RSC Advances Blog

Looking back at 2020, we would like to share with you some of the great research that has been published in RSC Advances over the year. We are proud to present a selection of the most popular 2020 chemical biology and medicinal chemistry papers, reviews and HOT articles published so far.

We hope you enjoy reading these articles and as always, all our articles are open access – free to read and accessible to everyone.

Over the year, our reviewers and Associate Editors have handpicked articles of particular interest and marked them as HOT. We are very pleased to highlight some outstanding 2020 chemical biology and medicinal chemistry HOT articles:

Accelerating the repurposing of FDA-approved drugs against coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19)
Simona De Vita, Gianluigi Lauro, Giuseppe Bifulco et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA09010G

In their article Giuseppe Bifulco, Gianluigi Lauro and colleagues at University of Salerno, Italy, developed a new computational protocol to identify FDA-approved drugs that could be used to fight the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Focussing on three SARS-CoV-2 targets; main protease, papain-like protease and spike protein, the researchers narrowed down the number of potential ligands by carrying out a virtual screening followed by applying the Inverse Virtual Screening approach previously developed by the research group. The best ligands for each protein were further investigated with molecular dynamics simulations confirming the promising binding modes.

‘Italy was one of the countries most affected by the first outbreak this spring and we felt the responsibility, as scientists, to contribute to the research of possible cures,’ says Bifulco. ‘We hope that our data can be used by other research groups as starting point to figure out new treatments for this disease. We are very confident about the results achieved and we will keep on working on the matter.’

Read the interview with the authors about their article here.

More HOT articles

Molecular targets and anticancer activity of quinoline–chalcone hybrids: literature review
Mamdouh F. A. Mohamed and Gamal El-Din A. Abuo-Rahma, DOI: 10.1039/D0RA05594H, Review

In silico identification of SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein–ACE2 complex inhibitors from eight Tecoma species and cultivars analyzed by LC-MS
Seham S. El Hawary, Usama Ramadan Abdelmohsen et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA08997D

P-stereocontrolled synthesis of oligo(nucleoside N3′→O5′ phosphoramidothioate)s – opportunities and limitations
Ewa Radzikowska, Barbara Nawrot et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA04987E

A novel cerium(III)–isatin Schiff base complex: spectrofluorometric and DFT studies and application as a kidney biomarker for ultrasensitive detection of human creatinine
Sheta M. Sheta, El-Sayed R. H. El-Gharkawy et al., DOI: 10.1039/C9RA10133K

A simple and cost-effective approach to fabricate tunable length polymeric microneedle patches for controllable transdermal drug delivery
Yongli Chen, Xu Zhang et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA01382J

Consensus virtual screening of dark chemical matter and food chemicals uncover potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease
Marisa G. Santibáñez-Morán, José L. Medina-Franco et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA04922K

Read the full HOT article collection

Reviews

Nature as a treasure trove of potential anti-SARS-CoV drug leads: a structural/mechanistic rationale
Ahmed M. Sayed, Usama Ramadan Abdelmohsen et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA04199H

Synthesis and application of coumarin fluorescence probes
Xiao-ya Sun, Xiao-jing Wang et al., DOI: 10.1039/C9RA10290F

Benefits and applications of microwave-assisted synthesis of nitrogen containing heterocycles in medicinal chemistry
Maged Henary, Giancarlo Cravotto et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA01378A

Non-ionic small amphiphile based nanostructures for biomedical applications
Badri Parshad, Ljiljana Fruk et al. DOI: 10.1039/D0RA08092F

Papers

Facile approach to benzo[d]imidazole-pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine hybrid structures through double cyclodehydration and aromatization and their unique optical properties with blue emission
Gi Hun Bae, Ikyon Kim et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA01140A

Synthesis of phosphonoacetate analogues of the second messenger adenosine 5′-diphosphate ribose (ADPR)
Ondřej Baszczyňski, Barry V. L. Potter et al., DOI: 10.1039/C9RA09284F

Evaluation of cytotoxic potential of structurally well-characterized RNA targeted ionic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) Cu(II) & Zn(II) DACH–mefenamato drug conjugates against human cancer cell lines
Huzaifa Yasir Khan, Farukh Arjmand et al., DOI: 10.1039/C9RA07464C

Two novel ACE inhibitory peptides isolated from longan seeds: purification, inhibitory kinetics and mechanisms
Atthasith Nuchprapha, Aphichart Karnchanatat et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA00093K

Antibiofilm, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity of extracellular green-synthesized silver nanoparticles by two marine-derived actinomycete
Ahmed A. Hamed, Ahmed N. Emam et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA11021F

Enhancement of ibuprofen solubility and skin permeation by conjugation with L-valine alkyl esters
Ewa Janus, Adam Klimowicz et al. DOI: 10.1039/D0RA00100G

Extracellular electron transfer mediated by a cytocompatible redox polymer to study the crosstalk among the mammalian circadian clock, cellular metabolism, and cellular redox state
Masahito Ishikawa, Katsutoshi Hori et al., DOI: 10.1039/C9RA10023G

Development and characterization of a babassu nut oil-based moisturizing cosmetic emulsion with a high sun protection factor
Michael Jackson Ferreira da Silva, Maria Célia Costa Pires et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA00647E

Histidine-conjugated DNA as a biomolecular depot for metal ions
Soyoung Park, Hiroshi Sugiyama et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA01267J

High-throughput toxicity screening of novel azepanium and 3-methylpiperidinium ionic liquids
Angela L. Tether, Stephen A. Kelly et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA03107K

A ZnII complex of ornidazole with decreased nitro radical anions that is still highly active on Entamoeba histolytica
Promita Nandy, Saurabh Das et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA02597F

Synthesis of tricyclic carbohydrate–benzene hybrids as selective inhibitors of galectin-1 and galectin-8 N-terminal domains
Chunxia Wu, Yuanyuan Zhang et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA03144E

Submit to RSC Advances today! Check out our author guidelines for information on our article types or find out more about the advantages of publishing in a Royal Society of Chemistry journal.

Keep up to date with our latest HOT articles, Reviews, Collections & more by following us on Twitter. You can also keep informed by signing up to our E-Alerts.

Looking back at 2020, we would like to share with you some of the great research that has been published in RSC Advances over the year. We are proud to present a selection of the most popular 2020 catalysis papers, reviews and HOT articles published so far.

We hope you enjoy reading these articles and as always, all our articles are open access – free to read and accessible to everyone.

Over the year, our reviewers and Associate Editors have handpicked articles of particular interest and marked them as HOT. We are very pleased to highlight some outstanding 2020 HOT articles on catalysis:

Ultrathin sulfate-intercalated NiFe-layered double hydroxide nanosheets for efficient electrocatalytic oxygen evolution

Xiao-Xiao Jiang, Jian-Ping Lang et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA00845A

Jian-Ping Lang, Soochow University, and colleagues have introduced a facile method for the synthesis and modification of ultrathin NiFe-layered double hydroxides (LDHs). The LDH nanosheets are highly efficient electrocatalysts in the oxygen evolution reaction.

‘We have acquired a simple and promising method for synthesizing ultrathin LDHs nanosheets. In particular, we are very excited about the universality of the synthesis of different two-dimensional materials that are widely used in the field of energy storage and conversion,’ says Lang.

Read the interview with Jian-Ping Lang about his article here.

More HOT articles

Nanocellulose enriches enantiomers in asymmetric aldol reactions
Naliharifetra Jessica Ranaivoarimanana, Takuya Kitaoka et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA07412H

NaBH₄ induces a high ratio of Ni³⁺/Ni²⁺ boosting OER activity of the NiFe LDH electrocatalyst
Yaqiong Wang, Shihe Yang et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA06617F

Understanding the mechanism of the competitive adsorption in 8-methylquinoline hydrogenation over a Ru catalyst
Yuan Dong, Hansong Cheng et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA01277G

Read the full HOT article collection

Reviews

Catalytic conversion of ethane to valuable products through non-oxidative dehydrogenation and dehydroaromatization
Hikaru Saito and Yasushi Sekine, DOI: 10.1039/D0RA03365K

Cu₂O as an emerging semiconductor in photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic treatment of water contaminated with organic substances: a review
Babatunde A. Koiki and Omotayo A. Arotiba, DOI: 10.1039/D0RA06858F

Recent advancements in g-C₃N₄-based photocatalysts for photocatalytic CO₂ reduction: a mini review
Runlu Liu, Shenmin Zhu et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA05779G

Papers

One-pot multicomponent synthesis of thieno[2,3-b]indoles catalyzed by a magnetic nanoparticle-supported [Urea]₄[ZnCl₂] deep eutectic solvent
The Thai Nguyen and Phuong Hoang Tran, DOI: 10.1039/D0RA00773K

Green synthesis of CuO nanoparticles using Lantana camara flower extract and their potential catalytic activity towards the aza-Michael reaction
Rakesh Chowdhury, Md. Harunar Rashid et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA01479F

Comparison of electrocatalytic activity of Pt_1−xPd_x/C catalysts for ethanol electro-oxidation in acidic and alkaline media
Qiang Zhang, Fengxing Jiang et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA00483A

CO₂ photoreduction to CO/CH₄ over Bi₂W_0.5Mo_0.5O₆ solid solution nanotubes under visible light
Yang Wang, Mingyi Zhang et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA00672F

Production of green diesel from catalytic deoxygenation of chicken fat oil over a series binary metal oxide-supported MWCNTs
N. Aliana-Nasharuddin, Y. H. Taufiq-Yap et al. DOI: 10.1039/C9RA08409F

Sulfamic acid incorporated HKUST-1: a highly active catalyst and efficient adsorbent
Mahmoud M. Kaid, Amr Awad Ibrahim et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA01063D

Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution by co-catalyst-free TiO₂/C bulk heterostructures synthesized under mild conditions
Claudio Imparato, Antonio Aronne et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA01322F

One-pot synthesis at room temperature of epoxides and linalool derivative pyrans in monolacunary Na₇PW₁₁O₃₉-catalyzed oxidation reactions by hydrogen peroxide
Castelo B. Vilanculo, Jesus Avendano Villarreal et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA00047G

Three-dimensional NiCoP hollow spheres: an efficient electrode material for hydrogen evolution reaction and supercapacitor applications
Jiban K. Das, J. N. Behera et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA00047G

Modification of fibrous membrane for organic and pathogenic contaminants removal: from design to application
Mohammad Neaz Morshed, Vincent Nierstrasz et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA01362E

Elucidating the ionic liquid distribution in monolithic SILP hydroformylation catalysts by magnetic resonance imaging
Jakob Maximilian Marinkovic, Anders Riisager et al., DOI: 10.1039/C9RA09515B

Characterization of biocompatible pig skin collagen and application of collagen-based films for enzyme immobilization
Li He, Yaowen Liu et al., DOI: 10.1039/C9RA10794K

Synergistic effect of Ni–Ag–rutile TiO₂ ternary nanocomposite for efficient visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity
Petri M. Leukkunen, Marko Huttula et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA07078E

Proline derived guanidine catalysts forge extensive H-bonded architectures: a solution and solid state study
Zahraa S. Al-Taie, Jack A. Wilson et al., DOI: 10.1039/C9RA07508A

Enzyme immobilization inside the porous wood structure: a natural scaffold for continuous-flow biocatalysis
Christian Goldhahn, Munish Chanana et al., DOI: 10.1039/C9RA10633B

Submit to RSC Advances today! Check out our author guidelines for information on our article types or find out more about the advantages of publishing in a Royal Society of Chemistry journal.

Keep up to date with our latest HOT articles, Reviews, Collections & more by following us on Twitter. You can also keep informed by signing up to our E-Alerts.

Looking back at 2020, we would like to share with you some of the great research that has been published in RSC Advances over the year. We are proud to present a selection of the most popular 2020 biological chemistry papers, reviews and HOT articles published so far.

We hope you enjoy reading these articles and as always, all our articles are open access – free to read and accessible to everyone.

Smart capsule for non-invasive sampling and studying of the gastrointestinal microbiome
Jose Fernando Waimin, Rahim Rahimi et al. DOI: 10.1039/C9RA10986B

Source: Purdue University photo/Mark Simons

The study by Rahim Rahimi and colleagues was published in April and was covered in several news outlets. Purdue University News describes the invention: Purdue University researchers built a way to swallow a tool that acts like a colonoscopy, except that instead of looking at the colon with a camera, the technology takes samples of bacteria. The technology could also move throughout the whole GI tract, not just the colon. This tract, in addition to the colon, includes the mouth, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, small intestine and rectum. Essentially, this tool would make it possible to conduct a “gut-oscopy”. A video showing how it would work is on YouTube.

‘It’s all about being able to take samples of bacteria anywhere in the gut. That was impossible before,’ said Rahim Rahimi, a Purdue assistant professor of materials engineering.

Over the year, our reviewers and Associate Editors have handpicked articles of particular interest and marked them as HOT. We are very pleased to highlight some outstanding 2020 biological chemistry HOT articles:

Molecular crowding induces primer extension by RNA polymerase through base stacking beyond Watson–Crick rules
Shuntaro Takahashi, Naoki Sugimoto et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA06502A

In their article Shuntaro Takahashi, Naoki Sugimoto and colleagues investigated the effect of chemical environments on gene replication of the virus RNA polymerase, providing insight into not only the evolution of life but also the mechanism of mutation of the virus genome including SARS-CoV-2.

“The stability of the Watson-Crick base pair is NOT always the most stable, which can be perturbed by molecular environments. Therefore, we speculated that the replication of nucleic acids in the enzyme could also be affected by molecular environments and cause replication errors”, says Professor Sugimoto. “We were excited to find the replication rules became dependent on the stacking interactions more than Watson-Crick base pairing under molecular crowding conditions. This indicates that the replication error can be simply explained by the changes in dielectric constant.”

Their results suggest that the molecular environment could take part in the evolution of life by enhancing the replication error of genome sequences and highlight the significance of molecular environments of patients’ cells for spreading viruses.

Read the interview with the authors about their article here.

More HOT articles

Aggregation of biologically important peptides and proteins: inhibition or acceleration depending on protein and metal ion concentrations
Benjamin Gabriel Poulson, Mariusz Jaremko et al., DOI: 10.1039/C9RA09350H, Review

Lophiostomin A–D: new 3,4-dihydroisocoumarin derivatives from the endophytic fungus Lophiostoma sp. Sigrf10
Ziling Mao, Ligang Zhou et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA00538J

Read the full HOT article collection

Reviews

Nanozyme-based catalytic theranostics
Yanan Zhang, Kelong Fan et al., DOI: 10.1039/C9RA09021E

G-Protein coupled receptors: structure and function in drug discovery
Chiemela S. Odoemelam, Philippe B. Wilson et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA08003A

Antimicrobial peptides from Bombyx mori: a splendid immune defense response in silkworms
Jannatun Nesa, Octavio L. Franco et al., DOI: 10.1039/C9RA06864C

Papers

Anti-HIV drug repurposing against SARS-CoV-2
Peng Sang, Li-Quan Yang et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA01899F

Merits of photocatalytic and antimicrobial applications of gamma-irradiated Co_xNi_1−xFe₂O₄/SiO₂/TiO₂; x = 0.9 nanocomposite for pyridine removal and pathogenic bacteria/fungi disinfection: implication for wastewater treatment
Gharieb S. El-Sayyad, Mohamed Gobara et al., DOI: 10.1039/C9RA10505K

An atomic resolution description of folic acid using solid state NMR measurements
Manasi Ghosh, Krishna Kishor Dey et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA03772A

Characterization of insulin cross-seeding: the underlying mechanism reveals seeding and denaturant-induced insulin fibrillation proceeds through structurally similar intermediates
Mohsen Akbarian, Ali Akbar Moosavi-Movahedi et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA05414C

iTRAQ-based proteomic analysis reveals several key metabolic pathways associated with male sterility in Salvia miltiorrhiza
Ruihong Wang, Hongbo Guo et al. DOI: 10.1039/C9RA09240D

Natural deep eutectic solvent supported targeted solid–liquid polymer carrier for breast cancer therapy
Xianfu Sun, Mariappan Rajan et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA03790G

Lessons learned in engineering interrupted adenylation domains when attempting to create trifunctional enzymes from three independent monofunctional ones
Taylor A. Lundby, Sylvie Garneau-Tsodikova et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA05490A

An intermolecular-split G-quadruplex DNAzyme sensor for dengue virus detection
Jeunice Ida, Theam Soon Lim et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA05439A

Submit to RSC Advances today! Check out our author guidelines for information on our article types or find out more about the advantages of publishing in a Royal Society of Chemistry journal.

Keep up to date with our latest HOT articles, Reviews, Collections & more by following us on Twitter. You can also keep informed by signing up to our E-Alerts.

Looking back at 2020, we would like to share with you some of the great research that has been published in RSC Advances over the year. We are proud to present a selection of the most popular 2020 analytical chemistry papers, reviews and HOT articles published so far.

We hope you enjoy reading these articles and as always, all our articles are open access – free to read and accessible to everyone.

Confirmatory non-invasive and non-destructive differentiation between hemp and cannabis using a hand-held Raman spectrometer
Lee Sanchez, Dmitry Kurouski et al. DOI: 10.1039/C9RA08225E

In the beginning of the year, the paper by Lee Sanchez an colleagues received a lot of attention in the media, including an article in Chemistry World: “Scientists in the US have found a new use for their handheld Raman spectrometer: it can determine whether a sample should legally be classified as cannabis. In the US, hemp can contain up to 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) but above that concentration, it is considered cannabis. The device produces a chemical fingerprint that clearly indicates how much THC it contains.”

Over the year, our reviewers and Associate Editors have handpicked articles of particular interest and marked them as HOT. We are very pleased to highlight some outstanding 2020 analytical chemistry HOT articles:

New, inexpensive and simple 3D printable device for nephelometric and fluorimetric determination based on smartphone sensing
Ezequiel Vidal, Claudia E. Domini et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA02975K

The article by Ezequiel Vidal and colleagues ‘describes the creation and validation of a cheap 3D printed device that can be attached to a smartphone for making chemical determinations. This gadget represents an ideal solution for developing countries, remote places and on site determinations.’

 Read the interview with Ezequiel about his article here.

More HOT articles

A phenol phosphorescent microsensor of mesoporous molecularly imprinted polymers
Xiaodong Lv and Peng Gao, DOI: 10.1039/D0RA02834G

Real-time and in situ observation of structural evolution of giant block copolymer thin film under solvent vapor annealing by atomic force microscopy
Kaori Takano, Tomohiro Hayashi et al., DOI: 10.1039/C9RA09043F

A gradient screening approach for retired lithium-ion batteries based on X-ray computed tomography images
Aihua Ran, Guodan Wei et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA03602A

Label-free single-molecule identification of telomere G-quadruplexes with a solid-state nanopore sensor
Sen Wang, Deqiang Wang et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA05083K

Gas phase methanol synthesis with Raman spectroscopy for gas composition monitoring
Pavel Maksimov, Jero Ahola et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA04455E

Read the full HOT article collection

Reviews

Flexible potentiometric pH sensors for wearable systems
Libu Manjakkal, Saoirse Dervin and Ravinder Dahiya, DOI: 10.1039/D0RA00016G

Graphene quantum dot based materials for sensing, bio-imaging and energy storage applications: a review
Y. Ravi Kumar, S. K. Khadheer Pasha et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA03938A

Recent progress in chemosensors based on pyrazole derivatives
Alexis Tigreros and Jaime Portilla, DOI: 10.1039/D0RA02394A

Papers

Ecofriendly densitometric RP-HPTLC method for determination of rivaroxaban in nanoparticle formulations using green solvents
Prawez Alam, Faiyaz Shakeel et al., DOI: 10.1039/C9RA07825H

Coupling of digital image processing and three-way calibration to assist a paper-based sensor for determination of nitrite in food samples
Zohreh Almasvandi, Ali R. Jalalvand et al., DOI: 10.1039/C9RA10918H

Rapid, quantitative and ultra-sensitive detection of cancer biomarker by a SERRS-based lateral flow immunoassay using bovine serum albumin coated Au nanorods
Luchun Lu, Chongwen Wang et al., DOI: 10.1039/C9RA09471G

Room-temperature preparation of a chiral covalent organic framework for the selective adsorption of amino acid enantiomers
Fang Liu, Xiu-Ping Yan et al. DOI: 10.1039/D0RA02647F

A comparative study on the structural features of humic acids extracted from lignites using comprehensive spectral analyses
Yuanqin Zhang, Yi Su et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA03166F

Slowness curve surface acoustic wave transducers for optimized acoustic streaming
Richard O’Rorke, Ye Ai et al., DOI: 10.1039/C9RA10452F

Electrochemical detection of 2-nitrophenol using a heterostructure ZnO/RuO₂ nanoparticle modified glassy carbon electrode
Md. Tamez Uddin, Md. Akhtarul Islam et al., DOI: 10.1039/C9RA08669B

Di-functional luminescent sensors based on Y³⁺ doped Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ coordination polymers: fast response and visible detection of Cr³⁺, Fe³⁺ ions in aqueous solutions and acetone
Hongyan Liu, Jun Han et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA06407F

Dual enzyme-like activity of iridium nanoparticles and their applications for the detection of glucose and glutathione
Qingqing Wang, Shaoqin Liu et al., DOI: 10.1039/D0RA05342B

Microscopic investigations on the healing and softening of damaged salt by uniaxial deformation from CT, SEM and NMR: effect of fluids (brine and oil)
Jie Chen, Deyi Jiang et al., DOI: 10.1039/C9RA05866D

Submit to RSC Advances today! Check out our author guidelines for information on our article types or find out more about the advantages of publishing in a Royal Society of Chemistry journal.

Keep up to date with our latest HOT articles, Reviews, Collections & more by following us on Twitter. You can also keep informed by signing up to our E-Alerts.