Cancer-associated fibroblasts promote malignant phenotypes of prostate cancer cells via autophagy : Cancer-associated fibroblasts promote prostate cancer development.

Dysregulation of autophagy in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) has been demonstrated to play a role in malignant phenotypes of human tumors. We intended to investigate the function of CAFs autophagy in prostate cancer (PCa). Firstly, CAFs and normal fibroblasts (NFs) were isolated from cancerous and adjacent normal tissues of PCa patients, for the following experimental preparation. In comparison with NFs, CAFs expressed higher levels of the myofibroblast marker ?-smooth muscle actin (?-SMA) and the mesenchymal marker Vimentin. Besides, CAFs possessed a higher autophagic level than NFs. As for malignant phenotypes, PCa cells co-cultured with CAFs-CM showed greater proliferation, migration and invasion capabilities, while these outcomes were obviously abolished by autophagy inhibition with 3-Methyladenine (3-MA). Moreover, silencing of ATG5 in CAFs inhibited fibroblasts autophagic level and suppressed malignant phenotypes of PCa cells, while ATG5 overexpression in NFs exerted opposite effects. Depletion of ATG5 in CAFs inhibited the xenograft tumor growth and lung metastasis of PCa cells. Taken together, our data demonstrated the promotive effect of CAFs on PCa malignant phenotypes through ATG5-dependent autophagy, suggesting a novel mechanism for PCa progression.

Controlling Pt co-catalyst loading in a WO3 quantum dot and MoS2 nanosheet composite Z-scheme system for enhanced photocatalytic H2 evolution.

A solid-state Z-scheme system, with the synergistic integration of the advantages of various narrow-band semiconductors, is considered to be a potential strategy to develop efficient photocatalysts for operation under visible light illumination. However, the charge separation efficiency of these systems has always been reduced by disordered electron transfer between coupling semiconductors. In this work, we constructed a direct Z-scheme system WO3-MoS2-Pt through the loading of WO3 quantum dots onto MoS2 nanosheets and the selective depositing of a Pt co-catalyst onto MoS2. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, atomic electron microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, etc were used to confirm the successful preparation of the targeted photocatalyst. This photocatalytic system showed high visible-light-driven H2 evolution activity (802.2 µmol · h-1 · g-1) and good photostability. Control experiment and mechanism analysis suggested that the remarkable performance can be attributed to the heterojunction formed WO3 and MoS2 and the vectorial electron transfer (WO3 â†’ MoS2 â†’ Pt) achieved by selectively loading the Pt co-catalyst.

Luminescent europium(III)-organic framework for visual and on-site detection of hydrogen peroxide via a tablet computer.

A luminescent metal-organic framework of type Eu(III)-MOF has been fabricated for visual and on-site fluorometric determination of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) via a tablet computer. The maximum excitation and emission peaks of type Eu(III)-MOF were found at λex = 290 nm and λem = 615 nm, respectively. The average length of Eu-MOF is 1.21 ± 0.07 µm. In the presence of the target H2O2, Fe2+ is transmitted into Fe3+ via Fenton reaction, leading to a fluorescence quenching of Eu-MOF. Therefore, visible color change occurred from bright red into colorless. Interestingly, by means of tablet computer's digital camera and ImageJ software, fluorescent signals were captured and transduced into digital parameters, resulting in a linear relationship between fluorescence intensity and the concentration of H2O2. As a result, the determination of H2O2 without the aid of complicated instruments is achieved in the range 2.0 µM to 0.2 mM with a detection limit of 1.02 µM. Our approach has been successfully applied to quantify H2O2 in serum, urine, and waste water with good recovery and precision (< 2.5% RSD). Besides, our assay has been exploited for visual detection of H2O2 released from HepG2 cells with the advantages of portability and accuracy. Moreover, the strategy displays acceptable selectivity and stability. Hence, our assay provides an alternative practical method for on-site determination of H2O2 without the need for instruments. Graphical abstract Schematic representation of the synthesis procedure of a luminescent Eu-MOF, which has been successfully applied for on-site detection of H2O2 via Fenton reaction and imaging analysis technique. The method exhibits handheld and accuracy for H2O2 determination, holding the potential for biochemical and clinical applications in remote regions.

Pd(II)/Norbornene-Catalyzed Meta-C-H Alkylation of Nosyl-Protected Phenylalanines.

A Pd/norbornene-catalyzed direct meta-alkylation of nosyl-protected phenylalanine derivatives with alkyl iodides is reported in moderate to good yields. The use of diisopropyl bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2,3-dicarboxylate is identified as a more suitable transient mediator. A simple pyridine ligand is also essential for this reaction to proceed. No racemization was observed in this meta-methylation reaction.

The Piezo-Fenton synergistic effect of ferroelectric single-crystal BaTiO3 nanoparticles for high-efficiency catalytic pollutant degradation in aqueous solution.

Nano-ferroelectric materials have excellent piezoelectric performance and can degrade organic dye by ultrasonic vibration in an aqueous solution. Here, BaTiO3 (BT) nanoparticles were prepared by a sol-gel/hydrothermal method and further applied in dye degradation in wastewater. BT nanoparticles exhibited excellent catalytic performance for organic dye molecule degradation through the piezo-Fenton synergistic effect. It was found that both the degradation efficiency and reaction rate were boosted by the increase of the molecular weight of organic dyes. The degradation efficiency toward different organic dyes exhibited a trend of CR > ABK > TH > RhB > MB > MO. For example, a high piezo-Fenton-catalytic degradation ratio of 82.8% at 5 min and 0.337 min-1 rate constant were achieved for the CR dye solution (10 mg L-1), which were 3.2 and 6.4 times the corresponding values of piezo-catalytic only degradation. These results mainly originate from the intrinsic properties of BT nanoparticles that can enhance the separation of charge and promote the formation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and hydroxyl radicals (·OH) under ultrasonic vibration. Furthermore, the reaction of Fe(II) with H2O2 can further enhance the formation of ·OH, which can accelerate the degradation of organic dyes. These results indicate that the piezo-Fenton synergistic effect may provide a new clue for the development of the wastewater treatment field under mechanical vibration.

Accelerated Fenton degradation of azo dye wastewater via a novel Z-scheme CoFeN-g-C3N4 heterojunction photocatalyst with excellent charge transfer under visible light irradiation.

A novel Z-scheme heterostructure photocatalyst, CoFeN-g-C3N4 (CFN-CN), was prepared by a simple strategy, and its heterostructure and a photo-Fenton system were used to synergistically catalyze the degradation of azo dyes. The experimental results showed that the CFN-CN1 heterojunction exhibited superior photocatalytic degradation performance, and the degradation rate of Methyl Orange (MO) reached 96.8% in 40 min. The degradation rate constants were 11.8 and 2.81 times those of CN and CFN, respectively. CFN-CN1 also shows excellent catalytic degradation performance for other azo dyes (Congo Red (CR), Acid Orange 7 (AO7), Mordant Black 17 (MB17) and Acid Red B (ARB)), and the degradation efficiencies all exceeded 90%. Furthermore, the addition of inorganic anions (Cl-, HCO3- and SO42-) affects the degradation of azo dyes, especially HCO3- which significantly promotes the degradation of MO. The radical trapping experiments and EPR results indicated that superoxide radicals (˙O2-) and hydroxyl radicals (˙OH) were the main active species. The above research reveals that the CFN-CN heterojunction synergistic photo-Fenton system may provide new hints for the degradation and removal of azo dyes from wastewater.

Smartphone-Based Pure DNAzyme Hydrogel Platform for Visible and Portable Colorimetric Detection of Cell-Free DNA.

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA), as a tumor marker, is of great importance for the diagnosis of cancer and targeted therapy. However, the need for huge analytical instruments for cfDNA analysis has restricted its practical applications, especially in rural areas and third-world countries. Herein, a portable and visual smartphone-based DNAzyme hydrogel platform is developed for cfDNA detection. The target cfDNA triggers rolling circle amplification to produce a G-quadruplex-comprised DNA hydrogel with an horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-like catalytic function, which further catalyzes the chromogenic substrate to generate a visible output signal. Notably, the naked-eye detection of cfDNA can be realized by the macroscale visibility and catalytic ability of the DNA hydrogel. The linear range of the DNAzyme hydrogel platform for cfDNA detection is 0.1 pM-1500 nM with a detection limit of 0.042 pM. Moreover, this platform is exploited for the detection of cfDNA in spiked human serum with favorable sensitivity and recovery. Therefore, the DNAzyme hydrogel platform provides highly promising potential for testing other nucleic acid biomarkers.

Surface-immobilized and self-shaped DNA hydrogels and their application in biosensing.

Hydrogels are of great interest in the field of biosensing for their good biocompatibility, plasticity, and capability of providing 3D scaffolds. Nevertheless, the application of hydrogels has not been linked with broad surface biosensing systems yet. To overcome the limitations, here for the first time, surface-immobilized pure DNA hydrogels were synthesized using a surficial primer-induced strategy and adopted for biosensing applications. The DNA hydrogel 3D scaffold is successfully constructed on a transparent ITO electrode, which facilitates both colourimetric and electrochemical measurements. Results show that the hydrogel is able to wrap enzymes solidly and exhibits favourable stability under different conditions. Owing to the free diffusion of the micromolecular targets throughout the hydrogel, while isolating the enzymes from the macromolecular interferences outside the hydrogel, the direct colourimetric and electrochemical detection of hydrogen peroxide and bilirubin in serum is achieved. The detection limit of hydrogen peroxide in serum is 22 nM by colourimetric analysis and 13 nM by electrochemical measurement. The detection limit of bilirubin is 32 nM, a favourable limit that could be used in jaundice diagnosis. In addition, the enzyme@hydrogel can be easily regenerated and the catalytic activity is retained for a few cycles, thus allowing the recycling of the hydrogel-based biosensing system. The successful integration of DNA hydrogels with surface biosensing systems will greatly expand the applications of hydrogels for diagnostic and environmental monitoring purposes.

Glutathione-protected gold nanocluster decorated cadmium sulfide with enhanced photostability and photocatalytic activity.

A Novel glutathione-protected gold nanocluster (Aux-GSH NC) decorated CdS photocatalyst was prepared using a chemical self-assembly method. After the photocatalyst was decorated with Aux-GSH NCs, the photocatalytic activity and photostability of CdS were remarkably enhanced. Compared to pure CdS, the as-prepared CdS-Pt-Auc photocatalyst exhibited 9 times of photocurrent and 2.85 times of photocatalytic activity. More importantly, the photocorrosion of CdS, which is a critical drawback for CdS-based photocatalysts, was significantly suppressed. It is believed that the heterostructures and matched energy levels between CdS and Aux-GSH NCs are the key for enhance catalytic activity and photostability. The level of LUMO and HOMO of Aux-GSH NCs is higher the conduction band and valence band of CdS respectively. Through the heterostructures, the photogenerated electrons of Aux-GSH NCs are injected into the CdS, while the photogenerated holes of CdS transferred to the Aux-GSH NCs. The opposite directions of charge migration improves the charge separation efficiency and average lifetime, which drastically enhances the photoactivity, and the rapid transferring of holes from CdS to Aux-GSH NCs significantly suppresses the photocorrosion of CdS.

[Hydrothermal synthesis of Co9S8 nanocrystalline aggregations and spectral study].

Co9S8 nanocrystalline aggregations were synthesized in hydrazine hydrate (N2H4 x H2O) solvent at 180 degrees C for 12 h through a hydrothermal method using cobalt sulfate hydrate (CoSO4 x 7H2O) and sodium sulfate (Na2SO3) as the starting materials. The prepared samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). FTIR spectrum was measured using Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer. The results showed that the products were mainly composed of Co9S8 hexagonal flakes, which were about 2.1 microm in diameter and 200 nm in thickness. The flakes consisted of Co9S8 nanocrystallites with an average size of 2.5 nm.

[Spectral research on the effect various metal ions on the of photocatalytic degradation properties of TiO2 nanocrystal].

TiO2 nanocrystalline was prepared by a emulsion method in the mixed solvent of cyclohexane and acetic anhydride using, titanyl organic compound as the precursor. The prepared product was characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR). The photocatalytic oxidation of methyl orange with TiO2 loaded with various metal ions was discussed. The spectral research results showed that the photocatalytic reaction of methyl orange with TiO2 loaded with Bi3+ was promoted, some metal ions caused almost no promotion of TiO2 oxidation of methyl orange, and Ni2+ and Fe3+ ions caused a little promotion. The best mass proportion of Bi3+ and TiO2 was defined as 1:8, which has a good photocatalytic activity. The photocatalytic degradation reaction of methyl orange was affected by the concentration of TiO2 nanocrystal, and when the mass proportion of Bi3+ and TiO2 is 1:8, the best photocatalytic activity concentration of TiO2 is about 1.6 g x L(-1).

MOF-derived self-assembled ZnO/Co3O4 nanocomposite clusters as high-performance anodes for lithium-ion batteries.

Although different kinds of metal oxide nanoparticles are extensively investigated as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), their cycle life and energy/power density are still not suitable for commercial applications. Metal oxides have a large storage capacity, but they suffer from low electrical conductivity and severe volume change during the charge/discharge process. Herein, we present a facile route to prepare self-assembled ZnO/Co3O4 nanocomposite clusters through calcination of preformed Prussian Blue Analogue (PBA) Zn3[Co(CN)6]2 nanospheres. These self-assembled ZnO/Co3O4 nanocomposite clusters exhibit superior lithium storage capabilities with good cycling properties. A reversible capacity of 957 mA h g(-1) was retained at a current density of 100 mA g(-1) up to 100 cycles. The enhanced electrochemical performance of the ZnO/Co3O4 nanocomposite anode can be ascribed to the rational design of the self-assembled cluster structures and the synergetic effect of two-component functional nanoparticle systems.

[Synthesis of nanocrystalline ZnO and its luminescence spectrum].

ZnO nanocrystal was prepared with Zn(CH3COO)2.2H2O and CO(NH2)2 as precursor by a solvothermal process. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and photoluminescence spectrum (PL). The results show that the ZnO nanocrystal has good characteristics, and the average particle size of the ZnO nanocrystal is about 17.2 nm. There is a broad PL peak for ZnO nanocrystal between 500-700 nm.

Sonodegradation and photodegradation of methyl orange by InVO4/TiO2 nanojunction composites under ultrasonic and visible light irradiation.

The InVO(4)/TiO(2) nanojunction composites with different weight ratio of 1:10, 1:25, 1:50 and 1:100 were successfully constructed using an ion impregnate method, followed by calcining temperature 400°C for 2h in Ar. The sono- and photo-catalytic activities of the InVO(4)/TiO(2) nanojunction composites were evaluated through the degradation of methyl orange (MO) in aqueous solution under ultrasonic and visible light irradiation, respectively. The experimental results determined that the (1:50) InVO(4)/TiO(2) nanojunction composite has exhibited the highest sonocatalytic activity. It can be ascribed to vectorial charge transfer at the co-excited InVO(4)/TiO(2) interface under ultrasonic irradiation, results in the complete separation of electrons and holes. Interestingly, the (1:25) InVO(4)/TiO(2) nanojunction composite displayed superior photocatalytic activity for MO degradation under visible light, indicating that InVO(4) as a narrow band gap sensitizer can expand photocatalytic activity of TiO(2) to visible region, and the charge transfer can be formed from high energy level of InVO(4) conduction band to the low energy level of TiO(2) conduction band in a present of excited InVO(4) alone under visible light irradiation. The sono- and photo-catalytic activities of the InVO(4)/TiO(2) nanojunction composites were found to be dependent significantly on different InVO(4) contents, which can be explained by the influence of charge transfer on the basis of the work functions of different catalysis mechanism.