Evaluation the binding of chlorogenic acid with bovine serum albumin: Spectroscopic methods, electrochemical and molecular docking

Chlorogenic acid(CGA) is the common active phenolic acid in Chinese medicinal materials such as honeysuckle and eucommia. It is a class of small molecules with multiple activities such as antioxidant, inhibiting cancer cells, lowering blood sugar and lowering blood pressure. In this paper, UV-vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism, molecular dynamics simulation and cyclic voltammetry (CV) electrochemical analysis were used to investigate the mechanism about interaction between CGA and BSA. Based on fluorescence quenching analysis, CGA quenched the inherent fluorescence of BSA remarkably through a static mechanism. The obtained value of binding constant (K_b = 5.75 × 10⁵ L·mol^-1) revealed a high binding affinity between CGA and BSA. The simulated molecular docking showed that hydrophobic force were also involved in the interaction between BSA and CGA. This paper also investigate the effect of temperature and metal ions on the binding of CGA and BSA. When the temperature increased, the binding of BSA and CGA was destroyed. Metal ions affect both the structure of BSA and the combination of BSA and CGA. By studying the mechanism of CGA interaction with BSA, we elucidated the storage and transport mechanism of CGA in vivo under simulated human environment and temperature conditions.

Ultrafast formation of ANFs with kinetic advantage and new insight into the mechanism

Aramid nanofibers (ANFs) have important applications in many fields, including electrical insulation and battery separators. However, a few limitations seriously restrict the application of ANFs currently, such as low preparation efficiency and the unclear preparation mechanism. To overcome these limitations, the present work proposes a new view-point from the perspective of reaction kinetics. The preparation efficiency was proven to essentially rely on the effective c(OH^-). With a simple pre-treatment, a kinetic advantage was created and the preparation time of ANFs was reduced from multiple hours to 10 minutes, which was a considerable step towards practical applications. Moreover, the resultant ANF membranes still exhibited excellent properties in terms of mechanical strength (tensile strength > 160 MPa), thermal stability, light transmittance, and electrical insulation (above 90 kV mm^-1). This work not only presents an ultrafast method to produce ANFs but also provides new insights into the mechanism that will benefit the subsequent development of ANF-based materials.

Application of Aramid Nanofibers in Nanocomposites: A Brief Review

The diameter of fibers is a critical factor in determining their final applications. When the diameter of aramid fibers changes from microns to nanoscale, its range of applications will be greatly extended. In this short review, the preparation of aramid nanofibers (ANFs) with diameters from ten nanometers to more than one hundred nanometers is introduced. Due to their excellent mechanical properties and their chemical and thermal stability, ANFs have been widely used as novel nanomaterials and composited with other materials, mainly for use in reinforced composites, energy storage, filtration and adsorption, biomedicine and electromagnetic fields. In this short review, the application of ANFs and their composites during the last 10 years is concisely summarized and a brief perspective on ANFs and their composites is also presented.

Hydrothermal synthesis of highly fluorescent nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots with good biocompatibility and the application for sensing ellagic acid

Blue emissive nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) with a high quantum yield as high as 84.79% were successfully synthesized via the hydrothermal treatment of citric acid and diethylenetriamine in one pot. The as-prepared N-CQDs displayed excellent stability in high-salt conditions, good photostability, promising the N-CQDs as potential probes for selectively detecting ellagic acid with a linear range of 0.01-50 μM on the basis of inner filter effect. And the hydroponics experiment of gardenia with N-CQDs suggested the good biocompatibility of the N-CQDs, indicating the potential applications in biomedical fields.

A novel dithiourea-appended naphthalimide "on-off" fluorescent probe for detecting Hg2+ and Ag+ and its application in cell imaging

An effective dithiourea-appended 1,8-naphthalimide fluorescent probe was designed and synthesized. This probe could recognize Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺ sensitively and selectively in neutral and alkaline conditions. Moreover, the probe detected Hg²⁺ alone at pH between 2 and 6. The sensing ability of the probe was explored by UV-vis, fluorescence, FTIR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The probe was quenched by Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺ with 1:1 binding ratios in MeCN/H₂O (4/1, v/v) mixed solution with binding constants of 3.76 × 10⁴ L mol^-1 and 2.47 × 10⁴ L mol^-1, respectively. The linear concentration ranges for Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺ were 0-17 μmol L^-1 and 0-24 μmol L^-1 with detection limits of 0.83 μmol L^-1 and 1.20 μmol L^-1, respectively, which allowed for the quantitative determination of Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺. The new probe, 3a, was successfully applied to the fluorescence imaging of Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺ in HepG2 cells, demonstrating its potential application in biological science. Moreover, 3a was used to measure Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺ in tap water, drinking water and ultrapure water samples. The recoveries of Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺ in water samples were 96-99% and 98-103%, respectively. Therefore, the proposed method showed promising perspectives for its application, aimed at detecting Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺ in fluorescence imaging and real water samples.