We reported an erythrocyte membrane-coated nanogel (RBC-nanogel) system with combinatorial antivirulence and responsive antibiotic delivery for the treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. RBC membrane was coated onto the nanogel via a membrane vesicle templated in situ gelation process, whereas the redox-responsiveness was achieved by using a disulfide bond-based crosslinker. We demonstrated that the RBC-nanogels effectively neutralized MRSA-associated toxins in extracellular environment and the toxin neutralization in turn promoted bacterial uptake by macrophages. In intracellular reducing environment, the RBC-nanogels showed an accelerated drug release profile, which resulted in more effective bacterial inhibition. When added to the macrophages infected with intracellular MRSA bacteria, the RBC-nanogels significantly inhibited bacterial growth compared to free antibiotics and non-responsive nanogel counterparts. These results indicate the great potential of the RBC-nanogel system as a new and effective antimicrobial agent against MRSA infection.
Photoelectrocatalytic
(PEC) glycerol oxidation offers a sustainable
approach to produce dihydroxyacetone (DHA) as a valuable chemical,
which can find use in cosmetic, pharmaceutical industries, etc. However,
it still suffers from the low selectivity (≤60%) that substantially
limits the application. Here, we report the PEC oxidation of glycerol
to DHA with a selectivity of 75.4% over a heterogeneous photoanode
of Bi2O3 nanoparticles on TiO2 nanorod
arrays (Bi2O3/TiO2). The selectivity
of DHA can be maintained at ∼65% under a relatively high conversion
of glycerol (∼50%). The existing p–n junction between
Bi2O3 and TiO2 promotes charge transfer
and thus guarantees high photocurrent density. Experimental combined
with theoretical studies reveal that Bi2O3 prefers
to interact with the middle hydroxyl of glycerol that facilitates
the selective oxidation of glycerol to DHA. Comprehensive reaction
mechanism studies suggest that the reaction follows two parallel pathways,
including electrophilic OH* (major) and lattice oxygen (minor) oxidations.
Finally, we designed a self-powered PEC system, achieving a DHA productivity
of 1.04 mg cm–2 h–1 with >70%
selectivity and a H2 productivity of 0.32 mL cm–2 h–1. This work may shed light on the potential
of PEC strategy for biomass valorization toward value-added products
via PEC anode surface engineering.
Photoelectrochemical cells are emerging as powerful tools for organic synthesis. However, they have rarely been explored for C–H halogenation to produce organic halides of industrial and medicinal importance. Here we report a photoelectrocatalytic strategy for C–H halogenation using an oxygen-vacancy-rich TiO2 photoanode with NaX (X=Cl−, Br−, I−). Under illumination, the photogenerated holes in TiO2 oxidize the halide ions to corresponding radicals or X2, which then react with the substrates to yield organic halides. The PEC C–H halogenation strategy exhibits broad substrate scope, including arenes, heteroarenes, nonpolar cycloalkanes, and aliphatic hydrocarbons. Experimental and theoretical data reveal that the oxygen vacancy on TiO2 facilitates the photo-induced carriers separation efficiency and more importantly, promotes halide ions adsorption with intermediary strength and hence increases the activity. Moreover, we designed a self-powered PEC system and directly utilised seawater as both the electrolyte and chloride ions source, attaining chlorocyclohexane productivity of 412 µmol h−1 coupled with H2 productivity of 9.2 mL h−1, thus achieving a promising way to use solar for upcycling halogen in ocean resource into valuable organic halides.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.