Search

Microcystin-LR (MC-LR), a cyanobacterial toxin, is a potent carcinogen implicated in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression. However, its impact on the tumor microenvironment (TME) during CRC development remains poorly understood. This study investigates the interaction between tumor cells and macrophages mediated by MC-LR within the TME and its influence on CRC progression. CRC mice exposed to MC-LR demonstrated a significant transformation from adenoma to adenocarcinoma. The infiltration of macrophages increased, and the IRE1α/XBP1 pathway was activated in CRC cells after MC-LR exposure, influencing macrophage M2 polarization under co-culture conditions. Additionally, hexokinase 2 (HK2), a downstream target of the IRE1α/XBP1 pathway, was identified, regulating glycolysis and lactate production. The MC-LR-induced IRE1α/XBP1/HK2 axis enhanced lactate production in CRC cells, promoting M2 macrophage polarization. Furthermore, co-culturing MC-LR-exposed CRC cells with macrophages, along with the IRE1α/XBP1 pathway inhibitor 4μ8C and the hexokinase inhibitor 2-DG, suppressed M2 macrophage-induced CRC cell migration, clonogenicity, and M2 macrophage polarization. This study elucidates the mechanism by which MC-LR-mediated interactions through the IRE1α/XBP1 pathway promote CRC progression, highlighting potential therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constructing heterostructures from already synthesized two-dimensional materials is of significant importance. We performed a first-principles study to investigate the electronic properties and interfacial characteristics of Janus MoSH/WSi2N4 van der Waals heterostructure (vdWH) contacts. We demonstrate that the p-type Schottky formed by MoSH/WSi2N4 and MoHS/WSi2N4 has extremely low Schottky barrier heights (SBHs). Due to its excellent charge injection efficiency, Janus MoSH may be regarded as an effective metal contact for WSi2N4 semiconductors. Furthermore, the interfacial characteristics and electronic structure of Janus MoSH/WSi2N4 vdWHs can not only reduce/eliminate SBH, but also forms the transition from p-ShC to n-ShC type and from Schottky contact (ShC) to Ohmic contact (OhC) through the layer spacing and electric field. Our results can offer a fresh method for optoelectronic applications based on metal/semiconductor Janus MoSH/WSi2N4 vdW heterostructures, which have strong potential in optoelectronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the wide bandgap, TiO2 has a poor photocatalytic performance under visible light. Both defects and heterojunction can enhance the photocatalytic performance of TiO2; therefore, defects and heterojunction were combined to improve the activity of TiO2 that may be a novelty and feasible strategy. Herein, using the cotton fiber as the template, a special undulated TiO2−x microtube modified with MoS2 nanoflakes was synthesized via sol–gel process, hydrothermal treatment, and solid reduction method successively. The result of XPS and TEM analysis indicated the presence of Ti3+, oxygen vacancies (Ovs), and heterojunction in the TiO2−x/MoS2 composite. TiO2−x/MoS2 had a narrow energy bandgap (1.11 eV) and separated the electron–hole pair effectively. The degradation experiment of methylene blue (MB) under the visible light showed that compared with TiO2 (11.37%) and TiO2/MoS2 (45.81%), the TiO2−x/MoS2 composite had a higher degradation rate (91.32%) within 180 min. Besides, TiO2−x/MoS2 exhibited a higher photocurrent intensity (0.2 μA/cm−2) than TiO2/MoS2 (0.02 μA/cm−2) and TiO2 (0.0032 μA/cm−2). The excellent photocatalytic activity of TiO2−x/MoS2 can be attributed to the synergistic effect of heterojunction and defects, which improved the utilization of visible light significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] The paper was to investigate the mechanism of Bacillus coagulans preparation in improving production performance of laying hens in late period of laying. [Method] A total of 648 individuals of "Jingfen 1" laying hens (66 weeks of age) in late period of laying were randomly divided into lour groups, six replicates each group, and each group had 27 individuals of laying hens. The laying hens in control group were fed with basal diet, and those in experimental groups I, II and III were fed with the basal diets added with 3.33xl06,1x1O7, 3.33xl07 CFU/g B. coagulans, respectively. The pretrial lasted one week, and the formal lest lasted eight weeks. [Result] Compared with ihe control group, the laying rate in group I increased significantly, and the feed-gain ratio in experimental group II decreased noticeably while the spleen index increased remarkably; the alkaline phosphatase activities and blood calcium content in experimental groups I, II and III increased significantly (P<0.05), while the triglyceride content decreased remarkably (p<0.05); the urea content in experimental groups I and II decreased obviously (P<0.05). Adding B. coagulans significantly increased the specific activity of amylase, lipase and protease in various intestinal mucosa of small intestine (p<0.05); adding B. coagulans significantly increased the content of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol (E2), and significantly increased the mRNA expression of follicle stimulating hormone receptor gene (FSHR). [Conclusion] B. coagulans preparation could significantly improve the production performance of laying hens in late period of laying: appropriately enhance the immune capacity of laying hens; improve the serum biochemical indicators; increase the activity of digestive enzymes in the small intestine; and promote the release of gonadal hormone and the mRNA expression of FSHR gene in the ovary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]