Lewis acids play key roles in many chemical reactions. Structural and functional (kinetic) detail in Lewis acid catalysed fructose conversion are derived herein by the combined use of conventional and dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (D-DNP) NMR. Structural information obtained with D-DNP NMR was used to identify conditions that stabilize an elusive initial intermediate and to determine its chemical structure. Carbohydrate dehydration through this intermediate had been predicted computationally. Complementary kinetic NMR assays yielded rate constants spanning three orders of magnitude for the three biggest energy barriers in the catalytic cycle.Specific targeted drug delivery and controllable release of drugs at tumor regions are two of the main challenges for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) therapy, particularly post metastasis. Herein, we present a platelet membrane-facilitated local chemo-photothermal therapy strategy, in which polypyrrole (PPy) nanoparticles act as photothermal agents and along with antitumor drug doxorubicin (DOX) are encapsulated into platelet membranes (PLT-PPy-DOX). The particles are endowed with immune evasiveness and tumor targeting abilities from platelet membranes, and are then intravenously injected into an orthotopic mouse model of HCC. As expected, the PLT-PPy-DOX nanoplatforms were abundant in the tumor tissues. Hyperthermia was generated under laser irradiation (808 nm) not only to ablate tumor cells directly but also to increase the triggered release of DOX. This combination of local chemotherapy and photothermal therapy demonstrated excellent antitumor efficiency in suppressing primary tumor growth and inhibiting tumor metastases. This localized therapy which adopts biocompatible natural cell membranes and good biodegradable organic photothermal agents may provide new insights into designing biomimetic nano-vehicles for personalized therapy of HCC.The increasing world population has led to the need to search for new protein sources, such as insects, the harvesting of which can be economical and environmentally sustainable. This study explores the biological activities (angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition, antioxidant capacity, and dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) inhibition) of Tenebrio molitor hydrolysates produced by a set of food-grade proteases, namely subtilisin, trypsin, ficin and flavourzyme, and the degree of hydrolysis (DH), ranging from 5% to 20%. Trypsin hydrolysates exhibited the highest ACE inhibitory activity at a DH of 10% (IC50 0.27 mg mL-1) in the experimental series, which was attributed to the release of short peptides containing Arg or Lys residues in the C terminus, and described as the ACE-inhibition feature. The levels of in vitro antioxidant activities were comparable to those reported for insect species. Subtilisin and trypsin hydrolysates at a DH of 10% displayed optimal DPPH scavenging and ferric reducing activities, which was attributed to the presence of 5-10-residue active peptides, as reported in the literature. Iron chelating activity was significantly favoured by increasing the DH, attaining a minimal IC50 of 0.8 mg mL-1 at a DH of 20% regardless of the enzymatic treatment. Similarly, in vitro antidiabetic activity was significantly improved by extensive hydrolysis, and, more specifically, the presence of di- and tripeptides. In this regard, the combined treatment of subtilisin-flavourzyme at a DH of 20% showed maximal DPP-IV inhibition (IC50 2.62 mg mL-1). To our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating the DPP-IV activity of Tenebrio molitor hydrolysates obtained from these commercial proteases. We conclude that Tenebrio molitor hydrolysates produced with food-grade proteases are a valuable source of active peptides that can be used as functional ingredients in food and nutraceutical preparations.The fungal pathways of melanin synthesis have so far been little considered as a source of bio-inspiration in the field of functional materials, despite the interesting properties exhibited by Ascomycetes melanins from 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene (1,8-DHN), including the ability to shield organisms from ionizing radiation. Herein, the processing techniques and characterizations of mycomelanin thin films obtained from the solid state polymerization of 1,8-DHN is reported for the first time. Overall, the results highlighted the role of synthetic mycomelanin thin films as a prototype of next generation bioinspired interfaces featuring high structural regularity and ultrasmooth morphology, high robustness against peroxidative bleaching and adhesion under water conditions, good biocompatibility and unprecedented effects in inducing the spontaneous differentiation of embryonic stem cells prevalently towards the endodermal lineages in the absence of added factors. These data open up new avenues towards the applications of this biomaterial in the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.Frequent subcutaneous insulin injection and islet transplantation are promising therapeutic options for type 1 diabetes mellitus. However, poor patient compliance, insufficient appropriate islet β cell donors and body immune rejection limit their clinical applications. The design of a platform capable of encapsulating insulin-secreting cells and achieving real-time blood glucose regulation, is a so far unmet need. Herein, inspired by the natural processes of regulating blood glucose in pancreatic islet β cells, we developed a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-dextran-maleic acid-co-3-acrylamidophenylboronic acid) (P(AAPBA-Dex-NIPAM)) hydrogel as a cell platform with glucose responsiveness and thermo-responsiveness for the therapy of diabetes. This platform showed good biocompatibility against insulin-secreting cells and presented glucose-dependent insulin release behaviour. The bioinspired P(AAPBA6-Dex-NIPAM64) hydrogel had a positive effect on real-time glycaemic regulation, as observed by intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests. PTC-028 concentration The non-fasting blood glucose of diabetic rats was restored to a normal level during the period of treatment. Additionally, the inflammatory response did not occur after administration of the platform. Collectively, we expected that the bio-mimetic platform combined with an insulin-secreting capability could be a new diabetic treatment strategy.