Enhanced visible-light activation of persulfate for the removal of RhB by supported nano-(C,N,B)-tridoped TiO2/copper foam mixed-crystals.

Photocatalytic persulfate activation by TiO2 and its application in sewage treatment have aroused great interest because of its high decontamination ability and strong adaptability, but the low light energy utilization rate and poor recycling of TiO2 limited its practical application. Herein, by using C-, N-, and B-modified TiO2 and immobilizing it on copper foam, we prepared a new and efficient (C,N,B)-TiO2/copper foam photocatalyst with enhanced visible-light activation performance of persulfate for the removal of RhB. It almost completely degraded RhB within 15 min of UV-vis light photocatalysis-assisted persulfate oxidation reaction with TOC removal of 53.17% in 30 min and presented the excellent long-term recyclability and stability, which is much better or comparative than those photocatalysts in the related literatures. (C,N,B)-TiO2/copper foam exhibited the largest apparent rate constant (0.149 min-1), 1.16 times higher than (C,N,B)-TiO2 (0.128 min-1), and 2.40 times higher than that of TiO2 (0.062 min-1), respectively. C,N,B doping modified the crystalline phase of TiO2, narrowed its band gap, and reduced charge-carrier recombination rate. These, together with the synergistic effect between photocatalysis and persulfate activation for enhancing generation of active species, jointly promoted the performance enhancement of TiO2. The 1O2 was the primary oxidation active species for the degradation of RhB, and the radical species (SO4•-, •O2-, and •OH) could further accelerate the photocatalytic activation of persulfate reaction.

Remodeling of tumor microenvironment for enhanced tumor chemodynamic/photothermal/chemo-therapy.

The anticancer treatment is largely affected by the microenvironment of the tumors, which not only resists the tumors to the thermo/chemo-therapy, but also promotes their growth and invasion. In this work, the angiogenesis factor is balanced by combining with the breathing hyperoxygen, for regulating the tumor microenvironment and also for relieving hypoxia and high tissue interstitial pressure, which promote drug delivery to tumor tissues by increasing the in vivo perfusion and reversing the immunosuppressive tumor. In addition, the designed multifunctional nanoparticles have a great potential for applications to the tumor dual-mode imaging including magnetic resonance (MR) and photoacoustic (PA) imaging. This work proposes a promising strategy to enhance the thermo/chemo-therapy efficacy by remodeling the tumor microenvironment, which would provide an alternative to prolong the lifetime of tumor patients.

Functional Transdermal Nanoethosomes Enhance Photodynamic Therapy of Hypertrophic Scars via Self-Generating Oxygen.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a new therapeutic strategy for hypertrophic scars (HSs), and nanoethosomes (ES) have attracted considerable attention as an efficient transdermal delivery system for PDT of HSs (HS-PDT). However, the delivery of photosensitizers and the hypoxic microenvironment of HSs limit HS-PDT efficacy. Consequently, functional transdermal ES (A/A-ES) that are loaded with the photosensitizer, 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), and immobilized nanoenzyme Au nanoclusters (ANCs) within the ES surface have been developed that exhibit superior co-delivery characteristics and produce catalase that enhances HS-PDT efficacy. The unique structure of A/A-ES enables them to co-deliver ALA and ANCs into the HS tissue and to efficiently decompose the endogenous hydrogen peroxide in the HS to generate oxygen. The findings from in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that A/A-ES efficiently co-delivered ALA and ANCs into the HS tissue and that they improved the hypoxic microenvironment of the HS. Systematic assessments reveal that A/A-ES enhance HS-PDT efficacy and that they are highly effective at improving the morphology and promoting HS fibroblast apoptosis and the rearrangement of collagen. These works give rise to an effective treatment option for HSs that integrates the transdermal co-delivery of ALA and nanoenzymes, thereby enabling them to exert their respective beneficial effects, and they highlight the enhancement of HS-PDT efficacy via self-generating oxygen.

Niobium Modification of Au/CeO2 for Enhanced Catalytic Performance over Benzene Combustion.

A novel Au/Nb-CeO2 was obtained by loading Au to Nb-modified CeO2 adopting a thermal decomposition method. The modification effect of Nb on the physicochemical properties and performance of Au/CeO2 for benzene combustion was systematically clarified. The incorporated Nb species are found to be present in the two forms of highly-dispersed state and bulk NbO x into CeO2 lattice in the obtained Au/Nb-CeO2 catalyst. They greatly enlarged the BET surface area, improved the redox property, and strengthened the Au-support interaction. The addition of Nb also promotes catalytic performance of Au/CeO2, especially high-temperature performance: T 90% decreases by ca. 40 °C and Au/Nb-CeO2 exhibits superior stability to Au/CeO2 at 230 °C. The slightly improved Au dispersion and redox properties resulted in the small increase on initial activity of Au/Nb-CeO2, but the large BET surface area and the strong Au-support interaction greatly promoted the high-temperature performance improvement of Au/Nb-CeO2 for benzene combustion reaction.

Low Concentrations of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Cause Severe Cytotoxicity Through Increased Intracellular Reactive Oxygen Species.

With wide application of Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles, their biological toxicity has received more and more attention in recent years. In this research, two ZnO dispersions with different particle sizes, small size Zinc oxide (S-ZnO) and big size Zinc oxide (B-ZnO), were prepared using polycarboxylic acid as dispersant. We found that the S-ZnO nanoparticles showed stronger toxicity on Human Pulmonary Alveolar Epithelial Cells (HPAEpiC) under same concentration. Only 9 ppm S-ZnO could decrease HPAEpiC viability to about 50%, which means that, a small amount of well-dispersed ZnO nanoparticles in industrial production process may cause serious damage to the human body through oral inhalation. Focusing on mechanism for cytotoxicity, ZnO nanoparticles promoted generation and accumulation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in mitochondria via inhibiting Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) enzyme activity and reducing Glutathione (GSH) content. ROS in turn opened the mitochondrial Ca2+ pathway and lowered the Mitochondrial Membrane Potentials (MMP), leading to cell death. To simulate the lung environment in vitro, mixed dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and ZnO nanoparticles (1:1) were incubated for 72 hours and then cytotoxicity was evaluated on HPAEpiC. Results showed that the cell viability was significantly increased, which proved that the DPPC effectively inhibited the toxicity of ZnO nanoparticles.

Synergistic transdermal delivery of nanoethosomes embedded in hyaluronic acid nanogels for enhancing photodynamic therapy.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a new therapeutic strategy for hypertrophic scars (HS), but it is limited by low drug utilization. Transdermal delivery based on nanoethosomes (ES) has attracted considerable attention as a potential clinical strategy in PDT treating HS. However, free ES are unsatisfactory due to their instability and non-targeting, which causes non-effective delivery and low drug utilization. Herein, 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-loaded ES (ES-ALA) embedded in hyaluronic acid (HA) meshes (HA/ES-ALA), a novel synergistic transdermal delivery nanogel, are developed for enhancing PDT of HS. HA/ES-ALA has a unique structure and property to protect unilaminar ES-ALA with HA meshes and actively target hypertrophic scar fibroblasts (HSFs) with HA receptors. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrate that HA/ES-ALA has a remarkable transdermal delivery ability with penetrating channels and a membrane-fusion mechanism. Meanwhile, the synergistic delivery mechanism is visually characterized as three stages: synergistic penetration, targeting aggregation and transmembrane delivery. With the synergistic effect, HA/ES-ALA can realize a targeted transdermal delivery, and significantly improve ALA utilization and enhance PDT efficacy. The results demonstrate an effective transdermal delivery route to enhance therapy for HS as well as other skin diseases.

Construction of DOX/APC co-loaded BiOI@CuS NPs for safe and highly effective CT imaging and chemo-photothermal therapy of lung cancer.

Recently, a variety of nanoparticles have been widely used as imaging agents or carriers for the diagnosis and therapy of lung cancer. However, their poor imaging effect, high toxicity, pro-inflammatory effect and ineffective treatment are still a great challenge. In this work, we reported a novel kind of BiOI@CuS nanoparticle to achieve safe and effective therapy of lung cancer by co-loading hydrochloric acid doxorubicin (DOX) and aspirin phenacetin and caffeine (APC). The nanoparticles can effectively relieve inflammatory reactions induced by photo-thermal therapy (PTT). In vitro and in vivo assays showed that DOX/APC co-loaded BiOI@CuS exhibited an effective chemo-photothermal comprehensive therapy effect and good CT imaging capability. Consequently, this multifunctional nanosystem provides a versatile and promising platform in the imaging and treatment of lung cancer in further applications.

Adenylyl cyclase­associated protein 1­targeted nanoparticles as a novel strategy for the treatment of metastatic non­small cell lung cancer.

Non­small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the most fatal cancers worldwide. Adenylyl cyclase­associated protein 1 (CAP1) belongs to a family of cyclase­associated proteins that are involved in the development of cancerous tumors. A previous study by our group confirmed the association between CAP1, lung cancer and the metastasis of cancer cells. In the present study, poly(lactic­polyglycolic acid; PLGA)/CAP1­small interfering (si)RNA nanoparticles were prepared and delivered into A549 cells. The performance of PLGA/siCAP1­siRNA nanoparticles for siRNA delivery was measured based on the results of migration assay and animal experiments. The multifunctional nanoparticles were determined to be capable of inhibiting CAP1 expression, which reduced NSCLC metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, the findings of the current study highlighted the potential use of PLGA/siCAP1­siRNA nanoparticles for the treatment of NSCLC metastasis.

Highly Sensitive and Stable SERS Substrate Fabricated by Co-sputtering and Atomic Layer Deposition.

In this study, we develop a facile method to fabricate highly sensitive and stable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate, which is realized by combining co-sputtering with atomic layer deposition technology. To accomplish the SERS substrate preparation, we firstly utilized co-sputtering silver and aluminum on glass slides to form uniform discontinuous Ag film by removing Al later, which acted as SERS active moiety and presented high sensitivity in glycerin detection. After coating an ultrathin TiO2 layer via atomic layer deposition (ALD), the samples could further enhance the Raman signal due to the chemical effect as well as the long-range effect of the enhanced electromagnetic field generated by the encapsulated Ag nanoparticles (NPs). Besides, the coated sample could maintain the significant enhancement in air condition for more than 30 days. The high stability is induced by TiO2 layer, which efficiently prevents Ag NPs from surface oxidation. This highly sensitive and stable SERS substrate might highlight the application of interface state investigation for exploring novel liquid lubricating materials.

A versatile theranostic nanoplatform based on mesoporous silica.

A versatile of mesoporous silica is designed and operated, including ion doping, surface modify and pore adsorption, based on aqueous well-dispersed. Thus, a multifunctional theranostic nanoplatform is obtained through endowing some functional materials. Detailedly, Gd ions is introduced to mesoporous silica (GM nanoparticles) via a co-assemble process, which is used as prime carrier with MRI. Furthermore, the surface graft of hyaluronic acid (HA) molecule makes contribution to lymph system-targeted delivery (GMH nanoparticles). Additionally, the introduction of functional molecules including Iopamidol (IGMH nanoparticles) and DOX (DGMH nanoparticles) could combine the diagnosis and therapy with CT and sustained drug release. We present evidence that the IGMH and DGMH nanoparticles are highly targeted to lymph system in vitro and in vivo, and highlight CT and MR imaging of IGMH nanoparticles in lymph system, and chemotherapy and MR imaging of DGMH nanoparticles in lymph cancer. Our results provide a new universal manufacture for mesoporous silica to obtain a multifunctional theranostic nanoplatform, has great potential for use in biological applications.

Enhanced gas selectivity induced by surface active oxygen in SnO/SnO2 heterojunction structures at different temperatures.

The development of heterojunction structures has been considered as an important step for sensing materials. In this report, 3D hierarchical SnO-SnO2 heterojunction structures were synthesized and developed via simple one-pot hydrothermal synthesis without any extra processes. The prepared 3D samples exhibit high sensitivity, benefiting from the synergistic effects of SnO and SnO2. Interestingly, SnO-SnO2 hybrid structures exhibited distinctly different sensitivities at 180 and 280 °C, and the sensitivity can achieve values of 47.69 and 41.56 toward ethanol and acetone, respectively, at concentrations of 100 ppm. A mechanistic analysis of the sensitivity and concentration-dependence revealed that the oxygen species on the surface were O- and O2- at different temperatures. Therefore, the temperature selectivity of the sample may be due to the different activities of the active oxygen species. Moreover, the composition also shows excellent stability at operating temperatures. The high sensing sensitivity and selectivity is promising for practical VOC gas detection; this also offers a new perspective for the design of multifunctional sensing materials.

Transdermal Delivery of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid by Nanoethosome Gels for Photodynamic Therapy of Hypertrophic Scars.

5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-loaded nanoethosome (ALA-ES) gels are successfully prepared to realize a transdermal delivery of ALA, and they provide a feasible approach for the photodynamic therapy (PDT) of hypertrophic scars (HS). Herein, the morphological and physicochemical features indicate that ALA-ES is stable in gel matrix. In vitro transdermal penetration studies suggest ALA-ES gels can overcome the compact dermal barrier and deliver more ALA into human HS tissue. In vivo delivery studies further reveal that ALA-ES gels can penetrate into rabbit HS tissue to facilitate ALA accumulating in hypertrophic scar fibroblast (HSF) and converting into protoporphyrin IX in the cytoplasm. Utilizing transmission electron microscopy, the visual in vivo penetration process indicates ALA-ES penetrate into HS tissue utilizing its deformable membrane, enters HSF by a pinocytotic-like mechanism, and then releases ALA in the cytoplasm. Subsequently, PDT efficacy is assessed using rabbit HS models. The morphological and histological analysis reveal that ALA-ES gels can improve HS by promoting HSF apoptosis, remodelling collagen fibers and increasing MMP3 expression. The results demonstrate that ALA-ES gels are suitable in clinical treatment of HS and make a substantial progress within the field.

In situ growth of heterostructured Sn/SnO nanospheres embedded in crumpled graphene as an anode material for lithium ion batteries.

The in situ growth of Sn/SnO heterostructured nanospheres embedded in crumpled graphene is based on a new strategy for the calcination of tin oleate coating on the crystal surface of sodium carbonate. Sn/SnO nanospheres and crumpled graphene are acquired simultaneously without external forces involved. The obtained composite exhibits superior electrochemical properties when used as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries.

Perfluorocarbon Nanocapsules Improve Hypoxic Microenvironment for the Tumor Ultrasound Diagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy.

Amelioration of hypoxia is an important factor increasing the effects of anti-tumor therapies. In the present experiments, nanocapsules of poly(lactide-co-glycolide)-poly(ethylene glycol)/perfluorooctyl bromide (PFOB)/photosensitizers (IR780) have been developed to increase oxygen concentration inside the tumor and improve the outcome of photodynamic therapy (PDT). PFOB has high oxygen solubility, and IR780 is a photosensitizer particularly suited for a highly effective photodynamic therapy under the 808-nm laser irradiation. Thus, PFOB provides sufficient oxygen for the reaction with the photosensitizer, producing more singlet oxygen to induce cell apoptosis. The photodynamic effect of nanocapsules was confirmed to be enhanced after addition of PFOB through simulation experiments in vitro in the hypoxic microenvironment. The results have demonstrated that due to the addition of PFOB the nanocapsules can provide a contrast-enhanced ultrasound diagnosis and ensure more notable inhibition of the growth of lung tumors following the 808 nm laser irradiation. Furthermore, the nanocapsules allowed the photosensitizers to achieve sufficient therapeutic potential, which was optimal under the conditions of modest hypoxia with about 5% oxygen concentration.

Red, green, and blue fluorescent folate-receptor-targeting carbon dots for cervical cancer cellular and tissue imaging.

Folate receptor targeted photo-luminescent quantum carbon dots (Fr-CDs) were successfully prepared from folic acid and phenylenediamine isomers through hydrothermal approaches. Fr-CDs were spherical particles smaller than 10 nm, and emit stable green, blue and red luminescence under ultraviolet region excitation (λex = 365 nm) with maximum emissive lengths at 530, 429, and 612 nm. And the corresponding photoluminescence quantum yield as 15.4%, 12.6% and 16.2% respectively. Up-converted photoluminescent properties in near infrared 800 nm spectral region located in green, blue and yellow region. In-vitro studies showed Fr-CDs had almost none cytotoxicity (cell viability over 80%) and high affinitive to the Hela celline highly-expressed-folate-receptor membranes, and lighted on cytoplasm as the fluorescent marker. It displayed long luminescent-stability with PL intensity above 90% in ultraviolet illuminant exposure over 24 h. In in-vivo studies, Fr-CDs were internalized and accumulated in targeted cancer tissues of cervical carcinoma and the emitting fluorescence maintains over 30 min.

N-Terminal Domain Truncation and Domain Insertion-Based Engineering of a Novel Thermostable Type I Pullulanase from Geobacillus thermocatenulatus.

A novel thermostable type I pullulanase gene ( pul GT) from Geobacillus thermocatenulatus DSMZ730 was cloned. It has an open reading frame of 2154 bp encoding 718 amino acids. G. thermocatenulatus pullulanase (PulGT) was found to be optimally active at pH 6.5 and 70 °C. It exhibited stable activity in the pH range of 5.5-7.0. PulGT lacked three domains (CBM41 domain, X25 domain, and X45 domain) compared with the pullulanase from Bacillus acidopullulyticus ( 2WAN ). Different N-terminally domain truncated (730T) or spliced (730T-U1 and 730T-U2) mutants were constructed. Truncating the N-terminal 85 amino acids decreased the Km value and did not change its optimum pH, an advantageous biochemical property in some applications. Compared with 2WAN , PulGT can be used directly for maize starch saccharification without adjusting the pH, which reduces cost and improves efficiency.

High-performance reoxygenation from PLGA-PEG/PFOB emulsions: a feedback relationship between ROS and HIF-1α.

BACKGROUND: Hypoxemia is one of the most common pathological processes in various clinical diseases. METHODS: A novel emulsion of poly(lactide-co-glycolide)-poly(ethylene glycol)/perfluorooctyl bromide has been developed to improve arterial hypoxemia through pulmonary drug delivery. Hypoxia-reoxygenation experiment was used to investigate the ability of the emulsion to supply oxygen and the saline lavage acute lung injury model was established to evaluate oxygen supply of the emulsion. RESULTS: It has been demonstrated that an apparent increase has been detected in the cytotoxicity test of the emulsion, indicating its lower cell toxicity. A hypoxia-reoxygenation experiment uncovered the fact that notable cell growth was observed after reoxygenation with poly(lactide-co-glycolide)-poly(ethylene glycol)/perfluorooctyl bromide emulsion because of the ability of the emulsion to supply oxygen adequately and reasonably. Moreover, the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species was significantly enhanced during hypoxia, which further influenced the concentration and activity of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). Furthermore, the upregulated expression of HIF-1α during hypoxia has verified that certain emulsions can increase HIF-1α content and relieve hypoxia, which further indicates HIF-1α plays an essential role in improving cell viability. Afterwards, the saline lavage acute lung injury model was established to evaluate oxygen supply of the emulsion and the result shows considerable improvement of lung ventilation of rabbits. CONCLUSION: We recommend that the feedback relationship between reactive oxygen species and HIF-1 plays an essential role in improving cell viability. It is anticipated that the emulsion will be applied in the field of alleviating hypoxemia.

Hierarchically ZnIn2S4 nanosheet-constructed microwire arrays: template-free synthesis and excellent photocatalytic performances.

Hierarchically ZnIn2S4 nanosheet-constructed microwire arrays (NCMAs) on a zinc substrate have been synthesized for the first time through a one-step solvothermal method without using any template or surfactant. The as-synthesized ZnIn2S4 microwires are constructed by vertical nanosheets preferentially exposing (006) facets, which are about 1-5 µm in diameters and larger than 10 µm in average length. Experimental results demonstrate that the hierarchically ZnIn2S4 NCMAs are converted from intermediate components of single crystalline indium nanowires, which are generated along the direction of (101) planes by a displacement reaction between Zn and In3+ during the initial synthesis process. This conversion of indium nanowires to hierarchically ZnIn2S4 NCMAs has been explained by a novel corrosion-exchange-self-assembly mechanism, which might indicate a novel strategy for preparing other ternary sulphide nano-microwire arrays. The prepared ZnIn2S4 NCMAs are used as photocatalysts, demonstrating effective photocatalytic degradation activity for diverse organic pollutants including different dyes, tetracycline and 2,4,6-tribromophenol (2,4,6-TBP). This efficient photocatalytic activity is ascribed to the strong absorption of ZnIn2S4 NCMAs in a wide range from ultraviolet to visible light as well as the preferentially exposed (006) facets of ZnIn2S4 nanosheets.

Characterization of an α-Calcium Sulfate Hemihydrates/α-Tricalcium Phosphate Combined Injectable Bone Cement.

The artificial bone-repair materials have received extensive attention. In this study, we have prepared new α-calcium sulfate hemihydrates (α-CSH) and gelatin modified α-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP) combined injectable bone cement (α-CSH/α-TCP bone cement). The solidification, mechanical behavior, in vitro biocompatibility and degradation were studied and a spine bone trabecular defect model in swine vertebral body was constructed to evaluate its in vivo performance. The results demonstrated that the bone cement has the appropriate in vitro initial setting time of 6-10 min and final setting time within 20 min, excellent mechanical properties up to 35 M Pa in compressive strength, no in vitro cytotoxicity and appropriate in vivo biodegradation with good bone regeneration ability as the radiological and histological examination showed. Therefore, the α-CSH/α-TCP bone cement has broad application prospects in minimally invasive surgery for the bone defects treatment.

Different Stability of DNA Origami Nanostructure between on Interface and in Bulk Solution.

DNA origami possesses a promising prospect in the fields including cancer therapy, enhancing catalytic activity, controllable nanorobot, etc. However, all the brilliant performances are based on its structural integrity, which is a big challenge for this technology. In this paper, we investigated the effects of interface on the stability of DNA origami and found that with treatments like heating, pH fluctuation, reducing ionic strength, the origami on interface always showed better stability than that in bulk solution because of the restriction imposed by the bond between solid surface and origami. Our results have great potential to inspire researchers to develop a complex that can provide origami an interface to strengthen its stability.