Collaborative hydrothermal and calcination fabrication of ZnOS heterostructures for visible-light-driven H production.

Photocatalytic water splitting is forecasted as a promising strategy for H production. In this work, novel zinc oxide/zinc sulfide (ZnOS-) ( = 1, 2, 3 and 4) heterostructures were fabricated by a collaborative hydrothermal and calcination method with different amounts of trithiocyanuric acid. The formation of ZnOS- heterostructures was confirmed by PXRD, XPS, and HRTEM.

Smart Microenvironment-Responsive Organocopper(II) Supramolecular Polymers to Regulate the Stability and Anticancer Efficacy by Different Substituents.

The search for chemotherapeutic drugs with a high efficiency and low toxicity continues to be a challenge in tumor treatment for scientists. Organometallic supramolecular polymers are an attractive option to achieve this goal, not only due to the fact that they possess both advantages of metal complexes and nanostructures but also because they are usually sensitive to pH. Here, we report the design and synthesis of a series novel smart microenvironment-responsive organocopper(II) supramolecular polymers with various substituted ligands to regulate their stability and anticancer efficacy.

Self-Assembly of Copper Polypyridyl Supramolecular Metallopolymers to Achieve Enhanced Anticancer Efficacy.

Self-assembled functional supramolecular metallopolymers have demonstrated application potential in cancer therapy. Herein, a copper polypyridyl complex was found able to self-assemble into a supramolecular metallopolymer driven by the intermolecular interactions, which could enhance the uptake in cancer cells through endocytosis, and thus effectively inhibiting tumor growth in vivo without damaging to the major organs. This study provides a facile way to achieve enhanced anticancer efficacy by using self-assembled metallopolymers.

Aquation Is a Crucial Activation Step for Anticancer Action of Ruthenium(II) Polypyridyl Complexes to Trigger Cancer Cell Apoptosis.

Aquation has been proposed as crucial chemical action step for ruthenium (Ru) complexes, but its effects on the action mechanisms remain elusive. Herein, we have demonstrated the aquation process of a potent Ru polypyridyl complex (RuBmp=[Ru(II) (bmbp)(phen)Cl]ClO4 , bmbp=2,6-bis(6-methylbenzimidazol-2-yl) pyridine, phen=phenanthroline) with a chloride ligand, and revealed that aquation of RuBmp effectively enhanced its hydrophilicity and cellular uptake, thus significantly increasing its anticancer efficacy. The aquation products (H-RuBmp=[Ru(II) (bmbp)(phen)Cl]ClO4 , [Ru(II) (bmbp)(phen)(H2 O)]ClO4 , bmbp) exhibited a much higher apoptosis-inducing ability than the intact complex, with involvement of caspase activation, mitochondria dysfunction, and interaction with cell membrane death receptors.