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Necroptosis is the major cause of death in alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) during acute lung injury (ALI). Here, we report a previously unrecognized mechanism for necroptosis. We found an accumulation of mitochondrial citrate (citratemt) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated AECs because of the downregulation of Idh3α and citrate carrier (CIC, also known as Slc25a1). shRNA- or inhibitor–mediated inhibition of Idh3α and Slc25a1 induced citratemt accumulation and necroptosis in vitro. Mice with AEC-specific Idh3α and Slc25a1 deficiency exhibited exacerbated lung injury and AEC necroptosis. Interestingly, the overexpression of Idh3α and Slc25a1 decreased citratemt levels and rescued AECs from necroptosis. Mechanistically, citratemt accumulation induced mitochondrial fission and excessive mitophagy in AECs. Furthermore, citratemt directly interacted with FUN14 domain-containing protein 1 (FUNDC1) and promoted the interaction of FUNDC1 with dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1), leading to excessive mitophagy-mediated necroptosis and thereby initiating and promoting ALI. Importantly, necroptosis induced by citratemt accumulation was inhibited in FUNDC1-knockout AECs. We show that citratemt accumulation is a novel target for protection against ALI involving necroptosis.

Necroptosis, a recently described form of programmed cell death, is the main way of alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) death in acute lung injury (ALI). While the mechanism of how to trigger necroptosis in AECs during ALI has been rarely evaluated. Long optic atrophy protein 1 (L-OPA1) is a crucial mitochondrial inner membrane fusion protein, and its deficiency impairs mitochondrial function. This study aimed to investigate the role of L-OPA1 deficiency-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction in AECs necroptosis. We comprehensively investigated the detailed contribution and molecular mechanism of L-OPA1 deficiency in AECs necroptosis by inhibiting or activating L-OPA1. First, our data showed that L-OPA1 expression was downregulated in the lungs and AECs under the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Furthermore, inhibition of L-OPA1 aggravated the pathological injury, inflammatory response, and necroptosis in the lungs of LPS-induced ALI mice. In vitro, inhibition of L-OPA1 induced necroptosis of AECs, while activation of L-OPA1 alleviated necroptosis of AECs under the LPS challenge. Mechanistically, inhibition of L-OPA1 aggravated necroptosis of AECs by inducing mitochondrial fragmentation and reducing mitochondrial membrane potential. While activation of L-OPA1 had the opposite effects. In summary, these findings indicate for the first time that L-OPA1 deficiency mediates mitochondrial fragmentation, induces necroptosis of AECs, and exacerbates ALI in mice.

The triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (TREM-1) is a pro-inflammatory immune receptor potentiating acute lung injury (ALI). However, the mechanism of TREM-1-triggered inflammation response remains poorly understood. Here, we showed that TREM-1 blocking attenuated NOD-, LRR- and pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation and glycolysis in LPS-induced ALI mice. Then, we observed that TREM-1 activation enhanced glucose consumption, induced glycolysis, and inhibited oxidative phosphorylation in macrophages. Specifically, inhibition of glycolysis with 2-deoxyglucose diminished NLRP3 inflammasome activation of macrophages triggered by TREM-1. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) is a critical transcriptional regulator of glycolysis. We further found that TREM-1 activation facilitated HIF-1α accumulation and translocation to the nucleus

Background: Arachidonic acid (ARA) metabolites are involved in the pathogenesis of epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT). However, the role of ARA metabolism in the progression of EMT in pulmonary fibrosis (PF) has not been fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of cytochrome P450 oxidase (CYP)/ soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) metabolic disorders of ARA in EMT during PF.Methods: A signal intratracheal injection of bleomycin (BLM) was given to induce PF in C57BL/6J mice. A COX-2/sEH dual inhibitor PTUPB was used to establish the function of CYPs/COX-2 dysregulation to EMT in PF mice. In vitro experiments, murine alveolar epithelial cells (MLE12) and human alveolar epithelial cells (A549) were used to explore the roles and mechanisms of PTUPB on transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1-induced EMT. Results: PTUPB treatment reversed the increase of mesenchymal marker molecule α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and the loss of epithelial marker molecule E-Cadherin in lung tissue of PF mice. In vitro, COX-2 and sEH protein levels were increased in TGF-β1-treated alveolar epithelial cells (AECs). PTUPB decreased the expression of α-SMA and restored the expression of E-cadherin in TGF-β1-treated AECs, accompanied by reduced migration and collagen synthesis. Moreover, PTUPB attenuates TGF-β1-Smad2/3 pathway activation in AECs via Nrf2 antioxidant cascade.Conclusion: PTUPB inhibits EMT in AECs via Nrf2-mediated inhibition of the TGF-β1-Smad2/3 pathway, which holds great promise for the clinical treatment of PF.

Background Uncontrolled inflammation is an important factor in the occurrence and development of acute lung injury (ALI). Fibroblast growth factor-inducible 14 (Fn14), a plasma membrane-anchored receptor, takes part in the pathological process of a variety of acute and chronic inflammatory diseases. However, the role of Fn14 in ALI has not yet been elucidated. This study aimed to investigate whether the activation of Fn14 exacerbated lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI in mice. Methods In vivo, ALI was induced by intratracheal LPS-challenge combined with/without Fn14 receptor blocker aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA) treatment in C57BL/6J mice. Following LPS administration, the survival rate, lung tissue injury, inflammatory cell infiltration, inflammatory factor secretion, oxidative stress, and NLRP3 inflammasome activation were assessed. In vitro, primary murine macrophages were used to evaluate the underlying mechanism by which Fn14 activated the NLRP3 inflammasome. Lentivirus was used to silence Fn14 to observe its effect on the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in macrophages. Results In this study, we found that Fn14 expression was significantly increased in the lungs of LPS-induced ALI mice. The inhibition of Fn14 with ATA downregulated the protein expression of Fn14 in the lungs and improved the survival rate of mice receiving a lethal dose of LPS. ATA also attenuated lung tissue damage by decreasing the infiltration of macrophages and neutrophils, reducing inflammation, and suppressing oxidative stress. Importantly, we found that ATA strongly inhibited the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in the lungs of ALI mice. Furthermore, in vitro, TWEAK, a natural ligand of Fn14, amplified the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in the primary murine macrophage. By contrast, inhibition of Fn14 with shRNA decreased the expression of Fn14, NLRP3, Caspase-1 p10, and Caspase-1 p20, and the production of IL-1β and IL-18. Furthermore, the activation of Fn14 promoted the production of reactive oxygen species and inhibited the activation of Nrf2-HO-1 in activated macrophages. Conclusions Our study first reports that the activation of Fn14 aggravates ALI by amplifying the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome. Therefore, blocking Fn14 may be a potential way to treat ALI.

Expanded non-coding RNA repeats of CCUG are the underlying genetic causes for myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2). There is an urgent need for effective medications and potential drug targets that may alleviate the progression of the disease. In this study, 3140 small-molecule drugs from FDA-approved libraries were screened through lethality and locomotion phenotypes using a DM2

Arachidonic acid (ARA) metabolites are involved in the pathogenesis of epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT). However, the role of ARA metabolism in the progression of EMT during pulmonary fibrosis (PF) has not been fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of cytochrome P450 oxidase (CYP)/soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) metabolic disorders of ARA in EMT during PF.A signal intratracheal injection of bleomycin (BLM) was given to induce PF in C57BL/6 J mice. A COX-2/sEH dual inhibitor PTUPB was used to establish the function of CYPs/COX-2 dysregulation to EMT in PF mice.PTUPB treatment reversed the increase of mesenchymal marker moleculePTUPB inhibits EMT in AECs

Background: Arachidonic acid (ARA) metabolites are involved in the pathogenesis of epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT). However, the role of ARA metabolism in the progression of EMT in pulmonary fibrosis (PF) has not been fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of cytochrome P450 oxidase (CYP)/ soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) metabolic disorders of ARA in EMT during PF.Methods: A signal intratracheal injection of bleomycin (BLM) was given to induce PF in C57BL/6J mice. A COX-2/sEH dual inhibitor PTUPB was used to establish the function of CYPs/COX-2 dysregulation to EMT in PF mice. In vitro experiments, murine alveolar epithelial cells (MLE12) and human alveolar epithelial cells (A549) were used to explore the roles and mechanisms of PTUPB on transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1-induced EMT. Results: PTUPB treatment reversed the increase of mesenchymal marker molecule α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and the loss of epithelial marker molecule E-Cadherin in lung tissue of PF mice. In vitro, COX-2 and sEH protein levels were increased in TGF-β1-treated alveolar epithelial cells (AECs). PTUPB decreased the expression of α-SMA and restored the expression of E-cadherin in TGF-β1-treated AECs, accompanied by reduced migration and collagen synthesis. Moreover, PTUPB alleviated the activation of the TGF-β1-Smad2/3 pathway induced by TGF-β1 in AECs.Conclusion: PTUPB inhibits TGF-β1-induced EMT via inhibition of the TGF-β1-Smad2/3 pathway, which holds great promise for the clinical treatment of PF.

Organ fibrosis often ends in eventual organ failure and leads to high mortality. Although researchers have identified many effector cells and molecular pathways, there are few effective therapies for fibrosis to date and the underlying mechanism needs to be examined and defined further. Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) are endogenous lipid metabolites of arachidonic acid (ARA) synthesized by cytochrome P450 (CYP) epoxygenases. EETs are rapidly metabolized primarily via the soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) pathway. The sEH pathway produces dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHETs), which have lower activity. Stabilized or increased EETs levels exert several protective effects, including pro-angiogenesis, anti-inflammation, anti-apoptosis, and anti-senescence. Currently, intensive investigations are being carried out on their anti-fibrotic effects in the kidney, heart, lung, and liver. The present review provides an update on how the stabilized or increased production of EETs is a reasonable theoretical basis for fibrosis treatment.

A modified Stober method is applied to synthesize the magnetic core-shell Fe3O4@SiO2 particles, followed by compositing a series of porous glucose-derived carbon with ZnCl2 as etchant. Then, ultrafine Pd nanoparticles (NPs) are successfully anchored to the resulting Fe3O4@SiO2-PC composites with an in-situ reduction strategy. The particle sizes of Pd NPs are mainly centered in the range of 2.3–4.3 nm in the as-prepared Pd/Fe3O4@SiO2-PC catalysts, owning a hierarchical porous structure with high specific surface area (SBET = 626.0 m2 g−1) and large pore volume (Vp = 0.61 cm3 g−1). Their catalytic behavior for the hydrogen generation from ammonia borane (AB) hydrolysis is investigated in details. The corresponding apparent activation energy is as low as 28.4 kJ mol−1 and the reaction orders with AB and Pd concentrations are near zero and 1.10 under the present conditions, respectively. In addition, the magnetic catalysts, which could be easily separated out by a magnet, are still highly active even after nine runs, revealing their excellent reusability.

Rationale: Dysregulation of arachidonic acid (ARA) metabolism results in inflammation; however, its role in acute lung injury (ALI) remains elusive. In this study, we addressed the role of dysregulated ARA metabolism in cytochromes P450 (CYPs) /cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) pathways in the pathogenesis of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI in mice. Methods: The metabolism of CYPs/COX-2-derived ARA in the lungs of LPS-induced ALI was investigated in C57BL/6 mice. The COX-2/sEH dual inhibitor PTUPB was used to establish the function of CYPs/COX-2 dysregulation in ALI. Primary murine macrophages were used to evaluate the underlying mechanism of PTUPB involved in the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in vitro. Results: Dysregulation of CYPs/COX-2 metabolism of ARA occurred in the lungs and in primary macrophages under the LPS challenge. Decrease mRNA expression of Cyp2j9, Cyp2j6, and Cyp2j5 was observed, which metabolize ARA into epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs). The expressions of COX-2 and soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), on the other hand, was significantly upregulated. Pre-treatment with the dual COX-2 and sEH inhibitor, PTUPB, attenuated the pathological injury of lung tissues and reduced the infiltration of inflammatory cells. Furthermore, PTUPB decreased the pro-inflammatory factors, oxidative stress, and activation of NACHT, LRR, and PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in LPS-induced ALI mice. PTUPB pre-treatment remarkably reduced the activation of macrophages and NLRP3 inflammasome in vitro. Significantly, both preventive and therapeutic treatment with PTUPB improved the survival rate of mice receiving a lethal dose of LPS. Conclusion: The dysregulation of CYPs/COX-2 metabolized ARA contributes to the uncontrolled inflammatory response in ALI. The dual COX-2 and sEH inhibitor PTUPB exerts anti-inflammatory effects in treating ALI by inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Adsorption and photocatalytic degradation are effective strategies to purify the wastewater caused by organic dyes. In this study, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) powders are prepared from melamine with a thermal decomposition method, which are applied to synthesize the direct Z-scheme g-C3N4-ZnO@graphene aerogel (g-C3N4-ZnO@GA) heterojunctions with a hydrothermal self-assembly combined with freeze-drying. As adsorbents and photocatalysts, the heterojunctions exhibit superior adsorption capacity and catalytic activity for the elimination of organic pollutants irradiated by UV and visible light. Among all the materials, g-C3N4-ZnO@GA(30%) displays the best purification efficiencies of rhodamine B (RhB) under both UV and visible light illumination, reaching 81.0% and 82.7%, respectively, because of its hierarchical porous structure and the synergistic effect among the components. More importantly, g-C3N4-ZnO@GA(30%) possesses good reusability, which can keep 87.1% of the initial activity after four cycles. What's more, the heterojunctions also demonstrate high removal efficiency for other organic dyes, such as methyl orange (MO), demonstrating their promising application in environmental remediation. Finally, based on the experimental investigations, a reasonable photocatalytic mechanism is proposed and analyzed. The present work provides a promising way to construct the direct Z-scheme porous heterojunctions for elimination of environmental pollutants.

The sulfonated carbon derived from loofah sponge are prepared and used as catalysts to synthesize ethyl levulinate. Various synthetic and reaction parameters on the catalytic efficiency are comparatively investigated. The acidic density of the resultant catalysts with a satisfactory reusability is as high as 1.59 mmol g−1. The conversion of levulinic acid can reach 91% under the optimized conditions. The results show that the catalysts have great potential to be an environmentally friendly alternative solid acid for the synthesis of ethyl levulinate fuel additive.

Graphene-based three-dimensional (3D) aerogel hybrids have recently emerged as a new class of functional materials and applied in many fields. In this work, we assemble the spherical CdS nanoparticles in situ in graphene aerogel (GA) by a facile one-pot hydrothermal method. The resultant CdS-GA hybrids possess a hierarchical porous structure and there is strong electronic interaction between CdS and GA, which enhances the adsorption capacity and photocatalytic activity for the elimination of organic contaminants in water under visible light irradiation, such as rhodamine B (RhB), methylene blue (MB), acid chrome blue K (AcbK), methyl orange (MO), and ciprofloxacin (CIP). The removal efficiencies of CdS-GA for MO, MB, CIP, RhB, AcbK are 15.6, 6.6, 4.4, 2.8, and 2.2 times of pure CdS, respectively. Meanwhile, the resultant CdS-GA hybrids display good reusability. In addition, a photocatalytic mechanism is also discussed. This provides a valuable alternative to explore semiconductor-GA hybrids with outstanding adsorption capacity and superior visible-light induced photocatalytic activity.

In this study, pharmaceutically relevant quinazoline-2,4(1H,3H)-diones were synthesized eco-efficiently by cycloaddition of CO2 and 2-aminobenzonitrile in water, catalyzed by melamine as a thermoregulated catalyst. Quinazoline-2,4(1H,3H)-dione was produced selectively with 92% yield at 120 °C, 4.2 MPa, and automatically separated from the hot catalytic aqueous solution, which was reused directly for several runs until its activity decreased in an obvious manner. Then, the catalyst melamine was recrystallized from the spent aqueous solution via simple cooling and reused for another several catalytic runs. The efficient valorization of CO2 and the straightforward stepwise recovery of the products and catalyst were important to save energy and minimize process waste for the practical industrial production.

Heterojunction of cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanospheres and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) is performed by using an ice crystal template method combined with a freeze drying-calcination process. The resultant CdS-RGO with hierarchal porous structure possesses strong light absorption visible region and has higher specific surface area than the pristine CdS. Eventually, it exhibits much better adsorptivity and higher visible light-derived photocatalytic activity than the pristine CdS and RGO for eliminating organic pollutants in wastewater. The corresponding total removal efficiencies for rhodamine B (RhB) dyes and acid chrome blue K (AcbK) dyes are 97.2% and 65.7% under the present conditions, respectively. Remarkably, the heterojunction demonstrates excellent light corrosion resistance and superior reusability. The relative removal efficiency only loss 1.8% in the 4th run in comparison of that of the 1st run over the resultant CdS-RGO heterojunction. The results confirm the resultant heterojunction with high efficiency to be applied in elimination of organic pollutants in wastewater.

Citrate has a prominent role as a substrate in cellular energy metabolism. Recently, citrate has been shown to drive inflammation. However, the role of citrate in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) remains unclear. Here, we aimed to clarify whether extracellular citrate aggravated the LPS-induced ALI and the potential mechanism. Our findings demonstrated that extracellular citrate aggravated the pathological lung injury induced by LPS in mice, characterized by up-regulation of pro-inflammatory factors and over-activation of NACHT, LRR, and PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in the lungs. In vitro, we found that citrate treatment significantly augmented the expression of NLRP3 and pro-IL-1β and enhanced the translocation of NF-κB/p65 into the nucleus. Furthermore, extracellular citrate plus adenosine-triphosphate (ATP) significantly increased the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in primary murine macrophages. Inhibiting the production of ROS with a ROS scavenger N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) attenuated the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome. Altogether, we conclude that extracellular citrate may serve as a damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) and aggravates LPS-induced ALI by activating the NLRP3 inflammasome.

Arachidonic acid can be metabolized to prostaglandins and epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) by cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and cytochrome P450 (CYP), respectively. While protective EETs are degraded by soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) very fast. We have reported that dual inhibition of COX-2 and sEH with specific inhibitor PTUPB shows anti-pulmonary fibrosis and renal protection. However, the effect of PTUPB on cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced sepsis remains unclear. The current study aimed to investigate the protective effects of PTUPB against CLP-induced sepsis in mice and the underlying mechanisms. We found that COX-2 expressions were increased, while CYPs expressions were decreased in the liver, lung, and kidney of mice undergone CLP. PTUPB treatment significantly improved the survival rate, reduced the clinical scores and systemic inflammatory response, alleviated liver and kidney dysfunction, and ameliorated the multiple-organ injury of the mice with sepsis. Besides, PTUPB treatment reduced the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α in the liver, lung, and kidney of septic mice. Importantly, we found that PTUPB treatment suppressed the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in the liver and lung of septic mice. Meanwhile, we found that PTUPB attenuated the oxidative stress, which contributed to the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome. Altogether, our data, for the first time, demonstrate that dual inhibition of COX-2 and sEH with PTUPB ameliorates the multiple organ dysfunction in septic mice.

The hybrid consisting of ZnO nanocrystals and graphene aerogel (GA) are facilely assembled with a one-pot hydrothermal method combined with freeze-drying process. Their adsorption capacity and photocatalytic degradation performance in the removal of methylene blue (MB) under visible and UV light irradiation are evaluated in details. The results show that the hybrids exhibit much better adsorptivity and higher photocatalytic activity than pristine ZnO and most of the ZnO-based materials reported previously. Meanwhile, the hybrids also possess excellent photochemical stability. Among them, GA-ZnO(5) displays the highest adsorptive efficiency (94.2%) and the best total removal efficiency for MB dye (95.9%) under visible light irradiation. And GA-ZnO(3) exhibits the best total removal efficiency (97.6%) irradiated by UV light under the harsh conditions. A possible photocatalytic mechanism is also proposed. As a result, the 3D GA-ZnO hybrids are confirmed to be a promising functional material in field of wastewater remediation.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects 25% of the global adult population, and no effective pharmacological treatment has been found. Products of arachidonic acid metabolism have been developed into a novel therapy for metabolic syndrome and diabetes. It has been demonstrated that protective actions of a novel dual cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitor, PTUPB, on the metabolic abnormalities. Here, we investigated the effects of PTUPB on hepatic steatosis in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice, as well as in hepatocytes in vitro. We found that PTUPB treatment reduced body weight, liver weight, liver triglyceride and cholesterol content, and the expression of lipolytic/lipogenic and lipid uptake related genes (Acc, Cd36, and Cidec) in HFD mice. In addition, PTUPB treatment arrested fibrotic progression with a decrease of collagen deposition and expression of Col1a1, Col1a3, and α-SMA. In vitro, PTUPB decreased palmitic acid-induced lipid deposition and downregulation of lipolytic/lipogenic genes (Acc and Cd36) in hepatocytes. Additionally, we found that PTUPB reduced the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and suppressed the NLRP3 inflammasome activation in HFD mice and hepatocytes. In conclusion, dual inhibition of COX-2/sEH attenuates hepatic steatosis by inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome activation. PTUPB might be a promising potential therapy for liver steatosis associated with obesity.

Expanded non-coding RNA repeats of CCUG are the underlying genetic causes for myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2). There is an urgent need for effective medications and potential drug targets that may alleviate the progression of the disease. In this study, 3140 small-molecule drugs from FDA-approved libraries were screened through lethality and locomotion phenotypes using a DM2 Drosophila model expressing 720 CCTG repeats in the muscle. We identified ten effective drugs that improved survival and locomotor activity of DM2 flies, including four that share the same predicted targets in the TGF-β pathway. The pathway comprises two major branches, the Activin and BMP pathways, which play critical and complex roles in skeletal development, maintenance of homeostasis, and regeneration. The Drosophila model recapitulates pathological features of muscle degeneration in DM2, displaying shortened lifespan, a decline in climbing ability, and progressive muscle degeneration. Increased levels of p-smad3 in response to activin signaling were observed in DM2 flies. Decreased levels of activin signaling using additional specific inhibitors or genetic method ameliorated climbing defects, crushed thoraxes, structure, and organization of muscle fibers. Our results demonstrate that a decrease in activin signaling is sufficient to rescue muscle degeneration and is, therefore, a potential therapeutic target for DM2.

Gluconic metabolic reprogramming, immune response, and inflammation are intimately linked. Glycolysis involves in the pathologic progress in acute and chronic inflammatory diseases. However, the involvement of glycolysis in the acute lung injury (ALI) is still unclear. This study investigated the role of glycolysis in an animal model of ALI. First, we found that lactate content in serum was remarkably increased in ALI patients and a murine model induced by intratracheal administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The key proteins involving in glycolysis were robustly elevated, including HK2, PKM2, and HIF-1α. Intriguingly, inhibition of glycolysis by 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) pronouncedly attenuated the lung tissue pathological injury, accumulation of neutrophil, oxidative stress, expression of proinflammatory factors in the lung of ALI mice induced by LPS. The 2-DG treatment also strongly suppressed the activation of the NOD-like receptor (NLR) family and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome. Furthermore, we investigated the role of glycolysis in the inflammatory response of primary murine macrophages activated by LPS in vitro. We found that the 2-DG treatment remarkably reduced the expression of proinflammatory factors induced by LPS, including tumor necrosis factor-α messenger RNA (mRNA), pro-interleukin (IL)-1β mRNA, pro-IL-18 mRNA, NLRP3 mRNA, caspase-1 mRNA, and IL-1β protein. Altogether, these data provide a novel link between gluconic metabolism reprogramming and uncontrolled inflammatory response in ALI. This study suggests glycolytic inhibition as an effective anti-inflammatory strategy in treating ALI.

As supercapacitor electrode materials, the sustainable biomass-derived activated carbons have attracted a great deal of attentions due to their low-cost, abundant, and unwanted natural wastes. In this work, a facile KOH activation method is adopted to prepare activated carbon tubes from the biomass waste-cotonier strobili fibers for the first time. The resultant PTAC-x materials possess highly accessible surface areas and abundant micro-mesopores, which benefit large ion storage and high-rate ion transfer. The optimized material denoted as PTAC-6 demonstrates a high specific capacity (346.1 F g−1 at 1 A g−1) and a superior rate performance (214.5 F g−1 at 50 A g−1) in the three-electrode supercapacitors. In addition, the symmetric supercapacitor exhibits excellent cycling stability with a capacitance retention of 84.21% and a columbic efficiency of nearly 100% after 10,000 cycles. Furthermore, the PTAC-6-based symmetric supercapacitor gives a remarkable specific energy of 33.04 Wh kg−1 at 160 W kg−1. Meanwhile, our proposed porous activated carbon tubes provide a green and low-cost electrode material for high-performance supercapacitors.

Chitosan supported palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs/CS) catalysts were facilely prepared via an in-situ reduction of PdCl2 method and characterized by various techniques. The results showed that the palladium particles were in the range of 4–8 nm and evenly dispersed on chitosan. Furthermore, the resulting Pd NPs/CS catalysts showed high catalytic activity for the hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane (NH3BH3, AB) in aqueous solution. As for the catalytic reaction with an activation energy (Ea) of 36.25 kJ mol−1, the orders of palladium and AB concentrations were 0.81 and 0.45, respectively. The maximum turnover frequency was as high as 24.76 mol H 2 · mol Pd -1 · min -1 at 30 °C. In addition, the Pd NPs/CS catalysts still kept satisfied catalytic activity even after eleven runs.

The novel graphene oxide-ionic liquid grafted chitosan composites (denoted as GO-ILCS) are firstly prepared via a self-assembly process. Then, they are used to anchor ultrafine palladium nanoparticles by the in-situ reduction of palladium chloride with sodium borohydride. The resultant Pd(0)/GO-ILCS organic-inorganic hybrid catalysts are characterized by various techniques and used to catalyze the hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane (NH3BH3, AB) under ambient conditions. The results reveal that the palladium nanoparticles are highly dispersed on GO-ILCS and the Pd(0)/GO-ILCS catalysts exhibit high catalytic activity and excellent reusability in the reaction. The turnover frequency (TOF) is as high as 25.6 mo l H 2 ·mo l Pd -1 ·mi n -1 and the catalytic activity does not decrease obviously after six runs. The orders of palladium and AB concentrations are 1.00 and 0.33 in the catalytic reaction, respectively. Notably, the activation energy of the reaction (Ea = 38 kJ mol−1) over the resultant catalysts is obviously lower than most of the palladium-based catalysts reported previously. It is expected the Pd(0)/GO-ILCS catalysts are of exciting potential in the field of hydrogen energy.

A series of Fe2O3 and TiO2 co-doped graphene aerogel (Fe2O3–TiO2–GA) nanocomposites with a unique 3D architecture are assembled by a one-pot hydrothermal method combined with freeze-drying. The one with 30 wt% Fe2O3 exhibits the highest adsorptivity (95.0%) and the another with 25 wt% Fe2O3 displays the highest total efficiency (97.7%) including adsorption and visible light-driven photocatalytic degradation for rhodamine B dyes (20.0 mg L−1, 25 mL) within 1 h over 5.0 mg of the nanocomposites. The materials also display satisfactory cyclic stability and the removal efficiency can be 81.8% even after four runs. Additionally, a related photocatalytic mechanism is proposed.

The graphitic carbon nitride-titanium dioxide-graphene aerogel (g-C3N4-TiO2-GA) composites were facilely assembled by a hydrothermal approach combined with freeze drying. The adsorptivity for rhodamine B (RhB, 20.0 mg L−1, 25 mL) within 1 h over 5.0 mg of the composites was as high as 96.5% in dark and could be up to 98.4% under visible light irradiation. Furthermore, the resulting composites also displayed satisfactory cyclic stability and the removal efficiency could be 75.6% even after four cycles of removal. In addition, a photocatalytic mechanism was proposed for the composite. The result demonstrated that the g-C3N4-TiO2-GA composites could be effectively used for the elimination of organic dyes under visible light irradiation because of their unique 3D hierarchical porous structure and the synergistic effect among the components.

Biomass carbon source is generally cheap, environmentally friendly and readily available in high quality and quantity. In this work, a series of loofah sponge-derived activated carbon (SAC-x) with hierarchical porous structures are prepared by KOH chemical activation and used as electrode materials for supercapacitors. The pore size can be easily controllable by changing the dosage of KOH. The optimized material (SAC-4) exhibits a high specific capacitance of 309.6 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 in the three-electrode system using 6 M KOH electrolyte. More importantly, the as-assembled symmetric supercapacitor based on SAC-4 exhibits a high energy density of 16.1 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 160.0 W kg−1 using 1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte. These remarkable results demonstrate the exciting commercial potential of SAC-x for high-performance supercapacitor applications due to their high specific surface area, appropriately porous structure, and the trace heteroatom (O and N) functionalities.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is an intrapulmonary neuropeptide with multi-function, including anti-fibrosis. However, the exact role of VIP in pulmonary fibrosis has not been documented. Here, we investigated the protective effect of VIP against pulmonary fibrosis in a murine model induced by bleomycin (BLM). We found that the overexpression of VIP mediated by the adenoviral vector significantly attenuated the lung tissue destruction, reduced the deposition of the extracellular matrix, and inhibited the expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in the lungs of mice received BLM. Mechanismly, we found that VIP significantly suppressed the transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1)-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and inhibited the matrix-producing ability of alveolar epithelial cells in vitro. Furthermore, we found that TGF-β1 depressed the autophagy and an autophagy inductor partly reversed the TGF-β1-induced EMT in alveolar epithelial cells. The impaired autophagy was also observed in the lungs of BLM-treated mice, which was restored by VIP treatment. And VIP treatment enhanced autophagy in TGF-β1-stimulated alveolar epithelial cells, contributing to its anti-EMT effect. In summary, our data, for the first time, show that VIP attenuates BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice with anti-EMT effect through restoring autophagy in alveolar epithelial cells. This study provides a possibility that inhaled long-acting VIP may be an anti-fibrotic drug in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.

Nitrogen-doped graphene aerogel nanomesh (N-GANM) has been hydrothermally prepared from graphene oxide and ammonium hydroxide using iron nitrate as the etching agent. The results showed that N-GANM with an interesting nanomesh structure on the graphene sheets maintained the 3D architecture of graphene aerogel (GA). Furthermore, it exhibited excellent electrochemical capacitive behavior and the specific capacitance value (290.0 F g −1 at 1 A g −1 ) remained approximately 90.3% after 2000 cycles in the three-electrode system. In addition, N-GANM displayed an energy density of 30.9 Wh kg −1 at the power density of 450.3 W kg −1 and excellent cycling stability retention (98%) after 10,000 cycles in the two-electrode symmetric device. The resulting N-GANM was expected to be a much favorable supercapacitor electrode material due to the heteroatom-doping and its unique porous structure.

Magnetic chitosan (CS-Fe3O4) was synthesized via a co-precipitation method and used as supports to anchor palladium nanoparticles (Pd(0)/CS-Fe3O4) by chemical reduction of PdCl2 with NaBH4. The results showed that the nanosized palladium particles were highly dispersed onto CS-Fe3O4 and the resulting Pd(0)/CS-Fe3O4 catalysts exhibited high catalytic activity and good recyclability for the hydrolysis of ammonia borane (NH3BH3, AB). The turnover frequency (TOF) of the catalysts was as high as 15.0 m o l H 2 · m o l P d − 1 · m i n − 1 at 30 °C and the catalytic activity had not obvious decrease even after eight recycle experiments. The results of kinetic experiments showed that the activation energy of the reaction (Ea) is 35.94 kJ mol−1. The orders of palladium and AB concentrations in the catalytic reaction were 0.70 and 0.62, respectively.

The hollow activated carbon nanomesh (PCACM) with a hierarchical porous structure is derived from biowaste-poplar catkins by in-situ calcination etching with Ni(NO 3 ) 2 ·6H 2 O and KOH in N 2 flow combined with an acid dissolution technique. This procedure not only inherits the natural tube morphology of poplar catkins, but also generates a fascinating nanomesh structure on the walls. PCACM possesses a large specific surface area (S BET = 1893.0 m 2 g −1 ) and high total pore volume (V p = 1.495 cm 3 g −1 ), and displays an exciting meso-macoporous structure with a concentrated pore size distribution of 4.53 nm. The specific capacitance of PCACM is as high as 314.6 F g −1 at 1.0 A g −1 when used as the electrode materials for supercapacitor. Furthermore, the symmetric supercapacitor of PCACM with 1.0 M Na 2 SO 4 solution as the electrolyte displays a high energy density of 20.86 Wh kg −1 at a power density of 180.13 W kg −1 within a wide voltage rage of 0–1.8 V, which is comparable or even obviously higher than those of other biomass derived carbon reported. It is noteworthy that PCACM also exhibits superior cycling stability and coulombic efficiency. The excellent electrochemical behaviors enable PCACM to be a promising electrode material for supercapacitors.

Mesoporous TiO2 nanocrystals were hydrothermally synthesized and then dispersed in graphene oxide (GO) solution through ultrasonicated treatment. Visible light photocatalysts incorporating TiO2 nanocrystals and reduced GO (TiO2-rGO) were obtained by subsequent rapid solidification with liquid nitrogen, freeze-drying and heat treatment in flowing nitrogen. The resulting samples were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission election microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance ultraviolet–visible (DR UV–Vis) spectroscopy and nitrogen adsorption-desorption. Their adsorption capacity and visible light photocatalytic degradation activity in the elimination of rhodamine B (RhB) were evaluated at room temperature. The results showed that the mesoporous TiO2 nanoparticles were well dispersed onto rGO, leading to the enhanced adsorption of RhB and absorption of visible light. Consequently, the resulting TiO2-rGO hybrids showed outstanding efficiency for the elimination of RhB. Furthermore, the content of rGO had substantial influences on the photocatalytic performance of hybrids, which was the best for the hybrid with a content of rGO of 20% [TiO2-rGO(20)]. The adsorptive efficiency in the elimination of RhB dye with an initial concentration of 20.0 mg L−1 was as high as 66.7% and the photo-degradation efficiency may reach up to 81% under visible light irradiation over 10.0 mg of TiO2-rGO(20).

Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) derived from arachidonic acid exert anti-inflammation effects. We have reported that blocking the degradation of EETs with a soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitor protects mice from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI). The underlying mechanisms remain essential questions. In this study, we investigated the effects of EETs on the activation of nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat-containing receptor, pyrin domain-containing-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in murine macrophages. In an LPS-induced ALI murine model, we found that sEH inhibitor 1-trifluoromethoxyphenyl-3-(1-propionylpiperidin-4-yl), TPPU, profoundly attenuated the pathological injury and inhibited the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, characterized by the reduction of the protein expression of NLRP3, ASC, pro-caspase-1, interleukin precursor (pro-IL-1β), and IL-1β p17 in the lungs of LPS-treated mice. In vitro, primary peritoneal macrophages from C57BL/6 were primed with LPS and activated with exogenous adenosine triphosphate (ATP). TPPU treatment remarkably reduced the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome-related molecules and blocked the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome. Importantly, four EETs (5,6-EET, 8,9-EET, 11,12-EET, and 14,15-EET) inhibited the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome induced by LPS + ATP or LPS + nigericin in macrophages in various degree. While the inhibitory effect of 5,6-EET was the weakest. Mechanismly, EETs profoundly decreased the content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and restored the calcium overload in macrophages receiving LPS + ATP stimulation. In conclusion, this study suggests that EETs inhibit the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome by suppressing calcium overload and ROS production in macrophages, contributing to the therapeutic potency to ALI.

Constructing S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts reveals a greatly improved separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers and enhanced harvesting ability of solar energy in photocatalytic field. Herein, a ternary CdS-g-C3N4-GA heterojunction has been fabricated by a facile ultrasound strategy, which behaved as a S-scheme heterojunction with an intimate interface formed, and GA played as an electronic transportation platform to promote the separation of photo-induced charge carriers, which was certified through photoelectrochemical techniques. Density functional theory calculations revealed that the different component in ternary CdS-g-C3N4-GA heterojunction demonstrated an obvious difference of work function, resulting in the charge transfer from CdS to g-C3N4 through GA with S-scheme principle. In the optimized conditions, the S-scheme CdS-g-C3N4-GA heterojunction not only displayed greatly enhanced photocatalytic performances for degradation of dye and antibiotic wastewater, but also improved photocatalytic H2 production activity. In addition, the photocatalytic mechanism and driving force of charge transfer and separation in S-scheme CdS-g-C3N4-GA heterojunction were studied. This study offers a feasible strategy to construct a ternary S-scheme heterojunction for environmental and energy photocatalysis.

Three-dimensional (3D) a-Fe2O3@graphene aerogel (a-Fe2O3@GA) composites with an a-Fe2O3 content as high as 54 wt% were prepared via a gas-liquid interfacial assembly method. It was found that the a-Fe2O3 nanoparticles were well dispersed and embedded into the 3D porous structure of graphene aerogel (GA). Compared with that (SBET = 82 m2 g−1) of pristine a-Fe2O3, the resulting composites exhibited much higher specific surface area (SBET = 261 m2 g−1). The composites used as anode materials for lithium ion batteries maintained a high reversible capacity of 745 mAh g−1 at a current density of 100 mA g−1 or more than 240 mAh g−1 at a current density of 2000 mA g−1 after 100 cycles, and exhibited superior stable electrochemical cycling performance and excellent rate capability. The superior electrochemical performances were attributed to the synergistic effects of the unique 3D porous structure of the composites with high contents of well dispersed a-Fe2O3.

3D nitrogen-doped graphene aerogel nanomeshes (N-GANMs) with hierarchical porous structures were facilely synthesized from graphene oxide and urea using iron nitrate as the etching agent. The resulting materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, and N2 adsorption–desorption. The supercapacitor performance was characterized by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, respectively. Compared with the bare graphene aerogel (GA), N-GANMs showed higher specific surface area, more abundant meso-macroporous pores, and much better electrochemical properties. The specific capacitance of N-GANMs was as high as 345.8 F g−1, which was much higher than that of GA and most of the reported carbon-based materials, and the value remains at about 321.0 F g−1 over 2000 cycles at 1.0 A g−1 in 2.0 M KOH. In addition, the N-GANMs demonstrated a high energy density of 20.82 W h kg−1 at a power density of 449.97 W kg−1 and their cycle performance remained approximately 100% after 10 000 cycles at 5.0 A g−1 in 1.0 M Na2SO4. The excellent behaviors might have originated from their hierarchical porous structures and the incorporation of nitrogen.

3D graphene aerogel (GA) was synthesized from graphene oxide (GO) using a hydrothermal procedure combined with freeze-drying. Then, they were used to assemble the supported H 3 PW 12 O 40 (HPW) catalysts. The optimization of the reaction parameters for levulinic acid esterification with ethanol was performed and the catalytic performance of the HPW/GA catalysts was comparatively investigated. The results showed that these catalysts had abundant porous structure. In particular, they were found to be efficient in the synthesis of ethyl levulinate, which is promising in reducing the consumption of petroleum-derived fossil fuels.

TiO 2 -graphene aerogel (TiO 2 -GA) 3D hybrids were directly assembled via a one-pot hydrothermal process followed by freeze-drying without using any structure-directing agent. The hybrids with a hierarchical structure exhibited large surface area (S BET = 283.6 m 2 g −1 ) and high pore volume (V p = 0.278 cm 3 g −1 ), in which the ultradispersed TiO 2 nanoparticles were in a single crystal phase of anatase. When used as the anodes for lithium ion battery, the TiO 2 -GA hybrids exhibited higher reversible capacity, more stable cycling performance and better rate-capability than TiO 2 ascribed to the unique 3D nanoporous structure and the synergistic interaction of GA and TiO 2 .

Three-dimensional (3D) α -Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticle anchored graphene aerogel (Fe 2 O 3 @GA) composites were assembled by a hydrothermal method using Fe(OH) 3 colloids and graphene oxides as starting materials. It was found that the Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles were uniformly embedded into the 3D networks of graphene aerogels and the resulting composites contained meso- and macro-scale pores. Remarkably, the composites possessed much higher surface area (S BET = 212.5 m 2 g −1 ) and larger pore volume (V p = 0.2073 cm 3 g −1 ) than those of pure Fe 2 O 3 (S BET = 19.8 m 2 g −1 , V p = 0.1770 cm 3 g −1 ). The Fe 2 O 3 @GA composites used as electrode materials for lithium ion batteries were demonstrated to exhibit high reversible capacity at large current densities and excellent cycling stabilities.

Aluminum-substituted MCM-41 (Al-MCM-41) were hydrothermally synthesised and used as supports to fabricate the mesostructured H3PW12O40 (HPW) solid acid catalysts via an impregnation method. The influences of various HPW loadings on the structures of the catalysts were verified by X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen physisorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) measurements and their acidities were evaluated by infrared of pyridine adsorption (Py-IR) and temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia (NH3-TPD) measurements. The optimisation of the reaction conditions for levulinic acid esterification with n-hexanol such as the reaction temperature and time, the reactant molar ratio, and the catalyst dosages was performed to maximise the conversion of levulinic acid. The effects of various HPW loadings on the conversion of levulinic acid were investigated under the o...

A novel facile strategy was developed to prepare the Fe 3 O 4 @graphene aerogel (Fe 3 O 4 @GA) composites. Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed into the 3D network of graphene aerogel and the resultant hybrid composites contained meso- and macro-scale pores with high specific surface area (276.9 m 2 g −1 ) and large pore volume (0.3230 cm 3 g –1 ). The electrochemical performance revealed that the Fe 3 O 4 @GA anode exhibited high reversible capacity (~941.5 mAh g −1 at a current density of 100 mA g −1 ), stable cycling performance, and excellent rate capability.

MCM-41 was synthesized with a non-hydrothermal procedure and then used to assemble a series of supported H3PW12O40 (HPW) mesoporous catalysts. The optimization of the reaction conditions for LA esterification with ethanol, such as the reaction temperature, reaction time, the reactant molar ratio and the catalyst dosages was performed to maximize the conversion of LA over 25 wt% HPW/MCM-41 catalysts. The catalytic performance of the resultant HPW/MCM-41 catalysts was investigated. The results show that these catalysts retain the hexagonal phase of MCM-41 and the Keggin characteristic of HPW. Although their textural parameters decrease with increasing HPW loading, these catalysts still exhibit much higher specific surface area and pore volume (SBET ≥ 446 m2 g−1, VP ≥ 0.345 cm3 g−1) than that of HPW (SBET = 5 m2 g−1, VP = 0.010 cm3 g−1). LA conversion increases with increasing HPW loading and the value may reach up to 83.7 % over 45 wt% HPW/MCM-41 under the present conditions. The resultant ethyl levulinate is promising in reducing the consumption of petroleum-derived fossil fuels.

12-silicotungstic acid (H4SiW12O40, HSiW) was successfully immobilized in the mesoporous molecular sieves MCM-41, which was prepared by an open synthesis method without hydrothermal process, to form a novel catalyst. The HSiW/MCM-41 catalysts preserve the hexagonal mesoporous features of MCM-41 and the typical Keggin structure of bulk HSiW. Up to a loading of 45 wt.%, the HSiW species are found to be homogeneously dispersed on the surfaces or inside the pores of MCM-41 frameworks. The influences of various catalytic reaction parameters such as the reaction temperature, reaction time and types of alcohol on the conversion of levulinic acid were investigated to characterize the catalytic performances of the mesoporous catalysts. Remarkably, the results show that the conversion value could reach 100% under the optimized conditions. The esterification reaction of oleic acid with methanol was also utilized to evaluate the catalytic performances of the mesoporous materials. The HSiW/MCM-41 catalysts exhibit excellent reusability in the esterification reactions and the yield of methyl oleate is as high as 81.2%.

Highlights • NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition reduces TREM-1 expression in the lungs of mice with ALI. • Activation of NLRP3 inflammasome up-regulates TREM-1 expression in murine macrophages via HMGB1 and IL-18. • NLRP3 inflammasome activation induces TREM-1 expression, contributing to the inflammatory network in the lungs of ALI mice., NOD-, LRR- and pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (TREM-1) are considered critical orchestrators of the inflammatory response in acute lung injury (ALI). However, few assumptions are based on the relationship between them. Here, we investigated the effect of NLRP3 inflammasome activation on the TREM-1 expression in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI and macrophages. We found that inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome reduced the TREM-1 expression and pathological lung injury in mice with ALI. Then, primary murine macrophages were used to dissect the underlying mechanistic events of the activation NLRP3 inflammasome involved in the TREM-1 expression. Our results demonstrated that the conditioned medium (CM) from NLRP3 inflammasome-activated-macrophages up-regulated the TREM-1 expression in macrophages, while this effect was reversed by an NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor MCC950. Furthermore, neutralizing antibodies anti-IL-18 and anti-HMGB1 reduced the TREM-1 expression induced by NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Mechanistically, we found that CM from NLRP3 inflammasome-activated-macrophages increased the level of inhibitor κB kinase protein phosphorylation (p-IκBα) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) content, and promoted IκBα protein degradation in macrophages. While the inhibition of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) and scavenging ROS eliminated the up-regulation of TREM-1 induced by the NLRP3 inflammasome activation in macrophages. In summary, our study confers NLRP3 inflammasome as a new trigger of TREM-1 signing, which allows additional insight into the pathological of the inflammatory response in ALI.

Porous semiconductor-based materials are promising for purifying wastewaters caused by organic dyes because of their superior adsorption capacity and photocatalytic activity. Herein, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) thin sheets are prepared by the thermal polymerization method by using ammonium chloride (NH4Cl). The NH4Cl dosage is optimized based on the corresponding photocatalytic efficiency for methylene blue (MB) purification and the optimal g-C3N4 is further construct with graphene aerogel (GA) by a hydrothermal strategy, resulting in the formation of a serious of porous GA-g-C3N4 heterojunctions. Among them, GA-g-C3N4(30%) possesses a hierarchical porous structure with much higher specific surface area (SBET = 161.0 m2 g−1) in comparison with the pristine g-C3N4 (SBET = 26.1 m2 g−1). The purification efficiency of GA-g-C3N4(30%) (5.0 mg) for MB solution (20.0 mg L−1, 25.0 mL) reaches 83.0% within 3 h under visible light irradiation. The combination of GA enhances the adsorption capacity for dye molecules and the separation efficiency of the photo-induced electron-hole pairs, thus promoting the photocatalytic efficiency of GA-g-C3N4(30%). Recycle experiments reveal that GA-g-C3N4(30%) still retains 94.3% of the initial purification efficiency after 3 cycles. In addition, GA-g-C3N4(30%) exhibits obvious removal efficiency for other organic dyes, such as rhodamine B (RhB), methyl violet (MV) and crystal violet (CV). A possible photocatalytic mechanism is offered based on the radical trapping experiments. This work provides an effective way to construct porous heterojunctions for the purification of organic wastewaters.

12-tungstosilicic acid (HSiW) anchored to mesoporous molecular sieves SBA-15 was prepared and characterized for esterification of oleic acid with methanol. The influences of various HSiW loadings on their physicochemical properties were comparatively studied. The results showed that the as-prepared HSiW/SBA-15 retained the hexagonal mesoporous structure and the Keggin characteristic, although the textural parameters decreased with increasing loading of HSiW. The catalytic results showed that the environmentally benign mesoporous solid acid catalysts were efficient in the esterification of oleic acid for the synthesis of biodiesel. The catalyst with 30 wt.% HSiW loading exhibited the best activity under the reaction conditions.