Fluorescent staining of protein in SDS polyacrylamide gels by salicylaldehyde azine

As a noncovalent fluorescence probe, in this study, salicylaldehyde azine (SA) was introduced as a sensitive fluorescence‐based dye for detecting proteins both in 1D and 2D polyacrylamide electrophoresis gels. Down to 0.2 ng of single protein band could be detected within 1 h, which is similar to that of glutaraldehyde‐silver stain, but approximately four times higher than that of SYPRO Ruby fluorescent stain. Furthermore, comparative analysis of the MS compatibility of SA stain with SYPRO Ruby stain indicated that SA stain is compatible with the downstream of protein identification by LC‐MS/MS. Additionally, the probable mechanism of the SA stain was investigated by molecular docking. The results demonstrated that the interaction between SA and protein was mainly contributed by hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic forces.     

Microwave‐Assisted Synthesis and Characterization of CuO Nanocrystals

CuO feather‐like and flower‐like crystals have been synthesized by a fast microwave‐assisted solution approach using Cu(NO₃)₂ and NaOH. The morphology transformation of CuO could be achieved by ionic liquid 1‐n‐butyl‐3‐methyl imidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([BMIM]BF₄). With [BMIM]BF₄, flower‐like CuO were obtained, whereas without [BMIM]BF₄, feather‐like CuO were obtained. The possible formation mechanism of flower‐like CuO was discussed on the basis of experimental results. The products were characterized by XRD, FESEM/EDS, and TEM/SAED. In addition, the adsorption of [BMIM]BF₄ on flower‐like CuO was confirmed by FTIR and TG/DSC, and the band gap energies of the flower‐like CuO was estimated by UV‐vis spectra.     

微米及纳米丝光沸石分子筛上二甲醚羰基化反应的积碳分析

对比研究了在传统微米尺寸和新结构纳米丝光沸石催化剂上二甲醚羰基化合成乙酸甲酯的反应行为.结果表明,通过减小分子筛的尺寸到纳米水平,可以有效提高反应物和产物到达或者脱离反应活性位的效率,从而提高了二甲醚的转化率;更重要的是,抑制了硬积碳的生成,使催化剂保持了更高的稳定性.     

Synthesis and comparative study of the heterocyclic rings on liquid crystalline properties of 2,5-aryl-1,3,4-oxa(thia)diazole derivatives containing furan and thiophene units

A series of heterocyclic liquid crystalline compounds containing 1,3,4-oxadiazole/thiadiazole, furan and thiophene units were synthesised and characterised by means of electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), high-resolution mass spectroscopy (HRMS), ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and ¹³C NMR. The thermal behaviours were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarised optical microscopy (POM). The effect of the 1,3,4-oxadiazole, 1,3,4-thiadiazole, furan, thiophene and benzene rings on the liquid crystalline properties was discussed briefly in context with the geometrical and electronic factors. The results showed that the tendency to form mesophases follows the sequence: 1,4-disustituted benzene >2,5-disubstituted thiophene >2,5-disustituted furan and 1,3,4-thiadiazole >1,3,4-oxadiazole.     

Overexpression of the Formaldehyde Dehydrogenase Gene from Brevibacillus brevis to Enhance Formaldehyde Tolerance and Detoxification of Tobacco

The faldh gene coding for a putative Brevibacillus brevis formaldehyde dehydrogenase (FALDH) was isolated and then transformed into tobacco. A total of three lines of transgenic plants were generated, with each showing 2- to 3-fold higher specific formaldehyde dehydrogenase activities than wild-type tobacco, a result that demonstrates the functional activity of the enzyme in formaldehyde (HCHO) oxidation. Overexpression of faldh in tobacco confers a high tolerance to exogenous HCHO and an increased ability to take up HCHO. A ¹³C-nuclear magnetic resonance technique revealed that the transgenic plants were able to oxidize more aqueous HCHO to formate than the wild-type (WT) plants. When treated with gaseous HCHO, the transgenic tobacco exhibited an enhanced ability to transform more HCHO into formate, citrate acid, and malate but less glycine than the WT plants. These results indicate that the increased capacity of the transgenic tobacco to take up, tolerate, and metabolize higher concentrations of HCHO was due to the overexpression of B. brevis FALDH, revealing the essential function of this enzyme in HCHO detoxification. Our results provide a potential genetic engineering strategy for improving the phytoremediation of HCHO pollution.     

A Novel Polysaccharide from Lentinus edodes Mycelia Exhibits Potential Antitumor Activity on Laryngeal Squamous Cancer Cell Line Hep-2

A novel polysaccharide [Lentinus edodes mycelia polysaccharide 2 (LMP2)] with a molecular weight of 2.27?×?10⁴ Da was isolated from the Lentinus edodes mycelia and purified by Sephadex G-200 and diethylaminoethyl-32 column chromatography. HPLC results indicated that LMP2 contained mannose, arabinose, galactose, xylose, and rhamnose with a relative molar ratio of 1:0.74:3.23:1.18:10.98. Its antitumor activity was evaluated in vitro by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, colony formation assay, and transwell assay. LMP2 showed a remarkable inhibitory effect on the proliferation of Hep-2 cells, and at the concentration of 200 mg/ml, the inhibition ratio was 37.2 % after 72 h. Furthermore, colony formation of Hep-2 cells was reduced significantly after treatment with LMP2. Invasion of Hep-2 cells was inhibited significantly by LMP2. These results suggested that LMP2 could be explored as a potential antitumor material for laryngeal carcinoma.     

A facile one-pot, three-component synthesis of 3,3′-(4-arylpyridine-2,6-diyl)bis(2H-chromen-2-one) derivatives under microwave irradiation

A series of 3,3′-(4-arylpyridine-2,6-diyl)bis(2H-chromen-2-one) derivatives have been synthesized by the one-pot, three-component reaction of 3-acetylcoumarin, an aromatic aldehyde, and ammonium acetate in acetic acid under microwave irradiation. This procedure has the major advantages of short reaction time, good yields, low energy consumption, easy operation, and environmental friendliness. All of the products were characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopy, MS, and elemental analysis.     

Terbinafine hydrochloride intercalated in montmorillonite: synthesis and characterization

The novel antifungal hybrid of terbinafine hydrochloride (TER-HCl)/montmorillonite was synthesized by the intercalation method under mechanical stirring. Intercalation of TER-HCl in the MMT galleries was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectra, elemental analysis (EA). and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results from IR, TGA, and EA showed a difference in chemical composition of the MMT and the TER-HCl/MMT. XRD analysis showed that the basal spacing of montmorillonite significantly expanded from 1.53 to 2.79 nm. TER-HCl was successfully intercalated into the interlayer of MMT, and 28 % of TER-HCl was released after 48 h in 0.9 % (w/v) NaCl aqueous solution (pH 7) at 37 ± 0.5 °C. The antifungal activity of the hybrid against Candida albicans was evaluated using the inhibitory zone method and the minimum inhibitory concentration. The TER-HCl/MMT strongly inhibited C. albicans. These results show that TER-HCl/MMT can be useful in biomedical applications.     

Effect of chemical composition and heat treatment condition on microstructure and magnetic properties of nanocrystalline BaDyxFe12−xO19 (x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4) microfibres

A series of BaDy_xFe_12?xO₁₉ ferrite microfibres have been synthesized from metal nitrates and citric acid by the sol–gel method. TG-DSC, XRD, FTIR, FESEM, TEM and VSM were employed to characterize the thermal decomposition process, crystallite sizes, structure and magnetic properties of ferrite microfibres. The effect of calcined temperature, holding time, ion substitution on structure, magnetic properties of barium ferrite microfibres was investigated. The nanoparticle growth mechanism of ferrite microfibres was discussed. The results indicated that the hexaferrite phase was formed at 750 °C and Dy³⁺ ions entered the magnetoplumbite lattice. However, the reflections shift to a lower angle and the characteristic peaks of ferrite microfibres in FTIR shift to the lower wavenumber with the Dy content increasing. The VSM results shown that saturation magnetization (M _s ) gradually increased with calcined temperature increasing and holding time prolonging, while coercive force (H _c ) revealed an increase at first and then decreases. With the Dy content increasing, the M _s achieved values of M _s  = 50 emu?g^?1 (297 K) and 70 emu?g^?1 (77 K) and the H _c value shown a continuous reduction from 515 kA??m^?1 (297 K) and 435 kA?m^?1 (77 K) (x = 0.0) to 242 and 215 kA?m^?1 (x = 0.4).     

The preparation and characterization graphene-cross-linked phenol–formaldehyde hybrid carbon xerogels

A new synthesis route based on polycondensation of phenol and formaldehyde cross-linked by graphene oxide (GO) was developed. Wet gel after gelation was converted into an organic xerogel by ambient pressure drying to obtain GO-cross-linked phenol–formaldehyde (PF) organic xerogels (GOCPFOX). Graphene-cross-linked PF carbon xerogels (GCPFCX) were produced by carbonization. The morphology and chemical structure of GOCPFOX and GCPFCX were analyzed. The electrochemical behavior of GCPFCX as an electrode material in electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) was investigated. Results show that the high mechanical strength of GO increased the gel skeleton strength; thus, organic xerogels exhibit very low drying shrinkage. Scanning electron micrographs indicated that addition of GO altered the gel structure. Thus, when GO was added into the PF solution, the PF molecular chains were anchored on the surface of GO by chemical and physical interaction. The GCPFCX-10 sample achieved the highest specific surface area, mesoporous volume, and specific capacity with 378 m²/g, 0.56 cm³/g, and 116 F/g, respectively. Hence, GCPFCX is a potential material for EDLCs owing to its low production cost and ability to avoid supercritical drying.