic Potential Against Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Transcriptomic and in Vitro Evaluation.

Cancer remains a major health challenge, with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) being an high aggressive subtype of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma that lacks effective therapeutic options. Current study integrates the synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) from the marine brown algae Padina boergesenii with the OSCC gene expression profile to evaluate their potential therapeutic effects against OSCC. Herein, the ZnO-NPs from Padina boergesenii were prepared through the green synthesis method. The obtained ZnO-NPs were characterized through spectroscopic methods, the UV spectrophotometer shows maximum absorbance at 372 nm, FT-IR presents Zn-O functional band at 516 cm- 1, HR-TEM confirms average particle size of 55.70 nm and the Zetasizer shows zeta potential of + 12.9 mV, indicating colloidal stability. The cytotoxicity assay with ZnO-NPs against oral cancer cell lines exhibited a reduction in cell viability at IC₅₀ value of 20 µg/mL. Meanwhile, the transcriptome analysis of OSCC highlights that MYC, STAT3, BRCA1, and AKT1 are the OSCC therapeutic targets involved in proliferation, immune evasion, genomic instability, and cancer signalling pathways. Further, qRT-PCR based gene expression analysis demonstrates significant down-regulation of these targets upon ZnO-NPs treatment in KB cell lines. Overall, this study emphasizes the anticancer potential of Padina boergesenii-derived ZnO-NPs that could effectively modulate the therapeutic targets and may benefit the treatment of OSCC cancer.

Cytotoxicity

Physicochemical characterization of nanoparticles in highly diluted preparations and exploratory plasma proteomic correlates in an N-of-1 study.

The physicochemical properties of highly diluted homeopathic preparations remain insufficiently characterized. This study investigated particulate features of Kali carbonicum (K2CO3) at 50-millesimal potencies (LM4-LM7, ∼1:50,000 dilutions per step) and explored plasma proteomic changes in a placebo-controlled N-of-1 trial. Scanning electron microscopy showed larger particle size in Kali carbonicum (67.3 nm) than in the lactose control (47.5 nm) at LM4 in a descriptive comparison. Dynamic light scattering showed no significant differences in size, polydispersity, or zeta potential among Kali carbonicum, lactose control, and solvent blank, accounting for vial-level clustering. Atomic force microscopy showed more compact dendritic assemblies in Kali than in lactose controls, suggesting trituration influences self-organization. Raman spectroscopy of LM7 detected carbonate-associated bands absent in controls. Plasma proteomics identified six FDR-significant proteins during Kali exposure, including increased S100A9, with exploratory enrichment for inflammation, cytoskeletal, and motility terms. These findings are exploratory and do not imply causality.

Proteomics

Bioengineered zinc oxide nanoparticles derived from Teucrium polium as a multifunctional platform for anticancer activity, hemocompatibility, larval toxicity and photocatalytic remediation.

In this study, we evaluate the physicochemical properties and the antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, photocatalytic, and larvicidal activities of T. polium-mediated ZnO NPs. The synthesized ZnO NPs were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy (absorption at 392 nm), FTIR, TEM, and XRD, confirming their successful synthesis. The antioxidant activity of ZnO NPs was evaluated using various assays: DPPH scavenging at 54% (100 µg/mL), ABTS scavenging at 63.3% (100 µg/mL), FRAP scavenging at 61.2% (100 µg/mL), and hydrogen peroxide scavenging at 65% (100 µg/mL), demonstrating concentration-dependent activity. The antibacterial properties were tested against E. coli, P. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae, and S. aureus, with the largest inhibition zone observed for P. aeruginosa (28.3 mm at 100 µg/mL). Cytotoxicity on MCF-7 cells showed a dose-dependent decrease in cell viability, with values of 75.6%, 44%, 20%, and 8% for concentrations of 25, 50, 75, and 100 µg/mL, respectively. ROS generation and apoptosis were also observed at higher concentrations. The photocatalytic degradation of Methyl Orange was evaluated under UV irradiation, yielding 85% degradation efficiency at pH 3 with a ZnO NP concentration of 50 mg/L. The larvicidal toxicity against Aedes aegypti was significant, with LC50 values of 76.63 µg/mL for III instar and 82.74 µg/mL for IV instar larvae. The results suggest that T. polium-mediated ZnO NPs possess significant potential for therapeutic applications, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, photocatalytic, and larvicidal activities, making them a promising candidate for biomedical and environmental applications.

Zinc Oxide