Latest ArticlesDelayed or non-healing of diabetic wounds is a significant complication, often attributed to high glucose-induced M1 macrophage accumulation, impaired angiogenesis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) buildup. Addressing this, we introduced a strontium polyphenol network microneedle patch (SrC-MPNs@MN-PP) for percutaneous drug delivery. This patch, formulated with polymer poly(γ-glutamic acid) (γ-PGA) and epsilon-poly-L-lysine (ε-PLL), incorporates strontium polyphenol networks (SrC-MPNs). The release of chlorogenic acid (CGA) from SrC-MPNs not only neutralizes ROS, but strontium ions also foster angiogenesis. Consequently, SrC-MPNs@MN-PP can ameliorate the diabetic wound microenvironment and expedite healing.
The atom-economical C-F insertion chemistry is emerged as a promising technology for the synthesis of various fluorinated scaffolds, which have wide applications both in the academic and the industrial communities. The past three years have witnessed rapid developments in this field. This highlight provides an overview on the evolution according to the fluorinating agents used.
Metabolism encompasses a series of intricate biochemical processes that are vital for the sustenance of life in organisms. Metabolomics, an essential scientific discipline, is a field of study within the broader domain of systems biology that focuses on the comprehensive analysis of small molecules, known as metabolites including lipids, coenzymes, etc., which are synthesized during metabolism. With the continuous development of metabolomics, the multiple biological functions of metabolites are constantly being discovered, encompassing signal transduction and enzyme stimulation, while concurrently exhibiting associations with afflictions like cancer and diabetes. The comprehension of metabolite functionalities and their intricate interplay with disease conditions assumes paramount importance in both disease-focused research endeavors and the development of diagnostic tools. This scholarly exposition undertakes an extensive review of recent advancements in the investigation of functional roles assumed by metabolites, with specific emphasis on metabolites in lipid synthesis, glucose metabolism and exogenous metabolites.
Organic thermoelectric (OTE) materials and devices have garnered significant attention in the past decade for flexible and wearable electronics. Due to the numerous combinations of different backbones, side chains, and functional groups for polymer molecules, further efficient developments of high performance OTEs rely on reverse and rational molecular design as well as fundamental understanding to the structure-property relationship, which both require precise theoretical input. Recently, many theoretical efforts and progresses have been made to predict TE properties and develop high performance OTE materials. Here, we present first the general methods and principles for OTE theoretical calculations. Subsequently, the latest theoretical advances regarding the effects of molecular design, chemical doping, ambipolar charge transport etc., to TE conversion are carefully reviewed. These theoretical advances not only significantly deepen the fundamental understanding of OTEs, but also provide precise guidance to the molecular design of OTE materials. Finally, we propose several perspectives for future theoretical investigations of OTEs.
Essential amino acids (EAAs) deprivation is a potential antitumor approach because EAAs are critical for tumor growth. To efficiently inhibit tumor growth, continuous deprivation of EAAs is required, however, continuous deprivation without precise control will introduce toxicity to normal cells. Herein, a programmable double-unlock nanocomplex (ROCK) was prepared, which could self-supply phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) to tumor cells for phenylalanine (Phe) deprivation. ROCK was double-locked in physiological conditions when administered systemically. While ROCK actively targeted to tumor cells by integrin αvβ3/5 and CD44, ROCK was firstly unlocked by cleavage of protease on tumor cell membrane, exposing CendR and R8 to enhance endocytosis. Then, hyaluronic acid was digested by hyaluronidase overexpressed in endo/lysosome of tumor cells, in which ROCK was secondly unlocked, resulting in promoting endo/lysosome escape and PAL plasmid (pPAL) release. Released pPAL could sustainably express PAL in host tumor cells until the self-supplied PAL precisely and successfully deprived Phe, thereby blocking the protein synthesis and killing tumor cells specifically. Overall, our precise Phe deprivation strategy effectively inhibited tumor growth with no observable toxicity to normal cells, providing new insights to efficiently remove intratumoral nutrition for cancer therapy.
Herein, we constructed defective UiO-66 with rich Zr vacancy structure model, in which the defective structure was verified by various characterizations. Also, the Pb adsorption experiments affirmed that defective UiO-66 could display better adsorption and selective adsorption ability than that of perfect UiO-66. The results of partial density of states (PDOS) and Mulliken charge population indicated that the blue shift of O 2p and Zr 4d orbit induced the electron rearrangement of atoms closed to the bonding sites, while the positive charge number of Zr atoms decreased than before. Combining with the expansion of pore size, Pb atom was more inclined to transfer and bond with unsaturated coordination oxygens. More significantly, quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) demonstrated that selective capture of Pb instead of Zn, Cu, Cd and Hg displayed by defective UiO-66 was determined jointly by bond strength, adsorption energy and electron transfer. This work provided some theoretical direction for the purpose of the fabrication of adsorbent and the investigation of mechanism.
Facile and efficient method for constructing carbon dots (CDs) with narrow full width at half maximum (FWHM) is a major challenge in the field, and researches on regulating the FWHM of CDs are also rare and scarce. In this work, we delved into the synthesis of CDs with narrow fluorescence emission FWHM (NFEF-CDs) in the m-phenylenediamine (m-PD)/ethanol system, utilizing solid superacid resin as catalyst with solvothermal method. The resulting NFEF-CDs exhibit a photoluminescent (PL) emission peak at 521 nm with a narrow FWHM of 41 nm, an absolute PL quantum yield (QY) of 80%, and display excitation-independent PL behavior. Through comprehensive characterization, we identified the protonation of edge amino on NFEF-CDs as the key factor in achieving the narrow FWHM. Subsequently, we validated the broad applicability of solid superacid resins as catalysts for synthesizing CDs with narrow FWHM in the m-PD/ethanol system. Finally, we utilized a self-leveling method to prepare NFEF-CDs film on the surface of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) substrate and investigated the solid-state fluorescence properties of NFEF-CDs as well as their performance as luminescence solar concentrator (LSC) for photovoltaic conversion. The results revealed that the as-prepared LSC exhibit an internal quantum efficiency (ηint) of 42.39% and an optical efficiency (ηopt) of 0.68%. These findings demonstrate the promising prospects of NFEF-CDs in the field of LSCs and provide a theoretical basis for their application in photovoltaic conversion.
In Fenton-like oxidation, the catalyst directly influences the reaction mechanism for the degradation of pollutants from water. Here, a α-MnO2 catalyst (OAm-1) was synthesized via a self-assembly method with the assistance of a surfactant. OAm-1 possessed a large specific surface area of 221 m2/g, abundant mesoporous structures and a large proportion of Mn(Ⅲ). Further characterization exhibited that OAm-1 had abundant oxygen vacancies and excellent reducibility and conductivity. The adsorption and catalytic ability of OAm-1 were studied in the degradation of oxytetracycline (OTC) via the activation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Through the radical quenching experiments, electron resonance spectroscopy (EPR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis, Mn(Ⅲ) of OAm-1 was proved to be the active sites for the chemisorption of OTC. Systematic electrochemical experiments and analysis have shown that a process of electron transfer mediated by OAm-1 occurred between the pollutant and H2O2 during a Fenton-like reaction. This work experimentally verifies the electron transfer process dominated nonradical mechanism over α-MnO2, which is helpful for understanding the catalytic mechanism of the Fenton-like oxidation.
New fabrication method of nanostructures is of great importance for the applications of nanoscience and nanotechnology. This review summarizes cucurbit[n]uril (CB[n])-based nanostructure fabrication and modification approaches. These strategies include the use of CB[n]s as building blocks and supramolecular crosslinkers to fabricate nanostructures, to surface modify nanostructures, and as gatekeepers to control the release of encapsulated cargo. These nanostructures are used for drug delivery, bioimaging, chemical sensing, catalysis and other applications. CB[n]s often play a vital role in the fabrication of these nanostructures, and the realization of the applications.
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