Metal–Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticles for Correlative High‐Resolution Light and Electron Microscopy

The combination of fluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy promises a deeper insight into the ultrastructural features of cell organelles, e.g., after drug administration. Both methods complement each other and provide, as a correlative approach, a keen insight into the fate of nanoparticles within the cell. Moreover, it represents a promising tool to determine alterations of the cellular environment as a response to particle uptake. However, the availability of suitable correlative markers is mandatory for such correlative approaches. In this contribution, the utilization of poly(ethylene imine) based metal–polymer hybrid particles labeled with small gold nanoparticles and Rhodamine B facilitating the observation of the particles by means of fluorescence as well as by transmission electron microscopy is suggested. Correlative light and electron microscopy is used to study uptake and intracellular fusion processes of endosomal/lysosomal structures.     

某印染废水的水质指纹特征

水质指纹携带了水样的发光有机物组成的信息,可以作为一种新方法来弥补COD和TOC等传统理化参数只能给出有机物总量信息的不足。印染废水是我国水量最大的工业废水之一,其特点是水量大、污染重,含有大量发光有机物质,且难降解,其对自然水体的危害尤为明显。对我国某印染废水处理厂废水进行了连续采样,对水样的水质指纹特征进行了研究。结果表明,该厂印染废水水质指纹特征比较明显,水质指纹上主要有激发波长/发射波长分别为230/340和280/310 nm左右的两个峰,其中230/340 nm处的强度最强,280/310 nm处的强度次之,各峰波长和强度比较稳定。该印染废水的两个水纹峰的峰强呈正相关关系,线性相关系数为0.910 8,斜率为1.506。激发波长/发射波长为280/310 nm的强度与230/340 nm强度比值的平均值为0.777,范围为0.712～0.829。对该印染污水水质指纹的可能荧光物质进行分析,结果表明生活污水和苯胺类物质的水质指纹与该印染污水的水质指纹不同,而几种大量使用的染料的水质指纹与该印染污水的水质指纹大致相同,所以染料的大量使用可能是导致印染废水产生上述典型水质指纹特征的主要原因。水质指纹可以用于水体水质预警。     

Geometry, Electronic Structure, and Related Properties of Dye Sensitizer:3,4-bis[1-(carboxymethyl)-3-indolyl]-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione

运用密度泛函理论中的杂化泛函B3LYP研究了太阳能电池染料敏化剂3,4-二-[1-(羧甲基)-3-吲哚]-1H-吡咯-2,5-二酮(BIMCOOH)的几何结构、电子结构、极化率和超极化率,并用半经验量子化学方法ZINDO-l和含时密度泛函理论(TDDFT)研究了电子吸收谱．自然键轨道方法的研究结果表明,布居于二酮、吲哚和乙酸基团的自然电荷分别为-0.15e、-0.29e、0.44e．计算的各向同性极化率、极化率各向异性不变量和平均超极化率分别是305.4、188.3、1155.4 a.u.．基于TDDFT的计算结果和实验结果的定性符合指认了在可见和近紫外区的吸收属于∏→∏*跃迁,并且TDDFT的计算结果显示,第9～11个激发态的跃迁与光诱导分子内电荷转移过程有关．对电子结构和紫外-可见吸收谱的分析表明,吲哚基团对光电转换过程的敏化起主要作用,发生于染料敏化剂BIMCOOH和TiO2电极界面之间的电荷转移是由染料分子激发态向半导体导带的电子注入过程．     

Effect of high-pressure water-vapor annealing on energy transfer in dye-impregnated porous silicon

We have studied the effect of high-pressure water-vapor annealing (HWA) on the excitation energy transfer from Si nanocrystals to dye molecules in porous Si layers. Efficient photoluminescence, originating from both RhB molecules and Si nanocrystals, was observed. The behavior of the polarization memory of the photoluminescence showed the presence of energy transfer from the surface-passivated Si nanocrystals to RhB molecules. The fact that HWA, which is an effective method to stabilize and enhance the emission from Si nanocrystals in porous Si, does not suppress the energy transfer is an important result since it makes possible the realization of stable Si/dye-nanocomposite functional devices.     

One‐Step Synthesis of Folic Acid Protected Gold Nanoparticles and Their Receptor‐Mediated Intracellular Uptake

We report here a facile method to obtain folic acid (FA)‐protected gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) by heating an aqueous solution of HAuCl₄/FA in which FA acts as both the reducing and stabilizing agent. The successful formation of FA‐protected Au NPs is demonstrated by UV/Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected‐area electron diffraction (SAED), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The intracellular uptake of these nanoparticles is facilitated by HeLa cells overexpressing the folate reporter, which itself is significantly inhibited by free FA in a competitive assay as quantified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP‐MS). This simple one‐step approach affords a new perspective for creating functional nanomaterials, and the resulting biocompatible, functional Au NPs may find some prospective applications in various biomedical fields.     

Effect of TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> surface modification in Rhodamine B photodegradation

Commercial TiO₂ nanoparticles were superficially modified through polymeric resins obtained from polymerization of citrate complexes of Y³⁺ and Al³⁺ with ethylenglycol. The materials were treated at 450 °C for 4 h to obtain modified nanoparticles, which were characterized by HR-TEM, Zeta potential and surface area through N₂ fisisorption. Rhodamine B photodegradation by visible light irradiation and in presence of those modified nanoparticles was compared with the same process in presence of unmodified commercial TiO₂ nanoparticles. It was observed, by UV–visible spectroscopy, that the catalytic photoactivity in presence of modified nanoparticles was smaller than that observed with commercial TiO₂ nanoparticles. However, the surface modifier played an important role in the photodegradation kinetic process, showing a non-linear relation between modifier amount and photodegradation rate, presenting a maximum value at 0.8% (w/w).     

功能化硅壳荧光纳米粒的细胞吞噬研究

合成了氨基聚酰胺-胺(PAMAM(G1.0))和酯基(PAMAM(G1.5))功能化的两种硅壳荧光纳米粒,通过透射电镜(TEM)、纳米粒度及动电位测定仪(zeta电势)、傅立叶红外光谱仪(FTIR)和热失重分析仪(TGA)进行表征;通过透射电镜(TEM)、共聚焦显微镜(CLSM)、细胞计数试剂盒(CCK-8)实验、流式细胞计数法评价两种硅壳荧光纳米粒进入9L细胞能力的大小、在细胞内的分布情况以及细胞毒性.TEM分析表明,修饰的硅壳纳米粒大小约为60 nm左右,pH=7.4,氨基功能化的纳米粒zeta电势为+19.08,酯基功能化的为-9.01;FTIR和TGA实验进一步证明两种纳米粒被氨基和酯基的功能化.TEM和CLSM结果表明纳米粒主要存在细胞浆中,且能被溶酶体吞噬.CCK-8结果显示两种纳米粒的浓度高达1 mg/mL时仍无明显的毒性作用,且有促细胞增殖作用.流式细胞计数结果表明,细胞摄取纳米粒呈浓度和时间依赖性,氨基比酯基修饰的纳米粒更易进入细胞.     

Association Equilibrium of Methylene Blue by Spectral Titration and Chemometrics Analysis: A Thermodynamic Study

The monomer‐dimer equilibrium of methylene blue (MB, Scheme I) has been investigated by means of UV‐Visible spectroscopy in aqueous solutions. The self aggregation of MB in water has been investigated by recording absorption spectra in the wavelength range of 450–750 nm, and in different ionic strengths using concentrated KCl solutions in the temperature range of 20–90°C. Chemometrics analysis of the spectral data gave a dimerization constant, individual spectra of the monomer and dimer forms of the dye molecule. The quantitative analysis of the data of the undefined mixture was carried out by simultaneous resolution of the overlapping spectral bands in the whole set of absorption spectra. The dimerization constants of MB determined by mathematical deconvolution of the thermometric spectral titration data show dependency on temperature variations. The concentration range of MB was 6.00 × 10^?5‐3.00 × 10^?4 M. Utilizing the van't Hoff relation, which describes the dependence of the equilibrium constant on temperature, the thermodynamics parameters ΔH° and ΔS° of the aggregation process were determined. The compensation effect was verified by the thermodynamics results of the dimerization process of the dye.     

Synthesis, photophysical properties and sugar-dependent in vitro photocytotoxicity of pyrrolidine-fused chlorins bearing S-glycosides

Eight S-glycosylated 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(tetrafluorophenyl)porphyrins (1a′, 1b′, 1a and 1b (a: S-glucosylated, b: S-galactosylated)) and their 1,3-dipolar cycloadducts, i.e. chlorins 2a′, 2b′, 2a and 2b were prepared by nucleophilic substitution of the pentafluorophenyl groups with S-glycoside. These photosensitizers were characterized by ¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopies and elemental analysis. The photocytotoxicity of the S-glycosylated photosensitizers and the parent porphyrin (1) and chlorin (2) was examined in HeLa cells. Photosensitizers 1, 2, 1a′, 1b′, 2a′ and 2b′ showed no significant photocytotoxicity at the concentration of 0.5 μM, while the deprotected photosensitizers 1a, 1b, 2a and 2b were photocytotoxic. The strong inhibition by sodium azide of the photocytotoxicity of these photosensitizers suggested that ¹O₂ is the main mediator. The S-glucosylated photosensitizers 1a and 2a showed higher photocytotoxicity than S-galactosylated 1b and 2b, respectively. The cellular uptake of 1a and 2a increased up to 24 h, while that of 1b and 2b was saturated by 12 h.     

异核双金属探针在活细胞细胞核和线粒体中选择性定位DNA

用于实时成像活细胞DNA的细胞核探针是非常罕见的。通过Ru(N^N)₃、Ir(C^N)₂(N^N)、Re(CO)₃Cl(N^N)和Pt(C^N)(N^N)的结合,生成了4种异核双金属配合物：2种不同的功能金属位点被锚定在线性双齿螯和配体(N^N)-(N^N)的尾端,形成不对称哑铃状的双金属分子M₁-M₂,即Ru-Re、Ru-Pt、Ir-Re和Ir-Pt。Ru-Re和Ru-Pt的红色发射探针具有较大的斯托克斯位移、优异的核膜穿透能力、良好光稳定性的DNA结合能力。此外,Ru-Re和Ru-Pt探针的DNA成像可与专门用于活细胞细胞核DNA染色的Hoechst 33342商用染料相媲美,而Ir-Re和Ir-Pt探针直接靶向线粒体。不同探针的发光特性和选择性胞内定位高度依赖于在异核双金属配合物中的金属物种。