Rutin and Quercetin Decrease Cholesterol in HepG2 Cells but Not Plasma Cholesterol in Hamsters by Oral Administration

Rutin (R) and quercetin (Q) are two widespread dietary flavonoids. Previous studies regarding the plasma cholesterol-lowering activity of R and Q generated inconsistent results. The present study was therefore carried out to investigate the effects of R and Q on cholesterol metabolism in both HepG2 cells and hypercholesterolemia hamsters. Results from HepG2 cell experiments demonstrate that both R and Q decreased cholesterol at doses of 5 and 10 µM. R and Q up-regulated both the mRNA and protein expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein 2 (SREBP2), low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), and liver X receptor alpha (LXRα). The immunofluorescence study revealed that R and Q increased the LDLR expression, while only Q improved LDL-C uptake in HepG2 cells. Results from hypercholesterolemia hamsters fed diets containing R (5.5 g/kg diet) and Q (2.5 g/kg diet) for 8 weeks demonstrate that both R and Q had no effect on plasma total cholesterol. In the liver, only Q reduced cholesterol significantly. The discrepancy between the in vitro and in vivo studies was probably due to a poor bioavailability of flavonoids in the intestine. It was therefore concluded that R and Q were effective in reducing cholesterol in HepG2 cells in vitro, whereas in vivo, the oral administration of the two flavonoids had little effect on plasma cholesterol in hamsters.     

Challenges in the Highly Selective [3 + 1]-Cycloaddition of an Enoldiazoacetamide to Form a Donor–Acceptor Cis-Cyclobutenecarboxamide

A substituted donor–acceptor cyclobutenecarboxamide is synthesized with modest enantiocontrol through a chiral copper(I) complex catalyzed [3 + 1]-cycloaddition reaction of α-acyl diphenylsulfur ylides with 3-siloxy-2-diazo-3-butenamides. With a methyl substituent on the 4-position of the 3-butenamide, the cis-vicinal-3,4-disubstituted cyclobutenecarboxamide is formed with >20:1 diastereocontrol. Donor-acceptor 3-methyl-2-siloxycyclopropenecarboxamide is rapidly formed from the reactant enoldiazoamide and undergoes catalytic ring opening to give only the Z-γ-substituted metallo-enolcarbene. Elimination from 3-siloxy-2-diazo-3-pentenamide to form the conjugated 3-siloxy-2,4-pentadienamide is competitive but minimized at low temperature.     

Mechanisms of a Cyclobutane-Fused Lactone Hydrolysis in Alkaline and Acidic Conditions

Searching for functional polyesters with stability and degradability is important due to their potential applications in biomedical supplies, biomass fuel, and environmental protection. Recently, a cyclobutane-fused lactone (CBL) polymer was experimentally found to have superior stability and controllable degradability through hydrolysis reactions after activation by mechanical force. In order to provide a theoretical basis for developing new functional degradable polyesters, in this work, we performed a detailed quantum chemical study of the alkaline and acidic hydrolysis of CBL using dispersion-corrected density functional theory (DFT-D3) and mixed implicit/explicit solvent models. Various possible hydrolysis mechanisms were found: B_AC2 and B_AL2 in the alkaline condition and A_AC2, A_AL2, and A_AL1 in the acidic condition. Our calculations indicated that CBL favors the B_AC2 and A_AC2 mechanisms in alkaline and acidic conditions, respectively. In addition, we found that incorporating explicit water solvent molecules is highly necessary because of their strong hydrogen-bonding with reactant/intermediate/product molecules.     

Flexible all-solid-state supercapacitor based on polyhedron C-ZIF-8/PANI composite synthesized by unipolar pulse electrodeposition method

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - In this work, the unipolar pulse electrodeposition (UPED) method is used to electrodeposit the conductive polyaniline (PANI) on the carbonized polyhedron...     

The Effect of Hispidulin,a Flavonoid from Salvia plebeia,on Human Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma CNE-2Z Cell Proliferation,Migration, Invasion,and Apoptosis

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common malignant head and neck tumor. Drug resistance and distant metastasis are the predominant cause of treatment failure in NPC patients. Hispidulin is a flavonoid extracted from the bioassay-guided separation of the EtOH extract of Salvia plebeia with strong anti-proliferative activity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells (CNE-2Z). In this study, the effects of hispidulin on proliferation, invasion, migration, and apoptosis were investigated in CNE-2Z cells. The [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] (MTT) assay and the colony formation assay revealed that hispidulin could inhibit CNE-2Z cell proliferation. Hispidulin (25, 50, 100 μM) also induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner in CNE-2Z cells. The expression of Akt was reduced, and the expression of the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 was increased. In addition, scratch wound and transwell assays proved that hispidulin (6.25, 12.5, 25 μM) could inhibited the migration and invasion in CNE-2Z cells. The expressions of HIF-1α, MMP-9, and MMP-2 were decreased, while the MMPs inhibitor TIMP1 was enhanced by hispidulin. Moreover, hispidulin exhibited potent suppression tumor growth and low toxicity in CNE-2Z cancer-bearing mice at a dosage of 20 mg/kg/day. Thus, hispidulin appears to be a potentially effective agent for NPC treatment.     

Recent Developments on Five-Component Reactions

Multicomponent reactions (MCRs) have inherent advantages in pot, atom, and step economy (PASE). This important green synthetic approach has gained increasing attention due to high efficiency, minimal waste, saving resources, and straightforward procedures. Presented in this review article are the recent development on 5-compoment reactions (5CRs) of the following six types: (I) five different molecules A + B + C + D + E; pseudo-5CRs including (II) 2A + B + C + D, (III) 2A + 2B + C, (IV) 3A + B + C, (V) 3A + 2B, and (VI) 4A + B. 5CRs with more than five-reaction centers are also included.     

Fast Li-Ion Conduction in Spinel-Structured Solids

Spinel-structured solids were studied to understand if fast Li⁺ ion conduction can be achieved with Li occupying multiple crystallographic sites of the structure to form a “Li-stuffed” spinel, and if the concept is applicable to prepare a high mixed electronic-ionic conductive, electrochemically active solid solution of the Li⁺ stuffed spinel with spinel-structured Li-ion battery electrodes. This could enable a single-phase fully solid electrode eliminating multi-phase interface incompatibility and impedance commonly observed in multi-phase solid electrolyte–cathode composites. Materials of composition Li_1.25M(III)_0.25TiO₄, M(III) = Cr or Al were prepared through solid-state methods. The room-temperature bulk Li⁺-ion conductivity is 1.63 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ for the composition Li_1.25Cr_0.25Ti_1.5O₄. Addition of Li₃BO₃ (LBO) increases ionic and electronic conductivity reaching a bulk Li⁺ ion conductivity averaging 6.8 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹, a total Li-ion conductivity averaging 4.2 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹, and electronic conductivity averaging 3.8 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ for the composition Li_1.25Cr_0.25Ti_1.5O₄ with 1 wt. % LBO. An electrochemically active solid solution of Li_1.25Cr_0.25Mn_1.5O₄ and LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ was prepared. This work proves that Li-stuffed spinels can achieve fast Li-ion conduction and that the concept is potentially useful to enable a single-phase fully solid electrode without interphase impedance.     

A Label-Free Fluorometric Glutathione Assay Based on a Conformational Switch of G-quadruplex

In this paper, a label-free fluorescent method for glutathione (GSH) detection based on a thioflavin T/G-quadruplex conformational switch is developed. The sensing assay is fabricated depending on the virtue of mercury ions to form a thymine–thymine mismatch, which collapses the distance between two ssDNA and directs the guanine-rich part to form an intra-strand asymmetric split G-quadruplex. The newly formed G-quadruplex efficiently reacts with thioflavin T and enhances the fluorescent intensity. In the presence of GSH, Hg²⁺ is absorbed, destroying the G-quadruplex formation with a significant decrease in fluorescence emission. The proposed fluorescent assay exhibits a linear range between 0.03–5 μM of GSH with a detection limit of 9.8 nM. Furthermore, the efficacy of this method is examined using human serum samples to detect GSH. Besides GSH, other amino acids are also investigated in standard samples, which display satisfactory sensitivity and selectivity. Above all, we develop a method with features including potentiality, facility, sensitivity, and selectivity for analyzing GSH for clinical diagnostics.     

Surface engineering of nanoparticles for highly efficient UV‐shielding composites

Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) with high energy can not only hurt human skin but also accelerate the degradation of organic matter. Hence, the preparation of polymer‐based UV‐shielding nanocomposites has attracted substantial attention due to the low cost, easy processing and wide applications. Notably, the highly efficient UV‐shielding polymer nanocomposites are still hindered by the agglomeration of inorganic anti‐UV nanoparticles (Nps) in polymer matrix and the narrow absorption range of UV‐shielding agents. To overcome the aforementioned bottlenecks, surface engineering of anti‐UV Nps including organic modification and inorganic hybridization has been extensively employed to enhance the UV‐shielding efficiency of composites. Herein, to deliver the readers a comprehensive understanding of the surface engineering of anti‐UV Nps, we systematically summarize the recent advances in surface organic modification and inorganic hybridization related to anti‐UV Nps. The UV‐shielding mechanism and the factors affecting UV‐shielding efficiency of polymer nanocomposites are also discussed. Finally, perspectives on remaining challenges and future development of highly efficient UV‐shielding composites are outlined.     

Two New 3D Metal-Organic Frameworks Constructed by Polycarboxylate and N-Donor Ligands: Crystal Structure,Photocatalytic Performances,and DFT Calculation

Russian Journal of Coordination Chemistry - Two new metal-organic frameworks, [Zn(Bdc)(Bip)?H2O] (I) and {[Cd2(Btc)2(H2O)2](H2Bib)· 6H2O} (II) (H2Bdc = 1,3-benzenedicarboxylic acid,...