Microwave-Enabled Fast Preparation of a Metal-Organic Framework Hybrid Membrane for Filtration-Enhanced Simultaneous Separation and Detection of Aflatoxin B1.

Mycotoxin contamination in food and the environment seriously harms human health. Sensitive and timely detection of mycotoxins is crucial. Here, we report a dual-functional hybrid membrane with absorptivity and responsiveness for fluorescent-quantitative detection of mycotoxin aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). A biomineralization-inspired and microwave-accelerated fabrication method was established to prepare a hybrid membrane with a metal-organic framework (MOF) loaded in high density. The MOF presented high efficiency in capturing AFB1 and showed fluorescence intensity alteration simultaneously, enabling a dual adsorption-response mode. Deriving from the inherent porous structure of the hybrid membrane and the absorptive/responsive ability of the loaded MOF, a filtration-enhanced detection mode was elaborated to provide a 1.67-fold signal increase compared with the conventional soaking method. Therefore, the hybrid membrane exhibited a rapid response time of 10 min and a low detection limit of 0.757 ng mL-1, superior to most analogues in rapidity and sensitivity. The hybrid membrane also presented superior specificity, reproducibility, and anti-interference ability and even performed well in extreme environments such as strong acid or alkaline, satisfying the practical requirements for facile and in-field detection. Therefore, the membrane had strong applicability in chicken feed samples, with a detection recovery between 70.6% and 101%. The hybrid membrane should have significant prospects in the rapid and in-field inspection of mycotoxins for agriculture and food.

Downregulation of CRKL expression can inhibit tumorigenesis in colon cancer.

CRKL, as a "switch" factor on several oncogenic pathways, plays vital roles in multiple cancers. However, little is known about CRKL in gastrointestinal cancers. Here, we showed that CRKL is involved in colon cancer, which is the most common form of cancer of the digestive system. Immunohistochemistry analysis showed that CRKL expression in colon tumor tissue is significantly higher than normal tissue and CRKL level is associated with tumor differentiation. Suppression of CRKL in colon cancer cells inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion, while induced apoptosis. Colon cancer cells xenografts in nude mice showed that CRKL promoted tumorigenesis. Our results suggest that CRKL has the ability to regulate colon cancer malignancy and CRKL has the potential to serve as a diagnosis and prognosis marker and a therapy target of colon cancer.