Fangyukangsuan granules ameliorate hyperuricemia and modulate gut microbiota in rats.

Hyperuricaemia (HUA) is a metabolic disorder characterised by high blood uric acid (UA) levels; moreover, HUA severity is closely related to the gut microbiota. HUA is also a risk factor for renal damage, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidaemia; however, current treatments are associated with detrimental side effects. Alternatively, Fangyukangsuan granules are a natural product with UA-reducing properties. To examine their efficacy in HUA, the binding of small molecules in Fangyukangsuan granules to xanthine oxidase (XOD), a key factor in UA metabolism, was investigated via molecular simulation, and the effects of oral Fangyukangsuan granule administration on serum biochemical indices and intestinal microorganisms in HUA-model rats were examined. Overall, 24 small molecules in Fangyukangsuan granules could bind to XOD. Serum UA, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and XOD levels were decreased in rats treated with Fangyukangsuan granules compared to those in untreated HUA-model rats. Moreover, Fangyukangsuan granules restored the intestinal microbial structure in HUA-model rats. Functional analysis of the gut microbiota revealed decreased amino acid biosynthesis and increased fermentation of pyruvate into short-chain fatty acids in Fangyukangsuan granule-treated rats. Together, these findings demonstrate that Fangyukangsuan granules have anti-hyperuricaemic and regulatory effects on the gut microbiota and may be a therapeutic candidate for HUA.

Enhanced Activity of Enzyme Immobilized on Hydrophobic ZIF-8 Modified by Ni2+ Ions.

The development of efficient enzyme immobilization to promote their recyclability and activity is highly desirable. Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) has been proved to be an effective platform for enzyme immobilization due to its easy preparation and biocompatibility. However, the intrinsic hydrophobic characteristic hinders its further development in this filed. Herein, a facile synthesis approach was developed to immobilize pepsin (PEP) on the ZIF-8 carrier by using Ni2+ ions as anchor (ZIF-8@PEP-Ni). By contrast, the direct coating of PEP on the surface of ZIF-8 (ZIF-8@PEP) generated significant conformational changes. Electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) was employed to study the catalytic activity of immobilized PEP. The ZIF-8@PEP-Ni composite attains remarkable OER performance with an ultralow overpotential of only 127 mV at 10 mA cm-2 , which is much lower than the 690 and 919 mV overpotential values of ZIF-8@PEP and PEP, respectively.

Green-/NIR-light-controlled rapid photochromism featuring reversible thermally activated delayed fluorescence and photoelectronic switching.

Fluorescent dithienylethene-based photochromic materials have been attracting considerable attention owing to their wide applications in biological and materials sciences. However, the limitations of detrimental UV irradiation for photocyclization, short emission lifetime, and inefficient photoresponsive speed still need to be addressed. Herein, a novel dithienylethene photochromic molecule, BFBDTE, has been prepared by the incorporation of a difluoroboron ß-diketonate (BF2bdk) unit. The strong electron acceptor BF2bdk not only reduces the energy gap of the open isomer, ensuring visible light-controlled fluorescence switching, but also promotes intersystem crossing for the generation of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF). Upon alternating irradiation with green and NIR light, BFBDTE presents a rare example of photochromism, fluorescence and TADF switching in various polar solvents and a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) film. Meanwhile, it shows rapid and well repeatable cyclization (12 s) and cycloreversion reactions (20 s) in PMMA, accompanied by fast TADF switching within 11 s. Furthermore, photo-electrochemical measurements reveal a remarkable on-off photoelectronic response (photocurrent density ratio: I light/I dark = 684) between the open- and closed-form of BFBDTE. These remarkable merits make BFBDTE promising for photoswitchable molecular devices, optical memory storage systems, NIR detectors, and photoelectric switching.

Acridine based metal-organic framework host-guest featuring efficient photoelectrochemical-type photodetector and white LED.

A novel metal-organic framework (MOF) host-guest material [Cd3(EtOIPA)4(HAD)2]·H2O has been successfully synthesized by the reaction of 5-ethoxyisophthalic acid (EtOIPA), acridine (AD) and Cd(II) salts under hydrothermal conditions. Structurally, the title MOF possesses a trinucleate Cd(II) based 2D double-layer with the protonated AD cations as the template encapsulated into the grids. The combination of experiments and theoretical calculations reveals that the orderly arrangement of EtOIPA dimers, protonated AD cations and trinucleate Cd(II) clusters generates highly delocalized π-electron channels with a prolonged exciton lifetime. The MOF powders show bright yellow emission with a long lifetime of 50.63 ns. Photoelectrochemical measurements reveal a high photocurrent density ratio of 290 between light and dark conditions at 0 V bias potential, making it a perfect self-driven photodetector. By coating the yellow phosphor on a commercially available blue LED, a high performance white LED with CIE, CCT and CRI values of (0.325, 0.336), 88.2 and 5844 K, respectively can be obtained.

Red room temperature phosphorescence of lead halide based coordination polymer showing efficient angle-dependent polarized emission and photoelectric performance.

The development of organic-inorganic hybrid materials with long-lived room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) has attracted tremendous attention owing to their promising applications in the optoelectronic and anti-counterfeiting fields. In this work, by the selection of lead halide and electron-poor heteroaromatic molecule 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), a coordination polymer [Pb(phen)Cl2] has been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. This complex shows an alternating arrangement of a long-range order of phen π-conjugated systems and lead halide inorganic chains as revealed by X-ray single-crystal structural analysis. This structural character and special chemical components endow this hybrid material with a rare example of red room temperature phosphorescence. Its electronic structure and electronic transition behavior were further examined by theoretical calculations. Meanwhile, the film of the complex features remarkable angle-dependent polarized emission and photoelectric performance.

An anthracene based metal-organic framework showing efficient angle-dependent polarized emission, luminescence thermometry, and photoelectronic response.

The development of luminescent metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has attracted extensive attention due to their applications in photoelectric devices, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), anti-counterfeiting, biological imaging and so on. In this work, a novel anthracene based metal-organic framework, [Cd(DCPA)(DMF)]·(H2O) (1) (H2DCPA = 9,10-di(p-carboxyphenyl)anthracene), has been successfully synthesized under solvothermal conditions. The highly ordered arrangement and special spatial conformation of the anthracene chromophore play a significant role in the photophysical properties of 1. The combination of theoretical calculations and experiments shows that the molecular orbitals have good separation for inhibiting the recombination of electrons and holes. Furthermore, the fluorescence emission of 1 can be instantaneously and reversibly tuned between blue and green at different polarizing angles. Temperature-dependent fluorescence measurements indicate a good linear relationship between the maximum emission intensity/wavelength and the temperature for efficient thermochromism and luminescence thermometry. Photoelectric measurements reveal that 1 shows high performance of photocurrent generation under light illumination. Therefore, our research affords a new perspective to extend the application of luminescent MOFs in the fields of polarized emission, thermometry and photoelectronic response.

Room-Temperature Phosphorescent Co-Crystal Showing Direct White Light and Photo-Electric Conversion.

The development of molecular crystalline materials with efficient room-temperature phosphorescence has been obtained much attention due to their fascinating photophysical properties and potential applications in the fields of data storage, bioimaging and photodynamic therapy. Herein, a new co-crystal complex [(DCPA) (AD)2] (DCPA = 9,10-di (4-carboxyphenyl)anthracene; AD = acridine) has been synthesized by a facile solvothermal process. Crystal structure analysis reveals that the co-crystal possesses orderly and alternant arrangement of DCPA donors and AD acceptors at molecular level. Fixed by strong hydrogen bonds, the DCPA molecule displays seriously twisty spatial conformation. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show well separation of HOMO and LUMO for this co-crystal system, suggesting the efficient triplet excitons generation. Photoluminescence measurements show intensive cyan fluorescence (58.20 ns) and direct white phosphorescence (325 µs) emission at room-temperature. The transient current density-time curve reveals a typical switching electric response under the irradiation of simulated light, reveal that the [(DCPA) (AD)2] co-crystal has a high photoelectric response performance.

[Detection of the parameters for early atherosclerosis in patients with metabolic syndrome and periodontitis].

OBJECTIVE: To observe whether chronic periodontitis (CP) and metabolic syndrome (MS) have synergistic effect on atherosclerosis. METHODS: Fifty-nine patients with CP from dental clinic were enrolled in this study. According to the latest definition on MS, Twenty-six patients were diagnosed as MS by physicians. The periodontal status including plaque index, bleeding index, probing depth and attachment loss (AL) as well as missing teeth number were recorded by one periodentist. Intima-media thickness (IMT) and prevalence of atherosclerosis plaque of bilateral carotid common arteries and endothelial function (flow-mediated dilatation, FMD) were measured by high-frequency color Doppler. Carotid IMT and FMD were chosen to reflect the early vascular change in atherosclerosis. RESULTS: AL in MS group was significantly higher than that in non-MS group [(2.91±1.84) vs. (1.97±1.74) mm, P=0.03],IMT and prevalence of atherosclerotic plaque in carotid common arteries was higher in MS group than that in non-MS group, statistically significant on left side [left: IMT (1.00±0.45) vs. (0.80±0.26) mm, P=0.04, right: IMT (0.87±0.44) vs. (0.78±0.31) mm , P=0.23;left prevalence of atherosclerotic plaque 34.62% vs. 9.09%, P=0.02,right prevalence of atherosclerotic plaque 19.23% vs. 9.09%, P=0.26]. FMD was significantly lower in the MS group than in the control group [(7.67±5.06) vs. (11.82±7.00), P=0.02]. As general condition and CP aggravating (No/mild periodontitis plus non-MS group, Moderate/severe periodontitis plus non-MS group, No/mild periodontitis plus MS group, Moderate/severe periodontitis plus MS group), carotid IMT increasing but not significantly [left: (0.76±0.27) mm, (0.85±0.24) mm, (0.84±0.33) mm, (1.08±0.49) mm correspondingly, P=0.06; right: (0.67±0.18) mm, (0.89± 0.37) mm, (0.78±0.30) mm, (0.92±0.49) mm correspondingly, P=0.08] and FMD decreasing, almost reach the statistical significance [(13.12±6.57)%, (10.43 ±7.43)%, (9.22±5.43)%, (6.98±4.89)% correspondingly, P=0.05]. Multiple linear regression showed that after adjusting factors of gender and smoking, the patient age was significant impact factor on carotid IMT [odds ratio (OR)=0.016, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.01 to 0.02,P<0.01), after adjusting age, gender, smoking, MS (OR=-3.36, 95%CI-6.61 to-0.10,P=0.04) and severity of CP (OR=-2.67, 95%CI-4.70 to-0.62, P=0.01) were all significant impact factors on FMD. CONCLUSION: CP and MS may have synergistic effect on the progression of atherosclerosis.