Peptide-functionalized therapeutic nanoplatform for treatment orthotopic triple negative breast cancer and bone metastasis.

Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) is a promising therapeutic target for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Recently, specific EGFR-targeting peptide GE11-based delivery nano-system shows excellent potential because of its chemical versatility and good targeting ability. However, no further research focusing on the downstream of EGFR after binding with GE11 was explored. Hence, we tailor-designed a self-assembled nanoplatform named GENP using amphiphilic molecule of stearic acid-modified GE11. After loading doxorubicin (DOX), the resulted nanoplatform GENP@DOX demonstrated high loading efficiency and sustainable drug release. Importantly, our findings proved that GENP alone significantly suppressed the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells via EGFR-downstream PI3K/AKT signaling pathways, contributing to the synergistic treatment with its DOX release. Further work illustrated remarkable therapeutic efficacy both in orthotopic TNBC and its bone metastasis models with minimal biotoxicity. Together, the results highlight that our GENP-functionalized nanoplatform is a promising strategy for the synergistic therapeutic efficacy targeting EGFR-overexpressed cancer.

Zero-Dimensional Tellurium-Based Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Halide Single Crystal with Yellow-Orange Emission from Self-Trapped Excitons.

Organic-inorganic hybrid halides and their analogs that exhibit efficient broadband emission from self-trapped excitons (STEs) offers an unique pathway towards realization of highly efficient white light sources for lighting applications. An appropriate dilution of ns2 ions into a halide host is essential to produce auxiliary emissions. However, the realization of ns2 cation-based halides phosphor that can be excited by blue light-emitting diode (LED) is still rarely reported. In this study, a zero-dimensional Te-based single crystal (C8H20N)2TeCl6 was synthesized, which exhibits a yellow-orange emission centered at 600 nm with a full width at half maximum of 130 nm upon excitation under 437 nm. Intense electron-phonon coupling was confirmed in the (C8H20N)2TeCl6 single crystal and the light emitting mechanism is comprehensively discussed. The results of this study are pertinent to the emissive mechanism of Te-based hybrid halides and can facilitate discovery of unidentified metal halides with broadband excitation features.

Preparation and Mechanism of Flame-Retardant Cotton Fabric with Phosphoramidate Siloxane Polymer through Multistep Coating.

To improve the water solubility of phosphoramidate siloxane and decrease the amount of flame-retardant additives used in the functional coating for cotton fabrics, a water-soluble phosphoramidate siloxane polymer (PDTSP) was synthesized by sol-gel technology and flame-retardant cotton fabrics were prepared with a multistep coating process. A vertical flammability test, limited oxygen index (LOI), thermogravimetric analysis, and cone calorimetry were performed to investigate the thermal behavior and flame retardancy of PDTSP-coated fabrics. The coated cotton fabrics and their char residues after combustion were studied by attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). All results presented that PDTSP-coated cotton fabrics had good flame retardancy and char-forming properties. PDTSP coating was demonstrated to posess gas-phase flame-retardant mechanism as well as a condensed phase flame-retardant mechanism, which can be confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TG-IR) and cone calorimetry test. Also, the preparation process had little effect on the tensile strength of cotton fabrics, although the air permeability and whiteness had a slight decrease. After different washing cycles, the coated samples still maintained good char-forming properties.

PROTAC induced-BET protein degradation exhibits potent anti-osteosarcoma activity by triggering apoptosis.

Targeting oncogenic proteins for degradation using proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) recently has drawn increasing attention in the field of cancer research. Bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) family proteins are newly identified cancer-related epigenetic regulators, which have a role in the pathogenesis and progression of osteosarcoma. In this study, we investigated the in vitro and in vivo anti-osteosarcoma activity by targeting BET with a PROTAC molecule BETd-260. The results showed that BETd-260 completely depletes BET proteins and potently suppresses cell viability in MNNG/HOS, Saos-2, MG-63, and SJSA-1 osteosarcoma cell lines. Compared with BET inhibitors HJB-97 and JQ1, the activity of BETd-260 increased over 1000 times. Moreover, BETd-260 substantially inhibited the expression of anti-apoptotic Mcl-1, Bcl-xl while increased the expression of pro-apoptotic Noxa, which resulted in massive apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells within hours. In addition, pro-oncogenic protein c-Myc also was substantially inhibited by BETd-260 in the OS cells. Of note, BETd-260 induced degradation of BET proteins, triggered apoptosis in xenograft osteosarcoma tumor tissue, and profoundly inhibited the growth of cell-derived and patient-derived osteosarcoma xenografts in mice. Our findings indicate that BET PROTACs represent a promising therapeutic agent for human osteosarcoma.

Charge transport and extraction of PTB7:PC71BM organic solar cells: effect of film thickness and thermal-annealing.

Charge carrier transport in the active layer and charge extraction at the electrode have significant impact on the performance of solar cells. In this study, the effect of active layer thickness and thermal-annealing treatment on the charge transport and extraction performance of PTB7:PC71BM organic solar cells was studied comprehensively. Thin films of active layer couldn't utilize enough sunlight, while thick films could bring about large bulk resistance and deteriorate carrier transport. There is a trade-off between active layer thickness and carrier transport. The optimized active layer thickness is about 100 nm for the PTB7:PC71BM bulk heterojunction organic solar cells. Thermal-annealing could improve the morphology of the active layer, and facilitate charge transport in the active layer and charge collection at the electrode. The improved carrier transport and extraction were verified by the transient photocurrent/transient photovoltage and photo-induced charge carrier extraction by linearly increasing voltage measurements. The optimal power conversion efficiency was obtained as 8.28% for the device with an active layer thickness of 100 nm and treated with 90 °C thermal-annealing.

Luminescence and energy transfer of Tm3+ and Dy3+ co-doped Na3ScSi2O7 phosphors.

A series of Tm3+ and Dy3+ ions single- or co-doped Na3ScSi2O7 (NSSO) phosphors were prepared by a conventional solid state reaction method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, photoluminescence (PL) properties, fluorescence decay curve and energy transfer behavior of the samples were studied. The XRD patterns show that all the diffraction peaks of the samples are consistent with the JCPDS standard data. Under UV excitation, the singly doped NSSO phosphors with Tm3+ and Dy3+ ions show blue and yellow characteristic emission. The emission color of NSSO:Tm3+,Dy3+ can be adjusted by the corresponding Tm3+-Dy3+ energy transfer. In addition, the chromaticity coordinate of NSSO:0.04Tm3+,0.13Dy3+ is (0.3195, 0.3214), which is close to the ideal white light (0.333, 0.33). These results show that NSSO:Tm3+,Dy3+ has potential application value in white light emitting diodes (WLEDs).

Synthesis and luminescence properties of Ba3Lu(PO4)3:Sm3+ phosphor for white light-emitting diodes.

A series of Ba3Lu(PO4)3:Sm3+ phosphors were prepared by traditional high temperature solid-state reaction methods. The site-preferred occupancy of Sm3+ in Ba3Lu(PO4)3 and the luminescence properties of Ba3Lu(PO4)3:Sm3+ were studied combined with X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra, and emission (PL) spectra as well as temperature-dependent PL and decay curves. The PL intensity is improved with increasing Sm3+ content and the optimal dopant content is 0.05. The temperature-dependent PL spectra indicate that the emission intensity decreases with the temperature because of the enhancement of the non-radiative transition. The results indicate that these reddish-orange emitting phosphors could be for potential applications in w-LEDs.

[Fabrication and analysis of the organic light-emitting diode with liquid host material].

An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) with a liquid host of 9-(2-ethylhexyl) carbazole (EHCz) doped with a guest dye of 5,6,11,12-tetraphenylnapthacene (rubrene) was demonstrated. Here the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxy thiophene):poly (styrenesulphonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and Cs2 CO3 were served as the hole injection material and electron injection material, respectively. The device structure consists of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/EH Cz:rubrene/Cs2CO3/ITO. Electroluminescence from rubrene with the highest external quantum efficiency of 0.03% at 0.26 mA cm(-2) was obtained. The photoluminescence (PL) and PL quantum efficiency of the materials were further studied.

[Effect of rubrene position on the EL performance of the device and analysis of the exciton recombination zone].

By using an ultrathin 5, 6, 11, 12-tetraphenylnaphthacene (rubrene) layer deposited on the top of host materials, the influence of rubrene layer position on the electroluminescence (EL) spectra of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) was stud ied. When the rubrene layer is located at the interface between N,N'-diphenyl-N,N'-bis(1-naphthyl)-(1,18-biphenyl)-4,4'-di-amine (NPB) and tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (AlQ) layer, EL luminescence of the device is nearly coming from rubrene emission. From the analysis of the EL spectra of the devices with different rubrene layer position, the solely contribution of rubrene and AlQ, respectively, to the luminescence of the devices is determined by spectra unmixing. Based on the analysis, the exciton length in AlQ layer is determined to be about 15-20 nm. The exciton transport and recombination characteristics are also discussed in this work.

[Emitting characteristics and carrier composite regions variety of the blend of terbium complex and poly-n-vinylcarbazole].

A new rare earth complex TbGd(BA)6(bipy)2 was synthesized, which was used as an emitting material in electroluminescence. By doping with poly-N-vinylcarbazole (PVK), the stability and conductivity of terbium complex were improved. The photoluminescence of PVK, terbium complex and their blend indicated that energy transfer from PVK to terbium complex occurred. In the present paper, single-, double- and multi-layer devices were fabricated. In the double-layer devices, holes and electrons were recombined at the interface of emitting layer (EML) and electron transporting layer (ETL). With increasing the thickness of Alq3, especially at highly electric field, carrier composite region transferred closely to ETL. However, in multi-layer devices, carrier composite region was restricted at the interface of emitting layer and holes blocking layer (HBL) due to high HOMO level of BCP. Enhancing electric field, emission from terbium complex was getting saturation gradually and weak emission from PVK was observed. From the optimized multi-layer device, bright and green emission from terbium complex was obtained with the highest EL brightness of the device of 213 cd x m(-2) at 13.5 V.

[Effects of PBD on the electroluminescence (EL) of Tb complex doped PVK system].

Electroluminescent (EL) properties of the terbium complex [Tb(m-MBA)3 phen]2 x 2H2O doped PVK system were investigated. Two kinds of devices with the structures of ITO/PVK: Tb complex/PBD/LiF/Al and ITO/PVK: Tb complex: PBD/PBD/LiF/Al were fabricated. PBD emission appears in the EL spectra of ITO/PVK: Tb complex/PBD/LiF/Al in comparison with ITO/PVK: Tb complex: PBD/PBD/LiF/Al. The reason is that PBD acts as a hole blocking material in the emitting layer (PVK: Tb complex: PBD) and thus the combination of excitons mostly occur within this layer. The energy of terbium complex emission comes from two different ways, namely energy transfer and direct combination of carriers. By altering the doping weight ratio of PBD, a set of devices were fabricated with the configuration of ITO/PVK: Tb complex: PBD/PBD/LiF/Al. Both the efficiency and brightness of these devices decrease with the rising of the PBD doping weight ratios. The efficiency of the carriers trapping may decrease with the rising of PBD doping ratios, for PBD may block the hoping of hole or electron between the PVK chains, causing a decrease in the brightness and efficiency. The PBD doping ratios have little effect on the efficiency of Förester energy transfer based on our synthesis.

[The emission mechanisms of two kinds of Tb complexes doped in PVK system].

Two kinds of new rare earth complexes Tb(p-MBA)3phen (sample I) and Tb(p-ClBA)3 phen (sample II) were synthesized, and photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL) characteristics of the terbium complex and PVK blended system were investigated. As to the sample I , the emission of PVK was completely restrained in the EL spectra of the blended film; while in the PL spectra, obvious emission of PVK appeared besides the emission of Tb3+. But as to the sample II, only the green emission from Tb3+ can be observed in both PL and EL spectra of the doping system. So there are two processes that occur in sample I, one is the incomplete Förster energy transfer process from PVK to the Tb complex, and the other is the car rier charge trapping process. The main mechanism of sample II is the energy transfer process.

[Electroluminescent device based on rare earth terbium complex].

Rare earth complex TbY(m-MBA)6 (phen)2.2H20 have been synthesized, which were used as emitting materials in electroluminescence. Single-layer devices and bilayer devices with Alq as electron transmission layer have been fabricated. The electroluminescent properties of the devices were studied. The electroluminescent mechanism of the devices was proposed by measuring and analyzing the emission and the excitation spectra of the emissive layer. Y3+ may play the role to promote the energy transfer from ligand to Tb3+ and the possible energy transfer process of the device was preliminarily discussed.

[Electroluminescent device based on terbium complex].

Rare earth complex Tb(BA)3phen has been synthesized, which is used as an emitting material in electroluminescence. The properties of monolayer device with the rate of 1000 r x min(-1) and the impure concentration of 1:5 are the best. And the highest brightness of this device reached 26.8 cd x cm(-2) at a fixed bias of 21 V. Bright green emission can be obtained from the optimized double-layer device and the highest EL brightness of the device reaches 322cd x m(-2) at the voltage of 22 V.

[Emission mechanism in the Tb complex doped PVK system].

Excitation and photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the mixture terbium complex and PVK were investigated. The excitation spectrum of Tb complex dispersed PVK film is very similar to that of the pure PVK film, indicting that energy transfer occurs from PVK to Tb complex. For the overlap between the excitation spectrum of Tb complex dispersed PVK film and the PL spectrum of PVK film is very little, the ratio of occurrence for Förester energy transfer is very little. The emission of Tb3+ mainly comes from the excited ligand, which comes from the ligand capture of electron-hole pairs. In the electroluminescence (EL) spectra, the emission of PVK is completely restrained and only emission of Tb3+ is occured, which origins from the different mechanism in comparison with photoluminescence.