Sustainable chitosan-based materials as heterogeneous catalyst for application in wastewater treatment and water purification: An up-to-date review.

Water pollution is one of serious environmental issues due to the rapid development of industrial and agricultural sectors, and clean water resources have been receiving increasing attention. Recently, more and more studies have witnessed significant development of catalysts (metal oxides, metal sulfides, metal-organic frameworks, zero-valent metal, etc.) for wastewater treatment and water purification. Sustainable and clean catalysts immobilized into chitosan-based materials (Cat@CSbMs) are considered one of the most appealing subclasses of functional materials due to their high catalytic activity, high adsorption capacities, non-toxicity and relative stability. This review provides a summary of various upgrading renewable Cat@CSbMs (such as cocatalyst, photocatalyst, and Fenton-like reagent, etc.). As for engineering applications, further researches of Cat@CSbMs should focus on treating complex wastewater containing both heavy metals and organic pollutants, as well as developing continuous flow treatment methods for industrial wastewater using Cat@CSbMs. In conclusion, this review abridges the gap between different approaches for upgrading renewable and clean Cat@CSbMs and their future applications. This will contribute to the development of cleaner and sustainable Cat@CSbMs for wastewater treatment and water purification.

A ratiometric fluorescent probe based on UiO-66-TCPP for selective and visual detection of quercetin in food.

Quercetin (QCT) is a flavonoid with significant health benefits, necessitating sensitive detection methods for food safety and quality control. This study presents a novel UiO-66-TCPP ratiometric fluorescent probe for the quantitative and visual detection of QCT. Under optimal conditions, the fluorescence intensity of UiO-66-TCPP decreased linearly with increasing QCT concentration, with a detection limit of 26 nM. The probe demonstrated high specificity, showing no significant interference from various substances and QCT analogues. Practical applicability was confirmed by testing artificially contaminated juice samples, achieving recovery rates between 98.0% and 104.8%. Furthermore, a paper-based sensor was developed by incorporating UiO-66-TCPP onto Whatman#1 chromatography paper. This sensor exhibited stable fluorescence and a reliable, sensitive visual response to QCT concentrations, detectable via a smartphone-based color recognizer application. The UiO-66-TCPP ratiometric fluorescent probe provides a sensitive, specific, and practical method for detecting QCT in food matrices, offering significant potential for both laboratory and on-site applications.

Thymosin beta 10 loaded ZIF-8/sericin hydrogel promoting angiogenesis and osteogenesis for bone regeneration.

Angiogenesis is pivotal for osteogenesis during bone regeneration. A hydrogel that promotes both angiogenesis and osteogenesis is essential in bone tissue engineering. However, creating scaffolds with the ideal balance of biodegradability, osteogenic, and angiogenic properties poses a challenge. Thymosin beta 10 (TMSB10), known for its dual role in angiogenesis and osteogenesis differentiation, faces limitations due to protein activity preservation. To tackle this issue, ZIF-8 was engineered as a carrier for TMSB10 (TMSB10@ZIF-8), and subsequently integrated into the self-assembled sericin hydrogel. The efficacy of the composite hydrogel in bone repair was assessed using a rat cranial defect model. Characterization of the nanocomposites confirmed the successful synthesis of TMSB10@ZIF-8, with a TMSB10 encapsulation efficiency of 88.21 %. The sustained release of TMSB10 from TMSB10@ZIF-8 has significantly enhanced tube formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro and promoted angiogenesis in the chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model in vivo. It has markedly improved the osteogenic differentiation ability of MC 3 T3-E1 cells in vitro. 8 weeks post-implantation, the TMSB10@ZIF-8/ Sericin hydrogel group exhibited significant bone healing (86.77 ± 8.91 %), outperforming controls. Thus, the TMSB10@ZIF-8/Sericin hydrogel, leveraging ZIF-8 for TMSB10 delivery, emerges as a promising bone regeneration scaffold with substantial clinical application potential.

Kaempferol 3-O-Rutinoside, a Flavone Derived from Tetrastigma hemsleyanum Diels et Gilg, Reduces Body Temperature through Accelerating the Elimination of IL-6 and TNF-α in a Mouse Fever Model.

Fever is a serious condition that can lead to various consequences ranging from prolonged illness to death. Tetrastigma hemsleyanum Diels et Gilg (T. hemsleyanum) has been used for centuries to treat fever, but the specific chemicals responsible for its antipyretic effects are not well understood. This study aimed to isolate and identify the chemicals with antipyretic bioactivity in T. hemsleyanum extracts and to provide an explanation for the use of T. hemsleyanum as a Chinese herbal medicine for fever treatment. Our results demonstrate that kaempferol 3-rutinoside (K3OR) could be successfully isolated and purified from the roots of T. hemsleyanum. Furthermore, K3OR exhibited a significant reduction in rectal temperature in a mouse model of fever. Notably, a 4 µM concentration of K3OR showed more effective antipyretic effects than ibuprofen and acetaminophen. To explore the underlying mechanism, we conducted an RNA sequencing analysis, which revealed that PXN may act as a key regulator in the fever process induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In the mouse model of fever, K3OR significantly promoted the secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α during the early stage in the LPS-treated group. However, during the middle to late stages, K3OR facilitated the elimination of IL-6 and TNF-α in the LPS-treated group. Overall, our study successfully identified the chemicals responsible for the antipyretic bioactivity in T. hemsleyanum extracts, and it answered the question as to why T. hemsleyanum is used as a traditional Chinese herbal medicine for treating fever. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the therapeutic potential of T. hemsleyanum in managing fever, and they provide a basis for further research and development in this field.

Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Columbianadin against D-Galactose-Induced Liver Injury In Vivo via the JAK2/STAT3 and JAK2/p38/NF-κB Pathways.

Angelicae pubescentis radix (APR) has been traditionally used for thousands of years in China to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune disorder. As the main active coumarin of APR, columbianadin (CBN) exhibits a significant anti-inflammatory effect in vitro. However, the anti-inflammatory activity and underlying mechanism of CBN in vivo remain unclear. This work aimed to elucidate the anti-inflammatory activity of CBN in vivo and its related signaling pathways in a D-Gal-induced liver injury mouse model. Analysis of biochemical indices (ALT and AST) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß and IL-6) in serum indicated that CBN significantly ameliorated D-Gal-induced liver injury. CBN treatment also significantly increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, GPx), and decreased the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6) in liver tissue. Liver histology revealed that CBN treatment reduced hepatic inflammation. Western blot analysis indicated that CBN down-regulates the expression of phosphorylated JAK2, STAT3, MAPK, and NF-κB in the related signaling pathways. These findings support the traditional use of APR as a remedy for the immune system, and indicate that the JAK2/STAT3 and JAK2/p38/NF-κB signaling pathways may be important mechanisms for the anti-inflammatory activity of CBN in vivo.

Enhanced catalytic activity and stability of lactate dehydrogenase for cascade catalysis of D-PLA by rational design.

Serving as a vital medical intermediate and an environmentally-friendly preservative, D-PLA exhibits substantial potential across various industries. In this report, the urgent need for efficient production motivated us to achieve the rational design of lactate dehydrogenase and enhance catalytic efficiency. Surprisingly, the enzymatic properties revealed that a mutant enzyme, LrLDHT247I/D249A/F306W/A214Y (LrLDH-M1), had a viable catalytic advantage. It demonstrated a 3.3-fold increase in specific enzyme activity and approximately a 2.08-fold improvement of Kcat. Correspondingly, molecular docking analysis provided a supporting explanation for the lower Km and higher Kcat/Km of the mutant enzyme. Thermostability analysis exhibited increased half-lives and the deactivation rate constants decreased at different temperatures (1.47-2.26-fold). In addition, the mutant showed excellent resistance abilities in harsh environments, particularly under acidic conditions. Then, a two-bacterium (E. coli/pET28a-lrldh-M1 and E. coli/pET28a-ladd) coupled catalytic system was developed and realized a significant conversion rate (77.7%) of D-phenyllactic acid, using 10 g/L L-phenylalanine as the substrate in a two-step cascade reaction.