Catalytic Asymmetric Assembly of C3-Monosubstituted Chiral Carbazolones and Concise Formal Synthesis of (−)-Aspidofractinine: Application of Enantioselective Pd-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Protonation of Carbazolones

The first method for the asymmetric synthesis of C3-monosubstituted chiral carbazolones, structural motifs common in medicinal chemistry, has been achieved using Pd-catalyzed decarboxylative protonation of carbazolones. This methodology has been applied to the first catalytic enantioselective formal synthesis of (−)-aspidofractinine with step economy and simplicity

Reduced Drought Tolerance by CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated <i>SlMAPK3</i> Mutagenesis in Tomato Plants

Drought stress is one of the most destructive environmental factors that affect tomato plants adversely. Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are important signaling molecules that respond to drought stress. In this study, <i>SlMAPK3</i> was induced by drought stress, and the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system was utilized to generate <i>slmapk3</i> mutants. Two independent T1 transgenic lines and wild-type (WT) tomato plants were used for analysis of drought tolerance. Compared with WT plants, <i>slmapk3</i> mutants exhibited more severe wilting symptom, higher hydrogen peroxide content, lower antioxidant enzymes activities, and suffered more membrane damage under drought stress. Furthermore, knockout of <i>SlMAPK3</i> led to up- or down-regulated expressions of drought stress-responsive genes including <i>SlLOX</i>, <i>SlGST</i>, and <i>SlDREB</i>. The results suggest that <i>SlMAPK3</i> is involved in drought response in tomato plants by protecting cell membranes from oxidative damage and modulating transcription of stress-related genes

A Small Molecule Nanodrug by Self-Assembly of Dual Anticancer Drugs and Photosensitizer for Synergistic near-Infrared Cancer Theranostics

Phototherapy including photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) has attracted great attention. However, applications of some photosensitizers remain an obstacle by their poor photostability. To enhance the treatment efficiency of photosensitizers and tumor theranostic effect, herein, we reported a novel carrier-free, theranostic nanodrug by self-assembly of small molecule dual anticancer drugs and photosensitizer for tumor targeting. The developed carrier-free small molecule nanodrug delivery system was formed by hydrophobic ursolic acid, paclitaxel, and amphipathic indocyanine green (ICG) associated with electrostatic, π–π stacking, and hydrophobic interactions exhibiting water stability. The self-assembling of ICG on the dual anticancer nanodrug significantly enhanced water solubility of hydrophobic anticancer drugs and ICG photostability contributing to long-term near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging and effective chemophototherapy of tumor. The in vivo NIR fluorescence imaging showed that the theranostic nanodrug could be targeted to the tumor site via a potential enhanced permeability and retention effect proving the efficient accumulation of nanoparticles in the tumor site. Dramatically, chemophototherapy of tumor-bearing mice in vivo almost completely suppressed tumor growth and no tumor recurrence was observed. Encouraged by its carrier-free, prominent imaging and effective therapy, the small molecule nanodrug via self-assembly will provide a promising strategy for synergistic cancer theranostics

Carrier-Free, Pure Nanodrug Formed by the Self-Assembly of an Anticancer Drug for Cancer Immune Therapy

Ursolic acid (UA) is a food-plant-derived natural product which has good anticancer activities and low toxicity. However, the poor water solubility of UA limits its application in clinic. To address this issue, we developed a carrier-free nanodrug by self-assembly of UA. Here, we showed that UA nanoparticles (NPs) have a near-spherical shape with a diameter of ∼150 nm. UA NPs exhibited higher antiproliferative activity; significantly caused apoptosis; decreased the expression of COX-2/VEGFR2/VEGFA; and increased the immunostimulatory activity of TNF-α, IL-6, and IFN-β and decreased the activity of STAT-3 in A549 cells in vitro. Furthermore, UA NPs could inhibit tumor growth and have the ability of liver protection in vivo. More importantly, UA NPs could significantly improve the activation of CD4+ T-cells, which indicated that UA NPs have the potential for immunotherapy. Overall, a carrier-free UA nanodrug may be a promising drug to further enhance their anticancer efficacy and immune function

Reversible Li Intercalation in Layered Cathodes Enabled by Dopant-Induced Medium-Range Orders

Doping could effectively tune the electrochemical performance of layered oxide cathodes in Li-ion batteries, whereas the working mechanism is usually oversimplified (i.e., a “pillar” effect). Although the Jahn–Teller effect is generally regarded as the fundamental origin of structural instability in some oxides, more polyhedral distortions are associated with pseudo-JTE (PJTE), which involves vibronic couplings. In this work, the atomic structures of doped LiCoO2 by Mg cations, F anions, and both were investigated thoroughly to reveal the atomic environments of these dopants and their influence on electrochemical performance. The function of these dopants as pillars is well discussed from the view of PJTE manipulation. Briefly, the MgO4 tetrahedra in Mg-doped LiCoO2 could suppress the charge transfer from the ligand to Co in neighboring octahedra, thus depressing PJTE. Although F doping does increase the ligand-field strength, the induced octahedral distortion reduces the structural stability dramatically. Comparatively, Mg/F co-doping generates the CoO5F–MgO4F2–CoO5F medium-range orders (MROs), which could depress both structural distortion and charge transfer in Co-centered octahedra for reduced PJTE. The reduced PJTE accounts for the improved electrochemical performance, making the co-doped LiCoO2 offer the best performance: a 70% capacity retention after 200 cycles within the potential range of 2.8–4.6 V, followed by Mg-doped LiCoO2. In contrast, although F-doping could induce an extra rock salt-like surface layer for higher capacity, its cycling improvement is rather limited. These results highlight the importance of structural modulation in enhancing the material performance and propose that the manipulation of PJTE would be an effective strategy in developing novel high-performance oxide cathodes