Inflammatory cells have gained widespread attention because inflammatory diseases increase the risk for many types of cancer. Therefore, it is urgent and important to implement detection and treatment methods for inflammatory cells. Herein, we constructed a theranostic probe with aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) characteristics, in which tetraphenylethene (TPE) was modified with two tyrosine (Tyr) moieties. Owing to the H2O2‐dependent, enzyme‐catalyzed dityrosine formation, Tyr‐containing TPE (TT) molecules crosslink through dityrosine linkages to induce the formation of hydrophobic aggregates, activating the AIE process in inflammatory cells that contain H2O2 and overexpress myeloperoxidase. The emission turn‐on resulting from the crosslinking of TT molecules could be used to distinguish between inflammatory and normal cells. Moreover, the massive TT aggregates induced mitochondria damage and cell apoptosis. This study demonstrates that the H2O2‐responsive peroxidase‐activated AIEgen holds great promise for inflammatory‐cell selective imaging and inhibition.

Gene therapyhas immense potential as atherapeutic approach to serious diseases.H owever,e fficient delivery and real-time tracking of gene therapeutic agents have not been solved well for successful gene-based therapeutics.H erein we present av ersatile gene-delivery strategy for efficient and visualizedd elivery of therapeutic genes into the targeted nucleus.W ed eveloped an integrin-targeted, cell-permeable, and nucleocytoplasmic trafficking peptide-conjugated AIEgen named T D NCP for the efficient and sequential targeted delivery of an antisense single-stranded DNAo ligonucleotide (ASO) and tracking of the delivery process into the nucleus.A s compared with T D NCP/siRNA-NPs (siRNAfunctions mainly in the cytoplasm), T D NCP/ASO-NPs (ASO functions mainly in the nucleus) exhibited ab etter interference effect, which further indicates that T D NCP is an ucleus-targeting vector. Moreover,T D NCP/ASO-NPs showed af avorable tumorsuppressive effect in vivo.

Geogenic ammonium in groundwater owing to mineralization of natural organic matter (NOM) has been reported in different geologic settings, but detailed mechanisms responsible for high ammonium concentration levels are poorly understood. To this end, we chose Quaternary high ammonium aquifer systems in central Yangtze River basins and used carbon isotopes in both dissolved organic carbon and inorganic carbon together with characterization of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and groundwater chemistry to reveal mechanisms related to the genesis of ammonium. The results indicate that high levels of geogenic ammonium (up to 33.50 mg/L as N) occur due to long-term water–rock interactions in a relatively sluggish hydrogeological environment with abundant organic matter that is rich in both C and N. The stable carbon isotope data suggest that ammonium in the groundwater is released from intensive degradation of organic matter with higher contents of ammonium associated with methanogenesis. The optical signatures of DOM indicate ammonium in the groundwater is mostly associated with terrestrial humic-like components rather than protein-like components. Molecular characterization of DOM by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS) shows that, compared to low ammonium groundwater, high ammonium groundwater has larger mass weights, greater abundance of CHO+N compounds, higher percentages of lignin- and condensed-hydrocarbon-like components, lower H/C ratios, higher nominal oxidation state of carbon (NOSC) values and more double bonds, rings, and aromatic structures. Strong degradation of NOM and preferential utilization of energetically more favorable, terrestrial humic-like components (lignin-like as the main class) with high NOSC values facilitates the formation of high ammonium groundwater. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first effort to use carbon isotopes and DOM characteristics to identify enrichment mechanisms for geogenic ammonium in alluvial–lacustrine aquifer systems.

No abstract

No abstract