Bioorthogonal Lanthanide Molecular Probes for Near-Infrared Fluorescence and Mass Spectrometry Imaging.

We report here the development of clickable and highly near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent lanthanide (Ln) complexes for bioorthogonal labeling of biomolecules. These azide- or alkyne-functionalized Ln complexes are hydrophilic and fluorogenic, exhibiting a strong increase of NIR fluorescence upon conjugation with biomolecules. Metabolic labeling of biomolecules with azide or alkyne, followed by click labeling with the Ln complexes, enables NIR fluorescence (NIRF) imaging of DNA, RNA, proteins, and glycans in cells.

Lanthanide porphyrinoids as molecular theranostics.

In recent years, lanthanide (Ln) porphyrinoids have received increasing attention as theranostics. Broadly speaking, the term 'theranostics' refers to agents designed to allow both disease diagnosis and therapeutic intervention. This Review summarises the history and the 'state-of-the-art' development of Ln porphyrinoids as theranostic agents.

Luminescent Metal Complexes for Bioassays in the Near-Infrared (NIR) Region.

Near-infrared (NIR, 700-1700 nm) luminescent imaging is an emerging bioimaging technology with low photon scattering, minimal autofluorescence, deep tissue penetration, and high spatiotemporal resolution that has shown fascinating promise for NIR imaging-guided theranostics. In recent progress, NIR luminescent metal complexes have attracted substantially increased research attention owing to their intrinsic merits, including small size, anti-photobleaching, long lifetime, and metal-centered NIR emission. In the past decade, scientists have contributed to the advancement of NIR metal complexes involving efforts to improve photophysical properties, biocompatibility, specificity, pharmacokinetics, in vivo visualization, and attempts to exploit new ligand platforms.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Serum AFP-L3 and GP-73 in the Diagnosis of Primary Liver Cancer.

Objective: To investigate the combined application value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) combined with serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)-L3 and Golgi protein (GP)-73 in the diagnosis of primary liver cancer.

Methods: The data of 200 patients with suspected liver cancer admitted to our hospital from February 2020 to February 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, and they were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group, with 100 cases in each group. The experimental group received a combined detection of MRI with serum AFP-L3 and GP-73, and the control group adopted traditional diagnostic methods (spiral computed tomography and serum AFP).

Gadolinium(III) Porphyrinoid Phototheranostics.

Molecular phototheranostics as an emerging field of modern precision medicine has recently attracted increasing research attention owing to non-invasiveness, high precision, and controllable nature of light. In this work, we reported promising gadolinium (Gd ) porphyrinoids as phototheranostic agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and photodynamic therapy (PDT). The synthesized Gd-1-4-Glu featured with meso-glycosylation and β-lactonization to endow good biocompatibility and improved photophysical properties.

Recent progress in metal-based molecular probes for optical bioimaging and biosensing.

Biological imaging and biosensing from subcellular/cellular level to whole body have enabled non-invasive visualisation of molecular events during various biological and pathological processes, giving great contributions to the rapid and impressive advances in chemical biology, drug discovery, disease diagnosis and prognosis. Optical imaging features a series of merits, including convenience, high resolution, good sensitivity, low cost and the absence of ionizing radiation. Among different luminescent probes, metal-based molecules offer unique promise in optical bioimaging and biosensing in vitro and in vivo, arising from their small sizes, strong luminescence, large Stokes shifts, long lifetimes, high photostability and tunable toxicity.

Porpholactone Chemistry: Shining New Light on an Old Cofactor.

Invited for this month's cover is the group of Jun-Long Zhang, Peking University, Beijing. The cover picture shows the porpholactone cofactor, which play unique roles in molecular imaging and therapy (or theranostics), catalysis, as well as energy and optical materials. This class of molecules is ideal for more intriguing scientific research and future practical applications.

Efficient synthesis of 2-aryl-2H-indazoles by base-catalyzed benzyl C-H deprotonation and cyclization.

A straightforward and efficient method for the preparation of 2-aryl-2H-indazoles from ortho-alkyl substituted azoxybenzenes is presented. The reaction proceeds through base-catalyzed benzyl C-H deprotonation and cyclization to afford 2-aryl-2H-indazoles in good yields. This synthetic strategy can be applied to the construction of several fluorescent and bioactive molecules.

Porpholactone Chemistry: Shining New Light on an Old Cofactor.

The emergence of porpholactone chemistry, discovered over 30 years ago, has significantly stimulated the development of biomimetic tetrapyrrole chemistry. It offers an opportunity, through modifications of non-pyrrolic building blocks, to clarify the relationship between chemical structure and excited-state properties, deciphering the structural code for the biological functions of life pigments. With intriguing photophysical properties in the red to near-infrared (NIR) regions, facile modulation of their electronic nature by fine-tuning chemical structures, and coordination ability with diverse metal ions, these novel porphyrinoids have favorable prospects in the fields of optical materials, bioimaging and therapy, and catalysis.

Synthesis of selenated isochromenones by AgNO-catalyzed three-component reaction of alkynylaryl esters, selenium powder and ArB(OH).

Reported is the AgNO-catalyzed three-component reaction of alkynylaryl esters, selenium powder and ArB(OH), providing a facile entry to selenated isochromenones. This work highlights the use of selenium powder as a selenium reagent in the synthesis of selenated isochromenones for the first time.

Porpholactone Chemistry: An Emerging Approach to Bioinspired Photosensitizers with Tunable Near-Infrared Photophysical Properties.

Chlorophylls, known as the key building blocks of natural light-harvesting antennae, are essential to utilize solar energy from visible to near-infrared (NIR) region during the photosynthesis process. The fundamental studies for the relationship between structure and photophysical properties of chlorophylls disclosed the importance of -peripheral modification and thus boosted the fast growth of NIR absorbing/emissive porphyrinoids via altering the extent of π-conjugation and the degree of distortion from the planarity of macrocycle. Despite the tremendous progress made in various porphyrin-based synthetic models, it still remains a challenge to precisely modulate photophysical properties through fine-tuning of -peripheral structures in the way natural chlorophylls do.

[Geographical variation and the response to hydrothermal factor of stable carbon isotope (δC) in Pinus massoniana].

We used 10 representative provenances at different latitudes in two 33-year-old Pinus massoniana provenance test stands (Chun'an Laoshan in Zhejiang and Taizi Mountain Shilong in Hubei) to measure the differences among provenances, study the geographical variation, and identify its responses to hydrothermal factors. The results showed that the δC of the average annual rings was significantly different among the provenances of P. massoniana, being higher in trees from high latitude than from low latitude.

[Provenance difference in stable carbon isotope discrimination of Schima superba].

The difference in leaf stable carbon isotope discrimination (delta) of 18 representative Schima superba provenances was investigated based on three provenance trails located at Jian' ou of Fujian Province and Chun' an and Qingyuan of Zhejiang Province, and the geographic variation pattern and the effects of trial site and provenances growth rate were studied. Significant differences in leaf delta were observed among the provenaces, and the differences in leaf delta value between the highest and lowest provenances reached 6.9%, 3.

[Foraging behavior of various tree species in heterogeneous nutrient environment related to light condition].

A factorial combination pot experiment was designed to study the growth response and foraging behavior of three South China forestation species Pinus massoniana, Schima superba and Liriodendron chinense under heterogenous nutrient envionment and different light conditions. The results demonstrated that under full light, the plant height and biomass of P. massoniana and S.