Cholesterol-tethered platinum II-based supramolecular nanoparticle increases antitumor efficacy and reduces nephrotoxicity.

Nanoscale drug delivery vehicles have been harnessed extensively as carriers for cancer chemotherapeutics. However, traditional pharmaceutical approaches for nanoformulation have been a challenge with molecules that exhibit incompatible physicochemical properties, such as platinum-based chemotherapeutics. Here we propose a paradigm based on rational design of active molecules that facilitate supramolecular assembly in the nanoscale dimension.

Harnessing structure-activity relationship to engineer a cisplatin nanoparticle for enhanced antitumor efficacy.

Cisplatin is a first line chemotherapy for most types of cancer. However, its use is dose-limited due to severe nephrotoxicity. Here we report the rational engineering of a novel nanoplatinate inspired by the mechanisms underlying cisplatin bioactivation.

Rubrenes: planar and twisted.

Surprisingly, despite its very high mobility in a single crystal, rubrene shows very low mobility in vacuum-sublimed or solution-processed organic thin-film transistors. We synthesized several rubrene analogues with electron-withdrawing and electron-donating substituents and found that most of the substituted rubrenes are not planar in the solid state. Moreover, we conclude (based on experimental and calculated data) that even parent rubrene is not planar in solution and in thin films.

An Exceptionally Stable Ti Superoxide Radical Ion: A Novel Heterogeneous Catalyst for the Direct Conversion of Aromatic Primary Amines to Nitro Compounds.

A matrix-bound superoxide radical anion, generated by treating Ti(OR) (R=iPr, nBu) with H O , is a selective heterogeneous catalyst for the oxidation of anilines to the corresponding nitroarenes with 50 % aqueous H O [Eq. (1)]. Yields of 82-98 % are obtained, even with anilines bearing electron-withdrawing substituents (R=NO , COOH).