All-Organic Superhydrophobic Coating Comprising Raspberry-Like Particles and Fluorinated Polyurethane Prepared via Thiol-Click Reaction.

Mechanically robust superhydrophobic coatings have been extensively reported using chemically susceptible inorganic fillers like slica, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide for constructing micro-nano structures. Organic particles are good candidates for improving chemical resistance, whereas the synthesis of organic particles with well-defined and stable micro-nano structures remains exclusive. Here, an all-organic, cross-linked superhydrophobic coating comprising raspberry-like fluorinated micro particles (RLFMP) and fluorinated polyurethane (FPU) is prepared via thiol-click reaction. Benefiting from the robust micro-nano structure of RLFMP and the excellent flexibility of FPU, the coating can maintain superhydrophobicity after severe alkali corrosion or mechanical damage, while the superhydrophobicity can be repaired readily by the fast recovery of micro-nano roughness and migration of branched fluoroalkyl chains to the coating surface. This design strategy is expected to provide a good application of thiol-click chemistry.

On-line monitoring of the dopamine-based molecular imprinting processes for protein templates with the assistance of a fluorescent indicator.

On-line monitoring of the dopamine (DA)-based molecular imprinting processes over Fe3O4@SiO2-NH2 nanoparticles (SiMNPs) is reported by using a real-time quantitative PCR machine. Taking advantages of the efficient fluorescence quenching capability of polydopamine (PDA) and its high binding affinity to rhodamine B (RhB), we performed molecular imprinting against different proteins with free dopamine as the functional monomer and RhB as a fluorescent indicator. Along with the template molecules, the fluorescent indicators were continuously encapsulated into the PDA layer formed on the surface of the SiMNPs, resulting in immediate quenching of the fluorescence, which can be conveniently monitored in real time. As proteins showed sequence-dependent influences on the oxidation of dopamine and subsequent self-assembly on the surface of the SiMNPs, the observed fluorescence signals clearly indicated the polymerization progress in the presence of the template proteins, allowing precise control of the reaction time for different templates at a given initial concentration. The optimum end point of the reaction was found to be when 90 ± 3% of the templates had been encapsulated into the polymer, which offered the highest imprinting factor and selectivity. We applied the approach to prepare a primary PDA-based surface imprinted polymer for a multifunctional protein apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease/redox effector factor 1 (APE1). After further introduction of 3-hydroxyphenylboronic acid to the interfaces between APE1 and PDA, the resultant molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP-II) enabled quantitative isolation APE1 from cell lysate samples. The developed approach will be useful for the quantitative preparation of PDA-based MIPs for precious template proteins with limited input quantity. It is also applicable for further study on the effects of different proteins or peptides on the PDA formation reactions.

Current Perspectives on Paclitaxel: Focus on Its Production, Delivery and Combination Therapy.

Paclitaxel is an anticancer drug first isolated from the bark of the Pacific yew tree. It has been widely used for the treatment of ovarian, breast, uterine and other cancers because of its low toxicity, high efficiency and broad-spectrum anticancer activity, and it is considered to be one of the most successful natural anticancer drugs available. Paclitaxel is a microtubule-targeting drug whose main molecular mechanism is to disrupt microtubule dynamics and induce mitotic arrest and cell death. Despite the many clinical successes of paclitaxel, the extraction of natural paclitaxel from Taxus species has proven to be environmentally unsustainable and economically unviable. As a result, researchers are constantly working to find innovative ways to meet society's need for this drug. Currently, many methods, including artificial cultivation, microbial fermentation, chemical synthesis, and tissue and cell culture, have been explored and developed to obtain paclitaxel. In addition, the poor water solubility of paclitaxel has led to significant limitations in its clinical application. Conventional paclitaxel formulations use Cremophor EL and ethanol to dissolve paclitaxel, which can lead to serious side effects. In recent decades, a series of new nanotechnology-based paclitaxel dosage forms have been developed, including albumin-bound paclitaxel, polymeric micellar paclitaxel, polymer-paclitaxel couples, and liposome-encapsulated paclitaxel. These nanoformulations can significantly reduce the toxicity of paclitaxel and greatly improve its anti-tumor efficiency. This paper reviews the development of the production, dosage form and combination therapy of paclitaxel in recent years and presents an outlook, with the aim of providing a theoretical basis and reference for further research on the production and application of paclitaxel in the future.

Molecularly Imprinted Polymers as Tools for Bioassays and Biotransformation.

In the past five years, significant progress has been made in preparation of various molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-based materials for applications in bioassays and biotransformation. This chapter reviews the important advances in these two fields. The first part mainly focuses on the development of various MIP-based bioassays that convert the rebinding of template to the imprinted cavities into measurable luminescent signals, including fluorescence, phosphorescence, Raman scattering, diffraction, and the like. In addition, MIP-based bioassays that are measured by surface plasmon resonance or quartz crystal microbalance are also discussed. In the following part, representative biotransformation reactions that make use of MIPs are summarized. In the last part of this chapter, some remaining challenges are briefly discussed for further development of the two fields.