Latest ArticlesPhotocatalytic H2 production from water splitting is a promising candidate for solving the increasing energy crisis and environmental issues. Herein we report a novel g-C3N4/AgInS S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst for water splitting into stoichiometric H2 and H2O2 under visible light. The catalyst was prepared by depositing 3D bimetallic sulfide (AgInS) nanotubes onto 2D g-C3N4 nanosheets. Owing to the special 3D-on-2D configuration, the photogenerated carriers could be rapidly transferred and effectively separated through the abundant interfacial heterostructures to avoid recombination, and therefore excellent performance for visible light-driven water splitting could be obtained, with a 24-h H2 evolution rate up to 237 µmol g−1 h−1. Furthermore, suitable band alignment enables simultaneous H2 and H2O2 production in a 1:1 stoichiometric ratio. H2 and H2O2 were evolved on the conduction band of g-C3N4 and on the valance band of AgInS, respectively. The novel 3D-on-2D configuration for heterojunction construction proposed in this work provided alternative research ideas toward photocatalytic reaction.
We propose and investigate a novel stable two-dimensional (2D) AlO2 with anomalous stoichiometric ratios based on first-principles calculation. 2D AlO2 has metallic properties. It possesses the rare in-plane and out-of-plane negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) phenomenon, originating from its special sawtooth-like structure. The absolute value of the NPR decreases as the number of layers increases. The adsorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including CH2O, C2H3Cl and C6H6 by AlO2 exhibit small adsorption distance, large adsorption energy, large charge transfer and significant density of states (DOS) changes, indicating the presence of strong interactions. The desorption time of each gas molecule on the AlO2 surface is also evaluated, and the results further suggest that the desorption of VOCs can be controlled by changing the temperature to achieve the recycling of AlO2. These interesting properties make 2D AlO2 a promising material for electronic, mechanical and sensing applications for VOCs.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent malignant tumors worldwide, exhibiting high morbidity and mortality. Lack of efficient tools for early diagnosis and surgical resection guidance of CRC have been a serious threat to the long-term survival rate of the CRC patients. Recent studies have shown that relative higher viscosity was presented in tumor cells compared to that in normal cells, leading to viscosity as a potential biomarker for CRC. Herein, we reported the development of a series of novel viscosity-sensitive and mitochondria-specific fluorescent probes (HTB, HTI, and HTP) for CRC detection. Among them, HTB showed high sensitivity, minimal background interference, low cytotoxicity, and significant viscous response capability, making it an ideal tool for distinguishing colorectal tumor cells from normal cells. Importantly, we have successfully utilized HTB to visualize in a CRC-cells-derived xenograft (CDX) model, enriching its medical imaging capacity, which laid a foundation for further clinical translational application.
It is of great significance to find safe and effective radiosensitizers. A primary investigation has been made on fisetin’s modification of radiation effect, but its radiosensitization and related mechanisms still need to be deeply clarified. Furthermore, fisetin with high hydrophobicity is difficult to dissolve in water, severely limiting its research and application. In this study, we fabricated a safe and soluble radiosensitizer fisetin micelle for precisely enhancing radiotherapy by inhibiting platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β (PDGFRβ)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)/B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) signaling pathway in the tumor. Systematic and detailed studies were performed to verify its radiosensitization effect in vitro and in vivo. On the cellular level, fisetin micelles selectively increased the radiosensitivity of tumor cells (CT26 and 4T1 cells) and had little effect on the sensitivity of normal mouse cells (L929 cells) to radiation. In the mouse models of colon and breast cancers, fisetin micelles showed an efficient radiosensitization capacity without apparent toxicity. Additionally, we first found that fisetin micelles played a radiotherapy sensitization role by inhibiting the PDGFRβ/STAT1/STAT3/Bcl-2 pathway activity. In general, this work not only confirmed that fisetin micelles precisely exhibit a radiosensitization effect in vitro and in vivo, but also profoundly explored its mechanisms underlying, to provide a theoretical and experimental basis for the clinical application of fisetin micelles.
Various chemical irrigants and drugs have been employed for intra-canal disinfection in root canal therapy (RCT). However, due to the complexity of root canal anatomy, many drugs still exhibit poor penetrability and antibiotic resistance, leading to suboptimal treatment outcomes. Thus, it is challenging to remove the organic biofilms from root canals. In recent years, light-responsive therapy, with deeper tissue penetration than traditional treatments, has emerged as an effective RCT modality. Herein, this review summarizes the recent development of light-responsive nanomaterials for biofilm removal in RCT. The light-responsive nanomaterials and the corresponding therapeutic methods in RCT, including photodynamic therapy (PDT), photothermal therapy (PTT), and laser-activated therapy, are highlighted. Finally, the challenges that light-responsive nanomaterials and treatment modalities will encounter to conquer the biofilm in future RCT are discussed. This review is believed to significantly accelerate the future development of light-responsive nanomaterials for RCT from bench to bedside.
Planktonic bacteria adhere and subsequently form biofilms on implantable medical devices can cause severe infections that have become the major types of hospital-acquired infections. Traditional coatings for the implants are frequently lack of long-term antifouling and bactericidal activities. It is still a big challenge to simultaneously improve the antifouling and bactericidal activities of the coatings. Herein, we report that mixed-charge glycopolypeptide coatings are of long-term antibacterial activities to efficiently inhibit the biofilm growth. The glycosylation of mixed-charge polypeptides has led to a significant improvement of both antifouling and bactericidal activities. The cooperative effect of the saccharide residues and mixed-charge residues improved the resistance of the polypeptide coatings against protein adsorption. The saccharide and L-glutamic acid (E) residues collectively enhanced the bacterial membrane-disruption of cationic L-lysine (K) residues, leading to potent bactericidal activity. Meanwhile, the glycopolypeptide coatings showed superior biocompatibility, long-term antibiofilm and anti-infection properties in two types of mouse subcutaneous infection models and one type of mouse urinary tract infection model. This work provides a new strategy to achieve antibacterial coatings with long-term activities for preventing implantable medical device associated infections.
In this work, we employed a ring-opening strategy to develop a series of novel N-benzyl arylamide derivatives as tubulin polymerization inhibitors. Notably, 13n (MY-1388) exhibited remarkable antiproliferative potency on fifteen human cancer cell lines, with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values ranging from 8 nmol/L to 48 nmol/L. Furthermore, 13n effectively suppressed tubulin polymerization by targeting the colchicine-binding site (IC50 = 0.62 µmol/L). 13n also exhibited significant inhibition of cell colony formation, as well as displayed potent effects on inducing G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and promoting apoptosis. Importantly, 13n exhibited enhanced and adequate liver microsomal stability in human and rat liver microsomes, and also exhibited a moderate half-life (T1/2 = 0.938 h) in vivo. Meanwhile, 13n demonstrated effective antitumor effects in vivo in suppressing tumor growth in the MGC-803 xenograft model (tumor growth inhibition (TGI) value was 76.4% at the dosage of 30 mg kg−1 day−1) with a good safety profile. Collectively, these results revealed that 13n represents a promising tubulin polymerization inhibitor that deserves further investigation for its efficacy in treating gastric cancers.
Efficient selective adsorption and separation using porous frameworks are critical in many industrial processes, where adsorption energy and dynamic diffusion rate are predominant factors governing selectivity. They are highly susceptible to framework charge, which plays a significant role in selective adsorption. Currently, ionic porous frameworks can be divided into two types. One of them is composed of a charged backbone and counter ions. The framework with zwitterionic channels is another type. It is composed of regular and alternating arrangements of cationic and anionic building units. Herein, we report a hydrogen-bonded ionic framework (HIF) of {(CN3H6)2[Ti(μ2O)(SO4)2]}n with 1D channel exhibits unique adsorption selectivity for Ar against N2 and CO2. Density functional theory (DFT) results suggest that CO2 cannot be adsorbed by HIF at the experimental temperature due to a positive adsorption free energy. In addition, due to a relatively large diffusion barrier at 77 K, N2 molecules hardly diffuse in HIF channels, while Ar has a negligible diffusion barrier. The unique net positively-charged space in the channel is the key to the unusual phenomena, based on DFT simulations and structural analysis. The findings in this work proposes the new adsorption mechanism and provides unique perspective for special separation applications, such as isotope and noble gasses separations.
In this study, a simple and effective ratiometric fluorescence method has been developed for carbaryl detection, utilizing red emissive carbon dots (R-CDs). The underlying principle of this proposed strategy relies on the rapid hydrolysis of carbaryl under an alkaline condition and production of 1-naphthol with blue-emission at 462 nm. Furthermore, the as-synthesized R-CDs (Em. 677 nm), serve as a reference, enhancing the visual tracking of carbaryl through the transformation of fluorescent color from red to blue. The concentration of carbaryl exhibits a commendable linear correlation with the ratio of fluorescence intensity, ranging from 0 to 20 µg/mL (R2 = 0.9989) with a low detection limit of 0.52 ng/mL. Additionally, the described methodology can be used for the enzyme-free visual assay of carbaryl, even in the presence of other carbamate pesticides and metal ions, in tap water and lake water samples with excellent accuracy (spiked recoveries, 94%–106.1%), high precision (relative standard deviation (RSD) ≤ 2.42), and remarkable selectivity. This fast and highly sensitive naked-eye ratiometric sensor holds immense promise for carbaryl detection in intricate environments and food safety fields.
Revealing the factors that affect the vibrational frequency of Stark probe at interface is a pre-requirement for evaluating the absolute interfacial electric field. Here using surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopy, attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD), we reveal the assembled CN at gold nanofilm exhibits a reduced Stark tuning rate (STR) referring to the vibrational frequency shift in response to electric field comparing with the bulk which was regulated by the electron transfer between S and Au. These findings lead to a deeper understanding of the vibrational Stark effect at the interface and provide guidance for improving the interface electric field theory.
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