RESUMO
Quantum many-body interactions can induce quantum entanglement among particles, rendering them valuable resources for quantum-enhanced sensing. In this work, we establish a link between the bound on the growth of the quantum Fisher information and the Lieb-Robinson bound, which characterizes the operator growth in locally interacting quantum many-body systems. We show that for initial separable states, despite the use of local many-body interactions, the precision cannot surpass the shot noise limit at all times. This conclusion also holds for an initial state that is the nondegenerate ground state of a local and gapped Hamiltonian. These findings strongly hint that when one can only prepare separable initial states, nonlocal and long-range interactions are essential resources for surpassing the shot noise limit. This observation is confirmed through numerical analysis on the long-range Ising model. Our results bridge the field of many-body quantum sensing and operator growth in many-body quantum systems and open the possibility to investigate the interplay between quantum sensing and control, many-body physics and information scrambling.
RESUMO
The gradual increase in cattle farming has led to a huge production of cattle manure (CM), but the conventional treatment methods are less efficient. In this study, the treatment method of anaerobic digestion (AD) of high-solids CM by combining nanobubble water (NBW) with different gases was proposed to present a new idea for the reduction, harmlessness, and resourcefulness of CM. It was found that the performance of the digester with added NBW was better than the control. Among them, the cumulative methane yield T-Air: 227.09 mL g-1 VSadded and T-CO2: 226.12 mL g-1 VSadded increased by 17.72 % and 17.22 %, respectively, compared with the control T: 192.90 mL g-1 VSadded under thermophilic conditions. Under mesophilic conditions, M-Air: 162.39 mL g-1 VSadded increased by 9.68 % compared with control M: 148.05 mL g-1 VSadded. Microbial communities analyzed at the genus level revealed that the relative abundance of bacteria favorable to hydrolysis and acid-producing processes, such as Defluviitalea, Haloplasma, and Bacillus, increased to varying degrees. Moreover, the relative abundance of archaea favorable for methanogenesis, such as Methanoculleus, Methanobrevibacter, and Methanosarcina, also increased to varying degrees. Therefore, the addition of NBW promoted the hydrolysis of high-solids CM, enhanced the stability of the reaction, improved the methanogenic performance, and increased the RA of favorable genera, which ultimately led to a better performance of the AD of high-solids CM.
Assuntos
Esterco , Metano , Esterco/microbiologia , Animais , Bovinos , Anaerobiose , Metano/metabolismo , Metano/análise , Água/química , Reatores Biológicos , Bactérias/metabolismoRESUMO
A series of novel erianin analogues were designed and synthesized based on the bioisosterism principle by altering the two aromatic rings of erianin, the substituents on the rings and the linker between them. The analogues were evaluated as pyruvate carboxylase (PC) inhibitors in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. It was found that compounds 35 and 36, where fluorine replaces a hydroxyl group, exhibited higher activity than erianin (IC50 value of 17.30 nM) in liver cancer cells with IC50 values of 15.15 nM and 10.05 nM, respectively. Additionally, at a concentration of 10 nM, compounds 35 and 36 inhibited PC with inhibitory rates of 39.10% and 40.15%, respectively, exhibiting nearly identical inhibitory activity to erianin (inhibitory rate of 40.07%). Additionally, a computer simulation docking study demonstrated the basis for better interactions between the receptors and ligands. The fluorine atom of 35 can not only form hydrogen bonds with Lys-1043 (NHâ¯F, 2.04 Å), but also form fluorine bonds with the carbonyl groups of Lys-1043 (3.67 Å) and Glu-1046 (3.70 Å), due to the different orientations of the halogens on the B ring warhead. Conversely, the chlorine atom of 34 can only form alkyl hydrophobic interactions with the alkane chain in Lys-1043. Fluorinated compounds 35 and 36 also show better chemical stability and higher log P (clog P = 3.89 for 35 and 36) values than that of erianin (clog P = 3.07), and may be used as candidate compounds for further drug development.
Assuntos
Carcinoma Hepatocelular , Neoplasias Hepáticas , Piruvato Carboxilase , Humanos , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/tratamento farmacológico , Simulação por Computador , Flúor , Halogênios , Neoplasias Hepáticas/tratamento farmacológico , Piruvato Carboxilase/antagonistas & inibidores , Relação Estrutura-AtividadeRESUMO
We investigate the connection between quantum resources and extractable work in quantum batteries. We demonstrate that quantum coherence in the battery or the battery-charger entanglement is a necessary resource for generating nonzero extractable work during the charging process. At the end of the charging process, we also establish a tight link of coherence and entanglement with the final extractable work: coherence naturally promotes the coherent work while coherence and entanglement inhibit the incoherent work. We also show that obtaining maximally coherent work is faster than obtaining maximally incoherent work. Examples ranging from the central-spin battery and the Tavis-Cummings battery to the spin-chain battery are given to illustrate these results.
RESUMO
Recent experiments on quantum walks (QWs) demonstrated a full control over the statistics-dependent walks of single particles and two particles in one-dimensional lattices. However, little is known about the general characterization of QWs at the many-body level. Here, we rigorously study QWs, Bloch oscillations, and the quantum Fisher information for three indistinguishable bosons and fermions in one-dimensional lattices using a time-evolving block decimation algorithm and many-body perturbation theory. We show that such strongly correlated QWs not only give rise to statistics-and-interaction-dependent ballistic transports of scattering states and of two- and three-body bound states but also allow a quantum enhanced precision measurement of the gravitational force. In contrast to the QWs of the fermions, the QWs of three bosons exhibit strongly correlated Bloch oscillations, which present a surprising time scaling t^{3} of the Fisher information below a characteristic time t_{0} and saturate to the fundamental limit of t^{2} for t>t_{0}.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND Traditional Chinese medicine has widely used Bolbostemma paniculatum to treat diseases, including cancer, but its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The present study aimed to elucidate the potential pharmacological mechanisms of "Tu Bei Mu" (TBM), the Chinese name for Bolbostemmatis Rhizoma, the dry tuber of B. paniculatum, for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIAL AND METHODS The active components and putative therapeutic targets of TBM were explored using SwissTargetPrediction, Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), and Search Tool for Interactions of Chemicals (STITCH). The HCC-related target database was built using DrugBank, DisGeNet, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), and Therapeutic Target Database (TTD). A protein-protein interaction network of the common targets was constructed, based on the matches between TBM potential targets and HCC-related targets, using Cytoscape software. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses of the cluster networks were used to elucidate the biological functions of TBM. RESULTS Pharmacological network diagrams of the TBM compound-target network and HCC-related target network were successfully constructed. A total of 22 active components, 191 predicted biological targets of TBM, and 3775 HCC-related targets were identified. Through construction of an HCC-related target database and a protein-protein interaction network of the common targets, TBM was predicted to be effective in treating HCC mainly through the PI3K-Akt, HIF-1, p53, and PPAR signaling pathways. CONCLUSIONS The PI3K/Akt, HIF1, p53, and PPAR pathways may play vital roles in TBM treatment of HCC. Also, the potential anti-cancer effect of TBM on HCC appears to stem from the synergetic effect of multiple targets and mechanisms.
Assuntos
Antineoplásicos/farmacologia , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/tratamento farmacológico , Medicamentos de Ervas Chinesas/farmacologia , Neoplasias Hepáticas/tratamento farmacológico , Biologia de Sistemas/métodos , Antineoplásicos/química , Antineoplásicos/uso terapêutico , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/genética , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/metabolismo , Bases de Dados de Compostos Químicos , Bases de Dados Genéticas , Medicamentos de Ervas Chinesas/química , Medicamentos de Ervas Chinesas/uso terapêutico , Humanos , Neoplasias Hepáticas/genética , Neoplasias Hepáticas/metabolismo , Mapas de Interação de Proteínas/efeitos dos fármacos , Transdução de Sinais/efeitos dos fármacosRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Liver cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. The primary aim of this research was to discover the correlation between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the MIR155HG and liver cancer risk. METHODS: The selected SNPs in MIR155HG were genotyped utilizing the Agena MassARRAY platform. We evaluated the correlation between MIR155HG polymorphisms and Liver cancer by genetic model analysis, stratification analysis and haplotype analysis. Relative risk of Liver cancer was shown based on odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). RESULTS: Our results uncovered that rs12482371 and rs1893650 in the MIR155HG were associated with protection against Liver cancer. And the rs928883 was related to increase risk of Liver cancer. Furthermore, apart from rs77218221, other selected SNPs formed two LD blocks, and haplotype "GATAG" in block 2 elevated individual liver cancer risk. CONCLUSIONS: MIR155HG gene polymorphism may be correlated to Liver cancer susceptibility in Han Chinese population, particularly in males and aged ≤55 years.
Assuntos
Povo Asiático/genética , Etnicidade/genética , Predisposição Genética para Doença , Neoplasias Hepáticas/genética , Polimorfismo de Nucleotídeo Único/genética , RNA Longo não Codificante/genética , Fatores Etários , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Feminino , Haplótipos/genética , Humanos , Desequilíbrio de Ligação/genética , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Caracteres SexuaisRESUMO
6-amino-4-(4-phenoxyphenylethylamino)quinazoline (QNZ) is an excellent quinazoline-containing NF-κB inhibitor also acting as a novel anticancer agent. Considering both the medicinal significance of quinazoline scaffold and the tunable functionality of Michael acceptor-centric pharmacophores in the electrophilicity-based prooxidant strategy, we designed a novel QNZ-inspired electrophilic molecule QNZ-A by introducing a Michael acceptor unit at position-6 of quinazoline ring in QNZ. Our results identified QNZ-A as a promising selective cytotoxic agent against A549 cells. QNZ-A, by virtue of its Michael acceptor unit, induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation associated with collapse of the redox buffering system in A549 cells. This caused up-regulation of p53-inducible p21 and down-regulation of redox sensitive Cdc25C along with Cyclin B1/Cdk1, leading to a G2/M cell cycle arrest and final cell apoptosis. By contrast, QNZ-B, a reduction product of QNZ-A lacking the Michael acceptor unit failed to induce ROS generation and all these cell cycle-related events. In conclusion, this work provided a successful example of designing QNZ-directed anticancer agent by a ROS-promoting strategy and identified QNZ-A as a selective anticancer agent against A549 cells through G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis via a ROS-dependent mechanism.
Assuntos
Antineoplásicos/farmacologia , Apoptose/efeitos dos fármacos , Pontos de Checagem da Fase G2 do Ciclo Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica , Quinazolinas/farmacologia , Espécies Reativas de Oxigênio/agonistas , Células A549 , Antineoplásicos/síntese química , Apoptose/genética , Proteína Quinase CDC2 , Ciclina B1/antagonistas & inibidores , Ciclina B1/genética , Ciclina B1/metabolismo , Inibidor de Quinase Dependente de Ciclina p21/agonistas , Inibidor de Quinase Dependente de Ciclina p21/genética , Inibidor de Quinase Dependente de Ciclina p21/metabolismo , Quinases Ciclina-Dependentes/antagonistas & inibidores , Quinases Ciclina-Dependentes/genética , Quinases Ciclina-Dependentes/metabolismo , Pontos de Checagem da Fase G2 do Ciclo Celular/genética , Células Hep G2 , Células Endoteliais da Veia Umbilical Humana , Humanos , Oxirredução , Quinazolinas/síntese química , Espécies Reativas de Oxigênio/química , Transdução de Sinais , Relação Estrutura-Atividade , Proteína Supressora de Tumor p53/agonistas , Proteína Supressora de Tumor p53/genética , Proteína Supressora de Tumor p53/metabolismo , Fosfatases cdc25/antagonistas & inibidores , Fosfatases cdc25/genética , Fosfatases cdc25/metabolismoRESUMO
The potential of Ferrimagnetic vortex iron oxide nanoring-mediated mild magnetic hyperthermia (FVIO-MHT) in solid tumor therapy has been demonstrated. However, the impact of FVIO-MHT on the tumor microenvironment (TME) remains unclear. This study utilized single-cell transcriptome sequencing to examine the alterations in the TME in response to FVIO-MHT in breast cancer. The results revealed the cellular composition within the tumor microenvironment (TME) was primarily modified due to a decrease in tumor cells and an increased infiltration of myeloid cells. Subsequently, an enhancement in active oxygen (ROS) metabolism was observed, indicating oxidative damage to tumor cells. Interestingly, FVIO-MHT reprogrammed the macrophages' phenotypes, as evidenced by alterations in the transcriptome characteristics associated with both classic and alternative activated phenotypes. And an elevated level of ROS generation and oxidative phosphorylation suggested that activated phagocytosis and inflammation occurred in macrophages. Additionally, cell-cell communication analysis revealed that FVIO-MHT attenuated the suppression between tumor cells and macrophages by inhibiting phagocytic checkpoint and macrophage migration inhibitory factor signaling pathways. Inhibition of B2m, an anti-phagocytosis checkpoint, could promote macrophage-mediated phagocytosis and significantly inhibit tumor growth. These data emphasize FVIO-MHT may promote the antitumor capabilities of macrophages by alleviating the suppression between tumor cells and macrophages.
Assuntos
Neoplasias da Mama , Hipertermia Induzida , Humanos , Feminino , Neoplasias da Mama/genética , Neoplasias da Mama/terapia , Espécies Reativas de Oxigênio/farmacologia , Macrófagos , Fenômenos Magnéticos , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica , Microambiente TumoralRESUMO
It is urgent to develop novel technologies to convert carbon dioxide to graphene. In this work, a bubble-mediated approach via a chemical reaction between carbon dioxide gas and magnesium melt to fabricate a few-layer graphene was illustrated. The morphology and defects of graphene can be regulated by manipulating the melt temperature. The preparation of graphene at 720 °C exhibited an excellent quality of surface and graphitization degree. The high-quality few-layer graphene can be grown under the combined effect of carbon dioxide bubbles and in-situ grown MgO. This preparation method possesses the advantages of high efficiency, low cost, and environmental protection, which may provide a new strategy for the recovery and reuse of greenhouse gases.
RESUMO
To enhance the dewaterability of anaerobic digested sludge and to make full use of the biogas slurry. This study set up five sludge conditioning methods: polymeric ferric sulfate, polymeric aluminum chloride, cationic polyacrylamide, chitosan, and chitosan combined with rice husk powder. Their effects on the dewaterability of thermal hydrolysis-anaerobic digested sludge, bacterial community, and biogas slurry fertility were studied to find a non-toxic and non-risk dewatering technology for the environment and biogas slurry. Compared with that of the control group, moisture content, normalization capillary suction time, and specific resistance to filtration were reduced by 12.8%, 97.7%, and 82.9%, respectively. Chitosan enlarges the sludge flocs and forms complexes with proteins, disrupting the structure of the extracellular polymeric substances, thereby exposing more hydrophobic groups and reducing the hydrophilicity of the sludge. The subsequent addition of rice husk powder enhances the adsorption of hydrophilic substances and provides a stronger drainage channel for the sludge. In addition, the biogas slurry obtained by this conditioning method used as a fertilizer increased the dry weight and fresh weight of corn seedlings by 59.3% and 91.0%, respectively. And the total chlorophyll content increased by 84.6%. Pearson's correlation analysis showed that chitosan and rice husk meal had no toxic effect on the biogas slurry compared to the other three flocculants. The results showed that the combined treatment of chitosan and rice husk powder resulted in the best dewaterability. Overall, chitosan combined with rice husk powder is a green dewatering technology with great potential for anaerobic digested sludge dewatering and biogas slurry recycling.
Assuntos
Quitosana , Oryza , Esgotos/química , Biocombustíveis , Pós , Hidrólise , Anaerobiose , Água/química , Eliminação de Resíduos Líquidos/métodosRESUMO
The objective of this study is to explore the antiproliferative activity of the traditional Chinese medicine monomer vitexin on colon cancer HCT-116 cells and its underlying mechanism. The in vitro antiproliferative activity of vitexin on colon cancer HCT-116 cells was evaluated using the CCK-8 assay. Potential drug targets for colon cancer were identified through GEO chip data mining, and molecular docking using Schrödinger software was conducted. Molecular dynamics simulations were employed to deeply analyze the interaction between candidate compounds and target proteins. Flow cytometry was employed to examine the cell cycle. The impact of vitexin on the expression of CDK1/cyclinB proteins in HCT-116 cells was assessed through Western blot analysis, immunofluorescence, and CDK inhibition assay. Vitexin exhibited inhibitory effects on colon cancer HCT-116 cells, with a half inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 203.27 ± 9.85 µmol/L. The analysis of differential gene expression in GEO and TCGA datasets, along with the GENECARD dataset of related disease genes, identified 91 disease targets, including "CDK1." Vitexin induced cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase of HCT-116 cells. Molecular docking revealed a strong interaction between Vitexin and CDK1 (Docking score - 9.497), with molecular dynamics simulations confirming the stability of the Vitexin-CDK1 complex and comparable inhibitory effects to Flavopiridol. Vitexin can inhibit the expression of CDK1/cyclin B proteins in HCT-116 cells, with an IC50 of 58.06 ± 3.07 µmol/L. Vitexin may inhibit colon cancer HCT-116 cell proliferation by suppressing CDK1/cyclin B expression, leading to cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase.
RESUMO
This study investigated the performance of thermophilic-mesophilic (T-M) and mesophilic-thermophilic (M-T) two-phase sludge anaerobic digestion at different inoculation proportions after a change in digestion temperature. After temperature change, the pH, total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), free ammonia nitrogen (FAN), solubility chemical oxygen demand (SCOD), and total alkalinity (TA) levels of two-phase digesters were between thermophilic control digesters and mesophilic control digesters. However, the volatile fatty acid (VFA) levels of two-phase digesters were higher than those of thermophilic or mesophilic control digesters. The bacteria communities of M-T two-phase digesters were more diverse than those of T-M. After a change in digestion temperature, the bacterial community was dominated by Coprothermobacter. After a change of digestion temperature, the relative abundance (RA) of Methanobacterium, Methanosaeta, and Methanospirillum of M-T two-phase digesters was higher than that of T-M two-phase digesters. In comparison, the RA of Methanosarcina of T-M two-phase digesters was higher than that of M-T two-phase digesters. The ultimate methane yields of thermophilic control digesters were greater than those of mesophilic control digesters. Nevertheless, the ultimate methane yield levels of M-T two-phase digesters were greater than those of T-M two-phase digesters. The ultimate methane yields of all two-phase digesters presented an earlier increase and later decrease trend with the increasing inoculation proportion. Optimal methane production condition was achieved when 15% of sludge (T-M15) was inoculated under mesophilic-thermophilic conditions, which promoted 123.6% (based on mesophilic control) or 27.4% (based on thermophilic control). An optimal inoculation proportion (about 15%) balanced the number and activity of methanogens of high-solid sludge anaerobic digestion.
RESUMO
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.01261.].
RESUMO
The strength-ductility trade-off has been a long-standing challenge when designing and fabricating a novel metal matrix composite. In this study, graphene-nanosheets (GNSs)-reinforced copper (Cu)-matrix-laminated composites were fabricated through two methods, i.e., the alternating electrodeposition technique followed by spark plasma sintering (SPS) and direct electrodeposition followed by hot-press sintering. As a result, a Cu-GNS-Cu layered structure formed in the composites with various Cu layer thicknesses. Compared with the pure Cu, the yield strength of the GNS/Cu composites increased. However, the mechanical performance of the GNS/Cu composites was strongly Cu-layer-thickness-dependent, and the GNS/Cu composite possessed a brittle fracture mode when the Cu layer was thin (≤10 µm). The fracture mechanism of the GNS/Cu composites was thoroughly investigated and the results showed that the premature failure of the GNS/Cu composites with a thin Cu layer may be due to the lack of Cu matrix, which can relax the excessive stress intensity triggered by GNSs and delay the crack connection between neighboring GNS layers. This study highlights the soft Cu matrix in balancing the strength and ductility of the GNS/Cu-laminated composites and provides new technical and theoretical support for the preparation and optimization of other laminated metal matrix composites.
RESUMO
The glycosylation of protecting-group-free pyranoses with flavonoids to generate flavonoid O-glycosides under Mitsunobu conditions was reported. The methodology allows to prepare a wide range of natural 7-flavonoid O-glycosides and their derivatives from commercially available chemicals in good to excellent yields with exclusive 1,2-trans-stereoselectivity regardless the anomeric configuration of employed pyranoses. The highly regioselective glycosylation was also achieved among different types of hydroxyl groups on the glycosyl acceptors.
Assuntos
Flavonoides , Monossacarídeos , Glicosídeos , Glicosilação , EstereoisomerismoRESUMO
The effects of La addition on the microstructure, thermal conductivity and mechanical properties of as-cast and as-extruded Mg-3Al-xLa-0.3Mn (x = 1, 3 and 5 wt.%) alloys were studied. The results showed that the thermal conductivity of the alloys increased with the addition of La element, which was due to the formation of the Al11La3 phases by consuming the solute Al and the added La element. The yield strength of the as-cast Mg-3Al-xLa-0.3Mn alloys increased with the increase in La concentration. The thermal conductivity of the as-extruded alloys was lower than that of as-cast counterparts owing to lots of defects generated in the process of hot extrusion deformation, particularly the grain boundaries. The anisotropy of thermal conductivity was discovered in the as-extruded alloys on account of the formation of texture. As the La content increases, the tensile strength and yield strength of the as-extruded alloys decreased gradually. In contrast, the elongation first increased and then decreased, resulting from the combined effect of the texture strengthening and second phase strengthening.
RESUMO
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) is a highly malignant tumor of the digestive system with increasing morbidity and mortality. The lack of sensitive and reliable biomarkers is one of the main reasons for the poor prognosis. Volume-regulated anion channels (VRAC), which are ubiquitously expressed in the vertebrate cell membrane, are composed of leucine-rich repeat-containing 8A (LRRC8A) and four other homologous family members (LRRC8B-E). VRAC heterogeneous complex is implicated in each of the six "hallmarks of cancer" and represents a novel therapeutic target for cancer. In this study, LRRC8A was speculated to be a promising prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for PAAD based on a series of bioinformatics analyses. Additional cell experiments and immunohistochemical assays demonstrated that LRRC8A can affect the prognosis of PAAD and is correlated to cell proliferation, cell migration, drug resistance, and immune infiltration. Functional analysis indicated that LRRC8A influences the progression and prognosis of patients with PAAD by the regulation of CD8+ T cells immune infiltration. Taken together, these results can help in the design of new therapeutic drugs for patients with PAAD.
RESUMO
Objective: In contrast to normal cells, in which reactive oxygen species (ROS) are maintained in redox equilibrium, cancer cells are characterized by ectopic ROS accumulation. Myoferlin, a newly identified oncogene, has been associated with tumor metastasis, intracellular ROS production, and energy metabolism. The mechanism by which myoferlin regulates gastric cancer cell migration and ROS accumulation has not been determined. Methods: Myoferlin expression, intracellular ROS levels, the ratios of reduced to oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH/NADP+) and migratory ability were measured in gastric cancer cells in vitro and in the TCGA and GEO databases in silico. Results: Myoferlin was found to be more highly expressed in tumor than in normal tissues of gastric cancer patients, with higher expression of Myoferlin associated with shorter survival time. Myoferlin was associated with significantly higher intracellular ROS levels and enhanced migration of gastric cancer cells. N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), a potent inhibitor of ROS, inhibited Myoferlin-induced ROS accumulation and cell migration. Conclusions: Myoferlin is a candidate prognostic biomarker for gastric cancer and plays an essential role in regulating redox equilibrium and gastric cancer cell migration. Myoferlin may also be a new target for treatment of patients with gastric cancer.
RESUMO
The effect of 0−1.0 at.% Al additions on grain refinement and phase transformation of the Mg-2.0Gd-1.2Y-0.5Zn-0.2Mn (at.%) alloy containing a long period stacking ordered (LPSO) phase was investigated in this work. The addition of Al promoted the formation of the Al2RE phase in the Mg-2.0Gd-1.2Y-0.5Zn-0.2Mn (at.%) alloy, and the dominant secondary phases in the as-cast Mg-2.0Gd-1.2Y-0.5Zn-0.2Mn-1.0Al (at.%) alloy were the Mg3RE phase, LPSO phase, and Al2RE phase. With increased Al addition, the area fraction of the Al2RE phase increased monotonously, while the area fraction of LPSO phase and Mg3RE phase decreased gradually. The orientation relationship between the Al2RE phase and the α-Mg matrix was determined to be <112>Al2RE//<112¯0>α-Mg, {101}Al2RE//{101¯0}α-Mg, which was not affected by Zn and Mn concentrations in the Al2RE phase. Since the Al2RE particles with a size more than 6 µm located at the center of grains could act as nucleants for α-Mg grains, the average grain size of the as-cast alloys decreased from 276 µm to 49 µm after 1.0% Al addition. The effect of the Al addition on the grain refinement of the Mg-2.0Gd-1.2Y-0.5Zn-0.2Mn alloy was comparable to that of the Zr refined counterpart.