Latest ArticlesPathological detection using immunohistochemistry (IHC) has become an indispensable process in the diagnosis confirmation of various cancers. However, the production of monoclonal antibodies is always very complex, expensive and time-consuming, and the batch differences are significant due to the corporeity and health statuses of animals may be different. In this work, an aptamer-based histochemistry (aptahistochemistry) assay was developed using a DNA aptamer for specific diagnosis of clinical breast cancer tissue sections. This aptahistochemistry assay can specifically distinguish Luminal A breast cancer molecular subtype from Luminal B (HER2+), HER2-enriched, and triple-negative breast cancer molecular subtypes, as well as para-carcinoma tissue, mastitis tissue and normal breast tissue. The accuracy of this aptahistochemistry assay for the diagnosis of Luminal A breast cancer was as high as 80%, which showed a great potential for clinical pathological diagnosis applications.
Fragrances are frequently added to a variety of products, including food, cosmetics and health products. However, the high volatility and instability of essence limit its application in some fields. In this study, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) were prepared to encapsulate eugenol, which could reduce the volatilization of the fragrance molecules. A facile approach was presented to synthesize MSNs with three different pore diameters for encapsulating eugenol. In addition, the properties of MSNs including mean particle size, morphology, encapsulating efficiency and release tendency were characterized. Results showed that the larger the pore diameters of MSNs, the more aromatic molecules were adsorbed. Furthermore, the release mechanism was described as the smaller the pore diameters of MSNs, the slower the release of eugenol.
Fused indolizidines and quinolizidines are important skeletons in a variety of natural products and pharmacologically important compounds. A one-pot tandem route from amide to fused indolizidines and quinolizidines is disclosed. This method is conducted in mild conditions and shows well tolerance of functional groups. It is also easy to be scaled up to gram scale and can be applied smoothly to the total synthesis of alkaloids such as (±)-crispine A, (±)-xylopinine, (±)-desbromoarborescidine A, (±)-harmicine and other bioactive substances.
The carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as the emerging materials for organic pollutant removal have gradually become a burgeoning research field. Herein, a mini-review of CNTs-based materials currently studies for organic pollutant elimination is presented. This review summarizes the preparation methods of CNTs-based materials. CNTs-based materials can be used as adsorbents to remove organic pollutants in wastewater. The adsorption mechanisms mainly include surface diffusion, pore diffusion and adsorption reaction. Most importantly, an in-depth overview of CNTs-based materials currently available in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) applications for wastewater treatment is proposed. CNTs-based materials can catalyze different oxidants (e.g., hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), persulfates (PMS/PDS), ozone (O3) and ferrate/permanganate (Fe(VI)/Mn(VII)) to generate more reactive oxygen species (ROS) for organic pollutant elimination. Moreover, the possible reaction mechanisms of removing organic pollutants by CNTs-based materials are summarized systematically and discussed in detail. Finally, application potential and future research directions of CNTs-based materials in the environmental remediation field are proposed.
An electron-deficient [CpERhCl2]2 catalyzed annulation of N-pentafluorophenylbenzamides with internal alkynes was successfully established under mild reaction conditions, with the assistance of Lewis acid silver salt. Particularly, electron-deficient benzamide substrates were smoothly transformed into the desired products in this catalytic system. The catalytic system showed a broad tolerance for different substituents on the aromatic rings or aryl, alkyl-substituted alkynes.
Antimalarial chemotherapies endowed with effectiveness against drug-resistant parasites and good safety are urgently required in clinical. Our previous research revealed that clinical phase Ⅱ antitumor drug Quisinostat was a promising antimalarial prototype by inhibiting the activity of Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) histone deacetylase (PfHDAC). Herein, 30 novel spirocyclic linker derivatives were designed and synthesized based on Quisinostat as lead compound, and then their antimalarial activities and cytotoxicity were systematically evaluated. Among them, compounds 8 and 27 could effectively eliminate wild-type and multi-drug resistant P. falciparum parasites, and display weakened cytotoxicity and good metabolic stability. Western blot assay demonstrated that they could inhibit PfHDAC activity like Quisinostat. In addition, both 8 and 27 showed certain antimalarial efficacy in rodent malaria model, and the animal toxicity of 8 was significantly improved compared with Quisinostat. Overall, 8 and 27 were structurally novel PfHDAC inhibitors and provided prospective prototype for further antimalarial drug research.
Clean production, as an important part of green chemistry, has received great attention and considerable development in recent years. In this perspective article, we summarized some examples of (nearly) quantitative synthesis, clean separation and purification to emphasize clean production. These reactions were carried out by using eco-friendly solvents and the pure products could be easily obtained through clean procedures.
The last few decades have witnessed the emergence of a very large variety of engineered nanomaterials. However, it is far from to meet the growing clinical demand. Actually, nature itself is an excellent nanotechnologist, and provides us with a range of wonderful materials, from inorganic particles found in non-life bodies to biofilms, like platelets, erythrocyte membranes, produced by many bacteria or cells. These nanomaterials are entirely natural, and not surprisingly, there is a growing interest in the development of natural nanoproducts. Native components-inspired biomaterials have gained considerable attention owing to their safety and functions. In this study, egg white was developed as drug carrier to load PTX by a green and simple one-pot method, and systematic characterization was completed. The results indicated that PTX@EW NPs possess excellent biocompatibility, enhanced tumor targeting capability, effectively reducing the toxic side effects of PTX. The obviously enhanced antitumor effect further confirmed EW was a highly prospective biomaterial in the nano-carrier industry.
Maximizing adsorption and catalytic active sites and promoting the photo-excited charge separation are two key factors to achieve excellent photocatalytic performance. In this study, we report a sol-gel synthesis approach to obtain non-metal doped TiO2 with sponge-like structure and surface-phase junctions all at once. While doping of carbon and nitrogen shifted the activation wavelength to the visible-light region, the innovative use of perchloric acid as a pore-making agent led to the formation of three-dimensional lamellar and porous structure with surface-phase junctions. High surface area with catalytic active sites rendered by the sponge-like structure and surface-phase junctions contributed to the much improved photocatalytic degradation efficiency toward rhodamine B, tetracycline and Disperse Red 60 with excellent reusability and stability. The improved generation and separation efficiency of the photo-induced charge carriers of the as-prepared TiO2 were supported by electrochemical impedance measurements and transient photocurrent responses. This method could also be applied to other photocatalysts to achieve structural alteration and element doping simultaneously.
Particles administrated intravenously will pass through the pulmonary capillary network before being distributed to the body. Therefore, fabrication of vectors sensitive to blood shear and active with blood components should be a practical approach to develop lung-targeting gene carriers self-regulated by circulatory system. In this work, we designed a series of cationic peptides with the same charge density but varying hydrophobicity and capacity to form hydrogen bonds, and investigated their ability to form complexes with siRNA, the behaviours of peptide/siRNA complexes in the presence of serum under shear, and the lung-targeting efficacy of the complexes regulated by blood. The hydrophobic interaction controls the complexation between peptide and siRNA, while the hydrogen bonds are responsible for the binding of peptides to the serum components in blood. In vivo tests show that all the peptide/siRNA complexes can accumulate in lung. However, only the complexes that exhibit weak interaction with serum components and can be broken down by shear avoid the inflammation and death caused by pulmonary embolism. Moreover, the peptide with strong hydrophobicity can retain siRNA in lung without early release of the cargo. Our study provides a step toward the development of adaptive gene carriers under the regulation of circulatory system.