Search

Diacylglycerol (DAG) is a functional oil but is rarely used in the cosmetic industry because low solubility, susceptibility to leakage and low viscosity to skin are still the main hurdles. A novel diacylglycerol nanostructured lipid carrier hydrogel (GTP-DAG-NLC-GEL) loaded with green tea polyphenol (GTP) was designed and successfully prepared to broaden DAG's application in cosmetics, which significantly improved GTP stability and skin stickiness of DAG. The results showed that DAG-NLC-GEL had good viscosity, which was 980 Pa·s when the shear rate was 5 rpm, and its viscosity decreased quickly with the increase in shear rate, making it easily expand on skin. Meanwhile, the encapsulation rate and drug loading of GTP in GDP-DAG-NLC-GEL reached 86.7% and 2.6%, respectively, and the DPPH free radicals scavenging rate and inhibition rate of the advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) were 85.46% and 89.72%, respectively, which indicate that GTP-DAG-NLC-GEL has significant skin sunscreen, antioxidant and anti-glycation activities. The GTP-loaded nanostructured lipid carrier hydrogel can be deemed to have great prospects for skin protection in cosmetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc transporter 1 (ZnT1), the principal carrier of cytosolic zinc to the extracellular milieu, is important for cellular zinc homeostasis and resistance to zinc toxicity. Despite recent advancements in the structural characterization of various zinc transporters, the mechanism by which ZnTs-mediated Zn2+ translocation is coupled with H+ or Ca2+ remains unclear. To visualize the transport dynamics, we determined the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of human ZnT1 at different functional states. ZnT1 dimerizes via extensive interactions between the cytosolic (CTD), the transmembrane (TMD), and the unique cysteine-rich extracellular (ECD) domains. At pH 7.5, both protomers adopt an outward-facing (OF) conformation, with Zn2+ ions coordinated at the TMD binding site by distinct compositions. At pH 6.0, ZnT1 complexed with Zn2+ exhibits various conformations [OF/OF, OF/IF (inward-facing), and IF/IF]. These conformational snapshots, together with biochemical investigation and molecular dynamic simulations, shed light on the mechanism underlying the proton-dependence of ZnT1 transport. Synopsis: ZnT1 is the major Zn2+ transporter expelling excessive Zn2+ ions out of cells. Distinct structural conformations of human ZnT1 captured by cryo-EM shed light on the intricate proton-driven transport mechanism. High-resolution cryo-EM structures of human ZnT1 were determined. Conformational dynamics of ZnT1 were captured in the presence of Zn2+ and low pH. Local changes between α-helix and 310 helix were observed in ZnT1 TM2 extracellular half. ZnT1 is the major Zn2+ transporter expelling excessive Zn2+ ions out of cells. Distinct structural conformations of human ZnT1 captured by cryo-EM shed light on the intricate proton-driven transport mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper gives a general introduction to bidirectional optical intersatellite links. The design, principles and link budget are presented, and the four subsystems-transmitter, receiver, optical channel and acquisition/tracking system-are described. GaAlAs semiconductor laser and a silicon avalanche photodiode are used as the optical transmitter and receiver. Pulse polarization position modulation is used to obtain a higher sensitivity. The acquisition/tracking signal is extracted from the top-modulation data stream. The effect of background noise is analysed, and direct detection and heterodyne detection are compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]