Low-cost and portable colorimetric platform for simultaneous detection of Fe, methanol, and total phenols in wine.

A multi-channel colorimetric device was developed for the low-cost and simultaneous determination of three important parameters in wine safety and quality- total iron (Fe), methanol (MeOH), and total phenols. The detection was performed by assembling light-dependent resistors and light-emitting diodes in a 3D printed chamber, which measured colorimetric signals horizontally transmitting through the microwells of an 8-well strip. This device demonstrated linear relationships (R2 greater than 0.99) for all analytes with detection limits of 0.04 mg/L, 2.26 mg/L, and 3.40 mg/L for Fe, MeOH, and total phenols, respectively. Wine sample measurements showed that the multi-channel device was as accurate as the professional spectrophotometer and could simultaneously provide the three target concentrations to facilitate the analysis. With the merits of low fabrication cost and ease of use, this device could be used as a general platform for multiple-target detection, demonstrating great potential for application in food analysis.

Biocompatible Assessment of Erythrocyte Membrane-Camouflaged Polymeric PLGA Nanoparticles in Pregnant Mice: Both on Maternal and Fetal/Juvenile Mice.

Purpose: Poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanoparticles coated with the membrane of red blood cells (RBC-NP) have been applied in various biomedical fields. Despite the well-documented great biocompatibility, the potential toxicity of RBC-NP on maternal mice or their developing fetuses during pregnancy, or juvenile mice post-birth, remains unclear, which warrants a systematic evaluation. Methods: We fabricate an RBC-NP with approximately 50 nm in diameter (RBC-NP-50). Upon RBC-NP-50, pregnant mice are intravenously injected with this nanoparticle either at a single high dose of 400 mg/kg (1HD) or a low dose of 200 mg/kg for 3 times (3LD). Afterwards, the biocompatible assessments are performed at 48 h after the final injection or 21 d post-birth/partum both on maternal and fetal/juvenile mice. Results: RBC-NP-50 is capable of accumulating in the placenta and then passing through the blood-fetal barrier (BFB) into the fetus. On 48 h after RBC-NP-50 exposure, no significant dose-dependent toxicity is observed in maternal mice including blood biochemistry, inflammatory factors, progesterone level, histological analysis, etc, whereas fetal brains reveal remarkable differentially expressed genes analyzed by transcriptome sequencing. On 21 d post-birth, those genes' expression in juvenile mice is alleviated, along with negligible differences in behavioral evaluations including surface righting test, negative geotaxis test, cliff avoidance test, and olfactory orientation test. Conclusion: These results indicate that RBC-NP is considered to be generally safe and biocompatible both for maternal mice and fetus during pregnancy, and for the subsequent juvenile mice post-birth, although future studies will need to examine higher dosage or longer-term measurements.