No abstract

Developing radical emission at ambient conditions is a challenging task since radical species are unstable in air. In the present work, we overcome this challenge by coassembling a series of tricarbonyl‐substituted benzene molecules with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The strong hydrogen bonds between the guest dopants and the PVA host matrix protect the free radicals of carbonyl compounds after light irradiation, leading to strong solid state free radical emission. Changing temperature and peripheral functional groups of the tricarbonyl‐substituted benzenes can influence the intensity of the radical emission. Quantum‐chemical calculations predict that such free radical fluorescence originates from anti‐Kasha D2→D0 vertical emission by the anion radicals. The photoinduced radical emission by the tricarbonyl‐substituted benzenes was successfully utilized for information encryption application.

Purpose: Colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC) poses substantial challenges for effective treatment. Currently, there is a considerable need for the development of orally bioavailable dosage forms that enable the safe and effective delivery of therapeutic drugs to local diseased lesions in the gastrointestinal tract.Experimental Design: In this study, we developed orally deliverable nanotherapeutics for the synergistic treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) and CAC. Water-insoluble curcumin (CUR) and 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN38), which served as anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic agents, respectively, were chemically engineered into hydrophilic mucoadhesive chitosan for the generation of chitosan-drug amphiphiles.Results: The resulting amphiphilic constructs formed core-shell nanostructures in aqueous solutions and were orally administered for in vivo therapeutic studies. Using a preclinical CAC mouse model, we showed that the orally delivered nanotherapeutics locally accumulated in inflamed intestinal regions and tumor tissues. Furthermore, the therapeutic synergy of the combined nanotherapeutics in CAC mice was evaluated. Compared with their individual drug forms, combined CUR and SN38 nanoparticles yielded synergistic effects to alleviate intestinal inflammation and protect mice from ulcerative colitis. Notably, the combinatorial therapy demonstrated a remarkable tumor shrinkage with only ~6% of the total tumors exceeding 4 mm in diameter, whereas ~35% of tumors were observed to exceed a diameter of 4 mm in the saline-treated CAC mice. These data suggest a new and reliable approach for improving the treatment of IBD and CAC.Conclusions: Our results showed that bioadhesive chitosan materials can be used to produce colloidal-stable nanotherapeutics that are suitable for oral delivery. Both nanotherapeutics exhibited substantial accumulation in inflamed intestinal regions and tumor tissues and showed good synergy for treating CAC, warranting further clinical translation.

Barth syndrome (BTHS) is an X-linked genetic disorder resulting from mutations in the tafazzin gene (TAZ), which encodes the transacylase that remodels the mitochondrial phospholipid cardiolipin (CL). While most BTHS patients exhibit pronounced skeletal myopathy, the mechanisms linking defective CL remodeling and skeletal myopathy have not been determined. In this study, we constructed a CRISPR-generated stable tafazzin knockout (TAZ-KO) C2C12 myoblast cell line. TAZ-KO cells exhibit mitochondrial deficits consistent with other models of BTHS, including accumulation of monolyso-CL (MLCL), decreased mitochondrial respiration, and increased mitochondrial ROS production. Additionally, tafazzin deficiency was associated with impairment of myocyte differentiation. Future studies should determine whether alterations in myogenic determination contribute to the skeletal myopathy observed in BTHS patients. The BTHS myoblast model will enable studies to elucidate mechanisms by which defective CL remodeling interferes with normal myocyte differentiation and skeletal muscle ontogenesis.