Development of Lysosome-Targeted Fluorescent Probes for Cys by Regulating the Boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) Molecular Structure

Our previous discovery suggested that substituents on the 1,7 positions delicately modulate the sensing ability of the meso-arylmercapto boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) to biothiols. In this work, the impact of delicate modulations on the sensing ability is investigated. Therefore, 1,7-dimethyl, 3,5-diaryl substituted BODIPY is designed and developed and its conformationally restricted species with a meso-arylmercapto moiety ( DM-BDP-SAr and DM-BDP-R-SAr ) as selective fluorescent probes for Cys. Moreover, the lysosome-target probes ( Lyso-S and Lyso-D ) based on DM-BDP-SAr carrying one or two morpholinoethoxy moieties were developed. They were able to detect Cys selectively in vitro with low detection limits. Both Lyso-S and Lyso-D localized nicely in lysosomes in living HeLa cells and exhibited red fluorescence for Cys. Moreover, a novel fluorescence quenching mechanism was proposed from the calculations by density functional theory (DFT). The probes may go through intersystem crossing (from singlet excited state to triplet excited state) to result in fluorescence quenching.     

A new endocytic model based on the co-rotational grid method

Endocytosis plays important roles in many cellular physiological processes, such as metabolism and immune. Many theoretical models have been proposed to study the endocytic process, but little has considered the tensile deformation of the membrane and the actin forces. In this paper, a new endocytic model is proposed based on the co-rotational grid method. Our model gives a direct estimation of the in-plane strain of the plasma membrane and provides a basis for the calculation of further scission process of the vesicle. The results fit well with experimental data in the literature. Moreover, it is suggested that the active forces of actin at the endocytic site is the main mechanism driving the invagination of the plasma membrane.     

Facile preparation of Ag/Ag2WO4/g‐C3N4 ternary plasmonic photocatalyst and its visible‐light photocatalytic activity

Introducing plasmonic metals into semiconductor materials has been proven to be an attractive strategy for enhancing photocatalytic activity in the visible region. In this work, a novel and efficient Ag/Ag₂WO₄/g‐C₃N₄ (AACN) ternary plasmonic photocatalyst was successfully synthesized using a facile one‐step in situ hydrothermal method. The composition, structure, morphology and optical absorption properties of AACN were investigated using X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, respectively. Photocatalytic performance of AACN was evaluated via rhodamine B and tetracycline degradation. The results indicated that AACN had excellent photocatalytic performance for rhodamine B degradation with a rate constant of 0.0125 min^?1, which was higher than those of Ag₂WO₄ and Ag/Ag₂WO₄. Characterization and photocatalytic tests showed that the strong coupling effect between the Ag/Ag₂WO₄ nanoparticles and the exfoliated ultrathin g‐C₃N₄ nanosheets was superior for visible‐light responsivity and reduced the recombination rate of photogenerated electrons and holes. A proposed mechanism is also discussed according to the band energy structure and the experimental results.     

Functional Organic Semiconductors Based on Bay‐Annulated Indigo (BAI)

The advancement of organic electronics has been continually pushed by the need for stable and high performance acceptor materials. By utilizing inexpensive and stable indigo dye as a starting material, Bay‐Annulated Indigo (BAI) provides a new motif for the development of semiconducting materials. Modular and straightforward synthesis makes BAI an outstanding platform for molecular design, while excellent stability, strong absorption, and high ambipolar mobility render BAI‐based materials excellent candidates for organic electronics. BAI‐based polymers and small molecules have taken advantage of these properties to show promising results in a variety of applications.     

One-step synthesis of magnetic composite UiO-66/Fe3O4/GO for the removal of radioactive cesium ions

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - In this study, the UiO-66/Fe3O4/GO composite was prepared by one step method for removal of cesium ions (Cs+) in water and exhibited excellent...     

Simultaneous quantitation of 23 bioactive compounds in Tanreqing capsule by high‐performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Tanreqing capsule (TRQC) is a formulation frequently used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat pyrexia, cough, expectoration and pharyngalgia. Since the pharmacological action of traditional Chinese medicines is closely related to their complex and diverse constituents, understanding the exact composition of TRQC is important to elucidate its clinical effectiveness and mechanism of action as well as to establish quality control methods and resolve safety issues. Herein, we employed high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry for the simultaneous quantitation of 23 bioactive compounds in five batches of TRQC; the analytes could be categorized into five types: organic acids (seven compounds), flavonoids (10 compounds), iridoids (two compounds), phenylethanoid glycosides (two compounds) and bile acids (two compounds). The calibration curves for all analytes showed good linearity (r > 0.9953), and the inter‐ and intra‐day precisions did not exceed 4.94 and 4.97%, respectively. The recoveries varied from 90.47% to 109.80%; the corresponding relative standard deviations (RSDs) did not exceed 4.94%; and the repeatability (RSD < 4.72%) and stability (RSD < 4.88%) were also within acceptable limits. Thus, this study can be viewed as a fundamental reference for setting comprehensive TRQC quality standards.     

Et2Zn-mediated stoichiometric C(sp)-H silylation of 1-alkynes and chlorosilanes

A first example of an Et₂Zn mediated silylation of 1-aklynes is reported. A series of functional groups are tolerated in this reaction. Mechanistic studies support Zn alkynilides as intermediates in the reaction. This reaction protocol provides a practical method for the preparation of alkynylsilanes and expands the application of organometallic zinc in organic synthesis.     

Tuning the Reactivity of Cyclopropenes from Living Ring‐Opening Metathesis Polymerization (ROMP) to Single‐Addition and Alternating ROMP

Ring‐opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) has become one of the most important living polymerizations. Cyclopropenes (CPEs) remain underexplored for ROMP. Described here is that the simple swap of 1‐methyl to 1‐phenyl on 1‐(benzoyloxymethyl)CPEs elicited strikingly different modes of reactivity, switching from living polymerization to either selective single‐addition or living alternating ROMP. The distinct reactivity stems from differences in steric repulsions at the Ru alkylidene after CPE ring opening. Possible olefin or oxygen chelation from ring‐opened CPE substituents was also observed to significantly affect the rate of propagation. These results demonstrate the versatility of CPEs as a new class of monomers for ROMP, provide mechanistic insights for designing new monomers with rare single‐addition reactivity, and generate a new functionalizable alternating copolymer scaffold with controlled molecular weight and low dispersity.