Rapid determination of underivatized pyroglutamic acid, glutamic acid, glutamine and other relevant amino acids in fermentation media by LC-MS-MS

Determination of amino acids in a complex matrix without derivatization is advantageous, however, difficulties are found in both the detection and the separation of those compounds. In this study, a rapid and reliable LC-MS-MS method for the quantitation of underivatized amino acids in exocellular media was established. Injections were made directly after centrifugation of the samples, without further preparation. The separation of seven underivatized amino acids was achieved on a reversed-phase C18 column with pentadecafluorooctanoic acid as a volatile ion-pair reagent, and the specific detection of most amino acids was achieved by MS-MS of the specific transitions [M + H]+-->[M + H - 46]+. The calibration curves of all analytes were linear over the range of 1.0-1000 microg ml(-1) and the detection limits ranged from 0.1 to 5 ng ml(-1), with an injection volume of 20 microl. The inter-day and intra-day precisions ranged from 2.6 to 5.7% and 4.8 to 8.2%, respectively; the mean recoveries of the seven analytes were 81-104%, 91-107% and 93-101% respectively at the spiked level of 10, 40 and 200 microg ml(-1). A large number of fermentation samples were analysed using this method. The technique is simple, rapid, selective and sensitive, and shows potential for the high-throughput quantitation of amino acids from other biological matrices.     

A general electron donor–acceptor complex for photoactivation of arenes via thianthrenation

General photoactivation of electron donor–acceptor (EDA) complexes between arylsulfonium salts and 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane with visible light or natural sunlight was discovered. This practical and efficient mode enables the production of aryl radicals under mild conditions, providing an unrealized opportunity for two-step para-selective C–H functionalization of complex arenes. The novel mode for generating aryl radicals via an EDA complex was well supported by UV-vis absorbance measurements, nuclear magnetic resonance titration experiments, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The method was applied to the regio- and stereo-selective arylation of various N-heterocycles under mild conditions, yielding an assembly of challengingly linked heteroaryl–(hetero)aryl products. Remarkably, the meaningful couplings of bioactive molecules with structurally complex drugs or agricultural pharmaceuticals were achieved to display favorable in vitro antitumor activities, which will be of great value in academia or industry.

General photoactivation of EDA complexes between arylsulfonium salts and 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane was discovered. This practical mode enables the generation of aryl radicals for C–H functionalization of arenes.     

Interfacial Adhesion between Fatty Acid Collectors and Hydrophilic Surfaces: Implications for Low-Rank Coal Flotation

Fatty acids, which are enriched in vegetable oil, have attracted much attention in low-rank coal flotation because of their unique chemical structure. In this study, density functional theory calculations, molecular dynamics simulations, and atomic force microscopy were employed to investigate the adsorption structure and forces between collectors and hydrophilic surfaces. The results show that fatty acids can be easily adsorbed onto surfaces through hydrogen bonds, and can cover the oxygen sites. The existence of hydration film on hydrophilic surfaces prevented nonpolar molecules from being able to adsorb, while polar fatty acids could adsorb and expel water molecules. The adhesion force between the RCOOH-terminated probe and the surface appeared in the retraction process, which differed significantly from that of the RCH₃-terminated probe, indicating that polar fatty acids are more suitable as flotation collectors for low-rank coal than nonpolar hydrocarbon oil. The simulation and AFM test revealed the mechanisms of polar fatty acids, and can provide guidance for low-rank coal flotation applications.     

A MXene-derived redox homeostasis regulator perturbs the Nrf2 antioxidant program for reinforced sonodynamic therapy

Ultrasound (US)-mediated sonodynamic therapy (SDT) has emerged as a spatiotemporally controllable therapeutic modality in combating cancer because of its high tissue-penetration depth and minimal invasiveness. However, the elevated nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) antioxidant program in cancer cells can serve as a chief reactive oxygen species (ROS) detoxification system to alleviate oxidative injury and promote tumorigenesis, and thus greatly antagonize the therapeutic efficacy of ROS-mediated anticancer therapies. Herein, we report that vanadium carbide MXene-derived carbon dots (PMQDs) can act as high-efficacy sonosensitizers to efficiently generate ROS upon US irradiation and simultaneously hinder the Nrf2 antioxidant program for enhanced sonodynamic therapy of cancer. These PMQDs show superior US-triggered ROS generating ability because of their efficient migration/separation of electron–hole pairs and narrow bandgap. Importantly, these PMQDs can serve as efficient redox homeostasis regulators to perturb the Nrf2 antioxidant mechanism and thus reduce its effects on ROS neutralization for enhanced SDT efficacy. Overall, the present study will not only provide a new paradigm to augment SDT by perturbing the Nrf2 antioxidant program, but also give valuable insights into developing high-efficacy MXene-derived nanoagents for cancer therapy.

A redox homeostasis regulator has been developed as a high-efficacy sonosensitizer to efficiently generate reactive oxygen species upon ultrasound irradiation and simultaneously hinder the Nrf2 antioxidant program for enhanced sonodynamic therapy.     

Mesoporous sodium four-coordinate aluminosilicate nanoparticles modulate dendritic cell pyroptosis and activate innate and adaptive immunity

Pyroptosis is a programmed cell death widely studied in cancer cells for tumour inhibition, but rarely in dendritic cell (DC) activation for vaccine development. Here, we report the synthesis of sodium stabilized mesoporous aluminosilicate nanoparticles as DC pyroptosis modulators and antigen carriers. By surface modification of sodium-stabilized four-coordinate aluminium species on dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles, the resultant Na-^IVAl-DMSN significantly activated DC through caspase-1 dependent pyroptosis via pH responsive intracellular ion exchange. The released proinflammatory cellular contents further mediated DC hyperactivation with prolonged cytokine release. In vivo studies showed that Na-^IVAl-DMSN induced enhanced cellular immunity mediated by natural killer (NK) cells, cytotoxic T cells, and memory T cells as well as humoral immune response. Our results provide a new principle for the design of next-generation nanoadjuvants for vaccine applications.

Na-^IVAl-DMSN acts as both antigen carriers and modulators to “hyperactivate” dendritic cells (DCs) via potassium (K⁺) efflux dependent pyroptosis, eventually leading to enhanced adaptive and innate immunity.     

缩合法合成磁性荧光高分子CdTe@Fe_3O_4/P(NIPAM-co-AA)复合微球及其表征

具有超顺磁性和荧光特性的CdTe@Fe_3O_4/P(NIPAM-co-AA)多功能复合微球是以P(NIPAMco-AA)为模板制备而成.首先,采用溶胀法使模板微球带有磁性;其次,辅助TEOS和APTES两种化学试剂实现对Fe_3O_4/P(NIPAM-co-AA)微球表面的氨基功能化;最后,携带氨基的磁性微球与巯基乙酸修饰的CdTe量子点通过酰胺缩合反应,将量子点键合到磁性微球表面上,最终获得单分散的磁性荧光高分子复合微球.分别采用扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜、倒置荧光显微成像系统、荧光分光光度计以及振动样品磁强计等方法对所获复合材料的结构与性能进行了表征.结果表明:复合微球单分散性良好,平均粒径约为30μm,饱和磁化强度可达5.4emu/g,具有良好的超顺磁性和较高的荧光发光效率.该材料将磁性、荧光结合到微米级高分子共聚物上,不仅解决了纳米粒子分离和处理的困难,而且奠定了多功能材料在生物标记、荧光成像等诸多领域潜在的应用基础.     

火焰原子吸收法测定氧化钼中铜、铅

本文介绍了用火焰原子吸收法测定氧化钼中铜、铅的方法,确定了两种元素最佳仪器工作条件,该方法快速、简便、准确,对试样的回收为９８．８－１０２％,样品测定的相对偏差小于１％,对实际样品了测定获得满意结果。