Rare earth fluorescent nanoprobes with minimal side effects enable tumor microenvironment activation for chemotherapy

Chemotherapy,the use of antitumor drugs to kill cancer cells,is currently one of the most effective treatments for cancer.However,serious toxic side effects caused by long-term drug accumulation can cause significant damage to the body,which limits the clinical application of antitumor drugs.In this study,a novel RENPs@DOX-Fe nanoprobe(NP) was constructed by coating the surface of rare earth nanomaterials(NaLuF_(4):Yb,Er) with a complex formed by doxorubicin(DOX) and iron ion(Ⅲ).Due to the low toxicity of anthracycline-metal complexes,the damage to normal cells is reduced.The unique acidic microenvironment in tumor cells facilitates the decomposition and gradual release of DOX from the DOX-Fe complex.In addition,the DOX-Fe complex can convert near-infrared(NIR) light into heat energy,which promotes the decomposition of the complex,further enhancing the release of DOX in the tumor environment.The change of ratio fluorescence of rare earth nanomaterials at 660 and 1550 nm after DOX release enables visual monitoring of drug release,which can potentially improve the chemotherapeutic effect.In vitro experiments established that RENPs@DOX-Fe NPs with NIR illumination had good therapeutic efficacy in tumors.This work provides new insights into designing tumor microenvironment-responsive nanoprobes for chemotherapy with minimal side effects.

Cost-effective generation of A-to-G mutant mice by zygote electroporation of adenine base editor ribonucleoproteins

More than 32,000 pathogenic single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)have been identified in the human genome(Gaudelli et al.,2017).Genetically modified mice with pathogenic SNPs are good models for studies of disease pathogenesis and the development of new therapeutics.Accordingly,an efficient,high-throughput method for the generation of mouse models with SNPs is needed.

Modulating reaction pathways of formic acid oxidation for optimized electrocatalytic performance of PtAu/CoNC

Formic acid oxidation(FAO)is a typical anode reaction in fuel cells that can be facilitated by modulating its direct and indirect reaction pathways.Herein,PtAu bimetallic nanoparticles loaded onto Co and N co-doping carbon nanoframes(CoNC NFs)were designed to improve the selectivity of the direct reaction pathway for efficient FAO.Based on these subtle nanomaterials,the influences of elemental composition and carbon-support materials on the two pathways of FAO were investigated in detail.The results of fuel cell tests verified that the appropriate amount of Au in PtAu/CoNC can promote a direct reaction pathway for FAO,which is crucial for enhancing the oxidation efficiency of formic acid.In particular,the obtained PtAu/CoNC with an optimal Pt/Au atomic ratio of 1:1(PtAu/CoNC-3)manifests the best catalytic performance among the analogous obtained Pt-based electrocatalysts.The FAO mass activity of the PtAu/CoNC-3 sample reached 0.88 A·mg_(Pt)^(-1),which is 26.0 times higher than that of Pt/C.The results of first-principles calculation and CO stripping jointly demonstrate that the CO adsorption of PtAu/CoNC is considerably lower than that of Pt/CoNC and PtAu/C,which indicates that the synergistic effect of Pt,Au,and CoNC NFs is critical for the resistance of Pt to CO poisoning.This work is of great significance for a deeper understanding of the oxidation mechanism of formic acid and provides a feasible and promising strategy for enhancing the catalytic performance of the catalyst by improving the direct reaction pathway for FAO.