The inferior in vivo stability of micellar drugs has been a prime challenge for their application in targeted drug delivery. Here we report on novel galactose-decorated covalently cross-linked biodegradable micelles based on photo-cross-linkable poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(acryloyl carbonate)-b-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PEG-PAC-PCL) and galactose-conjugated PEG-PCL (Gal-PEG-PCL) copolymers for enhanced hepatoma-targeting delivery of paclitaxel (PTX). The molecular weight of PEG in Gal-PEG-PCL was higher than that in PEG-PAC-PCL, thereby fully exposing Gal ligands at the micellar surface. These micelles, either with or without loading of PTX, were readily cross-linked by UV irradiation to afford micelles with small sizes (ca. 79-94 nm) and enhanced stability. The in vitro release studies confirmed that drug release from cross-linked micelles was significantly inhibited. Interestingly, MTT assays showed that Gal-decorated PTX-loaded cross-linked micelles retained a high antitumor activity in HepG2 cells, which was much more effective than PTX-loaded cross-linked micelles without Gal ligands and comparable to Gal-decorated PTX-loaded non-cross-linked micelles. Remarkably, the preliminary in vivo antitumor efficacy studies in SMMC-7721 tumor (human hepatoma)-bearing nude mice revealed that Gal-decorated PTX-loaded cross-linked micelles inhibited the growth of the human hepatoma more effectively than PTX-loaded cross-linked micelles as well as Gal-decorated PTX-loaded non-cross-linked micelles. These results indicate that Gal-decorated cross-linked PEG-PCL micelles have great potential in liver tumor-targeted chemotherapy.

Silver(I) N-heterocyclic carbene complexes (Ag(I)-NHCs) with long N-alkyl side chains formulated as (a) ion pairs, (b) halide-bridged neutral complexes, and (c) disilver tetrahalide anion bridged tetranuclear complexes were obtained by the reaction of benzimidazolium and imidazolium halide salts with Ag 2 O. Interestingly, when excess Ag 2 O was used, Ag nanoparticles were formed along with Ag(I)-NHCs. Crystal structures of Ag(I)-NHC complexes including both long and short N-alkyl chains were determined. The diversity of the solid-state structures depended on the halide ions, chain length, carbene cores, and crystallization conditions. The Ag(I)-NHCs of long alkyl chains did not show liquid crystal properties but did so when mixed with their corresponding imidazolium salts. These organic-inorganic hybrids were good single-source precursors for silver nanomaterials.

A series of neutral N-(substituted-benzamido)-N'-phenylthioureas (substituent = p-OC(2)H(5), p-CH(3), m-CH(3), H, p-Cl, p-Br, m-Cl, and p-NO(2)) were designed as anion receptors, in which the thiourea binding site was attached to the benzamido moiety via an N-N bond. The absorption spectra of these N-benzamidothioureas in acetonitrile peaked at ca. 270 nm were found to show unprecedented red shifts by 7 373 to 14 325 cm(-1) in the presence of anions such as AcO(-), F(-), and H(2)PO(4)(-). Under the same conditions, the classic neutral thiourea receptors, N-(substituted-phenyl)-N'-phenylthioureas, showed absorption spectral shifts in most cases of less than 800 cm(-1) with one exception of 6501 cm(-1). Control experiments, effects of protic solvent, and (1)H NMR titration confirmed the formation of hydrogen-bonding complexes between the new N-benzamidothiourea receptors and anions. The binding constants with AcO(-), for example, are at 10(5)-10(7) mol(-1) L order of magnitude, which are 13 to 590 times those of the corresponding classic N-phenylthioureas in the same solvent. It was found that, whereas the absorption of the N-benzamidothiourea receptors showed essentially no dependence on the substituent, the substantially red-shifted new absorption band of the N-benzamidothiourea-anion binding complex was sensitively subject to the substituent. A linear relationship was found between the absorption energies of the N-benzamidothiourea-acetate binding complexes and the Hammett constants of the substituents with a negative slope of -0.34 eV. This led to the assignment that the substantially red-shifted absorption band was the ground-state intramolecular charge-transfer absorption with the substituent locating in the electron acceptor moiety. It was concluded that anion binding to the thiourea moiety of the N-benzamidothiourea receptors switched on their ground-state charge transfer. An anion-binding induced structural change was suggested to occur around the N-N bond in N-benzamidothioureas, which resulted in a substantially increased electron donating ability of the electron donor in the receptor molecules. As a consequence, the ground-state charge transfer takes place in the N-benzamidothiourea-anion binding complexes, leading to unprecedented red shifts in the absorption spectra and substantially enhanced anion binding affinities than those of the corresponding N-phenylthiourea receptors. N-Benzamido-N'-phenylthioureas represent a new generation of neutral thiourea-based anion receptors that show substantially improved anion binding performance important for anion sensing and recognition.

A dual fluorescent charge transfer fluoroionophore (1) with its ionophore incorporated in the electron acceptor was developed and was found to show a highly selective fluorescent response to Cu2+ with a dramatic enhancement in its CT emission.