Latest ArticlesSelenization of Fe2O3 with NaHSe led to Se/Fe3O4. The unexpected generation of Fe3O4 attributed to the reduction conditions of the reaction, and the resulted magnetic features of the material facilitated its separation in practical applications. Owning to the synergistic effect of Se with Fe, the material was especially active to catalyze the oxidative C=C scission using O2 as mild oxidant. The technique has been successfully applied in polyene degradation project, which is of profound practical values for the treatment of the polyene pigment pollution and may be applied in the food and pharmaceutical industry.
Silk has been widely used in the clothing industry due to their soft and smooth features, good biocompatibility, good heat dissipation, warmth and ultraviolet resistance. The application of fragrance to silk can significantly improve the performance of silk. However, there are two key scientific problems that need to be solved: slowing down the release rate of fragrances and increasing the scent lasting time of silk. In this study, cationic and temperature-sensitive liposomes were designed and prepared to encapsulate eugenol. These fragrance-loaded liposomes significantly slowed down the release rate of the fragrance and controlled the release rate of the fragrance in a thermo-sensitive manner. The liposomes adhered to the silk through electrostatic adsorption interaction. The positive charge on the fragrance-loaded liposomes neutralized much negative charge on silk and thereby increasing the adhesion efficiency.
Biomimetic scaffolds present the promising potential for bone regeneration. As a natural gel-like traditional food, tofu with porous architecture and proved biological safety indicated a good potential to be a natural scaffold and easy to be improved by surface modification. Hereon, we fabricated the tofubased scaffolds and systematically explored the potential for bone tissue engineering. In addition, the collagen has been introduced by simple coating to further enhance the surface compatibility of the tofubased scaffold in bone regeneration. The results showed that the tofu-based scaffolds possessed good porous structure and cytocompatibility. Notably, the tofu-based scaffolds could improve the expression of osteogenesis-related genes and proteins, leading to better bone regeneration after 2 months of implantation. All the results indicated that tofu would become an outstanding sustainable natural porous scaffold for bone regeneration with excellent bioactivities.
A versatile heteropoly acid (H3PMo12O40)-catalyzed coupling of diarylmethanols with epoxides was established for the synthesis of polyaryl-substituted aldehydes. Furthermore, the catalytic system was also suitable for the reaction of diarylmethanols and diols/aldehydes. The application of such an earthabundant, readily accessible, and nontoxic catalyst provides a green approach for the construction of polyaryl-substituted aldehydes.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has become the fourth predominant cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and HCC is still one of the worst prognoses for survival as it is poorly responsive to both chemotherapy and surgical treatment due to drug resistance and great toxic effects. Triptolide (TP), a key ingredient from the traditional Chinese medical herb, has been utilized to treat inflammation and antitumor for centuries. However, investigations of this potent agent have been met with only limited success due to the severe systemic toxicities in patients and low water solubility as well as its high toxicity over the past two decades. Herein, we reported the development of a reduction-responsive drug delivery system loaded with TP for glutathione (GSH)-triggered drug release for cancer therapy. With the GSH-sensitive TP loaded nanoparticles, the remarkable increases in tumor accumulation and amelioration of drug toxicity in animals are demonstrated, which is likely due to sustained stepwise release of active TP within cancer cells. Moreover, in a patient-derived tumor xenograft model of liver cancer, administration of tritolide nanoparticles enhances the antitumor efficacy relative to administration of free TP. These findings indicate that GSH-sensitive release of TP may be a promising strategy for cancer treatment.
Polypeptides are one kind of promising biodegradable and biocompatible biomedical polymers with the structural units of various α-amino acids. Polypeptides were first polymerized by the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of α-amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides (NCAs) by Leuchs and Hermann in 1906. In the past decades, several effective strategies, including the selection of initiators, the adjustment of reaction conditions, and the introduction of catalysts, have been reported to improve the controllability of the ROP of various α-amino acid NCAs to synthesize different polypeptides with precise chemical structures and low polydispersity indexes. In this Review, the strategies, mechanisms, challenges, and opportunities for controlled synthesis of polypeptides by the ROP of different α-amino acid NCAs have been declared.
The recent development of microwave-assisted aqueous synthesis of polyheterocyclic-fused quinoline-2-thiones through 6π-electrocyclization was highlighted.
Nitriles are widely existed in many bioactive compounds, and they can be easily transformed into other functional groups. Therefore, the synthesis of nitriles under cyanide-free conditions is of significant importance. Recent advances for the synthesis of nitriles through photoinduced C-C bond cleavage of cycloketone oximes classified by the type of C-X bond forming are summarized. Various compounds possessing nitriles can be efficiently accessed via this method.
Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite materials have attracted significant attention of most researchers in recently years, which is ascribed to the superior photoelectric properties, such as the suitable band gaps for harvesting sunlight, and exhibit high optical adsorption, high charge-carrier lifetimes and long diffusion lengths. The photodetectors, light-emitting diodes, solar cells and photocatalysts represent the remarkable applications for the hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite materials. Herein, we review the recent progress of hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite-based photodetectors, light-emitting diodes, solar cells and photocatalysts. The challenges and outlook for the hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite-based photodetectors, light-emitting diodes, solar cells and photocatalysts are considered.
An efficient procedure for the selective preparation of hydroxy-, carbonyl- and acetal-containing 2-pyrrolidinones has been developed through radical cyclization of 1, 6-dienes initiated by α-C(sp3)-H functionalization of alcohols. This protocol could be conducted at catalyst-free conditions at relatively low temperature (80 ℃) by employing commercially available tert-butyl peroxybenzoate (TBPB) as the oxidant.