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It is of extreme importance to engineer the structural characteristics of carbon dots (CDs) to satisfy their practical applications in imaging and medical treatments. Here, Cu,N-doped CDs ( Cu,N -CDs) are a new class of near-infrared-(NIR) light-induced therapeutic agents that were prepared by a one-step hydrothermal method using EDTA·2Na and CuCl 2 . Specifically, Cu ΙΙ was located in the inner of Cu,N -CDs via N-Cu-N complexation, endowing NIR absorption for the production of heat and reactive oxygen species. The relationships between the hydrothermal temperature, NIR absorption, and intrinsic biological activity of the Cu,N -CDs were examined. The hydrothermal temperature significantly affected the latter two when the Cu content in the Cu,N -CDs was changed. The Cu,N -CDs at 180 °C were examined for cancer phototherapeutics in vitro and in vivo . The Cu,N -CDs markedly inhibited cancer via synergistic photothermal/photodynamic therapies. In addition, the Cu,N -CDs could also act as one kind of fluorescence cell-imaging agent and IR thermal imaging agent to visualize the in vitro and in vivo treatment process, respectively. Thus, the present study provides a promising new method to prepare CDs with NIR absorption feature for multifunctional cancer theranostic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scheme 1. Schematic representation of the HIPPEs stabilized solely by SPI-PA complexes. SPI-PA complexes -stabilized HIPPEs with φ = 0.8. [Display omitted] • A green facile method to construct SPI-PA complexes as stabilizer was reported. • A HIPPEs stabilized by SPI-PA complexes was successfully constructed. • The HIPPEs have outstanding emulsifying and antioxidative properties. Protein-based high internal phase Pickering emulsions (HIPPEs) feature numerous multi-functionalities and widespread applications. However, the direct use of native proteins for the constructions of HIPPEs is limited since it is fragile under various conditions. Here, cold plasma was used to modify soy protein isolates (SPI) to improve their surficial properties. Meanwhile, proanthocyanidins (PA) were applied to interact with cold plasma-treated SPI to form complex. Furthermore, the well-prepared SPI-PA complex was used to construct novel HIPPEs. Results showed cold plasma treatment significantly improved the functionalities of SPI, which were confirmed by surface hydrophobicity (H 0 ＜ 500), sulfhydryl (SH) groups and spectral analysis. Further, the emulsification and oxidation resistance of cold plasma treated SPI were enhanced after forming complex with PA. Soybean oils can be stabilized by SPI-PA complexes to form HIPPEs with a lipid oxidation inhibition rate of ＞ 65%, creaming index (CI) ＞ 80%, excellent rheological properties and better stability compared with conventional emulsion systems. Overall, this SPI-PA complexes provides a unique approach to improve the emulsification and oxidation resistance to engineer HIPPEs with versatile applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A class of small 1-methylquinolinium-based molecular fluorescent probes with high specificity in DNA G-quadruplex structures imaging in live cells was developed through the structural inclusion with an indolyl moiety. The study reveals that the scaffold of 1-methylquinolinium and indole ring is a distinctive combination for molecular design of new probes with effective and sensitive fluorescent signal switch-on functionality, particularly for identifying telomeric DNA, recognizing G-quadruplexes in promoters, and imaging or visualization of DNA G-quadruplex from other DNA structures. In addition, the experimental results demonstrate a rarely investigated factor on the importance of the indolyl moiety and its position when conjugating with a 1-methylquinolinium scaffold though a ethylene bridge in molecular probe design and synthesis; and these factors are determined as the crucial root leading to the excellent fluorescent signal switch-on property for the specific discrimination of DNA G-quadruplexes against other nucleic acids in live human prostate cancer cells (PC-3 cells) experiments. The characteristics of the new probes were comprehensively investigated with fluorescence titration, native PAGE experiments, and CD analysis to validate the selectivity, sensitivity, and stability while interacting with DNA G-quadruplex structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cold plasma has been successfully used in modification of whey protein isolates. • Cold plasma significantly lowered the oil-water interfacial tension of WPI. • The oleogels have porous networks with excellent antimicrobial activities. Cold plasma as a green and expeditious tool was used to modify whey protein isolate (WPI) in order to improve its emulsion capability. The emulsion-based oleogels with antibacterial functions were then constructed using the modified WPI. The modified WPI treated with cold plasma under 10 s at 50 W power significantly lowered the oil-water interface tension. Meanwhile, the fluorescence intensity and the α -helix content of WPI reduced with the cold plasma treatment. It is noted that SEM results showed that the treated WPI had more regular dendritic structures. Such modified WPI was applied to construct oleogels loaded with thyme essential oil and coconut oil, which showed a porous uniform network structure and excellent antimicrobial activities against E.coli. As a proof of concept, this study demonstrated cold plasma could be as a new facile tool to modify food-sourced proteins and expected to enlarge their applications in oleogel productions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surface functionalization of carbon dots (CDs) can introduce an additional dimension for the control of their photoluminescence properties and effective promotion of the applications of CDs such as imaging, sensing, etc . In this study, a simple one-step carbonization using Tween 80 as the sole carbon source is described for directly synthesizing white-emitting CDs (WCDs) in high yield. The results revealed the presence of several long alkyl chains on the surface of the as-fabricated WCDs, which effectively suppress the aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) effect and emit bright white luminescence under an UV illumination of 365 nm in the solution and solid states. Besides, together with the surface protection of long alkyl chains, WCDs preferentially interact with lipophilic fatty residues and are beneficial for the label-free imaging of latent fingerprints. This study provides a promising new method to not only effectively inhibit the intrinsic ACQ effect of CDs but also develop the surface engineering of functionalized white-emitting CDs for practical applications via facile synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schematic diagram of the facile detection of the Bαp content in edible oils. [Display omitted] • Novel magnetic nanoparticles Fe 3 O 4 @DA/GO were designed and synthesized. • The synthesized nanoparticles were used to effectively enrich Bαp from edible oils. • The whole time of Bαp enrichment from oils was only 0.3 h. • The developed method was applied to analyze Bαp contents from edible oils with high sensitivity and reliability. A novel method for benzo(α)pyrene (Bαp) enrichment from an oil matrix was developed by using magnetic nanoparticles (Fe 3 O 4 @dopamine/graphene oxide, Fe 3 O 4 @DA/GO) as extraction absorbents, and the chemical properties of the synthesized nanoparticles were characterized. Various parameters were investigated to optimize the extraction of Bαp from oils. Under optimal conditions (pH, 4; extraction time, 0.5 min; elution solvent, 1 mL; absorbent weight, 20 mg; elution time, 0.5 min), these nanoparticles showed excellent abilities to enrich Bαp from the saponified oil solution and were easily separated by a magnet. High-performance liquid chromatography plus fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) was then applied to determine the Bαp content with excellent linearity (R2 = 0.999). The detection limit was 0.13 µg/kg, while the limit of quantification was 0.42 µg/kg. The spiked recoveries of Bαp in oils ranged from 73.5% to 121%. Compared with previous reports, the proposed method displayed many advantages, including a high efficiency of oil matrix removal, short extraction time, and convenient extraction procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]