Templated Formation of Luminescent Virus-like Particles by Tailor-Made Pt(II) Amphiphiles

Virus-like particles (VLPs) have been created from luminescent Pt(II) complex amphiphiles, able to form supramolecular structures in water solutions, that can be encapsulated or act as templates of cowpea chlorotic mottle virus capsid proteins. By virtue of a bottom-up molecular design, icosahedral and nonicosahedral (rod-like) VLPs have been constructed through diverse pathways, and a relationship between the molecular structure of the complexes and the shape and size of the VLPs has been observed. A deep insight into the mechanism for the templated formation of the differently shaped VLPs was achieved, by electron microscopy measurements (TEM and STEM) and bulk analysis (FPLC, DLS, photophysical investigations). Interestingly, the obtained VLPs can be visualized by their intense emission at room temperature, generated by the self-assembly of the Pt(II) complexes. The encapsulation of the luminescent species is further verified by their higher emission quantum yields inside the VLPs, which is due to the confinement effect of the protein cage. These hybrid materials demonstrate the potential of tailor-made supramolecular systems able to control the assembly of biological building blocks.</p

Compartmentalized Thin Films with Customized Functionality via Interfacial Cross-linking of Protein Cages

Hybrid thin films with a high loading and homogeneous dispersion of functional nanoparticles (and/or molecules) find applications in (bio)-sensors and electronic devices. The fabrication of such hybrid thin films, however, suffers from the complex and diverse surface and physicochemical properties of individual nanoparticles. To address this challenge, a facile and general strategy toward compartmentalized thin films through the interfacial cross-linking of viral protein cages is reported. Employing these protein cages, gold nanoparticles, as well as enzyme horseradish peroxidase, are encapsulated into virus-like particles and then cross-linked into thin films with a thickness varying from monolayer to submicron dimensions. These compartmentalized thin films not only ensure that the cargo is homogeneously dispersed, but also display good catalytic activity. This strategy is, in principle, applicable for a wide range of (bio)-organic nanocontainers, enabling the versatile fabrication of 2D thin films with extensive application prospects.</p

Compartmentalized supramolecular hydrogels based on viral nanocages towards sophisticated cargo administration

Introduction of compartments with defined spaces inside a hydrogel network brings unique features, such as cargo quantification, stabilization and diminishment of burst release, which are all desired for biomedical applications. As a proof of concept, guest-modified cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV) particles and complementary guest-modified hydroxylpropyl cellulose (HPC) were non-covalently cross-linked through the formation of ternary host-guest complexes with cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]). Furthermore, CCMV based virus-like particles (VLPs) loaded with tetrasulfonated zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) were prepared, with a loading efficiency up to 99%, which are subsequently successfully integrated inside the supramolecular hydrogel network. It was shown that compartments provided by protein cages not only help to quantify the loaded ZnPc cargo, but also improve the water solubility of ZnPc to avoid undesired aggregation. Moreover, the VLPs together with ZnPc cargo can be released in a controlled way without an initial burst release. The photodynamic effect of ZnPc molecules was retained after encapsulation of capsid protein and release from the hydrogel. This line of research suggests a new approach for sophisticated drug administration in supramolecular hydrogels.</p

A Dendronized Cellulose Derivative and Its Thermotropic Liquid Crystal and Lyotropic Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Behaviors

Conference Name:International Conference on Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials. Conference Address: Changsha, PEOPLES R CHINA. Time:MAY 28-30, 2011.A novel dendronized cellulose, ethyl cellulose grafted 3,4,5-tris[4-(dodecyloxy) benzyloxy] benzoate (EC-g-DOBOB), which is comprised of ethyl cellulose (EC) backbone with mesogenic moiety DOBOB (3,4,5-tris(4-(dodecyloxy)benzyloxy)benzoic acid) dendron grafted, was designed and synthesized. The structure of EC-g-DOBOB was investigated by means of FTIR, Both thermotropic liquid crystal and lyotropic liquid crystal behaviors of EC-g-DOBOB were studied by combination of DSC, POM and XRD. At room temperature EC-g-DOBOB demonstrated hexagonal columnar mesophase (Phi(h)), with the column diameter 5.8 nm, besides it formed lyotropic cholesteric liquid crystal in concentrated chloroform solution with a planar texture

Molecular targets associated with ulcerative colitis and the benefits of atractylenolides-based therapy

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines that can significantly impact quality of life and lead to various complications. Currently, 5-aminosalicylic acid derivatives, corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, and biologics are the major treatment strategies for UC, but their limitations have raised concerns. Atractylenolides (ATs), sesquiterpene metabolites found in Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz., have shown promising effects in treating UC by exerting immune barrier modulation, alleviating oxidative stress, gut microbiota regulation, improving mitochondrial dysfunction and repairing the intestinal barrier. Furthermore, ATs have been shown to possess remarkable anti-fibrosis, anti-thrombus, anti-angiogenesis and anti-cancer. These findings suggest that ATs hold important potential in treating UC and its complications. Therefore, this review systematically summarizes the efficacy and potential mechanisms of ATs in treating UC and its complications, providing the latest insights for further research and clinical applications

Addition of alkynes and osmium carbynes towards functionalized dπ-pπ conjugated systems

碳-碳三键和碳-金属三键是两类高度不饱和的化学键。该工作发现了这两类三键之间的全新反应模式。利用该反应能把金属和有机π共轭体系有效结合，得到一类金属d轨道参与π共轭的全新大π共轭体系。化学化工学院夏海平教授课题组碳龙化学研究取得新进展，利用金属卡拜与炔烃的新反应，成功地合成了一类金属d轨道参与π共轭的全新共轭体系并在有机太阳能电池领域得到应用。该工作是在夏海平教授和南方科技大学何凤副教授共同指导下完成的。化学化工学院2016级iChEM博士生陈仕焰和南科大博士生刘龙珠为论文的共同第一作者。该工作充分体现了多学科协同创新研究优势：相关化合物合成、表征由陈仕焰、高翔、彭丽霞、张颖等完成；光电测试由刘龙珠完成；理论计算由陈仕焰、华煜晖完成。化学化工学院杨柳林副教授、谭元植教授等对研究工作给予了大力支持。【Abstract】The metal-carbon triple bonds and carbon-carbon triple bonds are both highly unsaturated bonds. As a result, their reactions tend to afford cycloaddition intermediates or products. Herein, we report a reaction of M≡C and C≡C bonds that affords acyclic addition products. These newly discovered reactions are highly efficient, regio- and stereospecific, with good functional group tolerance, and are robust under air at room temperature. The isotope labeling NMR experiments and theoretical calculations reveal the reaction mechanism. Employing these reactions, functionalized dπ-pπ conjugated systems can be easily constructed and modified. The resulting dπ-pπ conjugated systems were found to be good electron transport layer materials in organic solar cells, with power conversion efficiency up to 16.28% based on the PM6: Y6 non-fullerene system. This work provides a facile, efficient methodology for the preparation of dπ-pπ conjugated systems for use in functional materials.This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. U1705254, 21931002, and 21975115), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Catalysis (No. 2020B121201002), Shenzhen Nobel Prize Scientists Laboratory Project (no.C17783101), and the National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFA0204902). We thank the SUSTech Core Research Facilities for the Holiba-UVISEL measurements. 研究工作得到了国家自然科学基金(U1705254、21931002、21975115)，广东省催化化学重点实验室(No. 2020B121201002)，国家重点研发计划(2017YFA0204902)，及深圳诺贝尔奖科学家实验室(C17783101)等项目资助