[en] The authors report on a one-pot approach for synthesizing highly fluorescent protamine-stabilized gold nanoclusters. These are shown to be a viable nanoprobe for selective and sensitive fluorometric determination of lead(II) via quenching of fluorescence via Pb(II)-Au(I) interaction. Under optimized conditions, fluorescence measured at excitation/emission peaks of 300/599 nm drops in the 80 nM–15 μM lead(II) concentration range. The detection limit is 24 nM, and relative standard deviations (for n = 11) at concentrations of 0.10, 4.0 and 15 μM are 1.6, 2.5 and 1.9%, respectively. The relative recoveries of added lead(II) in the water samples ranged from 97.9 ± 2.29% to 101.2 ± 1.83%. .

[en] The authors describe a strategy for fluorometric determination of lead(II) that is based on the suppression of the surface energy transfer that occurs between acridine orange and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). As a result, the fluorescence of the system is recovered. Under optimized conditions, the enhancement of fluorescence intensity is related to the concentration of lead(II) in the 44 nM to 4.8 μM range, with a detection limit of 13 nM. The relative standard deviations for 11 determinations at concentrations of 0.386 μM, 1.93 μM and 2.89 μM are 1.02 %, 1.06 % and 1.75 %, respectively. This result suggests that the method can potentially be used to monitor the level of lead(II) in environmental samples. (author)

[en] We report on a sensitive and selective strategy for the determination of metallothioneins (MTs). The assay is based on the suppression of the surface energy transfer that occurs between rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). If Rh6G is adsorbed onto the surface of AuNPs in water solution of pH 3.0, its fluorescence is quenched due to surface energy transfer. However, on addition of MTs to the Rh6G-AuNPs system, fluorescence is recovered owing to the formation of the MTs-AuNPs complex and the release of Rh6G into the solution. Under optimized conditions, the increase in fluorescence intensity is directly proportional to the concentration of the MTs in the range from 9.68 to 500 ng mL"−"1, with a detection limit as low as 2.9 ng mL"−"1. The possible mechanism of this assay is discussed. The method was successfully applied to the determination of MTs in (spiked) human urine. (author)

[en] Uranyl coordination polymers have caught more and more attention due to their rich topological structures and potential practical applications in nuclear waste processing and management. In this work, four novel uranyl coordination polymers have been successfully synthesized by the utilization of a semirigid ligand and uranyl nitrate under hydrothermal reactions through the introducing of different kinds of auxiliary ligands (NaCl, oxalate acid, succinic acid). Therein, the powder X-ray diffraction, Infrared spectroscopy and luminescence properties of compounds 3 and 4 are investigated. (author)

[en] Highlights: • A nanohybrid made of heterostructured nanorod Cu-In-S, chlorin e6, and hyaluronic acid (Ce6-HA-CIS) is presented. • In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated low cytotoxicity of the nanohybrid and its high affinity to cancer cells. • Integrating CIS nanorods and Ce6, nanohybrid showed a synergistic photothermal/photodynamic effect in killing cancer cells. -- Abstract: Photo-activated therapy is a non-invasive and promising medical technology for the treatment of cancers. Herein, we present Ce6-HA-CIS phototherapeutic nanohybrids composed of Cu-In-S (CIS) heterostructured nanorod (HS-rod), chlorin e6 (Ce6), and hyaluronic acid (HA) for the use in targeted photodynamic/photothermal therapy (PDT/PTT). In the Ce6-HA-CIS nanohybrids, the CIS HS-rod was investigated as a PTT agent to convert light into thermal energy, with Ce6 acting as a PDT agent to generate singlet oxygen (¹O₂). HA encapsulated the surface of the CIS HS-rod and aided the hydrophobic CIS HS-rod in achieving aqueous solubility. HA also acts as a tumor-specific targeting vector of cancer cells bearing the cluster determinant 44 receptor. Under light irradiation, the fabricated Ce6-HA-CIS nanohybrids exhibited high photothermal conversion efficiency, good photo-stability, and satisfactory photodynamic activity. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that Ce6-HA-CIS showed low cytotoxicity and synergistic photodynamic and photothermal cancer cell killing effects as compared to PTT or PDT agents alone. Therefore, these phototherapeutic nanohybrids may enhance cancer therapy in future clinical applications.