Superhelical Self-Assembly of Microcrystals from Cyclodipeptides.

Expression of chirality at macroscopic scale through solution-processed bottom-up assembly is accompanied by the formation of complex superstructures. It undergoes complicated pathway including the hierarchical organization of molecular blocks in a spontaneous and ordered manner. Here we present a cyclodipeptide platform which delicately expresses chirality at the macroscopic level.

Rational Design of MMP-Independent Near-Infrared Fluorescent Probes for Accurately Monitoring Mitochondrial Viscosity.

Mitochondrial viscosity affects metabolite diffusion and mitochondrial metabolism and is associated with many diseases. However, the accuracy of mitochondria-targeting fluorescent probes in measuring viscosity is unsatisfactory because these probes can diffuse from mitochondria during mitophagy with a decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). To avoid this problem, by incorporating different alkyl side chains into dihydroxanthene fluorophores (denoted as ), we developed six near-infrared (NIR) probes for the accurate detection of mitochondrial viscosity, and the sensitivity to viscosity and the mitochondrial targeting and anchoring capability of these probes increased by increasing the alkyl chain length.