Prodigiosin of Serratia marcescens ZPG19 Alters the Gut Microbiota Composition of Kunming Mice

Prodigiosin is a red pigment produced by Serratia marcescens with anticancer, antimalarial, and antibacterial effects. In this study, we extracted and identified a red pigment from a culture of S. marcescens strain ZPG19 and investigated its effect on the growth performance and intestinal microbiota of Kunming mice. High-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry revealed that the pigment had a mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) of 324.2160, and thus it was identified as prodigiosin. To investigate the effect of prodigiosin on the intestinal microbiota, mice (n = 5) were administered 150 μg/kg/d prodigiosin (crude extract, 95% purity) via the drinking water for 18 days. Administration of prodigiosin did not cause toxicity in mice. High-throughput sequencing analysis revealed that prodigiosin altered the cecum microbiota abundance and diversity; the relative abundance of Desulfovibrio significantly decreased, whereas Lactobacillus reuteri significantly increased. This finding indicates that oral administration of prodigiosin has a beneficial effect on the intestinal microbiota of mice. As prodigiosin is non-toxic to mouse internal organs and improves the mouse intestinal microbiota, we suggest that it is a promising candidate drug to treat intestinal inflammation.     

Exploring Effects of Chitosan Oligosaccharides on the DSS-Induced Intestinal Barrier Impairment In Vitro and In Vivo

Intestinal barrier dysfunction is an essential pathological change in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The mucus layer and the intestinal epithelial tight junction act together to maintain barrier integrity. Studies showed that chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) had a positive effect on gut health, effectively protecting the intestinal barrier in IBD. However, these studies usually focused on its impact on the intestinal epithelial tight junction. The influence of COS on the intestinal mucus layer is still poorly understood. In this study, we explored the effect of COS on intestinal mucus in vitro using human colonic mucus-secreted HT-29 cells. COS relieved DSS (dextran sulfate sodium)-induced mucus defects. Additionally, the structural characteristics of COS greatly influenced this activity. Finally, we evaluated the protective effect of COS on intestinal barrier function in mice with DSS-induced colitis. The results indicated that COS could manipulate intestinal mucus production, which likely contributed to its intestinal protective effects.     

Synthesis and Characterization of a Mg2+-Selective Probe Based on Benzoyl Hydrazine Derivative and Its Application in Cell Imaging

A simple benzoyl hydrazine derivative P was successfully synthesized and characterized as Mg²⁺-selective fluorescent probe. The binding of P with Mg²⁺ caused an obvious fluorescence enhancement at 482 nm. The fluorescent, UV-vis spectra, ¹H-NMR, and IR spectra confirmed the formation of P-Mg²⁺ complex, and the formation of a 1:1 stoichiometry complex was proved by Job’s plot and mass spectrometry. The recognition mechanism of P to Mg²⁺ was owing to the photoinduced electron transfer effect (PET). The fluorescent response was linear in the range of 0.9–4.0 µM with the detection limit of 0.3 µM Mg²⁺ in water–ethanol solution (1:9, v:v, pH10.0, 20 mM HEPES). In addition, the results of cell imaging of Mg²⁺ in Hl-7701 cells was satisfying.     

A bio‐safe cyclophosphazene derivative flame retardant for polylactic acid composites: Flammability and cytotoxicity

An efficient bio‐safe cyclophosphazene flame retardant, 1,5,9,13,16,20‐Hexaoxa‐7,14,21‐triaza‐6λ⁴,8λ⁴,5λ⁴‐triphosphatrispiro[5.1.5.1.5.1]heneicosa‐6,8(14),15(21)‐triene (HCPO), was synthesized, and then was incorporated into polylactic acid (PLA) to improve the fire safety. The chemical structure of HCPO was confirmed by Fourier‐transformed infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The thermal stability of the compound was characterized by thermogravimetric (TG) analyzer. The cytotoxic effects of HCPO to cells were evaluated. Fire behavior and thermal stability of PLA composites were investigated by vertical burning, limiting oxygen index (LOI), TG analysis, and cone calorimeter. The morphology of residual charring was observed by scanning electron microscope. The results showed HCPO was bio‐safe, and highly effective to enhance the flame retardancy of PLA composites. The LOI value was increased from 18.4 to 27.5 and UL‐94 grade achieved V‐0 for the PLA composite containing only 2% HCPO and 2% pentaerythrotol. It was demonstrated that intermolecular cross‐linking reaction between pentaerythrotol and HCPO in high temperature range could accelerate the formation of compact char layers.     

Label-Free Fluorescence Molecular Beacon Probes Based on G-Triplex DNA and Thioflavin T for Protein Detection

Protein detection plays an important role in biological and biomedical sciences. The immunoassay based on fluorescence labeling has good specificity but a high labeling cost. Herein, on the basis of G-triplex molecular beacon (G3MB) and thioflavin T (ThT), we developed a simple and label-free biosensor for protein detection. The biotin and streptavidin were used as model enzymes. In the presence of target streptavidin (SA), the streptavidin hybridized with G3MB-b (biotin-linked-G-triplex molecular beacon) perfectly and formed larger steric hindrance, which hindered the hydrolysis of probes by exonuclease III (Exo III). In the absence of target streptavidin, the exonuclease III successively cleaved the stem of G3MB-b and released the G-rich sequences which self-assembled into a G-triplex and subsequently activated the fluorescence signal of thioflavin T. Compared with the traditional G-quadruplex molecular beacon (G4MB), the G3MB only needed a lower dosage of exonuclease III and a shorter reaction time to reach the optimal detection performance, because the concise sequence of G-triplex was good for the molecular beacon design. Moreover, fluorescence experiment results exhibited that the G3MB-b had good sensitivity and specificity for streptavidin detection. The developed label-free biosensor provides a valuable and general platform for protein detection.     

Growth of Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes on Substrates Using Carbon Monoxide as Carbon Source

The growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes(SWCNTs) on substrates has attracted great interests because of the potential applications in various fields. Carbon monoxide(CO) was used as the carbon source for the growth of SWCNTs on silicon substrates. Random or oriented SWCNTs can be produced by varying the CO flow rate. When the flow rate of CO was as low as 20 sccm(sccm:standard cubic centimeter per minute), dense SWCNT networks with clean surface were produced. When the flow rate was above 50 sccm, vertically aligned SWCNT(VA-SWCNT) arrays were grown. Well-aligned VA-SWCNT arrays were obtained in the temperature range of 650-800℃ and the content of large-diameter(above 1.7 nm) tubes in the array increased with the temperature. The height of the array was affected by the growth temperature, the CO flow rate, and the growth time. These findings indicate CO can be used as an efficient carbon source for the growth of SWCNTs on substrates under low flow rates.     

A Cyanine-based Liposomal Nanophotosensitizer for Enhanced Cancer Chemo-Photodynamic Therapy

Currently, chemotherapy is one of the most important treatment modalities for malignant tumors in the clinic, however, it exhibits some shortcomings, such as poor selectivity, limited efficacy and serious adverse effects. Therefore, synergistic therapy and accurate drug delivery at tumor sites become a promising strategy for achieving tumor eradication. Herein, a smart NIR fluorescence imaging-guided nanoliposome was fabricated by encapsulating a chemotherapeutic drug(doxorubicin, DOX), liposomes(L) and a near-infrared(NIR) photosensitizer(CY) to form L@CY@DOX, which could realize enhanced therapeutic efficacy of chemo-PDT in cancer therapy(PDT=photodynamic therapy). L@CY@DOX can induce mitochondrial apoptosis and produce severe toxicity at the cellular level, and L@CY@DOX can enrich in the tumor site, which significantly induces tumor death. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that L@CY@DOX exhibited great antitumor efficacy compared with each one of these monotherapies, indicating that the combination of chemotherapy and PDT possessed potential development prospects and is anticipated in clinical application.     

基于聚合诱导自组装制备二氧化硅/聚合物纳米复合材料

纳米二氧化硅(SiO₂)颗粒以其高硬度、高比表面积、高稳定、价格合理等优势被广泛应用于复合材料的制备中,获得的SiO₂/聚合物复合材料通常具有优良的机械性能、很好的热稳定性以及增强的光学和电性能。近年来,随着聚合诱导自组装(PISA)的提出与发展,研究者们基于PISA发展了多种制备不同形貌聚合物纳米粒子的简便方法,为制备SiO₂/聚合物复合材料提供了新的思路。作者调研了近十年来基于PISA制备SiO₂/聚合物复合材料的相关研究,按照SiO₂与聚合物的结合作用和复合机理的不同,创新性地将SiO₂/聚合物复合材料的制备分为物理包封法、化学接枝法、超分子作用法和原位生长法。本综述重点论述复合材料的合成方法、主要性能及用途,同时分析各种复合方法的优缺点并对制备方法的未来发展做出展望,以期为相关领域科研工作者提供更清晰的脉络和更丰富的启示。     

MOFs/水凝胶复合材料的制备及其应用研究

金属有机框架(MOFs)具有大量的孔隙结构和活性位点,在气体吸附、催化、医疗等领域均发挥了巨大的作用。MOFs是晶体粉末,具有脆性较大、在水中易分解和不易回收等缺点,从而限制了其应用。通过MOFs与柔性高分子的复合,特别是与水凝胶的复合,极大地改善了复合材料的柔顺性、可回收和可加工性等特性,进一步拓宽了MOFs的应用领域。本文详细阐述了基于水凝胶MOFs原位生成法、MOFs /水凝胶同时生成法和水凝胶包裹MOFs法等三种不同方法制备MOFs/水凝胶复合材料的研究进展,并对上述三种制备方法的特点及其产物特征进行了总结,进一步归纳了复合材料在生物医药、催化、废水处理和气体吸附等领域的应用。最后,对MOFs/水凝胶复合材料制备方法的改进和复合材料应用前景进行了深入讨论和展望。     

Co3O4 Decorated Ti/TiO2 Nanotubes for Photogenerated Cathodic Protection of 304 Stainless Steel

The Co₃O₄ decorated TiO₂ nanotube arrays(NTAs) coatings are fabricated by the combination of anodization and impregna-ting methods. It is found that the introduction of Co₃O₄ can reduce the diffraction intensity of (101) plane of the TiO₂ and accelerate the separation of photogenerated electron/hole pairs. In addition, the open circuit potential(OCP) and the corrosion potential of 304 stainless steel(304SS) with or without Co₃O₄ decorated TiO₂ NTAs were measured under visible light, which indicated the 304SS coupled with Co₃O₄ decorated TiO₂ NTAs had better anticorrosion performance than that of the 304SS or the 304SS coupled with pure TiO₂ NTAs. The enhancement of the cathodic protection performance of the Co₃O₄ decorated TiO₂ NTAs can be ascribed to the matched energy levels and strong interaction between Co₃O₄ and TiO₂ NTAs, and the improvement of light absorption.