In the past decades, many polyethylene glycol (PEG)-containing polymers were developed and widely utilized to prepare functionalized nano delivery systems with hydrophilic shielding feature and high body fluid/environmental stability. Notably, some surface physicochemical properties of the PEG-containing polymers largely determined their solution properties and interactions with other biomolecules, which thus subsequently influenced their biological behaviors. In this paper, we summarized recent advances on the surface physicochemical properties of PEG-containing polymer nano systems and their impacts on self-assembly, solution stability, biomolecular interactions, as well as drug delivery. Future research outlooks in this area were also stated and discussed.

Sesquiterpenoids have a wide range of physiological activities, and have potent effects against various diseases. In recent years, many sesquiterpenoids have been reported to show significant bioactivities on diabetes mellitus that is an increasingly severe metabolic disease. In this paper, the bioactivities of sesquiterpenoids on diabetes mellitus in the past twenty years are reviewed.

Chemo-sensitization therapy has gained importance in the field of anti-cancer treatment in recent years. The combination of both chemotherapy and chemosensitization has unique advantages. However, there has been relatively limited research on combination treatment using metal complexes and chemosensitizers. Herein, we reports a two-drug synergistic delivery system combining a copper complex and a chemosensitizer Olaparib in a certain ratio of safety and efficiency is the key. Polyethylenimine (PEI) was chemically-linked to activated chemosensitizer Olaparib, which was connected to a bifunctional peptide, T15, for facilitation and nuclear targeting, resulting in Ola-PEI-T15. Then, a novel metal complex Cu/Ola-PEI-T15 was obtained by Cu²⁺ coordination to Ola-PEI-T15. The two therapeutic agents can be transported into the cells at the same time, giving full play to the synergistic anti-tumor effect.

Glucokinase (GK), as a key enzyme regulating carbohydrate metabolism, has been widely researched as a therapeutic target for diabetes. This study aimed to investigate the influence of magnesium ion concentration, ATP concentration, and enzyme concentration on the catalytic activity of GK by response surface. A cellular model of insulin resistance (IR) was established to observe the ameliorating effect of magnesium ion on IR by screening the concentration and duration of insulin action. The results indicated that the optimal concentrations for enzyme activity were found to be 1.1 mM for magnesium ion, 1.4 mM for ATP, and 0.5 U/mL for glucokinase. In the presence of taurine, the IR model was treated with magnesium ion (1.1 mM) can promote glucose consumption, GK activity and intracellular magnesium concentration in IR cells. Magnesium ion, as a key factor in GK-catalyzed glycolysis, showed a positive correlation between intracellular magnesium ions and the catalytic activity of GK within a certain concentration range. Therefore, magnesium ion could effectively promote carbohydrate metabolism and alleviate the progression of IR.