A highly selective and recyclable fluorescent sensor based on a Salamo-Salen-Salamo type ligand for continuous detection of Al3+ and phosphates in drug.

In this work, a fluorescence chemical sensor continuous detection Al3+ and phosphates by a Salamo-Salen-Salamo type compound (SL) was employed. The sensor continuously recognized Al3+ and phosphates with good selectivity and fast response time, and a low limit of detection of 0.25 µΜ and 0.96 µM, at the same time accompanied by a naked-eye identification specificity. The detection mechanism of SL towards Al3+ is due to the chelating fluorescence enhancement effect and ICT effect, and continuously towards phosphates is due to the collapse of the SL-Al3+ and coordination interaction between Al3+ and phosphates, by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, other spectral characterization and DFT calculation as evidence. In addition, the sensor had good recyclability and reusability. The distribution of Al3+ and phosphates in zebrafish cells was effectively monitored by confocal microscopy based on the good biocompatibility and tissue permeability of SL. Furthermore, the feasibility of using sensor SL to detect the content of Al3+ and phosphate ions in certain drugs was quantitatively analyzed through experiments. It was found SL had a good result in practical application.

Plumbagin exhibits an anti-proliferative effect in human osteosarcoma cells by downregulating FHL2 and interfering with Wnt/ß-catenin signalling.

Plumbagin, a naphthoquinone constituent of Plumbago zeylanica L. (Plumbaginaceae) is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine as an antifungal, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agent. Plumbagin is known to exhibit proapoptotic, antiangiogenic and antimetastatic effects in cancer cells. The transcriptional co-factor four and a half LIM domains 2 (FHL2) is a multifunctional adaptor protein that is involved in the regulation of gene expression, signal transduction and cell proliferation and differentiation, and also acts as a tumor suppressor or oncoprotein depending on the tissue microenvironment. The present study investigated the effect of plumbagin on FHL2 expression, Wnt/ß-catenin signalling and its anti-proliferative activity in various human osteosarcoma cell lines, including SaOS2, MG63, HOS and U2OS. The cells were exposed to plumbagin and the expression of FHL2 was evaluated using western blot analysis. Furthermore, the anti-proliferative effect of plumbagin was evaluated using a 3-(4,5 dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. In addition, since FHL2 is involved in Wnt/ß-catenin signaling, the effect of plumbagin on ß-catenin and its primary target genes, including v-myc avian myelocytomatosis viral oncogene homolog (c-Myc) and WNT1 inducible signaling pathway protein-1 (WISP-1), was evaluated using western blot analysis. It was observed that plumbagin suppressed the expression of FHL2 and exhibited significant anti-proliferative activity in osteosarcoma cells. It also attenuated Wnt/ß-catenin signalling by downregulating ß-catenin and its target genes, including c-Myc and WISP-1. In conclusion, plumbagin demonstrated anti-proliferative activity in osteosarcoma cells by downregulating FHL2 and interfering with Wnt/ß-catenin signalling.