Imaging of hypochlorous acid in mitochondria using an asymmetric near-infrared fluorescent probe with large Stokes shift

Small-molecule near-infrared (NIR) imaging facilitates deep tissue penetration, low autofluorescence, non-invasive visualization, and a relatively simple operation. As such it has emerged as a popular technique for tracking biological species and events. However, the small Stokes shift of most NIR dyes often results in a low signal-to-noise ratio and self-quenching due to crosstalk between the excitation and emission spectra. With this research, we developed a NIR-based fluorescent probe WD-HOCl for hypochlorous acid (HOCl) detection using the NIR dye TJ730 as the fluorophore, which exhibits a large Stokes shift of 156 nm, with no crosstalk between the excitation and emission spectra. It contains acyl hydrazide as the responsive group and a pyridinium cation as the mitochondria-targeting group. The fluorescence intensity of WD-HOCl was enhanced by 30.1-fold after reacting with HOCl. Imaging studies performed using BV-2 cells indicated that WD-HOCl could be used for endogenous HOCl detection and imaging in living cells exposed to glucose and oxygen deprivation/reperfusion. Finally, we demonstrated that inhibiting the expression of NOX2 reduced the HOCl levels and the severity of oxidative stress during stroke in a mouse model.

Small-molecule near-infrared (NIR) imaging facilitates deep tissue penetration, low autofluorescence, non-invasive visualization, and a relatively simple operation.     

Toxic Effect of Fullerene and Its Derivatives upon the Transmembrane β2-Adrenergic Receptors

Numerous experiments have revealed that fullerene (C₆₀) and its derivatives can bind to proteins and affect their biological functions. In this study, we explored the interaction between fullerine and the β₂-adrenergic receptor (β₂AR). The MD simulation results show that fullerene binds with the extracellular loop 2 (ECL2) and intracellular loop 2 (ICL2) of β₂AR through hydrophobic interactions and π–π stacking interactions. In the C₆₀_in1 trajectory, due to the π–π stacking interactions of fullerene molecules with PHE and PRO residues on ICL2, ICL2 completely flipped towards the fullerene direction and the fullerene moved slowly into the lipid membrane. When five fullerene molecules were placed on the extracellular side, they preferred to stack into a stable fullerene cluster (a deformed tetrahedral aggregate), and had almost no effect on the structure of β₂AR. The hydroxyl groups of fullerene derivatives (C₆₀(OH)_X, X represents the number of hydroxyl groups, X = 4, 8) can form strong hydrogen bonds with the ECL2, helix6, and helix7 of β₂AR. The hydroxyl groups firmly grasp the β₂AR receptor like several claws, blocking the binding entry of ligands. The simulation results show that fullerene and fullerene derivatives may have a significant effect on the local structure of β₂AR, especially the distortion of helix4, but bring about no great changes within the overall structure. It was found that C₆₀ did not compete with ligands for binding sites, but blocked the ligands’ entry into the pocket channel. All the above observations suggest that fullerene and its derivatives exhibit certain cytotoxicity.     

Preparation of Silica Aerogel/Resin Composites and Their Application in Dental Restorative Materials

As the most advanced aerogel material, silica aerogel has had transformative industrial impacts. However, the use of silica aerogel is currently limited to the field of thermal insulation materials, so it is urgent to expand its application into other fields. In this work, silica aerogel/resin composites were successfully prepared by combining silica aerogel with a resin matrix for dental restoration. The applications of this material in the field of dental restoration, as well as its performance, are discussed in depth. It was demonstrated that, when the ratio of the resin matrix Bis-GMA to TEGDMA was 1:1, and the content of silica aerogel with 50 μm particle size was 12.5%, the composite achieved excellent mechanical properties. The flexural strength of the silica aerogel/resin composite reached 62.9546 MPa, which was more than five times that of the pure resin. Due to the presence of the silica aerogel, the composite also demonstrated outstanding antibacterial capabilities, meeting the demand for antimicrobial properties in dental materials. This work successfully investigated the prospect of using commercially available silica aerogels in dental restorative materials; we provide an easy method for using silica aerogels as dental restorative materials, as well as a reference for their application in the field of biomedical materials.     

Quantum Circuit Optimization for Solving Discrete Logarithm of Binary Elliptic Curves Obeying the Nearest-Neighbor Constrained

In this paper, we consider the optimization of the quantum circuit for discrete logarithm of binary elliptic curves under a constrained connectivity, focusing on the resource expenditure and the optimal design for quantum operations such as the addition, binary shift, multiplication, squaring, inversion, and division included in the point addition on binary elliptic curves. Based on the space-efficient quantum Karatsuba multiplication, the number of CNOTs in the circuits of inversion and division has been reduced with the help of the Steiner tree problem reduction. The optimized size of the CNOTs is related to the minimum degree of the connected graph.     

Cobalt and nitrogen atoms co-doped porous carbon for advanced electrical double-layer capacitors

Electrical double-laye r capacitors are widely concerned fo r their high power density,long cycling life and high cycling efficiency.However,their wide application is limited by their low energy density.In this study,we propose a simple yet environmental friendly method to synthesize cobalt and nitrogen atoms co-doped porous carbon(CoAT-NC) material.Cobalt atoms connected with primarily pyridinic nitrogen atoms can be uniformly dispersed in the amorphous carbon matrix,which is benefit for improving electrical conductivity and density of states of the carbon material.Therefore,an enhanced perfo rmance is expected when CoAT-NC is served as electrode in a supercapacitor device.CoAT-NC displays a good gravimetric capacitance of 160 F/g at 0.5 A/g combing with outstanding capacitance retention of 90% at an extremely high current density of 100 A/g in acid electrolyte.Furthermore,a good energy density of30 Wh/kg can be obtained in the organic electrolyte.     

Genetically engineered materials: Proteins and beyond

Information-rich molecules provide opportunities for evolution. Genetically engineered materials are superior in that their properties are coded within genetic sequences and could be fine-tuned. In this review, we elaborate the concept of genetically engineered materials(GEMs) using examples ranging from engineered protein materials to engineered living materials. Proteinbased materials are the materials of choice by nature. Recent progress in protein engineering has led to opportunities to tune...     

重组灵芝免疫调节蛋白的纯化及其性质

采用超滤浓缩、强阴离子交换、疏水作用和凝胶色谱等方法, 对毕赤酵母表达的rGlip进行分离和纯化, 对离子交换色谱中rGlip与固相结合的最佳pH值进行了考察, 并对纯化产物的活性进行了鉴定. rGlip在215 nm处有强的紫外吸收, 经激光解析电离时间飞行质谱鉴定其相对分子量为12722, 经反相液相色谱鉴定纯度≥97%. 设计rGlip的疏水作用色谱, 有效地去除色素. 凝血实验结果表明, rGlip可以凝集绵羊血红细胞, 但对人血A, B, AB和O型等红细胞无凝集作用, 有类似凝集素的生物学活性.     

微波硫灯发射光谱的理论模拟

通过实验观测了微波硫灯的发光光谱. 利用从头计算的多组态准简并微扰理论方法, 采用cc-pVQZ基组计算了S2分子B3Σu--X3Σg-态和B″3Πu-X3Σg-态的跃迁矩及其振动态之间跃迁的弗兰克-康登因子, 导出了S2分子振动分辨发射谱. 同时, 利用含时密度泛函方法计算了Sn(n=2~8)分子的吸收谱. 将计算得到的S2分子振动分辨发射谱与实验所测得的光谱分布进行了比较分析, 解释了微波硫灯的宽谱区发光光谱的特性.     

含蜡原油胶凝过程特性研究

利用RS75流变仪在小振幅振荡剪切的模式下分别研究了3种不同历史条件下含蜡原油的胶凝过程, 同时通过偏光显微镜观察了不同降温速率条件下原油中的蜡晶形貌. 结果表明, 在静态降温条件下, 降温速率越大, 原油胶凝的温度越低, 原油形成的胶凝结构越弱; 并且降温速率越大, 原油在恒温静止过程中, 结构随时间恢复的速率越大, 恢复至平衡所需时间越长, 但最终的平衡结构却越弱; 在同样的降温速率下, 原油低温胶凝结构随着降温过程中剪切作用的增强而减弱, 但当历史剪切速率超过一定数值时, 原油的胶凝结构将基本不再继续变化; 在同样的历史剪切速率下, 降温速率越大, 原油在低温(31 ℃)静止初始的储能模量越小, 但最终的平衡结构却越强.     

Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Biological Activity of Novel Dichloroacetyl Oxazolidine Herbicide Safeners

A series of novel N-dichloroacetyl oxazolidine herbicide safeners was synthesized and characterized by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, elemental analysis and X-ray diffraction. The preliminary biological test shows that the compounds could protect maize against injury caused by chlorsulfuron to a certain extent.