Single-Crystalline Mesoporous Alloy Family with Large Tunable Mesopores for High-Efficient Peroxide-like Enzyme Catalysis.

Single-crystalline mesoporous alloys (SMAs) have attracted great research attention for applications in catalysis, energy storage, and nanomedicine, owing to their abundant mesopores, long-range coherent crystalline framework, and multimetallic synergistic effect. However, the control of SMAs with large mesopores, high-energy surfaces, and tunable compositions is still a great challenge. Herein, a family of cubic single-crystalline mesoporous alloys (CSMAs) including bimetallic PtPd, trimetallic PtPdRh, PtPdFe, PtPdNi, tetrametallic PtPdNiIr, PtPdRhHf, PtPdRhIr, PtPdRhFe, and pentametallic PtPdRhFeHf CSMAs is prepared for the first time.

Engineered microalgae for photo-sonodynamic synergistic therapy in breast cancer treatment.

Dynamic therapies such as photodynamic therapy (PDT) and sonodynamic therapy (SDT) have potential in cancer treatment. Microalgae have attracted increasing attention because of their high active mobility, flexibility in terms of functionality, and good biocompatibility. In this study, surface-engineered microalgae Chlorella vulgaris (Chl) modified with metal‒organic framework (MOF) nanoparticles (denoted Chl-MOF) are successfully developed for synergistic photo-sonodynamic therapy and immunotherapy.

Nucleus-Spike 3D Hierarchical Superstructures via a Lecithin-Mediated Biomineralization Approach.

3D hierarchical superstructures (3DHSs) are key products of nature's evolution and have raised wide interest. However, the preparation of 3DHSs composed of building blocks with different structures is rarely reported, and regulating their structural parameters is challenging. Herein, a simple lecithin-mediated biomineralization approach is reported for the first time to prepare gold 3DHSs composed of 0D nucleus and 1D protruding dendritic spikes.

Novel Synthesis of Phytosterol Ferulate Using Acidic Ionic Liquids as a Catalyst and Its Hypolipidemic Activity.

Phytosterol ferulate (PF) is quantitively low in rice, corn, wheat, oats, barley, and millet, but it is potentially effective in reducing plasma lipids. In this study, PF was synthesized for the first time using acidic ionic liquids as a catalyst. The product was purified, characterized using Fourier transform infrared, mass spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance, and ultimately confirmed as the desired PF compound.

Tomato seed oil attenuates hyperlipidemia and modulates gut microbiota in C57BL/6J mice.

In this study we aimed to investigate the role of tomato seed oil (TSO) in the alleviation of hyperlipidemia and the regulation of gut microbiota in C57BL/6J mice. Mice were divided into the following four diet-based groups: low-fat diet (LF, n = 8), high-fat diet (HF, n = 6), HF diet with TSO replacing one-third of lard (TL, n = 8), and HF diet with TSO replacing two-thirds of lard (TH, n = 8). The results showed that TH significantly reduced weight gain, relative adipose tissue weights, plasma cholesterol, triacylglycerol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), ratio of LDL-C to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), hepatic cholesterol, and total fatty acids, and markedly increased plasma HDL-C.

Candida sp. 99-125 lipase-catalyzed synthesis of ergosterol linolenate and its characterization.

As a major sterol in edible mushroom, ergosterol has gained much attention owing to its potential bioactivities. However, ergosterol has a high melting point, poor oil solubility and stability, which restrict its scope of application. In this study, an ergosterol ester of α-linolenic acid was successfully and efficiently prepared using Candida sp.