Notes on the Pselaphodes Westwood complex (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae) of Hubei, China, with description of a new species and additional faunistic data.

The Pselaphodes Westwood complex of genera is represented in Hubei Province by four genera and eight species. Recent field work at Wanchaoshan Nature Reserve, Xingshan County revealed a small series of material belonging to this complex. In this paper, we describe Pselaphodeswanchaoshanus sp. nov. and provide new faunistic data for P.nomurai Yin, Li & Zhao. A key to the hitherto known members of Pselaphodes complex that occur in Hubei is provided to facilitate ready species identification.

The transcriptome of MHV-infected RAW264.7 cells offers an alternative model for macrophage innate immunity research.

BACKGROUND: Macrophages are the primary innate immune cells encountered by the invading coronaviruses, and their abilities to initiate inflammatory reactions, to maintain the immunity homeostasis by differential polarization, to train the innate immune system by epigenic modification have been reported in laboratory animal research. METHODS: In the current in vitro research, murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cell were infected by mouse hepatitis virus, a coronavirus existed in mouse. At 3-, 6-, 12-, 24-, and 48-h post infection (hpi.), the attached cells were washed with PBS and harvested in Trizol reagent. Then The harvest is subjected to transcriptome sequencing. RESULTS: The transcriptome analysis showed the immediate (3 hpi.) up regulation of DEGs related to inflammation, like Il1b and Il6. DEGs related to M2 differential polarization, like Irf4 showed up regulation at 24 hpi., the late term after viral infection. In addition, DEGs related to metabolism and histone modification, like Ezh2 were detected, which might correlate with the trained immunity of macrophages. CONCLUSIONS: The current in vitro viral infection study showed the key innated immunity character of macrophages, which suggested the replacement value of viral infection cells model, to reduce the animal usage in preclinical research.

Coordinated molecular and ecological adaptations underlie a highly successful parasitoid.

The success of an organism depends on the molecular and ecological adaptations that promote its beneficial fitness. Parasitoids are valuable biocontrol agents for successfully managing agricultural pests, and they have evolved diversified strategies to adapt to both the physiological condition of hosts and the competition of other parasitoids. Here, we deconstructed the parasitic strategies in a highly successful parasitoid, Trichopria drosophilae, which parasitizes a broad range of Drosophila hosts, including the globally invasive species D. suzukii. We found that T. drosophilae had developed specialized venom proteins that arrest host development to obtain more nutrients via secreting tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), as well as a unique type of cell-teratocytes-that digest host tissues for feeding by releasing trypsin proteins. In addition to the molecular adaptations that optimize nutritional uptake, this pupal parasitoid has evolved ecologically adaptive strategies including the conditional tolerance of intraspecific competition to enhance parasitic success in older hosts and the obligate avoidance of interspecific competition with larval parasitoids. Our study not only demystifies how parasitoids weaponize themselves to colonize formidable hosts but also provided empirical evidence of the intricate coordination between the molecular and ecological adaptations that drive evolutionary success.

Proangiogenic Azaphilones from the Marine-Derived Fungus Neopestalotiopsis sp. HN-1-6.

Developing novel, safe, and efficient proangiogenic drugs is an important approach for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. In this study, 4 new compounds, including 3 azaphilones (1-3) and 1 dihydroisocoumarin (4), as well as 13 known compounds (5-17), were isolated from the sea-mud-derived fungus Neopestalotiopsis sp. HN-1-6 from the Beibu Gulf of China. The structures of the new compounds were determined by NMR, MS, ECD, and NMR calculations. Compounds 3, 5, and 7 exhibited noteworthy proangiogenic activities in a zebrafish model at a concentration of 40 µM, without displaying cytotoxicity toward five human cell lines. In addition, some compounds demonstrated antibacterial effects against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans, with MIC values ranging from 64 µg/mL to 256 µg/mL.

New Naphthalene Derivatives from the Mangrove Endophytic Fungus Daldinia eschscholzii MCZ-18.

Five new naphthalene derivatives dalesconosides A-D, F (1-4, 6), a known synthetic analogue named dalesconoside E (5), and eighteen known compounds (7-24) were isolated from Daldinia eschscholzii MCZ-18, which is an endophytic fungus obtained from the Chinese mangrove plant Ceriops tagal. Differing from previously reported naphthalenes, compounds 1 and 2 were bearing a rare ribofuranoside substituted at C-1 and the 5-methyltetrahydrofuran-2,3-diol moiety, respectively. Their structures were determined by detailed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectroscopic (MS) analyses, while the absolute configurations were established by theoretical electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculation. Compounds 1, 3, 13-17 and 19 showed broad ranges of antimicrobial spectrum against five indicator test microorganisms (Enterococcus faecalis, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans); especially, 1, 16 and 17 were most potent. The variations in structure and attendant biological activities provided fresh insights concerning structure-activity relationships for the naphthalene derivatives.

Dicerandrol C Suppresses Proliferation and Induces Apoptosis of HepG2 and Hela Cancer Cells by Inhibiting Wnt/ß-Catenin Signaling Pathway.

Overwhelming evidence points to an aberrant Wnt/ß-catenin signaling as a critical factor in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cervical cancer (CC) pathogenesis. Dicerandrol C (DD-9), a dimeric tetrahydroxanthenone isolated from the endophytic fungus Phomopsis asparagi DHS-48 obtained from mangrove plant Rhizophora mangle via chemical epigenetic manipulation of the culture, has demonstrated effective anti-tumor properties, with an obscure action mechanism. The objective of the current study was to explore the efficacy of DD-9 on HepG2 and HeLa cancer cells and its functional mechanism amid the Wnt/ß catenin signaling cascade. Isolation of DD-9 was carried out using various column chromatographic methods, and its structure was elucidated with 1D NMR. The cytotoxicity of DD-9 on HepG2 and HeLa cells was observed with respect to the proliferation, clonality, migration, invasion, apoptosis, cell cycle, and Wnt/ß-catenin signaling cascade. We found that DD-9 treatment significantly reduced tumor cell proliferation in dose- and time-dependent manners in HepG2 and HeLa cells. The subsequent experiments in vitro implied that DD-63 could significantly suppress the tumor clonality, metastases, and induced apoptosis, and that it arrested the cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase of HepG2 and HeLa cells. Dual luciferase assay, Western blot, and immunofluorescence assay showed that DD-9 could dose-dependently attenuate the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling by inhibiting ß-catenin transcriptional activity and abrogating ß-catenin translocated to the nucleus; down-regulating the transcription level of ß-catenin-stimulated Wnt target gene and the expression of related proteins including p-GSK3-ß, ß-catenin, LEF1, Axin1, c-Myc, and CyclinD1; and up-regulating GSK3-ß expression, which indicates that DD-9 stabilized the ß-catenin degradation complex, thereby inducing ß-catenin degradation and inactivation of the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. The possible interaction between DD-9 and ß-catenin and GSK3-ß protein was further confirmed by molecular docking studies. Collectively, DD-9 may suppress proliferation and induce apoptosis of liver and cervical cancer cells, possibly at least in part via GSK3-ß-mediated crosstalk with the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling axis, providing insights into the mechanism for the potency of DD-9 on hepatocellular and cervical cancer.

LncRNA MFRL regulates the phenotypic switch of vascular smooth muscle cells to attenuate arterial remodeling by encoding a novel micropeptide MFRLP.

BACKGROUND: Arterial remodeling is a common pathophysiological change in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases in which the phenotypic switch of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) plays an important role. Recently, an increasing number of long non-coding RNAs(lncRNAs) have been shown to encode micropeptides that play biological roles and have great clinical transformation potential. However, the role of micropeptides encoded by lncRNAs in arterial remodeling has not been well studied and requires further exploration. METHODS AND RESULTS: Through bioinformatic analysis and experimental verification, we found that a new lncRNA, the mitochondrial function-related lncRNA (MFRL), encodes a 64-amino acid micropeptide, MFRLP. MFRL and MFRLP play important roles in the phenotypic switch of VSMC. Further experiments showed that MFRLP interacts with mitochondrial cytochrome b to reduce accumulation of reactive oxygen species, suppress mitophagy and inhibit the VSMC switch from contractile to synthetic phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: LncRNA MFRL encodes the micropeptide MFRLP, which interacts with mitochondrial cytochrome b to inhibit the VSMC switch from contractile to synthetic phenotype and improve arterial remodeling.

Rare case of solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas with liver and splenic metastasis in a 19-year-old girl.

INTRODUCTION: Solid pseudopapillary neoplasms (SPNs) of the pancreas are rare neoplasms, accounting for only 1 %-2 % of all pancreatic tumors, and predominantly affect female patients. CASE PRESENTATION: The present case report details a patient presenting to the emergency department with abdominal pain for 3 days who ultimately received a diagnosis of SPNs in the pancreatic body and tail. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a sizable mass arising from the pancreas, featuring an enhancing cystic component with involvement of the liver and spleen. The patient underwent subsequent exploratory laparotomy, a distal pancreatectomy, splenectomy, and partial hepatectomy. SPN diagnosis was confirmed by histopathology and immunohistochemistry with negative resection margins. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: Approximately 70 % of SPN cases are asymptomatic and are incidentally discovered. Despite advances in diagnostic modalities, preoperative diagnosis of SPNs remains a clinical challenge. Surgical management with negative resection margins remains the primary treatment approach. The recurrence rate after surgical resection has been reported to be 3 %-9 %. The prognosis for SPNs limited to the pancreas is generally favorable, with a cure rate exceeding 95 % after complete surgical resection. CONCLUSION: An SPN of the pancreas is a rare tumor observed in young female patients. Although it is classified as a malignant tumor, SPN has low malignant potential. Aggressive surgical resection, however, has proven effective in curing SPN for the majority of patients.

Ultrasmall copper nanoclusters as an efficient antibacterial agent for primary peritonitis therapy.

The urgent need to develop biocompatible, non-resistant antibacterial agents to effectively combat Gram-negative bacterial infections, particularly for the treatment of peritonitis, presents a significant challenge. In this study, we introduce our water-soluble Cu30 nanoclusters (NCs) as a potent and versatile antibacterial agent tailored for addressing peritonitis. The as-synthesized atomically precise Cu30 NCs demonstrate exceptional broad-spectrum antibacterial performance, and especially outstanding bactericidal activity of 100% against Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli). Our in vivo experimental findings indicate that the Cu30 NCs exhibit remarkable therapeutic efficacy against primary peritonitis caused by E. coli infection. Specifically, the treatment leads to a profound reduction of drug-resistant bacteria in the peritoneal cavity of mice with peritonitis by more than 5 orders of magnitude, along with the resolution of pathological features in the peritoneum and spleen. Additionally, comprehensive in vivo biosafety assessment underscores the remarkable biocompatibility, low biotoxicity, as well as efficient hepatic and renal clearance of Cu30 NCs, emphasizing their potential for in vivo application. This investigation is poised to advance the development of novel Cu NC-based antibacterial agents for in vivo antibacterial treatment and the elimination of abdominal inflammation.

Transcriptomic Insights into Host Metabolism and Immunity Changes after Parasitization by Leptopilina myrica.

Parasitoids commonly manipulate their host's metabolism and immunity to facilitate their offspring survival, but the mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we deconstructed the manipulation strategy of a newly discovered parasitoid wasp, L. myrica, which parasitizes D. melanogaster. Using RNA-seq, we analyzed transcriptomes of L. myrica-parasitized and non-parasitized Drosophila host larvae. A total of 22.29 Gb and 23.85 Gb of clean reads were obtained from the two samples, respectively, and differential expression analysis identified 445 DEGs. Of them, 304 genes were upregulated and 141 genes were downregulated in parasitized hosts compared with non-parasitized larvae. Based on the functional annotations in the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases, we found that the genes involved in host nutrition metabolism were significantly upregulated, particularly in carbohydrate, amino acid, and lipid metabolism. We also identified 30 other metabolism-related DEGs, including hexokinase, fatty acid synthase, and UDP-glycosyltransferase (Ugt) genes. We observed that five Bomanin genes (Boms) and six antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) were upregulated. Moreover, a qRT-PCR analysis of 12 randomly selected DEGs confirmed the reproducibility and accuracy of the RNA-seq data. Our results provide a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of how L. myrica manipulates its host, laying a solid foundation for studies on the regulatory mechanisms employed by parasitoid wasps in their hosts.

Vascular smooth muscle-specific LRRC8A knockout ameliorates angiotensin II-induced cerebrovascular remodeling by inhibiting the WNK1/FOXO3a/MMP signaling pathway.

Hypertensive cerebrovascular remodeling involves the enlargement of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), which activates volume-regulated Cl- channels (VRCCs). The leucine-rich repeat-containing family 8 A (LRRC8A) has been shown to be the molecular identity of VRCCs. However, its role in vascular remodeling during hypertension is unclear. In this study, we used vascular smooth muscle-specific LRRC8A knockout (CKO) mice and an angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced hypertension model. The results showed that cerebrovascular remodeling during hypertension was ameliorated in CKO mice, and extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition was reduced. Based on the RNA-sequencing analysis of aortic tissues, the level of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), such as MMP-9 and MMP-14, were reduced in CKO mice with hypertension, which was further verified in vivo by qPCR and immunofluorescence analysis. Knockdown of LRRC8A in VSMCs inhibited the Ang II-induced upregulation of collagen I, fibronectin, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and overexpression of LRRC8A had the opposite effect. Further experiments revealed an interaction between with-no-lysine (K)-1 (WNK1), which is a "Cl--sensitive kinase", and Forkhead transcription factor O3a (FOXO3a), which is a transcription factor that regulates MMP expression. Ang II induced the phosphorylation of WNK1 and downstream FOXO3a, which then increased the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9. This process was inhibited or potentiated when LRRC8A was knocked down or overexpressed, respectively. Overall, these results demonstrate that LRRC8A knockout in vascular smooth muscle protects against cerebrovascular remodeling during hypertension by reducing ECM deposition and inhibiting the WNK1/FOXO3a/MMP signaling pathway, demonstrating that LRRC8A is a potential therapeutic target for vascular remodeling-associated diseases such as stroke.

Narrow-linewidth and low RIN Tm/Ho co-doped fiber laser based on self-injection locking.

A narrow-linewidth and low relative intensity noise (RIN) Tm/Ho co-doped fiber laser based on a saturable absorber and self-injection locking was demonstrated for the first time. Utilizing self-injection locking technology, the frequency noise power spectral density is remarkably reduced by more than 17.1 dB from 1.21 × 106 Hz2/Hz to 7.30 × 103 Hz2/Hz when the frequency is approximately 1 kHz. Furthermore, a laser with a linewidth compressed to a quarter of the original linewidth from 44.386 kHz to 2.850 kHz, a RIN of less than -127.74 dB/Hz, and an optical signal-to-noise ratio of more than 71.6 dB can be obtained. Using a delay fiber, the relaxation oscillation peak frequencies move to lower frequencies, from 27.9 kHz to 15.8 kHz. The proposed laser is highly competitive in advanced coherent light detection fields, including coherent Doppler wind lidar, high-speed coherent optical communication, and precise absolute distance coherent measurement.

A near-infrared fluorescent probe based FRET for ratiometric sensing of H2O2 and viscosity in live cells.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and viscosity play vital roles in the cellular environment as signaling molecule and microenvironment parameter, respectively, and are associated with many physiological and pathological processes in biological systems. We developed a near-infrared fluorescent probe, CQ, which performed colorimetric and ratiometric detection of H2O2 and viscosity based on the FRET mechanism, and was capable of monitoring changes in viscosity and H2O2 levels simultaneously through two different channels. Based on the specific reaction of H2O2 with borate ester, CQ exhibited a significant ratiometric response to H2O2 with a large Stokes shift of 221 nm, a detection limit of 0.87 µM, a near-infrared emission wavelength of 671 nm, a response time of 1 h, a wide detection ranges of 0.87-800 µM and a high energy transfer efficiency of 99.9 %. CQ could also recognize viscosity by the TICT mechanism, and efficiently detect viscosity changes caused by food thickeners. More importantly, CQ could successfully detect endogenous/exogenous H2O2 and viscosity in live HeLa cells, which was expected to be a practical tool for detecting H2O2 and viscosity in live cells.

A highly sensitive ratiometric fluorescent probe for detecting HSO3-/SO32- and viscosity change based on FRET/TICT mechanism.

BACKGROUND: Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is a significant gas signaling molecule in organisms, and viscosity is a crucial parameter of the cellular microenvironment. They are both involved in regulating many physiological processes in the human body. However, abnormalities in SO2 and viscosity levels are associated with various diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, respiratory diseases, neurological disorders, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. Hence, it is essential to explore novel and efficient fluorescent probes for simultaneously monitoring SO2 and viscosity in organisms. RESULTS: We selected quinolinium salt with good stability, high fluorescence intensity, good solubility and low cytotoxicity as the fluorophore and developed a highly sensitive ratiometric probe QQD to identify SO2 and viscosity changes based on Förster resonance energy transfer/twisted intramolecular charge transfer (FRET/TICT) mechanism. Excitingly, compared with other probes for SO2 detection, QQD not only identified HSO3-/SO32- with a large Stokes shift (218 nm), low detection limit (1.87 µM), good selectivity, high energy transfer efficiency (92 %) and wide recognition range (1.87-200 µM), but also identified viscosity with a 26-fold fluorescence enhancement and good linearity. Crucially, QQD was applied to detect HSO3-/SO32- and viscosity in actual water and food samples. In addition, QQD had low toxicity and good photostability for imaging HSO3-/SO32- and viscosity in cells. These results confirmed the feasibility and reliability of QQD for HSO3-/SO32- and viscosity imaging and environmental detection. SIGNIFICANCE: We reported a unique ratiometric probe QQD for detecting HSO3-/SO32- and viscosity based on the quinolinium skeleton. In addition to detecting HSO3-/SO32- and viscosity change in actual water and food samples, QQD could also monitor the variations of HSO3-/SO32- and viscosity in cells, which provided an experimental basis for further exploration of the role of SO2 derivatives and viscosity in biological systems.

Proteomic study of vitreous in proliferative diabetic retinopathy patients after treatment with aflibercept: a quantitative analysis based on 4D label-free technique.

AIM: To identify different metabolites, proteins and related pathways to elucidate the causes of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and resistance to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs, and to provide biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of PDR. METHODS: Vitreous specimens from patients with diabetic retinopathy were collected and analyzed by Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analyses based on 4D label-free technology. Statistically differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway representation and protein interactions were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 12 samples were analyzed. The proteomics results showed that a total of 58 proteins were identified as DEPs, of which 47 proteins were up-regulated and 11 proteins were down-regulated. We found that C1q and tumor necrosis factor related protein 5 (C1QTNF5), Clusterin (CLU), tissue inhibitor of metal protease 1 (TIMP1) and signal regulatory protein alpha (SIRPα) can all be specifically regulated after aflibercept treatment. GO functional analysis showed that some DEPs are related to changes in inflammatory regulatory pathways caused by PDR. In addition, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network evaluation revealed that TIMP1 plays a central role in neural regulation. In addition, CD47/SIRPα may become a key target to resolve anti-VEGF drug resistance in PDR. CONCLUSION: Proteomic analysis is an approach of choice to explore the molecular mechanisms of PDR. Our data show that multiple proteins are differentially changed in PDR patients after intravitreal injection of aflibercept, among which C1QTNF5, CLU, TIMP1 and SIRPα may become targets for future treatment of PDR and resolution of anti-VEGF resistance.

Modulation of Nucleation and Growth Kinetics of Perovskite Nanocrystals Enables Efficient and Spectrally Stable Pure-Red Light-Emitting Diodes.

Perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) based on CsPb(Br/I)3 nanocrystals (NCs) usually suffer from severe spectral instability under operating voltage due to the poor-quality PeNCs. Herein, zeolite was utilized to prepare high-quality CsPb(Br/I)3 NCs via promoting the homogeneous nucleation and growth and suppressing the Ostwald ripening of PeNCs. In addition, the decomposed zeolite interacted strongly with PeNCs through Pb-O bonds and hydrogen bonds, which inhibited the formation of defects and suppressed halide ion migration, leading to an improved photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and enhanced stability of PeNCs. Moreover, the strong binding affinity of decomposed zeolite to PeNCs contributed to the formation of homogeneous perovskite films with high PLQY. As a result, pure-red PeLEDs with Commission International de I'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.705, 0.291) were fabricated, approaching the Rec. 2020 red primary color. The devices achieved a peak external quantum efficiency of 23.0% and outstanding spectral stability.

Functional differentiation and genetic diversity of rice cation exchanger (CAX) genes and their potential use in rice improvement.

Cation exchanger (CAX) genes play an important role in plant growth/development and response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Here, we tried to obtain important information on the functionalities and phenotypic effects of CAX gene family by systematic analyses of their expression patterns, genetic diversity (gene CDS haplotypes, structural variations, gene presence/absence variations) in 3010 rice genomes and nine parents of 496 Huanghuazhan introgression lines, the frequency shifts of the predominant gcHaps at these loci to artificial selection during modern breeding, and their association with tolerances to several abiotic stresses. Significant amounts of variation also exist in the cis-regulatory elements (CREs) of the OsCAX gene promoters in 50 high-quality rice genomes. The functional differentiation of OsCAX gene family were reflected primarily by their tissue and development specific expression patterns and in varied responses to different treatments, by unique sets of CREs in their promoters and their associations with specific agronomic traits/abiotic stress tolerances. Our results indicated that OsCAX1a and OsCAX2 as general signal transporters were in many processes of rice growth/development and responses to diverse environments, but they might be of less value in rice improvement. OsCAX1b, OsCAX1c, OsCAX3 and OsCAX4 was expected to be of potential value in rice improvement because of their associations with specific traits, responsiveness to specific abiotic stresses or phytohormones, and relatively high gcHap and CRE diversity. Our strategy was demonstrated to be highly efficient to obtain important genetic information on genes/alleles of specific gene family and can be used to systematically characterize the other rice gene families.

Anti-Inflammatory and α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Triterpenoid with Diverse Carbon Skeletons from the Fruits of Rosa roxburghii.

The fruits of Rosa roxburghii Tratt. are edible nutritional food with high medicinal value and have been traditionally used as Chinese folk medicine for a long time. In this study, 26 triterpenoids including four new pentacyclic triterpenoids, roxbuterpenes A-D (1, 4, 5, and 24), along with 22 known analogues (2, 3, 6-23, 25, and 26), were isolated from the fruits of R. roxburghii. Their chemical structures were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses (including IR, HRESIMS and NMR spectroscopy). The absolute configuration of roxbuterpene A (1) was determined by an X-ray crystallographic analysis. This is the first report of the crystal structure of 5/6/6/6/6-fused system pentacyclic triterpenoid. Notably, roxbuterpenes A and B (1 and 4) possessed the A-ring contracted triterpenoid and nortriterpenoid skeletons with a rare 5/6/6/6/6-fused system, respectively. Compounds 1-7, 11, 13-15, 18-20, 24, and 25 exhibited moderate or potent inhibitory activities against α-glucosidase. Compounds 2, 4, 6, 11, and 14 showed strong activities against α-glucosidase with IC50 values of 8.4 ± 1.6, 7.3 ± 2.2, 13.6 ± 1.4, 0.9 ± 0.4, and 12.5 ± 2.4 µM, respectively (positive control acarbose, 10.1 ± 0.8 µM). Compounds 13, 14, and 16 moderately inhibited the release of NO (nitric oxide) with IC50 values ranging from 25.1 ± 2.0 to 51.4 ± 3.1 µM. Furthermore, the expressions of TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α) and IL-6 (interleukin-6) were detected by ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), and compounds 13, 14, and 16 exhibited moderate inhibitory effects on TNF-α and IL-6 release in a dose-dependent manner ranging from 12.5 to 50 µM.

Erythrocyte Membrane Camouflaged Nanotheranostics for Optical Molecular Imaging-Escorted Self-Oxygenation Photodynamic Therapy.

Hypoxic tumor microenvironment (TME) hampers the application of oxygen (O2 )-dependent photodynamic therapy (PDT) in solid tumors. To address this problem, a biomimetic nanotheranostics (named MMCC@EM) is developed for optical molecular imaging-escorted self-oxygenation PDT. MMCC@EM is synthesized by encapsulating chlorin e6 (Ce6) and catalase (CAT) in metal-organic framework (MOF) nanoparticles with erythrocyte membrane (EM) camouflage. Based on the biomimetic properties of EM, MMCC@EM efficiently accumulates in tumor tissues. The enriched MMCC@EM achieves TME-activatable drug release, thereby releasing CAT and Ce6, and this process can be monitored through fluorescence (FL) imaging. In addition, endogenous hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ) will be decomposed by CAT to produce O2 , which can be reflected by the measurement of intratumoral oxygen concentration using photoacoustic (PA) imaging. Such self-oxygenation nanotheranostics effectively mitigate tumor hypoxia and improve the generation of singlet oxygen (1 O2 ). The 1 O2 disrupts mitochondrial function and triggers caspase-3-mediated cellular apoptosis. Furthermore, MMCC@EM triggers immunogenic cell death (ICD) effect, leading to an increased infiltration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) into tumor tissues. As a result, MMCC@EM exhibits good therapeutic effects in 4T1-tumor bearing mice under the navigation of FL/PA duplex imaging.

Simultaneous photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging: A review.

Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) is an emerging biomedical imaging technique that combines the advantages of optical and ultrasound imaging, enabling the generation of images with both optical resolution and acoustic penetration depth. By leveraging similar signal acquisition and processing methods, the integration of photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging has introduced a novel hybrid imaging modality suitable for clinical applications. Photoacoustic-ultrasound imaging allows for non-invasive, high-resolution, and deep-penetrating imaging, providing a wealth of image information. In recent years, with the deepening research and the expanding biomedical application scenarios of photoacoustic-ultrasound bimodal systems, the immense potential of photoacoustic-ultrasound bimodal imaging in basic research and clinical applications has been demonstrated, with some research achievements already commercialized. In this review, we introduce the principles, technical advantages, and biomedical applications of photoacoustic-ultrasound bimodal imaging techniques, specifically focusing on tomographic, microscopic, and endoscopic imaging modalities. Furthermore, we discuss the future directions of photoacoustic-ultrasound bimodal imaging technology.