Human ß-defensin-1 affects the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway and autophagy in colon cancer cells through long non-coding RNA TCONS_00014506.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer has a low 5-year survival rate and high mortality. Human ß-defensin-1 (hBD-1) may play an integral function in the innate immune system, contributing to the recognition and destruction of cancer cells. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the process of cell differentiation and growth. AIM: To investigate the effect of hBD-1 on the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway and autophagy in human colon cancer SW620 cells. METHODS: CCK8 assay was utilized for the detection of cell proliferation and determination of the optimal drug concentration. Colony formation assay was employed to assess the effect of hBD-1 on SW620 cell proliferation. Bioinformatics was used to screen potentially biologically significant lncRNAs related to the mTOR pathway. Additionally, p-mTOR (Ser2448), Beclin1, and LC3II/I expression levels in SW620 cells were assessed through Western blot analysis. RESULTS: hBD-1 inhibited the proliferative ability of SW620 cells, as evidenced by the reduction in the colony formation capacity of SW620 cells upon exposure to hBD-1. hBD-1 decreased the expression of p-mTOR (Ser2448) protein and increased the expression of Beclin1 and LC3II/I protein. Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis identified seven lncRNAs (2 upregulated and 5 downregulated) related to the mTOR pathway. The lncRNA TCONS_00014506 was ultimately selected. Following the inhibition of the lncRNA TCONS_00014506, exposure to hBD-1 inhibited p-mTOR (Ser2448) and promoted Beclin1 and LC3II/I protein expression. CONCLUSION: hBD-1 inhibits the mTOR pathway and promotes autophagy by upregulating the expression of the lncRNA TCONS_00014506 in SW620 cells.

Integration of transcriptomics and metabolomics reveals toxicological mechanisms of ZhuRiHeng drop pill in the 180-day repeated oral toxicity study.

Background: ZhuRiHeng Drop Pill (ZRH) is a traditional Mongolian medicinal preparation. Despite its long history of use for the treatment of coronary heart disease, there have been few toxicological studies of the safety profile of ZRH. Purpose: In order to comprehensively elucidate the underlying mechanisms behind the observed toxicity of ZRH on rat livers in the 180-day repeated oral toxicity study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis by integrating transcriptomic and metabolomic data. Methods: High-resolution mass spectrometry was conducted to evaluate the constituents of ZRH. For the acute oral toxicity study, mice were administered a dose of 32 g/(kg·d) of ZRH, while rats were instead orally administered 0.934, 1.868, or 3.736 g/(kg·d) of ZRH over a 180-day period in a 180-day repeated oral toxicity study. Conventional index and organ weights/histology were then monitored to detect any potential ZRH treatment-related toxicity. To identify key genes and metabolites involved in ZRH toxicological processes, we performed transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses of liver tissue upon ZRH treatment using RNA-seq techniques, qPCR and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses. Results: A total of 60 compounds in ZRH were identified and speculated in positive and negative ion modes. Mice in the acute toxicity study exhibited no signs of ZRH-related toxicity. In a protracted oral toxicity investigation spanning 180 days, discernible elevations in liver ratios were noted in both male and female rats across all three dose cohorts, relative to the control group (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). Upon subjecting to ZRH treatment, our transcriptomic and qPCR analyses unveiled notable upregulation of crucial genes, exemplified by Abcb1b and Cyp2b2, known for theirs involvement in liver drug transport and metabolism function. Furthermore, our untargeted metabolomic analysis provided supplementary insights, revealing significant regulation in pyrimidine metabolism, as well as alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism pathways. Conclusion: Our study unveils a panoramic understanding of the temporal, dosage-specific, and gene dimensions surrounding the metabolic and transcriptional shifts induced by ZRH exposure. As we peer into the future, recommendations emerge for further exploration, encompassing aspects such as time dynamics, dosage considerations, and gene-centric avenues to enhance therapeutic efficacy.

Study on the mechanism of biochar affecting the effectiveness of phosphate solubilizing bacteria.

Low phosphorus utilization and phosphorus fertilizer pollution are serious issues primarily affecting soil health. To investigate the effects of biochar on the growth, phosphorus solubilization, and metabolites of phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria (PSB), rice husk biochar (RH) and rice straw biochar (RS) were incubated with Bacillus megatherium (BM1) and Bacillus mucilaginosus (BM2), respectively. The highest phosphorus solubilization was observed in BM2 following the addition of RS. The dissolved amount of phosphorus was 244.99 mg/L, which was 43.86% higher than that of the control group. Hence, biochar can improve the phosphorus solubilization capacity of PSB by affecting the organic acid and polysaccharide contents, and phosphatase activity secreted by the PSB, as the porous structure and surface characteristics of biochar ensured the adsorption of PSB. This study can help improve the functional activity of PSB and provide basis for improving the utilization of soil phosphorus, which in turn, aid in the development of biochar-based microbial fertilizers.

Establishment of fingerprint and mechanism of anti-myocardial ischemic effect of Syringa pinnatifolia.

This study established the fingerprint of Syringa pinnatifolia Hemsl. (SP), analyzed the SP ingredients absorbed into the rats blood, and evaluated its anti-myocardial ischemic effect to provide a scientific basis for the follow-up development and research of SP and lay a foundation for its clinical application using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-Q Exactive-mass spectrometry and GC-MS. Myocardial infarction was induced in rat by ligating the left anterior descending branch of the rat coronary artery, and SP alcohol extract was administered to evaluate its anti-myocardial ischemic effect. We analyzed the SP ingredients absorbed into the rats blood, screened the active compounds, established a database of SP anti-myocardial ischemic targets, and explored the possible mechanism of SP in treating myocardial infarction using bioinformatics. The rats were examined using echocardiography, serum biomarkers were determined, and pathological changes were observed by histopathological examination. TUNEL staining was performed to detect the apoptotic level of cells, and Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction were performed to detect the expression levels of Bcl-2, Bax, and Caspase-3 in heart tissues. In the fingerprint of SP, 24 common peaks were established, and the similarity evaluation results of 10 batches of SP were all >0.9. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-Q Exactive-mass spectrometry and GC-MS detected 17 active ingredients in the drug-containing serum, including terpenoids, flavonoids, phenols, phenylpropanoids, and phenolic acids, the most abundant of which was resveratrol. Enrichment analysis of SP targets against myocardial ischemia revealed that key candidate targets of SP were significantly enriched in multiple pathways associated with apoptosis. Resveratrol was administered to the successfully modeled rats, and the results showed that the resveratrol group significantly decreased left ventricular end-diastolic diameter and left ventricular end-systolic diameter and significantly increased ejection fraction and fractional shortening in all groups compared with the model group. Resveratrol significantly decreased the levels of creatine kinase isoenzyme and lactate dehydrogenase in serum compared to the model group (P < 0.001). Hematoxylin-eosin staining of rat myocardial tissue showed that all lesions were reduced under microscopic observation in the resveratrol group compared with the model group. Real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot results showed that the resveratrol group downregulated the expression of the proapoptotic factor Bax, upregulated the expression of the antiapoptotic factor Bcl-2, and decreased the expression of Caspase-3. The established fingerprints are accurate, reliable, and reproducible and can be used as an effective method for quality control of the herbs. The anti-myocardial ischemia effect of SP is that resveratrol improves cardiac function and inhibits cardiomyocyte apoptosis to protect cardiomyocytes. The present study provides ample evidence for the clinical use of SP, suggesting that this drug has great potential in the treatment of ischemic heart disease.

Human α-defensin 5 suppressed colon cancer growth by targeting PI3K pathway.

Defensins are highly conserved antimicrobial peptides, which ubiquitously expressed in different species. In addition to the functions in host defense, their aberrant expression have also been documented in cancerous tissue including breast cancer, lung caner and renal carcinoma etc. Whereas, roles of Defensin Alpha 5 (DEFA5) in colon cancer has not been explored. Bioinformatic analysis was used to study the expression of DEFA5 and its correlation with clinical outcomes; Western blot, qPCR, Co-immunoprecipitation, xenograft models were used to the study the molecular mechanism. Decreased expression of DEFA5 at protein level was observed in colon tissues. Colon cancer cell lines proliferation and colony formation capacity were significantly suppressed by DEFA5 overexpression. Moreover, in vivo tumor growth in nude mice was also suppressed by DEFA5 overexpression, suggesting a tumor suppressor role of DEFA5 in colon cancer. Mechanistically, DEFA5 directly binds to the subunits of PI3K complex, thus attenuates the downstream signaling transduction, leads to delayed cell growth and metastasis. Collectively, we concluded that DEFA5 showed an inhibitory effect in colon cancer cell growth and may serve as a potential tumor suppressor in colon cancer.

Validation of efficacy and mechanism of Sanwei-Tanxiang powder in improving myocardial ischemia reperfusion injuries.

Sanwei-Tanxiang powder (SWTX), a traditional Mongolian and Tibetan medicine containing a cocktail of active molecules, relieves angina pectoris and improves recovery in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). The pharmacological effect of SWTX on CHD was analyzed at a systemic point of view in our previous studies. The bioinformatics prediction showed that the PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a pathway was one of important pathways of SWTX on treatment of coronary heart disease. Based on it, the aim of this study was to evaluate the benefits of SWTX in acute myocardial ischemic-reperfused (MIR) rat in vivo and H9c2 cardiomyoblast cells under oxidative stress induced by H2O2 in vitro, and further investigate the involvement of PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a pathway in these processes. Ex vivo, under physiological conditions, SWTX did not show any modification in the heart rate and contraction amplitude. However, against a MIR injury, SWTX pretreatment provided significant protection, including reduced ST-segment elevation, pathological changes and myocardial infarct size in vivo, meanwhile, some monomers of SWTX showed antioxidant capacity and inhibited cardiomyocytic apoptosis in vitro. The effect was correlated with the activation of the PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a signaling pathway downstream and the regulation of downstream pro-apoptotic Bim of FoxO3a experimental verified by qRT-PCR, Western blot and immunofluorescent assay. In vitro, blocking Akt and p-FoxO3a activation with the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 effectively suppressed the protective effects of several active monomers (including quercetin, macelignan,methyleugenol and Santol) of SWTX against H2O2-induced injury. Collectively, these results suggest that SWTX decreases I/R injury, and the PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a pathway takes part in protection during this process, gallogen (G3) and quercetin (G8) of GZ, methyleugenol (R2) and macelignan (R7) of RDK, santol (T1) of TX are responsible at least in part for SWTX's cardioprotection effect.

Systematic profiling of the effective ingredients and mechanism of Scabiosa comosa and S. tschilliensis against hepatic fibrosis combined with network pharmacology.

Scabiosa comosa and S. tschilliensis (SCST) are traditionally used for liver diseases in Mongolian medicine. However, their active ingredients and molecular mechanisms are unknown. The present study employed network pharmacology and experimental verification approaches to decipher the common pharmacological mechanisms of SCST on liver fibrosis, which is the key step in liver diseases. We predicted the targets of all available SCST ingredients with the SWISS and SuperPred servers and clustered the targets related to liver fibrosis from DrugBank, the OMIM database and the literature. We further evaluated the links between the herbal ingredients and pharmacological actions to explore the potential mechanism of action of SCST. We found that the PPARG signalling pathway could be regulated by SCST for liver fibrosis through enrichment analysis. The key targets included 8 co-targets, including HSP90AA1, PPARG, HSP90AB1, STAT1, etc., which play pivotal roles in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis. Additionally, the top 15 key compounds included flavonoids and phenylpropanoids. Central to the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis is trans-differentiation or activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Therefore, LX2 cells, an immortalized human HSC line, were studied. Here, a total 37 components were isolated and identified from the inflorescences of SCST, including the new compound tschilliensisin, and the first separated components, ß-sitosterol and luteolin, and these compounds were assessed against anti-hepatic fibrosis. An MTT assay and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting analyses demonstrated that the flavonoids of SCST revealed anti-hepatic fibrosis effects via anti-proliferation and increases in the Stat1, Pparg, Hsp90aa1 genes and STAT1 and PPARG proteins in LX-2 cells. In conclusion, these results indicate that SCST has multi-targeted and multi-component synergistic anti-hepatic fibrosis effects.

The Interventional Effects of Tubson-2 Decoction on Ovariectomized Rats as Determined by a Combination of Network Pharmacology and Metabolomics.

Post-menopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) is associated with estrogen deficiency and worldwide, is becoming increasingly more prevalent in aging women. Various anti-PMOP drugs have been developed to reduce the burden of PMOP; generally, these drugs are efficacious, but with some adverse side effects. Tubson-2 decoction (TBD), a popular traditional Mongolian medicine, has been used to treat PMOP for centuries. However, the precise mechanisms underlying the action of TBD on PMOP have yet to be fully elucidated. Herein, we combined network pharmacology with untargeted metabolomics to identify the key targets and metabolic pathways associated with the interventional effects of TBD on ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Furthermore, we investigated the bone histomorphometry of eight different groups of rats to evaluate the therapeutic effect of TBD. First, we established a TBD-target/PMOP network via network pharmacology; this network identified three key protein targets-vitamin D receptor (VDR), cytochrome P450 19A1 (CYP19A1), and 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (HSD11B1). Morphological analysis showed that severe impairment of the bone micro-architecture in OVX rats could be improved by TBD administration. The TBD-treated rats had a significantly lower bone surface-to-tissue volume (BS/TV) and a significantly smaller trabecular separation (Tb·Sp.) (P<0.05) than the OVX rats; in contrast, bone volume fraction (BVF), trabecular thickness (Tb·Th.), trabecular number (Tb·N.), and bone mineral density (BMD) were significantly higher in the TBD-treated rats (P<0.05). Multivariate and univariate analysis showed that OVX resulted in significant alterations in the concentrations of 105 metabolites and 11 metabolic pathways (P<0.05); in addition, 26 potential biomarkers were identified to investigate the progression of PMOP. Network pharmacology showed that major alterations in vitamin B6 metabolism were associated with the VDR target. Next, we validated the three crucial targets (VDR [P<0.01], HSD11B1 [P<0.01], and CYP19A1 [P<0.05]) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) and demonstrated that the levels of these targets were elevated in the OVX group but reduced in the TBD-treatment group. Collectively, our results suggest that the interventional effects of TBD on OVX rats are likely to be associated with the down regulation of VDR. Our findings enhance our molecular understanding of the interventional effects of TBD on PMOP and will allow us to develop further TBD studies.

Metabolomics profiling reveals Echinops latifolius Tausch improves the trabecular micro-architecture of ovariectomized rats mainly via intervening amino acids and glycerophospholipids metabolism.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Echinops latifolius Tausch (ELT) is traditional Mongolian medicine in China, and often used to against osteoporosis, strengthen tendons and bones, clear bones heat. AIM OF THE STUDY: To study efficacy of ELT on ovariectomized (OVX) rats and underly metabolic pathways related to trabecular micro-architecture changing of OVX. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three-month-old female Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 6) including normal group (without surgery), sham group (bilateral laparotomy), OVX group (bilateral ovariectomy), and ELT-treated groups (ELT-treated after bilateral ovariectomy). The effects of ELT on trabecular micro-architecture and biochemical markers of OVX rat were investigated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry machine and Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. Untargeted metabolomics strategy was applied to discover the potential biomarkers and related metabolic pathways involving the progression of OVX-induced osteoporosis. RESULTS: The trabecular micro-architecture and biochemical markers of OVX rats were improved by ELT. We found 36 potential biomarkers and 21 related metabolic pathways were involved in progression of OVX-induced osteoporosis. Amino acids metabolism and glycerophospholipids metabolism were mainly intervened in ELT treatment on ovariectomized rats. The disordered amino acids and glycerophospholipids metabolism closely related to the imbalance between bone resorption and formation were reversed by administration of ELT, indicating that the influences of ELT on OVX rats' trabecular micro-architecture may possible be associated with intervening amino acids and glycerophospholipids metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: This approach may provide the metabolomic perspective to link metabolic alterations and anti-osteoporosis action of ELT, to further explain how ELT works in postmenopausal patients with bone loss.

An unprecedented [{Fe5O5(OH)2(OAc)2}2{W2O2(OH)}] cluster sandwiched in the tetravacant tungstophosphate.

A novel tungstophosphate H12Na4K3[{Fe5O5(OH)2(OAc)2}2{W2-O2(OH)}{P2W14O54}2]·36H2O (1) containing an unprecedented [{Fe5O5(OH)2(OAc)2}2{W2O2(OH)}] unit has been successfully obtained and characterized by IR, TGA, magnetic susceptibility measurements and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. It shows a decameric FeIII molecular assembly formed through two {Fe5O23} subunits bridged by a {W2O3} motif.

Pyrazine dicarboxylate-bridged arsenotungstate: synthesis, characterization, and catalytic activities in epoxidation of olefins and oxidation of alcohols.

A praseodymium(iii)-containing arsenotungstate K16H15Li7[Pr2(H2O)3(pzdc)As3W29O103]2·38H2O (1) (pzdc = pyrazine-2,3-dicarboxylic acid) was synthesized by a conventional aqueous solution method and characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and single crystal X-ray diffraction. Structural analysis revealed that compound 1 was constructed by two identical subunits {Pr2(H2O)3(AsW9O33)3W2O4} bridged together by two pzdc ligands. In addition, compound 1 could act as an efficient catalyst for the epoxidation of olefins and oxidation of alcohols with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as the oxidant. In particular, the turnover frequency (TOF) in the oxidation of 1-phenylethanol reached up to 10 170 h-1, which is higher than that of previously reported catalysts.

Synthesis, characterization and catalytic epoxidation properties of a new tellurotungstate(iv)-supported rhenium carbonyl derivative.

A monomeric tellurotungstate(iv)-supported rhenium carbonyl derivative: Na2H2[(CH3)4N]6[Te2W20O70{Re(CO)3}2]·20H2O (1) has been successfully isolated and structurally characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction crystallography, IR and UV-Vis spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, etc. In particular, complex 1 could act as a efficient and reusable heterogeneous catalyst for selective epoxidation of various alkenes including different cycloalkenes, styrene derivatives, internal and long-chain alkenes. For example, cis-cyclooctene undergoes up to 98.2% conversion and >99% selectivity at 75 °C in acetonitrile with 30% H2O2 as an oxidant. Additionally, the electrocatalytic property of 1 for NO2- reduction was also investigated.

Understanding the Multitarget Pharmacological Mechanism of the Traditional Mongolian Common Herb Pair GuangZao-RouDouKou Acting on Coronary Heart Disease Based on a Bioinformatics Approach.

GuangZao and RouDouKou (Fructus Choerospondiatis and Nutmeg, FCN) are one of the most common herb pairs in traditional Mongolian medicine for the treatment of coronary heart disease (CHD). However, evidence for the protective effect of FCN is limited, and its underlying mechanism of action remains unclear. The present study employed a network pharmacology approach to identify the potentially active ingredients and synergistic effects of the herb pair FCN as traditional Mongolian medicine. We predicted the targets of all available FCN ingredients with PharmMapper, SWISS, and SuperPred Server and clustered CHD-related targets from the DrugBank and the OMIM database. We also evaluated the links between herbal ingredients and pharmacological actions to explore the potential mechanism of action of FCN. We found that FCN targets a network of CHD-related key processes, including stress responses, cell adhesion and connections, angiogenesis, cell apoptosis and necrosis, the endocrine system, inflammatory and immune responses, and other biological processes. To confirm the predicted results, we investigated the protective effect of FCN on isoproterenol- (ISO-) induced myocardial ischemia in rats. Pathological assessment indicated that FCN inhibits apoptosis and inflammatory responses involving the myocardium. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blotting analyses demonstrated the therapeutic effects of FCN on ISO-induced myocardial ischemia rats, possibly via regulating stress and inflammatory responses and inhibiting cardiomyocyte apoptosis. The findings of the present study indicate that bioinformatics combined with experimental verification provide a credible and objective method to elucidate the complex multitarget mechanism of action of FCN.

Facile CO2 Cycloaddition to Epoxides by Using a Tetracarbonyl Metal Selenotungstate Derivate [{Mn(CO)3}4(Se2W11O43)]8.

A novel polyoxometalate cluster, i.e., Na1.5H4.5[(CH3)4N]2{[Mn(CO)3]4(Se2W11O43)}·9H2O (1), has been successfully synthesized under moderately acidic conditions. Compound 1 contains four electron-donating {Mn(CO)3}+ organometallic entities, which are grafted over an unprecedented heteropolytungstate electron-acceptor group. Compound 1 was further structurally characterized by various physicochemical techniques like elemental analyses, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analyses, IR and UV-vis spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and so on. The polyoxoanion of 1 comprises a novel {Se2W11} fragment, which is obtained from molecular assembly of rare {SeW3} and {SeW8} species. Evaluation of the data from solution-state IR spectrum showed excellent agreement with the solid state IR spectrum, indicating the intact clusters in the CH3CN/Na2SO4 solvent. Also, negative electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was an alternative tool to verify the stability of 1 in the mixed solvent. Additionally, the resulting hybrid can act as a catalyst for cyclic carbonate formation from the reactants epoxides and CO2 under modest reaction conditions in conjunction with a 1-ethyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bromide (2). The good activity can be substantiated due to the cooperative influence of polyoxoanion and Br- ions. Complex 1 can also be easily recycled and reused three times without obvious decrease of catalytic activity.

Preparation, characterization, and catalytic performances of a pyrazine dicarboxylate-bridging rare-earth-containing polytungstoarsenate aggregate for selective oxidation of thiophenes and deep desulfurization of model fuels.

A new polytungstoarsenate, K6LiH6[Ce4(H2O)14(pzdc)(H2pzdc)As3W29O103]·22H2O (1) (H2pzdc = 2,3-pyrazinedicarboxylic acid), was synthesized via a conventional aqueous solution method. In this synthetic approach, the organic ligand pyrazine dicarboxylate acid was introduced into the arsenotungstate system. The synthesized compound 1 was well characterized using elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The catalytic activity of compound 1 was tested in acetonitrile to oxidize organosulfur compounds (benzothiophene (BT) and dibenzothiophene (DBT)) with hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant at room temperature. Two substrates were oxidized to their corresponding sulfones with high conversion and selectivity. Taking advantage of this remarkable catalytic move, the 1/H2O2/CH3CN system was further utilized in the oxidation of model fuels (MF) including a mixture of BT and DBT in octane. As a result, the organosulfur compounds in the model fuels were fully converted into their corresponding sulfones. Furthermore, the fluorescence properties of 1 were also investigated.

Synthesis and characterization of a Sb(v)-containing polyoxomolybdate serving as a catalyst for sulfoxidation.

A Sb-containing Anderson-based polyoxomolybdate cluster, [(CH3)4N]4H8[Na5Sb3(Sb2Mo12O57)]·17H2O [1; (CH3)4N+ = TMA+], has been successfully synthesized by using an aqueous solution method and structurally characterized. In particular, UV-Vis spectroscopy has been employed to elucidate the stability of the polyoxoanions. Under mild conditions, the catalyst demonstrates high activity and selectivity for the sulfoxidation of various sulfides in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. For example, thioanisole undergoes up to 100% conversion and 100% sulfone selectivity at 25 °C in aqueous solution.

A Crown-Shaped Ru-Substituted Arsenotungstate for Selective Oxidation of Sulfides with Hydrogen Peroxide.

An acetate-bridged Ru-substituted arsenotungstate [H2 N(CH3 )2 ]14 [As4 W40 O140 {Ru2 (CH3 COO)}2 ]⋅22 H2 O (1) has been synthesized and structurally characterized. Four Ru atoms occupy the respective lacunary S2 sites of the crown-shaped polyanion [As4 W40 O140 ]28- , and each Ru atom is coordinated by one As atom and five µ2 -O atoms, comprising four from the S2 site and one from the acetate ligand. To the best of our knowledge, this coordination of the Ru atom, with an Ru-As bond length of 2.377(3)-2.387(3) Å, is unprecedented in polyoxometalate (POM) chemistry. Notably, 1 exhibits high efficiency, excellent selectivity, and good recyclability for the oxidation of sulfides with hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ). Catalytic oxidation of various sulfides in the presence of 1 gives superior conversion and selectivity for sulfones in acetonitrile, whereas sulfoxides are obtained in methanol.

An isotetramolybdate-supported rhenium carbonyl derivative: synthesis, characterization, and use as a catalyst for sulfoxidation.

A novel isotetramolybdate-supported rhenium carbonyl derivative, [(CH3)4N]4[{Re(CO)3}4(Mo4O16)]·H2O (1), has been successfully synthesized and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction crystallography, IR and UV spectroscopy, etc. Results showed that, compound 1 is an efficient catalyst for the oxidation of thioanisole into the corresponding sulfoxide in the presence of hydrogen peroxide with good to excellent conversion (99%) and excellent selectivity (93%). Highly efficient oxygenation of thioanisole can also be achieved with 100% selectivity of sulfone and >99% conversion. Furthermore, optimized conditions were applied to a range of sulfides to obtain the corresponding sulfoxides and sulfones.

Synthesis, characterization and catalytic epoxidation properties of lanthanide-stabilized peroxoisopolytungstates.

A series of new lanthanide-containing peroxoisopolyoxotungstates, K6Na4[H32{Ln4(WO4)(H2O)16[W7O22(O2)2]4}3]·105H2O [Ln = CeIII (1), NdIII (2), SmIII (3), TbIII (4), ErIII (5)], have been successfully synthesized and structurally characterized. All polyanions [Ln(WO4)(H2O)16{W7O22(O2)2}4]14- are isostructural and consist of a central [Ln(WO4)(H2O)16]10+ cluster surrounded by four peripheral [W7O22(O2)2]6- units. They could act as efficient recyclable catalysts for the epoxidation of various alkenes including different cycloalkenes, styrene derivatives, internal and long-chain alkenes. Under optimal conditions, catalyst 2 displays the best catalytic activity for the oxidation of cyclooctene with high cyclooctene conversion (98.3%) and excellent selectivity (up to 99%) and could be reused for three cycles with a negligible decrease in reactivity.