Fabricating Ultrathin Imprinting Layer for Fast Capture of Valsartan via a Metal Affinity-Oriented Surface Imprinting Method.

Rapid separation and enrichment of targets in biological matrixes are of significant interest in multiple life sciences disciplines. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have vital applications in extraction and sample cleanup owing to their excellent specificity and selectivity. However, the low mass transfer rate, caused by the heterogeneity of imprinted cavities in polymer networks and strong driving forces, significantly limits its application in high-throughput analysis. Herein, one novel metal affinity-oriented surface imprinting method was proposed to fabricate an MIP with an ultrathin imprinting layer. MIPs were prepared by immobilized template molecules on magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) with metal ions as bridges via coordination, and then polymerization was done. Under the optimized conditions, the thickness of the imprinting layer was merely 1 nm, and the adsorption toward VAL well matched the Langmuir model. Moreover, it took just 5 min to achieve adsorption equilibrium significantly faster than other reported MIPs toward VAL. Adsorption capacity still can reach 25.3 mg/g ascribed to the high imprinting efficiency of the method (the imprinting factor was as high as 5). All evidence proved that recognition sites were all external cavities and were evenly distributed on the surface of the NPs. The obtained MIP NPs exhibited excellent selectivity and specificity toward VAL, with good dispersibility and stability. Coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography, it was successfully used as a dispersed solid phase extraction material to determine VAL in serum. Average recoveries are over 90.0% with relative standard deviations less than 2.14% at three spiked levels (n = 3). All evidence testified that the MIPs fabricated with the proposed method showed a fast trans mass rate and a large rebinding capacity. The method can potentially use high-throughput separation and enrichment of target molecules in batch samples to meet practical applications.

Poly(ionic liquid)s-Based Thermal-Responsive Microgel for Use as SERS Substrates with "ON-OFF" Switchable Effect.

A temperature-responsive surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate with "ON-OFF" switching based on poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) block copolymer microgels have been designed and synthesized. The PIL units act as a joint component to anchor the gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and analytes onto poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm). This anchor allows the analytes to be fixed at the formed hot spots under temperature stimulus. Owing to the regulation of the PNIPAm segment, the SERS substrates exhibit excellent thermally responsive SERS activity with a reversible "ON-OFF" effect. Additionally, because of the anion exchange of PILs, microgels can introduce new analytes, which offers more flexibility for the system. The substrate shows excellent reversibility, controllability, and flexibility of SERS activity, which is expected to have a broad application in the field of practical SERS sensors.

Exposure to real-ambient bedroom light at night delayed circadian rhythm in healthy Chinese young adults: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Light at night (LAN) have attracted increased research attention on account of its widespread health hazards. However, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of real-ambient bedroom LAN exposure on circadian rhythm among young adults and potential sex differences. METHODS: Bedroom LAN exposure was measured at 60-s intervals for 2 consecutive days using a portable illuminance meter. Circadian phase was determined by the dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) time in 7 time-series saliva samples. RESULTS: The mean age of the 142 participants was 20.7 ± 0.8 years, and 59.9% were women. The average DLMO time was 21:00 ± 1:11 h, with men (21:19 ± 1:12 h) later than women (20:48 ± 1:07 h). Higher level of LAN intensity (LANavg ≥ 3lx vs. LANavg < 3lx) was associated with an 81.0-min later in DLMO time (95% CI: 0.99, 1.72), and longer duration of nighttime light intensity ≥ 5lx (LAN5; LAN5 ≥ 45 min vs. LAN5 < 45 min) was associated with a 51.6-min later in DLMO time (95% CI: 0.46, 1.26). In addition, the delayed effect of LAN exposure on circadian phase was more pronounced in men than in women (all P-values <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, bedroom LAN exposure was significantly associated with delayed circadian rhythm. Additionally, the delayed effect is more significant in men. Keeping bedroom dark at night may be a practicable option to prevent circadian disruption and associated health implications. Future studies with more advanced light measurement instrument and consensus methodology for DLMO assessment are warranted.

The influence on surface characteristic and biocompatibility of nano-SnO2-modified titanium implant material using atomic layer deposition technique.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: To investigate the surface characteristics of titanium (Ti) implant materials, which were coated with different thicknesses of nanoscale tin oxide (SnO2) using the atomic layer deposition technique, and evaluated its biological performance on human embryonic palatal mesenchyme (HEPM) cells. METHODS: The thickness of the coating layer on Ti was 0 (Ti0), 20 nm (Ti20), 50 nm (Ti50), and 100 nm (Ti100), respectively. The surface morphology was observed with an SEM and AFM. The root mean square roughness of micron-scale (mRq) and nanoroughness (nRq) of Ti discs' surface were measured. The Alamar blue (AB) assay and F-actin fluorescence staining were used to evaluate the biocompatibility, and the osteocalcin (OCN) was measured to clarify the differentiation of HEPM cells on materials. RESULTS: In the coating groups, the mRq was decreased, but the nRq was increased. The spreading and polygonal morphology of HEPMs was apparent in coating groups. On Day 4, the survival rate of HEPM cells on Ti0 was higher than on Ti20 and Ti50. There was no significant difference on Day 7, Day 10, and Day 14. The OCN was significantly higher on Day 14 in all the coating groups than Ti0. CONCLUSION: The results showed that the cell growth was intensified with rough surfaces. However, the OCN and morphology change was prominent when the nanoroughness was increased, which meant the increased nanoroughness might enhance OCN production and improve the tendency of osseointegration. The nanoscale SnO2 coating could increase the ability of bone formation but not cell growth.

Tumor microenvironment and redox dual stimuli-responsive polymeric nanoparticles for the effective cisplatin-based cancer chemotherapy.

The serious side effects of cisplatin hindered its clinical application and the nanotechnology might be the potential strategy to address the limitation. However, rapid clearance in the blood circulation and ineffective controlled drug release from nanocarriers hamper the therapeutic efficacy of the nano-delivery system. We constructed a tumor microenvironment and redox dual stimuli-responsive nano-delivery system PEG-c-(BPEI-SS-Pt) by cross-linking the disulfide-containing polymeric conjugate BPEI-SS-Pt with the dialdehyde group-modified PEG2000via Schiff base. After optimized the cross-linking time, 72 h was selected to get the nano-delivery system.1H NMR and drug release assays showed that under the acidic tumor microenvironment (pH 6.5-6.8), the Schiff base can be broken and detached the PEG cross-linked outer shells, displaying the capability to release the drugs with a sequential pH- and redox-responsive manner. Moreover, PEG-c-(BPEI-SS-Pt) showed more effective anti-tumor therapeutic efficacyin vivowith no significant side effects when compared with the drug of cisplatin used in the clinic. This strategy highlights a promising platform with the dual stimuli-responsive profile to achieve better therapeutic efficacy and minor side effects for platinum-based chemotherapy.

Highly stable acetylcholinesterase electrochemical biosensor based on polymerized ionic liquids microgel for pesticides detection.

A highly stable electrochemical biosensor for pesticide detection was developed. For the first time polymeric ionic liquids (PILs) were introduced to construct an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) biosensor . AChE was entrapped in PILs microspheres through an emulsion polymerization reaction, where negatively charged Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) can be immobilized by the positively charged PILs, leading to improved catalytic performance. The results suggest that the positively charged PILs not only provide a biocompatible microenvironment around the enzyme molecule, stabilizing its biological activity and preventing its leakage, but also act as a modifiable interface allowing other components with electron transport properties to be loaded onto the polymer substrate, thus providing an efficient electron transport channel for the entrapped enzyme. More notably, when AChE was immobilized in a positively charged environment, the active site is closer to the electrode, promoting faster electron transfer. The detection limits of the constructed electrochemical biosensor AChE@PILs@Au NPs/GCE toward carbaryl and dichlorvos (DDVP) were 5.0 × 10-2 ng ml-1 and 3.9 × 10-2 ng ml-1, in a wide linear range of 6.3 × 10-2-8.8 × 102 ng ml-1 and 1.3 × 10-1-1.4 × 103 ng ml-1, respectively. More importantly, the biosensor has high thermal and storage stability, which facilitates rapid field analysis of fruits and vegetables in a variety of climates. In addition, the biosensor reported has good repeatability and selectivity and has high accuracy in the analysis of peaches, tap water, and other types of samples.

The effects of low-dose 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate on apoptosis and survival in human dental pulp cells.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) is one of the most major components in dentin bonding systems. Uncured HEMA is eluted through the dentin and harmful to pulp cells. The study aimed to investigate the death pattern, morphological change and factors of human dental pulp cells (HDPCs) cultured with low-dose HEMA. METHODS: HDPCs were cultured with low-dose concentration of HEMA at 0 mM (control), 0.125 mM, 0.25 mM, 1 mM, 2 mM and 4 mM on Day 3 and 5. The cell morphology was observed with F-actin immunocytochemical staining. The flow cytometry was used to analyze the death pattern. NF-κB and Trx-1 were measured using ELISA kits. RESULTS: The major death pattern was early apoptosis and late apoptosis. The morphological characteristics of apoptosis were observed clearly at 4 mM on Day 3 and Day 5. The phosphorylated NF-κB normalized to total NF-κB protein was significantly higher at 2 mM and 4 mM on Day 5. There was no difference of Trx-1 on Day 3, but significantly higher at 0.25 mM and 1 mM on Day 5. The trend line of phosphorylated NF-κB and Trx-1 showed highly positive correlations with HEMA concentration. CONCLUSION: The significant cellular morphology characteristics of apoptosis can be observed at higher dose and longer period after exposed to uncured HEMA. The expression of NF-κB was following the ratio of late apoptosis at longer exposure period. Clinically, the remaining dentin thickness should be enough to decrease HEMA concentration and thus to protect pulp cells free from harm.

Developmental Pattern of Diurnal Cortisol Rhythm and Sex-Specific Associations With Psychopathological Symptoms During Pubertal Transition.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the developmental pattern of diurnal cortisol rhythm during pubertal transition and its prospective association with psychopathological symptoms. METHODS: A cohort of 1158 children consisting of 608 boys and 550 girls aged 7 to 9 years (mean [standard deviation] age = 8.04 [0.61] years) were recruited in the Anhui Province of China in 2015 (wave 1). A single awakening sample was collected at baseline, and three additional samples were collected at one weekday in wave 2 to wave 4. Four indices of cortisol activity were evaluated and calculated across the day: awakening cortisol level, cortisol awakening response, the area under the curve with respect to ground (AUC), and the diurnal cortisol slope. In each wave, pubertal development was assessed by testicular size in boys and Tanner scales in girls. Psychopathological symptoms were ascertained in waves 2 to 4. RESULTS: Multilevel mixed models revealed no significant pubertal changes in diurnal cortisol activity in girls. In boys, awakening cortisol (ß = -0.005, p = .004) and total cortisol output (lnAUC, ß = -0.005, p = .040) significantly decreased across pubertal transition. Higher awakening cortisol and total cortisol output (lnAUC) were associated with higher scores on internalizing symptoms in girls (ß = 0.82, p < .001; ß = 0.62, p = .012) and externalizing symptoms in boys (ß = 0.73, p = .001; ß = 0.55, p = .019) during the 3-year follow-up. In contrast, no associations were found between cortisol awakening response and diurnal cortisol slope with psychopathological symptom scores in boys or girls. CONCLUSIONS: Development of diurnal cortisol activity during pubertal transition occurs in a sex-specific manner. Awakening cortisol level and daily total cortisol output may serve as markers for psychopathology during pubertal transition.

A novel Poly(vinyl alcohol) / carboxymethyl cellulose / yeast double degradable hydrogel with yeast foaming and double degradable property.

A novel polyvinyl alcohol/carboxymethyl cellulose/yeast double degradable hydrogel was prepared with yeast as a foaming agent. The chemical structure of the hydrogel was characterized by FTIR and XPS. The micro-structure of the hydrogel was observed by SEM. The specific surface area and pore size of hydrogel were measured by BET. Methylene blue adsorption capacity of the hydrogels were investigated and the adsorption mechanism was explored. The biodegradability of double degradable hydrogel was investigated. The results showed that yeast was encapsulated in hydrogel by electrostatic action. With the addition of yeast, not only the specific surface area and average pore size of the hydrogel increased but also methylene blue maximum adsorption capacity of the double degradable hydrogel (110 ±â€¯3.5 mg/g) was significantly higher than that of the hydrogel without yeast (57 ±â€¯1.9 mg/g). The adsorption mechanism was dominated by chemical adsorption and was accompanied by biodegradable and electrostatic adsorption. The kinetic data were fitted to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model reasonably well. The introduction of yeast promoted the biodegradable of hydrogel and increased the degradation rate of polyvinyl alcohol in the material with a maximum degradation rate of 45 ±â€¯2.8%.

Air Annealing Effect on Oxygen Vacancy Defects in Al-doped ZnO Films Grown by High-Speed Atmospheric Atomic Layer Deposition.

In this study, aluminum-doped zinc oxide (Al:ZnO) thin films were grown by high-speed atmospheric atomic layer deposition (AALD), and the effects of air annealing on film properties are investigated. The experimental results show that the thermal annealing can significantly reduce the amount of oxygen vacancies defects as evidenced by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra due to the in-diffusion of oxygen from air to the films. As shown by X-ray diffraction, the annealing repairs the crystalline structure and releases the stress. The absorption coefficient of the films increases with the annealing temperature due to the increased density. The annealing temperature reaching 600 °C leads to relatively significant changes in grain size and band gap. From the results of band gap and Hall-effect measurements, the annealing temperature lower than 600 °C reduces the oxygen vacancies defects acting as shallow donors, while it is suspected that the annealing temperature higher than 600 °C can further remove the oxygen defects introduced mid-gap states.

Hydrogen peroxide is a critical regulator of the hypoxia-induced alterations of store-operated Ca2+ entry into rat pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells.

To investigate the association between store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) during hypoxia, this study determined the changes of transient receptor potential canonical 1 (TRPC1) and Orai1, two candidate proteins for store-operated Ca2+ (SOC) channels and their gate regulator, stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1), in a hypoxic environment and their relationship with ROS in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Exposure to hypoxia caused a transient Ca2+ spike and subsequent Ca2+ plateau of SOCE to be intensified in PASMCs when TRPC1, STIM1, and Orai1 were upregulated. SOCE in cells transfected with specific short hairpin RNA (shRNA) constructs was almost completely eliminated by the knockdown of TRPC1, STIM1, or Orai1 alone and was no longer affected by hypoxia exposure. Hypoxia-induced SOCE enhancement was further strengthened by PEG-SOD but was attenuated by PEG-catalase, with correlated changes to intracellular hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels and protein levels of TRPC1, STIM1, and Orai1. Exogenous H2O2 could mimic alterations of the interactions of STIM1 with TRPC1 and Orai1 in hypoxic cells. These findings suggest that TRPC1, STIM1, and Orai1 are essential for the initiation of SOCE in PASMCs. Hypoxia-induced ROS promoted the expression and interaction of the SOC channel molecules and their gate regulator via their converted product, H2O2.

Dressing with epigallocatechin gallate nanoparticles for wound regeneration.

Several reagents have been studied to overcome the problems encountered with antiseptic use, such as moderate cutaneous wound cytotoxicity and skin thinning. We successfully prepared a gelatin/chitosan/epigallocatechin gallate nanoparticle incorporated in a poly(γ-glutamic acid)/gelatin hydrogel, which comprised activated carbon fibers with gentamicin, to fabricate a sandwiched dressing to enhance wound regeneration. The inner layer of activated carbon fibers with gentamicin was designed to prevent bacterial infection, and the outer layer of gelatin/chitosan/epigallocatechin gallate nanoparticles incorporated in a poly(γ-glutamic acid)/gelatin hydrogel was designed to prevent inflammation and facilitate reepithelialization. An in vitro study demonstrated that the dressing effectively inhibited target microorganisms, and scanning electron microscope and confocal laser scanning microscope indicated that the nanoparticles were homogeneously dispersed and migrated into the hydrogel. The in vivo study reported that the sandwiched dressing, comprising the poly(γ-glutamic acid)/gelatin hydrogel, was easy to remove from the wound and facilitated wound tissue regeneration and accelerated healing process.

Establishment of a trimodality analytical platform for tracing, imaging and quantification of gold nanoparticles in animals by radiotracer techniques.

This study aims to establish a (198)Au-radiotracer technique for in vivo tracing, rapid quantification, and ex vivo visualization of PEGylated gold nanoparticles (GNPs) in animals, organs and tissue dissections. The advantages of GNPs lie in its superior optical property, biocompatibility and versatile conjugation chemistry, which are promising to develop diagnostic probes and drug delivery systems. (198)Au is used as a radiotracer because it simultaneously emits beta and gamma radiations with proper energy and half-life; therefore, (198)Au can be used for bioanalytical purposes. The (198)Au-tagged radioactive gold nanoparticles ((198)Au-GNPs) were prepared simply by irradiating the GNPs in a nuclear reactor through the (197)Au(n,γ)(198)Au reaction and subsequently the (198)Au-GNPs were subjected to surface modification with polyethylene glycol to form PEGylated (198)Au-GNPs. The (198)Au-GNPs retained physicochemical properties that were the same as those of GNP before neutron irradiation. Pharmacokinetic and biodisposition studies were performed by intravenously injecting three types of (198)Au-GNPs with or without PEGylation into mice; the γ radiation in blood specimens and dissected organs was then measured. The (198)Au-radiotracer technique enables rapid quantification freed from tedious sample preparation and shows more than 95% recovery of injected GNPs. Clinical gamma scintigraphy was proved feasible to explore spatial- and temporal-resolved biodisposition of (198)Au-GNPs in living animals. Moreover, autoradiography, which recorded beta particles from (198)Au, enabled visualizing the heterogeneous biodisposition of (198)Au-GNPs in different microenvironments and tissues. In this study, the (198)Au-radiotracer technique facilitated creating a trimodality analytical platform for tracing, quantifying and imaging GNPs in animals.

Effect of dentin bonding agent diffusing through dentin slices on the reactive oxygen species production and apoptosis of pulpal cells.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Dentin bonding agents (DBAs) are cytotoxic to dental pulp cells. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of three DBAs (Optibond Solo Plus, Op; Clearfil SE Bond, SE; and Xeno III, Xe) after diffusion through 0.2-mm or 0.5-mm dentin slices on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and apoptosis in dental pulp cells. METHODS: The amounts of DBAs diffusing through 0.2-mm or 0.5-mm dentin slices were quantified using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The effects of diffused DBAs on ROS production and viability of dental pulp cells were investigated using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay on Days 1 and 2. Flow cytometric analysis and double staining of treated dental pulp cells with Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (V-FITC) and propidium iodide (PI) were performed on Day 2. RESULTS: Xe showed greatest diffusion through dentin slices after 8-hour period, followed by SE and Op. Dental pulp cells produced a lesser amount of ROS, when treated with DBAs diffusing through a 0.5-mm dentin slice than through a 0.2-mm dentin slice for the same period of time. A small proportion of cells were TUNEL-positive after treatment with any of the three diffused DBAs. Annexin V-FITC/PI staining identified apoptotic cells; cell survival was higher in those cells treated with DBAs diffusing through a 0.5-mm dentin slice than through a 0.2-mm dentin slice. CONCLUSION: The three DBAs after diffusion through 0.2- or 0.5-mm dentin slice still exhibit cytotoxicity to dental pulp cells. However, the 0.5-mm dentin slice is found to be a better barrier than the 0.2-mm dentin slice to protect dental pulp cells from DBA-induced cytotoxicity.

Targeted paclitaxel delivery to tumors using cleavable PEG-conjugated solid lipid nanoparticles.

PURPOSE: To develop a tumor-targeted drug delivery system based on solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) conjugated with the enzymatically cleavable polyethylene glycol (PEG). METHODS: SLNs loaded with paclitaxel (PTX) were prepared using the film ultrasonication method, followed by conjugation with a PEGylated peptide (Pp) that can specifically interact with matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that is over-expressed by tumor cells. The physicochemical characteristics of the Pp-PTX-SLNs were studied and the in vitro drug release, cytotoxicity and cell uptake of the formulations were investigated. Furthermore, using an animal model, the pharmacokinetic properties, biodistribution and anti-tumor activity of this system were evaluated. RESULTS: The resulting Pp-PTX-SLNs penetrated through tumor cells via facilitated uptake mediated by MMPs. The uncleavable Pp'-PTX-SLNs showed a lower cell uptake efficiency, compared with the Pp-PTX-SLNs. In a tumor-bearing mice model, Pp-PTX-SLNs accumulated to a greater extent at the tumor location, persisted longer in blood circulation, and showed lower toxicity than did PTX-SLNs or Taxol®. Most importantly, the mice treated with Pp-PTX-SLNs survived longer than the groups treated with Pp'-PTX-SLNs, PTX-SLNs or Taxol®. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that Pp-PTX-SLNs hold promise as a new strategy for paclitaxel chemotherapy, and that Pp-SLNs can be a useful nanocarrier for other chemotherapeutic drugs.

Conjugation of diisocyanate side chains to dimethacrylate reduces polymerization shrinkage and increases the hardness of composite resins.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Polymerization shrinkage is one of the main causes of dental restoration failure. This study tried to conjugate two diisocyanate side chains to dimethacrylate resins in order to reduce polymerization shrinkage and increase the hardness of composite resins. METHODS: Diisocyanate, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and bisphenol A dimethacrylate were reacted in different ratios to form urethane-modified new resin matrices, and then mixed with 50 wt.% silica fillers. The viscosities of matrices, polymerization shrinkage, surface hardness, and degrees of conversion of experimental composite resins were then evaluated and compared with a non-modified control group. RESULTS: The viscosities of resin matrices increased with increasing diisocyanate side chain density. Polymerization shrinkage and degree of conversion, however, decreased with increasing diisocyanate side chain density. The surface hardness of all diisocyanate-modified groups was equal to or significantly higher than that of the control group. CONCLUSION: Conjugation of diisocyanate side chains to dimethacrylate represents an effective means of reducing polymerization shrinkage and increasing the surface hardness of dental composite resins.

Biocompatibility and cytotoxicity of two novel low-shrinkage dental resin matrices.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: To reduce the polymerization shrinkage of dental composite resin, we used two different ratios of toluene 2,4-diisocyanate (TDI) or 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) as functional side chains of bisphenol A-glycidyl methacrylate (bis-GMA) to synthesize two series of new dental resin matrices. This study evaluated the biocompatibility and cytotoxicity of these two series of new resin matrices. METHODS: Two series of new dental resin matrices with the ratios of TDI or HDI functional side chain to bis-GMA (defined as B group) being 1:4, 1:2, 1:1 and 3:2 (defined as T1/4, T1/2, T1, T3/2, and H1/4, H1/2, H1, H3/2 groups, respectively) were synthesized. Each resin sample was light cured and immersed in the culture medium for 24 hours to make the extract solution. Then, human gingival fibroblasts were cultured in different extract solutions for 72 hours. The cytotoxicities of different resins were evaluated by microtitertetrazolium (MTT) assay, the levels of cell-produced reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by different extract solutions was measured. RESULTS: Resins of the T1/4 and B groups revealed significantly higher cytotoxicity than resins of other groups. However, resins of the T1 and T3/2 groups exhibited less cytotoxicity. In general, resins of the TDI-modified groups showed equal or less cytotoxicity and induced equal or lower levels of ROS than the corresponding resins of the HDI-modified and B groups. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that the TDI-modified resin matrices containing more functional side chains were less cytotoxic than the corresponding HDI-modified resin matrices. When the ratio of functional side chain to bis-GMA is increased, the stereo hindrance of resin structure is increased, more toxic resin monomers are trapped in the complicated resin structure, and thus the resin matrix reveals less cytotoxicity. The TDI-modified resin matrices exhibit higher stereo hindrance of resin structure and thus show less cytotoxicity than the corresponding HDI-modified resin matrices.

Microbiota-mediated metabolic perturbations in the gut and brain of mice after microplastic exposure.

Microplastics (MPs), emerging environmental toxicants, have drawn attention because of their wide distribution in the environment. Exposure to MPs induces gut microbiota dysbiosis, intestinal barrier dysfunction, metabolic perturbations, and neurotoxicity in different rodents. However, the relationship between MPs, gut microbiota, and the metabolome of the gut and brain in mice remains unclear. In this study, female C57BL/6 mice were orally gavaged with vehicle, 200 nm MP, and 800 nm MP three times per week for four weeks. Cecal contents were collected for gut microbiota analysis using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Intestinal and brain tissues from mice were used to determine metabolic profiles using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The results showed that MP altered microbiota composition, accompanied by metabolic perturbations in the mouse gut and brain. Specifically, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were suggested to be important phyla for MP exposure, partially dominating further metabolite alterations. Simultaneously, MP-induced metabolic profiles were associated with energy homeostasis and bile acid, nucleotide, and carnitine metabolic pathways. The results of the mediation analysis further revealed an MP-microbiota-metabolite relationship. Our results indicate that MPs can induce gut dysbiosis and disturb metabolic dysfunction in the mouse brain and/or intestine. Integrative omics approaches have the potential to monitor MP-induced molecular responses in various organs and systematically elucidate the complex mechanisms of human health effects.

Folate-mediated magnetic and pH/GSH dual-responsive metal-polymer-coordinated nanocomplexes for joint chemo/chemodynamic anti-breast cancer therapy.

It is of great significance to develop a drug carrier that effectively targets chemotherapeutic drugs to the tumor site, improves therapeutic efficacy and reduces side effects associated with high-dose medicines. In the present study, an intelligent drug carrier system, FA-ß-CD/DOX@Cu2+@GA@Fe3O4, was synthesized by skillfully introducing metal ions as a bridge base. The performance of the prepared FA-ß-CD@Cu2+@GA@Fe3O4 metal-polymer-coordinated nanocomplexes were determined by UV-visible spectroscopy, NMR, FT-IR, XPS, VSM, DLS, and TEM analysis. The data showed that these nanocomplexes had good pH/GSH-responsive drug release behavior, and enabled enhanced magnetic and folic acid-mediated tumor cell targeting. Moreover, the toxicity effects of the FA-ß-CD/DOX@Cu2+@GA@Fe3O4 on 3T3 cells and 4T1 cells were measured by the MTT method, and it was found that it displayed low cytotoxicity against 3T3 cells and had a stronger effect on killing 4T1 cells than DOX alone. The results also showed that the Cu2+-based coordination polymers had a significant ability to deplete GSH and generate ROS. It could be concluded that the introduction of Cu2+ not only facilitated the assembly of nanocomplexes, but also successfully enhanced the anti-tumor effect, making FA-ß-CD@Cu2+@GA@Fe3O4 a potential nanoplatform for effectively mediating combined chemotherapy and chemokinetic therapy for tumors. All these characteristics verified the great potential of FA-ß-CD/DOX@Cu2+@GA@Fe3O4 in multipurpose smart drug delivery systems, accelerating the application range of metal-polymer-coordinated nanocomplexes in biomedical fields.

An intelligent drug carrier system FA-ß-CD/DOX@Cu²⁺@GA@Fe₃O₄ was synthesized by skillfully introducing metal ions as bridge base.Magnetic and receptor-targeting delivery of doxorubicin.It can induce the specific release of therapeutic agents through pH/GSH stimulation.Achieving an efficient tumor-specific chemotherapy/CDT therapy.

A human VEGF magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer for drug-free anti-angiogenesis and photothermal therapy of tumors.

A magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer was developed with an epitope peptide of human VEGF as a template via an epitope blotting technique. As a drug-free agent, the nanoparticles can significantly suppress the proliferation of tumor cells by integrating anti-angiogenesis and photothermotherapy. This work provides a successful example of the design of multimodal antineoplastic drugs.