MOESM1 of Metabolic regulations of a decoction of Hedyotis diffusa in acute liver injury of mouse models

Additional file 1. The minimum standards checklist

MOESM2 of Metabolic regulations of a decoction of Hedyotis diffusa in acute liver injury of mouse models

Additional file 2. The up-regulated and down-regulated metabolites in different categories among control, LPS/GALN group and LPS/GALN + HD group

Advanced Supercapacitors Based on α‑Ni(OH)₂ Nanoplates/Graphene Composite Electrodes with High Energy and Power Density

In order to solve the lack of energy sources, researchers devote themselves to the study of green renewable and economical supercapacitors. We demonstrate herein that the α-Ni­(OH)₂ nanoplates/graphene composites are fabricated as active electrodes in supercapacitors with excellent cycling stability, high energy density, and power density. The advantages of graphene can complement the shortcomings of α-Ni­(OH)₂ nanoplates to compose a novel composite. The α-Ni­(OH)₂ nanoplates/graphene composite presents a high specific capacitance of 1954 F g^–1 at 5 A g^–1. The reason for the improving performance is attributed to graphene, which provides an improved conductivity and increased specific surface area by interweaving with α-Ni­(OH)₂ nanoplates. It is particularly worth mentioning that the assembled asymmetric supercapacitor cells yield a high specific capacitance of 309 F g^–1 at 5 A g^–1 and light a 2 V LED sustainable for about 7 min, which may bring great prospects for further fundamental research and potential applications in energy storage devices

Ionic Liquid Gating of Suspended MoS₂ Field Effect Transistor Devices

We demonstrate ionic liquid (IL) gating of suspended few-layer MoS₂ transistors, where ions can accumulate on both exposed surfaces. Upon application of IL, all free-standing samples consistently display more significant improvement in conductance than substrate-supported devices. The measured IL gate coupling efficiency is up to 4.6 × 10¹³ cm^–2 V^–1. Electrical transport data reveal contact-dominated electrical transport properties and the Schottky emission as the underlying mechanism. By modulating IL gate voltage, the suspended MoS₂ devices display metal–insulator transition. Our results demonstrate that more efficient charge induction can be achieved in suspended two-dimensional (2D) materials, which with further optimization, may enable extremely high charge density and novel phase transition

Engineering Organelle-Specific Molecular Viscosimeters Using Aggregation-Induced Emission Luminogens for Live Cell Imaging

Subcellular viscosity is essential for cell functions and may indicate its physiological status. We screen two fluorescent probes by engineering tetraphenylethene (TPE) for measuring viscosity in mitochondria and lysosomes, respectively. These two probes are only weakly emissive in nonviscous medium and the emission signals are greatly enhanced in viscous medium due to the restriction of intramolecular motion. The presence of pyridium has endowed one probe with mitochondrial specificity, while the presence of indole ring has granted the other probe with lysosome-targeting ability. Their optical properties are characterized <i>in vitro</i> and their applications in imaging viscosity variations in mitochondria and lysosomes are also demonstrated in living cells under different stimulated processes. In addition, an increase in both mitochondrial and lysosomal viscosity during mitophagy was revealed for the first time with our probes. To our knowledge, this is the first time that TPE is engineered to be fluorescent molecular viscosimeters that possess desirable aqueous solubility, red-shifted emission, and organelle specificity

Mitochondrion-Targeting, Environment-Sensitive Red Fluorescent Probe for Highly Sensitive Detection and Imaging of Vicinal Dithiol-Containing Proteins

Mitochondrial vicinal dithiol-containing proteins (VDPs) are key regulators in cellular redox homeostasis and useful markers for diagnostics of redox-dependent diseases. Current probes fail to target mitochondrial VDPs and show limited sensitivity and response rate. We develop a novel fluorescent probe using an engineered benzoxadiazole fluorophore that allows selective targeting of mitochondria and exhibits highly sensitive environment responsiveness. This probe is almost nonfluorescent in aqueous media, while delivering intense fluorescence upon binding to VDPs via a cyclic dithiaarsane ligand. The fluorescence probe is shown to have rapid response within 30 s and high sensitivity for detecting reduced bovine serum albumin (rBSA) in the concentration range from 0 to 0.1 μM with a detection limit of 2 nM. To our knowledge, this is the first fluorescence probe for VDPs which exhibits deep red emission, instantaneous response, high turn-on fluorescence ratio, and specific mitochondrial localization. It may provide a new tool for <i>in situ</i> monitoring mitochondrial VDPs

Tuning Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance Wavelengths of Silver Nanoparticles by Mechanical Deformation

We describe a simple technique to alter the shape of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by rolling a glass tube over them to mechanically compress them. The resulting shape change in turn induces a red-shift in the localized surface plasmon resonance scattering spectrum and exposes new surface area. The flattened particles were characterized by optical and electron microscopy, single-nanoparticle scattering spectroscopy, and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy images show that the AgNPs deform into discs; increasing the applied load from 0 to 100 N increases the AgNP diameter and decreases the height. This deformation caused a dramatic red shift in the nanoparticle scattering spectrum and also generated new surface area to which thiolated molecules could attach, as evident from SERS measurements. The simple technique employed here requires no lithographic templates and has potential for rapid, reproducible, inexpensive, and scalable tuning of nanoparticle shape, surface area, and resonance while preserving particle volume

Activatable Fluorescence Probe via Self-Immolative Intramolecular Cyclization for Histone Deacetylase Imaging in Live Cells and Tissues

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) play essential roles in transcription regulation and are valuable theranostic targets. However, there are no activatable fluorescent probes for imaging of HDAC activity in live cells. Here, we develop for the first time a novel activatable two-photon fluorescence probe that enables <i>in situ</i> imaging of HDAC activity in living cells and tissues. The probe is designed by conjugating an acetyl-lysine mimic substrate to a masked aldehyde-containing fluorophore via a cyanoester linker. Upon deacetylation by HDAC, the probe undergoes a rapid self-immolative intramolecular cyclization reaction, producing a cyanohydrin intermediate that is spontaneously rapidly decomposed into the highly fluorescent aldehyde-containing two-photon fluorophore. The probe is shown to exhibit high sensitivity, high specificity, and fast response for HDAC detection <i>in vitro</i>. Imaging studies reveal that the probe is able to directly visualize and monitor HDAC activity in living cells. Moreover, the probe is demonstrated to have the capability of two-photon imaging of HDAC activity in deep tissue slices up to 130 μm. This activatable fluorescent probe affords a useful tool for evaluating HDAC activity and screening HDAC-targeting drugs in both live cell and tissue assays

Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Detection of pH with Silica-Encapsulated 4‑Mercaptobenzoic Acid-Functionalized Silver Nanoparticles

Sensors based upon surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) are attractive because they have narrow, vibrationally specific spectral peaks that can be excited using red and near-infrared light which avoids photobleaching, penetrates tissue, and reduces autofluorescence. Several groups have fabricated pH nanosensors by functionalizing silver or gold nanoparticle surfaces with an acidic molecule and measuring the ratio of protonated to deprotonated Raman bands. However, a limitation of these sensors is that macromolecules in biological systems can adsorb onto the nanoparticle surface and interfere with measurements. To overcome this interference, we encapsulated pH SERS sensors in a 30 nm thick silica layer with small pores which prevented bovine serum albumin (BSA) molecules from interacting with the pH-indicating 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA) on the silver surfaces but preserved the pH-sensitivity. Encapsulation also improved colloidal stability and sensor reliability. The noise level corresponded to less than 0.1 pH units from pH 3 to 6. The silica-encapsulated functionalized silver nanoparticles (Ag-MBA@SiO₂) were taken up by J774A.1 macrophage cells and measured a decrease in local pH during endocytosis. This strategy could be extended for detecting other small molecules in situ

Visualizing Electrical Breakdown and ON/OFF States in Electrically Switchable Suspended Graphene Break Junctions

Narrow gaps are formed in suspended single- to few-layer graphene devices using a pulsed electrical breakdown technique. The conductance of the resulting devices can be programmed by the application of voltage pulses, with voltages of 2.5 to ∼4.5 V, corresponding to an ON pulse, and ∼8 V, corresponding to an OFF pulse. Electron microscope imaging of the devices shows that the graphene sheets typically remain suspended and that the device conductance tends to zero when the observed gap is large. The switching rate is strongly temperature dependent, which rules out a purely electromechanical switching mechanism. This observed switching in suspended graphene devices strongly suggests a switching mechanism via atomic movement and/or chemical rearrangement and underscores the potential of all-carbon devices for integration with graphene electronics