New iodoplumbate hybrids with lanthanide complexes [La(DMF)₈]Pb₃I₉ (1) and [Ln(DMF)₈]Pb₅I₁₃ (Ln = Sm (2), Gd (3)) (DMF = N,N-dimethylformamide) were prepared using octakis complex cations [Ln(DMF)₈]³⁺ formed in situ as structure directing agents by volatilizing at room temperature. The polymeric 1-D [Pb₃I₉]_n ³ⁿ⁻ anion in compound 1 is constructed by PbI₆ octahedral units via face-sharing featuring a waved chain structure, while the 1-D [Pb₅I₁₃]_n ³ⁿ⁻ anion in 2 and 3 is composed of PbI₆ units via both edge-sharing and face-sharing. The compounds 1–3 show steep band gaps at 3.02, 2.61, and 2.57 eV, respectively, indicating potential semiconducting properties. They exhibit catalytic activities in the photodegradation of organic pollutants like crystal violet (CV) and methylene blue (MB). Compounds 2 and 3 are more effective than 1 in the photocatalytic degradation of CV, which are related to their intensity of the photocurrent response. The photocurrent response, cyclic voltammetry measurements and photocatalytic mechanism investigation for compound 2 show that ˙OH radical and h⁺ hole are the main reactive species in the degradation experiment of CV.

Nur77 is an orphan nuclear receptor that participates in the occurrence and development of a variety of tumors. Many agonists of Nur77 have been reported to have significant anticancer effects. Our previous studies have found that the introduction of bicyclic aromatic rings, such as naphthalyl and quinoline groups, into the N′-methylene position of indoles’ Nur77 modulators can effectively improve the anti-tumor activity of the target compounds. Following our previous studies, a series of novel 1-(2-(6-methoxynaphthalen-2-yl)-6-methylnicotinoyl)-4-substituted semicarbazide/thiosemicarbazide derivatives 9a–9w were designed and synthesized in four steps from 6-methoxy-2-acetonaphthone and N-dimethylformamide dimethylacetal. All compounds were characterized by ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR and HRMS, and their anti-tumor activity on various cancer cell lines such as A549, HepG2, HGC-27, MCF-7 and HeLa are also evaluated. From the series of compounds, 9h exhibited the most potent anti-proliferative activity against several cancer cells. Colony formation and cell cycle experiments showed that compound 9h inhibited cell growth and arrested the cell cycle. Additionally, 9h leads to the cleavage of PARP. We initially explored the mechanism of 9h-induced apoptosis and found that compound 9h can upregulate Nur77 expression and triggered Nur77 nuclear export, indicating the occurrence of Nur77-mediated apoptosis. These results suggested that 9h may be a promising anti-tumor leading compound for the further research.

The 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro) is an attractive target for the development of anti- SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) drugs. In this work, a series of oxazolidinone derivatives 3a-3v were synthesized and their inhibitory activities against SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 3CLpro were evaluated by the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based enzymatic assay. Among synthesized compounds, 3g displayed the best inhibitory activity, with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 14.47 μM. Also, docking studies implied that compound 3g was fitted into the active pocket of 3CLpro, forming a hydrogen bond with Glu166.