Homochiral Tetraphenylethene-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks with Circularly Polarized Luminescence for Enantioselective Recognition.

A pair of water-stable and highly porous homochiral fluorescent silver-organic framework enantiomers, namely, R-Ag-BPA-TPyPE (R-1) and S-Ag-BPA-TPyPE (S-1), had been prepared as enantioselective fluorescence sensors. Combining homochiral 1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diyl hydrogen phosphate (BPA) with an AIE-based ligand tetrakis[4-(pyridin-4-yl)phenyl]ethene (TPyPE) in complexes R-1 and S-1 made them possess favorable circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) properties, and their CPL spectra were almost mirror images of each other. The luminescence dissymmetry factors (glum) are ±2.2 × 10-3 for R-1 and S-1, and the absolute fluorescence quantum yields (ΦFs) are 32.0% for R-1 and S-1, respectively. Complex R-1 could enantioselectively recognize two enantiomers of amino acids in water or DMF with high Stern-Volmer constants of 236-573 M-1 and enantioselectivity ratios of 1.40-1.78.

Nitrogen-Rich Tetraphenylethene-Based Luminescent Metal-Organic Framework for Efficient Detection of Carcinogens.

The introduction of nitrogen-rich functional groups into a luminescent metal-organic framework (LMOF) can enhance its fluorescent sensing ability. In this work, we designed and synthesized a triazole-containing tetracarboxyl-substituted tetraphenylethene (TPE) ligand, tetrakis[4-(4-carboxyphenyl)(1H-1,2,3-triazol-4,1-diyl)phenyl]ethene (H4TCPTAPE), featuring a prominent aggregation-induced emission (AIE). A highly porous TPE-based LMOF [Zn3(TCPTAPE)(H2O)2(OH)2] (1) with large pores was successfully obtained via solvothermal assembly of the H4TCPTAPE ligand and Zn(II) ions, which showed a high fluorescence quantum yield of 54%. The activated 1 could selectively and sensitively detect aristolochic acid I with a high fluorescence quenching efficiency of 96% and a low detection limit of 1.02 µM, indicating that it has a potential application as a luminescence-based chemical sensor for carcinogens.

A review of the current scientific and regulatory status of nanomedicines and the challenges ahead.

Nanomedicines refer to drugs, medical devices, and health products developed using nanotechnology with the aim of diagnosing, monitoring, and treating diseases at the molecular level. Due to their nano size, nanomedicines offer advantages over conventional medicines, including more effective targeting of difficult-to-reach sites, improved solubility and bioavailability, and reduced adverse effects. Hence, nanomedicines can be used to achieve the same therapeutic effect at smaller doses than their conventional counterparts. Three types of nanomedicines are described: nanocarriers used in drug delivery, nanosuspensions used in the improvement of drug solubility, and nanoparticles used in bioimaging. While nanomedicines offer promising benefits, there are concerns that the inherent properties of nanoparticles such as their size, shape, agglomeration/aggregation potential, and surface chemistry can adversely affect the safety and quality of nanomedicines. Furthermore, there are currently no regulatory guidelines developed specifically for nanomedicines due to limitations including inadequate knowledge regarding nanoparticle behavior, the absence of standardized nomenclature, test methods, and characterization of nanoparticles, as well as difficulty in determining primary jurisdiction for combination products. In addition, a shortage of trained personnel, a lack of a nanomedicine-specific safety protocol, and ineffective control of nanoparticle contamination challenge the current good manufacturing practice requirements governing the manufacture of nanomedicines. Regulatory authorities are in the midst of improving the current framework for controlling the manufacturing processes, product quality, and safety of nanomedicines. This paper proposes improvements through the adaptation of conventional regulations for nanoparticles, implementation of compulsory regulations for presently unregulated nanoparticle-containing products, and the establishment of an online database for efficient retrieval of information relating to nanomedicines by authorities. LAY ABSTRACT: Nanomedicines refer to drugs, medical devices, and health products developed using nanotechnology with the aim of diagnosing, monitoring, and treating diseases at the molecular level. Due to their nano size, nanomedicines offer advantages over conventional medicines, including more effective targeting of difficult-to-reach sites, improved solubility and bioavailability, and better side effect profile. Hence, smaller doses of nanomedicines are needed to achieve the same therapeutic effect. While nanomedicines offer promising benefits, there are concerns that the inherent properties of nanoparticles such as their size, shape, agglomeration/aggregation potential, and surface chemistry can adversely affect the safety and quality of nanomedicines. Standardized test methods and characterization of nanoparticles are lacking. In addition, a shortage of trained personnel, a lack of a nanomedicines-specific safety protocol, and ineffective control of nanoparticle contamination challenge the current good manufacturing practice requirements governing the manufacture of nanomedicines. Regulatory authorities are in the midst of improving the current framework for controlling the manufacturing processes, product quality, and safety of nanomedicines. This paper proposes improvements through the adaptation of conventional regulations for nanoparticles, implementation of compulsory regulations for presently unregulated nanoparticle-containing products, and establishment of an online database for efficient retrieval of information relating to nanomedicines by authorities.