An innovative organic small molecule with a D-A structure was synthesized by connecting triphenylamine to BODIPY via a thiophene bridge. Triphenylamine and thiophene units ingeniously modulate the balance between steric hindrance and π-π interactions around the flat aza-BODIPY core. The molecule exhibits near-infrared fluorescence absorption and emits at roughly 1100 nm, featuring a significant Stokes shift. Both the molecule and its nanoparticles demonstrate high stability and achieve a remarkable 35 % photothermal conversion efficiency when conjugated with the P(OEGMA)20-P(Asp)14 copolymer. In vitro assessments show low dark toxicity and outstanding biocompatibility. Moreover, in vivo studies and photothermal therapy in mice indicate substantial tumor shrinkage and reduced recurrence, confirming its potential in cancer treatment. These results highlight the promise of this organic molecule and its nanoparticles for NIR-II imaging-guided photothermal therapy, introducing a novel approach to phototheranostic applications for cancer management.

Corneal neovascularization is a significant cause of vision loss, often resulting in corneal clouding and chronic inflammation. Shark cartilage is widely recognized as a significant natural source of anti-angiogenic compounds. Our previous studies have shown that a polypeptide from white-spotted catshark (Chiloscyllium plagiosum Bonnet) has the potential to inhibit the angiogenesis of breast tumors. This study applied this peptide (SAIF) to a corneal alkali injury model to assess its effect on corneal neovascularization. Results revealed that SAIF inhibits endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation. SAIF inhibited VEGF-induced angiogenesis in the matrigel plug. Using the corneal alkali injury model, SAIF significantly inhibited corneal vascular neovascularization in mice. We found that SAIF not only significantly inhibited the upregulation of pro-angiogenic factors such as VEGF, bFGF, and PDGF expression induced by alkali injury, but also promoted the expression of anti-angiogenesis factor PEDF. Moreover, we also analyzed the MMPs and TIMPs involved in extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, angiogenesis, and lymphangiogenesis. We found that SAIF treatment inhibited the expression of pro-angiogenic factors like MMP1, MMP2, MMP3, MMP9, MMP13, and MMP14, and promoted the expression of anti-angiogenesis factors such as MMP7, TIMP1, TIMP2, and TIMP3. In conclusion, SAIF acts as an anti-angiogenic factor to inhibit the proliferation, migration, and tube formation of endothelial cells, inhibit pro-angiogenic factors, promote anti-angiogenic factors, and regulate the expression of MMPs, ultimately inhibiting corneal neovascularization.

Drug-resistant bacterial infections and their lipopolysaccharide-related inflammatory complications continue to pose significant challenges in traditional treatments. Inspired by the rapid initiation of resident macrophages to form aggregates for efficient antibacterial action, this study proposes a multifunctional and enhanced antibacterial strategy through the construction of novel biomimetic cell membrane polypeptide nanonets (R-DPB-TA-Ce). The design involves the fusion of end-terminal lipidated polypeptides containing side-chain cationic boronic acid groups (DNPLBA) with cell membrane intercalation engineering (R-DPB), followed by coordination with the tannic acid-cerium complex (TA-Ce) to assemble into a biomimetic nanonet through boronic acid-polyphenol-metal ion interactions. In addition to the ability of RAW 264.7 macrophages cell membrane components\' (R) ability to neutralize lipopolysaccharide (LPS), R-DPB-TA-Ce demonstrated enhanced capture of bacteria and its LPS, leveraging nanoconfinement-enhanced multiple interactions based on the boronic acid-polyphenol nanonets skeleton combined with polysaccharide. Utilizing these advantages, indocyanine green (ICG) is further employed as a model drug for delivery, showcasing the exceptional treatment effect of R-DPB-TA-Ce as a new biomimetic assembled drug delivery system in antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing promotion. Thus, this strategy of mimicking macrophage aggregates is anticipated to be further applicable to various types of cell membrane engineering for enhanced antibacterial treatment.

Polypeptides consisting of amino acid (AA) sequences are suitable for high-density information storage. However, the lack of suitable encoding systems, which accommodate the characteristics of polypeptide synthesis, storage and sequencing, impedes the application of polypeptides for large-scale digital data storage. To address this, two reliable and highly efficient encoding systems, i.e. RaptorQ-Arithmetic-Base64-Shuffle-RS (RABSR) and RaptorQ-Arithmetic-Huffman-Rotary-Shuffle-RS (RAHRSR) systems, are developed for polypeptide data storage. The two encoding systems realized the advantages of compressing data, correcting errors of AA chain loss, correcting errors within AA chains, eliminating homopolymers, and pseudo-randomized encrypting. The coding efficiency without arithmetic compression and error correction of audios, pictures and texts by the RABSR system was 3.20, 3.12 and 3.53 Bits/AA, respectively. While that using the RAHRSR system reached 4.89, 4.80 and 6.84 Bits/AA, respectively. When implemented with redundancy for error correction and arithmetic compression to reduce redundancy, the coding efficiency of audios, pictures and texts by the RABSR system was 4.43, 4.36 and 5.22 Bits/AA, respectively. This efficiency further increased to 7.24, 7.11 and 9.82 Bits/AA by the RAHRSR system, respectively. Therefore, the developed hexadecimal polypeptide-based systems may provide a new scenario for highly reliable and highly efficient data storage.

UNASSIGNED: Polymer nanogels are among the most promising nanoplatforms for use in biomedical applications. The substantial interest for these drug carriers is to enhance the transportation of bioactive substances, reduce the side effects, and achieve optimal action on the curative sites by targeting delivery and triggering the release of the drugs in a controlled and continuous mode.
UNASSIGNED: The review discusses the opportunities, applications, and challenges of synthetic polypeptide nanogels in biomedicine, with an emphasis on the recent progress in cancer therapy. It is evidenced by the development of polypeptide nanogels for better controlled drug delivery and release, in complex in vivo microenvironments in biomedical applications.
UNASSIGNED: Polypeptide nanogels can be developed by choosing the amino acids from the peptide structure that are suitable for the type of application. Using a stimulus - sensitive peptide nanogel, it is possible to obtain the appropriate transport and release of the drug, as well as to achieve desirable therapeutic effects, including safety, specificity, and efficiency. The final system represents an innovative way for local and sustained drug delivery at a specific site of the body.

Protein-polymer conjugates and polymeric nanomaterials hold great promise in many applications including biomaterials, medicine, or nanoelectronics. In this work, the first polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) approach performed in aqueous medium enabling protein-polymer conjugates and nanoparticles entirely composed of amino acids is presented by using ring-opening polymerization (ROP). It is indeed shown that aqueous ring-opening polymerization-induced self-assembly (ROPISA) can be used with protein or peptidic macroinitiators without prior chemical modification and afford the simple preparation of nanomaterials with protein-like property, for example, to implement biomimetic thermoresponsivity in drug delivery.

Wound healing is a complex physiological process involving hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and tissue remodeling. Therefore, there is an urgent need for suitable wound dressings for effective and systematical wound management. Polypeptide-based hydrogel bio-adhesives offer unique advantages and are ideal candidates. However, comprehensive reviews on polypeptide-based hydrogel bio-adhesives for wound healing are still lacking. In this review, the physiological mechanisms and evaluation parameters of wound healing were first described in detail. Then, the working principles of hydrogel bio-adhesives were summarized. Recent advances made in multifunctional polypeptide-based hydrogel bio-adhesives involving gelatin, silk fibroin, fibrin, keratin, poly-γ-glutamic acid, ɛ-poly-lysine, serum albumin, and elastin with pro-healing activities in wound healing and tissue repair were reviewed. Finally, the current status, challenges, developments, and future trends of polypeptide-based hydrogel bio-adhesives were discussed, hoping that further developments would be stimulated to meet the growing needs of their clinical applications.

The relentless pursuit of effective strategies against skin aging has led to significant interest in the role of bioactive factors, particularly secondary metabolites from natural sources. The purpose of this study is to meticulously explore and summarize the recent advancements in understanding and utilization of bioactive factors against skin aging, with a focus on their sources, mechanisms of action, and therapeutic potential. Skin, the largest organ of the body, directly interacts with the external environment, making it susceptible to aging influenced by factors such as UV radiation, pollution, and oxidative stress. Among various interventions, bioactive factors, including peptides, amino acids, and secondary metabolites, have shown promising anti-aging effects by modulating the biological pathways associated with skin integrity and youthfulness. This article provides a comprehensive overview of these bioactive compounds, emphasizing collagen peptides, antioxidants, and herbal extracts, and discusses their effectiveness in promoting collagen synthesis, enhancing skin barrier function, and mitigating the visible signs of aging. By presenting a synthesis of the current research, this study aims to highlight the therapeutic potential of these bioactive factors in developing innovative anti-aging skin care solutions, thereby contributing to the broader field of dermatological research and offering new perspectives for future studies. Our findings underscore the importance of the continued exploration of bioactive compounds for their potential to revolutionize anti-aging skin care and improve skin health and aesthetics.

Traditionally, mass spectrometry (MS) output is the ion abundance plotted versus the ionic mass-to-charge ratio m/z. While employing only commercially available equipment, Charge Determination Analysis (CHARDA) adds a third dimension to MS, estimating for individual peaks their charge states z starting from z = 1 and color coding z in m/z spectra. CHARDA combines the analysis of ion signal decay rates in the time-domain data (transients) in Fourier transform (FT) MS with the interrogation of mass defects (fractional mass) of biopolymers. Being applied to individual isotopic peaks in a complex protein tandem (MS/MS) data set, CHARDA aids peptide mass spectra interpretation by facilitating charge-state deconvolution of large ionic species in crowded regions, estimating z even in the absence of an isotopic distribution (e.g., for monoisotopic mass spectra). CHARDA is fast, robust, and consistent with conventional FTMS and FTMS/MS data acquisition procedures. An effective charge-state resolution Rz ≥ 6 is obtained with the potential for further improvements.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a prevalent metabolic liver disease closely associated with the epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but without licensed pharmacological treatment to date. As glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) are approved anti-diabetic and anti-obesity medications, they were also considered a potential therapeutic option for NAFLD. Preclinical studies suggest that GLP-1RAs have a beneficial effect on major NAFLD histological outcomes, i.e., hepatic steatosis and inflammation, through multiple intrahepatic mechanisms, including increased fatty acid β-oxidation, activation of autophagy, suppression of inflammation, and oxidative stress. Data on hepatic fibrosis are limited or inconclusive, although some studies reported improvement in indices of fibrosis or prevention of fibrosis initiation or reduction of collagen deposition. Whether the positive impact of GLP-1RAs on hepatic histology is indirect, i.e., through their action on extrahepatic tissues, or whether their action is direct, i.e., through activating GLP-1R on the hepatocytes, is still a controversial issue. Alongside GLP-1RAs, newly emerging peptide polyagonists (i.e., synthetic molecules that combine the amino acid sequences of more than one peptide, thus having the ability to bind more than one receptor) are now being investigated in NAFLD with high expectations. This review summarizes the existing knowledge derived from animal studies on the effects of GLP-1RAs and GLP-1RA related peptide polyagonists on NAFLD in an attempt to illuminate areas of uncertainty and provide the groundwork for future animal and clinical research in the field.