Latest ArticlesCirculating tumor DNA (ctDNA), carrying tumor-specific sequence mutations, is a promising biomarker for classification, diagnosis and prognosis of cancers. However, there is still a great challenge in discriminating single-base difference between ctDNA and its coexisting analogue (normal circulating DNA, ncDNA) at a serum sample. A locked nucleic acid (LNA) probe combined with α-HL nanopore sensor was designed, which achieved a high signal-to-background ratio (SBR) of ~8.34×103, as well as a significant discrimination capability (~12.3 times) of single-base difference. The accurate discrimination strategy is label-free, convenient, selective and sensitive, which has great potential in the early diagnosis of diseases and biomedical research fields.
Both of carbon dioxide (CO2) and near-infrared (NIR) light as triggers for non-invasive remotely control are attracting wide attentions due to their good biocompatibility and easy operation. Here, CO2/NIR light dual controlled nanoparticles are proposed to remotely regulate the unzipping of dsDNA by using imidazole functionalized conjugated polymer nanoparticles (imidazole-CPNs). The dsDNA successfully coats on the shell of imidazole-CPNs to form imidazole-CPNs/dsDNA assembly due to intensively electrostatic interaction triggered by CO2. Furthermore, the unzipping process of dsDNA is remotely controlled by NIR light based on the photothermal effect, and it can be readily monitored by the fluorescence intensity of ethidium bromide (EB) and CD spectra of dsDNA. Thus, dual stimulation responsive imidazole-CPNs effectively control dsDNA unzipping under CO2 stimulus and NIR light, promising a new direction in the biological applications of DNA, such as the treatments of diseases caused by gene duplication abnormality.
A ruthenium based catalytic system ([Ru(p-cymene)Cl2]2/XantPhos with substoichiometric Cs2CO3) has been established to effectively achieve the first direct amination cyclization of 1, 2, 4-butanetriol with primary aromatic amines. The product of this sustainable hydrogen autotransfer process is valuable Naryl-3-pyrrolidinol.
The synthesis and stimuli-responsiveness of a diphenyl cyclopropenone (DPCP)-centered poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA) are presented. DPCP-centered PMA could release carbon monoxide (CO) upon UV light in a switched on-and-off manner. The CO-releasing process can be reported by the variations in photoluminescence spectra. In addition, DPCP moiety covalently embedded in the crosslinked polyurethane could also release CO under UV light. Of special, DPCP-centered PMA in solution was selectively dissociated at the phenol ester bond under the ultrasound, and a force-induced hydrolyzation reaction was revealed by D2O exchanging 1H NMR spectra. The kinetic study reveals that small quantity of water could enhance the chain scission rate. This work provides a DPCP-centered polymer for sitespecific CO-releasing and chain dissociation.
Design and development of iron porphyrin-based artificial enzymes system have been attracting a lot of attention. Herein, without any toxic reductant and harsh processing, we present a facile one-pot method to fabricate bifunctional catalytic nanocomposites consisting of graphene and hemin by using vitamin C as a mild reduction reagent. The presence of graphene helps the formation of a high degree of highly active and stable hemin on the graphene surface in a monomeric form through their π-π stacking interaction. As a result, such nanocomposites possess a superior adsorption capacity and intrinsic peroxidase-like catalytic activity. Moreover, by the combination of their dye adsorption ability, RGOhemin nanocomposites can serve as a suitable candidate for efficient capture and removal of dyes via a synergistic effect. Our findings may pave the way to apply graphene-supported artificial enzymes in a variety of fields, such as environmental chemistry, bionics, medicine, and biotechnology
As a kind of stimuli-responsive materials, the disulfide-containing material has received a tremendous amount of interest. A novel functional disulfide-containing waterborne polyurethane (DS-WPU) nanoemulsion was prepared via a one-step in situ phase inverse emulsification technique and its reducing-responsive property was investigated using dithiothreitol as the reductant. Results showed that the DS-WPU nanoemulsion had a uniform particle size in nanoscale and a good film-forming characteristic, and the DS-WPU latex film exhibited great responsiveness along with a self-assembled behavior in the reducing environment to form WPU emulsion again, including a long-to-short process of the polymer chains.
Nonviral vectors have been attracting more attention for several advantages in gene delivery and the development of nonviral gene carriers with high delivery efficiency and low cytotoxicity has long been a key project. Starburst polyamidoamine dendrimers are a class of synthetic polymers with unique structural and physical characteristics. However, when they are used as gene carrier, the gene transfection efficiency is not satisfactory. Herein, a novel thioketal-core polyamidoamine dendrimer (i.e., ROS-PAMAM) was synthesized and characterized. Compared to ethylenediamine-core dendrimers or widely used cationic polymers of polyetherimide, ROS-PAMAM showed lower cytotoxicity. Moreover, ROS-PAMAM demonstrated reactive oxygen species responsive characteristics, which can facilitate the release of siRNA in the tumor microenvironment. In vitro gene transfection experiments based on A549 cells confirmed that siRNA/ROS-PAMAM exhibits high gene transfection efficiency. It is concluded that ROS-PAMAM shows great potential as a generalizable vehicle for gene therapy applications.
Fabrication of biocompatible core-shell microcapsules in a controllable and scalable manner remains an important but challenging task. Here, we develop a one-step microfluidic approach for the highthroughput production of biocompatible microcapsules, which utilizes single emulsions as templates and controls the precipitation of biocompatible polymer at the water/oil interface. The facile method enables the loading of various oils in the core and the enhancement of polymer shell strength by polyelectrolyte coating. The resulting microcapsules have the advantages of controllability, scalability, biocompatibility, high encapsulation efficiency and high loading capacity. The core-shell microcapsules are ideal delivery vehicles for programmable active release and various controlled release mechanisms are demonstrated, including burst release by vigorous shaking, pH-triggered release for targeted intestinal release and sustained release of perfume over a long period of time. The utility of our technique paves the way for practical applications of core-shell microcapsules.
Aromatic carboxylic acid self-assembly has been a hot research field for many scientists due to its strong coordination ability and flexible coordination mode. The hydrogen bond formed between aromatic carboxylic acids is a strong intermolecular force and has directionality and saturation, which plays a very important role in the self-assembly and regulation of aromatic carboxylic acids. In this review, we introduce surface organization formed by aromatic carboxylic acids with the aid of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). These two-dimensional structures include molecular templates, host-guest systems, and photo-isomerization structures. We also emphasize the thermodynamics and dynamics, which are important research topics of current and future study.
Recently, the development of new electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has received intensive attention. As an important family of inorganic materials, mixed Mo-based transition metal oxides system is focused as anode materials. In the present work, a simple route has been adopted for the synthesis of layered-flake-like β-SnMoO4 Nano-assemblies, which have been explored as potential anode materials for the first time in lithium-ion battery (LIB). Overall, the current reports on metal molybdate as anode materials are still rarely. As the anode material for LIBs, it was observed that the fabricated anode is capable of delivering a steady state capacity of almost 400 mAh/g up to 300 cycles under the influence of 200 mA/g current density. Further, the anode material is suitable for use as a rated capacity anode because of its high current density tolerance. The present study can be further extended for the generation of a wide variety of other novel materials for multidisciplinary energy related applications.
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