Oxygen-Binding Sites of Enriched Gold Nanoclusters for Capturing Mitochondrial Reverse Electrons.

Reverse electron transfer (RET), an abnormal backward flow of electrons from complexes III/IV to II/I of mitochondria, causes the overproduction of a reduced-type CoQ to boost downstream production of mitochondrial superoxide anions that leads to ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) to organs. Herein, we studied low-coordinated gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) with abundant oxygen-binding sites to form an electron-demanding trapper that allowed rapid capture of electrons to compensate for the CoQ/CoQH imbalance during RET. The AuNCs were composed of only eight gold atoms that formed a Cs-symmetrical configuration with all gold atoms exposed on the edge site.

Real-Time Observation for Dynamic Oscillation during Self-Assembly and Clearance of Aβ42.

The dynamic oscillation implicated in structural heterogeneity during the self-assembly of amyloid peptide 1-42 (Aβ42) may play a crucial role in eliciting cellular responses. We developed a real-time monitoring platform to observe an oscillatory non-equilibrium interaction that dominated the Aβ42 clearance by neuronal cells during interplay with an oscillator (lipopolysaccharide, LPS). Molecular dynamics studies indicated that the electrostatic and hydrophobic segments of LPS involved in the temporary heteromolecular association and slightly decelerated the intrinsic thermally-induced protein dynamics of Aβ42.

Transdermal Delivery of Succinate Accelerates Energy Dissipation of Brown Adipocytes to Reduce Remote Fat Accumulation.

Weight loss by increasing energy consumption of thermogenic adipocytes to overcome obesity remains a challenge. Herein, we established a transdermal device that was based on the local and temporarily controlled delivery of succinate (SC), a tricarboxylic acid cycle metabolic intermediate to stimulate the thermogenesis pathway of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and accelerate energy dissipation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) under the dorsal interscapular skin, further initiating the consumption of fatty acids by systemic metabolism. SC microneedle patches significantly suppressed weight gain and fat accumulation of remote organs, including liver and peripheral white adipose tissue (WAT) in high-fat diet-induced obese mice.

Ultra-Small Platinum Nanoparticle-Enabled Catalysis and Corrosion Susceptibility Reverse Tumor Hypoxia for Cancer Chemoimmunotherapy.

A major challenge in the use of chemotherapy and immunotherapy is hypoxia-induced progression of tumor cells. We aim to curb hypoxia using metal-based O-producing nanomedicine. The key focus is therapeutic targeting of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), a major reactive oxygen species (ROS)-activated player that drives hypoxia-dependent tumor progression.

Supramolecular Bait to Trigger Non-Equilibrium Co-Assembly and Clearance of Aβ42.

In living systems, non-equilibrium states that control the assembly-disassembly of cellular components underlie the gradual complexification of life, whereas in nonliving systems, most molecules follow the laws of thermodynamic equilibrium to sustain dynamic consistency. Little is known about the roles of non-equilibrium states of interactions between supramolecules in living systems. Here, a non-equilibrium state of interaction between supramolecular lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and Aβ42, an aggregate-prone protein that causes Alzheimer's disease (AD), was identified.

Cyanine-Based Polymer Dots with Long-Wavelength Excitation and Near-Infrared Fluorescence beyond 900 nm for Biological Imaging.

Bioimaging in the near-infrared window is of great importance to study the dynamic processes with deep penetration, high spatiotemporal resolution, and minimal tissue absorption, scattering, and autofluorescence. In spite of the huge progress on the synthesis of small organic fluorophores and inorganic nanomaterials with emissions beyond 900 nm, it remains a tough challenge to synthesize semiconducting polymers with fluorescence over this region. Here, we synthesized a series of heptamethine cyanine-based polymers with both absorption and emission in the near-infrared region.

A Supramolecular Trap to Increase the Antibacterial Activity of Colistin.

A strong interaction between colistin, a last-resort antibiotic of the polymyxin family, and free lipopolysaccharide (LPS, also referred to as endotoxin), released from the Gram-negative bacterial (GNB) outer membrane (OM), has been identified that can decrease the antibacterial efficacy of colistin, potentially increasing the dose of this antibiotic required for treatment. The competition between LPS in the GNB OM and free LPS for the interaction with colistin was prevented by using a supramolecular trap to capture free LPS. The supramolecular trap, fabricated from a subnanometer gold nanosheet with methyl motifs (SAuM), blocks lipid A, preventing the interaction between lipid A and colistin.

Molecular design of near-infrared fluorescent Pdots for tumor targeting: aggregation-induced emission anti-aggregation-caused quenching.

Semiconducting polymer dots (Pdots) have recently emerged as a new type of ultrabright fluorescent probe that has been proved to be very useful for biomedical imaging. However, Pdots often suffer from serious fluorescence aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) especially for near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent Pdots. This article compared two strategies to overcome the ACQ effect in near-infrared emissive Pdot systems: aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and anti-aggregation-caused quenching (anti-ACQ).