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Zerbato E, Farris R, Fronzoni G, Neyman KM, Stener M, Bruix A. Effects of Oxygen Adsorption on the Optical Properties of Ag Nanoparticles. J Phys Chem A 2023; 127:10412-10424. [PMID: 38039331 PMCID: PMC10726366 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.3c05801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
Plasmonic metal nanoparticles are efficient light harvesters with a myriad of sensing- and energy-related applications. For such applications, the optical properties of nanoparticles of metals such as Cu, Ag, and Au can be tuned by controlling the composition, particle size, and shape, but less is known about the effects of oxidation on the plasmon resonances. In this work, we elucidate the effects of O adsorption on the optical properties of Ag particles by evaluating the thermodynamic properties of O-decorated Ag particles with calculations based on the density functional theory and subsequently computing the photoabsorption spectra with a computationally efficient time-dependent density functional theory approach. We identify stable Ag nanoparticle structures with oxidized edges and a quenching of the plasmonic character of the metal particles upon oxidation and trace back this effect to the sp orbitals (or bands) of Ag particles being involved both in the plasmonic excitation and in the hybridization to form bonds with the adsorbed O atoms. Our work has important implications for the understanding and application of plasmonic metal nanoparticles and plasmon-mediated processes under oxidizing environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Zerbato
- Dipartimento
di Scienze Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, Università
di Trieste, Via L. Giorgieri 1, Trieste 34127, Italy
| | - Riccardo Farris
- Departament
de Ciència del Materials i Química Física &
Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Giovanna Fronzoni
- Dipartimento
di Scienze Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, Università
di Trieste, Via L. Giorgieri 1, Trieste 34127, Italy
| | - Konstantin M. Neyman
- Departament
de Ciència del Materials i Química Física &
Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain
- ICREA
(Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats), Barcelona 08010, Spain
| | - Mauro Stener
- Dipartimento
di Scienze Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, Università
di Trieste, Via L. Giorgieri 1, Trieste 34127, Italy
| | - Albert Bruix
- Departament
de Ciència del Materials i Química Física &
Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain
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Mattoso S, Brumas V, Evangelisti S, Fronzoni G, Leininger T, Stener M. Electronic Structure of Pentagonal Carbon Nanocones: An ab Initio Study. J Phys Chem A 2023; 127:9723-9732. [PMID: 37939011 PMCID: PMC10683015 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.3c05062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
In this work, we investigate the electronic structure of a particular class of carbon nanocones having a pentagonal tip and C5v symmetry. The ground-state nature of the wave function for these structures can be predicted by the recently proposed generalized Hückel rule that extends the original Hückel rule for annulenes to this class of carbon nanocones. In particular, the structures here considered can be classified as closed-shell or anionic/cationic closed-shells, depending on the geometric characteristics of the cone. The goal of this work is to assess the relationship between the electronic configuration of these carbon nanocones and their ability to gain or lose an electron as well as their adsorption capability. For this, the geometry of these structures in the neutral or ionic forms, as well as systems containing either one lithium or fluorine atom, was optimized at the DFT/B3LYP level. It was found that the electron affinity, ionization potential, and the Li or F adsorption energy present an intimate connection to the ground-state wave function character predicted by the generalized Hückel rule. In fact, a peculiar oscillatory energy behavior was discovered, in which the electron affinity, ionization energy, and adsorption energies oscillate with an increase in the nanocone size. The reasoning behind this is that if the anion is closed-shell, then the neutral nanocone will turn out to be a good electron acceptor, increasing the electron affinity and lithium adsorption energy. On the other hand, in the case of a closed-shell cation, this means that the neutral nanocone will easily lose an electron, leading to a smaller ionization potential and higher fluorine adsorption energy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel
Henrique Mattoso
- Dipartimento
di Scienze Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, University
of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Véronique Brumas
- Laboratoire
de Chimie et Physique Quantiques - FeRMI, Université de Toulouse 3 (Paul Sabatier) et CNRS, 118, Route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse, Cedex, France
| | - Stefano Evangelisti
- Laboratoire
de Chimie et Physique Quantiques - FeRMI, Université de Toulouse 3 (Paul Sabatier) et CNRS, 118, Route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse, Cedex, France
| | - Giovanna Fronzoni
- Dipartimento
di Scienze Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, University
of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Thierry Leininger
- Laboratoire
de Chimie et Physique Quantiques - FeRMI, Université de Toulouse 3 (Paul Sabatier) et CNRS, 118, Route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse, Cedex, France
| | - Mauro Stener
- Dipartimento
di Scienze Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, University
of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
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Bortul M, Giudici F, Tierno D, Generali D, Scomersi S, Grassi G, Bottin C, Cappelletti MR, Zanconati F, Scaggiante B. A Case-Control Study by ddPCR of ALU 260/111 and LINE-1 266/97 Copy Number Ratio in Circulating Cell-Free DNA in Plasma Revealed LINE-1 266/97 as a Potential Biomarker for Early Breast Cancer Detection. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24108520. [PMID: 37239866 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24108520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In Western countries, breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women. Early detection has a positive impact on survival, quality of life, and public health costs. Mammography screening programs have increased early detection rates, but new approaches to more personalized surveillance could further improve diagnosis. Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in blood could provide a potential tool for early diagnosis by analyzing cfDNA quantity, circulating tumor DNA mutations, or cfDNA integrity (cfDI). METHODS Plasma was obtained from the blood of 106 breast cancer patients (cases) and 103 healthy women (controls). Digital droplet PCR was used for the determination of ALU 260/111 bp and LINE-1 266/97 bp copy number ratio and cfDI. cfDNA abundance was calculated using copies of the EEF1A2 gene. The accuracy of biomarker discrimination was analyzed with receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Sensitivity analyses were performed to account for age as a potential confounder. RESULTS Cases had significantly lower ALU 260/111 or LINE-1 266/97 copy number ratios (median; ALU 260/111 = 0.08, LINE-1 266/97 = 0.20), compared with control (median; ALU 260/111 = 0.10, LINE-1 266/97 = 0.28) (p < 0.001). ROC analysis showed that copy number ratio discriminated cases from controls (area under the curve, AUC = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.62-0.76 for ALU and 0.80, 95% CI: 0.73-0.86 for LINE-1). ROC from cfDI confirmed the better diagnostic performance of LINE-1 compared with ALU. CONCLUSIONS Analysis of LINE-1 266/97 copy number ratio or cfDI by ddPCR appears to be a useful noninvasive test that could aid in early BC detection. Further studies in a large cohort are needed to validate the biomarker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Bortul
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, 34149 Trieste, Italy
- Breast Unit, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Integrata Giuliano Isontina (ASUGI), 34149 Trieste, Italy
| | - Fabiola Giudici
- Cancer Epidemiologic Unit, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO), Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), 33081 Aviano, Italy
| | - Domenico Tierno
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Daniele Generali
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, 34149 Trieste, Italy
- Breast Cancer Unit and Translational Research Unit, Azienda Socio-Sanitaria Territoriale di Cremona-ASST, 26100 Cremona, Italy
| | - Serena Scomersi
- Breast Unit, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Integrata Giuliano Isontina (ASUGI), 34149 Trieste, Italy
| | - Gabriele Grassi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Cristina Bottin
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, 34149 Trieste, Italy
| | - Maria Rosa Cappelletti
- Breast Cancer Unit and Translational Research Unit, Azienda Socio-Sanitaria Territoriale di Cremona-ASST, 26100 Cremona, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Zanconati
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, 34149 Trieste, Italy
- Breast Unit, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Integrata Giuliano Isontina (ASUGI), 34149 Trieste, Italy
| | - Bruna Scaggiante
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
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Monti M, Brancolini G, Coccia E, Toffoli D, Fortunelli A, Corni S, Aschi M, Stener M. The Conformational Dynamics of the Ligands Determines the Electronic Circular Dichroism of the Chiral Au 38(SC 2H 4Ph) 24 Cluster. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:1941-1948. [PMID: 36787099 PMCID: PMC9940292 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c03923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Effects of the conformational dynamics of 2-PET protective ligands on the electronic circular dichroism (ECD) of the chiral Au38(SC2H4Ph)24 cluster are investigated. We adopt a computational protocol in which ECD spectra are calculated via the first principle polTDDFT approach on a series of conformations extracted from MD simulations by using Essential Dynamics (ED) analysis, and then properly weighted to predict the final spectrum. We find that the experimental spectral features are well reproduced, whereas significant discrepancies arise when the spectrum is calculated using the experimental X-ray structure. This result unambiguously demonstrates the need to account for the conformational effects in the ECD modeling of chiral nanoclusters. The present procedure proved to be able of capturing the essential conformational features of the dynamic Au38(SC2H4Ph)24 system, opening the possibility to model the ECD of soluble chiral nanoclusters in a realistic way.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Monti
- Dipartimento
di Scienze Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, Università
di Trieste, Via L. Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - G. Brancolini
- Istituto
Nanoscienze, CNR-NANO, Center S3, Via G. Campi 213/A, 41100 Modena, Italy
| | - E. Coccia
- Dipartimento
di Scienze Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, Università
di Trieste, Via L. Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - D. Toffoli
- Dipartimento
di Scienze Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, Università
di Trieste, Via L. Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - A. Fortunelli
- CNR-ICCOM, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - S. Corni
- Istituto
Nanoscienze, CNR-NANO, Center S3, Via G. Campi 213/A, 41100 Modena, Italy
- Dipartimento
di Scienze Chimiche, Università di
Padova, Via Francesco Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - M. Aschi
- Dipartimento
di Scienze Fisiche e Chimiche, Università
dell’Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100, l’Aquila, Italy
| | - M. Stener
- Dipartimento
di Scienze Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, Università
di Trieste, Via L. Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
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Liscic RM, Alberici A, Cairns NJ, Romano M, Buratti E. From basic research to the clinic: innovative therapies for ALS and FTD in the pipeline. Mol Neurodegener 2020; 15:31. [PMID: 32487123 PMCID: PMC7268618 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-020-00373-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) are neurodegenerative disorders, related by deterioration of motor and cognitive functions and short survival. Aside from cases with an inherited pathogenic mutation, the causes of the disorders are still largely unknown and no effective treatment currently exists. It has been shown that FTD may coexist with ALS and this overlap occurs at clinical, genetic, and molecular levels. In this work, we review the main pathological aspects of these complex diseases and discuss how the integration of the novel pathogenic molecular insights and the analysis of molecular interaction networks among all the genetic players represents a critical step to shed light on discovering novel therapeutic strategies and possibly tailoring personalized medicine approaches to specific ALS and FTD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajka Maria Liscic
- Department of Neurology, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria
- School of Medicine, University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
| | - Antonella Alberici
- Neurology Unit, Department of Neurological Sciences and Vision, ASST-Spedali Civili-University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Nigel John Cairns
- College of Medicine and Health and Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Maurizio Romano
- Department of Life Sciences, Via Valerio 28, University of Trieste, 34127, Trieste, Italy
| | - Emanuele Buratti
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Padriciano 99, 34149, Trieste, Italy.
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