Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences最新文献

Numerous anthropogenic ultraviolet filters (UVF) have been detected in aquatic environments and concerns have arisen regarding their potential impacts on aquatic organisms. This manuscript reviews the environmental concentrations and potential toxicity of various UVF. The highest concentrations of UVF are typically observed near frequently visited recreational areas and during peak water-activity periods, which suggests that sunscreen application correlates with noticeable alterations in UVF concentrations. Aquatic concentrations of certain filters have sporadically exceeded 10 μg/L, although most measurements remain below 1 µg/L, which is below commonly reported toxicity levels. UVF have also been detected in aquatic organisms, typically ranging from nondetectable levels to a few hundred ng/g, depending on the species. The toxic effects from UVF, such as coral bleaching and diminished growth, have been observed in laboratory settings, however, toxicity tends to manifest only at significantly higher levels than what is typically detected in aquatic environments. Further research is imperative to provide consumers with improved guidance on selecting sunscreen containing UVF that poses the least environmental risk.

In this perspective, we present and discuss pre-clinical and some clinical studies demonstrating that local photodynamic therapy (PDT) per se is a treatment modality that can induce systemic anti-tumour immunity, however, the anti-tumour efficacy is strongly enhanced when PDT is combined with other treatment modalities, e.g., vaccines or ICI therapy. PDT has been recognized for over 30 years as a modality inducing strong immune effects in treated tumours. More recently, PDT has become perceived as a distinct type of immunogenic antitumor modality with an attractive potential for use as unique form of clinical cancer immunotherapy. It can be argued that PDT-inflicted tumour tissue injury provokes in situ vaccination effect. In the end of this perspective paper, we express our opinion of challenges and future directions in the field of PDT and PDT + immunotherapy.

The present work focuses on the photophysical behavior of meso-N-butylcarbazole-substituted BODIPY (CBZ-BDP) in different organized media towards exploring the possible use of the dye as a molecular sensor and imaging agent. The molecule shows an appreciable change in absorption and emission spectra at 75% water-acetonitrile mixture compared to pure acetonitrile. In water-acetonitrile mixture, it displays aggregate-induced emission (AIE) bands. New emission peaks are observed at 560 nm and 630 nm, corresponding to LE (locally excited) and ICT (intramolecular charge transfer) states of CBZ-BDP aggregates. The fluorescence anisotropy studies of CBZ-BDP in glycerol medium show its better sensitivity towards the microenvironment. CBZ-BDP was used to probe various microheterogeneous systems like bile salts, pluronics, and lipid bilayer systems in aqueous medium. The dye displays sensitive variation in emission intensity and fluorescence anisotropy in sodium cholate (NaC) bile salt in aqueous medium as a function of the bile salt concentration. The molecule detects the temperature-induced phase transitions in pluronic P123 and F127, as well as 1,2-dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and 1,2-dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) lipid bilayer systems in aqueous medium. These studies strongly suggest that CBZ-BDP can be used as an efficient fluorescent probe in sensing the micro-environmental changes in bile salts, pluronics, and lipid bilayers in aqueous medium. The imaging studies of CBZ-BDP-embedded Giant Unilamellar Vesicles (GUVs) were carried out. The molecule stains the lipid bilayers and displays bright-green fluorescent images, suggesting its potential in lipid bilayer imaging.

This paper investigates the evolution of changes in surface ultraviolet (UV) radiation globally, emphasizing the significant impacts of key factors influencing its variability, i.e., total column ozone, aerosols, clouds, and surface reflectivity. Simulations of UV radiation were performed by the UVSPEC radiative transfer model and span from the mid-twentieth century to the end of the twenty-first century. Input data were derived from eleven Earth System Models that participated in the 6th Phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). The UV Index (UVI) simulations for the late twentieth century indicate an increase in UVI levels relative to the 1950s in the Southern Hemisphere's mid and high latitudes, attributed to ozone depletion, and decreases in southeastern Asia due to increases in aerosols. Projections of changes in UVI for the last decade of the twenty-first century were derived for three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs): SSP1-2.6, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5. Under SSP1-2.6, the scenario with the lowest greenhouse gas (GHG) and aerosol emissions, UVI is projected to increase relative to the 1950s by up to 20% in Europe and North America and to decrease by as much as - 10% over tropical and polar regions. Under SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5, scenarios with higher GHG and aerosol emissions, UVI changes are generally negative globally due to ozone recovery and increases in aerosol optical depth, while localized positive changes are found over Central and South America, Europe, Africa, and the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The changes in the biologically effective solar irradiance for plant growth exhibit similar geographical patterns to UVI with slight differences, due to weaker sensitivity to changes in ozone.

The fluorescence quantum yield of berberine in aqueous solution is significantly smaller than those of organic solution. The time profile of fluorescence intensity of berberine was analyzed by a bi-exponential function, showing that two kinds of states of berberine exist in the solutions. The observed fluorescence lifetime of shorter lifetime species of berberine in water (0.08 ns) was markedly smaller than those of organic solvents and the relative amplitude of the shorter lifetime was dominated in the aqueous solution. Thus, this shorter lifetime can be explained by the deactivation via intramolecular electron transfer. These two states of berberine were independent of pH. The enthalpy and entropy changes between these two states were - 23.2 kJ mol^-1 and - 90 J K^-1 mol^-1, supporting the aggregation of berberine. In the aggregation state, an electrostatic interaction between cationic berberine and chloride ion decreases the electron accepting ability of the isoquinoline moiety of berberine, resulting in the suppression of intramolecular electron transfer. Furthermore, in the presence of clay, the interaction between berberine and clay increased the fluorescence intensity of berberine and its lifetime, showing that the negative charge of clay suppresses the intramolecular electron transfer. Since the electron transfer quenching of the photo-excited berberine is advantageous for suppressing the phototoxic effect of berberine, the inhibition of berberine aggregation is an important process for the phototoxicity prevention.

Higher prevalence of multiple sclerosis at higher latitudes is associated with reduced sunlight during childhood. Alterations in inflammatory Th17 and regulatory T cells (Treg) are associated with autoimmunity. In Hobart, Australia (latitude 42.8° south), thirteen girls (aged 12-13) and sixteen women had blood collected in the evening in daylight in February/March, (post 15 h daylight) and at the same time in the dark in August/September (post 9 h daylight). Height and weight were measured. Participants completed online surveys prior around menstruation, sleep, exercise and time outside. Proportions of Th17 (CD4 + , CXCR3-, CCR4 + , CCR6 + , CD161 +), total Treg (CD4 + , CD25 + , CD127low), naïve Treg (CD45RA + , CD4 + , CD25 + , CD127low) and memory Treg (CD45RA low, CD4 + , CD25 + , CD127low) were enumerated by flow cytometry (Cytek Aurora). Hours spent outside was greater in summer than winter (12.5 v 10.5, p = 0.0003). The %Treg/CD4 + was higher in summer than winter (7.3% vs 7%, p = 0.004) including memory Treg (3.1% vs 2.9%, p = 0.02) for all females (n = 29), and naïve Treg were 13% higher in summer in women (3.2% vs 2.8%, p = 0.0009), whereas %Th17 remained unchanged. In women, a negative correlation between the number of hours spent outside in summer and %Th17 was observed (r = - 0.53, p = 0.035). The %Th17 cells were higher in women than girls (4.9% vs 3.1%, p = 0.001), whereas girls had a higher total %Treg (7.6% vs 6.7%, p = 0.005), consisting of a higher naïve Treg (5.5% vs 3.7%, p = 0.0001) while the women had a higher %memory Treg (3.4% vs 2.6%, p = 0.0001). These light-dependent seasonal differences may influence immune development in adolescents.

Breast cancer is the deadliest cancer among women and its treatment using traditional methods leads the patient to experience adverse effects. However, photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a non-invasive therapy modality that works through a photosensitizing agent, which treating activated by a suitable light source, releases reactive oxygen species capable of treating cancer. Furthermore, recent research indicates that combining PDT and nanoparticles can enhance therapeutic effects. In this way, the synthesis of IONPs (iron oxide nanoparticles) was carried out, and their subsequent coating was done with curcumin (IONPs@curcumin) so that they could act as therapeutic agents against breast cancer. Curcumin solubility tests were carried out to achieve the best results, with ethanol as a solvent, in different concentrations of ethanolic curcumin solution, with the optimal outcome observed at a concentration of 1 mM. Subsequently, the stability analysis was conducted by adjusting the pH of the medium, revealing that at pH 10, the IONPs@curcumin exhibited the best stability and dispersion conditions. Then, cytotoxicity tests of IONPs@curcumin were carried out on the MDA-MB-468 triple-negative breast cancer cell line, under experimental conditions without irradiation and subjected to PDT. The results revealed a viability greater than 70%, as it did not exhibit cytotoxicity for cells in the dark. After 1 h of incubation, the PDT associated with IONPs@curcumin showed 32% of cell viability at a concentration of 30 mg/mL.

A new ratiometric and colorimetric fluorescent probe HTD was synthesized based on the reaction of 4-aminophenyl boronic acid pinacol ester and 4-(3-formyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) benzonitrile. The probe exhibited a unique fluorescence response to hypochlorous acid and had good anti-interference performance in the presence of other interference. When HTD met the NaClO, the light orange fluorescence was changed to green with the blue-shifted emission wavelength from 550 to 500 nm. Moreover, the absorbance of HTD's UV-vis at 300 nm and 375 nm decreased in the presence of NaClO. The limit of detection was 1.83 × 10^-7 M and 2.96 × 10^-6 M based on the fluorescence and UV-vis titration data. NMR, HRMS, and IR spectra suggested that the possible sensing mechanism of HTD to NaClO was the formation of initial compound 4-(3-formyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) benzonitrile due to the oxidation of hypochlorous acid in aqueous solution. The portable test strips were obtained, and the real water sample test reached good results with spiking recoveries among 92.00% ~ 103.25%. Finally, endogenous hypochlorous acid produced by LPS and PMA was successfully detected by HTD in living mice using in situ fluorescence bioimaging.

The precise monitoring of pH is critical in various applications, particularly in biology-related areas. In this work, we report the synthesis and characterization of a novel cyanine-based fluorescent pH sensor with a pK_a around 6. This pH-sensitive dye features a cyanine chromophore coupled to a piperazine moiety, which modulates the protonation equilibrium and thus the optical response. DTF calculation corroborates the changes in the photophysical properties upon protonation. Upon immobilization within a hydrophilic polymer matrix, the resulting fluorescent sensor is exhibited a pK_a around 4.5, facilitating ratiometric pH measurements for acidic media (for instance in food-examples given in milk and fresh yogurt). Importantly, this probe design allowed a less than 5 min response time to pH changes while avoiding cytotoxic effects towards E. coli. The development of such a fluorescent pH indicator is motivated by the growing need for optical monitoring tools capable of providing real-time, non-invasive readouts of pH dynamics in complex media and microfluidic systems.