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Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been considered, for many years, an important source of medicine to treat different diseases. As a type of TCM, Illicium simonsii Maxim (ISM) is used as an anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-virus. Besides, ISM is also used in the treatment of cancer. In order to evaluate the anti-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) activity, petroleum ether extract was prepared from part of the fruit of ISM. First, the compounds of the petroleum ether fraction of Illicium simonsii Maxim (PEIM) were identified using LC-MS/MS analysis. Next, the cell viability and morphological changes were evaluated by MTT assay and Hoechst staining. In addition, the effect of PEIM on the levels of inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) was determined using the ELISA kit. Furthermore, apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry, and gene expression and the regulation of signaling pathways were investigated, respectively, by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blot. Results showed that a total of 64 compounds were identified in the PEIM. Additionally, the PEIM had anti-HCC activity against HepG2 cells, in which the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was 55.03 μg·mL−1. As well, the PEIM was able to modulate the expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, while we also found that it induced HepG2 cell apoptosis through the activation of P53 mRNA and caspase-3 mRNA. Finally, the PEIM possibly downregulated the expression of TLR4, MyD88, p-NF-κBp65, TNF-α, IL-1β, INOS, IL-6, JAK2, STAT3, CyclinD1, CDK4, MDM2, and Bcl-2, and upregulated the expression of P53, P21, Bax, Cytochrome-C, Caspase-9, and Caspase-3 in HepG2 cells. These findings may confirm that the PEIM has possible anti-HCC effects. However, additional studies are required to fully understand the mechanisms of action of the PEIM and the signaling pathways involved in its effects. Moreover, the anti-HCC activity of the PEIM should be studied in vivo, and signaling pathways involved in its effects should be explored to develop the anti-HCC drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal-organic framework (MOF) crystals have promising applications in a number of different fields, but the growth of MOF crystals with controllable morphology and high uniformity remains a major challenge. By taking the advantage of the synergistic effects of water molecules in the mixed solvent and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) surfactants, this work demonstrates an approach for the preparation of NH2-MIL-88B(Fe) MOF crystals with both highly customizable size and aspect ratios and high uniformity. The effects of the concentration of water in the mixed solvent and the amount of PVP surfactants on the morphology and size of the MOF crystals were investigated. The morphology and crystalline properties were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. The data showed that through controlling the concentration of water in the solvent and the amount of the PVP surfactant, the size of the MOF crystals can be tuned rather widely, over 344–5.14 μm, while the aspect ratio of the crystals can be varied widely over 1.0–7.1. Possible mechanisms for such high tunability were discussed. As an example of potential applications, the complex permeability and permittivity of MOF-derived composites (25 wt%) were measured over a wide frequency range of 2–18 GHz. The parameters were then used to evaluate the potential for electromagnetic wave absorption. The results indicate that the composite with a thickness of only 1.2 mm exhibits a "− 10 dB" absorption bandwidth of 4.1 GHz and a minimum reflection of − 20 dB. Such bandwidth and reflection properties provide inspiration for future design of lightweight, broadband electromagnetic wave absorbers from the perspective of fine morphology control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by the excellent catalytic activity of Au@Pt bimetallic nanorods, we construct a H2O2-free electrochemical peptide biosensor based on Au@Pt bimetallic nanorods for highly efficient and sensitive sensing of MMP-2 for the first time, not only simplifying the traditional testing steps but also avoiding the potential damage caused by H2O2 to peptides and proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by the excellent catalytic activity of Au@Pt bimetallic nanorods, we construct a H 2 O 2 -free electrochemical peptide biosensor based on Au@Pt bimetallic nanorods for highly efficient and sensitive sensing of MMP-2 for the first time, not only simplifying the traditional testing steps but also avoiding the potential damage caused by H 2 O 2 to peptides and proteins.