2. Academic Validation
  3. Study on the biosafety and in vivo metabolic patterns of DNA-inspired Janus Base nanotubes

Study on the biosafety and in vivo metabolic patterns of DNA-inspired Janus Base nanotubes

  • Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 Jun:313:144010. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.144010.
Dehua Liu 1,  Wu Duan 2,  Zongyue He 3,  Longzhuo Du 1,  Yuanlong Zhu 1,  Zuowei Jin 4,  Houyi Sun 1,  Xinguo Hou 5,  Peilai Liu 6,  Libo Zhou 7
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Orthopaedics, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China.
  • 2 Dpartment of Endocrinology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China; Shenzhen Research Institute of Shandong University, Shenzhen 518000, Guangdong Province, China.
  • 3 The Key Laboratory of Experimental Teratology, Ministry of Education and Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China.
  • 4 Department of Pathology, Zhangqiu District Hospital of traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China.
  • 5 Dpartment of Endocrinology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China.
  • 6 Department of Orthopaedics, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China. Electronic address: gklpl@163.com.
  • 7 School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China. Electronic address: libozhou@sdu.edu.cn.
PMID: 40354855 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.144010
Abstract

Janus base nanotubes (JBNTs), also known as Rosette nanotubes, are synthesized from DNA-inspired base molecular monomers and show promise for biomedical applications. However, their clinical translation has been hindered by a lack of comprehensive biocompatibility and biodistribution studies. In this study, we evaluated the in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility of JBNTs and their biodistribution following intravenous and knee intra-articular injections. Within the concentration range of 40 μg/mL, JBNTs supported excellent cell growth with no significant inflammatory response, and even at a concentration of 100 μg/mL, no noticeable erythrocyte hemolysis was observed. In vivo biocompatibility assessment revealed that intravenous injection of 30 μg and 150 μg of JBNTs did not result in significant abnormalities in routine blood tests, inflammatory responses, or organ damage within 7 days. JBNTs were primarily metabolized by the liver and kidneys, with excretion occurring via urine and feces. Notably, we observed that JBNTs extended the retention time of macromolecular substances within the knee joint cavity. While Cy7 alone remained in the joint for approximately 3 days, JBNTs-Cy7 persisted for more than 21 days. This study underscores the safety, efficacy, and transformative potential of JBNTs for clinical applications in targeted drug delivery and tissue regeneration.

Keywords

Biomimetic nanomaterials; Biosafety; DNA-inspired nanotubes; Metabolic distribution.

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