4 research outputs found
Tetranuclear Gadolinium(III) Porphyrin Complex as a Theranostic Agent for Multimodal Imaging and Photodynamic Therapy
We
describe herein the elaborate design of a GdÂ(III)–porphyrin
complex as a theranostic agent for multimodal imaging and photodynamic
therapy. Far-red-emitting (665 nm) and high relaxivity (14.1 mM<sup>–1</sup> s<sup>–1</sup>) with 107% increase upon binding to HSA (human
serum albumin) (29.2 mM<sup>–1</sup> s<sup>–1</sup>)
together with efficiently generating singlet oxygen upon exposure
to far-red light irradiation at 650 ± 20 nm demonstrate that
this GdÂ(III)–porphyrin complex with four GdÂ(III)–DTTA
units bound to tetraphenylporphyrin acts as a potentially theranostic
agent with excellent performance for magnetic resonance imaging, optical
imaging, and photodynamic therapy
Bacterial Cellulose: A Robust Platform for Design of Three Dimensional Carbon-Based Functional Nanomaterials
ConspectusThree dimensional (3D) carbon nanomaterials
exhibit great application
potential in environmental protection, electrochemical energy storage
and conversion, catalysis, polymer science, and advanced sensors fields.
Current methods for preparing 3D carbon nanomaterials, for example,
carbonization of organogels, chemical vapor deposition, and self-assembly
of nanocarbon building blocks, inevitably involve some drawbacks,
such as expensive and toxic precursors, complex equipment and technological
requirements, and low production ability. From the viewpoint of practical
application, it is highly desirable to develop a simple, cheap, and
environmentally friendly way for fabricating 3D carbon nanomaterials
in large scale. On the other hand, in order to extend the application
scope and improve the performance of 3D carbon nanomaterials, we should
explore efficient strategies to prepare diverse functional nanomaterials
based on their 3D carbon structure.Recently, many researchers
tend to fabricate high-performance 3D
carbon-based nanomaterials from biomass, which is low cost, easy to
obtain, and nontoxic to humans. Bacterial cellulose (BC), a typical
biomass material, has long been used as the raw material of <i>nata-de-coco</i> (an indigenous dessert food of the Philippines).
It consists of a polysaccharide with a β-1,4-glycosidic linkage
and has a interconnected 3D porous network structure. Interestingly,
the network is made up of a random assembly of cellulose nanofibers,
which have a high aspect ratio with a diameter of 20–100 nm.
As a result, BC has a high specific surface area. Additionally, BC
hydrogels can be produced on an industrial scale via a microbial fermentation
process at a very low price. Thus, it can be an ideal platform for
design of 3D carbon-based functional nanomaterials. Before our work,
no systematic work and summary on this topic had been reported.This Account presents the concepts and strategies of our studies
on BC in the past few years, that is, converting cheap biomass into
high value-added 3D carbon nanomaterials and designing diverse functional
materials on 3D carbon structure. We first briefly introduce the history,
constituent, and microstructure features of BC and discuss its advantages
as a raw material for preparing the CNF aerogels. Then, we summarize
the methods and strategies for preparing various 3D carbon-based nanomaterials
from BC. In addition, the potential applications of the developed
CNF aerogel based functional materials are also highlighted in this
Account, including stretchable conductors, oxygen reduction reaction
catalysts, supercapacitors, lithium-ion battery, and oil cleanup.
Finally, we give some prospects on the future challenges in this emerging
research area of designing CNF aerogel based functional nanomaterials
from BC
Synthesis of Nitrogen-Doped Porous Carbon Nanofibers as an Efficient Electrode Material for Supercapacitors
Supercapacitors (also known as ultracapacitors) are considered to be the most promising approach to meet the pressing requirements of energy storage. Supercapacitive electrode materials, which are closely related to the high-efficiency storage of energy, have provoked more interest. Herein, we present a high-capacity supercapacitor material based on the nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanofibers synthesized by carbonization of macroscopic-scale carbonaceous nanofibers (CNFs) coated with polypyrrole (CNFs@polypyrrole) at an appropriate temperature. The composite nanofibers exhibit a reversible specific capacitance of 202.0 F g<sup>–1</sup> at the current density of 1.0 A g<sup>–1</sup> in 6.0 mol L<sup>–1</sup> aqueous KOH electrolyte, meanwhile maintaining a high-class capacitance retention capability and a maximum power density of 89.57 kW kg<sup>–1</sup>. This kind of nitrogen-doped carbon nanofiber represents an alternative promising candidate for an efficient electrode material for supercapacitors
Watsonianone A from Rhodomyrtus tomentosa Fruit Attenuates Respiratory-Syncytial-Virus-Induced Inflammation <i>In Vitro</i>
Respiratory
syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the most common respiratory pathogens.
Immoderate inflammation plays a great role in causing RSV-induced
diseases. In the present study, watsonianone A, isolated from the
fruit of Rhodomyrtus tomentosa (Ait.)
Hassk, was found to show a good inhibitory effect on RSV-induced NO
production, with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration of 37.2 ±
1.6 μM. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and fluorescence quantitative
polymerase chain reaction analyses indicated that watsonianone A markedly
reduced both mRNA and protein levels of tumor necrosis factor α,
interleukin 6, and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 in RSV-infected
RAW264.7 cells. Mechanistically, watsonianone A inhibited nuclear
factor κB (NF-κB) activation by suppressing IκBα
phosphorylation. Further analysis revealed that watsonianone A activated
the thioredoxin system and decreased intracellular reactive oxygen
species (ROS) levels, which are closely associated with NF-κB
activation in RSV-infected cells. These results reveal that watsonianone
A can attenuate RSV-induced inflammation via the suppression of ROS-sensitive
inflammatory signaling