Preparation of a Polymeric Phosphoramide Flame-Retardant and Its Effect on the Flame-Retardant Properties of Epoxy Resin.

The flammability of epoxy resins and knowing how to achieve curing are particularly important factors during use. A novel approach for enhancing the fire resistance and reducing the smoke emission of epoxy resin during the curing process is suggested, which involves the utilization of a three-source integrated polymerization intumescent flame-retardant. In this study, the synthesis of poly 4,4-diaminodiphenylsulfone spirocyclic pentaerythritol bisphosphonate (PCS) is achieved through using solution polymerization, utilizing 4,4'-diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS) and spirocyclic pentaerythritol bisphosphorate disphosphoryl chloride (SPDPC) as initial components. Following that, the EP underwent the inclusion of PCS to examine its resistance to heat, its ability to prevent flames, its effectiveness in reducing smoke and its curing effect. Compared to the unmodified epoxy resin, the addition of PCS can not only cure the epoxy resin, but also decompose before the epoxy resin and has a good carbonization effect. With the addition of 7 wt.% PCS, the LOI value can achieve 31.2% and successfully pass the UL-94 test with a V-0 rating. Moreover, the cone calorimeter experiment demonstrated a noteworthy decline of 59.7% in the maximum heat release rate (pHRR), 63.7% in overall heat release (THR), and 42.3% in total smoke generation (TSP). Based on the examination of TG-FTIR and SEM findings, there is ample evidence to suggest that PCS, functioning as a phosphorus-nitrogen intumescent flame-retardant that combines three origins, has the potential to exhibit a favorable flame-retardant impact in both its gas and condensed phases.

Enhancing the Consistency and Performance of Graphene-Based Devices via Al Intermediate-Layer-Assisted Transfer and Patterning.

Graphene has garnered widespread attention, and its use is being explored for various electronic devices due to its exceptional material properties. However, the use of polymers (PMMA, photoresists, etc.) during graphene transfer and patterning processes inevitably leaves residues on graphene surface, which can decrease the performance and yield of graphene-based devices. This paper proposes a new transfer and patterning process that utilizes an Al intermediate layer to separate graphene from polymers. Through DFT calculations, the binding energy of graphene-Al was found to be only -0.48 eV, much lower than that of PMMA and photoresist with graphene, making it easier to remove Al from graphene. Subsequently, this was confirmed through XPS analysis. A morphological characterization demonstrated that the graphene patterns prepared using the Al intermediate layer process exhibited higher surface quality, with significantly reduced roughness. It is noteworthy that the devices obtained with the proposed method exhibited a notable enhancement in both consistency and sensitivity during electrical testing (increase of 67.14% in temperature sensitivity). The low-cost and pollution-free graphene-processing method proposed in this study will facilitate the further commercialization of graphene-based devices.

Correction: A Y1 receptor ligand synergized with a P-glycoprotein inhibitor improves the therapeutic efficacy of multidrug resistant breast cancer.

Correction for 'A Y1 receptor ligand synergized with a P-glycoprotein inhibitor improves the therapeutic efficacy of multidrug resistant breast cancer' by Yinjie Wang et al., Biomater. Sci., 2019, 7, 4748-4757, https://doi.org/10.1039/C9BM00337A.

Co-exposure of sulfur nanoparticles and Cu alleviate Cu stress and toxicity to oilseed rape Brassica napus L.

Experiments were performed to explore the impact of sulfur nanoparticles (SNPs) on growth, Cu accumulation, and physiological and biochemical responses of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) inoculated with 5 mg/L Cu-amended MS medium supplemented with or without 300 mg/L SNPs exposure. Cu exerted severe phytotoxicity and inhibited plant growth. SNPs application enhanced the shoot height, root length, and dry weight of shoot and root by 34.6%, 282%, 41.7% and 37.1%, respectively, over Cu treatment alone, while the shoot and root Cu contents and Cu-induced lipid perodixation as the malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in shoots and roots were decreased by 37.6%, 35%, 28.4% and 26.8%. Further, the increases in superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) enzyme activities caused by Cu stress were mitigated in shoots (10.9%-37.1%) and roots (14.6%-35.3%) with SNPs addition. SNPs also positively counteracted the negative effects on shoot K, Ca, P, Mg, Mn, Zn and Fe contents and root K, Ca, Mg and Mn contents from Cu exposure alone, and significantly promoted the nutrients accumulation in plant. Additionally, in comparison with common bulk sulfur particles (BSPs) and sulfate, SNPs showed more positive effects on promoting growth in shoots (6.7% and 19.5%) and roots (10.9% and 15.1%), as well as lowering the shoot Cu content (40.1% and 43.3%) under Cu stress. Thus, SNPs application has potential to be a green and sustainable technology for increasing plant productivity and reducing accumulation of toxic metals in heavy metal polluted soils.

Prognostic value and immunological characteristics of a novel cuproptosis-related long noncoding RNAs risk signature in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma.

Background: Cuproptosis has been found as a novel cell death mode significantly associated with mitochondrial metabolism, which may be significantly associated with the occurrence and growth of tumors. LncRNAs take on critical significance in regulating the development of kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC), whereas the correlation between cuproptosis-related LncRNAs (CRLs) and KIRC is not clear at present. Therefore, this study built a prognosis signature based on CRLs, which can achieve accurate prediction of the outcome of KIRC patients. Methods: The TCGA database provided the expression profile information and relevant clinical information of KIRC patients. Univariate Cox, Lasso, and multivariate Cox were employed for building a risk signature based on CRLs. Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival analysis and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were employed for the verification and evaluation of the reliability and accuracy of risk signature. Then, qRT-PCR analysis of risk LncRNAs was conducted. Finally, the possible effect of the developed risk signature on the microenvironment for tumor immunization was speculated in accordance with ssGSEA and ESTIMATE algorithms. Results: A prognosis signature composed of APCDD1L-DT, MINCR, AL161782.1, and AC026401.3 was built based on CRLs. As revealed by the results of the K-M survival study, the OS rate and progression-free survival rate of highrisk KIRC patients were lower than those of lowrisk KIRC patients, and the areas under ROC curves of 1, 3, and 5 years were 0.828, 0.780, and 0.794, separately. The results of the immune analysis showed that there were significant differences in the status of immunization and the microenvironment of tumor between groups at low-risk and at high-risk. The qRT-PCR results showed that the relative expression level of MINCR and APCDD1L-DT were higher in 786-O and 769-P tumor cells than in HK-2 cells, which were normal renal tubular epithelial cells. Conclusion: The developed risk signature takes on critical significance in the prediction of the prognosis of patients with KIRC, and it can bring a novel direction for immunotherapy and clinical drug treatment of KIRC. In addition, 4 identified risk LncRNAs (especially APCDD1L-DT and MINCR) can be novel targets for immunotherapy of KIRC patients.

Investigate the metabolic profile and potential active compounds of Fructus Corni in the treatment of heart failure by applying ultra-performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and network pharmacology.

Fructus Corni has been reported to contain a wide variety of pharmacological effects and previous studies had revealed that Fructus Corni might protect the cardiac indices. However, the all-encompassing metabolic profile of Fructus Corni has not been well illuminated. In this research, high-sensitivity ultra-performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry method was adopted to identify the metabolic profile after oral administration of Fructus Corni extract, especially the metabolic characterization of serum and heart, for which the targets and signaling pathways about heart failure were hunted through compound-target-disease-pathway intersection network. Ultimately, 37 ingredients were identified in Fructus Corni extract, and 22 prototypes and 134 metabolites that were identified in serum, heart, feces, and urine were tentatively characterized, which contained iridoids, flavonoids, tannins, organic acids, and others. Additionally, 10 putative key compounds including four prototypes and six phase I metabolites were screened by network pharmacology and molecular docking, among which, secoxyloganin (P7), loganin (P14), cornuside III (P17) and cornuside (P20) were the absorbed compounds to represent the potential active ingredients of Fructus Corni engaged in heart failure condition. In general, this method provided the combined strategy to preliminarily settle the complex of Fructus Corni's metabolic profiling and anti-heart failure pharmacologic activities.

Explore the Potential Ingredients for Detoxification of Honey-Fired Licorice (ZGC) Based on the Metabolic Profile by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS.

Licorice is well known for its ability to reduce the toxicity of the whole prescription in traditional Chinese medicine theory. However, honey-fired licorice (ZGC for short), which is made of licorice after being stir-fried with honey water, is more commonly used for clinical practice. The metabolism in vivo and detoxification-related compounds of ZGC have not been fully elucidated. In this work, the chemical constituents in ZGC and its metabolic profile in rats were both identified by high ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). The network pharmacology was applied to predict the potential detoxifying ingredients of ZGC. As a result, a total of 115 chemical compounds were identified or tentatively characterized in ZGC aqueous extract, and 232 xenobiotics (70 prototypes and 162 metabolites) were identified in serum, heart, liver, kidneys, feces, and urine. Furthermore, 41 compounds absorbed in serum, heart, liver, and kidneys were employed for exploring the detoxification of ZGC by network pharmacology. Ultimately, 13 compounds (five prototypes including P5, P24, P30, P41 and P44, and 8 phase Ⅰ metabolites including M23, M47, M53, M93, M100, M106, M118, and M134) and nine targets were anticipated to be potential mediums regulating detoxification actions. The network pharmacology analysis had shown that the ZGC could detoxify mainly through regulating the related targets of cytochrome P450 and glutathione. In summary, this study would help reveal potential active ingredients in vivo for detoxification of ZGC and provided practical evidence for explaining the theory of traditional Chinese medicine with modern technology.

Comparative Genomic Analysis Reveals Genetic Variations in Multiple Primary Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Chinese Population.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most common and lethal malignant tumors. The incidence of malignant transformation of esophageal mucosa increases greatly due to long-term exposure to factors such as smoking, drinking, and poor eating habits. Furthermore, multiple primary tumors could occur synchronously or asynchronously in the upper aerodigestive tract, especially in the esophagus, adding difficulty to the treatment of ESCC. Genetic mutations are important during the malignant transformation from normal mucosa to esophageal cancer, but the underlying mechanism has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we used whole-exome sequencing (WES) to profile genetic variations in physiologically normal mucosa (PNM) and ESCC tumors, as well as PNM of non-ESCC subjects. We found significant differences in mutation frequencies of NOTCH1 and NOTCH2, copy number variations (CNVs) at both gene and chromosomal arm levels, and cancer-related HIPPO, WNT, and NRF2 signaling pathways between ESCC tumors and normal mucosa. Our analysis of both primary tumors and paired PNM in bifocal ESCC revealed three different primary tumor evolution modes, and the most common mode exhibited a complete genomic divergence in all the samples from the same patient. Furthermore, the mutation frequency of TP53 was significantly higher in ESCC cases than that in non-ESCC cases. Overall, our results provide important evidence for further elucidating the mechanisms of genetic mutations underlying the cause of ESCC.

Crosstalk between the gut microbiome and clinical response in locally advanced thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma during neoadjuvant camrelizumab and chemotherapy.

Background: The gut microbiome is associated with the response to immunotherapy in a variety of advanced cancers. However, the influence of the gut microbiome on locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) during programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) antibody immunotherapy plus chemotherapy is not clearly demonstrated. To explore the crosstalk between the gut microbiome and clinical response in locally advanced thoracic ESCC during neoadjuvant camrelizumab and chemotherapy. Methods: Patients who were diagnosed with locally advanced thoracic ESCC and had not received treatment were enrolled. The treatment regimen was two cycles of camrelizumab combined with carboplatin and albumin paclitaxel before surgery. The research endpoints were pathological complete response (pCR) and major pathological response (MPR). Fecal samples were collected at three time points: before neoadjuvant therapy, after two cycles of neoadjuvant therapy, and after surgery. We performed 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) V3-V4 sequencing of the gene amplicons of fecal samples, as well as bacterial diversity and differential abundance analyses. Results: A total of 46 patients were recruited, and 44, 42, and 35 fecal samples were collected at the three time points, respectively. Statistically significant differences were observed in the amplicon sequence variant (ASV)-level alpha diversity indices, including Chao1, Shannon, and Good's coverage, between the three time points. The non-pCR-enriched gut microbiota included Proteobacteria, Dialister, Aeromonadales, Pseudomonadales, Thermi, Deinococci, Moraxellaceae, Rhodocyclales, Rhodocyclaceae, and Acinetobacter. The non-MPR-enriched gut microbiota included Pseudomonadales and the mitochondria family. The MPR-enriched gut microbiota included the Barnesiellaceae, Pyramidobacter, Dethiosulfovibrionaceae, Odoribacteraceae, Butyricimonas, Prevotella, Barnesiella, and Odoribacter. Patients with ≥3 grade adverse events (AEs) exhibited enrichment in the Succiniclasticum, Nakamurella, Rhizobium, Granulicella, Phyllobacteriaceae, Pelagibacteraceae, Actinosynnemataceae, Aquirestis, Flavisolibacter, Chelativorans, Coxiellaceae Acidicapsa, Acidobacteriaceae, Lentzea, Staphylococcus, Plesiomonas, Dysgonomonas, Pseudonocardia, and Ellin6075. Conclusions: We found that the diversity of the gut microbiome declined after neoadjuvant PD-1 antibody immunotherapy plus chemotherapy and surgery. Patients with pCR had different types and proportions of gut microbiota before treatment compared to those without pCR. We also observed the difference between patients with or without ≥ grade 3 AEs. The taxonomic features of the gut microbiome are potential biomarkers that could predict the pathological response and AEs.

The Neuropeptide Y1 Receptor Ligand-Modified Cell Membrane Promotes Targeted Photodynamic Therapy of Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks for Breast Cancer.

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs), widely regarded as promising materials for application in catalysis and separation, hold an increasingly significant position in drug delivery systems for their high drug loading capacity. Focused specifically on the rational design of targeting and bioresponsive nanovehicles, a neuropeptide Y1 receptor ligand (Y1L)-modified cell membrane camouflaged bioresponsive ZIF system (Y1L-RBC@ZIF-90@Ce6) was constructed for targeted photodynamic therapy of breast cancer. The biomimetic ZIF-based nanocarrier enhanced tumor accumulation by both neuropeptide Y1 receptor-targeted guidance and long-term stability. Y1L served as a good ligand-mediated selective targeting molecule for breast cancer, and red blood cell membrane-camouflaged nanocomposites displayed favorable biocompatibility. With the dual response of the ZIF to pH and adenosine triphosphate, the stimulus responsive photosensitizer Chlorin e6 delivery system effectively suppressed tumors in vivo. This work offers a platform for developing much safer and more efficient photodynamic therapy for the treatment of Y1R-overexpressed breast cancer.

Complete chloroplast genome sequence and phylogenetic analysis of Ilex × attenuata 'Fosteri' (Aquifoliaceae).

Ilex × attenuata 'Fosteri' is an important ornamental plant widely distributed in mid-southern China and south-eastern United States. In this study, we assembled the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of I. attenuata by high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics. The full length of cp genome was 157,833 bp with 37.63% overall GC content, which contained two inverted repeats (IR) of 26,093 bp separated by a large single-copy (LSC) and a small single copy (SSC) of 87,188 bp and 18,459 bp, respectively. The cp genome contained 135 genes, including 88 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNA genes and 39 tRNA genes. Phylogenetic tree showed that the close relationship of three species of Ilex (I. attenuata, I. viridis and I. szechwanensis) in the Aquifoliaceae family.

Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of BBX Transcription Factors in Iris germanica L.

The family of B-box (BBX) transcription factors contains one or two B-BOX domains and sometimes also features a highly conserved CCT domain, which plays important roles in plant growth, development and stress response. Nevertheless, no systematic study of the BBX gene family in Iris germanica L. has been undertaken. In this study, a set of six BBX TF family genes from I. germanica was identified based on transcriptomic sequences, and clustered into three clades according to phylogenetic analysis. A transient expression analysis revealed that all six BBX proteins were localized in the nucleus. A yeast one-hybrid assay demonstrated that IgBBX3 has transactivational activity, while IgBBX1, IgBBX2, IgBBX4, and IgBBX5 have no transcriptional activation ability. The transcript abundance of IgBBXs in different tissues was divided into two major groups. The expression of IgBBX1, IgBBX2, IgBBX3 and IgBBX5 was higher in leaves, whereas IgBBX4 and IgBBX6 was higher in roots. The stress response patterns of six IgBBX were detected under phytohormone treatments and abiotic stresses. The results of this study lay the basis for further research on the functions of BBX gene family members in plant hormone and stress responses, which will promote their application in I. germanica breeding.

Synthesis of a Reactive Template-Induced Core-Shell PZS@ZIF-67 Composite Microspheres and Its Application in Epoxy Composites.

Developing superior properties of epoxy resin composites with high fire resistance, light smoke, and low toxicity has been the focus of the research in the flame-retardant field. In particular, it is essential to decrease the emissions of toxic gases and smoke particles generated during the thermal decomposition of epoxy resin (EP) to satisfy the industrial requirements for environmental protection and safety. Consequently, the PZS@ZIF-67 composite was designed and synthesized by employing the hydroxyl group-containing polyphosphazene (poly(cyclotriphosphazene-co-4,4'-dihydroxydiphenylsulfone), PZS) as both the interfacial compatibility and an in situ template and the ZIF-67 nanocrystal as a nanoscale coating and flame-retardant cooperative. ZIF-67 nanocrystal with multidimensional nanostructures was uniformly wrapped on the surface of PZS microspheres. Subsequently, the acquired PZS@ZIF-67 composite was incorporated into the epoxy resin to prepare composite samples for the study of their fire safety, toxicity suppression, and mechanical performance. Herein, the EP/5% PZS@ZIF-67 passed the V-0 rating in a UL-94 test with a 31.9% limit oxygen index value. More precisely, it is endowed with a decline of 51.08%, 28.26%, and 37.87% of the peak heat release rate, the total heat release, and the total smoke production, respectively. In addition, the unique structure of PZS@ZIF-67 microsphere presented a slight impact on the mechanical properties of EP composites at low loading. The PZS@ZIF-67 possible flame-retardant mechanism was speculated based on the analysis of the condensed phase and the gas phase of EP composites.

The chromosome-level Stevia genome provides insights into steviol glycoside biosynthesis.

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) is well known for its very sweet steviol glycosides (SGs) consisting of a common tetracyclic diterpenoid steviol backbone and a variable glycone. Steviol glycosides are 150-300 times sweeter than sucrose and are used as natural zero-calorie sweeteners. However, the most promising compounds are biosynthesized in small amounts. Based on Illumina, PacBio, and Hi-C sequencing, we constructed a chromosome-level assembly of Stevia covering 1416 Mb with a contig N50 value of 616.85 kb and a scaffold N50 value of 106.55 Mb. More than four-fifths of the Stevia genome consisted of repetitive elements. We annotated 44,143 high-confidence protein-coding genes in the high-quality genome. Genome evolution analysis suggested that Stevia and sunflower diverged ~29.4 million years ago (Mya), shortly after the whole-genome duplication (WGD) event (WGD-2, ~32.1 Mya) that occurred in their common ancestor. Comparative genomic analysis revealed that the expanded genes in Stevia were mainly enriched for biosynthesis of specialized metabolites, especially biosynthesis of terpenoid backbones, and for further oxidation and glycosylation of these compounds. We further identified all candidate genes involved in SG biosynthesis. Collectively, our current findings on the Stevia reference genome will be very helpful for dissecting the evolutionary history of Stevia and for discovering novel genes contributing to SG biosynthesis and other important agronomic traits in future breeding programs.

Selection and validation of appropriate reference genes for RT-qPCR analysis of flowering stages and different genotypes of Iris germanica L.

Iris germanica L. is a perennial herbaceous plant that has been widely cultivated worldwide and is popular for its elegant and vibrantly colorful flowers. Selection of appropriate reference genes is the prerequisite for accurate normalization of target gene expression by quantitative real-time PCR. However, to date, the most suitable reference genes for flowering stages have not been elucidated in I. germanica. In this study, eight candidate reference genes were examined for the normalization of RT-qPCR in three I. germanica cultivars, and their stability were evaluated by four different algorithms (GeNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and Ref-finder). The results revealed that IgUBC and IgGAPDH were the most stable reference genes in '00246' and 'Elizabeth', and IgTUB and IgUBC showed stable expression in '2010200'. IgUBC and IgGAPDH were the most stable in all samples, while IgUBQ showed the least stability. Finally, to validate the reliability of the selected reference genes, the expression patterns of IgFT (Flowering Locus T gene) was analyzed and emphasized the importance of appropriate reference gene selection. This work presented the first systematic study of reference genes selection during flower bud development and provided guidance to research of the molecular mechanisms of flowering stages in I. germanica.

Pressure-induced amorphous zeolitic imidazole frameworks with reduced toxicity and increased tumor accumulation improves therapeutic efficacy In vivo.

Zeolitic Imidazole Frameworks (ZIFs) are widely applied in nanomedicine for their high drug loading, suitable pore size, pH-responsive drug release, and so on. However, fast drug release during circulation, unexpected toxicity to mice major organs, undesirable long-term accumulation in the lung and even death currently hinder their in vivo biomedical applications. Herein, we report an amorphous ZIF-8 (aZIF-8) with high loading of 5-Fu through pressure-induced amorphization. This nano-system avoids early drug release during circulation and provides tumor microenvironment-responsive drug release with improved in vitro cell viability, and survival rate in in vivo evaluations as compared to ZIF-8. Furthermore, aZIF-8 shows longer blood circulation and lower lung accumulation than ZIF-8 at same injected doses. Less drug release during circulation, longer blood circulation, and better biocompatibility of aZIF-8/5-Fu significantly improves its therapeutic efficacy in ECA-109 tumor-bearing mouse, and result in 100% survival rate over 50 days after treatment. Therefore, aZIF-8 with favorable biocompatibility and long blood circulation is expected to be a promising nano-system for efficacious cancer therapy in vivo.

Synthesis of a Novel Spirocyclic Inflatable Flame Retardant and Its Application in Epoxy Composites.

Derivatives of 3,9-dichloro-2,4,8,10-tetraoxa-3,9-diphosphaspiro-[5,5]undecane-3,9-dioxide (SPDPC) are of increasing interest as flame retardants for polymeric materials. In addition, SPDPC is also an important intermediate for the preparation of intumescent flame retardants (IFRs). However, low efficiency and undesirable dispersion are two major problems that seriously restrain the application of IFRs as appropriate flame retardants for polymer materials. Usually, the functionalization or modification of SPDPC is crucial to acquiring high-performance polymer composites. Here, a small molecule spirocyclic flame retardant diphenylimidazole spirocyclic pentaerythritol bisphosphonate (PIPC) was successfully prepared through the substitution reaction between previously synthesized intermediate SPDPC and 2-phenylimidazole (PIM). Phenyl group and imidazole group were uniformly anchored on the molecular structure of SPDPC. This kind of more uniform distribution of flame retardant groups within the epoxy matrix resulted in a synergistic flame retardant effect and enhanced the strength of char layers to the epoxy composites, when compared to the unmodified epoxy. The sample reached a limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 29.7% and passed with a V-0 rating in the UL 94 test with the incorporation of only 5 wt % of as-prepared flame retardant PIPC. Moreover, its peak of heat release rate (pHRR) and total heat release (THR) decreased by 41.15% and 21.64% in a cone calorimeter test, respectively. Furthermore, the addition of PIPC has only slightly impacted the mechanical properties of epoxy composites with a low loading.

Active targeting nano-scale bubbles enhanced ultrasound cavitation chemotherapy in Y1 receptor-overexpressed breast cancer.

Ultrasound cavitation therapy has attracted much attention in recent years because the cavitation of microbubbles can be leveraged to boost the infiltration of chemotherapeutic drugs into cancer tissues. For breast cancer therapy, most of the previously reported microbubbles lack specific targeting capacity and permeability. In this study, we have successfully fabricated Y1 receptor ligand (NPY)-modified bubbles, and examined their therapeutic efficacies as size-dependent functions with or without NPY targeting. To achieve this, four types of micro-scale bubbles (MBs or MBs-NPY) and nano-scale bubbles (NBs or NBs-NPY) were comprehensively evaluated. In vivo results indicated that the NBs-NPY group with doxorubicin (DOX) under ultrasound irradiation showed a high tumor suppression effect and a prolonged survival time. Furthermore, the NBs-NPY with DOX group exhibited minimal damage to mouse vital organs, which points to the considerable tolerance of the proposed nanosystem for efficacious breast cancer therapy. In summary, these findings suggest that the developed NPY-targeted NBs could have a broad application prospect in ultrasound cavitation chemotherapy of Y1 receptor-overexpressed breast cancer.

Quantitative proteomic analysis reveals complex regulatory and metabolic response of Iris lactea Pall. var. chinensis to cadmium toxicity.

Cadmium pollution has become a serious environmental problem. Iris lactea var. chinensis showed strong Cd tolerance and accumulation ability, which has significant potential to be applied for the phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soil. However, the lack of molecular information on the mechanism of I. lactea response to Cd limited the improvement of phytoremediation efficiency. In this study, label-free proteomics analysis of Cd response in I. lactea showed that there were 163 and 196 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the shoots and roots, respectively. Bioinformatics analysis indicated the DEPs responding to Cd stress mainly involved in signal transduction, ion transport, redox etc., and participate in the pathway of amino acid biosynthesis, lignin biosynthesis, glycerolipid metabolism and glutathione metabolism. Besides, differential expression of seven DEPs was validated via gene expression analysis. Finally, we found that a Cd-induced mannose-specific lectin (IlMSL) from I. lactea enhanced the Cd sensitivity and increased Cd accumulation in yeast. The results of this study will enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanism of Cd tolerance and accumulation in I. lactea and ultimately provide valuable resources for using Cd tolerant genes for developing efficient strategies for phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soils or limiting Cd accumulation in food crops.

Network Analysis of Transcriptome and LC-MS Reveals a Possible Biosynthesis Pathway of Anthocyanins in Dendrobium officinale.

Anthocyanins, a group of flavonoids, are widely present in plants and determine the colors of the peels of stems, fruits, and flowers. In this study, we used UHPLC-ESI-MS to identify anthocyanins in the herbal plant Dendrobium officinale, which has been used for centuries in China. The results indicated that the total anthocyanin content in samples from Guangxi was the highest. Seven anthocyanins were identified, and the fragmentation pathways were proposed from D. officinale. Most of the identified anthocyanins were composed of cyanidin and sinapoyl groups. We also carried out that the sinapoyl group had active sites on breast cancer receptors by using Schrödinger. The relative levels of the 7 anthocyanins in the samples from the three locations were determined. Transcriptomic analysis was used to analyze the sinapoyl anthocyanin synthesis-related genes in plants, such as genes encoding UGTs and serine carboxypeptidase. We speculated that sinapoyl anthocyanin biosynthesis was associated with the activities of certain enzymes, including chalcone flavonone isomerase-like, hydroxycinnamoyltransferase 1, UGT-83A1, UGT-88B1 isoform X1, serine carboxypeptidase-like 18 isoform X3, and serine carboxypeptidase-like 18.