Huanxiang Yuan

This review highlights water-soluble conjugated molecular materials toward biomedical translation in precision diagnosis, theranostics, and photobiocatalysis, discussing the challenges and development directions for further industrial applications.

Ceramides constitute approximately 50% of the lipid mass in the stratum corneum and are essential for epidermal permeability barrier function. In acne vulgaris, barrier disruption is accompanied by altered ceramide composition, yet the molecular mechanisms that connect acne-associated signals to specific changes in ceramide metabolism remain incompletely understood. This review integrates evidence from lipidomic profiling, enzymatic pathway characterization, and inflammatory signaling studies to examine how ceramide biosynthesis and turnover are modulated in acne-prone skin. Particular attention is directed to the elongation of very-long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) and their incorporation into ceramides by ceramide synthase 3 (CerS3). In cultured keratinocytes, Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes)-derived short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) have been reported to suppress CerS3 and 3-ketodihydrosphingosine reductase (KDSR) through peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), limiting ultra-long-chain fatty acid (ULCFA) supply. We propose a working model in which SCFAs act via PPARα to upregulate ELOVL-family elongases while suppressing CerS3 and KDSR, reducing ULCFA-ceramides and compromising barrier integrity. The CerS3–KDSR node is a candidate regulatory point coupling microbial metabolites to barrier impairment and inflammation. However, this model rests largely on in vitro evidence and requires in vivo validation. Clarifying these regulatory relationships may inform the development of barrier-restorative strategies as adjuncts to conventional acne therapy.

Ceramides (Cer), as bioactive substances, hold significant research importance in fields such as biology, medicine, and daily chemicals. As a significant bioactive substance, Cer has garnered considerable attention in various fields in recent years. Especially in the field of daily chemicals, Cer serves as a core functional ingredient in skincare products, which ameliorate skin dryness and sensitivity and reinforce the barrier function of the stratum corneum. Among them, ultra-long-chain Cer assemble compact and ordered epidermal lipid layers to block exogenous oxidative stress, reduce intracellular ROS accumulation, and mitigate lipid-peroxidation-mediated skin barrier damage, while excess medium- and short-chain Cer disrupt the ordered arrangement of stratum corneum lipids and further aggravate cutaneous oxidative-stress imbalance. Such chain-length-dependent functional divergence reflects the core regulatory effect of structure–activity relationships on cutaneous physiological phenotypes. The acquisition of Cer is of great significance for advancing their research and applications. Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive reviews that introduce the acquisition pathways of Cer and discuss efficient preparation strategies for different methods. Cer and their related raw materials can be obtained through three main pathways: microbial fermentation, natural extraction, and chemical synthesis. This review provides a comprehensive comparison and analysis of these three approaches, focusing on recent advancements and developments in the field. The purpose of this review is to enable researchers to gain a comprehensive understanding of the current research status of the preparation strategies for biological Cer. And the discussion of these studies will be propitious to the future improvement of green synthesis and large-scale production, further promoting the wide application of Cer.

Most infectious diseases are caused by pathogenic infections, which pose significant threats to human health due to their ubiquitous presence and high transmissibility. While antibiotics initially demonstrated excellent therapeutic effects, their widespread misuse has led to the emergence of drug-resistant pathogens, creating even greater challenges. Conventional therapeutic agents often struggle to balance efficacy with biosafety. Organic conjugated molecules (OCM) have attracted considerable attention owing to their excellent biocompatibility and photophysical properties. This has led to the development of phototherapy, which offers numerous advantages including non-invasiveness, avoidance of drug resistance, low toxicity, and superior therapeutic outcomes. Currently widely applied in biomedical fields, phototherapy has seen numerous design strategies emerging in recent years that have yet to be systematically reviewed. This review comprehensively summarizes the latest research advances over the past five years in OCM design strategies and major phototherapeutic approaches for antimicrobial applications. We categorize and discuss current research achievements according to different phototherapy modalities, with particular focus on treatments for superficial tissue infections (e.g., wound, periodontal, and intraocular infections). Simultaneously, we critically analyze the innovation, limitations, and practical applicability of various studies, while also outlining potential challenges for future development in phototherapy.

Thermo-sensitive hydrogel for photodynamic antibacterial application.

To meet the growing demand for sensing technologies, it is imperative to develop novel sensors with higher sensitivity, portability, and low cost. Conventional single‐signal sensors suffer from limitations such as low sensitivity, narrow detection range, and susceptibility to false positives. Integrating two sensing signals into a single system to design dual‐signal sensors effectively addresses these issues. Among optical sensors, fluorescence and colorimetric signals are the most well‐developed and have been widely applied in food safety, environmental monitoring, and biomedical fields. Fluorescence/colorimetric dual‐signal sensors not only combine the advantages of both modalities but also synergistically enhance detection accuracy, broaden the detection range, and improve flexibility, significantly boosting detection efficiency. In recent years, such sensors have undergone rapid development. This review focuses on the signal activation strategies and design principles of fluorescence/colorimetric dual‐signal sensors, particularly the specific recognition mechanisms for diverse targets, aiming to provide insights for the design of next‐generation sensors.

Chain-engineered TPEs for bacteria eradication.

Biofilm-associated infections caused by microbial communities have become a major threat to the global public health. Once formed, biofilms not only significantly enhance microbial resistance to antibiotics but also render infections extremely difficult to eradicate, often resulting in poor clinical outcomes and high mortality rates. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop effective antibiofilm strategies to combat these persistent infections. Nanozymes, nanomaterials with intrinsic enzyme-like catalytic activities, have attracted increasing attention as promising tools for combating biofilm-related infections. As artificial enzyme mimics, nanozymes exhibit excellent catalytic efficiency, enabling them to rapidly generate large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) or catalyze the hydrolysis of biomolecules within microbial cells and biofilms, thereby effectively preventing biofilm formation or eradicating established biofilm. Combined with their good biocompatibility and stability, nanozymes have made remarkable progress in antibiofilm applications over the past five years. In this review, we first provide a brief overview of biofilm infections, biofilm structure, and the mechanisms underlying their antibiotic resistance. Then, we summarize recent advances in the application of nanozymes and their composites to the prevention and disruption of microbial biofilms. Finally, we briefly summarize the present status of nanozymes in antibiofilm research, discuss existing challenges, and propose future prospects for nanozymes in combating biofilms.

A series of anionic platinum(ii) complexes have been reported to form FRET ensembles with PFP-NMe₃⁺via electrostatic, Pt(ii)⋯Pt(ii), and π–π stacking interactions, achieving E. coli imaging and singlet oxygen generation.