Preparation of a Lanthanide-Titanium Oxo Cluster-Polymer Composite by CuI -Catalyzed Click Chemistry.

Incorporating metal clusters within the skeleton of the organic polymers through a click reaction cannot only effectively prepare cluster-polymer composites, but also effectively avoid the cluster aggregation. Herein, an azide-containing lanthanide-titanium oxo cluster of Eu8 Ti10 -N3 (Eu8 Ti10 -N3 =[Eu8 Ti10 (µ3 -O)14 (H2 O)4 (OAc)2 (tbba)30 (paza)4 (THF)2 ]⋅4 THF⋅8 H2 O (1), Htbba=4-tert-butylbenzoic acid, Hpaza=4-azidobenzoate, HOAc=acetic acid, THF=tetrahydrofuran) through an in situ solvothermal reaction of 4-azidobenzoic acid and 4-tert-butylbenzoic acid. Reaction of 1 with PEG (PEG=methoxypoly(ethyleneglycol)alkyne, 2000 g mol-1 ) through CuI -catalyzed click chemistry generates a lanthanide-polymer composite of Eu8 Ti10 -N3 @PEG (2). Investigation with IR, 1 H NMR and ICP-OES of 2 indicates that the structural integrity of 1 is maintained in 2. Study of the luminescent properties of 1 and 2 reveals that the quantum yield of 1 itself basically remains unchanged in 2. Significantly, the formation of 2 cannot only effectively prevent the cluster 1 from aggregation, but also greatly enhance its solubility and adhesion to the substrate. Owing to the solubility and adhesion of luminescent materials being the key to their practical application, present work is thus of great significance for the development of metal cluster-polymer composite luminescent materials.

Ligand-Dependent Luminescence Properties of Lanthanide-Titanium Oxo Clusters.

A series of lanthanide-titanium oxo clusters (LnTOCs), Ln2Ti8-Ac, Ln2Ti8-p-Toluic, and Ln2Ti8-Anthra (Ln = Eu and Tb), were prepared based on acetic acid (HAc), p-toluic acid (Hp-Toluic), and anthracene-9-carboxylic acid (HAnthra). Crystal structural analysis showed that these clusters possess the same metal topology framework, in which eight Ti4+ ions form a cube and two Ln3+ ions are located on the opposite faces of the cube. The luminescence investigation discovered that the Eu2Ti8-Ac displays the highest quantum yields with 15.6%, and the conjugation effect of ligand substituents can lower the triplet state energy of ligands, thus regulating the luminescence quantum yield of the Ln2Ti8 clusters. These results suggest that the triplet excited-state energy of the ligands should match well with the energy levels of Ln3+ to enhance the luminescence.

The Effect on the Luminescent Properties in Lanthanide-Titanium OXO Clusters.

Two lanthanide-titanium oxo clusters (LTOCs), formulated as [Eu3Ti3(µ3-O)2(µ3-OH)(CH3O)2(Ac)2(CH3OH)(tbba)12]·CH3OH (1) and [Eu6Ti8(µ3-O)13(µ2-OH)(µ3-OCH3)2(µ2-OCH3)2(H2O)(CH3OH)2(tbba)19]·Htbba·10H2O (2), were synthesized through the solvothermal reaction of 4-tert-butylbenzoate ligand, Eu(Ac)3·3H2O, and Ti(OiPr)4 in methanol. Single-crystal structural analysis reveals that 1 crystallized in the orthorhombic space group Pnn2, and 2 crystallized in the triclinic space group P1. Structurally, the core of 1 can be viewed as a coplanar unit of [Eu3Ti3(µ3-O)2(µ3-OH)]16+ formed through each µ3-O2- and µ3-OH- bridging one Ti4+ and two Eu3+ ions, while that of 2 can be viewed as two units of [Eu3Ti3(µ3-O)3(µ2-O)4(µ2-OCH3)2(CH3OH)]5+ and [Eu3Ti5(µ3-O)6(µ2-OH)(µ3-OCH3)2(H2O)(CH3OH)]14+ connected through four µ2-O units from the [Eu3Ti3(µ3-O)3(µ2-O)4(µ2-OCH3)2(CH3OH)]5+ unit to respectively coordinate two Eu3+ and two Ti4+ ions from the [Eu3Ti5(µ3-O)6(µ2-OH)(µ3-OCH3)2(H2O)(CH3OH)]14+ unit. Measurement of their luminescence properties shows that the luminescence lifetime and quantum yield are 1212 µs and 69.6% for 1 and 857 µs and 56.2% for 2. When F- was introduced into 1 in a molar ratio of F- to 1 of 1:3, its quantum yield was increased 1.3 times, and the lifetime increased from 1.2 to 1.4 ms. However, no obvious enhancement in the emission intensity was observed in 2; even the molar ratio of F- to 2 is in the range from 2 to 1/4. Investigation on the structures of 1 and 2 reveals that the luminescence lifetime and quantum yield in 1 is significantly larger than that in 2 are attributed to the vibration of the nonradiative O-H vibration groups in 1 being significantly smaller than that in 2.

High-Nuclearity Chiral 3 d-4 f Heterometallic Clusters Ln6Cu24 and Ln6Cu12.

Based on the anion template and chiral ligand inducting role, two series of high-nuclearity 3 d-4 f heterometallic clusters with formulas [NO3@Ln6Cu24(µ3-OH)30(µ2-OH)3(OAc)6( R/ S-L)12(H2O)24](NO3)14· x(H2O) (Ln = Dy, x = 30 for 1a( R-L) and 1b( S-L); Ln = Tb, x = 40 for 2a( R-L) and 2b( S-L)) and (Et3NH)4[Ln6Cu12(µ3-OH)14(µ2-Cl)6Cl12( R/ S-L)12]Cl2· x(H2O) (Ln = Dy, x = 28 for 3a( R-L) and 3b( S-L); Ln = Tb, x = 33 for 4a ( R-L) and 4b( S-L); HL = ( R/ S)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid), have been synthesized and characterized. Structural analysis reveals that the metal skeleton of compounds 1 and 2 display a Ln6Cu12 octahedral inner core encapsulated by six outer Cu2 units. In the Ln6Cu12 octahedron, 6 Ln3+ ions located at the six vertices and 12 inner Cu2+ ions located at the 12 edges of octahedron, and one NO3- locates in the center of the octahedron. The metal core of compounds 3 and 4 can be viewed as a Ln6 octahedron encapsulated by six Cu2 units. It is interesting that the different inorganic anions involved in the reaction result in the difference in the structures of 1 to 2 and 3 to 4. Circular dichroism spectra of 1-4 display obvious mirror symmetry effect at 600-800 nm of d-d transition of Cu2+, suggesting that the chirality transferred from chiral R- and S-ligand to Cu2+ ions in this system. Notably, the CD peak at the Cu2+ d-d transition position of Ln6Cu12 cluster is obviously blue-shifted compared with that of Ln6Cu24 due to the different coordinated environments of Cu2+. Magnetic studies indicate that 1a and 2a show weak ferromagnetic interactions, while 3a and 4a display antiferromagnetic interactions.

Sphingomyelin synthase 2 over-expression induces expression of aortic inflammatory biomarkers and decreases circulating EPCs in ApoE KO mice.

AIMS: This study sought to assess the effect of sphingomyelin synthase 2 (SMS2) over-expression on plaque component and endothelial dysfunction in atherosclerosis. MAIN METHODS: We generated recombinant adenovirus vectors containing human SMS2 cDNA (AdV-SMS2) or control gene GFP cDNA (AdV-GFP). Both AdVs were injected (i.v.) into ApoE KO mice to establish SMS2 over-expressing and control mice models, respectively. The mice were fed a high fat diet for 30 days. We then examined their plasma lipid levels, expression levels of aortic inflammatory biomarkers critical for the plaque's stability, and numbers of peripheral endothelial progenitor cells (EPC). KEY FINDINGS: Compared with the control mice, SMS2 over-expression had significantly (1) increased aortic matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), tissue factor (TF) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mRNA levels (1.9-fold, 2.2-fold, 2.6-fold and 3.2-fold, respectively, P<0.01) and protein levels (2.2-fold, 1.9-fold, 1.9-fold and 2.1-fold, respectively, P<0.01); (2) increased MMP-2, COX-2 in situ expression in aortic root (2.6-fold and 2.3-fold, respectively, P<0.01); (3) decreased aortic COX-1 mRNA levels (65%, P<0.01) and protein levels (64%, P<0.01); and (4) decreased CD34/KDR-positive cells (33%, P<0.01), circulating angiogenic cells (CACs) (50%, P<0.05), and colony forming units (CFUs) (40%, P<0.05) in circulation. SIGNIFICANCE: SMS2 over-expression was probably associated with increased expression of aortic inflammatory biomarkers, as well as decreased numbers of CD34/KDR-positive cells, CACs and CFUs in circulation. Therefore, SMS2 over-expression might correlate with endothelial dysfunction and aggravate atherosclerotic plaque instability in ApoE KO mice.

[MG-132 enhances MSCs survival and IL-10 secretion under hypoxia and serum deprivation condition].

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as attractive candidates for cellular therapies for heart and other organ-system disorders. However, a major dilemma in stem cell therapy for ischemic heart diseases is the low survival of transplanted cells in the ischemic and peri-infarcted region. In this study, MSCs were treated by hypoxia and serum deprivation (H/SD) to mimic the ischemic microenvironment of infarcted hearts where MSCs were transplanted. The effects of proteasome inhibitor MG-132 on H/SD-induced apoptosis and paracrine effects were investigated. Apoptosis of MSCs was detected by Annexin V-FITC flow cytometric analysis. Transcriptional levels of IL-1ß, TNF-α and IL-10 were examined by real-time PCR. The nuclear translocation of NF-κBp65 was assessed by immunocytochemical staining. Translational changes of IL-1ß and TNF-α were detected by Western blot. The secretion of IL-10 from MSCs was examined by ELISA assay. The results showed that MG-132 could effectively suppress H/SD-induced MSCs apoptosis. Furthermore, the induced IL-1ß and TNF-α transcription was also inhibited by MG-132 treatment, which may be due to the inhibition of NF-κBp65 nuclear translocation by MG-132. Importantly, MG-132 effectively enhanced H/SD-induced transcription and secretion of IL-10, which is an important paracrine factor from MSCs. Our findings suggest that pretreatment of MSCs by MG-132 before cell transplantation may be an effective strategy to improve cell survival and enhance paracrine effects of MSCs.

[Function and biological activities of the autotaxin-LPA axis].

Autotaxin (ATX), a member of nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase (NPP) family, is also named as phosphodiesterase Iα (PD-Iα) or NPP2. ATX is the unique member among the NPPs that can function as a lysophospholipase D (lysoPLD), converting lysophosphatidylcholine into lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). LPA acts on specific G-protein-coupled receptors to elicit a wide range of cellular response, including cell proliferation, cell migration and cell contraction, etc. As the major LPA-producing phospholipase, many ATX's features and functions are dependent on the production of LPA. ATX and LPA together form the ATX-LPA functional axis. The present review summarizes the current progress in function and biological activities of ATX-LPA axis.