Cationic ring-opening polymerization of 3,3-bis（chloromethyl）oxacyclobutane in ionic liquids

Cationic ring-opening polymerization of 3,3-bis(chloromethyl)oxacyclobutane catalyzed by BF_3·OEt_2 was carried out in ionic liquids [bmim]BF_4 and [bmim]PF_6.The influences of BCMO concentration and molar ratio of BCMO/BF_3·OEt_2 on the molecular weights and yield of PBCMO were investigated.The polymerization in ionic liquids proceed to high conversions,although molecular weights are limited,similar to polymerization in organic solvent such as CH_2Cl_2.Follow a viewpoint of green chemistry, we feel ionic liquid [bmim]BF_4 is superior to [bmim]PF_6.Extracting [bmim]PF_6 from the product using organic solvent as extractant limits its advantage as a green reaction media.     

Furostanol saponins with inhibitory action against COX-2 production from Tupistra chinensis rhizomes

Two furostanol saponins were obtained from the n-butanol fraction of methanol extract from Tupistra chinensis rhizomes,a folk medicine of Shennongjia Forest District of Hubei Province.Their structures were determined as (25S)-26-O-(β-D-glucopyranosyl)- furost-1β,3β,22α,26-tetrol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranoside (1) and (25R)- 26-O-(β-D-glucopyranosyl)-furost-1β,3β22α,26-tetrol 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glu- copyranoside (2),on basis of chemical and spectroscopic evidences.1 and 2 displayed marked inhibitory action towards COX-2 production in macrophages of the rat abdomen induced by LPS at 20μg/mL.     

Influence of drying procedure on the mesoporosity and surface fractal dimensions of silica xerogels prepared with different agitation methods

Silica xerogels were prepared by thermal drying wet gels in an electric oven (70 degrees C) after certain duration of ambient drying, and the relevant effect is investigated on the mesopore structures and surface fractal dimensions of the resultant xerogels. The silica gels were derived from a hydrochloric acid-catalyzed TEOS (tetraethylorthaosilicate) system, and both magnetic stirring and ultrasonic vibration were adopted during sol preparation. The percentage mesoporosity and surface fractal dimensions are evaluated using image analysis methods, based on FE-SEM (field emission gun-scanning electron microscopy) images. The results show that the mesoporosity of the resultant xerogels decreases with the duration of ambient drying for samples prepared using magnetic stirring and low-intensity ultrasonic vibration, while samples subjected to high-intensity ultrasound show a somewhat reverse trend. Samples prepared with magnetic stirring have almost constant surface fractal dimensions (nearly 3), irrespective of the ambient drying before thermal drying. The surface fractal dimensions of samples prepared using ultrasound increase with the duration of ambient drying.     

Spectrometric study ofα-methylene aromatic araminenone and aminoketone

Thirteenα-methylene aromatic araminenone and fourα-methylene aromatic aminoketones were prepared by modified Mannich reaction.On the basis of isotopic labeling,a plausible way of cleavage was proposed for the formation of the M~ -17 fragment peak in the MS of theα-methylene aromatic araminenone and aminoketones.The characteristic chemical shift of the olefinic protons in ~1H NMR is also discussed.     

Microfluidic three-dimensional biomimetic tumor model for studying breast cancer cell migration and invasion in the presence of interstitial flow

Cell migration and invasion are critical steps in cancer metastasis, which are the major cause of death in cancer patients. Tumor-associated macrophages(TAMs) and interstitial flow(IF) are two important biochemical and biomechanical cues in tumor microenvironment, play essential roles in tumor progression. However, their combined effects on tumor cell migration and invasion as well as molecular mechanism remains largely unknown. In this work, we developed a microfluidic-based 3 D breast cancer model by co-culturing tumor aggregates, macrophages, monocytes and endothelial cells within 3 D extracellular matrix in the presence of IF to study tumor cell migration and invasion. On the established platform, we can precisely control the parameters related to tumor microenvironment and observe cellular responses and interactions in real-time. When co-culture of U937 with human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs) or MDA-MB-231 cells and tri-culture of U937 with HUVECs and MDA-MB-231 cells, we found that mesenchymal-like MDA-MB-231 aggregates activated the monocytes to TAM-like phenotype macrophages. MDA-MB-231 cells and IF simultaneously enhanced the macrophages activation by the stimulation of colony-stimulating factor 1(CSF-1). The activated macrophages and IF further promoted vascular sprouting via vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGFα) signal and tumor cell invasion. This is the first attempt to study the interaction between macrophages and breast cancer cells under IF condition. Taken together, our results provide a new insight to reveal the important physiological and pathological processes of macrophages-tumor communication. Moreover, our established platform with a more mimetic 3 D breast cancer model has the potential for drug screening with more accurate results.     

Salt effect on molecular orientation at air/liquid methanol interface

The salt effects on molecular orientation at air/liquid methanol interface were investigated by the polarization-dependent sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy(SFG-VS). We clarified that the average tilting angle of the methyl group to be u = 308 58 at the air/pure methanol surface assuming a d-function orientational distribution. Upon the addition of 3 mol/L Na I, the methyl group tilts further away from the surface normal with a new u = 418 38. This orientational change does not explain the enhancement of the SFG-VS intensities when adding Na I, implying the number density of the methanol molecules with a net polar ordering in the surface region also changed with the Na I concentrations. These spectroscopic findings shed new light on the salt effects on the surfaces structures of the polar organic solutions. It was also shown that the accurate determination of the bulk refractive indices and Raman depolarization ratios for different salt concentrations is crucial to quantitatively interpret the SFG-VS data.