Platinum(IV) prodrugs of the [Pt(PL)(AL)(COXi)(OH)]2+ type scaffold (where PL is 1,10-phenanthroline or 5,6-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline, AL is 1S,2S-diaminocyclohexane, and COXi is a COX inhibitor, either indomethacin or aspirin) were synthesised and characterised, and their biological activity was explored. MTT assays showed that these complexes exhibit outstanding activity against a range of cancer cell lines, and nanomolar activities were observed. The most potent complex, 4, exhibited a GI50 of 3 nM in the Du145 prostate cancer cell line and was observed to display a 1614-fold increased activity against the HT29 colon cancer cell line relative to cisplatin. ICP-MS studies showed a linear correlation between increased cellular accumulation of the complexes and increased cytotoxicity, while an enzyme immunoassay showed that 1 and 2 inhibited COX-2 at 14 and 1.4 µM, respectively, which is comparable to the inhibition exhibited by indomethacin. These results suggest that while the cytotoxicity of prodrugs 1–4 was influenced by cellular uptake, it was not entirely dependent on either COX inhibition or lipophilicity.

Silicon (Si) uptake and deposition (silicification) in tissues is known to alleviate stresses and generally improve plant health. This is mostly studied in Si‐high accumulators, such as grasses, with comparatively less known about its effects on other plant functional groups, such as legumes. There is speculation that Si may positively impact the symbiosis between legumes and the nitrogen‐fixing bacteria (rhizobia) they associate with, but this is poorly understood. This study examined the effects of Si enrichment on legume species associated with rhizobia and the potential underlying mechanism of Si impacts. We conducted a glasshouse experiment with lucerne Medicago sativa and barrel medic M. truncatula associated with a model rhizobial strain. Six genotypes (three per species) were either supplemented with Si (+Si) or untreated (−Si). We quantified 16 functional traits which could be classified as plant growth, physiology, elemental chemistry, nodule activity and nitrogen fixation. The two legume species responded to Si distinctively. For example, Si supplementation increased shoot biomass by more than 10% in lucerne but growth was unaffected in barrel medic. Conversely, nitrogen‐fixing enzyme (nitrogenase) activity was promoted by more than 85% in +Si barrel medic plants but not in lucerne. Moreover, Si supplementation of lucerne increased the concentrations of Si in leaves by more than 36% but not in root nodules. Increased foliar concentrations of Si in lucerne were positively associated with increased shoot and root biomass in Sequel and Trifecta genotypes, respectively. Conversely, Si supplementation of barrel medic increased the concentration of Si in root nodules by 29% but not that in foliar tissues. Nitrogenase activity and where silicification occurred, differed between genotypes in barrel medic; nitrogenase activity was correlated with concentrations of Si in root nodules rather than that in foliar tissues in one genotype (Sephi) but the reverse was true in another (Hannaford). This study demonstrates that two closely related legume species can respond to Si in distinct ways, depending on plant genotype and symbiosis. These results present the overlooked function of Si in legume–rhizobia interactions, which could potentially enhance productivity of this important group of plants. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

Lanthanide ion doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) hold great promise as multimodal contrast agents for a range of medical imaging techniques, including optical bioimaging (OBI), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT). However, it is challenging to obtain UCNPs with both maximal contrast enhancement effects for both OBI and MRI simultaneously owing to the dilemma in the size of UCNPs. UCNPs in large dimensions contain more photonic Ln ions and less surface defects, which is favored for high luminescent emissions, while small UCNPs with high specific surface areas allow a higher proportion of paramagnetic Ln ions to be more accessible to water molecules, which offers enhanced contrast in MRI. In this work, we report the novel design of core−porous shell UCNPs with both high luminescent emissions and magnetic relaxivities as potential dual-modal contrast agents. The core–porous shell UCNPs were fabricated via the selective etching of the inert shell of NaYF4: 30%Gd at the active core of NaYF4: 20%Yb, 1%Er. Their morphology and composition were carefully characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and high resolution TEM. Their photoluminescent and magnetic resonance properties were experimentally determined and compared for the core, core–dense shell, and core–porous shell UCNPs. Core–porous shell UCNPs were found to display bright luminescence and superior MRI contrast enhancement, thus showing great potential as bimodal OBI and MRI contrast agents.

Four platinum(IV) prodrugs incorporating a biotin moiety to selectively target cancer cells were synthesised, characterised, and their biological activity assessed. All complexes exhibited exceptional in vitro cytotoxicity against a panel of cancer cell lines, with [Pt(5,6-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline)(1S,2S-diaminocyclohexane)(biotin)(hydroxido)](NO3)2, (2) exhibiting the lowest GI50 of 4 nM in the prostate Du145 cancer cell line. Each complex displayed significantly enhanced activity compared to cisplatin, with 2 being 1000-fold more active in the HT29 colon cancer cell line. Against the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line, in which high levels of biotin receptors are expressed, 2, [Pt(4,7-dimethoxy-1,10-phenanthroline)(1S,2S-diaminocyclohexane)(biotin)(hydroxido)](NO3)2, (3), and [Pt(5-methyl-1,10-phenanthroline)(1S,2S-diaminocyclohexane)(biotin)(hydroxido)](NO3)2, (4) exhibited enhanced activity compared to their platinum(II) cores, with 4 being 6-fold more active than its platinum(II) precursor. Furthermore, 3 exhibited 3-fold greater selectivity towards MCF-7 breast cancer cells compared to MCF10A breast healthy cells, and this was further confirmed by platinum uptake studies, which showed 3 to have almost 3-fold greater uptake in MCF-7 cells, compared to MCF10A cells. The results show that lipophilicity and selectivity both contributed to the cellular uptake of 1–4; however, this was not always translated to the observed cytotoxicity.

The global coal industry yields a vast amount of tailings waste, and the utilisation of these tailings necessitates innovative efforts contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. One of such novel initiatives is to reuse coal tailings (CT) safely, ecofriendly, and cost-effectively in agroecosystems as a soil conditioner to enhance the productivity of lands. This study aimed to evaluate the potential utilisation of coal tailings waste in the soil amelioration to improve plant performance. The physico–chemical characteristics of coal tailings from two Australian mining sites (CT1 and CT2) showed that the tailings samples are alkaline with loamy and loamy sand textures, respectively. The tailings have ~ 3% of macronutrients, high carbon (C), and low heavy metals and metalloids (As, Cd, Se, Cu, Zn, and Pb). The germination rate of tomato seeds was improved in the low-rate CT treatment. Greenhouse tomato plants exhibited an increase in leaf’s K, Ca, and Mg contents in CT1 and CT2 treatments. More importantly, the CT treatment-induced accumulation of heavy metals in plants was mostly insignificant in both CT treatments. Therefore, we highlight the potential application of coal tailings as a soil conditioner because of the beneficial effect of improved carbon and nutrients (N, P, K, Mg, and Ca) in tomato leaves. Further amendment of the coal tailings should focus on the adjustment of pH and the addition of other beneficial materials for the improvement of soil properties for crops in both the greenhouse and the field.