Nanonetwork of Coordination Polymer AHMT-Ag for the Effective and Broad Spectrum Detection of 6-Mercaptopurine in Urine and Blood Serum

A novel turn-on fluorescence sensor based on the Nd (III) complex for the ultrasensitive detection of 6-mercaptopurine

6-mercaptopurine (6MP) is a chemotherapeuticdrug widely used for treating inflammatory bowel diseases and several cancers. Nevertheless, determining and monitoring its concentration in the human body is highly important because over or under-doses of 6MP can lead to critical health issues. In this paper, we have developed a turn-on fluorescent probe for the determination of the anticancer drug 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) based on coordination complex [Nd (Anth)3 (H2O)3]. [Nd (Anth)3 (H2O)3] has been synthesized through a simple precipitation process taking the stoichiometric ratio of Nd (III) nitrate hexahydrate and 2-aminobenzoic acid (2-ABA), commonly known as anthranilic acid (Anth). The synthesis and structure have been investigated and validated by different characterizations like UV-visible spectroscopy, FT-IR, HRMS, XPS, and SEM. The synthesized complex displayed excellent fluorescence properties, and the fluorescence intensity was enhanced with the addition of 6MP in the form of a [Fe (6MP)3]2+ mixed complex (Fe-6MP), which is formed by dissolving it in FeCl3. The fabricated sensors displayed the best linear response in a wide range of concentrations from 2.55 μM to 45.51 μM of 6MP. The lower limit of detection (LOD) of the developed sensor was found to be 0.26 μM with a linear correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.99. The synthesized probe gives an acceptable response for the sensing of 6MP in the presence of several interfering agents.

Molybdenum oxide nanotube caps decorated with ultrafine Ag nanoparticles: Synthesis and antimicrobial activity

In the contemporary era, microorganisms, spanning bacteria and viruses, are increasingly acknowledged as emerging contaminants in the environment, presenting significant risks to public health. Nevertheless, conventional methods for disinfecting these microorganisms are often ineffective. Additionally, they come with disadvantages such as high energy usage, negative environmental consequences, increased expenses, and the generation of harmful byproducts. The development of next-generation antifungal and antibacterial agents is dependent on newly synthesized nanomaterials with inherent antimicrobial behavior. In this study, we report an arc-discharge method to synthesize MoOx nanosheets and microbelts, followed by decorating them with ultrafine Ag nanoparticles (NPs). Scanning and transmission electron microscopies show that Ag NPs formation on the Molybdenum oxide nanostructures rolls them into nanotube caps (NTCs), revealing inner and outer diameters of approximately 19.8 nm and 105.5 nm, respectively. Additionally, the Ag NPs are ultrafine, with sizes in the range of 5-8 nm. Results show that the prepared NTCs exhibit dose-dependent sensitivity to both planktonic and biofilm cells of Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. The anti-biofilm activity in terms of biofilm inhibition ranged from 19.7 to 77.2% and 11.3-82.3%, while removal of more than 70% and 90% of preformed biofilms was achieved for E. coli and C. albicans, respectively, showing good potential for antimicrobial coating. Initial MoOx exhibits positive potential, while Ag-decorated Molybdenum oxide NTCs show dual potential effects (positive for Molybdenum oxide NTCs and negative for Ag NPs. Molybdenum oxide NTCs, with their strong positive potential, efficiently attract microbes due to their negatively charged cell surfaces, facilitating the antimicrobial effect of Ag NPs, leading to cell damage and death. These findings suggest that the synthesized NPs could serve as a suitable coating for biomedical applications.

Ternary V-Scheme Ag2WO4/BaO/NiO Heterojunction Photocatalysts: Very Fast Degradation Process for Congo Red under UV-Light Irradiation

With increasing industrial production, pollutants generated in the process of bleaching or dying disperse to the natural water medium. Therefore, an effective photocatalytic material must be prepared for water treatment quickly. In the present study, a novel and effective V-scheme Ag₂WO₄/BaO/NiO heterostructure photocatalyst with high photocatalytic performance for the degradation of different organic pollutants was designed and formed by a simple precipitation method. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that BaO, NiO, and Ag₂WO₄/BaO/NiO have a nanopipe, spherical, and nanorod morphology, respectively. X-ray diffraction results indicated that cubic phases were obtained with higher crystallite structure and lower crystallite distortion. The optical properties of the samples exhibited UV-absorption regions with about 3.35, 3.38, and 3.28 eV band gaps for BaO, BaO/NiO, and Ag₂WO₄/BaO/NiO, respectively. The photocatalytic activity was investigated by the degradation of Congo red under UV-light irradiation. To investigate the photocatalytic mechanism, the photodegradation performance of the catalyst was analyzed with different scavengers such as isopropyl alcohol, ascorbic acid, and potassium iodide (KI), and it was shown that the main active species were ^•O₂ ^- radicals and that OH^• radicals have a significant contribution toward the degradation process. Compared to bare BaO and BaO/NiO samples, Ag₂WO₄/BaO/NiO showed excellent photocatalytic activity and about 41%, 66 and 99% of Congo red photodegraded under UV light within 30 min. The reason for this is that the Ag₂WO₄/BaO/NiO heterostructure displayed wider contact which promoted more charge-transfer ways to shorten the electron transportation path and increase the inhibition of electron-hole pairs.

Electrochemistry as a Powerful Tool for Investigations of Antineoplastic Agents: A Comprehensive Review

Cancer is most frequently treated with antineoplastic agents (ANAs) that are hazardous to patients undergoing chemotherapy and the healthcare workers who handle ANAs in the course of their duties. All aspects related to hazardous oncological drugs illustrate that the monitoring of ANAs is essential to minimize the risks associated with these drugs. Among all analytical techniques used to test ANAs, electrochemistry holds an important position. This review, for the first time, comprehensively describes the progress done in electrochemistry of ANAs by means of a variety of bare or modified (bio)sensors over the last four decades (in the period of 1982-2021). Attention is paid not only to the development of electrochemical sensing protocols of ANAs in various biological, environmental, and pharmaceutical matrices but also to achievements of electrochemical techniques in the examination of the interactions of ANAs with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), carcinogenic cells, biomimetic membranes, peptides, and enzymes. Other aspects, including the enantiopurity studies, differentiation between single-stranded and double-stranded DNA without using any label or tag, studies on ANAs degradation, and their pharmacokinetics, by means of electrochemical techniques are also commented. Finally, concluding remarks that underline the existence of a significant niche for the basic electrochemical research that should be filled in the future are presented.