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This paper presents a composed lithium phosphate (LiPON) solid electrolyte interface (SEI) film which was coated on a lithium electrode via an electrodeposit method in a lithium–sulfur battery, and the structure of the product was characterized through infrared spectrum (IR) analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), environment scanning electron microscope (ESEM), etc. Meanwhile, the electrochemical impedance spectrum and the interface stability of the lithium electrode with the LiPON film was analyzed, while the coulomb efficiency and the cycle life of the lithium electrode with the LiPON film in the lithium–sulfur battery were also studied. It was found that this kind of film can effectively inhibit the charge from transferring at the interface between the electrode and the solution, which can produce a more stable interface impedance on the electrode, thereby improving the interface contact with the electrolyte, and effectively improve the discharge performance, cycle life, and the coulomb efficiency of the lithium–sulfur battery. This is of great significance for the further development of solid electrolyte facial mask technology for lithium–sulfur batteries.

3,4-bis(3-nitrofurazan-4-yl) furoxan (DNTF) is an explosive with excellent performance, and the use of DNTF as a high-energy component is of great significance for improving the comprehensive performance of weapons. To explore the effect of DNTF on low-melting-point molten carrier explosives, the compatibility between DNTF and other low-melting-point explosives was analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry, and mechanical sensitivity was tested. The compatibility and cohesive energy density between DNTF and other low-melting-point explosives were calculated by Materials Studio. The results showed that DNTF has good compatibility with most low-melting-point explosives, and the peak temperature change of the mixed system formed by melt-casting is not obvious. Among them, DNTF has the best compatibility with MTNP, TNT, and DNAN; moderate compatibility with DFTNAN and DNP; and the worst compatibility with DNMT. The sensitivity test results indicate that the combination of DNTF and TNT has the most significant reduction in mechanical sensitivity. DFTNAN and MTNP have better stability than DNTF and can generate strong interaction forces with DNTF. Other low-melting-point explosives mixed with DNTF have lower intermolecular forces than DNTF. The DNTF/MTNP system requires the most energy to phase change when heated compared to other mixed systems and is the least sensitive to heat. The DNTF/DNMT system has the lowest cohesive energy density and is the most sensitive to heat.

Eucommiae Cortex (EC) is frequently used alone or in combination with other active ingredients to treat a range of illnesses. An efficient technical instrument for changing cheap or plentiful organic chemicals into rare or costly counterparts is biotransformation. It combines EC with biotransformation techniques with the aim of producing some novel active ingredients, using different strains of bacteria that were introduced to biotransform EC in an aseptic environment. The high-quality strains were screened for identification after the fermentation broth was found using HPLC, and the primary unidentified chemicals were separated and purified in order to be structurally identified. Strain 1 was identified as Aspergillus niger and strain 2 as Actinomucor elegans; the main transformation product A was identified as pinoresinol (Pin) and B as dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol (DA). The biotransformation of EC utilizing Aspergillus niger and Actinomucor elegans is reported for the first time in this study’s conclusion, resulting in the production of Pin and DA.

Ammonium polyphosphate (APP), a pivotal constituent within environmentally friendly flame retardants, exhibits notable decomposition susceptibility and potentially engenders ecological peril. Consequently, monitoring the APP concentration to ensure product integrity and facilitate the efficacious management of wastewater from production processes is of great significance. A fluorescent assay was devised to swiftly discern APP utilizing 4′,6′-diamino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). With increasing APP concentrations, DAPI undergoes intercalation within its structure, emitting pronounced fluorescence. Notably, the flame retardant JLS-PNA220-A, predominantly comprising APP, was employed as the test substrate. Establishing a linear relationship between fluorescence intensity (F-F0) and JLS-PNA220-A concentration yielded the equation y = 76.08x + 463.2 (R2 = 0.9992), with a LOD determined to be 0.853 mg/L. The method was used to assess the degradation capacity of APP-degrading bacteria. Strain D-3 was isolated, and subsequent analysis of its 16S DNA sequence classified it as belonging to the Acinetobacter genus. Acinetobacter nosocomialis D-3 demonstrated superior APP degradation capabilities under pH 7 at 37 °C, with degradation rates exceeding 85% over a four-day cultivation period. It underscores the sensitivity and efficacy of the proposed method for APP detection. Furthermore, Acinetobacter nosocomialis D-3 exhibits promising potential for remediation of residual APP through environmental biodegradation processes.

The present study investigates the chemical composition variances among Pinelliae Rhizoma, a widely used Chinese herbal medicine, and its common adulterants including Typhonium flagelliforme, Arisaema erubescens, and Pinellia pedatisecta. Utilizing the non-targeted metabolomics technique of employing UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS, this research aims to comprehensively delineate the metabolic profiles of Pinelliae Rhizoma and its adulterants. Multivariate statistical methods including PCA and OPLS-DA are employed for the identification of differential metabolites. Volcano plot analysis is utilized to discern upregulated and downregulated compounds. KEGG pathway analysis is conducted to elucidate the differences in metabolic pathways associated with these compounds, and significant pathway enrichment analysis is performed. A total of 769 compounds are identified through metabolomics analysis, with alkaloids being predominant, followed by lipids and lipid molecules. Significant differential metabolites were screened out based on VIP > 1 and p-value < 0.05 criteria, followed by KEGG enrichment analysis of these differential metabolites. Differential metabolites between Pinelliae Rhizoma and Typhonium flagelliforme, as well as between Pinelliae Rhizoma and Pinellia pedatisecta, are significantly enriched in the biosynthesis of amino acids and protein digestion and absorption pathways. Differential metabolites between Pinelliae Rhizoma and Arisaema erubescens are mainly enriched in tyrosine metabolism and phenylalanine metabolism pathways. These findings aim to provide valuable data support and theoretical references for further research on the pharmacological substances, resource development and utilization, and quality control of Pinelliae Rhizoma.

Phytophthora capsici is an important plant pathogenic oomycete that causes great losses to vegetable production around the world. Antofine is an important alkaloid isolated from Cynanchum komarovii Al. Iljinski and exhibits significant antifungal activity. In this study, the effect of antofine on the mycelial growth, morphology, and physiological characteristics of P. capsici was investigated using colorimetry. Meanwhile, the activity of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes of P. capsici was evaluated following treatment with a 30% effective concentration (EC30), as well as EC50 and EC70, of antofine for 0, 12, 24, and 48 h. The results showed that antofine had a significant inhibitory effect against P. capsici, with an EC50 of 5.0795 μg/mL. After treatment with antofine at EC50 and EC70, the mycelia were rough, less full, and had obvious depression; they had an irregular protrusion structure; and they had serious wrinkles. In P. capsici, oxalic acid and exopolysaccharide contents decreased significantly, while cell membrane permeability and glycerol content increased when treated with antofine. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) entered a burst state in P. capsici after incubation with antofine for 3 h, and fluorescence intensity was 2.43 times higher than that of the control. The activities of the mitochondrial respiratory chain complex II, III, I + III, II + III, V, and citrate synthase in P. capsici were significantly inhibited following treatment with antofine (EC50 and EC70) for 48 h compared to the control. This study revealed that antofine is likely to affect the pathways related to the energy metabolism of P. capsici and thus affect the activity of respiratory chain complexes. These results increase our understanding of the action mechanism of antofine against P. capsici.

Carbon nitride (C3N4) has gained considerable attention and has been regarded as an ideal candidate for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. However, its photocatalytic efficiency is still unsatisfactory due to the rapid recombination rate of photo-generated carriers and restricted surface area with few active sites. Herein, we successfully synthesized a single-atom Pt cocatalyst-loaded photocatalyst by utilizing the anchoring effect of carbon dots (CDs) on C3N4. The introduction of CDs onto the porous C3N4 matrix can greatly enhance the specific surface area of C3N4 to provide more surface-active sites, increase light absorption capabilities, as well as improve the charge separation efficiency. Notably, the functional groups of CDs can efficiently anchor the single-atom Pt, thus improving the atomic utilization efficiency of Pt cocatalysts. A strong interaction is formed via the connection of Pt-N bonds, which enhances the efficiency of photogenerated electron separation. This unique structure remarkably improves its H2 evolution performance under visible light irradiation with a rate of 15.09 mmol h−1 g−1. This work provides a new approach to constructing efficient photocatalysts by using CDs for sustainable hydrogen generation, offering a practical approach to utilizing solar energy for clean fuel production.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a common mycotoxin that is widely found in various foods and feeds, posing a potential threat to human and animal health. This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of the natural polyphenol piceatannol (PIC) against DON-induced damage in porcine intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2 cells) and the underlying mechanism. The results showed that PIC promotes IPEC-J2 cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, it not only significantly relieved DON-induced decreases in cell viability and proliferation but also reduced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Further studies demonstrated that PIC alleviated DON-induced oxidative stress damage by increasing the protein expression levels of the antioxidant factors NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase-1 (NQO1) and glutamate–cysteine ligase modifier subunit (GCLM), and the mRNA expression of catalase (CAT), Superoxide Dismutase 1 (SOD1), peroxiredoxin 3 (PRX3), and glutathione S-transferase alpha 4 (GSTα4). In addition, PIC inhibited the activation of the nuclear factor-B (NF-κB) pathway, downregulated the mRNA expression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) to attenuate DON-induced inflammatory responses, and further mitigated DON-induced cellular intestinal barrier injury by regulating the protein expression of Occludin. These findings indicated that PIC had a significant protective effect against DON-induced damage. This study provides more understanding to support PIC as a feed additive for pig production.

Iridium(III) complexes are emerging as a promising tool in the area of detection and therapy due to their prominent photophysical properties, including higher photostability, tunable phosphorescence emission, long-lasting phosphorescence, and high quantum yields. In recent years, much effort has been devoted to develop novel near-infrared (NIR) iridium(III) complexes to improve signal-to-noise ratio and enhance tissue penetration. In this review, we summarize different classes of organometallic NIR iridium(III) complexes for detection and therapy, including cyclometalated ligand-enabled NIR iridium(III) complexes and NIR-dye-conjugated iridium(III) complexes. Moreover, the prospects and challenges for organometallic NIR iridium(III) complexes for targeted detection and therapy are discussed.

Syndecan-1 (SDC1) modified lipid bilayer (LB)-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) to co-deliver gemcitabine (GEM) and honokiol (HNK) were prepared for the targeting treatment of pancreatic cancer. The encapsulation efficiencies of GEM and HNK in SDC1-LB-MSN-GEM/HNK were determined to be 60.3 ± 3.2% and 73.0 ± 1.1%. The targeting efficiency of SDC1-LB-MSN-GEM/HNK was investigated in BxPC-3 cells in vitro. The fluorescence intensity in the cells treated with SDC1-LB-MSN-Cou6 was 2-fold of LB-MSN-Cou6-treated cells, which was caused by SDC1/IGF1R-mediated endocytosis. As anticipated, its cytotoxicity was significantly increased. Furthermore, the mechanism was verified that SDC1-LB-MSN-HNK induced tumor cell apoptosis through the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. Finally, the biodistribution, tumor growth inhibition, and preliminary safety studies were performed on BALB/c nude mice bearing BxPC-3 tumor models. The tumor growth inhibition index of SDC1-LB-MSN-GEM/HNK was 56.19%, which was 1.45-fold and 1.33-fold higher than that of the free GEM/HNK and LB-MSN-GEM/HNK treatment groups, respectively. As a result, SDC1-LB-MSN-GEM/HNK combined advantages of both GEM and HNK and simultaneously targeted and eliminated pancreatic cancerous and cancer-associated stromal cells. In summary, the present study demonstrated a new strategy of synergistic GEM and HNK to enhance the therapeutic effect of pancreatic cancer via the targeting depletion of tumor stroma.

Asperulosidic acid is a bioactive iridoid isolated from Hedyotis diffusa Willd. with anti-inflammatory and renal protective effects. However, its mechanism on renal interstitial fibrosis has not been elucidated yet. The present study aims to explore whether asperulosidic acid could retard renal fibrosis by reducing the circulating indoxyl sulfate (IS), which is a uremic toxin and accelerates chronic kidney disease progression by inducing renal fibrosis. In this paper, a unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) model of Balb/C mice was established. After the mice were orally administered with asperulosidic acid (14 and 28 mg/kg) for two weeks, blood, liver and kidney were collected for biochemical, histological, qPCR and Western blot analyses. Asperulosidic acid administration markedly reduced the serum IS level and significantly alleviated the histological changes in glomerular sclerosis and renal interstitial fibrosis. It is noteworthy that the mRNA and protein levels of the organic anion transporter 1 (OAT1), OAT3 and hepatocyte nuclear factor 1α (HNF1α) in the kidney were significantly increased, while the mRNA expressions of cytochrome P450 2e1 (Cyp2e1) and sulfotransferase 1a1 (Sult1a1) in the liver were not altered after asperulosidic acid administration. These results reveal that asperulosidic acid could accelerate the renal excretion of IS by up-regulating OATs via HNF1α in UUO mice, thereby alleviating renal fibrosis, but did not significantly affect its production in the liver, which might provide important information for the development of asperulosidic acid.

In this study, TpDMB-COPs, a specific class of covalent organic polymers (COPs), was synthesized using Schiff-base chemistry and incorporated into a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer for the first time to prepare COPs mixed matrix membranes (TpDMB-COPs-MMM). A membrane solid-phase extraction (ME) method based on the TpDMB-COPs-MMM was developed to extract trace levels of six sulfonamides from human urine identified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The key factors affecting the extraction efficiency were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the proposed method demonstrated an excellent linear relationship in the range of 3.5–25 ng/mL (r2 ≥ 0.9991), with the low limits of detection (LOD) between 1.25 ng/mL and 2.50 ng/mL and the limit of quantification (LOQ) between 3.50 ng/mL and 7.00 ng/mL. Intra-day and inter-day accuracies were below 5.0%. The method’s accuracy was assessed by recovery experiments using human urine spiked at three levels (7–14 ng/mL, 10–15 ng/mL, and 16–20 ng/mL). The recoveries ranged from 87.4 to 112.2% with relative standard deviations (RSD) ≤ 8.7%, confirming the applicability of the proposed method. The developed ME method based on TpDMB-COPs-MMM offered advantages, including simple operation, superior extraction affinity, excellent recycling performance, and easy removal and separation from the solution. The prepared TpDMB-COPs-MMM was demonstrated to be a promising adsorbent for ME in the pre-concentration of trace organic compounds from complex matrices, expanding the application of COPs and providing references for other porous materials in sample pre-treatment.

In fungi, the methylcitrate cycle converts cytotoxic propionyl-coenzyme A (CoA) to pyruvate, which enters gluconeogenesis. The glyoxylate cycle converts acetyl-CoA to succinate, which enters gluconeogenesis. The tricarboxylic acid cycle is a central carbon metabolic pathway that connects the methylcitrate cycle, the glyoxylate cycle, and other metabolisms for lipids, carbohydrates, and amino acids. Fungal citrate synthase and 2-methylcitrate synthase as well as isocitrate lyase and 2-methylisocitrate lyase, each evolved from a common ancestral protein. Impairment of the methylcitrate cycle leads to the accumulation of toxic intermediates such as propionyl-CoA, 2-methylcitrate, and 2-methylisocitrate in fungal cells, which in turn inhibits the activity of many enzymes such as dehydrogenases and remodels cellular carbon metabolic processes. The methylcitrate cycle and the glyoxylate cycle synergistically regulate carbon source utilization as well as fungal growth, development, and pathogenic process in pathogenic fungi.

A new skincare application scenario for dark tea, a unique and post-fermented tea popular in the health food industry, was developed in this paper. The effects of dark tea polysaccharide (DTP) on stress-induced skin problems and its mechanism of action were investigated by modeling cortisone-induced stress injury in human HaCaT keratinocytes and SZ95 sebaceous gland cells. The results showed a reduced cortisol conversion induced by cortisone under the action of DTP with a concentration of 200 μg/mL, probably by inhibiting the expression of the HSD11B1 enzyme. DTP was also able to suppress the cortisone-induced elevation of lipid levels in SZ95 sebocytes at this concentration. In addition, the composition and structure of DTP were verified by ultrafiltration, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (UV-VIS), high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD) and infrared spectroscopy. In brief, DTP has a unique and significant stress-relieving effect, which provides new ideas for the development of new ingredients for the skin care industry.

In recent years, laser engraving has received widespread attention as a convenient, efficient, and programmable method which has enabled high-quality porous graphene to be obtained from various precursors. Laser engraving is often used to fabricate the dielectric layer with a microstructure for capacitive pressure sensors; however, the usual choice of electrodes remains poorly flexible metal electrodes, which greatly limit the overall flexibility of the sensors. In this work, we propose a flexible capacitive pressure sensor made entirely of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and laser-induced graphene (LIG) derived from wood. The capacitive pressure sensor consisted of a flexible LIG/TPU electrode (LTE), an LIG/TPU electrode with a microhole array, and a dielectric layer of TPU with microcone array molded from a laser-engraved hole array on wood, which provided high sensitivity (0.11 kPa−1), an ultrawide pressure detection range (20 Pa to 1.4 MPa), a fast response (~300 ms), and good stability (>4000 cycles, at 0–35 kPa). We believe that our research makes a significant contribution to the literature, because the easy availability of the materials derived from wood and the overall consistent flexibility meet the requirements of flexible electronic devices.

Natural plant pigments are safe and have low toxicity, with various nutrients and biological activities. However, the extraction, preservation, and application of pigments are limited due to the instability of natural pigments. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the extraction and application processes of natural plant pigments in detail. This review discusses the classification, extraction methods, biological activities, and modification methods that could improve the stability of various pigments from plants, providing a reference for applying natural plant pigments in the industry and the cosmetics, food, and pharmaceutical industries.

NIR dyes have become popular for many applications, including biosensing and imaging. For this reason, the molecular switch mechanism of the xanthene dyes makes them useful for in vivo detection and imaging of bioanalytes. Our group has been designing NIR xanthene-based dyes by the donor-acceptor-donor approach; however, the equilibrium between their opened and closed forms varies depending on the donors and spacer. We synthesized donor-acceptor-donor NIR xanthene-based dyes with an alkyne spacer via the Sonogashira coupling reaction to investigate the effects of the alkyne spacer and the donors on the maximum absorption wavelength and the molecular switching (ring opening) process of the dyes. We evaluated the strength and nature of the donors and the presence and absence of the alkyne spacer on the properties of the dyes. It was shown that the alkyne spacer extended the conjugation of the dyes, leading to absorption wavelengths of longer values compared with the dyes without the alkyne group. In addition, strong charge transfer donors shifted the absorption wavelength towards the NIR region, while donors with strong π-donation resulted in xanthene dyes with a smaller equilibrium constant. DFT/TDDFT calculations corroborated the experimental data in most of the cases. Dye 2 containing the N,N-dimethylaniline group gave contrary results and is being further investigated.

The solubility of thiamine nitrate in {(methanol, acetone, isopropanol) + water} solvents will provide essential support for crystallization design and further theoretical studies. In this study, the solubility was experimentally measured over temperatures ranging from 278.15 to 313.15 K under atmospheric pressure using a dynamic method. The solubility increased with increasing temperature at a constant solvent composition. The dissolving capacity of thiamine nitrate in the three binary solvent mixtures at constant temperature in the low ratio of water ranked as water + methanol > water + acetone > water + isopropanol generally. Interestingly, in the high ratio of water systems, especially when the molar concentration of water was greater than 0.6, the dissolving capacity ranked as water + acetone > water + methanol > water + isopropanol. Additionally, the modified Apelblat equation, λh equation, van’t Hoff equation and NRTL model were used to correlate the solubility data in binary mixtures. It turned out that all the selected thermodynamic models could give satisfactory results. Furthermore, the thermodynamic properties of the dissolution process of thiamine nitrate were also calculated based on the modified van’t Hoff equation. The results indicate that the dissolution process of the thiamine nitrate in the selected solvents is all endothermic.

A new Ni coordination polymer [Ni(MIP)(BMIOPE)]n (1) was constructed (BMIOPE = 4,4′-bis(2-methylimidazol-1-yl)diphenyl ether, and H2MIP = 5-methylisophthalic acid), possessing two-dimensional (2D) twofold parallel interwoven net structure with a 44∙62 point symbol. Complex 1 has been successfully obtained based on mixed-ligand strategy. The fluorescence titration experiments revealed that complex 1 could act as multifunctional luminescent sensor to simultaneously detect UO22+, Cr2O72− and CrO42−, and NFT (nitrofurantoin). The limit of detection (LOD) values for complex 1 are 2.86 × 10−5, 4.09 × 10−5, 3.79 × 10−5 and 9.32 × 10−5 M for UO22+, Cr2O72−, CrO42− and NFT. The Ksv values are 6.18 × 103, 1.44 × 104, 1.27 × 104 and 1.51 × 104 M−1 for NFT, CrO42−, Cr2O72− and UO22+. Finally, the mechanism of its luminescence sensing is studied in detail. These results manifest that complex 1 is a multifunctional sensor for sensitive fluorescent UO22+, Cr2O72−, CrO42− and NFT detection.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has extensive bioanalytical applications in molecular diagnostics and genomic research studies for rapid detection and precise genomic amplification. Routine integrations for analytical workflow indicate certain limitations, including low specificity, efficiency, and sensitivity in conventional PCR, particularly towards amplifying high guanine–cytosine (GC) content. Further, there are many ways to enhance the reaction, for example, using different PCR strategies such as hot-start/touchdown PCR or adding some special modifications or additives such as organic solvents or compatible solutes, which can improve PCR yield. Due to the widespread use of bismuth-based materials in biomedicine, which have not yet been used for PCR optimization, this attracts our attention. In this study, two bismuth-based materials that are inexpensive and readily available were used to optimize GC-rich PCR. The results demonstrated that ammonium bismuth citrate and bismuth subcarbonate effectively enhanced PCR amplification of the GNAS1 promoter region (∼84% GC) and APOE (75.5% GC) gene of Homo sapiens mediated by Ex Taq DNA polymerase within the appropriate concentration range. Combining DMSO and glycerol additives was critical in obtaining the target amplicons. Thus, the solvents mixed with 3% DMSO and 5% glycerol were used in bismuth-based materials. That allowed for better dispersion of bismuth subcarbonate. As for the enhanced mechanisms, the surface interaction of PCR components, including Taq polymerase, primer, and products with bismuth-based materials, was maybe the main reason. The addition of materials can reduce the melting temperature (Tm), adsorb polymerase and modulate the amount of active polymerase in PCR, facilize the dissociation of DNA products, and enhance the specificity and efficiency of PCR. This work provided a class of candidate enhancers for PCR, deepened our understanding of the enhancement mechanisms of PCR, and also explored a new application field for bismuth-based materials.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic, progressive, and fatal disease of the interstitial lung. There is currently a lack of efficient therapy to reverse the prognosis of patients. In this study, a fucoidan from Costaria costata was isolated, and its anti-idiopathic fibrosis activity was investigated both in vitro and in vivo. The chemical composition analysis showed that C. costata polysaccharide (CCP) consists of galactose and fucose as the main monosaccharides with a sulfate group content of 18.54%. Further study found that CCP could resist TGF-β1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in A549 cells by inhibiting the TGF-β/Smad and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathways. Moreover, in vivo study found that CCP treatment alleviated bleomycin (BLM)-stimulated fibrosis and inflammation in mice lung tissue. In conclusion, the present study suggests that CCP could protect the lung from fibrosis by relieving the EMT process and inflammation in lung cells.

Graphene oxide (GO) has shown remarkable performance in the multiple-equilibrium-route adsorption (MER) process, which is characterized by further activation of GO through an in-situ reduction process based on single-equilibrium-route adsorption (SER), generating new adsorption sites and achieving an adsorption capacity increase. However, the effect of GO on MER adsorption in lateral size and thickness is still unclear. Here, GO sheets were sonicated for different lengths of time, and the adsorption of MER and SER was investigated at three temperatures to remove the typical cationic dye, acridine orange (AO). After sonication, we found that freshly prepared GO was greatly reduced in lateral size and thickness. In about 30 min, the thickness of GO decreased dramatically from several atomic layers to fewer atomic layers to a single atomic layer, which was completely stripped off; after that, the monolayer lateral size reduction dominated until it remained constant. Surface functional sites, such as hydroxyl groups, showed little change in the experiments. However, GO mainly reduces the C=O and C-O bonds in MER, except for the conjugated carbon backbone (C-C). The SER adsorption kinetics of all temperatures fitted the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models, yet room temperature preferred the latter. An overall adsorption enhancement appeared as sonication time, but the equilibrium capacity of SER GO generally increased with thickness and decreased with the single-layer lateral size, while MER GO conversed concerning the thickness. The escalated temperature facilitated the exfoliation of GO regarding the adsorption mechanism. Thus, the isotherm behaviors of the SER GO changed from the Freundlich model to Langmuir as size and temperature changed, while the MER GO were all of the Freundlich. A record capacity of ~4.3 g of AO per gram of GO was obtained from the MER adsorption with a sixty-minute ultrasonicated GO at 313.15 K. This work promises a cornerstone for MER adsorption with GO as an adsorbent.

With the climate constantly changing, plants suffer more frequently from various abiotic and biotic stresses. However, they have evolved biosynthetic machinery to survive in stressful environmental conditions. Flavonoids are involved in a variety of biological activities in plants, which can protect plants from different biotic (plant-parasitic nematodes, fungi and bacteria) and abiotic stresses (salt stress, drought stress, UV, higher and lower temperatures). Flavonoids contain several subgroups, including anthocyanidins, flavonols, flavones, flavanols, flavanones, chalcones, dihydrochalcones and dihydroflavonols, which are widely distributed in various plants. As the pathway of flavonoid biosynthesis has been well studied, many researchers have applied transgenic technologies in order to explore the molecular mechanism of genes associated with flavonoid biosynthesis; as such, many transgenic plants have shown a higher stress tolerance through the regulation of flavonoid content. In the present review, the classification, molecular structure and biological biosynthesis of flavonoids were summarized, and the roles of flavonoids under various forms of biotic and abiotic stress in plants were also included. In addition, the effect of applying genes associated with flavonoid biosynthesis on the enhancement of plant tolerance under various biotic and abiotic stresses was also discussed.

Cinnamomi ramulus (CR) and Cinnamomi cortex (CC), both sourced from Cinnamomum cassia Presl, are commonly used Chinese medicines in the Chinese Pharmacopeia. However, while CR functions to dissipate cold and to resolve external problems of the body, CC functions to warm the internal organs. To clarify the material basis of these different functions and clinical effects, a simple and reliable UPLC-Orbitrap-Exploris-120-MS/MS method combined with multivariate statistical analyses was established in this study with the aim of exploring the difference in chemical compositions of aqueous extracts of CR and CC. As the results indicated, a total of 58 compounds was identified, including nine flavonoids, 23 phenylpropanoids and phenolic acids, two coumarins, four lignans, four terpenoids, 11 organic acids and five other components. Of these compounds, 26 significant differential compounds were identified statistically including six unique components in CR and four unique components in CC. Additionally, a robust HPLC method combined with hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) was developed to simultaneously determine the concentrations and differentiating capacities of five major active ingredients in CR and CC: coumarin, cinnamyl alcohol, cinnamic acid, 2-methoxycinnamic acid and cinnamaldehyde. The HCA results showed that these five components could be used as markers for successfully distinguishing CR and CC. Finally, molecular docking analyses were conducted to obtain the affinities between each of the abovementioned 26 differential components, focusing on targets involved in diabetes peripheral neuropathy (DPN). The results indicated that the special and high-concentration components in CR showed high docking scores of affinities with targets such as HbA1c and proteins in the AMPK–PGC1–SIRT3 signaling pathway, suggesting that CR has greater potential than CC for treating DPN.

This study elucidated the chemical composition of essential oil from Centipeda minima (EOCM) and its antibacterial and antioxidant activities with two chemical monomers thymol and carvacrol. The main chemical composition of EOCM, analyzed by GC-MS, were trans-chrysanthenyl acetate, thymol, aromadendrene and β-caryophyllene. In the screening of antibacterial activity against S. aureus, two monomers with antibacterial activity were obtained: thymol and carvacrol. The MIC of EOCM, thymol and carvacrol were 0.625 mg/mL, 0.156 mg/mL and 0.156 mg/mL, respectively. The experimental results were shown that three drugs could inhibit the growth of S. aureus and inhibit the formation of biofilm by changing the permeability of cell membrane and interfering with the metabolic activities in bacteria. The scavenging effects of the three drugs on DPPH radical and hydroxyl radical showed that the antioxidant effect of the three drugs was EOCM > carvacrol > thymol.

Synergistic drug combinations have demonstrated effective therapeutic effects in cancer treatment. Deep learning methods accelerate identification of novel drug combinations by reducing the search space. However, potential adverse drug–drug interactions (DDIs), which may increase the risks for combination therapy, cannot be detected by existing computational synergy prediction methods. We propose DEML, an ensemble-based multi-task neural network, for the simultaneous optimization of five synergy regression prediction tasks, synergy classification, and DDI classification tasks. DEML uses chemical and transcriptomics information as inputs. DEML adapts the novel hybrid ensemble layer structure to construct higher order representation using different perspectives. The task-specific fusion layer of DEML joins representations for each task using a gating mechanism. For the Loewe synergy prediction task, DEML overperforms the state-of-the-art synergy prediction method with an improvement of 7.8% and 13.2% for the root mean squared error and the R2 correlation coefficient. Owing to soft parameter sharing and ensemble learning, DEML alleviates the multi-task learning ‘seesaw effect’ problem and shows no performance loss on other tasks. DEML has a superior ability to predict drug pairs with high confidence and less adverse DDIs. DEML provides a promising way to guideline novel combination therapy strategies for cancer treatment.

In this work, the hydrogen bonds and halogen bonds in the complexes between Y2CTe (Y = H, F, CH3) and XF (X = F, Cl, Br, I) have been studied by quantum chemical calculations. We found three interesting abnormalities regarding the interactions. Firstly, the strength of halogen bonds increases in the order of IF < BrF < ClF < F2. Secondly, the halogen bonds formed by F2 are very strong, with an interaction energy in the range between −199.8 and −233.1 kJ/mol. Thirdly, all the halogen bonds are stronger than the hydrogen bonds in the systems we examined. All these results are against the general understanding of halogen bonds. These apparent abnormal properties are reconciled with the high polarizability of the Te atom and the strong inducing effect of F on the Te atom of Y2CTe. These findings provide a new perspective on halogen bonds. Additionally, we also proposed bonding distance-based methods to compare the strength of halogen/hydrogen bonds formed between different donor atoms and the same acceptor atom.

Gentamicin (GEN) is a kind of aminoglycoside antibiotic with the adverse effect of nephrotoxicity. Currently, no effective measures against the nephrotoxicity have been approved. In the present study, epigallocatechin gallate (EG), a useful ingredient in green tea, was used to attenuate its nephrotoxicity. EG was shown to largely attenuate the renal damage and the increase of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the decrease of glutathione (GSH) in GEN-injected rats. In NRK-52E cells, GEN increased the cellular ROS in the early treatment phase and ROS remained continuously high from 1.5 H to 24 H. Moreover, EG alleviated the increase of ROS and MDA and the decrease of GSH caused by GEN. Furthermore, EG activated the protein levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). After the treatment of GEN, the protein level of cleaved-caspase-3, the flow cytometry analysis and the JC-1 staining, the protein levels of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) and SLC7A11, were greatly changed, indicating the occurrence of both apoptosis and ferroptosis, whereas EG can reduce these changes. However, when Nrf2 was knocked down by siRNA, the above protective effects of EG were weakened. In summary, EG attenuated GEN-induced nephrotoxicity by suppressing apoptosis and ferroptosis.

Chemical treatments of hair such as dyeing, perming and bleaching could cause mechanical damage to the hair, which weakens the hair fibers and makes the hair break more easily. In this work, hyaluronate (HA) with different molecular weight (MW) was investigated for its effects on restoring the mechanical properties of damaged hair. It was found that low-MW HA (average MW~42 k) could significantly improve the mechanical properties, specifically the elastic modulus, of overbleached hair. The fluorescent-labeling experiments verified that the low-MW HA was able to penetrate into the cortex of the hair fiber, while high-MW HA was hindered. Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR) results implied the formation of additional intermolecular hydrogen bonds in the HA-treated hair. Thermos gravimetric analysis (TGA) indicated that the HA-treated hair exhibited decreased content of loosely bonded water, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) characterizations suggested stronger water bonding inside the HA-treated hair, which could alleviate the weakening effect of loosely bonded water on the hydrogen bond networks within keratin. Therefore, the improved elastic modulus and mechanical strength of the HA-treated hair could be attributed to the enhanced formation of hydrogen bond networks within keratin. This study illustrates the capability of low-MW HA in hair damage repair, implying an enormous potential for other moisturizers to be used in hair care products.

Autocrine and paracrine factors play key roles in the process of Androgenetic alopecia (AGA), which are secreted by balding dermal papilla cells (DPCs) after dihydrotestosterone (DHT) induction. Camellia seed cake is an oriental oil extraction byproduct, and its extract has been traditionally used to wash hair in China. This study elucidated the hair growth-promoting effects of Camellia seed cake extract (CSCE) in DHT-treated cultured DPCs and its underlying mechanisms. The effect of CSCE on cell viability and release of inflammatory factors IL-6 and IL-1α was performed on human dermal papilla cells (DPCs) incubated with DHT. Relative expression of bax, bcl-2, p53, androgen receptor (AR) and 5α- reductase type II (SRD5A2) was determined by PCR. Senescence-associated was examined by β-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal) assays. CSCE restored DHT-induced cell damage in a dose-dependent manner, and effectively reduced the production of IL-6 and IL-1α in DHT-treated DPCs. CSCE exhibited an anti-apoptotic effect, which increased the expression of bcl-2, and decreased the expressions of bax and p53 in DHT-incubated DPCs. CSCE also showed an anti-androgenic effect reversing the increase in AR and SRD5A2 expressions in DPCs driven by DHT incubation. In addition, CSCE inhibited the β-galactosidase enzyme activity and slowed down the cell senescence of DPCs which is crucial for AGA progression. In this study, we found that CSCE may have the potential to prevent and alleviate AGA by abrogating the effect of DHT in cultured DPCs.

To improve the antitumor effect of combined capecitabine (CAP) and osimertinib (OSI) therapy and quickly and efficiently reduce tumor volumes for preoperative chemotherapy, we designed a compound CAP colon-targeted microparticle (COPMP) prepared by coaxial electrospray. COPMP is a core–shell microparticle composed of a Eudragit S100 outer layer and a CAP/OSI-loaded PLGA core. In this study, we characterized its size distribution, drug loading (DL), encapsulation efficiency (EE), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), in vitro release, formula ratio, cellular growth inhibition, and in vivo antitumor efficacy. COPMP is of spherical appearance with a size of 1.87 ± 0.23 μm. The DLs of CAP and OSI are 4.93% and 4.95%, respectively. The DSC showed that the phase state of CAP and OSI changed after encapsulation. The FTIR results indicated good compatibility between the drug and excipients. The release curve showed that CAP and OSI were released in a certain ratio. They were barely released prior to 2 h (pH 1.0), less than 50% was released between 3 and 5 h (pH 6.8), and sustained release of up to 80% occurred between 6 and 48 h (pH 7.4). CAP and OSI demonstrated a synergistic effect on HCT-116 cells. In a colon tumor model, the tumor inhibition rate after oral administration of COPMP reached 94% within one week. All the data suggested that COPMP promotes the sustained release of CAP and OSI in the colon, which provides a preoperative chemotherapy scheme for the treatment of colon cancer.

Objectives: Biosurfactants with anti-inflammatory activity may alleviate skin irritation caused by synthetic surfactants in cleaning products. Sophorolipid (SL) is a promising alternative to synthetic surfactants. However, there are few reports on the anti-inflammatory activity of SL and the underlying mechanism. The purpose of this work is to verify that lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation could be inhibited through targeting the pathway of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in RAW264.7 cells. Methods: The influence of SL on cytokine release was investigated by LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells using ELISA. The quantification of the protein expression of corresponding molecular markers was realized by Western blot analysis. Flow cytometry was employed to determine the levels of Ca2+ and reactive oxygen species (ROS). The relative expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (INOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) was determined by RT-PCR. An immunofluorescence assay and confocal microscope were used to observe the NF-κB/p65 translocation from the cytoplasm into the nucleus. The likely targets of SL were predicted by molecular docking analysis. Results: SL showed anti-inflammatory activity and reduced the release of inflammatory cytokines including interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and nitric oxide (NO). The experimental results show that SL suppressed the Ca2+ and ROS levels influx in the LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells and alleviated the LPS-induced expression of iNOS and COX-2, the LPS-induced translocation of NF-κB (p65) from the cytoplasm into the nucleus, and the expression of phosphorylated proteins such as p65 and IκBα. Furthermore, molecular docking analysis showed that SL may inhibit inflammatory signaling by competing with LPS to bind TLR4/MD-2 through hydrophobic interactions and by inhibiting IKKβ activation through the hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that SL exerted anti-inflammatory activity via the pathway of NF-κB in RAW264.7 cells.

Mannosylerythritol lipids (MELs) may prevent skin barrier damage, although their protective mechanisms and active monomeric constituents remain unclear. Here, three MELs were extracted from Candida antarctica cultures containing fermented olive oil then purified using silica gel-based column chromatography and semipreparative HPLC. All three compounds (MEL-A, MEL-B, MEL-C) were well separated and stable, and reliable materials were used for NMR and HRESIMS chemical structure determinations and for assessing MELs’ protective effects against skin damage. Notably, MEL-B and MEL-C effectively protected HaCaT cells from UVB-induced damage by upregulating the contents of filaggrin (FLG) and transglutaminase-1 (TGM1), as determined via ELISA. Moreover, MEL-B treatment (20 μg/mL) of UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells led to the upregulation of both the expression of mRNA genes and the key proteins FLG, LOR, and TGM1, which are known to be decreased in damaged skin cells. Additionally, histopathological analysis results revealed a markedly reduced intracellular vacuolation and cell damage, reflecting improved skin function after MEL-B treatment. Furthermore, immunofluorescence results revealed that MEL-B protected EpiKutis® three-dimensional cultured human skin cells from sodium dodecyl sulfate-induced damage by up-regulating FLG, LOR, and TGM1 expression. Accordingly, MELs’ protection against skin barrier damage depended on MEL-B monomeric constituent activities, thus highlighting their promise as beneficial ingredients for use in skin-care products.

Chelerythrine (CH) and ethoxychelerythrine (ECH) are chemical reference substances for quality control of Chinese herbal medicines, and ECH is the dihydrogen derivative of CH. In this study, their fluorescence and absorption spectra, as well as their structural changes in different protic solvents were compared. It was observed that their emission fluorescence spectra in methanol were almost the same (both emitted at 400 nm), which may be attributed to the nucleophilic and exchange reactions of CH and ECH with methanol molecules with the common product of 6-methoxy-5,6-dihydrochelerythrine (MCH). When diluted with water, MCH was converted into CH, which mainly existed in the form of positively charged CH+ under acidic and near-neutral conditions with the fluorescence emission at 550 nm. With the increase of pH value of the aqueous solution, CH+ converted to 6-hydroxy-5,6-dihydrochelerythrine (CHOH) with the fluorescence emission at 410 nm. The fluorescence quantum yields of MCH and CHOH were 0.13 and 0.15, respectively, and both the fluorescence intensities were much stronger than that of CH+. It is concluded that CH and ECH can substitute each other in the same protic solvent, which was further verified by high-performance liquid chromatography. This study will help in the investigation of structural changes of benzophenanthridine alkaloids and will provide the possibility for the mutual substitution of standard substances in relevant drug testing.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurological condition. The rising prevalence of AD necessitates the rapid development of efficient therapy options. Despite substantial study, only a few medications are capable of delaying the disease. Several substances with pharmacological activity, derived from plants, have been shown to have positive benefits for the treatment of AD by targeting various enzymes, such as acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), β-secretase, γ-secretase, and monoamine oxidases (MAOs), which are discussed as potential targets. Medicinal plants have already contributed a number of lead molecules to medicine development, with many of them currently undergoing clinical trials. A variety of medicinal plants have been shown to diminish the degenerative symptoms associated with AD, either in their raw form or as isolated compounds. The aim of this review was to provide a brief summary of AD and its current therapies, followed by a discussion of the natural compounds examined as therapeutic agents and the processes underlying the positive effects, particularly the management of AD.

In the process of drug discovery, drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is still an active research field and is one of the most common and important issues in toxicity evaluation research. It directly leads to the high wear attrition of the drug. At present, there are a variety of computer algorithms based on molecular representations to predict DILI. It is found that a single molecular representation method is insufficient to complete the task of toxicity prediction, and multiple molecular fingerprint fusion methods have been used as model input. In order to solve the problem of high dimensional and unbalanced DILI prediction data, this paper integrates existing datasets and designs a new algorithm framework, Rotation-Ensemble-GA (R-E-GA). The main idea is to find a feature subset with better predictive performance after rotating the fusion vector of high-dimensional molecular representation in the feature space. Then, an Adaboost-type ensemble learning method is integrated into R-E-GA to improve the prediction accuracy. The experimental results show that the performance of R-E-GA is better than other state-of-art algorithms including ensemble learning-based and graph neural network-based methods. Through five-fold cross-validation, the R-E-GA obtains an ACC of 0.77, an F1 score of 0.769, and an AUC of 0.842.

It is recognized that minor dietary components polyphenols have anticancer effects on digestive tract, lung, leukemia, and other cancers, while polyphenols also can covalently or noncovalently interact with major dietary components proteins such as casein, soybean proteins, whey proteins, and bovine serum albumin. Thus, whether the noncovalent interaction between the molecules of two polyphenols (quercetin and fisetin) and two proteins (bovine serum albumin and casein) has positive or negative impact on anticancer activities of the polyphenols against human gastric adenocarcinoma AGS cells was assessed in this study. The two polyphenols had obvious anticancer activities to the cells, because dose levels as low as 20–160 μmol/L caused reduced cell viability of 30.0–69.4% (quercetin) and 24.6–63.1% (fisetin) (using a cell treatment time of 24 h), or 9.9–48.6% (quercetin) and 6.4–29.9% (fisetin) (using a cell treatment time of 48 h). However, the cell treatments by the polyphenols in the presence of the two proteins mostly caused lower polyphenol activity toward the cells, compared with those treatments by the polyphenols in the absence of the proteins. Specifically, the presence of the proteins led to reduced growth inhibition in the cells, because higher cell viability of 33.2–86.7% (quercetin) and 29.1–77.7% (fisetin) at 24 h, or 14.1–66.8% (quercetin) and 7.9–59.0% (fisetin) at 48 h, were measured in these treated cells. The two coexisting proteins also yielded the polyphenol-treated cells with less mitochondrial membrane potential loss, less formation of reactive oxygen species, and decreased cell apoptosis. Thus, it is highlighted that the noncovalent interaction between dietary polyphenols and proteins resulted in weakened anticancer ability for the polyphenols to the gastric cancer cells.

Nowadays, natural polysaccharides-based hydrogels have achieved promising results as dressings to promote skin healing. In the present study, we prepared a novel hydrogel nanocomposite with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and sulfated heterosaccharide (UF), named UPH. The SEM results showed that the UPH had dense porous structures with a high porosity and a specific surface area. The UPH had a good swelling property, which can effectively adsorb exudate and keep the wound moist. The in vitro experiments results showed that the UPH was non-cytotoxic and could regulate the inflammatory response and promote the migration of fibroblasts significantly. The phenotypic, histochemistry, and Western blot analyses showed UPH treatment accelerated the wound healing and recovery of skin tissue at wound sites in a C57BL/6 mouse model. Furthermore, the UPH could promote the inflammation process to onset earlier and last shorter than that in a normal process. Given its migration-promoting ability and physicochemical properties, the UPH may provide an effective application for the treatment and management of skin wounds.

Volatile flavor of edible oils is an important quality index and factor affecting consumer choice. The purpose of this investigation was to characterize virgin Camellia oleifera seed oil (VCO) samples from different locations in southern China in terms of their volatile compounds to show the classification of VCO with respect to geography. Different samples from 20 producing VCO regions were collected in 2020 growing season, at almost the same maturity stage, and processed under the same conditions. Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) with a gas chromatography–mass spectrometer system (GC–MS) was used to analyze volatile compounds. A total of 348 volatiles were characterized, including aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, acids, esters, alkenes, alkanes, furans, phenols, and benzene; the relative contents ranged from 7.80–58.68%, 1.73–12.52%, 2.91–37.07%, 2.73–46.50%, 0.99–12.01%, 0.40–14.95%, 0.00–27.23%, 0.00–3.75%, 0.00–7.34%, and 0.00–1.55%, respectively. The VCO geographical origins with the largest number of volatile compounds was Xixiangtang of Guangxi (L17), and the least was Beireng of Hainan (L19). A total of 23 common and 98 unique volatile compounds were detected that reflected the basic and characteristic flavor of VCO, respectively. After PCA, heatmap and PLS-DA analysis, Longchuan of Guangdong (L8), Qingshanhu of Jiangxi (L16), and Panlong of Yunnan (L20) were in one group where the annual average temperatures are relatively low, where annual rainfalls are also low. Guangning of Guangdong (L6), Yunan of Guangdong (L7), Xingning of Guangdong (L9), Tianhe of Guangdong (L10), Xuwen of Guangdong (L11), and Xiuying of Hainan (L18) were in another group where the annual average temperatures are relatively high, and the altitudes are low. Hence, volatile compound distributions confirmed the differences among the VCO samples from these geographical areas, and the provenance difference evaluation can be carried out by flavor.

A series of novel 3-phenoxy-4-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)pyridazines 2–5 were designed, based on the structure of our previous lead compound 1 through the in silico structure-guided optimization approach. The results showed that some of these new compounds showed a good herbicidal activity at the rate of 750 g ai/ha by both pre- and post-emergence applications, especially compound 2a, which displayed a comparable pre-emergence herbicidal activity to diflufenican at 300–750 g ai/ha, and a higher post-emergence herbicidal activity than diflufenican at the rates of 300–750 g ai/ha. Additionally, 2a was safe to wheat by both pre- and post-emergence applications at 300 g ai/ha, showing the compound’s potential for weed control in wheat fields. Our molecular simulation studies revealed the important factors involved in the interaction between 2a and Synechococcus PDS. This work provided a lead compound for weed control in wheat fields.

The present study elucidated the structural characteristics and anti-inflammatory activity of a novel polysaccharide isolated from Orostachys fimbriata, which is a traditional Chinese medicinal plant. O. fimbriata polysaccharide (OFP) was extracted and subsequently purified by chromatography using a DEAE cellulose-52 and Sephadex G-75 column. The molecular weight was determined as 6.2 kDa. HPGPC and monosaccharide composition analysis revealed a homogeneous polysaccharide containing only Glc. Chromatography and spectral analysis showed that the possible chemical structure consisted of →4)-α-Glcp-(1→ and a small quantity of →4,6)-β-Glcp-(1→ in the main chain and →6)-β-Glcp-(1→, α-Glcp-(1→, and β-Glcp-(1→ in the side chain. Morphological analysis using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) indicated that OFP had a multi-branched structure, and the sugar chain molecules of polysaccharide appeared aggregated. OFP was found to exhibit anti-inflammatory activity by reducing the secretion of inflammatory factors in RAW264.7 cells and by decreasing the extent of xylene-induced ear swelling in mice.

Carbohydrate-protein conjugates have diverse applications. They have been used clinically as vaccines against bacterial infection and have been developed for high-throughput assays to elucidate the ligand specificities of glycan-binding proteins (GBPs) and antibodies. Here, we report an effective process that combines highly efficient chemoenzymatic synthesis of carbohydrates, production of carbohydrate-bovine serum albumin (glycan-BSA) conjugates using a squarate linker, and convenient immobilization of the resulting neoglycoproteins on carboxylate-coated fluorescent magnetic beads for the development of a suspension multiplex array platform. A glycan-BSA-bead array containing BSA and 50 glycan-BSA conjugates with tuned glycan valency was generated. The binding profiles of six plant lectins with binding preference towards Gal and/or GalNAc, as well as human galectin-3 and galectin-8, were readily obtained. Our results provide useful information to understand the multivalent glycan-binding properties of human galectins. The neoglycoprotein-immobilized fluorescent magnetic bead suspension multiplex array is a robust and flexible platform for rapid analysis of glycan and GBP interactions and will find broad applications.

Two new series of betulin derivatives with semicarbazone (7a–g) or thiosemicarbazone (8a–g) groups at the C-28 position were synthesized. All compounds were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicities in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2), human breast carcinoma cells (MCF-7), human lung carcinoma cells (A549), human colorectal cells (HCT-116) and normal human gastric epithelial cells (GES-1). Among these compounds, 8f displayed the most potent cytotoxicity with an IC50 value of 5.86 ± 0.61 μM against MCF-7 cells. Furthermore, the preliminary mechanism studies in MCF-7 cells showed that compound 8f could trigger the intracellular mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis pathway by losing MMP level, which was related with the upregulation of Bax, P53 and cytochrome c expression; the downregulation of Bcl-2 expression; activation of the expression levels of caspase-3, caspase-9, cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-9; and an increase in the amounts of intracellular reactive oxygen species. These results indicated that compound 8f may be used as a valuable skeleton structure for developing novel antitumor agents.

Phycocyanin, derived from marine algae, is known to have noteworthy antineoplastic properties. However, the underlying mechanism involved in phycocyanin-mediated anti-growth function on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells is still ambiguous. Here, we investigated the mechanism of action of phycocyanin on H1299, A549, and LTEP-a2 cells. According to the results obtained, insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) expression was reduced by phycocyanin. Cell phenotype tests showed that siRNA knockdown of IRS-1 expression significantly inhibited the growth, migration, colony formation, but promoted the apoptosis of NSCLC cells. Meanwhile, phycocyanin and IRS-1 siRNA treatment both reduced the PI3K-AKT activities in NSCLC cells. Moreover, overexpression of IRS-1 accelerated the proliferation, colony formation, and migration rate of H1299, A549, and LTEP-a2 cells, which was contradicting to the knockdown results. Overall, this study uncovered a regulatory mechanism by which phycocyanin inhibited the growth of NSCLC cells via IRS-1/AKT pathway, laying the foundation for the potential target treatment of NSCLC.

Staphylococcus saprophyticus, the food-borne bacteria present in dairy products, ready-to-eat food and environmental sources, has been reported with antibiotic resistance, raising concerns about food microbial safety. The antimicrobial resistance of S. saprophyticus requires the development of new strategies. Light- and photosensitizer-based antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation (PDI) is a promising approach to control microbial contamination, whereas there is limited information regarding the effectiveness of PDI on S. saprophyticus biofilm control. In this study, PDI mediated by natural bioactive compound (curcumin) associated with LED was evaluated for its potential to prevent and disrupt S. saprophyticus biofilms. Biofilms were treated with curcumin (50, 100, 200 µM) and LED fluence (4.32 J/cm2, 8.64 J/cm2, 17.28 J/cm2). Control groups included samples treated only with curcumin or light, and samples received neither curcumin nor light. The action was examined on biofilm mass, viability, cellular metabolic activity and cytoplasmic membrane integrity. PDI using curcumin associated with LED exhibited significant antibiofilm activities, inducing biofilm prevention and removal, metabolic inactivation, intracellular membrane damage and cell death. Likewise, scanning electronic microscopy observations demonstrated obvious structural injury and morphological alteration of S. saprophyticus biofilm after PDI application. In conclusion, curcumin is an effective photosensitizer for the photodynamic control of S. saprophyticus biofilm.

Based on an as-prepared high-quality WS2 film and an electro-optic modulator (EOM), a dual-loss-modulated low repetition rate mode-locking laser at 0.53 μm with high peak power is presented for the first time. The laser characteristics versus the pump power are investigated experimentally and theoretically. At a pump power of 10.67 W, the shortest pulse duration of 305 ps can be measured, corresponding to the highest peak power of 931 kW, which is much higher than those of the single passive modulated lasers with WS2-SA. A simple rate equation simulation was used to describe this dual-loss-modulated mode-locking green laser based on WS2 and EOM. The results of the numerical simulation are basically in accordance with the experimental values.

Four new gallate derivatives—ornusgallate A, ent-cornusgallate A, cornusgallate B and C (1a, 1b, 2, 3)—were isolated from the wine-processed fruit of Cornus officinalis. Among them, 1a and 1b are new natural compounds with novel skeletons. Their chemical structures were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopy methods including NMR, IR, HRESIMS, UV, ECD spectra and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The in vitro anti-inflammatory activities of all compounds were assayed in RAW 264.7 cells by assessing LPS-induced NO production. As the result, all compounds exhibited anti-inflammatory activities at attested concentrations. Among the tested compounds, compound 2 exhibited the strongest anti- inflammatory activity.

The glutenin macropolymer (GMP), which is an important component of the glutenin protein in wheat flour, plays a prominent role in governing dough properties and breadmaking quality. This study investigated the changes in GMP properties during the mixing and resting stages of dough processing. The results show that the GMP content decreases by about 20.20% when the mixing time increases from 3 to 5 min, while increasing the resting time can lead to restoration of some GMP contents. Resting promotes greater formation of large-sized GMP particles, which is likely related to the increased disulfide bond content in the GMP during this process. In contrast, the mechanical force of mixing causes GMP depolymerization and formation of smaller particles. Furthermore, after mixing, the protein secondary structure tends to be disordered, the protein morphology becomes irregular, and the protein subunit ratio changes. Thus, mixing has many of the opposite effects to resting, although resting can (to some extent) restore the properties of the GMP after mixing. However, excessive resting time can lead to negative results, reflected in lower disulfide bond (SS) and GMP contents, and more irregular particle sizes. The presented results suggest that dough mixing induces rearrangement of the dough’s protein structure, and resting somewhat restores the chemical bonds and internal protein structure.

Dental resin composites have been widely used in a variety of direct and indirect dental restorations due to their aesthetic properties compared to amalgams and similar metals. Despite the fact that dental resin composites can contribute similar mechanical properties, they are more likely to have microbial accumulations leading to secondary caries. Therefore, the effective and long-lasting antimicrobial properties of dental resin composites are of great significance to their clinical applications. The approaches of ascribing antimicrobial properties to the resin composites may be divided into two types: The filler-type and the resin-type. In this review, the resin-type approaches were highlighted. Focusing on the antimicrobial polymers used in dental resin composites, their chemical structures, mechanical properties, antimicrobial effectiveness, releasing profile, and biocompatibility were included, and challenges, as well as future perspectives, were also discussed.

A series of novel steroidal 5α,8α-endoperoxide derivatives bearing semicarbazone (7a−g) or thiosemicarbazone (7h−k) side chain were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxicities in four human cancer cell lines (HepG2, HCT-116, MCF-7, and A549) using the MTT assay in vitro. The results showed that compound 7j exhibited significant cytotoxic activity against HepG2 cells (IC50 = 3.52 μM), being more potent than ergosterol peroxide. Further cellular mechanism studies in HepG2 cells indicated that compound 7j triggered the mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis by decreasing mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), which was associated with up-regulation of Bax, down-regulation of Bcl-2, activation levels of the caspase cascade, and formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The above findings indicated that compound 7j may be used as a promising skeleton for antitumor agents with improved efficacy.