pIL-12 delivered by polymer based nanovector for anti-tumor genetherapy

Finding more effective and safe non-viral vectors to transfer genes into cancer cells has become the key of immune gene therapy for cancer. Herein a triblock compound MPEG₂₀₀₀–PDLLA₄₀₀₀–MPEG₂₀₀₀ modified by cationic liposome DOTAP was used as a non-viral vector DOTAP/MPEG₂₀₀₀–PDLLA₄₀₀₀–MPEG₂₀₀₀ (DMPM) to effectively transfer interleukin (IL)-12 plasmid (pIL-12) into tumor tissue. IL-12 produced by transfected tumor cells successfully inducing lymphocyte proliferation and promoting interferon-γ (IFN-γ) secretion, which resulted in tumor cells death. The ability of DMPM to transfer pIL-12 and the immune effect induced by IL-12 in cells had been explored. The anti-tumor effect, mechanism and safety of pIL-12/DMPM in mice cancer model were investigated in this study. Our results showed that the pIL-12 transferred by DMPM was highly expressed both in CT26 cells and B16-F10 cells. IL-12 expressed in the culture supernatant of transfected tumor cells stimulated lymphocyte proliferation and promoted IFN-γ secretion. The experimental result confirmed that pIL-12/DMPM therapy significantly reduced tumor growth in mice model. We designed the nanocomposite DMPM to deliver pIL-12 for cancer treatment and explored its therapeutic efficacy and the underlying anti-tumor mechanism. Our study suggested pIL-12 loaded by DMPM complex would be an effective strategy for cancer treatment.     

PVP-b-PLA修饰Fe_3O_4磁性纳米粒子的制备与表征

通过硅烷偶联剂与Fe3O4磁性纳米粒子偶合在其表面引入C C端基,进一步与N-乙烯基吡咯烷酮(NVP)加成聚合制备含端羟基PVP包裹的磁体,再引发丙交酯(LA)开环聚合制得PVP-b-PLA修饰的Fe3O4纳米粒子.通过XRD、GPC、FTIR、SEM、TG、DSC和激光粒度仪等,对产物进行分析和表征,结果表明,纳米Fe3O4与PVP以及PVP与PLA之间均为化学键联,PVP和PLA是以嵌段共聚物的形式存在且两者之间存在明显的微相分离,纳米Fe3O4表面聚合物包覆率为35%,厚度约13 nm.此外,该PVP-b-PLA包覆的磁性纳米粒子比饱和磁化强度为53 emu/g,与未包覆相比下降约25%.     

2-甲基-2,5′-(乙烯基)-二-8-羟基喹啉锌配合物的合成与荧光特性

设计合成了8-羟基喹啉衍生物3和4以及它们的金属锌配合物5和6,化合物3和4经质谱(MS)、元素分析(EA)、红外光谱(IR)、紫外光谱(UV)、核磁共振氢谱( ¹H NMR)进行表征,并测定了它们的荧光性质,与2-甲基-8-羟基喹啉(λ_max=390 nm)比较表明,化合物3和4的荧光红移80～150 nm;用X射线单晶衍射仪测定了化合物3的晶体结构,晶体属于三斜晶系,空间群P1,a=0.706 87(5) nm,b=0.962 03(6) nm,c=1.221 09(8) nm,α=86.735(4)°,β=87.840(4)°,γ=74.333(4)°,V=0.798 01(9) nm³,Z=2,D_c=1.367 Mg·m^-3,μ=0.089 mm^-1,F(000)=344,wR₁=0.055 2,wR₂=0.158 1。化合物3的晶体结构确认了2-甲基-8-羟基喹啉甲酰化是在5位。测定了化合物5和6的荧光光谱及其荧光寿命,结果表明,化合物5和6发光的峰值为620 nm 和623nm,能够发出橙色的荧光,与2-甲基-8-羟基喹啉锌(λ_max=515 nm)比较,发生了明显的红移。化合物5和6的寿命分别为1.57 ns和1.77 ns,呈单指数衰减。     

Reductive demetalation of manganese corroles： The substituent effect

The reductive demetalation of manganese corroles was investigated in CH2Cl2/HCl （aqueous） solvent by using SnCl2 as reducing agent. It was found that the demetalation yields depend on the substituents of corrole macrocycle significantly. Electron- rich manganese corrole undergoes reductive demetalation more easily than electron-deficient ones. The isolated reductive demetalation yield of manganese 5,10,15-tris（phenyl）corrole in present system is moderate （46%）. As for electron-deficient Mn（Ⅲ） 5,10,15-tris（pentafluorophenyl）corrole, the acid-induced demetalation in HOAc-HESO4 （V/V = 3：1） is preferable with an isolated yield of 67%.     

Preparation and performance analysis of PE-supported P(AN-co-MMA) gel polymer electrolyte for lithium ion battery application

Copolymer, poly(acrylonitrile-co-methyl methacrylate) (P(AN-co-MMA)), was synthesized by solution polymerization with different mole ratios of monomers, acrylonitrile (AN) and methyl methacrylate (MMA). Polyethylene (PE) supported copolymer and gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) were prepared with this copolymer and their performances were characterized with FTIR, TGA, SEM, and electrochemical methods. It is found that the GPE using the PE-supported copolymer with AN to MMA = 4:1 (mole) exhibits an ionic conductivity of 2.06 × 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹ at room temperature. The copolymer is stable up to 270 °C. The PE-supported copolymer shows a cross-linked porous structure and has 150 wt% of electrolyte uptake. The GPE is compatible with anode and cathode of lithium ion battery at high voltage and its electrochemical window is 5.5 V (vs. Li/Li⁺). With the application of the PE-supported GPE in lithium ion battery, the battery shows its good rate and initial discharge capacity and cyclic stability.     

Nine-Electron Transfer of Binder Synergistic π-d Conjugated Coordination Polymers as High-Performance Lithium Storage Materials

To solve the problems such as the dissolution and the poor conductivity of organic small molecule electrode materials, we construct π-d conjugated coordination polymer Ni-DHBQ with multiple redox-active centers as lithium storage materials. It exhibits an ultra-high capacity of 9-electron transfers, while the π-d conjugation and the laminar structure inside the crystal ensure fast electron transport and lithium ion diffusion, resulting in excellent rate performance (505.6 mAh g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹ after 300 cycles). The interaction of Ni-DHBQ with the binder CMC synergistically inhibits its dissolution and anchors the Ni atoms, thus exhibiting excellent cycling stability (650.7 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹ after 100 cycles). This work provides insight into the mechanism of lithium storage in π-d conjugated coordination polymers and the synergistic effect of CMC, which will contribute to the molecular design and commercial application of organic electrode materials.     

Catalytic NO Reduction by NO Pre-Adsorbed RhCeO2NO− Clusters

A fundamental understanding on the dynamically structural evolution of catalysts induced by reactant gases under working conditions is challenging but pivotal in catalyst design. Herein, in combination with state-of-the-art mass spectrometry for cluster reactions, cryogenic photoelectron imaging spectroscopy, and quantum-chemical calculations, we identified that NO adsorption on rhodium-cerium bimetallic oxide cluster RhCeO₂⁻ can create a Ce³⁺ ion in product RhCeO₂NO⁻ that serves as the starting point to trigger the catalysis of NO reduction by CO. Theoretical calculations substantiated that the reduction of another two NO molecules into N₂O takes place exclusively on the Ce³⁺ ion while Rh behaves like a promoter to buffer electrons and cooperates with Ce³⁺ to drive NO reduction. Our finding demonstrates the importance of NO in regulating the catalytic behavior of Rh under reaction conditions and provides much-needed insights into the essence of NO reduction over Rh/CeO₂, one of the most efficient components in three-way catalysts for NO_x removal.     

CO2 Reduction Mechanism on the Cu2O(110) Surface: A First-Principles Study

Cu₂O is an attractive catalyst for the selective reduction of CO₂ to methanol. However, the mechanism of the reaction and the role of the Cu species in different oxidation states are not well understood yet. In this work, by first-principles calculations, we investigate the mechanism of the reaction on the Cu₂O(110) surface, which is the most selective for methanol, in different degrees of reduction: ideal surface, slightly reduced surface (SRS), and partially reduced surface (PRS). The most favorable reaction pathways on the three surfaces were identified. We found that Cu(I) on the ideal surface is not capable of chemisorbing CO₂, but surface oxygen serves as the active site which selectively converts CO₂ to CH₃OH with a limiting potential of −0.77 V. The Cu(0) on the SRS and PRS promotes the adsorption and reduction of CO₂, while the removal of the residue O* becomes potential/rate limiting with a more negative limiting potential than the ideal surface. The SRS is selective to methanol while the PRS becomes selective to methane. The result suggests that the key to high methanol selectivity is to avoid the reduction of Cu(I), which provides a new strategy for the design of more efficient catalysts for selective CO₂ reduction to methanol.     

Sustainable metal-free polyurethane elastomers from bile acids: self-healing properties and biocompatibility

Currently, self-healing polymers with superior elasticity have made great progress in healthcare devices and flexible electronics. Benefiting from rigid skeletons and hydroxyl groups of bile acids, herein sustainable self-healing polyurethanes have been developed via an alternative metal-free strategy in which bile acid units and oligo(ethylene glycol)s serve as hard and soft segments, respectively. The bile acid based polyurethane could achieve a similar mechanical performance (7.96 MPa of Young's modulus) to certain soft tissues and maximum self-healing efficiency of 90% in tensile strength for 3 h. Multiple hydrogen bonds originated from hydroxyl groups of bile acids and urethane bonds synergistically attribute to self-healing ability, which represents the first example that quadruple hydrogen bonds of sustainable molecules driven elastomers have been reported. Moreover, taking into account the desirable biocompatibility both in vitro and in vivo, it is highly anticipated that these sustainable metal-free self-healing polyurethane elastomers would be explored for practical applications, such as soft tissue repairing.     

Dimension of Slices Through Fractals with Initial Cubic Pattern

In this paper, the Hausdorff dimension of the intersection of self-similar fractals in Euclidean space R~n generated from an initial cube pattern with an(n-m)-dimensional hyperplane V in a fixed direction is discussed. The authors give a sufficient condition which ensures that the Hausdorff dimensions of the slices of the fractal sets generated by "multirules" take the value in Marstrand's theorem, i.e., the dimension of the self-similar sets minus one. For the self-similar fractals generated with initial cube pattern, this sufficient condition also ensures that the projection measure μVis absolutely continuous with respect to the Lebesgue measure L~m. When μV《 L~m, the connection of the local dimension ofμVand the box dimension of slices is given.