Photocatalytic anticancer profile of a IrIII photocatalyst (Ir3) with strong light absorption, high turnover frequency, and excellent biocompatibility is reported. Ir3 showed selective photo‐cytotoxicity against cisplatin‐ and sorafenib‐resistant cell lines while remaining dormant to normal cell lines in the dark. Ir3 exhibited excellent photo‐catalytic oxidation of cellular co‐enzyme, the reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), and amino acids via a single electron transfer mechanism. The photo‐induced intracellular redox imbalance and change in mitochondrial membrane potential resulted in necrosis and apoptosis of cancer cells. Importantly, Ir3 exhibited high biocompatibility and photo‐catalytic anticancer efficiency as evident from in vivo zebrafish and mouse cancer models. To the best of our knowledge, Ir3 is the first IrIII based photocatalyst with such a high biocompatibility and photocatalytic anticancer therapeutic effect.

A novel mechanism of folding-induced spin–orbit coupling enhancement is responsible for the efficient room temperature phosphorescence of a thianthrene emitter.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a common cancer occurring in males and females worldwide. Accumulating evidence continues to highlight the crucial roles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the process of tumorigenesis. However, the regulatory mechanism of lncRNAs in ESCC remains unclear. The aim of this study is to elucidate the role of lncRNA Krüppel-like factor 3 antisense RNA 1 (KLF3-AS1) in ESCC by regulating miR-185-5p and KLF3. Initially, ESCC cell spheres with stem cell-like properties were prepared by suspension culture, and subsequently characterized by assessing colony formation ability and stem cell markers. LncRNA KLF3-AS1 was found to be poorly expressed in ESCC and could upregulate the expression of KLF3 by binding to miR-185-5p. lncRNA KLF3-AS1 upregulation was observed to inhibit miR-185-5p, thereby contributing to decreased expression of SOX2 and Oct4 (octamer-binding transcription factor 4). Furthermore, enhancement of lncRNA KLF3-AS1 resulted in reduced colony formation ability, cell invasion and migration, and tumor volume in vivo while promoting cell apoptosis in ESCC through downregulation of miR-185-5p. Collectively, this study indicated that lncRNA KLF3-AS1 inhibited ESCC cell invasion and migration by impairing miR-185-5p-mediated inhibition of KLF3, highlighting a promising novel potential target for ESCC treatment.

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Screening out plants that are hyper-tolerant to certain heavy metals plays a fundamental role in remediation of mine tailing. In this study, nine dominant plant species growing on lead-zinc mine tailing and their corresponding non-mining ecotypes were investigated for their potential phytostabilization of lead. Lead concentration in roots of these plants was higher than in shoots, and the highest concentrations of lead were found in Athyrium wardii: 15542 and 10720 mg kg -1 in the early growth stage (May) and vigorous growth stage (August) respectively, which were 426 and 455 times higher than those of the non-mining ecotypes. Because of poor lead translocation ability, lead accumulation in roots reached as high as 42 mg per plant. Available lead in the rhizosphere soils of A. wardii was 310 mg kg -1 , which was 17 times higher than that of the non-rhizosphere soil. Lead concentrations of roots for the nine mining ecotypes were positively correlated with available lead in the rhizosphere soils, whereas a negative correlation was observed in the non-mining ecotypes. These results suggest that A. wardii was the most promising candidate among the tested species for lead accumulation in roots, and it could be used for phytostabilization in lead polluted soils.

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