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Nanopesticides have been proved to be a powerful and promising tool to solve the issues in agriculture. The purpose of the present study was to develop ecofriendly nanopesticide systems by the strategy of comprehensive utilization of two natural biomass resources (bagasse and turpentine oil) because of their incomparable advantages.In this research, a series of nanocellulose carriers ETOCN-1-ETOCN-4 (ETOCN, esterified TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers) with different degrees of substitution were prepared and characterized by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Then, 21 1,3,4-thiadiazole-amide compounds 8a-8u containing gem-dimethylcyclopropane ring were designed, synthesized and characterized. A preliminary bioassay indicated that compound 8i (R = p-Br Ph) exhibited broad-spectrum antifungal activity against the tested fungi. Furthermore, drug-loading complexes 8i/ETOCN-1-8i/ETOCN-4 were fabricated by integration of nanocellulose-based carriers ETOCN-1-ETOCN-4 with bioactive compound 8i, and the drug-loading capacities, microstructures and sustained-releasing performance of these complexes were also investigated. According to the observation of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of complex 8i/ETOCN-2, the small-molecule drug and the carrier formed a well-distributed and compact complex, which led to the excellent drug-loading capacity and sustained-releasing performance in the ethanol/water (1:1, v/v) system.Complexes 8i/ETOCN-1-8i/ETOCN-4 deserved further study as the promising candidates for the development of nanopesticides. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

BACKGROUND During the storage and processing of Lilium bulbs, the phenomenon of violet-red colour change in Lilium bulbs which is different from enzymatic browning often exists, but the specific mechanism is not clear. RESULTS In this study, we chose six-year-old Lilium davidii var. unicolor to study. Bulb scales which were sealed in polyethylene film plastic bags were exposed to room temperature (20 ± 2 °C) treatment for 5 days (12 h of sunshine and 12 h of sun shading). Metabolomics and transcript omics were conducted to elucidate the mechanism of violet-red color change in Lilium bulbs. The results showed that the color of Lilium bulb scales was obvious violet-red in 5 days; chromaticity value measuring showed the a values had the most significant upward trend. Metabolomics analysis showed many metabolites produced from the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway showed an upward trend. Transcriptome revealed that flavonoid biosynthesis pathway was significantly enriched, of which 20 synthesis genes were highly regulated expression. Metabolome and transcriptome co-analysis that up-regulated expression of flavonoids synthesis genes including ten chalcone synthase, two anthocyanidin reductase, and chalcone isomerase, 3'-hydroxylase, 3-hydroxylase, dihydroflavonol 4-reductase, anthocyanin synthase, anthocyanidin 3-O-glucosyltransferase and flavonol synthase were highly positive correlated with epicatechin, rutin and cyanidin 3-rutinoside. CONCLUSION Phenotypic, metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis indicated that the up-related expression levels of genes and accumulated flavonoids related to flavonoid metabolism contributed greatly to the violet-red colour change in Lilium bulbs. The results of this study will deepen our understanding of the color formation of violet-red Lilium bulbs and provide the basis for future storage and preservation of Lilium bulbs. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the malignant tumors with the worst prognosis, and the 5-year survival rate of this disease is less than 1%. About 90% of pancreatic cancer is pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and targeting therapy has become a promising treatment for PDAC in recent years. To improve the survival rate, novel therapeutic targets for PDAC are still urgently needed. KIF18B was initially identified as a member of the kinesin family and involved in multiple cellular processes, such as separation of chromosomes in mitosis. Recently, it was found that KIF18B was involved in the growth and development of multiple cancers. However, the potential link between KIF18B and PDAC is still unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that KIF18B was highly expressed in human PDAC tissues, and related with the poor prognosis and clinical features, such as tumor size (*p = .013) and pTNM stage (*p = .025), of patients with PDAC. We further found that KIF18B knockdown blocked the cell proliferation of PDAC in vitro and in vivo, and the cell cycle was arrested caused by KIF18B depletion. Additionally, we also found that KIF18B bound to the promoter region of the cell division cycle associated 8 and thus activated its transcription. Taken together, this study explored the molecular mechanism underlying KIF18B promoting PDAC and provided a novel therapeutic target of this disease.

The development of biocompatible nanomaterials for smart drug delivery and bioimaging has attracted great interest in recent years in biomedical fields. Here, the interaction between the recently reported nitrogenated graphene (C2N) and a prototypical protein (villin headpiece HP35) utilizing atomistic molecular dynamics simulations is studied. The simulations reveal that HP35 can form a stable binding with the C2N monolayer. Although the C2N–HP35 attractive interactions are constantly preserved, the binding strength between C2N and the protein is mild and does not cause significant distortion in the protein's structural integrity. This intrinsic biofriendly property of native C2N is distinct from several widely studied nanomaterials, such as graphene, carbon nanotubes, and MoS2, which can induce severe protein denaturation. Interestingly, once the protein is adsorbed onto C2N surface, its transverse migration is highly restricted at the binding sites. This restriction is orchestrated by C2N's periodic porous structure with negatively charged “holes,” where the basic residues—such as lysine—can form stable interactions, thus functioning as “anchor points” in confining the protein displacement. It is suggested that the mild, immobilized protein attraction and biofriendly aspects of C2N would make it a prospective candidate in bio- and medical-related applications.