Discovery of Pyroptosis-inducing Drugs and Antineoplastic Activity based on the ROS/ER Stress/Pyroptosis Axis.

Background: Pyroptosis, a cell death process triggered by chemotherapy drugs, has emerged as a highly promising mechanism for combating tumors in recent years. As the lead of new drugs, natural products play an important role in the discovery of anticancer drugs. Compared to other natural products, the medicine food homologous natural products (MFHNP) exhibit a superior safety profile.

Assembly of an active microbial consortium by engineering compatible combinations containing foreign and native biocontrol bacteria of kiwifruit.

Assembling functional bacterial biocontrol consortia is expected to expand the scope and efficiency of biocontrol agents. Generally, bacterial interspecies interactions lead to incompatibility events, as bacteria can produce antibacterial compounds and/or assemble contact-dependent killing (CDK) devices. Here, we aimed to assemble a bacterial consortium comprising OH11 and ZK-1 for the synergistic control of bacterial and fungal diseases of kiwifruit.

Design, synthesis and evaluation of monoketene compounds as novel potential Parkinson's disease agents by suppressing ER stress via AKT.

Curcumin is identified that it has the potential to treat Parkinson's disease (PD), but its instability limits its further application in clinic. The mono-carbonyl analogs of curcumin (MACs) with diketene structure can effectively improve its stability, but it is highly toxic. In the present study, a less cytotoxic and more stable monoketene MACs skeleton S2 was obtained, and a series of monoketene MACs were synthesized by combining 4-hydroxy-3‑methoxy groups of curcumin.

Synthesis and Characterization of Solution-Processible Donor-Acceptor Electrochromic Conjugated Copolymers Based on Quinoxalino[2',3':9,10]phenanthro[4,5-abc]phenazine as the Acceptor Unit.

Donor-acceptor (D-A) type conjugated polymers are of high interest in the field of electrochromism. In this study, three novel conjugated copolymers (PBPE-1, PBPE-2 and PBPE-3) based on quinoxalino[2',3':9,10]phenanthro[4,5-abc]phenazine (A) as the acceptor unit and 4,8-bis((2-octyldodecyl)oxy)benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene (D1) and 3,3-didecyl-3,4-dihydro-2-thieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxepine (ProDOT-decyl, D2) as the donor units with different donor-to-acceptor ratios were successfully synthesized through Stille coupling polymerization. The polymers were then characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectoscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), spectroelectrochemistry, thermogravimetry (TG), electrochromic switching and colorimetry.

Unlocking the bacterial contact-dependent antibacterial activity to engineer a biocontrol alliance of two species from natural incompatibility to artificial compatibility.

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) contain various biocontrol bacteria with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, and their single species has been extensively applied to control crop diseases. The development of complex biocontrol community by mixing two or more PGPR members together is a promising strategy to enlarge the efficacy and scope of biocontrol. However, an effective method to assess the natural compatibility of PGPR members has not yet been established to date.

Effects of Carbopol 934 proportion on nanoemulsion gel for topical and transdermal drug delivery: a skin permeation study.

Nanoemulsions (NEs) are used as transdermal drug delivery systems for systematic therapeutic purposes. We hypothesized that the skin permeation profile of an NE could be modulated by incorporating it into a hydrogel containing differing proportions of thickening agent. The objectives of this study were as follows: 1) to determine the stability and skin irritability of NE gels (NGs) containing 1%, 2%, and 3% (w/w) Carbopol 934 (CP934) (termed NG1, NG2, and NG3, respectively); 2) to compare the skin permeation profiles and drug deposition patterns of the NGs; and 3) to visualize the drug delivery routes of the NGs.