Mitochondrial genome variability and metabolic alterations reveal new biomarkers of resistance in testicular germ cell tumors.

Mutations in the mitochondrial (mt) genome contribute to metabolic dysfunction and their accumulation relates to disease progression and resistance development in cancer cells. This study explores the mutational status of the mt genome of cisplatin-resistant -sensitive testicular germ cell tumor (TGCT) cells and explores its association with their respiration parameters, expression of respiratory genes, and preferences for metabolic pathways to reveal new markers of therapy resistance in TGCTs. Using Illumina sequencing with Twist Enrichment Panel, the mutations of mt genomes of sensitive 2102EP, H12.

Gold Nanoparticle Inhibits the Tumor-Associated Macrophage M2 Polarization by Inhibiting mA Methylation-Dependent ATG5/Autophagy in Prostate Cancer.

This study aims to study how gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) function in the recruitment and polarization of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (HSPC) and castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Phorbol ester (PMA)-treated THP-1 cells were cocultured with LNCaP or PC3 cells to simulate TAMs. Macrophage M2 polarization levels were detected using flow cytometry and M2 marker determination.

PURINE FUNCTIONALIZED CONGENERS AS MOLECULAR PROBES FOR ADENOSINE RECEPTORS.

The effects of distal structural changes on biological activity may be studied, using a "functionalized congener" strategy, in which suitably placed chemically reactive chains lead to biologically active conjugates. Probes for photoaffinity labeling, chemical affinity labeling, spectroscopic characterization and affinity chromatography of adenosine receptors have been derived from purine amine congeners (XAC, ADAC for A-receptors and APEC for A-receptors). Also, drug conjugates, including prodrugs and lipids, have been designed as potential pharmacological agents.

Enhancement of antitumor effects of berberine chloride with a copper(II) complex against human triple negative breast cancer: studies.

In this study, the copper(II) complex [Cu(chromoneTSC)Cl]•0.5HO•0.0625CHOH (where chromoneTSC = -Ethyl-2-((4-oxo-4H-chromen-3-yl)methylene)-hydrazinecarbothioamide) was synthesized and characterized; then used to carry out studies in combination with berberine chloride (BBC).

Data characterizing a panel of biodegradable cross-linked polyester implants for sustained delivery of an anti-viral drug.

Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) is currently administered orally to patients for treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus infection and as a part of a combination therapy for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. A long-acting delivery system could provide several advantages as a formulation strategy for this drug including improved patient adherence, convenience, more consistent drug levels and potentially fewer side effects. To date, the vast majority of polymer-based long-acting delivery systems have been prepared from poly(lactide--glycolide) [1].

Plasmon hybridization model in molecules: molecular jackhammers.

We recently demonstrated molecular plasmons in cyanine dyes for the conversion of photon energy into mechanical energy through a whole-molecule coherent vibronic-driven-action. Here we present a model, a molecular plasmon analogue of molecular orbital theory and of plasmon hybridization in metal nanostructures. This model describes that molecular plasmons can be obtained from the combination or hybridization of elementary molecular fragments, resulting in molecules with hybridized plasmon resonances in the electromagnetic spectrum.

Evolution of amorphous ruthenium nanoclusters into stepped truncated nano-pyramids on graphitic surfaces boosts hydrogen production from ammonia.

Atomic-scale changes can significantly impact heterogeneous catalysis, yet their atomic mechanisms are challenging to establish using conventional analysis methods. By using identical location scanning transmission electron microscopy (IL-STEM), which provides quantitative information at the single-particle level, we investigated the mechanisms of atomic evolution of Ru nanoclusters during the ammonia decomposition reaction. Nanometre-sized disordered nanoclusters transform into truncated nano-pyramids with stepped edges, leading to increased hydrogen production from ammonia.

Enhancement of photoinduced reactive oxygen species generation in open-cage fullerenes.

Photodynamic therapy is an important tool in modern medicine due to its effectiveness, safety, and the ability to provide targeted treatment for a range of diseases. Photodynamic therapy utilizes photosensitizers to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). Fullerenes can be used as photosensitizers to produce ROS in high quantum yields.

Alkyl bistriflimidate-mediated electrochemical deaminative functionalization.

An efficient electrochemical strategy for the deaminative functionalization of alkyl amines has been described. The alkyl bistriflimidates were readily accessed by the treatment of alkyl amines with trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride and unprecedentedly employed for C-N bond activation. They can be applied to a range of transformations, including borylation, sulfuration, selenation, sulfonation, Additionally, deaminative esterification and amidation can be performed under catalytic base conditions.

Chemodivergent dearomatization of benzene-linked O-oxime esters EnT-induced radical cross-coupling.

Radical-mediated dearomatization strategies offer a blueprint for building value-added and synthetically valuable three-dimensional skeletons from readily available aromatic starting materials. Herein, we report a novel strategy by leveraging benzene-linked O-oxime esters as triply functionalized precursors to form two distinct persistent radicals under a chemodivergent pathway. These radicals then couple with a cyclohexadienyl radical for either carboamination or carbo-aminoalkylation.

Luminescent cyclometalated gold(iii) complexes covalently linked to metal-organic frameworks for heterogeneous photocatalysis.

Phosphorescent gold(iii) complexes possess long-lived emissive excited states, making them ideal for use as molecular sensors and photosensitizers for organic transformations. Literature reports indicate that gold(iii) emitters exhibit good catalytic activity in homogeneous photochemical reactions. Heterogeneous metal-organic framework (MOF)-supported gold(iii) photocatalysts are considered to show high recyclability in photochemical reactions and potentially provide new selectivities.

Deciphering the endogenous SUMO-1 landscape: a novel combinatorial peptide enrichment strategy for global profiling and disease association.

Small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) plays a pivotal role in diverse cellular processes and is implicated in diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. However, large-scale identification of endogenous SUMO-1 faces challenges due to limited enrichment methods and its lower abundance compared to SUMO-2/3. Here we propose a novel combinatorial peptide strategy, combined with anti-adhesive polymer development, to enrich endogenous SUMO-1 modified peptides, revealing a comprehensive SUMOylation landscape.

More π, please: What drives the formation of unsaturated molecules in the interstellar medium?

We present a computational investigation into the fragmentation pathways of ethanolamine (CHNO, EtA), propanol (CHO, PrO), butanenitrile (CHN, BuN), and glycolamide (CHNO, GlA)-saturated organic molecules detected in the interstellar medium (ISM), particularly in the molecular cloud complex Sagittarius B2 (Sgr B2) and its molecular cloud G+0.693-0.027.

Understanding and quantifying the impact of solute-solvent van der Waals interactions on the selectivity of asymmetric catalytic transformations.

The majority of enantioselective organocatalytic reactions occur in apolar or weakly polar organic solvents. Nevertheless, the influence of solute-solvent van der Waals forces on the relative kinetics of competitive pathways remains poorly understood. In this study, we provide a first insight into the nature and strength of these interactions at the transition state level using advanced computational tools, shedding light into their influence on the selectivity.

Design and synthesis of coumarin-based amphoteric antimicrobials with biofilm interference and immunoregulation effects.

Bacterial infections pose a threat to human and animal health, and the formation of biofilm exacerbates the microbial threat. New antimicrobial agents to address this challenge are much needed. In this study, several new amphoteric compounds derived from the natural product coumarin were designed and synthesized by mimicking the structure and function of antimicrobial peptides.

The molecular features of non-peptidic nucleophilic substrates and acceptor proteins determine the efficiency of sortagging.

Sortase A-mediated ligation (SML) or "sortagging" has become a popular technology to selectively introduce structurally diverse protein modifications. Despite the great progress in the optimization of the reaction conditions and design of miscellaneous C- or N-terminal protein modification strategies, the reported yields of conjugates are highly variable. In this study, we have systematically investigated C-terminal protein sortagging efficiency using a combination of several rationally selected and modified acceptor proteins and a panel of incoming surrogate non-peptidic amine nucleophile substrates varying in the structural features of their amino linker parts and cargo molecules.

Toxicological evaluation of imidazo-based heterocyclic derivatives: and acute toxicity studies.

Imidazo based heterocyclic derivatives are considered as privileged scaffolds due to their presence in various pharmacologically active compounds and in marketed formulations. The present study reports toxicological evaluation of three imidazo based heterocyclic derivatives which are currently being investigated for their potential anticancer activity. Compounds IG-01-007, IG-01-008, and IG-01-009 were assessed for cytotoxicity, hemolysis, and DNA fragmentation activity.

Enhanced performance of UiO-66 for supercapacitor applications through oxidation the Hummers' method.

Supercapacitors (SCs) are gaining attention in energy storage due to their high-power density, rapid charge/discharge ability, and long life cycle. Improving these features relies on developing advanced electrode materials with better energy storage properties. This study explores UiO-66, a zirconium-based metal-organic framework (MOF), which offers advantages like a large surface area, tunable pore sizes, and stability.

Bis-3-chloropiperidines: a novel motif for anthelmintic drug design.

Parasites account for huge economic losses by infecting agriculturally important plants and animals. Furthermore, morbidity and death caused by parasites affect a large part of the world population, especially in economically weak regions. Anthelmintic drugs to tackle this challenge remain scarce and their efficiency becomes increasingly endangered by the advent of drug resistance development.

Mechanistic insights into the base-mediated deuteration of pyridyl phosphonium and ammonium salts.

Pyridines can be deuterated at the remote sites by treatment with KOBu in DMSO- , although without discrimination between the - and -position. Herein, base-catalyzed deuterations have been studied, computationally and experimentally, using a series of pyridyl phosphonium salts with a temporary electron-withdrawing group to block the -position while increasing the acidity in the other positions.

Terpene polymerization a binary neodymium-based catalytic system with di--butylmagnesium as a co-catalyst.

The development of materials from renewable resources has been increasing, intending to reduce the consumption of fossil sources, with terpenes being one of the main families that reduce the consumption of isoprene. The study of the binary catalytic system neodymium versatate/dibutyl magnesium (NdV/Mg(-Bu)), for the coordination homopolymerization of β-myrcene and β-farnesene, was carried out analysing different [Nd] : [Mg] ratios (between 4 and 10). Reporting conversions of 92% and 83% at an [Nd] : [Mg] ratio of 8 for polymyrcene (PMy) and polyfarnesene (PFa), respectively, and microstructures comprising 1,4 content above 80% for both polymers (PMy, -59% and PFa, -83%).

Metal compounds as antimicrobial agents: 'smart' approaches for discovering new effective treatments.

Due to their considerable chemical diversity, metal compounds are attracting increasing and renewed attention from the scientific and medical communities as potential antimicrobial agents to combat the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. The development of metal compounds as antimicrobial agents typically follows classical drug discovery procedures and suffers from the same problems; indeed, these procedures can be very expensive and time-consuming, and carry an intrinsically high risk of failure. Here, we show how some established drug discovery approaches can be conveniently and successfully applied to antimicrobial metal compounds to provide some shortcuts for faster clinical translation of new treatments.

Retraction: Color tuning of Bi-doped double-perovskite Ba(Gd ,Lu )NbO (0 ≤ ≤ 0.6) solid solution compounds crystal field modulation for white LEDs.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1039/D0RA03793A.].

Apoptotic cell death of stomach cancer lines (AGS) induced by Co-NTB complex through cellular organelles and DNA damage.

Given that stomach cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death, there is a need to develop new drugs. Among various methods, metal-based coordination compounds are considered as an efficient strategy against this type of cancer. Similarly, the benzimidazole moiety plays a crucial role in biology; thus, various benzimidazole-based compounds have been found to be active as potential anticancer drugs and are currently used in clinical trials.