Yanbin Sun

Bio: Yanbin Sun is an academic researcher from Hefei University of Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: Catalysis & Chemistry. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 3 publications receiving 27 citations.

Thermochromic Polyvinyl Alcohol-Iodine Hydrogels with Safe Threshold Temperature for Infectious Wound Healing

Abstract: Iodophor (povidone-iodine) has been widely used for antibacterial applications in the clinic. Yet, limited progress in the field of iodine-based bactericides has been achieved since the invention of iodophor. Herein, a blue polyvinyl alcohol-iodine (PAI) complex-based antibacterial hydrogel is explored as a new generation of biocompatible iodine-based bactericides. The obtained PAI hydrogel maintains laser triggered liquefaction, thermochromic, and photothermal features for highly efficient elimination of bacteria. In vitro antibacterial test reveals that the relative bacteria viabilities of Escherichia coli (E.coli) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) incubated with PAI hydrogel are only 8% and 3.8%, respectively. Upon single injection of the PAI hydrogel, MRSA-infected open wounds can be efficiently healed in only 5 days, and the healing speed is further accelerated by laser irradiation due to the dynamic interaction between iodine and polyvinyl alcohol, causing up to ∼29% of wound area being closed on day 1. In addition, a safe threshold temperature of skin scald (∼45 °C) emerges for PAI hydrogels because of thermochromic properties, avoiding thermal injuries during irradiation. In addition, no observed toxicity or skin irritation is observed for the PAI hydrogel. This work expands the category of iodine-based bactericides for safe and controllable management of infected wounds.

Facile synthesis of monodisperse chromogenic amylose-iodine nanoparticles as an efficient broad-spectrum antibacterial agent.

Abstract: The famous chromogenic reaction between starch and iodine has been widely used for chemical analysis since its first discovery in the year of 1814 while it is seldom utilized in biomedical applications. Inspired by their high iodine content and strong optical absorbance in the near infrared (NIR) region, monodisperse amylose–iodine nanoparticles (AM–I NPs), synthesized by simple mixing of amylose NPs and KI–I2 solutions, were explored as a new class of high-performance antibacterial agent. Benefiting from the broad-spectrum antibacterial property of iodine and photothermal effect of the amylose–iodine complex, the obtained AM–I NPs exhibited an excellent photothermal-enhanced sterilization effect for both Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Gram-positive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). For instance, upon incubation with AM–I NP suspensions (30 μg mL−1) plus NIR laser irradiation (808 nm, 1.33 W cm−2, 5 min), the relative survival rates of E. coli and MRSA were only 1.2% and 1.7%, respectively. In addition, the AM–I NPs depicted better biocompatibility in vitro than that of KI–I2 solution, indicating their safety for potential biomedical applications in vivo. This proof-of-concept study revealed the antibacterial applications of a traditional starch-iodine complex and is expected to provide insights into the design and development of efficient broad-spectrum antibacterial agents.

Photothermal therapy and photoacoustic imaging via nanotheranostics in fighting cancer

Abstract: The nonradiative conversion of light energy into heat (photothermal therapy, PTT) or sound energy (photoacoustic imaging, PAI) has been intensively investigated for the treatment and diagnosis of cancer, respectively. By taking advantage of nanocarriers, both imaging and therapeutic functions together with enhanced tumour accumulation have been thoroughly studied to improve the pre-clinical efficiency of PAI and PTT. In this review, we first summarize the development of inorganic and organic nano photothermal transduction agents (PTAs) and strategies for improving the PTT outcomes, including applying appropriate laser dosage, guiding the treatment via imaging techniques, developing PTAs with absorption in the second NIR window, increasing photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE), and also increasing the accumulation of PTAs in tumours. Second, we introduce the advantages of combining PTT with other therapies in cancer treatment. Third, the emerging applications of PAI in cancer-related research are exemplified. Finally, the perspectives and challenges of PTT and PAI for combating cancer, especially regarding their clinical translation, are discussed. We believe that PTT and PAI having noteworthy features would become promising next-generation non-invasive cancer theranostic techniques and improve our ability to combat cancers.

Inorganic nanomaterials with rapid clearance for biomedical applications.

Abstract: Inorganic nanomaterials that have inherently exceptional physicochemical properties (e.g., catalytic, optical, thermal, electrical, or magnetic performance) that can provide desirable functionality (e.g., drug delivery, diagnostics, imaging, or therapy) have considerable potential for application in the field of biomedicine. However, toxicity can be caused by the long-term, non-specific accumulation of these inorganic nanomaterials in healthy tissues, preventing their large-scale clinical utilization. Over the past several decades, the emergence of biodegradable and clearable inorganic nanomaterials has offered the potential to prevent such long-term toxicity. In addition, a comprehensive understanding of the design of such nanomaterials and their metabolic pathways within the body is essential for enabling the expansion of theranostic applications for various diseases and advancing clinical trials. Thus, it is of critical importance to develop biodegradable and clearable inorganic nanomaterials for biomedical applications. This review systematically summarizes the recent progress of biodegradable and clearable inorganic nanomaterials, particularly for application in cancer theranostics and other disease therapies. The future prospects and opportunities in this rapidly growing biomedical field are also discussed. We believe that this timely and comprehensive review will stimulate and guide additional in-depth studies in the area of inorganic nanomedicine, as rapid in vivo clearance and degradation is likely to be a prerequisite for the future clinical translation of inorganic nanomaterials with unique properties and functionality.