Comparative Analysis of Chemical Constituents in Different Parts of Lotus by UPLC and QToF-MS

Six parts of lotus (seeds, leaves, plumule, stamens, receptacles and rhizome nodes) are herbal medicines that are listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Their indications and functions have been confirmed by a long history of clinical practice. To fully understand the material basis of clinical applications, UPLC-QToF-MS combined with the UNIFI platform and multivariate statistical analysis was used in this study. As a result, a total of 171 compounds were detected and characterized from the six parts, and 23 robust biomarkers were discovered. The method can be used as a standard protocol for the direct identification and prediction of the six parts of lotus. Meanwhile, these discoveries are valuable for improving the quality control method of herbal medicines. Most importantly, this was the first time that alkaloids were detected in the stamen, and terpenoids were detected in the cored seed. The stamen is a noteworthy part because it contains the greatest diversity of flavonoids and terpenoids, but research on the stamen is rather limited.     

An interlocked coordination cage based on aromatic amide ligands

An interlocked M_4 L_8 coordination cage was synthesized by coordination-driven self-assembly of palladium(Ⅱ) ions with aromatic amide bidentate ligands.The reaction of the ligand and the metal at 2:1 ratio led to the monomeric M_2 L_4 cage as the kinetic product,while the thermodynamic product M_4 L_8 cage was obtained by prolongating the reaction.This conve rsion and the interlocked structure was clearly revealed by using ~1 H NMR,mass spectrometry and X-ray crystallography.The driving force of interlocking was mainly attributed to the interactions(hydrogen bonding,aromatic stacking and electrostatic interaction) arising from the aptitude of flexibility of the amide ligand.     

Current research progress of photopolymerized hydrogels in tissue engineering

Owing to the special fo rmation of photopolymerized hydrogels,they can effectively control the formation of hydrogels in space and time.Moreover,the photopolymerized hydrogels have mild formation conditions and biocompatibility;therefore,they can be widely used in tissue engineering.With the development and application of manufacturing technology,photopolymerized hydrogels can be widely used in cell encapsulation,scaffold materials,and other tissue engineering fields through more elaborate manufacturing methods.This review covers the types of photoinitiators,manu facturing technologies for photopolymerized hydrogels as well as the materials used,and a summary of the applications of photopolymerized hydrogels in tissue engineering.     

Recent progress and challenges in carboxylation with CO2

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Biotransformation of Timosaponin BII into Seven Characteristic Metabolites by the Gut Microbiota

Timosaponin BII is one of the most abundant Anemarrhena saponins and is in a phase II clinical trial for the treatment of dementia. However, the pharmacological activity of timosaponin BII does not match its low bioavailability. In this study, we aimed to determine the effects of gut microbiota on timosaponin BII metabolism. We found that intestinal flora had a strong metabolic effect on timosaponin BII by HPLC-MS/MS. At the same time, seven potential metabolites (M1–M7) produced by rat intestinal flora were identified using HPLC/MS-Q-TOF. Among them, three structures identified are reported in gut microbiota for the first time. A comparison of rat liver homogenate and a rat liver microsome incubation system revealed that the metabolic behavior of timosaponin BII was unique to the gut microbiota system. Finally, a quantitative method for the three representative metabolites was established by HPLC-MS/MS, and the temporal relationship among the metabolites was initially clarified. In summary, it is suggested that the metabolic characteristics of gut microbiota may be an important indicator of the pharmacological activity of timosaponin BII, which can be applied to guide its application and clinical use in the future.     

Dysfunction of Shh signaling activates autophagy to inhibit trophoblast motility in recurrent miscarriage

In early pregnancy, the placenta anchors the conceptus and supports embryonic development and survival. This study aimed to investigate the underlying functions of Shh signaling in recurrent miscarriage (RM), a serious disorder of pregnancy. In the present study, Shh and Gli2 were mainly observed in cytotrophoblasts (CTBs), Ptch was mainly observed in syncytiotrophoblasts (STBs), and Smo and Gli3 were expressed in both CTBs and STBs. Shh signaling was significantly impaired in human placenta tissue from recurrent miscarriage patients compared to that of gestational age-matched normal controls. VEGF-A and CD31 protein levels were also significantly decreased in recurrent miscarriage patients. Furthermore, inhibition of Shh signaling impaired the motility of JAR cells by regulating the expression of Gli2 and Gli3. Intriguingly, inhibition of Shh signaling also triggered autophagy and autolysosome accumulation. Additionally, knockdown of BECN1 reversed Gant61-induced motility inhibition. In conclusion, our results showed that dysfunction of Shh signaling activated autophagy to inhibit trophoblast motility, which suggests the Shh pathway and autophagy as potential targets for RM therapy.Subject terms: Embryology, Endocrine reproductive disorders, Autophagosomes     

基于蛋白模板金纳米簇及羟基氧化钴纳米片的激活型荧光纳米探针用于免标记和灵敏检测生物硫醇

该文基于牛血清白蛋白模板金纳米簇(BSA@AuNCs)与羟基氧化钴(CoOOH)纳米片构建了一种激活型荧光纳米探针用于生物硫醇的检测。带负电的BSA@AuNCs能通过静电吸附作用组装到带正电的CoOOH纳米片表面,与此同时,BSA@AuNCs的荧光由于内滤效应(IFE)有效地被CoOOH纳米片猝灭,形成BSA@AuNCs-CoOOH纳米探针。当向纳米探针溶液加入生物硫醇(0.05~150μmol/L)时,生物硫醇与纳米探针中的CoOOH纳米片发生氧化还原反应,CoOOH纳米片被降解生成Co²⁺,同时释放出BSA@AuNCs,BSA@AuNCs荧光信号恢复。结果表明,该纳米探针可以检测低浓度的生物硫醇,对生物硫醇(半胱氨酸、谷胱甘肽和高半胱氨酸)的检出限为30 nmol/L。相对于其他的氨基酸、金属离子及糖类化合物,该纳米探针对生物硫醇具有较高的选择性并成功应用于人血清样品中生物硫醇的检测。     

微流控技术在微/纳米材料合成中的研究进展

微/纳米材料因其尺度的微小而具有异于宏观材料的特殊性质, 在多个领域都有着丰富的应用. 近年来, 微流控技术因其微量、高效、高通量、微型化、集成化和自动化等独特的优势在微/纳米材料的合成中引起了广泛的关注. 本综述从微反应器的结构形式及反应方式两个角度进行分类, 介绍了微流控技术在无机材料、有机材料和复合材料中的具体应用, 并对该领域未来的主要发展趋势进行了展望. 微流控技术为微/纳米材料的合成提供了新的思路和方法, 在工业生产和学术研究中都蕴含着丰富的可能性和巨大的潜力.     

透明质酸纳米材料在荧光/光声成像和光疗中的应用

荧光/光声成像和光疗技术的生物医学应用引起了人们越来越多的关注, 然而很多荧光/光声造影剂存在生物相容性较差, 缺乏肿瘤靶向性, 信噪比较低, 功能单一等共性问题, 严重限制其诊疗应用. 透明质酸具有优异的生物相容性和主动肿瘤靶向性, 可被透明质酸酶降解, 并且易于化学修饰和实现多种超分子弱相互作用力协同工作. 因此, 人们将透明质酸与荧光/光声造影剂结合制备纳米材料, 使其在细胞乃至活体的标记性能和治疗效果获得了很大的改善. 本文综述了将两类物质结合制备纳米材料的方法, 着重阐述了纳米材料的结构与性能关系, 为其未来设计和开发提供了指导, 最后对存在的主要问题以及未来的重要研究方向进行了分析和展望.     

From borophosphate to fluoroborophosphate: a rational design of fluorine-induced birefringence enhancement

The introduction of oxofluoride anion into anionic group assists to tune optical properties owing to the change of coordination,electronegativity,and according anionic framework.Here,we proposed a rational design of new compounds by fluorine-driven structure and optical property evolution.A new borophosphate Ba_2BP_3O_(11)with the monoclinic space group P2_1/c has been synthesized in the sealed system.Ba_2BP_3O_(11)exhibits a rare P–O–P bridge formation,which is the first example in alkaline-earth metal borophosphates.By further substituting[BO_4]~(3-)with[BO_3F]~(4-),the first alkaline-earth metal/lead fluoroborophosphates M_2BP_2O_8F (M=Ba and Pb) with the same space group were designed.Since the scissors effect of fluorine,in M_2BP_2O_8F (M=Ba and Pb),a BO_3F tetrahedron corner-sharing with three PO_4tetrahedra forms 1D chains along the b-axial direction,which are filled by MO_n(M=Ba/Pb,n=5,6,8) distorted polyhedra.The first principles calculation shows that the borophosphate Ba_2BP_3O_(11)has a birefringence about 0.013@1,064 nm,while the fluoroborophosphates M_2BP_2O_8F (M=Ba and Pb) have the values of 0.035 and 0.043@1,064 nm,respectively.Such an apparent enhancement in birefringence is derived from synergies of the oxyfluoride and cation.The introduction of fluorine-containing heteroanionic groups provides a feasible strategy to design novel promising optical materials.