The highly efficient capture of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood is essential for the screening, treatment, and assessment of the risk of metastasis or recurrence of cancer. Immobilizing specific antibodies, such as EpCAM antibodies, on the material's surface is currently the primary method for efficiently capturing CTCs. However, the strategies for immobilizing antibodies usually have the disadvantages of requiring multiple chemical reagents and a complex pre-treatment process. Herein we developed a simple strategy for the immobilization of EpCAM antibodies without additional chemical reagents. By utilizing the positive charge property of the photo-functionalized titanium dioxide (TiO2), the negatively charged carboxyl terminal of EpCAM antibodies was immobilized by electrostatic interaction, allowing the antibodies to expose the antigen binding site fully. The experimental results showed that the photo-functionalized TiO2 surface had a marked positive charge and super-hydrophilic properties that could immobilize large amounts of EpCAM antibodies and keep excellent activity. CTCs capture experiments in vitro showed that the EpCAM antibodies-modified photo-functionalized TiO2 could efficiently capture CTCs. The results of blood circulation experiments in rabbits showed that the EpCAM antibodies-modified photo-functionalized TiO2 could accurately capture CTCs from the whole body's blood. It was foreseen that the strategy of simple immobilization of EpCAM antibodies based on photo-functionalized TiO2 is expected to serve in the efficient capture of CTCs in the future.

Studies have shown that both NOX4 and RhoA play essential roles in fibrosis and that they regulate each other. In lung fibrosis, NOX4/ROS is located upstream of the RhoA/ROCK1 signaling pathway, and the two molecules are oppositely located in renal fibrosis. Currently, no reports have indicated whether the above mechanisms or other regulatory mechanisms exist in liver fibrosis.

Influenza is a common respiratory infectious disease. In China, Lianhua Qingwen capsule (LHQWC), a drug with significant clinical efficacy and few side effects, is commonly used to treat influenza. However, the composition of LHQWC is complicated, and currently used quality control methods cannot ensure its consistency. In this study, combined with its clinical efficacy, the targets of LHQWC were screened using network pharmacology. Then, anti-inflammation quality markers of LHQWC were screened and judged by combined chemical with biological evaluation. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) was identified as one of the main targets of the anti-inflammatory activity of LHQWC. The rate of inhibition of COX-2 by different batches of LHQWC was determined. Furthermore, seven components of LHQWC were identified. The potential quality markers were screened by spectral-effect relationship. As a result, chlorogenic acid, isochlorogenic acid B, and isochlorogenic acid C were identified and confirmed as anti-inflammatory quality markers of LHQWC. We hope that these findings provide a scientific basis for the accurate quality control of LHQWC and serve as a reference for the quality control of other drugs.