Handedness anomaly in a non-collinear antiferromagnet under spin-orbit torque.

Non-collinear antiferromagnets are an emerging family of spintronic materials because they not only possess the general advantages of antiferromagnets but also enable more advanced functionalities. Recently, in an intriguing non-collinear antiferromagnet Mn3Sn, where the octupole moment is defined as the collective magnetic order parameter, spin-orbit torque (SOT) switching has been achieved in seemingly the same protocol as in ferromagnets. Nevertheless, it is fundamentally important to explore the unknown octupole moment dynamics and contrast it with the magnetization vector of ferromagnets. Here we report a handedness anomaly in the SOT-driven dynamics of Mn3Sn: when spin current is injected, the octupole moment rotates in the opposite direction to the individual moments, leading to a SOT switching polarity distinct from ferromagnets. By using second-harmonic and d.c. magnetometry, we track the SOT effect onto the octupole moment during its rotation and reveal that the handedness anomaly stems from the interactions between the injected spin and the unique chiral-spin structure of Mn3Sn. We further establish the torque balancing equation of the magnetic octupole moment and quantify the SOT efficiency. Our finding provides a guideline for understanding and implementing the electrical manipulation of non-collinear antiferromagnets, which in nature differs from the well-established collinear magnets.

Chiral-spin rotation of non-collinear antiferromagnet by spin-orbit torque.

Electrical manipulation of magnetic materials by current-induced spin torque constitutes the basis of spintronics. Here, we show an unconventional response to spin-orbit torque of a non-collinear antiferromagnet Mn3Sn, which has attracted attention owing to its large anomalous Hall effect despite a vanishingly small net magnetization. In epitaxial heavy-metal/Mn3Sn heterostructures, we observe a characteristic fluctuation of the Hall resistance under the application of electric current. This observation is explained by a rotation of the chiral-spin structure of Mn3Sn driven by spin-orbit torque. We find that the variation of the magnitude of anomalous Hall effect fluctuation with sample size correlates with the number of magnetic domains in the Mn3Sn layer. In addition, the dependence of the critical current on Mn3Sn layer thickness reveals that spin-orbit torque generated by small current densities, below 20 MA cm-2, effectively acts on the chiral-spin structure even in Mn3Sn layers that are thicker than 20 nm. The results provide additional pathways for electrical manipulation of magnetic materials.

Identification of Celastrol as a Novel Therapeutic Agent for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and Right Ventricular Failure Through Suppression of Bsg (Basigin)/CyPA (Cyclophilin A).

OBJECTIVE: Pulmonary arterial hypertension is characterized by abnormal proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells and vascular remodeling, which leads to right ventricular (RV) failure. Bsg (Basigin) is a transmembrane glycoprotein that promotes myofibroblast differentiation, cell proliferation, and matrix metalloproteinase activation. CyPA (cyclophilin A) binds to its receptor Bsg and promotes pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell proliferation and inflammatory cell recruitment. We previously reported that Bsg promotes cardiac fibrosis and failure in the left ventricle in response to pressure-overload in mice. However, the roles of Bsg and CyPA in RV failure remain to be elucidated. Approach and Results: First, we found that protein levels of Bsg and CyPA were upregulated in the heart of hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension (PH) in mice and monocrotaline-induced PH in rats. Furthermore, cardiomyocyte-specific Bsg-overexpressing mice showed exacerbated RV hypertrophy, fibrosis, and dysfunction compared with their littermates under chronic hypoxia and pulmonary artery banding. Treatment with celastrol, which we identified as a suppressor of Bsg and CyPA by drug screening, decreased proliferation, reactive oxygen species, and inflammatory cytokines in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. Furthermore, celastrol treatment ameliorated RV systolic pressure, hypertrophy, fibrosis, and dysfunction in hypoxia-induced PH in mice and SU5416/hypoxia-induced PH in rats with reduced Bsg, CyPA, and inflammatory cytokines in the hearts and lungs. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that elevated Bsg in pressure-overloaded RV exacerbates RV dysfunction and that celastrol ameliorates RV dysfunction in PH model animals by suppressing Bsg and its ligand CyPA. Thus, celastrol can be a novel drug for PH and RV failure that targets Bsg and CyPA. Graphic Abstract: A graphic abstract is available for this article.

Rhodium-Catalyzed Synthesis of Chiral Spiro-9-silabifluorenes by Dehydrogenative Silylation: Mechanistic Insights into the Construction of Tetraorganosilicon Stereocenters.

Mechanistic insight into the construction of quaternary silicon chiral centers by rhodium-catalyzed synthesis of spiro-9-silabifluorenes through dehydrogenative silylation is reported. The C2 -symmetric bisphosphine ligand, BINAP, was effective in controlling enantioselectivity, and axially chiral spiro-9-silabifluorenes were obtained in excellent yields with high enantiomeric excess. Monitoring of the reaction revealed the presence of a monohydrosilane intermediate as a mixture of two constitutional isomers. The reaction proceeded through two consecutive dehydrogenative silylations, and the absolute configuration was determined in the first silylative cyclization. Competitive reactions with electron-rich and electron-deficient dihydrosilanes indicated that the rate of silylative cyclization increased with decreasing electron density on the silicon atom of the starting dihydrosilane. Further investigation disclosed a rare interconversion between the two constitutional isomers of the monohydrosilane intermediate with retention of the absolute configuration.

Rhodium-Catalyzed Synthesis of Benzosilolometallocenes via the Dehydrogenative Silylation of C(sp(2))-H Bonds.

Use of a rhodium catalyst with electron-rich and bulky chiral diphosphine ligands having C2-symmetry allowed efficient dehydrogenative silylation of the C(sp(2))-H bond of ferrocenes leading to chiral benzosiloloferrocenes. The substrate scope was expanded to hydrogermane and hydrosilanes having a ruthenocene backbone, which resulted in a new approach to benzosilole- and benzogermole-fused metallocenes.