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Immunogenic, methionine copper-induced response had proven to be precedent in providing resistance against certain diseases in fish. This study allocates the fitness strategy for Oreochromis niloticus by introducing and incorporating the well-designed, stabilized, and biocompatible N-carbamoyl-methionine copper (NCM-Cu) as a Cu potent source in diet that enhances the bioavailability and fitness. The synchronized NCM-Cu complex was characterized by directing ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometry (UV-vis), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Results revealed blue columnar crystalline, NCM-Cu complex with an empirical formula as C12H30CuN4O10S2. Anonymously, the overall growth performance of the fish remained unaltered with NCM-Cu adjunct feed. NCM-Cu significantly raised the Cu accumulation in the fish muscles, liver, gill, and intestine in contrast to the basic Cu-rich feed. The serum antioxidant enzyme activity elevated up to (ceruloplasmin: 19.38 U/L) and the lowest liver malondialdehyde (MDA) content (8.81 nmol/mg prot.) and triglyceride content (0.39 nmol/g prot.) were observed in the NCM-Cu group as compared to the basic Cu and CuSO4 groups, suggesting that NCM-Cu promoted antioxidative responses and alleviated lipid peroxidation of O. niloticus. Overweening, the synthesized complex, NCM-Cu significantly regulated the expression levels of lysozyme, immunoglobulin M, complement 4, and complement 3 up to 10.93 U/mL, 0.72, 0.77, and 1.18 mg/mL in serum, respectively. Thus, such endorsed results reveal the preeminence of NCM-Cu-supplemented diet for the fitness in O. niloticus.

Dihydromyricetin (DMY) is a kind of flavone. It has a variety of physiological effects, and its content in Ampelopsis grossedentata is as high as 35%. There are two shortcomings in the traditional batch extraction process commonly used in a laboratory: long extraction time and low extraction rate. In this study, a new chelating extraction method was proposed, that is, Zn2+ was introduced into the extraction and purification process to chelate with DMY, and the yield and purity were taken as evaluation indices for a comparative study with the traditional batch extraction method. In addition, 1H NMR, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, IR, and UV were used to analyze the product structure; thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis was utilized to examine the thermal stability of DMY. The results were shown as follows. Compared with the batch extraction method, the chelation extraction method could effectively avoid the oxidation of DMY by air during the extraction and purification process, and the yield of the DMY also increased. Furthermore, this method was time-saving. Through investigating the extraction process and characterizing the structure and thermal stability of DMY, the chelating extraction method could be considered to provide a reference for commercial applications of DMY.

The present study was designed to develop multifunctional zinc oxide-encapsulated Eudragit FS30D (ZnO/EFS) nanohybrid structures as a biodegradable drug delivery system and as a promising successful carrier for targeting sites. The solvent evaporation method was used to fabricate the ZnO/EFS nanohybrids and the size, shape, stability, and antioxidant activity were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and an antioxidant (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)). Zinc oxide-encapsulated Eudragit FS30D (ZnO/EFS) nanohybrid structures consisted of irregularly shaped, 297.65 nm-sized ZnO/EFS microcapsule, enduring thermal stability from 251.17 to 385.67 °C. Nano-ZnO was encapsulated in EFS through the formation of hydrogen bonds, and the average encapsulation efficiency for nano-ZnO was determined to be 96.12%. In vitro intestinal-targeted drug release assay provided 91.86% with free nano-ZnO, only 9.5% in acidified ZnO/EFS nanohybrid structure but the rate ZnO/EFS nanohybrids reached 93.11% in succus entericus resultantly modified nano-ZnO was proven proficient intestinal-specific delivery system. The stability of the ZnO/EFS nanohybrid structures was confirmed using ζ-potential and antioxidant activity analysis. Hence, the EFS nanoencapsulation strategy of ZnO provided a stable, nontoxic, and pharmacokinetically active intestine-specific system that can become the best choice for an effective oral feed additive in future.

The silicon-aluminum-iron flocculant (PAFSi) combines the most abundant resources of waste incineration bottom ash and unpurified water, being regarded as one of the most promising approaches toward water purification. Herein, in this research, waste incineration bottom ash was employed to produce a cost-effective and highly efficient flocculant. PAFSi with a particle size of 214 nm and a zeta potential of 8.63 mV reached the optimum performance using a dosage of 2 mL/50 mL at pH from 8 to 11. The results with the copolymer exhibited the following: (1) a good flocculation efficiency over a wide pH range, (2) superior flocculation performance compared to those of polyaluminum chloride and polyferric sulfate, (3) three-dimensional branching structure of PAFSi micelles with a high aggregation degree, (4) charge neutralization and bridging as the main flocculation mechanism, and (5) recycling the floc. Thus, this work provides an attractive solution to the pressing global clean water shortage problem.