Physicochemical properties and fractal characterizations of the functionalized porous clinoptilolites for controlling alginate delivery in growing cauliflower and leaf mustard.

Using natural clinoptilolite (NCP) as a carrier and alginate (Alg)-calcium as an active species, the porous silicon calcium alginate nanocomposite (Alg-Ca-NCP) was successfully fabricated via adsorption-covalence-hydrogen bond. Its structural features and physicochemical properties were detailed investigated by various characterizations. The results indicated that Alg-Ca-NCP presented the disordered lamellar structures with approximately uniform particles in size of 300-500 nm. Specially, their surface fractal evolutions between the irregular roughness and dense structures were demonstrated via the SAXS patterns. The results elucidated that the abundant micropores of NCP were beneficial for unrestricted diffusing of Alg-Ca, which was conducive to facilitate a higher loading and sustainable releasing. The Ca content of leaf mustard treated with Alg-Ca-NCP-0.5 was 484.5 mg/100g on the 21st day, higher than that by water (CK) and CaCl2 solution treatments, respectively. Meanwhile, the prepared Alg-Ca-NCPs presented the obvious anti-aging effects on peroxidase drought stress of mustard leaves. These demonstrations provided a simple and effective method to synthesize Alg-Ca-NCPs as delivery nanocomposites, which is useful to improve the weak absorption and low utilization of calcium alginate by plants.

Dispersion Performances of Naphthalimides Doped in Dual Temperature- and pH-Sensitive Poly (N-Isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic Acid) Shell Assembled with Vinyl-Modified Mesoporous SiO2 Core for Fluorescence Cell Imaging.

Developing effective intelligent nanocarriers is highly desirable for fluorescence imaging and therapeutic applications but remains challenging. Using a vinyl-grafted BMMs (bimodal mesoporous SiO2 materials) as a core and PAN ((2-aminoethyl)-6-(dimethylamino)-1H-benzo[de]isoquinoline-1,3(2H)-dione))-dispersed dual pH/thermal-sensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) as a shell, PAN@BMMs with strong fluorescence and good dispersibility were prepared. Their mesoporous features and physicochemical properties were extensively characterized via XRD patterns, N2 adsorption-desorption analysis, SEM/TEM images, TGA profiles, and FT-IR spectra. In particular, their mass fractal dimension (dm) features based on SAXS patterns combined with fluorescence spectra were successfully obtained to evaluate the uniformity of the fluorescence dispersions, showing that the dm values increased from 2.49 to 2.70 with an increase of the AN-additive amount from 0.05 to 1%, along with the red shifting of their fluorescent emission wavelength from 471 to 488 nm. The composite (PAN@BMMs-I-0.1) presented a densification trend and a slight decrease in peak (490 nm) intensity during the shrinking process. Its fluorescent decay profiles confirmed two fluorescence lifetimes of 3.59 and 10.62 ns. The low cytotoxicity obtained via in vitro cell survival assay and the efficient green imaging performed via HeLa cell internalization suggested that the smart PAN@BMM composites are potential carriers for in vivo imaging and therapy.

Structure Features and Physicochemical Performances of Fe-Contained Clinoptilolites Obtained via the Aqueous Exchange of the Balanced Cations and Isomorphs Substitution of the Heulandite Skeletons for Electrocatalytic Activity of Oxygen Evolution Reaction and Adsorptive Performance of CO2.

Fe(III)-modified clinoptilolites (Fe-CPs) were prepared by hydrothermal treatment. The collapse of the heulandite skeletons was avoided by adjusting the pH value using HCl solution, showing the maximum relative crystallinity of the Fe-CPs at an optimal pH of 1.3. The competitive exchange performances between Fe3+ ions and H+ with Na+ (and K+) suggested that the exchange sites were more easily occupied by H+. Various characterizations verified that the hydrothermal treatments had a strong influence on the dispersion and morphology of the isolated and clustered Fe species. The high catalytic activity of the oxygen evolution reaction indicated the insertion of Fe3+ into the skeletons and the occurrences of isomorphic substitution. The fractal evolutions revealed that hydrothermal treatments with the increase of Fe content strongly affected the morphologies of Fe species with rough and disordered surfaces. Meanwhile, the Fe(III)-modified performances of the CPs were systematically investigated, showing that the maximum Fe-exchange capacity was up to 10.6 mg/g. Their thermodynamic parameters and kinetic performances suggested that the Fe(III)-modified procedures belonged to spontaneous, endothermic, and entropy-increasing behaviors. Finally, their adsorption capacities of CO2 at 273 and 298 K were preliminarily evaluated, showing high CO2 adsorption capacity (up to 1.67 mmol/g at 273 K).

Dispersion Performances and Fluorescent Behaviors of Naphthalic Anhydride Doped in Poly(acrylic acid) Frameworks for pH-Sensitive Ibuprofen Delivery via Fractal Evolution.

The pH-responsive fluorescent P(1,8-naphthalic anhydride (NA)-acrylic acid (AA)) matrix was successfully prepared by a doping method using poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) as a pH-sensitive polymer and NA as a fluorescent tracer. The fluorescent behaviors of the used NA dispersed in PAA frameworks were demonstrated based on fractal features combined with various characterizations, such as small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) patterns, photoluminescence (PL) spectra, scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, thermogravimetry (TG) profiles, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and time-resolved decays. The effects of NA-doping on the representative fluorescent P(NA-AA) were investigated, in which the fluorescent performance of the doped NA was emphasized. The results indicated that aggregated clusters of the doped NA were gradually serious with an increase in NA doping amount or extension of NA doping time, accompanied by an increase in mass fractal dimension (Dm) values. Meanwhile, the doped NA presented stable fluorescent properties during the swelling-shrinking process of PAA. Ibuprofen (IBU) was used as a model drug, and fractal evolutions of the obtained P(NA-AA) along with the drug loading and releasing behaviors were evaluated via SAXS patterns, in which the drug-loaded P(NA-AA) presented surface fractal (Ds) characteristics, while the Dm value varied from 2.94 to 2.58 during sustained drug-release in pH 2.0, indicating occurrences of its structural transformation from dense to loose with extension of IBU-releasing time. Finally, the cytotoxicity and cellular uptake behaviors of the obtained P(NA-AA) were preliminarily explored. These demonstrations revealed that the resultant P(NA-AA) should be a potential intelligent-responsive drug carrier for targeted delivery.

Heterodyne detection of backscattering for whispering-gallery-mode sensors.

Whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) microcavities have shown significant applications in nanoparticle sensing for environmental monitoring and biological analysis. However, the enhancement of detection resolution often calls for active cavities or elaborate structural designs, leading to an increase of fabrication complexity and cost. Herein, heterodyne amplification is implemented in WGM microsensors based on backscattering detection mechanism. By interfering with an exotic reference laser, the reflecting light backscattered by perturbation targets can be strongly enlarged, yielding an easy-to-resolve and consequently sensitive microsensor. The dependence of detection laser frequency has also been characterized with the assistance of optothermal dynamics. We show that exploiting heterodyne interferometry boosts the detection of weak signals in microresonator systems and provides a fertile ground for optical microsensor development.

Genistein interferes with antitumor effects of cisplatin in an ovariectomized breast cancer xenograft tumor model.

Genistein (GEN) has been demonstrated to interfere with antitumor effects of cisplatin (CIS) in vitro. To analyze whether these findings are also relevant in vivo, we examined the effects of combined GEN and CIS treatment in an ovariectomized nude mouse breast cancer xenograft model. Tumor growth and markers for antitumor activity were determined after three weeks of treatment. Furthermore, the concentrations of GEN metabolites were measured in serum, liver, and xenograft tumor tissues using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Three weeks' oral exposure to GEN at a dose of 5 mg kg-1·d-1 resulted in an average concentration of total GEN metabolite equivalent as high as 0.2729 nmol g-1 wet weight in xenograft tumor tissues. At this dosage, GEN significantly antagonized the antitumor effects of CIS. Mechanistically, GEN blocked both the inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis triggered by CIS. Moreover, GEN concentrations in xenograft tumor tissues were found to be significantly higher than in serum and liver. In conclusion, our findings suggested that oral GEN exposure at a level comparable to dietary exposure in humans could interfere with CIS chemotherapy.

Azvudine, a novel nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor showed good drug combination features and better inhibition on drug-resistant strains than lamivudine in vitro.

Azvudine is a novel nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor with antiviral activity on human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus. Here we reported the in vitro activity of azvudine against HIV-1 and HIV-2 when used alone or in combination with other antiretroviral drugs and its drug resistance features. Azvudine exerted highly potent inhibition on HIV-1 (EC(50)s ranging from 0.03 to 6.92 nM) and HIV-2 (EC(50)s ranging from 0.018 to 0.025 nM). It also showed synergism in combination with six approved anti-HIV drugs on both C8166 and PBMC. In combination assay, the concentrations of azvudine used were 1000 or 500 fold lower than other drugs. Azvudine also showed potent inhibition on NRTI-resistant strains (L74V and T69N). Although M184V caused 250 fold reduction in susceptibility, azvudine remained active at nanomolar range. In in vitro induced resistant assay, the frequency of M184I mutation increased with induction time which suggests M184I as the key mutation in azvudine treatment. As control, lamivudine treatment resulted in a higher frequency of M184I/V given the same induction time and higher occurrence of M184V was found. Molecular modeling analysis suggests that steric hindrance is more pronounced in mutant M184I than M184V due to the azido group of azvudine. The present data demonstrates the potential of azvudine as a complementary drug to current anti-HIV drugs. M184I should be the key mutation, however, azvudine still remains active on HIV-1LAI-M184V at nanomolar range.