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Shun Yu Sun,1 Wei Yi Yang,2 Zhuo Tan,2 Xing Yu Zhang,1 Yi Lin Shen,1 Qi Wei Guo,1 Guo Ming Su,1 Xu Chen,1 Jia Lin,1 Ding Zhi Fang1 1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Preventive Medicine, West China School of Public health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Ding Zhi FangDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 28 85503410, Fax +86 28 85503204, Email dzfang@scu.edu.cnPurpose: To investigate serum levels of free fatty acids (FFAs) and their associations with routine serum lipids in diet-induced obese mice, which have been scantily reported before.Methods: Male C57BL/6 J mice were fed high-fat diets for 12 weeks to induce obesity. Levels of serum FFAs were measured by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry.Results: Obese mice had higher serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), but lower triglycerides (TG) than control mice. A total of 30 FFAs were found, and 3 saturated fatty acids (SFAs), all 8 monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and 7 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) decreased in obese mice, but one SFA (C4:0) increased. Differences in the relative levels of individual FFAs to total FFAs, SFAs, MUFAs or PUFAs between obese and control mice were different from each other and from those evaluated by concrete levels except C4:0, C16:1, C19:1 and C18:4. Only the concrete levels of C4:0, C22:3 and C18:4 were associated with routine serum lipids, including C22:3 negatively with TG in control mice, and C4:0 and C18:4 positively with LDL-C in obese mice, although the relative levels of C4:0 to total MUFAs negatively with TC, and C23:3 to total SFAs or MUFAs negatively with TG in control mice. Different relative levels of the remaining FFAs were differently associated with different routine serum lipids in obese and/or control mice.Conclusion: Obesity may influence serum FFAs profiles. The relationship of individual FFAs and their relative levels to other FFAs with routine serum lipids in obese and control mice suggests that individual FFAs may interact with others and obesity on levels of routine serum lipids. Once confirmed, the interactions may be novel perspectives when fatty acids are used to improve hyperlipidemia in the subjects with obesity.Keywords: free fatty acid, obesity, triglyceride, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein

The Al-doped effects on the band offsets of ZnO/β-Ga2O3 interfaces are characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and calculated by first-principle simulations. The conduction band offsets vary from 1.39 to 1.67 eV, the valence band offsets reduce from 0.06 to − 0.42 eV, exhibiting an almost linear dependence with respect to the Al doping ratio varying from 0 to 10%. Consequently, a type-I band alignment forms at the interface of ZnO/β-Ga2O3 heterojunction and the AZO/β-Ga2O3 interface has a type-II band alignment. This is because incorporating Al into the ZnO would open up the band gaps due to the strong Al and O electron mixing, and the conduction and valence band edges consequently shift toward the lower level.