Unveiling the Cationic Promotion Effect of H2O2 Electrosynthesis Activity of O-Doped Carbons

H₂O₂ electrosynthesis is an emerging clean chemical technology, whose efficiency critically depends on the activity and selectivity of electrocatalysts for two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e^- ORR). Here, we demonstrate that 2e^- ORR activity of oxygen-doped carbons, which have been one of the most promising catalysts for this reaction, can be substantially influenced by the types and concentrations of cations in electrolytes. Heat-treated carbon comprising active oxygen functional groups exhibits cation-dependent 2e^- ORR activity trends in alkaline media, following the order Cs⁺ > K⁺ > Li⁺. Importantly, an electrolyte with a high cation concentration (0.1 M KOH + 0.5 M KCl) afforded the highest 2e^- ORR mass activity (250 ± 30 A g_cat^-1 at 0.70 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode) ever reported. We have established that the cation promotion effect correlates with cation-dependent electron-transfer kinetics, which regulates the rate-determining first electron transfer to O₂.

ACY-241, an HDAC6 inhibitor, overcomes erlotinib resistance in human pancreatic cancer cells by inducing autophagy

Histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) is a promising target for cancer treatment because it regulates cell mobility, protein trafficking, cell growth, apoptosis, and metastasis. However, the mechanism of HDAC6-induced anticancer drug resistance is unclear. In this study, we evaluated the anticancer effect of ACY-241, an HDAC6-selective inhibitor, on erlotinib-resistant pancreatic cancer cells that overexpress HDAC6. Our data revealed that ACY-241 hyperacetylated the HDAC6 substrate, α-tubulin, leading to a significant reduction in cell viability of erlotinib-resistant pancreatic cells, BxPC3-ER and HPAC-ER. Notably, a synergistic anticancer effect was observed in cells that received combined treatment with ACY-241 and erlotinib. Combined treatment effectively induced autophagy and inhibited autophagy through siLC3B, and siATG5 alleviated ACY-241-mediated cell death, as reflected by the recovery of PARP cleavage and apoptosis rates. In addition, combined ACY-241 and erlotinib treatment induced autophagy and subsequently, cell death by reducing AKT-mTOR activity and increasing phospho-AMPK signaling. Therefore, HDAC6 may be involved in the suppression of autophagy and acquisition of resistance to erlotinib in ER pancreatic cancer cells. ACY-241 to overcome erlotinib resistance could be an effective therapeutic strategy against pancreatic cancer.

Sperm hyaluronidase is critical to mammals' fertilization for its ability to disperse cumulus-oocyte complex layer

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored sperm hyaluronidases have long been believed to assist in sperm penetration through the cumulus–oocyte complex (COC); however, their role in mammalian fertilization remains unclear. Previously, we have shown that hyaluronidase 5 (Hyal5)/Hyal7 double-knockout (dKO) mice produce significantly fewer offspring than their wild-type (WT) counterparts because of defective COC dispersal. Male infertility is mainly caused by a low sperm count. It can be further exacerbated by the deficiency of sperm hyaluronidase, which disperses the cumulus cells of the outer layer of the COC. In the current study, we evaluated the effects of a low count of Hyal-deficient sperm and conditions of ovulated oocytes on the fertilization rate using a mouse model. Our results demonstrated that a low sperm count further decreases the in vitro fertilization (IVF) rate of Hyal-deficient dKO spermatozoa. In addition, the dKO spermatozoa resulted in a fertilization rate of 12.5% upon fertilizing COCs with a thick cumulus layer, whereas the IVF rate was comparable to that of WT spermatozoa when oocytes with a thin or no cumulus layer were fertilized. Finally, we proved that the IVF rate of dKO spermatozoa could be recovered by adding rat spermatozoa as a source of sperm hyal. Our results suggest that a deficiency of proteins involved in fertilization, such as sperm hyal, has a vital role in fertilization.

Podophyllotoxin Induces ROS-Mediated Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest in Human Colorectal Cancer Cells via p38 MAPK Signaling

Podophyllotoxin (PT), a lignan compound from the roots and rhizomes of Podophyllum peltatum, has diverse pharmacological activities including anticancer effect in several types of cancer. The molecular mechanism of the anticancer effects of PT on colorectal cancer cells has not been reported yet. In this study, we sought to evaluate the anticancer effect of PT on human colorectal cancer HCT116 cells and identify the detailed molecular mechanism. PT inhibited the growth of cells and colony formation in a concentration-dependent manner and induced apoptosis as determined by the annexin V/7-aminoactinomycin D double staining assay. PT-induced apoptosis was accompanied by cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase and an increase in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The effects of PT on the induction of ROS and apoptosis were prevented by pretreatment with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), indicating that an increase in ROS generation mediates the apoptosis of HCT116 cells induced by PT. Furthermore, Western blot analysis showed that PT upregulated the level of phospho (p)-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). The treatment of SB203580, a p38 inhibitor, strongly prevented the apoptosis induced by PT, suggesting that PT-induced apoptosis involved the p38 MAPK signaling pathway. In addition, PT induced the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and multi-caspase activation. The results suggested that PT induced cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase and apoptosis through the p38 MAPK signaling pathway by upregulating ROS in HCT116 cells.

Schisandrin C Affects Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion in Pancreatic β-Cells and Glucose Uptake in Skeletal Muscle Cells

The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of three lignans (schisandrol A, schisandrol B, and schisandrin C) on insulin secretion in rat INS-1 pancreatic β-cells and glucose uptake in mouse C2C12 skeletal muscle cells. Schisandrol A and schisandrin C enhanced insulin secretion in response to high glucose levels with no toxic effects on INS-1 cells. The effect of schisandrin C was superior to that of gliclazide (positive control), a drug commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes (T2D). In addition, western blot analysis showed that the expression of associated proteins, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1 (PDX-1), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), Akt, and insulin receptor substrate-2 (IRS-2), was increased in INS-1 cells after treatment with schisandrin C. In addition, insulin secretion effect of schisandrin C were enhanced by the Bay K 8644 (L-type Ca²⁺ channel agonist) and glibenclamide (K⁺ channel blocker), were abolished by the nifedipine (L-type Ca²⁺ channel blocker) and diazoxide (K⁺ channel activator). Moreover, schisandrin C enhanced glucose uptake with no toxic effects on C2C12 cells. Western blot analysis showed that the expression of associated proteins, including insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), PI3K, Akt, glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT-4), was increased in C2C12 cells after treatment with schisandrin C. Schisandrin C may improve hyperglycemia by enhancing insulin secretion in pancreatic β-cells and improving glucose uptake into skeletal muscle cells. Our findings may provide evidence that schisandrin C may be beneficial in devising novel anti-T2D strategies.

Thymoquinone induces oxidative stress-mediated apoptosis through downregulation of Jak2/STAT3 signaling pathway in human melanoma cells

Melanoma is a highly aggressive and treatment-resistant cancer, and the incidence and mortality rates are increasing worldwide. Thymoquinone (TQ) is the active component of Nigella sativa seed extracts and exerts anticancer effects in various cancer cells. However, the anticancer effects of TQ on melanoma and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, TQ treatment induced apoptosis in SK-MEL-28 cells. Interestingly, constitutive phosphorylation of Janus kinase 2 (Jak2) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) was markedly decreased following TQ treatment. Furthermore, TQ treatment downregulated STAT3-dependent genes including cyclin D1, D2, and D3 and survivin. Moreover, inhibition of Jak2/STAT3 using AG490, an inhibitor of Jak2 or genetic ablation of STAT3, abrogated the expression of target genes. TQ increased the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), whereas pretreatment with N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), a ROS scavenger, prevented the suppressive effect of TQ on Jak2/STAT3 activation and protected SK-MEL-28 cells from TQ-induced apoptosis. TQ administration further attenuated the growth of SK-MEL-28 tumor xenografts. Taken together, TQ induced apoptosis of SK-MEL-28 by hindering the Jak2/STAT3 signaling pathway through ROS generation. Our results support further development of TQ as a potential anticancer therapeutic agent for treating melanoma.

Single-Atom Catalysts: A Perspective toward Application in Electrochemical Energy Conversion

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) hold great promise for maximized metal utilization, exceptional tunability of the catalytic site, and selectivity. Moreover, they can substantially contribute to lower the cost and abundancy challenges associated with raw materials. Significant breakthroughs have been achieved over the past decade, for instance, in terms of synthesis methods for SACs, their catalytic activity, and the mechanistic understanding of their functionality. Still, great challenges lie ahead in order to render them viable for application in important fields such as electrochemical energy conversion of renewable electrical energy. We have identified three particular development fields for advanced SACs that we consider crucial, namely, the scale-up of the synthesis, the understanding of their performance in real devices such as fuel cells and electrolyzers, and the understanding and mitigation of their degradation. In this Perspective, we review recent activities of the community and provide our outlook with respect to the aspects required to bring SACs toward application.

Reversible Ligand Exchange in Atomically Dispersed Catalysts for Modulating the Activity and Selectivity of the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Rational control of the coordination environment of atomically dispersed catalysts is pivotal to achieve desirable catalytic reactivity. We report the reversible control of coordination structure in atomically dispersed electrocatalysts via ligand exchange reactions to reversibly modulate their reactivity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The CO-ligated atomically dispersed Rh catalyst exhibited ca. 30-fold higher ORR activity than the NH_x -ligated catalyst, whereas the latter showed three times higher H₂ O₂ selectivity than the former. Post-treatments of the catalysts with CO or NH₃ allowed the reversible exchange of CO and NH_x ligands, which reversibly tuned oxidation state of metal centers and their ORR activity and selectivity. DFT calculations revealed that more reduced oxidation state of CO-ligated Rh site could further stabilize the *OOH intermediate, facilitating the two- and four-electron pathway ORR. The reversible ligand exchange reactions were generalized to Ir- and Pt-based catalysts.

Ordered Mesoporous Carbons with Graphitic Tubular Frameworks by Dual Templating for Efficient Electrocatalysis and Energy Storage

Ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs) have attracted considerable interest owing to their broad utility. OMCs reported to date comprise amorphous rod-like or tubular or graphitic rod-like frameworks, which exhibit tradeoffs between conductivity and surface area. Here we report ordered mesoporous carbons constructed with graphitic tubular frameworks (OMGCs) with tunable pore sizes and mesostructures via dual templating, using mesoporous silica and molybdenum carbide as exo- and endo-templates, respectively. OMGCs simultaneously realize high electrical conductivity and large surface area and pore volume. Benefitting from these features, Ru nanoparticles (NPs) supported on OMGC exhibit superior catalytic activity for alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction and single-cell performance for anion exchange membrane water electrolysis compared to Ru NPs on other OMCs and commercial catalysts. Further, the OMGC-based full-carbon symmetric cell demonstrates excellent performances for Li-ion capacitors.

Heteroatom-doped carbon-based oxygen reduction electrocatalysts with tailored four-electron and two-electron selectivity

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) plays a pivotal role in electrochemical energy conversion and commodity chemical production. Oxygen reduction involving a complete four-electron (4e-) transfer is important for the efficient operation of polymer electrolyte fuel cells, whereas the ORR with a partial 2e- transfer can serve as a versatile method for producing industrially important hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). For both the 4e- and 2e- pathway ORR, platinum-group metals (PGMs) have been materials of prevalent choice owing to their high intrinsic activity, but they are costly and scarce. Hence, the development of highly active and selective non-precious metal catalysts is of crucial importance for advancing electrocatalysis of the ORR. Heteroatom-doped carbon-based electrocatalysts have emerged as promising alternatives to PGM catalysts owing to their appreciable activity, tunable selectivity, and facile preparation. This review provides an overview of the design of heteroatom-doped carbon ORR catalysts with tailored 4e- or 2e- selectivities. We highlight catalyst design strategies that promote 4e- or 2e- ORR activity. We also summarise the major active sites and activity descriptors of the respective ORR pathways and describe the catalyst properties controlling the ORR mechanisms. We conclude the review with a summary and suggestions for future research.

Intermetallic PtCu Nanoframes as Efficient Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts

Nanoframe alloy structures represent a class of high-performance catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), owing to their high active surface area, efficient molecular accessibility, and nanoconfinement effect. However, structural and chemical instabilities of nanoframes remain an important challenge. Here, we report the synthesis of PtCu nanoframes constructed with an atomically ordered intermetallic structure (O-PtCuNF/C) showing high ORR activity, durability, and chemical stability. We rationally designed the O-PtCuNF/C catalyst by combining theoretical composition predictions with a silica-coating-mediated synthesis. The O-PtCuNF/C combines intensified strain and ligand effects from the intermetallic PtCu L1₁ structure and advantages of the nanoframes, resulting in superior ORR activity to disordered alloy PtCu nanoframes (D-PtCuNF/C) and commercial Pt/C catalysts. Importantly, the O-PtCuNF/C showed the highest ORR mass activity among PtCu-based catalysts. Furthermore, the O-PtCuNF/C exhibited higher ORR durability and far less etching of constituent atoms than D-PtCuNF/C and Pt/C, attesting to the chemically stable nature of the intermetallic structure.

Ultrasensitive detection of hydrogen peroxide and dopamine using copolymer-grafted metal-organic framework based electrochemical sensor

We reported the synthesis of a copolymer- and metal-organic framework-based electrochemical sensor, UiO-66-NH₂@P(ANI-co-ANA) using the polymerization method for the highly sensitive and selective detection of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and dopamine (DA). The as-synthesized material was characterized via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The electrochemical characteristics of the proposed sensor were evaluated via impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The electrochemical oxidation of DA and the reduction of H₂O₂ were determined via CV, square-wave voltammetry, and chronoamperometric techniques. The fabricated sensor exhibited a wide linear range of 25-500 μM, with a sensitivity of 1396.1 μAμM^-1cm^-2 and a limit of detection of 0.6 μM, for the electrochemical reduction of H₂O₂. Additionally, it exhibited a wide linear range of 10-110 μM, with a sensitivity of 1110.2 μAμM^-1cm^-2 and a limit of detection of 0.3 μM, for the electrochemical detection of DA. The practical utility of the fabricated sensor was evaluated via the detection of H₂O₂ in milk samples and DA in human urine samples.

A General Strategy to Atomically Dispersed Precious Metal Catalysts for Unravelling Their Catalytic Trends for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Atomically dispersed precious metal catalysts have emerged as a frontier in catalysis. However, a robust, generic synthetic strategy toward atomically dispersed catalysts is still lacking, which has limited systematic studies revealing their general catalytic trends distinct from those of conventional nanoparticle (NP)-based catalysts. Herein, we report a general synthetic strategy toward atomically dispersed precious metal catalysts, which consists of "trapping" precious metal precursors on a heteroatom-doped carbonaceous layer coated on a carbon support and "immobilizing" them with a SiO₂ layer during thermal activation. Through the "trapping-and-immobilizing" method, five atomically dispersed precious metal catalysts (Os, Ru, Rh, Ir, and Pt) could be obtained and served as model catalysts for unravelling catalytic trends for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Owing to their isolated geometry, the atomically dispersed precious metal catalysts generally showed higher selectivity for H₂O₂ production than their NP counterparts for the ORR. Among the atomically dispersed catalysts, the H₂O₂ selectivity was changed by the types of metals, with atomically dispersed Pt catalyst showing the highest selectivity. A combination of experimental results and density functional theory calculations revealed that the selectivity trend of atomically dispersed catalysts could be correlated to the binding energy difference between *OOH and *O species. In terms of 2 e^- ORR activity, the atomically dispersed Rh catalyst showed the best activity. Our general approach to atomically dispersed precious metal catalysts may help in understanding their unique catalytic behaviors for the ORR.

Atomically dispersed Pt-N4 sites as efficient and selective electrocatalysts for the chlorine evolution reaction

Chlorine evolution reaction (CER) is a critical anode reaction in chlor-alkali electrolysis. Although precious metal-based mixed metal oxides (MMOs) have been widely used as CER catalysts, they suffer from the concomitant generation of oxygen during the CER. Herein, we demonstrate that atomically dispersed Pt−N₄ sites doped on a carbon nanotube (Pt₁/CNT) can catalyse the CER with excellent activity and selectivity. The Pt₁/CNT catalyst shows superior CER activity to a Pt nanoparticle-based catalyst and a commercial Ru/Ir-based MMO catalyst. Notably, Pt₁/CNT exhibits near 100% CER selectivity even in acidic media, with low Cl⁻ concentrations (0.1 M), as well as in neutral media, whereas the MMO catalyst shows substantially lower CER selectivity. In situ electrochemical X-ray absorption spectroscopy reveals the direct adsorption of Cl⁻ on Pt−N₄ sites during the CER. Density functional theory calculations suggest the PtN₄C₁₂ site as the most plausible active site structure for the CER.

Chlorine evolution reaction (CER) is a key electrochemical reaction for chemical, pulp, and paper industries, and water treatments. Here, the authors report that an atomically dispersed Pt−N₄ site can catalyse CER with high activity and selectivity under a wide range of Cl^– concentrations and pH.

Recent Trends in Cyclic Peptides as Therapeutic Agents and Biochemical Tools

Notable progress has been made in the therapeutic and research applications of cyclic peptides since our previous review. New drugs based on cyclic peptides are entering the market, such as plecanatide, a cyclic peptide approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 2017 for the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation. In this review, we discuss recent developments in stapled peptides, prepared with the use of chemical linkers, and bicyclic/tricyclic peptides with more than two rings. These have widespread applications for clinical and research purposes: imaging, diagnostics, improvement of oral absorption, enzyme inhibition, development of receptor agonist/antagonist, and the modulation of protein-protein interaction or protein-RNA interaction. Many cyclic peptides are expected to emerge as therapeutics and biochemical tools.