Latest ArticlesThree highly oxidized hybrid flavonoids neosophoflavonoids A–C (1, 2a, and 2b) were isolated from the roots of Sophora flavescens. Neosophoflavonoid A possesses a unique highly oxidized heptacyclic 6/6/6/6/6/6/5 system. Neosophoflavonoids B and C are isomers and share the same highly oxidized hexacyclic 6/6/6/6/6/6 systems. Their planar structures were elucidated from 1D/2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (HRESIMS) data. Their absolute configurations were determined by thorough GIAO 13C NMR (DP4+) calculation protocol and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculation method. The plausible biosynthetic routes for the compounds were also proposed. All compounds exhibited significant protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B (PTP1B) inhibitory activity with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values 3.94 ± 0.01, 0.38 ± 0.13, and 0.70 ± 0.01 µmol/L, respectively. In addition, compared to a positive control fenofibrate (Feno) at 20 µmol/L, compounds 2a and 2b exhibited stronger inhibitory effects on lipid accumulation in the oleic acid (OA)-induced cell model at 5 and 10 µmol/L.
Monosescinol A (1), the first example of sesquiterpene–polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinol (PPAP) adduct, which represented a new subclass of PPAP-type natural products, along with two new congeners with normal spiro 6/6/5 tricyclic architecture, were isolated from Hypericum longistylum. Monosescinol A possessed an unprecedented 6/5/5/6/6 pentacyclic carbon skeleton that might be assembled from the 6/6/5 carbon skeleton, via the splitting decomposition of C-3/C-14, and the attack from the C-3 in the PPAP core to C-28 in sesquiterpene section. In addition, we have firstly confirmed that 24R configuration was existed in sec–Bu containing PPAPs by single crystal diffraction data analysis of monosescinol B (2), that might provide an enlightenment in the configurational determination of sec–Bu containing PPAPs. Significantly, further pharmacological research has found that compound 1 exhibited remarkable pharmacological effects against acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines, with direct inhibition of mitochondrial complex Ⅴ and an increase in mitochondrial membrane potential, and led to an induction of oxidative stress, endogenous inflammation, and apoptosis of AML cells.
Infections frequently occur after skin injuries, posing a significant challenge in current clinical care. Frequently changing dressings to minimize wound infections and adhesions results in large amounts of medical waste. Therefore, developing environmentally friendly multifunctional dressings has considerable application and translational significance. This study aimed to prepare a wound dressing with favorable antimicrobial properties and biosafety by grafting a natural antimicrobial peptide, polylysine, onto a traditional cotton textile dressing. The cotton textile dressing offers excellent moisture absorption and softness, while polylysine provides excellent biocompatibility, a broad antimicrobial spectrum, and high stability. Furthermore, both materials are natural and biodegradable, making them ideal for environmentally friendly wound dressings.
Dual-state emission (DSE) molecules displayed conspicuous fluorescent performance both in solid and solution states. However, the construction of DSE molecules and the regulation of their emission wavelengths remains a great challenge. Based on the structure-function relationship of quinolinonitrile-type fluorophores, this work proposed a feasible strategy for modulating their fluorescent properties into DSE via limiting the torsion angle between the quinoline ring and C=C bond in the range of 4.7° to 30°. Based on this strategy, 53 compounds were obtained which displayed tunable emission wavelengths from 397 nm to 740 nm in solid-state and from 360 nm to 672 nm in solution. The feasibility of the strategy was supported by a series of theoretical calculations, optical characterizations, and crystal analysis, suggesting the compounds have great potential in imaging living cells and tissues with desired wavelengths.
Constructing a smart polymer film with favorable lithium (Li) transport capability and mechanical flexibility for suppressing Li dendrite growth is an effective strategy. Unfortunately, the porosity and the swelling of the polymer membrane cannot completely prevent liquid electrolyte from sweeping through the artificial protection film, severely deteriorating the cyclic performance. Herein, we propose a defect-free hybrid film that consists of Li+ conductive lithium polyacrylate (LiPAA) polymer interface layer and Li-Zn alloy patch to tackle the critical problems of traditional polymer composite passivation film. The pinhole leaks of the polymer matrix are self-filled by Li-Zn alloy patches, enhancing the integrity of LiPAA film. Consequently, a defect-free hybrid film is nailed flat against the Li metal anode, exhibiting extraordinary stability in the liquid electrolyte and enabling perfect protection effect. This facile strategy produces a promising anode for next generation Li batteries.
Foods are often contaminated by multiple foodborne pathogens, which threatens human health. In this work, we developed a microfluidic biosensor for multiplex immunoassay of foodborne bacteria with agitation driven by programmed audio signals. This agitation, powered by the vibration of a speaker cone during music playing, accelerated the mass transport in the incubation process to form bacterial complexes within 10 min. Immunoassay reagents of the two target bacteria (Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella typhimurium) were preloaded into the corresponding fore-vacuum storage chamber on the chip, and released to participate in the subsequent immune analysis process by piercing the chambers. All the detection processes were integrated into a single microfluidic chip and controlled by a smartphone through Bluetooth. Under selected conditions, wide linear ranges and low limits of detection (LODs < 2 CFU/mL) were obtained, and real food samples were successfully determined within 30 min. This biosensing method can be extended to wide-ranging applications by loading different recognizing reagents.
Amorphous alloys, with unique atomic structures and metastable nature, are treated as superior candidates for environmental wastewater remediation due to their superior catalytic capabilities. Given the strong demand for environmental protection, the field of amorphous alloys in wastewater treatment has great development prospects, and numerous research results have been published in recent years. As a promising catalyst, it was demonstrated that amorphous alloys could exhibit many excellent properties in wastewater treatment, such as high catalytic efficiency, easily adjustable parameters and reliable sustainability. This paper aims to summarize recent research trends regarding amorphous alloys in the field of catalysis, focusing on the preparation methods, physical performance, catalytic mechanisms and environmental application. Meanwhile, this review also investigates the challenges encountered and future perspectives of amorphous alloys, offering new research opportunities to enlarge their applicability spectra.
Histone H3K79 modifications are essential to regulate chromatin structure and gene transcription, but understanding of the molecular mechanisms is limited. Because H3K79 is at globular domain, short histone peptide cannot mimic H3K79 in chromatin. Instead, reconstituted nucleosome-based chemical tools are ideally used to investigate H3K79 modifications. In consequence, H3K79-modified histone H3 with additional chemical handles are required, but such synthesis is challenging and laborious. Here we report a facile semisynthesis method that enables multifunctional histone H3 readily available. H3K79-containing fragment is short for straight peptide synthesis that was later ligated to recombinant expressed H3 fragments for full-length product in large scale. As a result, nucleosomes with H3K79 modifications as well as photo-reactive group and affinity tag were obtained to investigate potential binding proteins. We believe this method that enhances synthetic accessibility of nucleosome probes will accelerate understanding of the underexplored H3K79 modifications.
Sodium percarbonate (Na2CO3·1.5H2O2, SPC) has been extensively employed as a solid substitute of H2O2 for Fenton process in water treatment, because of its high stability during the production, transport, storage and usage. In addition, SPC can be applied in a wider range of work pH, it is also applied as a buffer in Fenton reaction for preventing a drop in pH. Herein, we have synthesized basic copper molybdate (BCM) nanoblocks with the molecular formula of Cu3(MoO4)2(OH)2 as an efficient and heterogeneous catalyst for antibiotics degradation via percarbonate activation. First, fully physical characterizations confirmed BCM nanocomposite exhibited a structure of nanoblocks. We also found that BCM/SPC system could work in a much wider pH range, compared with H2O2. Then, BCM/SPC system presented a good anti-interference ability for natural organic matter in OTC degradation. EPR results and Quenching tests confirmed that the co-presence of ·CO3−, ·O2−, 1O2 and ·OH in BCM/SPC system.
Air pollution, including airborne pathogens and particulate matter (PM), has become a prominent issue affecting human health and safety. Conventional air filtration materials do not meet the requirements for efficient PM capture or do not instantly kill pathogens, leading to increased risk of direct/indirect contact transmission and infection due to the accumulation of pathogens during filtration. Electrospun nanofibrous membranes have emerged as a promising platform due to their rich porous structure, finer fiber diameters, good internal connectivity, and the ability to easily incorporate active chemicals for antimicrobial function. In this review, antimicrobial mechanisms of nanofibrous membranes for air filtration and PM capture mechanisms of nanofibers were firstly investigated, and various types of electrospun nanofibrous membranes with different antimicrobial agents for efficient air filtration were described in detail, including organic antimicrobial agents, inorganic antimicrobial agents and metal−organic frameworks. We hope this work could provide a better practical insight for designing novel electrospun nanofibrous membranes with antimicrobial efficacy for efficient air filtration.
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