Carrier Component Research Articles

Role of Heat Carrier Components in the Formation of Corrosion and Scale Deposits in the Pipes of Heat Supply Systems

Role of Heat Carrier Components in the Formation of Corrosion and Scale Deposits in the Pipes of Heat Supply Systems

Effect of micromechanical properties of commercial grade electrolytic copper foils on lithium-ion batteries

As the carrier and electrical conduction component of positive and negative electrode materials, current collector plays an important role in lithium-ion batteries(LIBs). With the industrial application of silicon-doped anode materials with higher gram capacity, the huge volume change of silicon-doped anode materials puts forward higher requirements for the mechanical properties of copper foils(CFs). It is of great significance to study the effect of micromechanical properties on LIBs for the application screening of CFs. In this article, the effects of micromechanical properties of conventional tensile strength(CTS), high tensile strength(HTS) and ultra-high tensile strength(UHTS) commercial grade electrolytic CFs on LIBs were studied. The tensile strength of CTS, HTS and UHTS was 316.88 MPa, 464.74 MPa and 673.43 MPa, respectively; the elongation were 6.49 %, 5.38 % and 4.47 %, respectively. The surface morphology and XRD tests show that the microstructure such as grain size and dislocation density are the key factors affecting the mechanical properties of CFs. And under the same conditions, the main factors affecting bonding strength of electrode are microstrain and residual stress of CFs rather than surface roughness. The larger the microstrain and residual stress of CFs, the worse the interface bonding strength between CFs and coating materials, and the larger the corresponding interface charge transfer impedance, which is well confirmed by DCR and EIS. The charge-discharge test results show that the mutual stress between CFs and coating materials also have a great influence. The lower elastic modulus and microscopic stress of CFs can better eliminate the expansion pressure and contraction tension of coating materials, thereby reducing the resistance and overpotential in the process of lithium-ion diffusion, and achieving higher capacity under high rate system. The retention rates of three CFs after 500 cycles at 25℃ and 45℃ were 25-CTS(92.64 %), 25-HTS(90.63 %) 25-UHTS(89.11 %), and 45-CTS(82.17 %), 45-HTS(82.14 %), 45-UHTS(80.77 %), respectively, which indicates that the difference in mechanical properties of CFs have an important influence on long-term application of LIBs. The primary cause of the variation in electrochemical performance, aside from copper foil’s conductivity, is the phase interface shift brought on by the microstress of the material; and the overpotential caused by the phase interface force cannot be ignored.

A Scheme for Generating Millimeter Wave Signals through 32-Tupling Frequency Multiplication without Filtering Using Eight Mach-Zehnder Modulators

In this paper, a filterless 32-tupling millimeter wave generation scheme based on eight MZMs is proposed. The system has an upper and lower parallel two-branch structure. The upper branch consists of two subsystems Sub-A and Sub-B in cascade, each subsystem contains four MZMs, and the MZMs are all operating at maximum transfer point (MATP). Sub-A mainly generates ±8th order optical sideband signal as the incident light signal of Sub-B. After modulation of Sub−B, the output signal is mainly ±16th order optical sideband signal containing the central optical carrier component. The optical attenuator (OATT) and optical phase shifter (OPS) of the lower branch are used to regulate the phase and amplitude of the optical carrier. The upper and lower branches are coupled, and the central optical carrier component is superimposed and cancelled so only the ±16th order optical sideband signal is retained. Finally, the 32-tupling frequency millimeter is generated by the photodiode (PD) receiver after photoelectric detection which receives and generates a 32-tupling frequency millimeter wave signal. The simulation results show that the 160 GHz millimeter wave signal can be obtained by driving the MZM with a 5 GHz RF signal, and the optical sideband suppression ratio (OSSR) and the RF sideband suppression ratio (RFSSR) are 52.6 dB and 44.75 dB, respectively. Theoretical analysis and simulation experiments are carried out for the proposed scheme which proves the feasibility of the scheme.

Comparative Evaluation of UV-Vis Spectroscopy-Based Approaches for Hemoglobin Quantification: Method Selection and Practical Insights.

The growing demand for effective alternatives to red blood cells (RBCs) has spurred significant research into hemoglobin (Hb)-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs). Accurate characterization of HBOCs-including Hb content, encapsulation efficiency, and yield-is crucial for ensuring effective oxygen delivery, economic viability, and the prevention of adverse effects caused by free Hb. However, the choice of quantification methods for HBOCs is often driven more by tradition than by a thorough assessment of available options. This study meticulously compares various UV-vis spectroscopy-based methods for Hb quantification, focusing on their efficacy in measuring Hb extracted from bovine RBCs across different concentration levels. The findings identify the sodium lauryl sulfate Hb method as the preferred choice due to its specificity, ease of use, cost-effectiveness, and safety, particularly when compared to cyanmethemoglobin-based methods. Additionally, the study discusses the suitability of these methods for HBOC characterization, emphasizing the importance of considering carrier components and potential interferences by analyzing the absorbance spectrum before selecting a method. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the selection of accurate and reliable Hb quantification methods, which are essential for rigorous HBOC characterization and advancements in medical research.

Digital cancellation of multi-band passive inter-modulation based on Wiener-Hammerstein model

Utilizing multi-band and multi-carrier techniques enhances throughput and capacity in Long-Term Evolution (LTE)-Advanced and 5G New Radio (NR) mobile networks. However, these techniques introduce Passive Inter-Modulation (PIM) interference in Frequency-Division Duplexing (FDD) systems. In this paper, a novel multi-band Wiener-Hammerstein model is presented to digitally reconstruct PIM interference signals, thereby achieving effective PIM Cancellation (PIMC) in multi-band scenarios. In the model, transmitted signals are independently processed to simulate Inter-Modulation Distortions (IMDs) and Cross-Modulation Distortions (CMDs). Furthermore, the Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filter, basis function generation, and B-spline function are applied for precise PIM product estimation and generation in multi-band scenarios. Simulations involving 4 carrier components from diverse NR frequency bands at varying transmitting powers validate the feasibility of the model for multi-band PIMC, achieving up to 19 dB in PIMC performance. Compared to other models, this approach offers superior PIMC performance, exceeding them by more than 5 dB in high transmitting power scenarios. Additionally, its lower sampling rate requirement reduces the hardware complexity associated with implementing multi-band PIMC.

Breast Cancer Prevention by Dietary Polyphenols: Microemulsion Formulation and In Vitro Studies

Concerns surrounding breast cancer have been increasing, as it leads to the current global cancer incidence and causes a high mortality rate in women. This study investigated the physiological effects of common dietary polyphenols that might prevent breast cancer progression. Quercetin, kaempferol, and rosmarinic acid were selected to explore their potential bioactivities. Each polyphenol was formulated into a microemulsion to improve its bioactivity and bioavailability. In vitro antioxidant and cytotoxicity activities of the selected polyphenols and their microemulsion forms were further investigated. The optimized microemulsion carrier with 1% oleic acid, 3% ethanol, 10% polysorbate 20, and 86% ultrapure water achieved more than 90% polyphenol encapsulation efficiency. The microemulsion was stable for more than 30 days when encapsulating polyphenol in the fluctuating temperature treatment. In vitro studies suggested that rosmarinic acid-loaded microemulsion had the best antioxidant activity compared with other polyphenol-loaded microemulsions (PL-MEs). Blank microemulsion and all PL-MEs significantly inhibited the proliferation of both hormone-dependent (T47D) and hormone-independent (MDA-MB-231) breast cancer cells. More studies are warranted to confirm the contribution of the microemulsion carrier components to the polyphenols’ improved antioxidant activity and high toxicity of PL-MEs on breast cancer cells.

A nickel-modified perovskite-supported iron oxide oxygen carrier for chemical looping dry reforming of methane for syngas production

The chemical looping dry reforming of methane (CLDRM) process, which converts methane and carbon dioxide into syngas, is an environmentally friendly greenhouse gas utilization strategy. In this work, it is demonstrated that a nickel-modified perovskite-supported iron-based oxygen carrier (Ni-Fe2O3/La0.8Sr0.2FeO3) significantly enhances the reactivity of CLDRM in the temperature range of 770–800 °C while maintaining high CO selectivity and oxygen capacity, as well as good carbon deposition resistance. With the addition of nickel, the methane conversion is 52 % higher than that without nickel at 800 °C. Rational coupling of the oxygen carrier components achieves over 99 % CO selectivity. 160 consecutive isothermal cycles confirm the outstanding stability of Ni-Fe2O3/La0.8Sr0.2FeO3. Based on the experimental results and characterizations, the evolution scheme and synergistic effects between the components of the Ni-Fe2O3/La0.8Sr0.2FeO3 oxygen carrier for CLDRM reaction are proposed. The results provide a pathway for oxygen carrier design to decrease the reforming temperature while maintaining excellent reaction performance in iron-based chemical looping systems.

Development of silibinin-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers for Alzheimer's disease induced by amyloid beta in Wistar rats.

Objective. The purpose of this study is to develop, optimize, and evaluate the in vivo effectiveness of orally administered silibinin-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (SB-NLCs) in amyloid β-induced Alzheimer's disease in Wistar rats. Methods. The emulsification-solvent evaporation method was used for preparing the NLCs, using stearic acid, triacetin, and Cremophor® RH40. The statistical optimization of SB-NLCs was done using the Box-Behnken design (BBD). Then, the following parameters were evaluated: zeta potential, average size, in vitro drug release, and drug entrapment efficiency. Physicochemical properties of the optimized SB-NLCs were determined by FTIR, DSC, and P-XRD. The behavioral (OFT, NOR, MWM), histological (H&E, Congo Red), and biochemical (TAC, MDA, GSH) tests were conducted on 48 male Wistar rats. Results. The findings showed that the mean particle size, zeta potential and entrapment efficiency of optimized SB-NLCs were 194.71 ± 14.06 nm, -12.46 ± 0.25 mV, and 72.13% ± 1.41, respectively. XRD and DSC studies confirmed a reduction in the crystallinity of SB which occurred due to its embedment in the nanostructured lipid. The FTIR results indicated the lack of existence of any chemical interaction between the carrier components and the drug. Drug release in the external environment was slow and steady. Drug-containing nanoparticles showed good stability during three months of storage at 4 °C. The behavioral test of OFT showed no significant change between groups. The group treated with SB-NLCs showed a markedly higher discrimination rate compared to the Aβ group (p < 0.001). The time of the SB-NLC treated group in the target area was considerably more than the time of the SB and Aβ groups, respectively (p < 0.01, p < 0.001), in the MWM test. Histological and biochemical analysis revealed better results in the SB-NLC group as against the SB group. Conclusion. SB-NLCs can be considered as a promising formulation for the proper treatment of Alzheimer's disease in the oral drug delivery system.

A Mesoporous Magnetic Fe3O4/BioMOF-13 with a Core/Shell Nanostructure for Targeted Delivery of Doxorubicin to Breast Cancer Cells.

In the current project, magnetic Bio-MOF-13 was used as an efficient carrier for the targeted delivery and controlled release of doxorubicin (DOX) to MDA-MB-231 cells. Magnetic Bio-MOF-13 was prepared by two strategies and compared to determine the optimal state of the structure. In the first path, Bio-MOF-13 was grown in situ on the surface of Fe3O4 nanoparticles (core/shell structure), while in the second method, the two presynthesized materials were mixed together (surface composite). Core/shell structure, among prepared nanocomposites, was chosen for biological evaluation due to its favorable structural features like a high accessible surface area and pore volume. Also, it is highly advantageous for drug release due to its ability to selectively release DOX in the acidic pH of breast cancer cells, while preventing any premature release in the neutral pH of the blood. Drug release from the carrier structure is precisely controlled not only by pH but also by an external magnetic field, guaranteeing accurate drug delivery at the intended location. Confocal microscopy and flow cytometry assay clearly confirms the increase in drug concentration in the MDA-MB-231 cell line after external magnet applying. This point, along with the low toxicity of the carrier components, makes it a suitable candidate for injectable medicine. According to MTT results, the percentage of viable MDA-MB-231 cells after treatment with 10 μL of DOX@Fe3O4/Bio-MOF-13 core/shell composite in different concentrations, in the presence and absence of magnetic field is 0.87 ± 0.25 and 2.07 ± 0.15, respectively. As a result, the DOX@Fe3O4/Bio-MOF-13 core/shell composite was performed and approved for targeted drug delivery and magnetic field-assisted controlled release of DOX to the MDA-MB-231 cell line.

Devising a colorimetric aptasensor for detection of basal stem rot-associated RNA marker during early Ganoderma boninense infection in oil palm

Basal stem rot (BSR) is a detrimental disease in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) due to the host's lack of symptoms during the early phase of infection. Early detection of BSR at non-symptomatic phase is feasible via molecular-based approaches and has become the major interest among researchers. Our previous study had identified a differentially expressed gene encoding auxin efflux carrier component 5-like (EgPIN5) at 11 day-post-inculation of Ganoderma boninense (symptomless early stage of infection) on oil palm seedlings. We further evaluated the gene expression on samples collected from an oil palm plantation at different BSR stages (symptomless, mild and severe). Our findings revealed that EgPIN5 was expressed in symptomless group but was not expressed in either mild or severe BSR groups. Next, we developed a sandwich-type aptamer-based lateral flow assay (LFA) against EgPIN5 RNA by adapting the versatile DNA-functionalized gold nanoparticles for colorimetric detection. The LFA strip demonstrated visible colorimetric signal of EgPIN5 RNA at 12.5 ng/μL with limit of detection at 2.45 ng/μL using a scanning device. Based on our consistent results, we presented EgPIN5 as a diagnostic biomarker for symptomless BSR infection in oil palm. Utilization of LFA assay strip for practical EgPIN5 RNA detection is hoped to encourage establishment of a fast, cheap, and sensitive point-of-care detection system in plant biology.

Unification of rheology of thixotropic yield stress fluids and screen printing properties of pastes

At present, the electrode width of solar cells has been successfully reduced to less than 20 µm. Ensuring its morphology and aspect ratio remains a major challenge to further reducing the electrode width, which puts higher requirements on the performance of the paste. Previous studies have focused less on selecting organic carrier components and the relationship between carrier and paste printing suitability. Therefore, in this study, considering the wettability of the solvent to the silicon wafer, the solubility to the binder and the boiling point, the selection method of the mixed solvent for the organic carrier was given. The Herschel-Buckley model was introduced to characterize the flow behavior of the organic carrier. Furthermore, the model parameters were unified with the printability of the paste and the organic carrier model parameters corresponding to the paste with good printability were contributed. The results showed that when the consistency index (K) was 21.883 and the exponent (n) was 0.1545, the aspect ratio of the electrode was the largest. When the yield stress (5.38 Pa) and thixotropic loop area (707.71 Pa s−1) were the largest, the morphology of the electrode was the most regular.

A Novel PMDI Fiber Optic Hydrophone Incorporating IOC-Based Phase Modulator

Fiber-optic hydrophone (FOH) has significant potential in many applications of hydroacoustic sensing and underwater communication. A novel path-matched differential interferometer fiber optic hydrophone (PMDI-FOH) approach incorporating an integrated-optic component (IOC) is presented in this paper. It is presented to meet the demands for high-quality dynamic measurements, which solves the problems with the conventional homodyne detection system’s low modulation frequency. The IOC functions as a phase-generated carrier (PGC) component. The scheme is investigated both in theory and experiments. The theoretical and experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. It achieves a high SNR of up to 20.29 dB demodulations. The proposed system is cost-effective and has excellent potential in building next-generation underwater sensing and communication networks.

The role of gold nanoparticles in anticancer activity

To enhance the cellular uptake and chemotherapeutic efficacy of a current chemotherapeutic medication, a nanoparticle drug carrier technology has been designed. Due to their distinctive electrical and optical characteristics, gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) have recently demonstrated intriguing medical and military uses. In the event that they come into touch with a biological system, little is known about their biocompatibility. Metallic nanoparticles have been successfully utilized for a kind of biological applications. A drug delivery system known as Au – PEG – PAMAM – DOX was produced by conjugating the dendrimer with the anti-cancer chemical doxorubicin (DOX) via an amide bond. The amount of DOX released from Au – PEG – PAMAM – DOX at a natural pH was negligible, but this amount significantly increased in an environment with a weak acidic milieu, according to studies on the release of medicines from acellular sources. A research into the intracellular release of the medication was carried out with the assistance of confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Recently conjugation to the nanosystem, In vitro viability experiments revealed an increase in the associated DOX cytotoxicity that could not be attributable to carrier components. This indicates that the effectiveness of the DOX was increased. In light of this, it has been hypothesized that the newly created pH-triggered multifunctional Au NPs- DOX nanoparticle system could pave the way for a viable platform for the intracellular delivery of a range of anticancer medicines. In the current study, the common Au NPs synthesis techniques and their well-established uses in diverse needs, particularly in biological sensing applications.

A Novel Radio on Fiber System for Frequency 32-Tupling Millimeter-Wave Generation and Transmission Using Polarization Modulators

A new radio on fiber (ROF) scheme for generation and transmission frequency 32-tupling millimeter-wave (MMW) is proposed. At the central station (CS), six PoIMs are used to construct the ±16 order sidebands generator which can generate ±16 order sidebands. The sideband of +16th order is separate out by an optical interleaver from the output of ±16 order sidebands generator first, then the data of down-link signal is modulated on it. At the base station (BS), a portion sideband of −16th order from the down-link optical signal is separted out with a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) first, then the up-link data is modulated on it for carrier reuse. The remaining ±16th order sidebands from the FBG are beat in a photodetector (PD), then the frequency 32-tupling MMW signal with the down-link data is generated. The key part of this system is the ±16th order sideband generator, in which the ±16th order sidebands with the carrier component can be generated by adjusting the amplitudes and initial phases of the radio frequency (RF) signals loaded on the PoIMs, and the carrier can be cancelled by two 1×2 optical coupler with adjustable splitting ratio and 180° optical phase shifter (OPS). The principle of operation to generate frequency 32-tupling is theoretically analyzed and verified by simulation experiments. The optic sideband suppression ratio (OSSR) of the generated sidebands of ±16th order from the theoretical derivation and experiments are 29.974 dB and 29.793 dB, respectively, the RF spurious suppression ratio (RFSSR) of the obtained frequency 32-tupling MMW from theoretical derivation and experiment are 23.960 dB and 23.814 dB, respectively, which verifies the feasibility of our method. The transmission experiments are carried out. For 30 km fiber with 2.5 Gbps data rate, the Q value and power penalty for up-link and down-link are greater than 6 and less than 0.4 dB, respectively.

Metabolic Profiling of Endophytic Bacteria in Relation to Their Potential Application as Components of Multi-Task Biopreparations

Agricultural crops are exposed to various abiotic and biotic stresses that can constrain crop productivity. Focusing on a limited subset of key groups of organisms has the potential to facilitate the monitoring of the functions of human-managed ecosystems. Endophytic bacteria can enhance plant stress resistance and can help plants to cope with the negative impacts of stress factors through the induction of different mechanisms, influencing plant biochemistry and physiology. In this study, we characterise endophytic bacteria isolated from different plants based on their metabolic activity and ability to synthesise 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase (ACCD), the activity of hydrolytic exoenzymes, the total phenolic compounds (TPC) and iron-complexing compounds (ICC). Test GEN III MicroPlate indicated that the evaluated endophytes are highly metabolically active, and the best used substrates were amino acids, which may be important in selecting potential carrier components for bacteria in biopreparations. The ACCD activity of strain ES2 (Stenotrophomonas maltophilia) was the highest, whereas that of strain ZR5 (Delftia acidovorans) was the lowest. Overall, the obtained results indicated that ∼91.3% of the isolates were capable of producing at least one of the four hydrolytic enzymes. In addition, most of the tested strains produced ICC and TPC, which play a significant role in reducing stress in plants. The results of this study suggest that the tested endophytic bacterial strains can potentially be used to mitigate climate change-associated stresses in plants and to inhibit plant pathogens.Graphical

A Genetic Algorithm Based Scheduling Method With Carrier Aggregation In 5G Networks

Abstract Recently, 5G has become an important mechanism to serve a growing amount of users in the network, which provides enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) services. Meanwhile, Carrier Aggregation (CA) is a promising 5G technology which lets users aggregate fragmented carrier components (CCs) to enhance transmission efficiency. This paper addresses 5G scheduling problem in the CA-enabled eMBB–URLLC coexistence network using genetic algorithm (GA). The key idea is first treating the serving time slot of each user equipment (UE) as a gene and combining all genes to form a chromosome, then generating a set of chromosomes as the initial population and letting the population evolve to iteratively select the fittest one as the resource scheduling decision. Up to now, this is the first work using GA for solving the scheduling problem in the CA-enabled 5G network. Simulation results show that our proposed method can serve the most UEs ($4\%$) with the highest throughput ($7.1\%$) and lower delay.

Extraction of precious metals by synergetic smelting of spent automotive catalysts and waste printed circuit boards

Spent automotive catalysts (SACs) and waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) are the most important secondary resource containing precious metals (PMs). A resource-saving process of extracting PMs from SACs and WPCBs by synergistic smelting of these two wastes was proposed. The main feature of the process was to use metal components in WPCBs as the collector metal of PMs and use carrier components in SACs as the slag formative. A SiO2-FeO-Al2O3-MgO-CaO slag system was first designed for the synergistic smelting by analyzing phase diagrams and liquid phase formation. On this basis, the laboratory -scale synergistic smelting experiments of these two wastes were carried out. Under the optimal conditions of 1350 °C, FeO/SiO2 mass ratio = 1.0, WPCBs/SACs mass ratio = 0.25, 5 wt% CaO content in the slag, and 3 h smelting time, the extraction efficiencies of Pd, Rh, Ag and Au were 90.5%, 93.2%, 98.9% and 94.5%, respectively. In the collected crude Cu ingot after synergistic smelting, PMs were mainly concentrated in the Cu-Sn phase. Also, a potential industrial system for the synergistic-smelting process based on a top-blown injection smelting furnace was proposed. The novel process will provide an effective way for extracting PMs from secondary resources.

Variations in the physicochemical properties of spent honeycomb V2O5-WO3/TiO2 catalysts from PC and CFB boilers SCR denitration systems

The massive production of spent honeycomb V2O5-WO3/TiO2 catalysts has caused serious environmental hazards. Revealing the physicochemical property variations of the spent catalysts is of great significance to clarify the deactivation mechanism of catalysts and the recovery of the spent catalysts. This study focused on the changes of typically spent catalysts, selected from pulverized coal (PC) and circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler deNOx systems, morphologies, pore structure, chemical composition, carrier, and active components properties, etc. The activities of most spent catalysts could be to more than 95% at 300–400 °C after vibration cleaning. The pore blockage caused by fly ash and sulfur deposition is the major deactivation factor of the catalysts from the two furnace systems. The catalysts from CFB furnaces are more easily deactivated, which is owing to they are more prone to occur severe pore structure loss. The transformation of anatase to rutile TiO2 as one of the major factors causing the pore structure loss would form the irreversible deactivation of the catalysts. The valence state of the active component V has shifted. The spent catalysts from PC systems typically exhibit higher V4+/Vn+ ratios. However, those from CFB systems display a noticeable decrease, which may be attributed to the formation of CaWO4, resulting in the destruction of dispersed active sites on the surface. Finally, the deactivation mechanism of the spent catalysts from different furnaces of coal-fired power plants was summarized. This research is beneficial for further modification of SCR catalysts under different application conditions and provides valuable insights into the classification and recycling of the spent catalysts.

The Role of Gold Nanoparticles/Au-PEG-PAMAM as Drug Delivery System for Treatment of Breast Cancer

To enhance the cellular uptake and chemotherapeutic efficacy of a current chemotherapeutic medication, a nanoparticle drug carrier technology has been designed. Due to their distinctive electrical and optical characteristics, gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) have recently demonstrated intriguing medical and military uses. In the event that they come into touch with a biological system, little is known about their biocompatibility. Metallic nanoparticles have been successfully utilized for a kind of biological applications. A drug delivery system known as Au – PEG – PAMAM – DOX was produced by conjugating the dendrimer with the anti-cancer chemical doxorubicin (DOX) via an amide bond. The amount of DOX released from Au – PEG – PAMAM – DOX at a natural pH was negligible, but this amount significantly increased in an environment with a weak acidic milieu, according to studies on the release of medicines from acellular sources. A research into the intracellular release of the medication was carried out with the assistance of confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Recently conjugation to the nanosystem, in vitro viability experiments revealed an increase in the associated DOX cytotoxicity that could not be attributable to carrier components. This indicates that the effectiveness of the DOX was increased. In light of this, it has been hypothesized that the newly created pH-triggered multifunctional Au NPs- DOX nanoparticle system could pave the way for a viable platform for the intracellular delivery of a range of anticancer medicines. In the current study, the common Au NPs synthesis techniques and their well-established uses in diverse needs, particularly in biological sensing applications.

A rapid intracellular enrichment of alkylating payload is essential for melphalan flufenamide potency and mechanism of action

Despite decades of development of treatments and the successful application of targeted therapies for multiple myeloma, clinical challenges remain for patients with relapsed/refractory disease. A drug designed for efficient delivery of an alkylating payload into tumor cells that yields a favorable therapeutic window can be an attractive choice.Herein we describe melphalan flufenamide (melflufen), a drug with a peptide carrier component conjugated to an alkylating payload, and its cellular metabolism. We further underline the fundamental role of enzymatic hydrolysis in the rapid and robust accumulation of alkylating metabolites in cancer cells and their importance for downstream effects. The formed alkylating metabolites were shown to cause DNA damage, both on purified DNA and on chromatin in cells, with both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA affected in the latter. Furthermore, the rapid intracellular enrichment of alkylating metabolites is shown to be essential for the rapid kinetics of the downstream intracellular effects such as DNA damage signaling and induction of apoptosis. To evaluate the importance of enzymatic hydrolysis for melflufen's efficacy, all four stereoisomers of the compound were studied in a systematic approach and shown to have a different pattern of metabolism. In comparison with melflufen, stereoisomers lacking intracellular accumulation of alkylating payloads showed cytotoxic activity only at significantly higher concentration, slower DNA damage kinetics, and different mechanisms of action to reach cellular apoptosis.