Polydopamine-Coated Manganese Carbonate Nanoparticles for Amplified Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided Photothermal Therapy

【Abstract】This study reports a multifunctional nanoparticle (NP) with function of amplified magnetic resonance image (MRI)-guided photothermal therapy (PTT) by the surface coating of polydopamine (PDA) shell. Importantly, by means of introducing the surface coating of PDA，it helps entrap large quantities of water around NPs and allow more efficient water exchange， leading to greatly improved MR contrast signals compared with the one without PDA coating. Besides，the distinct photothermal effect can be obtained arising from the strong absorption of PDA in the near-infrared (NIR) region. By synthesizing the multifunctional MnCOs@PDA NPs as example，we found that the longitudinal relaxivity (ri) of MnCOs NPs might improve from 5.7 to 8.3 mM-is-i. Subsequently，In vitro MRI and PTT results verified that MnCOs@PDA could serve well as an excellent MRI/PTT theranostic agent. Furthermore， the MnCO3@PDA nanoparticles were applied as MRI/PTT theranostic agent for in vivo MRI-guided photothermal ablation of tumors by intratumorally injection in 4T1 tumor bearing-mice. The MR imaging result shows a significantly bright MR image in the tumor site. The MnCO3@PDA-mediated PTT result shows high therapy efficiency as a result of their high photothermal conversion efficiency. The present strategy of amplified MRI-guided PTT based on PDA coating on NPs will be widely applicable to other multifunctional nanoparticles.This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31271071，31371012，andU1505228)

Acoustophoresis in Variously Shaped Liquid Droplets

The ability to precisely trap, transport and manipulate micrometer-sized objects, including biological cells, DNA-coated microspheres and microorganisms, is very important in life science studies and biomedical applications. In this study, acoustic radiation force in an ultrasonic standing wave field is used for micro-objects manipulation, a technique termed as acoustophoresis. Free surfaces of liquid droplets are used as sound reflectors to confine sound waves inside the droplets. Two techniques were developed for precise control of droplet shapes: edge pinning and hydrophilic/hydrophobic interface pinning. For all tested droplet shapes, including circular, annular and rectangular, our experiments show that polymer micro particles can be manipulated by ultrasound and form into a variety of patterns, for example, concentric rings and radial lines in an annular droplet. The complexity of the pattern increases with increasing frequency, and the observations are in line with simulation results. The acoustic manipulation technique developed here has the potential to be integrated into a more complex on-chip microfluidic circuit. Especially because our method is well compatible with electrowetting technology, which is a powerful tool for manipulating droplets with free surfaces, the combination of the two methods can provide more versatile manipulation abilities and may bring a wealth of novel applications. In the end, we demonstrate for the first time that acoustophoresis can be used for manipulating Caenorhabditis elegans

Punicalagin alleviates brain injury and inflammatory responses, and regulates HO-1/Nrf-2/ARE signaling in rats after experimental intracerebral haemorrhage

Purpose: To investigate the effect of punicalagin, an ellagitannin present in pomegranates, on intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH)-induced inflammatory responses and oxidative stress, and also unravel the underlying mechanism(s) of action. Methods: Collagenase type IV (0.2 U) was used to induce ICH in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Punicalagin was given to the rats at doses of 25, 50, and 75 mg/kg body weight via oral gavage for 15 days before ICH induction. The animals were sacrificed 24h following induction of ICH, and their brains were excised immediately and used for analysis. Histological changes were determined with Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining. Permeability to blood-brain barrier (BBB) was determined by quantifying the extent of extravasation of Evan Blue (EB). Protein expressions of HO-1/Nrf-2/ARE and NF-κB signaling were assayed using immunoblotting and RT-PCR. Levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and serum levels of cytokines were also determined. Results: Punicalagin treatment reduced inflammatory cell infiltration and cell damage, improved brain tissue architecture and BBB integrity. The punicalagin treatment increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes, and enhanced antioxidant status via activation of Nrf-2/ARE/HO-1 signaling pathway (p < 0.05). The treatment upregulated the expressions of HO-1 to 174 %, relative to 127 % in ICH control rats. Furthermore, it enhanced NF-κB levels and reversed the ICH injury-induced upregulations of IL-6, IL-18 and IL-1β. Conclusion: These findings indicate that punicalagin exerts neuroprotective effect in rats after experimental ICH through regulation of theHO-1/Nrf-2/ARE signaling pathway. Thus, punicalagin has therapeutic potential for ICH. Keywords: Brain injury, Haemoxygenase-1, Intracerebral haemorrhage, Inflammatory responses, Nrf2/ARE signalling, Punicalagi

Effects of truffle inoculation on a nursery culture substrate environment and seedling of Carya illinoinensis

We inoculated Tuber aestivum and Tuber sinoaestivum on Carya illinoinensis to explore the effects of inoculation on host plant growth, enzyme activities, the physicochemical properties of rhizosphere soil, the denitrifying bacterial community in the rhizosphere, and the distribution of mating type genes in the rhizosphere. We found that the Tuber spp. inoculation increased the height of the host plant and that the stem circumference of the host was greater two months after inoculation. Six months after inoculation, the peroxidase activity of the seedlings inoculated with T. sinoaestivum was higher than that of the control. At four and six months after inoculation, the superoxidase dismutase activities of the seedlings inoculated with T. aestivum were higher than those of the seedlings inoculated with T. sinoaestivum. Six months after inoculation, nitrate nitrogen content was lowest in the control and highest in the T. sinoaestivum treatment. Among the nirS-type denitrifying bacteria community, the relative abundances of Proteobacteria were high. T. aestivum and T. sinoaestivum inoculation did not affect the diversity of denitrifying bacteria. The mating type genes MAT1-1-1 and MAT1-2-1 were detected in the rhizosphere of C. illinoinensis inoculated with T. sinoaestivum and T. aestivum, and MAT1-1-1 dominated over MAT1-21. (c) 2021 British Mycological Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Novel approach to investigate η\eta decays via η′→ππη\eta'\rightarrow\pi\pi\eta

To avoid the impact from the background events directly from $e^+e^-$ annihilations or $J/\psi$ decays, we propose a novel approach to investigate $\eta$ decays, in particular for its rare or forbidden decays, by using $\eta^\prime\rightarrow\pi\pi\eta$ produced in $J/\psi$ decays at the $\tau-$charm factories. Based on the MC studies of a few typical decays, $\eta\rightarrow \pi\pi$, $\gamma l^+l^- (l= e, \mu)$, $l^+l^-$, as well as $l^+l^-\pi^0$, the sensitivities could be obviously improved by taking advantage of the extra constraint of $\eta^\prime$. Using one trillion $J/\psi$ events accumulated at the Super $\tau$-Charm facility, the precision on the investigation of $\eta$ decays could be improved significantly and the observation of the rare decay $\eta\rightarrow e^+e^-$ is even accessable.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure