A Light-Activated Microheater for the Remote Control of Enzymatic Catalysis.

The remote control of enzymatic catalysis is of significant importance in disease treatment and industrial applications. Herein, we designed a microheater composed of a porous polylactic acid (PLA) matrix and polydopamine (PDA) with notable photothermal conversion capability. Starch hydrolysis, catalyzed by using α-amylase, was accelerated in the presence of the microheater under illumination with near-infrared light or natural sunlight at room temperature. Additionally, the methodology was extended to the preparation of microwave-absorbing materials with the deposition of polyaniline on porous PLA matrix. The porous morphology improves the energy-conversion efficiency.

One-pot fabrication of a polydopamine-based nanoplatform for GSH triggered trimodal ROS-amplification for cancer therapy.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) based nanoplatforms have been considered as attractive and feasible candidates for cancer therapy. However, the activated endogenous antioxidant defense of cancer cells in response to the ROS attack greatly hinders their therapeutic efficacy. Although cancer-specific ROS amplification strategies have been widely explored, most of them suffer from tedious synthesis procedures and complex components, which will bring about undesired side effects and unsatisfactory results. Herein, we design a cancer-specific oxidative stress amplification nanomedicine (CA-Cu-PDA), which is simply fabricated through integrating the glutathione (GSH) responsive/depleting nanocarrier of copper-polydopamine (Cu-PDA) nanoparticles with a ROS-generating drug cinnamaldehyde (CA) via a facile one-pot polymerization route. It is verified that GSH could trigger the breakage of CA-Cu-PDA networks and the subsequent release of both copper ions and CA in cancer cells. The released copper ions efficiently oxidize GSH, thereby weakening the antioxidant system of cancer cells and increasing the ROS levels. On the other hand, extra ROS are generated by the reduced copper ions through a Fenton reaction, so that a synergistic ROS therapy with CA is achieved. Consequently, oxidative stress is specifically increased within cancer cells, leading to efficient cancer cell apoptosis, significant tumor suppression and minimized side effects. Such an ingenious structure realizes the interlocking cooperation and full utilization of each component's function, presenting promising perspectives for nanomedicine design.

Exposure to polydopamine nanoparticles induces neurotoxicity in the developing zebrafish.

Currently, the potential applications of polydopamine (PDA) nanoparticles in the biomedical field are being extensively studied, such as cell internalization, biocompatible surface modification, biological imaging, nano-drug delivery, cancer diagnosis, and treatment. However, the subsequent toxicological response to PDA nanoparticles, especially on nervous system damage was still largely unknown. In this regard, the evaluation of the neurotoxicity of PDA nanoparticles was performed in the developing zebrafish larvae. Results of the transmission electron microscope (TEM), diameter analysis, 1H NMR, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicated that PDA nanoparticles had high stability without any depolymerization; the maximum non-lethal dose (MNLD) and LD10 of PDA nanoparticles for zebrafish were determined to be 0.5 mg/mL and 4 mg/mL. Pericardial edema and uninflated swim bladders were observed in zebrafish larvae after exposure to PDA nanoparticles. At a concentration higher than MNLD, the fluorescence images manifested that the PDA nanoparticles could inhibit the axonal growth of peripheral motor neurons in zebrafish, which might affect the movement distances and speed, disturb the movement trace, finally resulting in impaired motor function. However, in further investigating the mechanism of PDA nanoparticles-induced neurotoxicity in zebrafish larvae, we did not find apoptosis of central neurocytes. Our data suggested that PDA nanoparticles might trigger neurotoxicity in zebrafish, which could provide an essential clue for the safety assessment of PDA nanoparticles.

Surface engineering of carbon selenide nanofilms on carbon cloth: An advanced and ultrasensitive self-supporting binder-free electrode for nitrite sensing.

Large uptakes of nitrite have been proven to be detrimental to human health, therefore, the development of high-performance nitrite sensors is highly emergent. Herein, a carbon selenide nanofilms modified carbon fiber cloth (CSe2 NF/CC) electrode was obtained via in-situ synthesis to detect nitrite. The electrode integrates the collective merits of macroporous CC and pleated carbon selenide nanofilms, possessing a low overpotential of 0.83 V, a high electrochemical active surface area (EASA) of 5.39 cm2, great electrical conductivity, and fast charge transport as well as ion diffusion. The proposed electrode achieved a low limit of detection of 0.04 µmol L-1 (S/N = 3), a high sensitivity of 2048.56 µA mmol L-1 cm-2, excellent selectivity, and long-term stability. Additionally, the CSe2 NF/CC was successfully used for nitrite detection in different food samples such as pickled vegetables and sausage samples.

RhB-encapsulating silica nanoparticles modified with PEG impact the vascular endothelial function in endothelial cells and zebrafish model.

Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) have been widely used in human health related products, such as food additives, cosmetics and even drug delivery, gene therapy or bioimaging. Recently, a first-in-human clinical trial based on polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified SiNPs had been approved by US FDA to trace melanoma. However, as a nano-based drug delivery system, its biocompatibility and vascular toxicity are still largely unknown. Thus, we synthesized the fluorescent SiNPs to explore the biocompatibility and vascular endothelial function, and compare different biological effects caused by PEG-modified and unmodified SiNPs in cells and zebrafish model. The characterizations of SiNPs and PEG-modified SiNPs were analyzed by TEM, SEM, AFM and DLS, which exhibited relatively good stable and dispersive. Compared with SiNPs, PEG-modified SiNPs had markedly reduced the inflammatory response and vascular damage in Tg (fli-1: EGFP) and Tg (mpo: GFP) transgenic zebrafish lines, respectively. Consistent with the in vivo results, the PEG-modified SiNPs had been found to significantly decline the levels of ROS, inflammatory cytokines and mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis in vascular endothelial cells compared to SiNPs, and the ROS scavenger NAC could effectively alleviate the above adverse effects induced by nanoparticles. Our results suggested that the PEG-modified SiNPs could become more safety via increasing the biocompatibility and decreasing cellular toxicities in living organisms.

The dynamic process of atmospheric water sorption in [EMIM][Ac] and mixtures of [EMIM][Ac] with biopolymers and CO2 capture in these systems.

There are mainly three findings related to the dynamic process of atmospheric water sorption in the ionic liquid (IL) 1-ethyl-3-methlyl-imidazolium acetate ([EMIM][Ac]) and its mixtures with biopolymers (i.e., cellulose, chitin, and chitosan), and CO2 capture in these systems above. The analytical methods mainly include gravimetric hygroscopicity measurement and in situ infrared spectroscopy with the techniques of difference, derivative, deconvoluted attenuated total reflectance and two-dimensional correlation. These three findings are listed as below. (1) Pure [EMIM][Ac] only shows a two-regime pattern, while all the mixtures of [EMIM][Ac] with biopolymers (i.e., cellulose, chitin, and chitosan) present a three-regime tendency for the dynamic process of atmospheric water sorption. Specifically, the IL/chitosan mixture has a clear three-regime mode; the [EMIM][Ac]/chitin mixture has an unclear indiscernible regime 3; and the [EMIM][Ac]/cellulose mixture shows an indiscernible regime 2. (2) [EMIM][Ac] and its mixtures with biopolymers could physically absorb a trace amount of and chemically react with a much larger amount of CO2 from the air. The chemisorption capacity of CO2 in these pure and mixed systems is ordered as chitosan/[EMIM][Ac] mixture > chitin/[EMIM][Ac] mixture > cellulose/[EMIM][Ac] mixture > pure [EMIM][Ac] (ca. 0.09 mass ratio % g/g CO2/IL). (3) The CO2 solubility in [EMIM][Ac] decreases about 50% after being exposed to the atmospheric moist air for some specific time period.

Synthesis of core-shell coordination polymer nanoparticles (CPNs) for pH-responsive controlled drug release.

Four types of physiologically unstable anticancer "drug-metal" CPNs were "shelled" with pH-responsive "ligand-metal" CPs, which gives rise to a significant release of drug molecules under designated pH conditions and exhibited a higher cytotoxicity against HeLa cells than core CPNs and free drug.

Coordination polymer coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles for pH-responsive drug release.

Coordination polymer coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles for drug delivery are successfully synthesized. The system ensures that drugs are stored in the mesopores under a physiological environment. Upon H(+) stimulus in the endosomal and lysosomal compartments, the drugs are released into the intracellular organelles of cancer cells, effectively killing the cells.

Preferential adsorption of extracellular polymeric substances from bacteria on clay minerals and iron oxide.

The adsorption of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) from Bacillus subtilis on montmorillonite, kaolinite and goethite was investigated as a function of pH and ionic strength using batch studies coupled with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The adsorption isotherms of EPS on minerals conformed to the Langmuir equation. The amount of EPS-C and -N adsorbed followed the sequence of montmorillonite>goethite>kaolinite. However, EPS-P adsorption was in the order of goethite>montmorillonite>kaolinite. A marked decrease in the mass fraction of EPS adsorption on minerals was observed with the increase of final pH from 3.1 to 8.3. Calcium ion was more efficient than sodium ion in promoting EPS adsorption on minerals. At various pH values and ionic strength, the mass fraction of EPS-N was higher than those of EPS-C and -P on montmorillonite and kaolinite, while the mass fraction of EPS-P was the highest on goethite. These results suggest that proteinaceous constituents were adsorbed preferentially on montmorillonite and kaolinite, and phosphorylated macromolecules were absorbed preferentially on goethite. Adsorption of EPS on clay minerals resulted in obvious shifts of infrared absorption bands of adsorbed water molecules, showing the importance of hydrogen bonding in EPS adsorption. The highest K values in equilibrium adsorption and FTIR are consistent with ligand exchange of EPS phosphate groups for goethite surface. The information obtained is of fundamental significance for understanding interfacial reactions between microorganisms and minerals.