Iron-Doped Metal–Zinc-Centered Organic Framework Mesoporous Carbon Derivatives for Single-Wavelength NIR-Activated Photothermal/Photodynamic Synergistic Therapy

Recently, single-wavelength synergetic photothermal/photodynamic (PTT/PDT) therapy is beginning to make its mark in cancer treatment, and the key to it is a photosensitizer. In this work, an iron-doped metal–zinc-centered organic framework mesoporous carbon derivative (denoted as Fex-Zn-NCT) with a similar porphyrin property was successfully synthesized by a mild, simple, and green aqueous reaction. The effects of different Fe contents and pyrolysis temperatures on the morphology, structure, and PTT/PDT of Fex-Zn-NCT were investigated. Most importantly, we found that Fe50-Zn-NC900 exhibited excellent PTT/PDT performance under single-wavelength near-infrared (808 nm) light irradiation in a hydrophilic environment. The photothermal conversion efficiency (η) was counted as ∼81.3%, and the singlet oxygen (1O2) quantum yield (Φ) was compared with indocyanine green (ICG) as ∼0.0041. Furthermore, Fe50-Zn-NC900 is provided with a clear ability for generating 1O2 in living tumor cells and inducted massive necrosis/apoptosis of tumor cells with single-wavelength near-infrared laser irradiation. All of these are clear to consider that Fe50-Zn-NC900 displays great potential as an excellent photosensitizer for single-wavelength dual-mode PTT/PDT therapy

g‑C₃N₄/Metal–Organic Framework Nanosheet/CuO Heterostructure for the Visible Photocatalytic Degradation of Tetracycline

Developing highly efficient photocatalysts for the degradation of pharmaceutical and personal care product residues is of significance and challenge. Herein, a graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4)/metal–organic framework (MOF) nanosheet/CuO heterostructure was successfully constructed via electrostatic self-assembly and in situ growth strategies. The heterostructure at ultralow doses (6 mg) displayed the highest tetracycline (TC, 20 mg/L) degradation efficiency of 78.8% under visible light within 27 min. Moreover, this heterostructure maintained a good TC degradation efficiency after four cycles. Experimental data and density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the good photocatalytic performance of the as-prepared heterostructure is attributed to the positively charged MOF sheet interlayer and the coupling effect between the g-C3N4, MOF nanosheet and CuO, which can enrich electrons, ions, molecules, and block holes to greatly improve the rapid separation of photogenerated carriers from g-C3N4 or CuO and the adsorption of reactants. The types of reactive oxygen species and effects of inorganic ions on photocatalytic performance were further studied. This work presented a novel strategy to construct a self-assembled heterostructure for visible photocatalytic applications

Optical Regulation of Sodium Channels by the Azobenzene Pyrethrins

Azobenzene compounds exhibit good light stability and have become popular as molecule switches on photopharmacology. Poor photostability hindered the development of pyrethrins until the structural introduction of the phenoxybenzyl group. Herein, strategies of azo-ether replacement and azo-extension are applied to the discovery of novel azobenzene pyrethrins (azo-pyrethrins). We report the optical regulation of sodium channels by the design of azo-pyrethins. The synthesis, photophysicochemical properties, biological activities, and fluorescence analysis were subsequently performed for evaluation of optical control. The results indicate that azo-pyrethins could exhibit good photostability and enable optical control of insecticidal activities against Aphis craccivora and Aedes albopictus larvae. Sf9 cells and DUM neurons were delivered with APY03 or APY11, and fluorescence intensity increases were observed on the cells and neurons after illumination, indicating optical regulation of membrane potential by modulating sodium channels. We expect our work could promote the understanding of spatiotemporal regulation and the mechanism of the sodium channel, providing photochromic ligands in optical control of sodium channels

Biogenic Manganese Oxide Synthesized by a Marine Bacterial Multicopper Oxidase MnxG Reveals Oxygen Evolution Activity

Solar energy provides one major pathway to addressing global energy issues. Inspired by photosynthesis, nonbiological solar energy systems are designed for both absorbing light and “splitting water” to generate hydrogen fuel. However, during this process, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the anode has a high kinetic barrier and overpotential, which reduces the overall efficiency. To improve the efficiency of the OER, significant efforts have been made to develop promising OER catalysts. Inspired by the highly efficient oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) in photosystem II in nature, manganese-oxide catalysts have garnered significant attention due to their low cost and minimal toxicity. However, the synthesis of most manganese-oxide catalysts requires strong oxidants, external high electric potentials, or highly basic conditions, which make large-scale production energy-consuming and less efficient. In this study, we present a natural and clean process for synthesizing manganese-oxide catalysts by using an oceanic bacterial manganese oxidase named MnxG. The biogenic manganese oxides, as generated under different conditions, have different morphologies and crystalline structures and are as effective as or even more effective than synthetic birnessite. Spectroscopic analyses, including XANES, XPS, and EPR, suggest that the monoclinic-birnessite component, together with the surface Mn(III) species, plays a crucial role in the OER activity of biogenic MnOx. This work provides insights into the development of efficient OER catalysts that can be produced by using a gentle and sustainable process

Versatile Fluorinated Derivatives of Triphenylamine as Hole-Transporters and Blue-Violet Emitters in Organic Light-Emitting Devices

A series of triphenylamine derivatives end-capped with various fluorinated phenyl (TPAF) have been designed and synthesized for the application in organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs). By changing the substitution pattern of electron-withdrawing groups, such as F and CF₃, the ability of hole-transport, energy levels, and thermal stability of these, TPAF are tuned, which are supported by density functional study of their geometry and electronic structure. TPAF can be used as either hole-transporters or blue-violet emitters in OLEDs. Among TPAF, the device with TPA-(2)-F as hole-transport material achieved the maximum current efficiency of 4.7 cd A^–1, which was much higher than that of the typical <i>N</i>,<i>N</i>′-di­(1-naphthalenyl)-<i>N</i>,<i>N</i>′-diphenyl-4,4′-diamine-based device. This good performance of the TPA-(2)-F-based device was attributed to the more balanceable injected carriers in the device by tuning hole injection and transport. More importantly, nondoped blue OLEDs utilizing TPAF as the emitters exhibited blue-violet emissions peaking between 408 and 428 nm with Commission Internationale de L’Eclairage coordinates in a range of (0.16–0.18, 0.06–0.12), which were also expected to be a new material class with an enhanced current efficiency/color purity compromise for future blue light-emitting devices

Stable Lanthanide–Organic Frameworks: Crystal Structure, Photoluminescence, and Chemical Sensing of Vanillylmandelic Acid as a Biomarker of Pheochromocytoma

Several isostructural lanthanide metal–organic frameworks, viz. [Ln(DCHB)1.5phen]n (Ln-MOFs, where Ln = Eu for 1, Tb for 2, Sm for 3 and Dy for 4), are successfully synthesized through the hydrothermal reactions of 4′-di(4-carboxylphenoxy)hydroxyl-2, 2′-bipyridyl (H2DCHB) and lanthanide nitrates as well as chelator 1,10-phenantroline (phen). These structures are characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and the representative Ln-MOF 1 is a fivefold interpenetrated framework with the uncoordinated Lewis base N sites form DCHB2– ligands. The photoluminescence research studies reveal that Ln-MOFs 1–4 exhibit characteristic fluorescent emissions from ligand-induced lanthanide Ln(III) ions, while the single-component emission spectra of Ln-MOF 4 are all located in a white region under different excitations. The absence of coordinated water and the interpenetration property of the structures are conducive to the structure rigidity, and the results display that Ln-MOF 1 has high thermal/chemical stabilities in common solvents and a wide pH range as well as the boiling water. Notably, luminescent sensing studies reveal that Ln-MOF 1 with prominent fluorescence properties can perform in highly sensitive and selective sensing of vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) in aqueous systems (KSV = 562.8 L·mol–1; LOD = 4.6 × 10–4 M), which can potentially establish a detection platform for the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma via multiquenching mechanisms. Moreover, the 1@MMMs sensing membranes comprised of Ln-MOF 1 and a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) polymer can also be facilely developed for VMA detection in aqueous media, suggesting the enhanced convenience and efficiency of practical sensing applications

Additional file 1: Table S1. of Comparative Transcriptome and DNA methylation analyses of the molecular mechanisms underlying skin color variations in Crucian carp (Carassius carassius L.)

Statistics of function annotation of Red and White skin crucian carp. Table S2. Sample sequencing data volume and comparison rate. Table S3. List of primers for the qRT-PCR validation of Unigenes identified. Figure S1. The GO function is classified by histogram of differences in methylation sites. (DOCX 107 kb

Additional file 1: of Role of microglial amylin receptors in mediating beta amyloid (Aβ)-induced inflammation

Supplemental material and methods. (DOCX 13 kb

Additional file 3: Figure S2. of Role of microglial amylin receptors in mediating beta amyloid (Aβ)-induced inflammation

Cyclic-AC253 (cAC) competitively blocks human amylin effects in a manner similar to AC253. A, Representative images (from in-cell western blots) for cAMP changes in AMY1–3-expressing HEK293 cells following exposure to hAmylin in the presence of increasing concentrations of cAC253. B and C, cAC253 blocked hAmylin-induced cAMP increases in a dose-dependent manner in AMY3- and AMY1-expressing HEK cells. The hAmylin activated AMY3 and AMY1 receptors but not significantly AMY2, CTR, and HEK wild-type control cells as previously observed (Fu et al., J. Biol. Chem. 2012). D, cAC253 blocked hAmylin responses in a dose-dependent manner in AMY3-HEK cells. *p < 0.05. (JPEG 635 kb

Additional file 2: Figure S1. of Role of microglial amylin receptors in mediating beta amyloid (Aβ)-induced inflammation

A, Western blot showing AMY3 transfected HEK293 cells demonstrate a marked increase in level of expression of CTR and RAMP3 proteins compared to wild-type (WT) HEK cells. B, in BV2 cells, RAMP3 protein expression shows a marked decreased after RAMP3 siRNA transfection compared to the control non-transfected cells. (JPEG 1495 kb