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Innate immune cells in the tumor microenvironment have been proposed to control the transition from benign to malignant stages. In many cancers, increased infiltration of natural killer (NK) cells associates with good prognosis. Although the mechanisms that enable NK cells to restrain colorectal cancer (CRC) are unclear, the current study suggests the involvement of Smad4. We found suppressed Smad4 expression in circulating NK cells of untreated metastatic CRC patients. Moreover, NK cell-specific Smad4 deletion promoted colon adenomas in DSS-treated ApcMin/+ mice and adenocarcinomas in AOM/DSS-treated mice. Other studies have shown that Smad4 loss or weak expression in colonic epithelium associates with poor survival in CRC patients. Therefore, targeting Smad4 in both colonic epithelium and NK cells could provide an excellent opportunity to manage CRC. Toward this end, we showed that dietary intervention with black raspberries (BRBs) increased Smad4 expression in colonic epithelium in patients with FAP or CRC and in the two CRC mouse models. Also, benzoate metabolites of BRBs, such as hippurate, upregulated Smad4 and Gzmb expression that might enhance the cytotoxicity of primary human NK cells. Of note, increased levels of hippurate is a metabolomic marker of a healthy gut microbiota in humans, and hippurate also has antitumor effects. In conclusion, our study suggests a new mechanism for the action of benzoate metabolites derived from plant-based foods. This mechanism could be exploited clinically to upregulate Smad4 in colonic epithelium and NK cells, thereby delaying CRC progression.

Anthocyanins are one of the most important water-soluble pigments in the nature. Interests in the research of anthocyanins are increasing due to its nutritional value and biological activity. Extraction, separation and qualitative and quantitative analysis of anthocyanins are indispensable and important results in the study of anthocyanins. This article briefly outlines the main extraction processes of anthocyanins, focusing on describing the qualitative and quantitative analysis methods of anthocyanins in details. High performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry can be used for qualitative and quantitative analysis. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscope and other methods such as thin-layer chromatography, UV–visible spectroscopy and infrared spectrometer can be used for qualitative and analysis. Single pH method, Subtraction method, pH differential method can be used for quantitative and analysis.

Cadmium (Cd) is a potentially toxic trace element frequently existed in foods, water, and air, threatening liver function from its continuous bioaccumulation and induction of oxidative stress and inflammation. However, the hepatotoxicity of Cd during puberty remains unclear. In this study, pubertal mice were given cadmium chloride at a dose of 5.0 mg/kg·bw by gavage, and the liver damage was investigated at different treatment points of 10, 20, and 30 days. After Cd exposure, there is an obvious inflammatory hepatocyte infiltration accompanied by more apoptotic cells at 20 days and an increase in alanine aminotransferases and aspartate aminotransferases in circulation at 30 days. Additionally, the soaring TNF-α and MCP-1 were found in liver, and the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1α, IL-1β, and IL-18) and anti-inflammatory cytokines (TGF-β, IL-10, and IL-13) were both significantly upregulated. Moreover, the activated M1 and M2 macrophages were confirmed in charge of these cytokines release. Most importantly, the data validated a pivotal role of NOD-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in Cd-induced inflammation in liver at puberty. Collectively, our results suggested that low-dose Cd oral exposure can cause liver inflammation via activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and give rise to severe liver injury at puberty.

Silver nanoparticle-based coatings have been regarded as promising candidates for marine antifouling. However, current toxic fabrication methods also lead to environment risks. Nanoparticle agglomeration, poor compatibility with polymer, and rapid release of Ag+ result in short-term efficacy. In this study, a facile one-pot synthesis method of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) encapsulated in polymeric urushiol (PUL) was developed. AgNPs were synthesized in situ by natural urushiol, serving as a reductant, dispersant and surfactant. Simultaneously, silver nitrate catalyzed the polymerization of urushiol into PUL. This in situ reduction method made AgNPs uniformly distributed in the polymer matrix. The binding between the AgNPs and the PUL resulted in the stable release of Ag+. Results showed the antibacterial rate of a 0.1% AgNPs coating is 100% in laboratory experiments. This environment-friendly coating showed good microbial inhibition performance with long-term (120 days) marine antifouling efficacy. This study shows the potential of preparing an eco-friendly coating with long-term marine antifouling ability.

Anthocyanin accounts for wine color performance, while it is susceptive to saccharomyces cerevisiae, causing threatened stability. Considering pyranoanthocyanin performed better color and stability, converting anthocyanins to pyranoanthocyanins in advance during fermentation was an ideal way for color improvement. Thus, pyruvic acid (PA) as the precursor of vitisin A was applied to fermentation with cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G). Results showed that PA-stress leads to a color loss associated with a decrease in C3G and cyanidin. However, the content of pyranoanthocyanins under PA stress is unvaried. LC-MS-based non-target metabolomics revealed that superfluous PA can disturb the process of glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid cycle. Importantly, 1291 molecular features were increased and 1122 were decreased under PA-stress, in which several anthocyanins derivatization and isomerization were changed, contributing to color performance. This study indicated that extra PA is unfriendly to anthocyanins during fermentation, playing an adverse effect on color, which should be avoided in wine production.

In an attempt to alleviate the harmful impact of the flammability of epoxy resin on the environment, amitrole, a herbicide, has been converted to a novel flame retardant (PBA) with lamellar morphology through organophosphorus modification. This material has been utilized to fabricate fire safe epoxy thermosets (EP). EP containing 7.5 wt% PBA undergoes quick self-extinguishment upon ignition. This blend displays a high limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of 34%. More importantly, hazardous products (heat, smoke, toxic gases including CO/CO2) released during combustion of EP, are strongly suppressed in the presence of PBA. The mechanical properties of EP-PBA blends are comparable to those of virgin EP. The tensile strength of EP containing PBA is 90% of that of unmodified EP. The flexural strength of PBA blends is somewhat greater than that for EP containing no additive. A tactful strategy for the transformation of amitrole, a potential environmental contaminant to a benign flame retardant for polymers has been developed.

As one of food sources, fish provides sufficient nutrition to human. Diverse nutrients in fish make fish an important nutrient source available easily across the globe. Fish is proven to possess several health benefits, such as anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, wound healing, neuroprotection, cardioprotection, and hepatoprotection properties. Fish proteins, such as immunoglobins, act as defense agents against viral and bacterial infections and prevent protein-calorie malnutrition. Besides, fish oil constituents, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), regulate various signaling pathways, such as nuclear factor kappa B pathway, Toll-like receptor pathway, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) pathway, and peroxisome proliferators activated receptor (PPAR) pathways. In this review, the literature about health benefits of fish consumption are accumulated from PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and the mechanistic action of health benefits are summarized. Fish consumption at least twice per week as part of a healthy diet is beneficial for a healthy heart. More advances in this field could pose fish as a major nutrients source of foods.

Anthocyanins are pigments abundant in fruits and vegetables, and commonly applied in foods due to attractive colour and health-promoting benefits. However, instability of anthocyanins leads to their easy degradation, reduced bioactivity, and colour fading in food processing, limiting their application and causing economic losses. Stability of anthocyanins depends on their own structures and environmental factors. For structural factors, modification including copigmentation, acylation and biosynthesis is a potential solution to increase anthocyanin stability due to forming stable structures. With regard to environmental factors, encapsulation such as microencapsulation, liposome and nanoparticles has been shown effectively to enhance the stability. We proposed the potential challenges and perspectives for the diversification of anthocyanin-rich products for food application, particularly, introduction of hazards, technical limitations, interaction with other ingredients in food system and exploration of pyranoanthocyanins. The integrated strategies are warranted for improving anthocyanin stabilization for promoting their further application in food industry.

The tumor is becoming a critical threat to our lives in these years. Searching for antitumor substances from natural products is a great interest of scientists. Cudrania tricuspidata (C. tricuspidata) is a regional plant containing 158 flavonoids and 99 xanthones, and others ingredients with favorable bioactivity. This review comprehensively analyzes the antitumor compounds from C. tricuspidata against different tumors, and 78 flavonoids plus xanthones are considered as underlying antineoplastic. Importantly, the structure of preylation groups is the primary source of antitumor activity among 45 flavonoids plus xanthones, which could be a direction of structural modification for a better antitumor ability. Additionally, the fruits are also preferable sources of antitumor compounds compared to the roots and barks due to the abundant isoflavones and sustainability. However, many studies only focused on the cells viability inhibition of the compounds, the underlying molecular mechanisms, and the intracellular targets remain ambiguous. In conclusion, C. tricuspidata has a great potential for anti-tumor prevention or therapy, but more attention should be paid to deeper research in vitro and in vivo models.

The roles of natural products as effective cancer prevention and therapeutic agents have been documented by various studies in recent years, but the action mechanisms and structure-activity relationship need more elucidation. The present study showed that theaflavins (theaflavin and its derivatives, TFs) from black tea caused an inhibitory effect on the proliferation of human colon adenocarcinoma cancer SW480 cells and human colon cancer SW620 cells [half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC

In recent decades, the capability of mankind spermatogenesis is declining due to various threats. Anthocyanins as colorful polyphenols possess beneficial functions for the organisms, including Leydig cells, but their effects on male spermatogenesis remain underexplored. In our study, the protective effect of cyanidin-3- O-glucoside (C3G) was investigated on the 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol (3-MCPD) caused rat spermatogenic disorders. At low doses, C3G improved the number and motility of the sperms, alleviating the seminiferous tubule injury. Interestingly, C3G showed no influence on sexual hormone but increased the androgen receptor expression. Meanwhile, C3G reduced the oxidative stress and number of apoptotic cells and promoted the integrity of the blood-testis barrier in the testis. Additionally, C3G mediated the activation of p-ERK, p-JNK, and p53, which are related to the protection of Sertoli cells and spermatogenesis. In conclusion, C3G protected against the 3-MCPD caused testis damage and spermatogenic disorders under appropriate doses, which indicates the potential protection of anthocyanins on male reproduction.

Zearalenone is commonly generated from moldy cereal grain, which is toxic to the development of gametogenesis and embryo in human and animals. The zearalenone-induced reproductive damage is mainly attributed to four mechanisms. Firstly, zearalenone as an oestrogen-like compound binds to estrogen receptor and causes damage to germ cells and testicular structure. Secondly, zearalenone disrupts the blood-testis barrier, and causes the damage to germ cells. Thirdly, zearalenone elevates oxidative stress, which increases the production of lipid peroxides, and results in the damage to the antioxidant defense system. Fourth, zearalenone increases DNA damage and promotes cells apoptosis. In addition, Zearalenone induces inflammatory reactions and leads to the disorders of reproductive hormones. In this study, we systematically introduced the toxic effects of zearalenone on gametogenesis and embryonic development in animals, and focused on the molecular pathways, which providing a basis for further prevention of zearalenone-induced injury.

The oil pollution is an increasing threat to nature and human health. Therefore, effective separation of oil from the oily wastewater is a challenging task. Through the nonsolvent vapor method, a superhydrophobic paper can be self-assembled by dropping the conjugated poly-p-phenylenes solution on the commercial filter paper in a nonsolvent vapor atmosphere. The numerous nano-mircostructral particles composed of polymer nanowires covered on the filter paper, just like the morphology of lotus leaves, lead to the excellent superhydrophobic effect. Moreover, the polymer-coated filter paper not only exhibits good mechanical stability, long-term durability, self-cleaning, but also has superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity. The as-prepared paper possess remarkable oil/water separation ability for a variety of oil/water mixtures, including bromoethane, hexane, cyclohexane, petroleum ether, gasoline, dodecane, and the mixed oil of gasoline and diesel, demonstrating that it can be a good candidate for the treatment of industrial oil-polluted water.

The TiO2@poly-p-phenylene (PPP) composite microspheres were successfully prepared from the self-assembled PPP microspheres in the tetrabutyl titanate solution via the sol–gel method. The morphology and optical properties of the composite microspheres have been characterized by the SEM, EDX, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectra. The presence of PPP changes the band gap of TiO2, which makes the composite microspheres enhance good photocatalytic activity on the degradation of malachite green (98.2%) under sunlike irradiation. The photo-catalytic reusability was investigated up to five successive cycles and the microspheres still retain their activity about 85.6% of photodegradation ratio. Consequently, the TiO2@PPP composite microspheres can be employed as the efficient photocatalyst to treat the organic pollutants.

Excess ultraviolet (UV) radiation causes numerous forms of skin damage. The aim of the present study was to assess and compare the photoprotective effects of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G) alone and encapsulated in chitosan nanoparticles (Nano-C3G) in a UVB-induced acute photodamage mouse model. Nano-C3G was developed from chitosan and sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) by ionic gelation. The particle size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, drug loading, and in vitro release in 6 days were determined. Kunming (KM) mice were treated with Nano-C3G (125, 250, 500 μM) or C3G (500 μM) after part of the dorsal skin area was dehaired and then exposed to 2 J/cm2 of UVB. The nanocapsules were successfully produced and had a uniform and complete spherical shape without agglomeration. The size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, and drug loading of Nano-C3G was 288 nm, +30 mV, 44.90%, and 4.30%, respectively. C3G in the nanocapsules was released quite rapidly, and the release rate slowed down at higher pH. The ani...

Environmentally friendly and renewable hybrid lacquer coatings with excellent aging resistant and anticorrosion properties were studied. The coatings were prepared using raw lacquer coupled with the silane agent 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane or N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane via an eco-friendly sol–gel preparation process. The physical–mechanical properties, thermal stability, aging resistance, and anticorrosion properties of the as-prepared coatings were analyzed. Additionally, the surface of the coatings before and after an accelerated aging treatment was studied by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results revealed that the hybrid lacquer coating A (with a raw lacquer-to-APTES mass ratio of 1.8:1) resulted in films with a significantly enhanced antiaging effect (e.g., six times higher than that of lacquer at a gloss loss rate of 30%). Besides, this film revealed an exceptional anticorrosion performance (with the lowest corrosion current Icorr = 2.476 × 10–10 A·cm–2) and a high protection efficiency (99.99 and 94.10%), as demonstrated by its electrochemical characteristics. Furthermore, all films exhibited a good barrier because of their dense structure, which prevents the corrosive medium from penetrating the coating during the salt spray test analysis after 1000 h. And the coating A relatively layered was distributing any significant cancaves, integrity better than all coatings studied, indicating that the based electrolyte was easier to penetrate it after salt spraying 2000 h.

In the nonsolvent vapor atmospheres, the petal-effect superhydrophobic surface was self-assembled from conjugated poly(2,5-dibutoxy-p-phenylene). During the dissolution of the nonsolvent vapor and the evaporation of the solution, the side-chain interactions and the π–π interactions between conjugated backbones induced the formation of polymer particles, which further agglomerated and formed the network structures and radiate spherical-like hierarchical microstructures. The increase in the distribution of microspheres improved the roughness of the surface and increased the contact angles more than 150°. The network of agglomerated polymer particles were easier to be formed and induced a relatively important penetration of the water inside the pores. Therefore, the network of agglomerated polymer particles and radiate spherical-like hierarchical microstructures can form a Cassie-impregnating regime to display the petal-effect. This provides a new strategy for preparing petal-effect superhydrophobic polymer surfaces, which show significant potential for future application in the control of microdroplet and micro-fluidics.

Cadmium (Cd) contamination has become a public health concern in recent decades. The aim of the present study was to assess the contribution of dietary Cd exposure and its health risk among Shenzhen adult residents using the Total Diet Study (TDS) approach. Cd was determined in 13 food groups using 276 individual samples by ICP-MS. The major food contributors to Cd exposure of Shenzhen adult residents were ‘Vegetables’ (32.6% of the total exposure), ‘Rice and its products’ (19.2% of the total exposure) and ‘Fish, seafood and shellfish’ (18.5% of the total exposure). The mean and the 95th percentile dietary exposure to Cd of Shenzhen adults were 9.9 and 13 μg kg−1 bw month−1, respectively. The dietary exposures of all individual age-gender population subgroups were below the provisional tolerable monthly intake (PTMI = 25 μg kg−1 bw month−1), so the health risk of Cd dietary exposure of Shenzhen adults is considered to be low, but still, cadmium pollution should be strictly controlled and monitored...

A series of benzene-co-fluorene copolymers were synthesized via solid-state oxidative coupling polymerization using FeCl3 as the oxidation catalyst. The structural characterization results confirm that the products are random copolymers composed of 1,4-linked phenylene units and 2,7-linked fluorene units. All the copolymers exhibited good thermal stability. The DSC and XRD results showed that the crystallization of copolymers increased with the increasing fluorene units in the backbones. The relationships among molecular structure, condensed-state structure, and photophysical properties of these polymers were investigated by UV–vis absorption spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The optical properties could be adjusted by using different ratios of fluorene and dibutoxybenzene. Moreover, the polymer concentrations and states affected the emission properties of copolymers. This can be attributed to the change in the effective conjugation length of single polymer and the formation of polymer aggregates and excimers. These unique properties endow the benzene-co-fluorene copolymers with potential applications in optoelectronics.

The novel hierarchical microspheres from conjugated poly(p-phenylene)s can be self-assembled by the nonsolvent vapor method. The formation of hierarchical microspheres depends on the choice of polar nonsolvent vapor atmospheres, solvents, and the length of side chains. The intermolecular interactions, including the side-chain interactions and the π–π interactions between conjugated backbones, occur spontaneously to form various conformations and polymeric aggregates, which have an effect on the fluorescence wavelength of the polymer hierarchical microspheres. Our results demonstrate a facile way to prepare polymeric hierarchical microspheres and adjust their optical properties. Moreover, the hierarchical microspheres with rough surface show a highly selective fluorescence “turn-off” sensor for Fe3 + with almost no interference of other metal ions.

The Third International Symposium on Phytochemicals in Medicine and Food (3-ISPMF) was held in Kunming, China on 25–30 August 2018. 3-ISPMF was organized by the Phytochemical Society of Europe (PSE...

Oriental lacquer, a milk-white sap collected from lacquer trees, can be cured automatically to bright and dense films in the presence of air, thus is worthy of being regarded as a type of natural green coating, as it does not emit any volatile organic compounds. It has been used in Asia for more than 8000 years attributing to its excellent characteristics. However, during harvesting and storage process, the lacquer sap surface can automatically polymerize into lacquer blocks under the catalysis of laccase present in the sap, wasting a significant amount of resources. It is an arduous task how to slow down the curing of oriental lacquer in storage without affecting the normal curing process in operation. Herein, the curing of oriental lacquer was adjusted using Na2CO3 and NaCl as additives. The results indicated that the addition of Na2CO3 quenched the semiquinone radical during the polymerization of urushiol, the main component of oriental lacquer, without affecting the laccase activity. Under the appropriate condition (25 °C and 80% relative humidity), the touch-free dryness time of the oriental lacquer mixed with Na2CO3 increased from 3 h to 15 days. Moreover, the addition of same amount of Na2CO3 and NaCl to oriental lacquer improved the curing time to 6 h, which was similar to that of pristine lacquer without the addition of any salts. The polymerization rate of the lacquer sap returned to the normal again, that may be due to the blocking of the reaction between urushiol and CO32‐ after the introduction of NaCl. Thereby, this study provided a novel and green method for oriental lacquer to achieve storage for a long time and relatively normal curing during application. This provides a guarantee for the wide use of oriental lacquer as a green natural coating.

Biofouling is a common problem, has serious impact on the biomedical applications and maritime activities by human beings, and developing eco-friendly antifouling coatings is the key to the prevention of biofouling. Traditional low surface energy antifouling coatings, such as silicones and fluororesins, have the inherent defects of weak substrate adhesion and poor static antifouling performance. Herein, a low surface energy marine antifouling coating, urushiol-based benzoxazine copper polymer (UBCP), was synthesized using natural product urushiol and n-octylamine, paraformaldehyde as the reactants, and then CuCl2 as the catalyst for further reaction. UBCP can be cured into films at room temperature, which have strong substrate adhesion, smooth and dense surface, and controllable release of effective copper ion at minimized concentrations. Moreover, UBCP exhibits excellent antifouling performance, with both fouling release and antifoulant release characteristics. The antibacterial performance of UBCP towards typical Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli) and Gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus) both reach almost 100%, while its ability to inhibit algal activity is above 99%, and the surface of UBCP can effectively prevent microbial adhesion. In summary, UBCP is a highly effective and eco-friendly coating material and provides a promising approach to address the economic and operational issues caused by marine biofouling.

Dietary pattern and cooking methods are important factors to determine the nutrients supplementation for male reproduction. Methionine and choline are two methyl donors in daily diet, which could mediate the lipid metabolism, but their effects on the sperms are not clear. In this study, we fed the mice with methionine-choline deficient (MCD) diet or the baked MCD diet for 6 weeks to evaluate this dietary pattern and the appended high temperature cooking on the spermatogenesis. The results have shown that MCD diet induced testis degradation and the damage of spermatocytes, reduced sperm vitality, motility, but elevated sperm deformity. Additionally, baking of MCD diet aggravated the testis injury, further reduced sperm density, sperm motility, and decreased normal sperm morphology dramatically. These changes were not related to the blood-testis barrier nor the Leydig cells dysfunction, but related to spermatocytes lost and apoptosis. The spermatocyte apoptosis was mediated by reticulum stress, including GRP78, XBP-1 and CHOP gene expression. Our study has shown the importance of methionine and choline in diet, and emphasized the crucial role of cooking condition, which are dietary factors to influence the quality of sperms.

Sea bass (Lateolabrax maculatus) is one of economically important cultured fish species in China. Our previous study indicated that sea bass possessed anti-inflammation effects. However, the potential active components of sea bass remain unclear. The objective of the current study is to characterize the active components from sea bass. Ultrafiltration and size-exclusion chromatography were applied for activity-guided isolation. Bioactive fractions were further characterized upon TEM, FTIR, hydrodynamic diameter, ζ-potential, and LC-QE–HF–MS. Results indicated that fraction F1 (

The food contaminant acrylamide (AA) is usually recognized as a probable human carcinogen. In addition, AA has also been found able to induce male infertility in animals. Interestingly, resent research work revealed that the toxic effect of AA on the ability of male reproduction in vivo may due to glycidamide (GA) which is the metabolite of AA. In this study, R2C Leydig cells was used to investigate the toxic effects of GA on progesterone production. GA caused dose-dependent inhibition on the cell growth, with IC25, IC50, and IC75 values found at 0.635, 0.872, and 1.198 mM, respectively. The results of single cell gel/Comet assay showed that GA significantly induced early-phase cell apoptosis, reduced progesterone production, as well as decreasing the protein expression of steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) in R2C cells. Furthermore, GA induced overproduction of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), upregulated Bax expression, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, and triggered mitochondria-mediated cell apoptosis. Consequently, the downstream effector caspase-3 was activated, resulting in Leydig cells apoptosis. Overall, our results showed that GA could damage R2C Leydig cells by the lesion of the ability of progesterone genesis and inducing cells apoptosis.

Poly(alkoxynaphthalene)s were synthesized by grinding 2-alkoxynaphthalenes with FeCl3 as the oxidant at room temperature via solid-state oxidative coupling polymerization. Based on the structural characterization and analysis, the condensed structure of 1,4-linked polynaphthalenes is the dominant structure of the polymer, accompanied with the formation of intramolecular coupling. The polymers not only exhibit perfect heat-resistant property, but also show the concentration-induced discoloration property. With the continuously increasing polymer concentrations, the maximum fluorescence bands were observed from the ultraviolet region to 520 nm, eventually red shifting to 620 nm at the polymer concentration above 0.1 mg mL−1. Moreover, the choice of solvent and the extended side-chains can affect the fluorescence spectral changes. In combination with the fluorescence spectral changes of poly(alkoxynaphthalene)s in PMMA films, the concentration-induced discoloration property is mainly dependent on a transition from twisted conformations to planar structures and the formation of polymer aggregates. Moreover, these polymers exhibit obvious enhanced emissions and on/off fluorescent switching which sense THF vapor. It is suggested that poly(alkoxynaphthalene)s are potential materials for fabrication of fluorescence sensors to detect THF efficiently.

Natural isoflavones have been reported to have a potential of antineoplastic activity. However, novel and specific isoflavones are still needed to be explored, and the underlying molecular mechanisms and the intracellular targets of these compounds remain elusive. In our study, we discovered that scandenolone, a natural isoflavonoid derivative from Cudrania tricuspidata fruit, exhibited antineoplastic activity in SK-MEL-28 cells by inducing intrinsic apoptosis and blocking autophagy flux. In addition, scandenolone significantly induced G2/M cycle arrest and inhibited cell migration. The study of the intracellular molecular targets showed that scandenolone binds directly to the active kinase and ATP-binding site of EGFR, which results in downregulating the AKT/mTOR/ERK signaling pathway. Therefore, out results indicate that scandenolone from Cudrania tricuspidata fruit, significantly sensitized SK-MEL-28 cells to apoptosis and repressed the proliferation of the cells, which showed an enormous potential to treat melanoma.

Cadmium (Cd) damages the liver, kidney, bones, reproductive system, and other organs. Flavonoids, such as anthocyanins and flavonols, which are commonly found in plant foods, have shown protective effects against Cd-induced damage. The cytoprotective effects of flavonoids against Cd-induced diseases are mainly attributable to three mechanisms. First, flavonoids clear reactive oxygen species, thereby reducing lipid peroxide production and improving the activity of antioxidation enzymes. Second, flavonoids chelate Cd, thus reducing the accumulation of Cd and altering the levels of other essential metal ions in vivo. Third, flavonoids reduce DNA damage and inhibit apoptosis. In addition, flavonoids were found to inhibit inflammation and fibrosis and improve glycometabolism and the secretion of reproductive hormones. We introduce the daily dosage and absorption rate of flavonoids and then focus on their bioactive effects against Cd-induced toxicity and reveal the underlying metabolic pathway, which provides a basis for further study of the nutritional prevention of Cd-induced injury. In particular, a better understanding is needed of the structure-activity relationship of flavonoids against Cd toxicity, which has not yet been reported.