New Journal of Chemistry最新文献

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common inflammatory disease that greatly restricts normal joint movement. The excessive production of Cys (Cysteine) is one of the biomarkers of rheumatoid arthritis. However, research on relevant fluorescent probes mainly focused on the NIR-I region, with few developments of fluorescent probes in the NIR-II region. Therefore, in this study, we designed and synthesized a NIR-II fluorescent (NIR-II FL) probe, GY-G, for specific detection of endogenous Cys in RA with excellent NIR-II FL imaging performance. This probe exhibited a NIR-II FL emission exceeding 920 nm and a large Stokes shift of 110 nm. Additionally, GY-G responded to Cys with high sensitivity and selectivity in an RA model. Notably, we successfully achieved NIR-II FL imaging of endogenous Cys in an RA model by using GY-G. Significantly, GY-G is expected to be a potential candidate for early diagnosis of RA. A NIR-II fluorescent probe for detecting endogenous Cys in arthritis models was developed for the first time. Overall, this probe has great potential in exploring the pathophysiological processes of Cys-associated arthritis with a range of biomedical tools that can be used for NIR-II fluorescence imaging.

Inhibition of the protein neddylation pathway has emerged as an attractive anticancer strategy in pre-clinical studies. MLN4924, as a small molecule inhibitor of neddylation, has been found to effectively inhibit the growth of a variety of cancer cells. However, its clinical application still faces some major challenges in terms of poor water solubility, biological stability, poor targeting, and rapid clearance from the body. Herein, we developed a biomimetic nanovesicle platform (named P-PAM/MLN) by ultrasonically storing the MLN4924-loaded polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer inside platelet membrane vesicles (PMVs) for tumor therapy. Benefiting from PMV-based camouflage, P-PAM/MLN exhibited enhanced tumor affinity, avoiding the off-target toxicity of MLN4924. Moreover, P-PAM/MLN could selectively release MLN4924 in response to the acidic microenvironment of lysosomal compartments via the “proton sponge” effect. Consequently, the biomimetic nanovesicles could remarkably inhibit tumor progression with negligible toxicity. In terms of significance, the nanovesicles provide a precisely targeted delivery platform for delivering small molecule drugs to the tumor tissue as well as an effective reference for the combined application of nanocarriers and clinical drugs.

Nitrogen doped In₂S₃ (NIS) nanostructures integrated with In₂O₃ (IO) nanorods (NIS@IO) architectures were synthesized via simple reflux and heat treatment methods for the direct Z-scheme photocatalytic CO₂ reduction. Details structural characterization, compositional analysis and optical properties were carried out using scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV-vis studies. The optimized NIS@IO nanoarchitecture showed photocatalytic CO₂ reduction activity with CO production rate of 10.81 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ with higher selectivity (∼92%) over CH₄ (0.94 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹). CO production rate by the optimized NIS@IO nanoarchitecture is ∼11 higher than that of pristine IO. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the optimized NIS@IO nanoarchitecture is attributed to the synergistic effects between IO and NIS which promote light absorption with reduced electron–hole pair recombination and smaller size of the NIS nanostructures and enhanced CO₂ adsorption due to N doping.

In this research, silver oxide nanoparticles (Ag₂O NPs) were synthesized through a green synthesis method utilizing the leaf extract of Moringa oleifera, and their antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was evaluated. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the green-synthesized Ag₂O NPs as photocatalysts was investigated by degrading Congo red dye and ciprofloxacin antibiotics. Various sophisticated tools, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), were implemented to analyze the synthesized product. From the XRD data, the crystallite size was computed by deploying several model equations; the crystallite size was 2–126 nm. An FTIR spectrophotometer confirmed the activating group of the Ag₂O NPs, and the thermogravimetric analyzer revealed nearly 9% weight loss in two stages. SEM analysis revealed that the Ag₂O NPs are spherical and rod-shaped. The dye degradation percentage was assessed utilizing a UV-vis Spectrophotometer depending on different parameters, and 84% (Congo red dye) and 46% (ciprofloxacin) were found to be the highest degradation percentages at 120 min for 0.1 g of Ag₂O catalyst. The Ag₂O NPs synthesized through a green approach exhibited noteworthy antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus megaterium) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi) bacteria. The diameter of the zone of inhibition was larger in the case of E. coli (14 mm) than S. aureus (13 mm), B. megaterium (12 mm), and S. typhi (12 mm).

The phyto-mediated production of SnO₂ nanoparticles (Cm-SnO₂ NPs) was effected using the stem wood 50% ethanolic extract of Croton malabaricus Bedd. as a reducing agent. The extract was subjected to phytochemical characterization. The Cm-SnO₂ NPs were characterized using XRD, UV, FTIR, FE-SEM, EDX, AFM, and HR-TEM. HR-TEM and XRD measurements verified that the agglomerated, spherical nanoparticles had a crystallite size of 9.13 nm. The Cm-SnO₂ NPs were checked for their antioxidant, antibacterial, antibiofilm, haemolytic, and thrombolytic properties, effects on Cicer arietinum, and photocatalytic degradation of sunset yellow dye. The plant extract contained phenols (438.98 ± 0.82 mg GAE per g DW), flavonoids (64.02 ± 0.34 mg QE per g DW), and terpenoids (76.42 ± 0.44 mg linalool per g of extract DW). The IC₅₀ values for the DPPH and Fe chelating activities of Cm-SnO₂ NPs were 17.47 ± 0.9 and 20.98 ± 0.5 μg mL⁻¹, respectively. At 100 μg mL⁻¹, the highest antibacterial activity (32 ± 0.26 mm) and antibiofilm activity (33.05 ± 0.6%) of Cm-SnO₂ NPs were seen against K. pneumoniae. The nanoparticles were found to be least toxic toward RBC suspensions (IC₅₀ = 0.732 mg mL⁻¹) and to have significant clot lysis activity (62.04%). The Cm-SnO₂ NPs showed a growth-stimulatory effect on the seeds of Cicer arietinum by increasing the germination percentage from 56.66% at 24 hours to 73.33% at 48 hours. The Cm-SnO₂ NPs exhibited 60.47% photocatalytic degradation efficiency of sunset yellow dye under UV light conditions within 60 min. Thus, Cm-SnO₂ NPs can be effective for biological purposes, dye degradation, and crop growth promotion, contributing to both health and environmental aspects.

To solve the problem of ofloxacin pollution in contaminated water, Fe₃O₄ and ZIF-8 were prepared by a solvothermal method and stirring at normal temperature, respectively. Furthermore, a series of magnetic ZIF-8/reduced graphene oxide (Fe₃O₄/ZIF-8/rGO) composite aerogels with different mass ratios were synthesized by reduction and freeze-drying methods. The products were characterized using a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, an X-ray diffractometer, a field emission scanning electron microscope, and a thermogravimetric analyzer. Taking ofloxacin (OFL) as the target pollutant, an orthogonal test was carried out to explore the optimum conditions for removing ofloxacin with the composite aerogel: under the conditions of an illumination time of 8.0 h, a mass ratio of 10 : 15 : 20 for Fe₃O₄/ZIF-8/rGO, a composite aerogel dosage of 8 mg, and an initial concentration of ofloxacin of 50 mg L⁻¹, the removal rate of ofloxacin reached 98.87%. After being recycled five times, the removal rate remained at 90.23%. The prepared Fe₃O₄/ZIF-8/rGO composite aerogel and the developed ofloxacin removal procedure could provide a reference for the treatment of quinolone antibiotics and PPCPs in polluted water. Moreover, they can be expected to alleviate the energy crisis and enhance the application of solar energy to deal with environmental remediation in the future.

The morphological structure is of particular importance to the energy storage properties of metal organic framework (MOF) electrode materials. Herein, a series of Co/Cu bimetallic MOFs were achieved by the facile hydrothermal method of cobalt nitrate and copper nitrate with phthalic acid (PA), terephthalic acid (TPA) and isophthalic acid (IPA). Co/Cu–IPA MOF, prepared by the reaction between cobalt nitrate, copper nitrate and IPA ligand, exhibits a loose lamellar structure while Co/Cu–PA MOF and Co/Cu–TPA MOF display a thin-strip structure. Co/Cu–IPA MOF displays a high specific area of 375.8 m² g⁻¹ compared with Co/Cu–PA MOF (44.09 m² g⁻¹) and Co/Cu–TPA MOF (9.64 m² g⁻¹). Besides, Co/Cu–IPA MOF possesses more Cu⁺ content. Therefore, Co/Cu–IPA MOF shows a high specific capacitance of 369.1 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹. A Co/Cu–IPA MOF//AC asymmetric device was constructed successfully. This device shows an energy density of 6.81 W h kg⁻¹ at a power density of 500 W kg⁻¹.

The widespread applications of sulfur-containing molecules, especially thioethers, in drug synthesis and as important intermediates have garnered significant attention for these compounds. Initially, the formation of C–S bonds primarily relied on transition metal catalysis. However, in recent years, there has been remarkable progress in photocatalytic systems, making the construction of such chemical bonds through photocatalysis particularly attractive. This reaction often proceeds under mild conditions and allows for the highly regioselective construction of functionalized sulfones and thioethers. This article focuses on the photocatalytic preparation processes of various thioethers and systematically summarizes the reaction mechanisms involved.

Traditionally, synthesis of peptides using solid- or liquid-phase methods requires organic solvents, which goes against the fundamentals of green chemistry. In our previous study, we successfully demonstrated a green synthesis process involving alanine oligopeptides from alanine–diketopiperazine (alanine–DKP) using pulsed discharge plasma. By optimizing the conditions for oligopeptide synthesis, we improved the green synthesis of alanine oligopeptides by performing plasma irradiation in an acidic aqueous solution. The yield of alanyl–alanyl–alanine from alanine–DKP is approximately 30% within 3–20 min. The addition of alanylalanine enhances the formation of higher oligopeptides. Furthermore, LC-MS analysis shows trace amounts of glycine–DKP, glycine oligopeptides, glutamic acid, pyruvic acid, and pyroglutamic acid, which implies the reaction mechanism for the spontaneous elongation of higher oligopeptides from alanine–DKP through the ring opening of alanine–DKP and the radical formation of amino acids. Thus, the formation of DKP is advantageous for the formation of oligopeptides and does not inhibit oligopeptide elongation. This study provides useful insights into the chemical evolution of oligopeptides and the development of environmentally friendly oligopeptide formation processes.

Bacterial infections have been a serious threat to human health and caused millions of deaths, which brought an urgent requirement for the development of efficient antimicrobial materials. Herein, we prepared AuNRs@PDA@AgNPs nanocomposites by assembling silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on gold nanorods (AuNRs) with the assistance of polydopamine (PDA). The constructed AuNRs@PDA@AgNPs have good photothermal effects with a temperature raise of ∼28 °C at 150 μg mL⁻¹ under 808 nm laser illumination of 1.0 W cm⁻². Meanwhile, the decorated AgNPs provided chemical bactericidal effects, whereas the release of Ag was also enhanced by the light illumination. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of AuNRs@PDA@AgNPs against the bacteria was 16 μg mL⁻¹, at which AuNRs@PDA@AgNPs can inhibit the bacterial cell viability to 5.3% and 2.0% for E. coli and S. aureus bacteria, respectively. In this work, a novel nanocomposite that realizes synergistic photothermal and chemical sterilization is successfully constructed.