Mono‐ and Dinuclear Phosphorescent Rhenium(I) Complexes: Impact of Subcellular Localization on Anticancer Mechanisms

Elucidation of relationship among chemical structure, cellular uptake, localization, and biological activity of anticancer metal complexes is important for the understanding of their mechanisms of action. Organometallic rhenium(I) tricarbonyl compounds have emerged as potential multifunctional anticancer drug candidates that can integrate therapeutic and imaging capabilities in a single molecule. Herein, two mononuclear phosphorescent rhenium(I) complexes ( Re1 and Re2 ), along with their corresponding dinuclear complexes ( Re3 and Re4 ), were designed and synthesized as potent anticancer agents. The subcellular accumulation of Re1–Re4 was conveniently analyzed by confocal microscopy in situ in live cells by utilizing their intrinsic phosphorescence. We found that increased lipophilicity of the bidentate ligands could enhance their cellular uptake, leading to improved anticancer efficacy. The dinuclear complexes were more potent than the mononuclear counterparts. The molecular anticancer mechanisms of action evoked by Re3 and Re4 were explored in detail. Re3 with a lower lipophilicity localizes to lysosomes and induces caspase‐independent apoptosis, whereas Re4 with higher lipophilicity specially accumulates in mitochondria and induces caspase‐independent paraptosis in cancer cells. Our study demonstrates that subcellular localization is crucial for the anticancer mechanisms of these phosphorescent rhenium(I) complexes.     

Probing the Catalytic Promiscuity of a Regio‐ and Stereospecific C‐Glycosyltransferase from Mangifera indica

The catalytic promiscuity of the novel benzophenone C‐glycosyltransferase, MiCGT, which is involved in the biosynthesis of mangiferin from Mangifera indica, was explored. MiCGT exhibited a robust capability to regio‐ and stereospecific C‐glycosylation of 35 structurally diverse druglike scaffolds and simple phenolics with UDP‐glucose, and also formed O‐ and N‐glycosides. Moreover, MiCGT was able to generate C‐xylosides with UDP‐xylose. The OGT‐reversibility of MiCGT was also exploited to generate C‐glucosides with simple sugar donor. Three aryl‐C‐glycosides exhibited potent SGLT2 inhibitory activities with IC₅₀ values of 2.6×, 7.6×, and 7.6×10⁻⁷ M , respectively. These findings demonstrate for the first time the significant potential of an enzymatic approach to diversification through C‐glycosidation of bioactive natural and unnatural products in drug discovery.     

Surface antimicrobial modification of polyamide by poly(hexamethylene guanidine) hydrochloride

Antimicrobial polyamide (PA) received much attention for the demand of packaging and biomedical fields. In this paper, an antimicrobial PA6 membrane was prepared via a surface chemical reaction. A highly effective antibacterial component (PHMG‐E) with terminal epoxy group was firstly synthesized via a reaction between polyhexamethylene guanidine hydrochloride (PHMG) and ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE). Then, PHMG‐E was bonded on the surface of PA6 membrane with secondary amine reduced by borane‐tetrahydrofuran (BH₃‐THF). The antimicrobial rates of surface‐modified PA6 membrane (PA6‐PHMG) against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were both higher than 99.99%, and the PHMG was non‐leaching due to the chemical bonding. The hydrophilicity of antibacterial PA6 membrane was also significantly improved and the mechanical performance became better.     

基于无机纳米材料的抗菌抗病毒功能涂层和薄膜

COVID-19在全球的大流行对人类的健康生活和社会的正常运行都造成了严重的危害. 阻断致病微生物通过受污染表面与人类间接接触传播, 或者避免与其直接接触是保护我们免受伤害的主要方法. 目前的解决措施包括设计开发抗菌抗病毒表面涂层和研发由自清洁薄膜或织物制成的个人防护设备. 综述了近年来几种研究广泛的金属、金属氧化物、金属有机框架材料等用于抗菌抗病毒涂层或薄膜的工作, 对其作用机制和微生物灭活效果进行了总结讨论, 并且评估了其本身的毒性以及实际应用的局限性, 最后就抗菌抗病毒涂层和薄膜开发的挑战和新兴研究方向提出了未来展望.     

Improved Reversible Zinc Storage Achieved in a Constitutionally Crystalline-Stable Mn(VO3)2 Nanobelts Cathode

Rechargeable zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) are potential for grid-scale applications owing to their safety, low price, and available sources. The development of ZIBs cathode with high specific capacity, wide operating voltage window and stable cyclability is urgently needed in next-generation commercial batteries. Herein, we report a structurally crystalline-stable Mn(VO₃)₂ nanobelts cathode for ZIBs prepared via a facile hydrothermal method. The as-synthesized Mn(VO₃)₂ exhibited high specific capacity of 350 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹, and maintained a capacity retention of 92 % after 10,000 cycles at 2 A g⁻¹. It also showed good rate performance and obtained a reversible capacity of up to 200 mAh g⁻¹ after 600 cycles at 0.2 A g⁻¹ under −20 °C. The electrochemical tests suggest that Mn(VO₃)₂ nanobelts impart fast Zn²⁺ ions migration, and the introduction of manganese atoms help make the structures more indestructible, leading to a good rate performance and prolonged cycle lifespan.     

Eco-friendly solution processing of all-polymer solar cells: Recent advances and future perspective

All-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs) exhibit great potentials in commercial applications. All-PSCs have observed steady performance gains with power conversion efficiency now reaching over 17% in the open literature. However, the current processing of all-PSCs relies predominantly on toxic, chlorinated solvents in moisture-free environments, representing a significant barrier for their commercialization due to the added costs to handle and dispose of such solvents. There is thus an urgent need for safe, environmentally benign, and sustainable ink-based processing methods to produce all-PSC devices reliably and reproducibly in ambient air. In this perspective, fundamental insights on the interplay between all-polymer blend morphologies and eco-friendly solvents are provided. Also, we discuss the recent successes of the green processing methods to manipulate the photoactive morphologies for high-efficiency all-PSCs. In the end, we provide an outlook on future challenges and opportunities of eco-friendly solvents processed all-PSCs for large-scale manufacturing.     

High-temperature fluorescence of low- and high concentration aqueous ATP solution

Abstract

The results of an experimental study of luminescence of an aqueous solution of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) at room temperature are presented. High-temperature fluorescence of low- and high-concentrated solution was experimentally detected and analyzed. The shape of the fluorescence spectrum, the excited state lifetime and the temperature behavior of the emission intensity indicate the formation in the high-concentrated solution of rather stable dimer-like complexes, which can form excimer states.