Transcriptomic and metabolomic insights into the defense response to HFRs in Arabidopsis.

Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), Tetrachlorobisphenol A (TCBPA), Tetrabromobisphenol S (TBBPS) and their derivatives as the most widely used halogenated flame retardants (HFR), had been employed in the manufacturing industry to raise fire safety. HFRs have been shown to be developmentally toxic to animals and also affect plant growth. However, little was known about the molecular mechanism responded by when plants were treated with these compounds.

Identification and interaction mechanism of protein corona on silver nanoparticles with different sizes and the cellular responses.

With the potential biomedical applications of nanomaterials such as silver nanoparticles (SNPs), nanotoxicity concerns are growing, and the importance of NP and protein interactions is far from being addressed enough. Here, we identified the major binding protein on SNPs in blood as human serum albumin (HSA) using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry. By comparing with the previous methods, we emphasized surface area concentration as a new dose metric to address the importance of NP curvature.

PM induces vascular permeability increase through activating MAPK/ERK signaling pathway and ROS generation.

Although in-vivo exposure of PM has been suggested to initiate a disorder on vascular permeability, the effects and related mechanism has not been well defined. In this work, an obvious increase on vascular permeability has been confirmed in vivo by vein injection of PM into Balb/c mouse. Human umbilical vein vascular endothelial cells and the consisted ex-vivo vascular endothelium were used as model to investigate the effects of PM on the vascular permeability and the underlying molecular mechanism.

Thiolation in arsenic metabolism: a chemical perspective.

In recent years, methylated thioarsenicals have been widely detected in various biological and environmental matrices, suggesting their broad involvement and biological importance in arsenic metabolism. However, very little is known about the formation mechanism of methylated thioarsenicals and the relation between arsenic methylation and thiolation processes. It is timely and necessary to summarize and synthesize the reported information on thiolated arsenicals for an improved understanding of arsenic thiolation.

Perfluorohexadecanoic acid increases paracellular permeability in endothelial cells through the activation of plasma kallikrein-kinin system.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are ubiquitous and high persistent in human blood, thus potentially inducing a myriad of deleterious consequences. Plasma kallikrein-kinin system (KKS), which physiologically regulates vascular permeability, is vulnerable to exogenous stimulators, like PFASs with long-chain alkyl backbone substituted by electronegative fluorine. The study on the interactions of PFASs with the KKS and the subsequent effects on vascular permeability would be helpful to illustrate how the chemicals penetrate the biological vascular barriers to reach different tissues.

Structure-Dependent Hematological Effects of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances on Activation of Plasma Kallikrein-Kinin System Cascade.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a global concern because of their ubiquitous occurrence and high persistence in human blood, and increasing amounts of unidentified fluorinated compounds are now becoming new exposure issues. This study aims to investigate the structure-related effects of PFASs on the activation of the plasma kallikrein-kinin system (KKS). The effects of 20 PFASs and the related long-chain aliphatic compounds were screened, and their binding affinities for the initial zymogen, Hagmen factor XII (FXII) in the KKS, were evaluated by molecular docking analysis.

Surface ligand controls silver ion release of nanosilver and its antibacterial activity against .

Understanding the mechanism of nanosilver-dependent antibacterial activity against microorganisms helps optimize the design and usage of the related nanomaterials. In this study, we prepared four kinds of 10 nm-sized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with dictated surface chemistry by capping different ligands, including citrate, mercaptopropionic acid, mercaptohexanoic acid, and mercaptopropionic sulfonic acid. Their surface-dependent chemistry and antibacterial activities were investigated.

Distribution, Bioaccumulation, Trophic Transfer, and Influences of CeO Nanoparticles in a Constructed Aquatic Food Web.

In view of the final destination of nanomaterials, the water system would be an important sink. However, the environmental behavior of nanomaterials is rather confusing due to the complexity of the real environment. In this study, a freshwater ecosystem, including water, sediment, water lettuce, water silk, Asian clams, snails, water fleas, Japanese medaka, and Yamato shrimp, was constructed to study the distribution, bioaccumulation, and potential impacts of CeO nanoparticles (CeO NPs) via long-term exposure.

The potential neurotoxicity of emerging tetrabromobisphenol A derivatives based on rat pheochromocytoma cells.

Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) can cause diverse adverse effects including neurotoxicity. Emerging TBBPA derivatives, with high structure similarity to the parent compound, are now being concerned. In this study, the potential neurotoxicities of four TBBPA derivatives and their parent compound were studied by cell viability inhibition in rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12) and the corresponding molecular mechanisms were investigated.

Identification and accurate size characterization of nanoparticles in complex media.

We have developed a new method for the identification and accurate size characterization of nanoparticles (NPs) in complex media based on capillary electrokinetic (CE) separation coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Through mass scanning and Gaussian fitting of electropherogram peaks, we can obtain multidimensional information on chemical compositions, size distributions, and ionic species of multiple NPs in a single run. The results are more accurate than those obtained by using conventional methods.

Revealing carbon nanodots as coreactants of the anodic electrochemiluminescence of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺.

Recently, research on carbon nanodots (C-dots), a new type of luminescent nanoparticles with superior optical properties, biocompatibility, and low cost, has been focused on exploring novel properties and structure-related mechanisms to extend their scope. Herein, electrochemiluminescence, a surface-sensitive tool, is used to probe the unrevealed property of carbon nanodots which is characterized by surface oxygen-containing groups. Together with chemiluminescence, carbon nanodots as the coreactants for the anodic electrochemiluminescence of Ru(bpy)3(2+) are demonstrated for the first time.

Graphenized pencil lead fiber: facile preparation and application in solid-phase microextraction.

Graphenized pencil lead fiber was facilely prepared by in situ chemical exfoliation of graphite in pencil lead fiber to few-layered graphene sheets via a one-pot, one-step pressurized oxidation reaction for the first time. This new fiber was characterized and demonstrated to be a highly efficient but low-cost solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber. The extraction performance of the fiber was evaluated with four bisphenol analogs [bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol S (BPS), bisphenol AF (BPAF), and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA)] as model analytes in direct SPME mode.

Electrochemical methods--important means for fabrication of fluorescent nanoparticles.

Fluorescent nanoparticles have attracted much attention over the last two decades. Due to the size- and composition-dependent optical and electrical properties, fluorescent nanoparticles have been emphasized in electronic, optical and biomedical applications. Till now, many kinds of methods have been developed to fabricate diverse fluorescent nanoparticles, which include pyrolysis, template synthesis, hydrothermal synthesis, microemulsion, electrochemical methods and so on.

Lectin-modified trifunctional nanobiosensors for mapping cell surface glycoconjugates.

Nanomaterial-based nanobiosensors (nanobiodevices or nanobioprobes) are increasingly emphasized. Here, quantum dots and gamma-Fe(2)O(3) magnetic nanoparticles were co-embedded into single swelling poly(styrene/acrylamide) copolymer nanospheres to fabricate fluorescent-magnetic bifunctional nanospheres. Subsequently, fluorescent-magnetic-biotargeting trifunctional nanobiosensors (TFNS) modified with wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), peanut agglutinin (PNA) or Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA) were conveniently produced so as to bind with A549 cells which are surface-expressed with N-acetylglucosamine, d-galactosamine and N-acetylgalactosamine residues.

Wheat germ agglutinin-modified trifunctional nanospheres for cell recognition.

A simple and convenient strategy has been put forward to fabricate smart fluorescent magnetic wheat germ agglutinin-modified trifunctional nanospheres (WGA-TFNS) for recognition of human prostate carcinoma DU-145 cells which are surface-expressed with sialic acid and N-acetylglucosamine. These TFNS can be easily manipulated, tracked, and conveniently used to capture and separate target cells. The presence of wheat germ agglutinin on the surface of WGA-TFNS was confirmed by FTIR, biorecognition of carboxymethyl chitin-modified quantum dots (CM-CT-QDs), and bacterium Staphylococcus aureus.