scholarly journals Tuning the morphology of mesoscopic structures of porphyrin macrocycles functionalized by an antimicrobial peptide

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (05n07) ◽  
pp. 920-928
Author(s):  
Rita Cimino ◽  
Elisa Grelloni ◽  
Gabriele Magna ◽  
Donato Monti ◽  
Manuela Stefanelli ◽  
...  

The aggregation properties of two peptide–porphyrin conjugates were investigated by optical spectroscopy and microscopy imaging with nanometer resolution. Specifically, a tetraphenylporphyrin platform was functionalized by (L)-magainin, a 23-residue long antimicrobial peptide, and by a (L)-magainin analogue differing from the parent peptide by a single residue substitution, [Formula: see text] an Ala vs. Phe replacement in the position 5 of the peptide chain. Spectroscopic and microscopy results show that this single-site substitution has a small effect on the secondary structure attained by the two peptide analogues, but deeply affects the morphology of the mesoscopic structures deposited on hydrophilic mica from methanol/water solutions. In particular, only the Ala-substituted peptide-porphyrin conjugate was shown to be able to form micrometric fibrils, coating homogeneously a hydrophilic mica surface. These results pave the way for potential applications of porphyrin-peptide compounds in localized photodynamic therapy and for designing solid-state stereoselective sensors.

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1429-1461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaona Li ◽  
Jianwen Liang ◽  
Xiaofei Yang ◽  
Keegan R. Adair ◽  
Changhong Wang ◽  
...  

This review focuses on fundamental understanding, various synthesis routes, chemical/electrochemical stability of halide-based lithium superionic conductors, and their potential applications in energy storage as well as related challenges.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (45) ◽  
pp. 6116-6121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tan Ji ◽  
Lei Xia ◽  
Wei Zheng ◽  
Guang-Qiang Yin ◽  
Tao Yue ◽  
...  

We present a new family of porphyrin-functionalized coordination star polymers prepared through combination of coordination-driven self-assembly and post-assembly polymerization. Their self-assembly behaviour in water and potential for photodynamic therapy were demonstrated.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Miguel-Donet ◽  
Javier López-Cabrelles ◽  
Nestor Calvo Galve ◽  
Eugenio Coronado ◽  
Guillermo Minguez Espallargas

<p>Modification of the magnetic properties in a solid-state material upon external stimulus has attracted much attention in the recent years for their potential applications as switches and sensors. Within the field of coordination polymers, gas sorption studies typically focus on porous solids, with the gas molecules accommodating in the channels. Here we present a 1D non-porous coordination polymer capable of incorporating HCl gas molecules, which not only causes a reordering of its atoms in the solid state but also provokes dramatic changes in the magnetic behaviour. Subsequently, a further solid-gas transformation can occur with the extrusion of HCl gas molecules causing a second structural rearrangement which is also accompanied by modification in the magnetic path between the metal centres. Unequivocal evidence of the two-step magnetostructural transformation is provided by X-ray single-crystal diffraction.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng Li ◽  
Yu Hui Huang ◽  
Jian-Jun Wang ◽  
Bo Wang ◽  
Yong Jun Wu ◽  
...  

AbstractSolid-state refrigeration which is environmentally benign has attracted considerable attention. Mechanocaloric (mC) materials, in which the phase transitions can be induced by mechanical stresses, represent one of the most promising types of solid-state caloric materials. Herein, we have developed a thermodynamic phenomenological model and predicted extraordinarily large elastocaloric (eC) strengths for the (111)-oriented metal-free perovskite ferroelectric [MDABCO](NH4)I3 thin-films. The predicted room temperature isothermal eC ΔSeC/Δσ (eC entropy change under unit stress change) and adiabatic eC ΔTeC/Δσ (eC temperature change under unit stress change) for [MDABCO](NH4)I3 are −60.0 J K−1 kg−1 GPa−1 and 17.9 K GPa−1, respectively, which are 20 times higher than the traditional ferroelectric oxides such as BaTiO3 thin films. We have also demonstrated that the eC performance can be improved by reducing the Young’s modulus or enhancing the thermal expansion coefficient (which could be realized through chemical doping, etc.). We expect these discoveries to spur further interest in the potential applications of metal-free organic ferroelectrics materials towards next-generation eC refrigeration devices.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 8106
Author(s):  
Tianming Song ◽  
Yawei Qu ◽  
Zhe Ren ◽  
Shuang Yu ◽  
Mingjian Sun ◽  
...  

Despite the numerous available treatments for cancer, many patients succumb to side effects and reoccurrence. Zinc oxide (ZnO) quantum dots (QDs) are inexpensive inorganic nanomaterials with potential applications in photodynamic therapy. To verify the photoluminescence of ZnO QDs and determine their inhibitory effect on tumors, we synthesized and characterized ZnO QDs modified with polyvinylpyrrolidone. The photoluminescent properties and reactive oxygen species levels of these ZnO/PVP QDs were also measured. Finally, in vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to test their photodynamic therapeutic effects in SW480 cancer cells and female nude mice. Our results indicate that the ZnO QDs had good photoluminescence and exerted an obvious inhibitory effect on SW480 tumor cells. These findings illustrate the potential applications of ZnO QDs in the fields of photoluminescence and photodynamic therapy.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (38) ◽  
pp. 9027-9035 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daqin Chen ◽  
Weiwei Wu ◽  
Yongjun Yuan ◽  
Yang Zhou ◽  
Zhongyi Wan ◽  
...  

Nitrogen-doped carbon dots with multi-state visible absorption and full-color blue/yellow/red emissions are synthesized, and show potential applications in solid-state-lighting.


Biochemistry ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 50 (18) ◽  
pp. 3784-3795 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evgeniy S. Salnikov ◽  
Christopher Aisenbrey ◽  
Sergey V. Balandin ◽  
Zhmak Maxim N. ◽  
Tatiana V. Ovchinnikova ◽  
...  

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priscila Sutto-Ortiz ◽  
María de los Angeles Camacho-Ruiz ◽  
Manuel R. Kirchmayr ◽  
Rosa María Camacho-Ruiz ◽  
Juan Carlos Mateos-Díaz ◽  
...  

Novel microbial phospholipases A (PLAs) can be found in actinomycetes which have been poorly explored as producers of this activity. To investigate microbial PLA production, efficient methods are necessary such as high-throughput screening (HTS) assays for direct search of PLAs in microbial cultures and cultivation conditions to promote this activity. About 200 strains isolated with selected media for actinomycetes and mostly belonging toStreptomyces(73%) andMicromonospora(10%) genus were first screened on agar-plates containing the fluorophore rhodamine 6G and egg yolk phosphatidylcholine (PC) to detect strains producing phospholipase activity. Then, a colorimetric HTS assay for general PLA activity detection (cHTS-PLA) using enriched PC (≈60%) as substrate and cresol red as indicator was developed and applied; this cHTS-PLA assay was validated with known PLAs. For the first time, actinomycete strains were cultivated by solid-state fermentation (SSF) using PC as inductor and sugar-cane bagasse as support to produce high PLA activity (from 207 to 2,591 mU/g of support). Phospholipase activity of the enzymatic extracts from SSF was determined using the implemented cHTS-PLA assay and the PC hydrolysis products obtained, were analyzed by TLC showing the presence of lyso-PC. Three actinomycete strains of theStreptomycesgenus that stood out for high accumulation of lyso-PC, were selected and analyzed with the specific substrate 1,2-α-eleostearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (EEPC) in order to confirm the presence of PLA activity in their enzymatic extracts. Overall, the results obtained pave the way toward the HTS of PLA activity in crude microbial enzymatic extracts at a larger scale. The cHTS-PLA assay developed here can be also proposed as a routine assay for PLA activity determination during enzyme purification,directed evolution or mutagenesis approaches. In addition, the production of PLA activity by actinomycetes using SSF allow find and produce novel PLAs with potential applications in biotechnology.


1996 ◽  
Vol 431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori A. Vermeulen ◽  
J. Pattanayak ◽  
Travis Fisher ◽  
Monica Hansford ◽  
Scott J. Burgmeyer

AbstractSolid state metal phosphonates (M(O3P-R-PO3) or M(O3P-R)2 (M = metal)) have layered structures where the metal atoms lie in planar sheets and the intervening R groups take up the interlamellar space. Microporous metal phosphonates can be prepared by reaction of the metal with a mixture of large and small phosphonates (M(O3P-LARGE)x(O3P-SMALL)2-x. The larger group acts as a pillar that holds the layers apart. Void spaces result from the presence of the smaller groups. The porous nature of these solids make them potential candidates for applications as sensors, size- and shape- selective catalysts, and chromatographic materials. Metal diphosphonates (M(O3P-R-PO3) can also be prepared one layer at a time on a surface, resulting in the construction of interesting superstructures that are not accessible through the solid state synthesis. For example, these superstructures can contain different components in sequential layers and may have applications in energy conversion, vectorial electron transport, and NLO devices. The preparation of microporous thin films would combine the desirable potential applications of the porous solids with the interesting parallel superstructures that can be prepared from the thin film assemblies. We report our progress toward the construction of microporous metal phosphonate thin films. The two methods that are currently being developed include: 1) phosphonate exchange of pre-assembled films, and 2) co-deposition of different large and small phosphonates during film assembly.


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