Evaluation of the antifungal activity of novel bis-pyrazole carboxamide derivatives and preliminary investigation of the mechanism.

To facilitate the development of novel agricultural succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI) fungicides, we synthesized three series of derivatives by introducing phenyl pyrazole fragments into the structure of pyrazol-4-yl amides. The results of the bioactivity assay showed that most of the target compounds possessed varying degrees of inhibitory activity against the tested fungi. At a concentration of 100 mg/L, the compound B8 exhibited effective protective activity against S. sclerotiorum in vivo. Molecular docking analysis and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) inhibition assay indicated that B8 was not a potential SDHI. The preliminary antifungal mechanism of studies showed that B8 induced a large amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and severe lipid peroxidation damage in S. sclerotiorum mycelium, resulting in mycelial rupture and disruption of the integrity of the cell membrane and leakage of soluble proteins, soluble sugars and nucleic acids. Further transcriptome analysis showed that compound B8 blocked various metabolic pathways by downregulating the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) catalase, disrupting hydrogen peroxide hydrolysis, accelerating membrane oxidative damage, and upregulating neutral ceramidase, accelerating sphingolipid metabolism to disrupt cell membrane structure and cell proliferation and differentiation, potentially accelerating cell death. The above results indicated that the potential target of these dis-pyrazole carboxamide derivatives may be the cell membrane of pathogenic fungi.

Anchoring Pt Single-Atom Sites on Vacancies of MgO(Al) Nanosheets as Bifunctional Catalysts to Accelerate Hydrogenation-Cyclization Cascade Reactions.

The direct hydrogenation of 2-nitroacylbenzene to 2,1-benzisoxazole presents a significant challenge in the pharmaceutical and fine chemicals industries. In this study, a defect engineering strategy is employed to create bifunctional single-atom catalysts (SACs) by anchoring Pt single atoms onto metal vacancies within MgO(Al) nanosheets. The resultant Pt1/MgO(Al) SAC displays an exceptional catalytic activity and selectivity in the hydrogenation-cyclization of 2-nitroacylbenzene, achieving a 97.5 % yield at complete conversion and a record-breaking turnover frequency of 458.8 h-1 under the mild conditions. The synergistic catalysis between the fully exposed single-atom Pt sites within a unique Pt-O-Mg/Al moiety and the abundant basic sites of the MgO(Al) support is responsible for this outstanding catalytic performance. The current work, therefore, paves the way for developing bifunctional or multifunctional SACs that can enhance efficient organocatalytic conversions.

Design, Synthesis, and Antifungal Evaluation of Novel Pyrazole-5-sulfonamide Derivatives for Plant Protection.

To develop further novel environmentally friendly antifungal agents with high efficacy, a series of pyrazole-5-sulfonamide derivatives were designed and synthesized by using the active molecules synthesized in previous works as lead compounds. Their antifungal activities were evaluated in vitro against ten highly destructive plant pathogenic fungi. The bioassay results indicated that more than half of the target compounds displayed potent antifungal activities (inhibition rate ≥85%) against Valsa mali and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum at 20 mg/L. Among them, compound C22 exhibited significant broad-spectrum antifungal activities against V. mali, S. sclerotiorum, Rhizoctonia solani, Botrytis cinerea, and Trichoderma viride, with EC50 values of 0.45, 0.49, 3.06, 0.57, and 1.43 mg/L, respectively. Moreover, compounds C21 and C22 exhibited remarkable protective effects on apple Valsa canker similar to tebuconazole (89.5%) at 50 mg/L. Preliminary antifungal mechanism investigations demonstrated that compound C22 may have inhibited V. mali mycelial growth by inducing oxidative damage to the mycelium and compromising the integrity of the cell membrane. Meanwhile, compounds C21 and C22 exhibited no obvious toxicity to worker bees (Apis mellifera ligustica). Taken together, these pyrazole-5-sulfonamide derivatives, particularly compound C22, possess huge potential to be developed as novel environmentally friendly fungicides with high efficacy.

Regulatory role of exosome-derived miRNAs and other contents in adipogenesis.

Intramuscular fat (IMF) content significantly impacts meat quality. influenced by complex interactions between skeletal muscle cells and adipocytes. Adipogenesis plays a pivotal role in IMF formation. Exosomes, extracellular membranous nanovesicles, facilitate intercellular communication by transporting proteins, nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), and other biomolecules into target cells, thereby modulating cellular behaviors. Recent studies have linked exosome-derived microRNAs (miRNAs) and other cargo to adipogenic processes. Various cell types, including skeletal muscle cells, interact with adipocytes via exosome secretion and uptake. Exosomes entering adipocytes regulate adipogenesis by modulating key signaling pathways, thereby influencing the extent and distribution of IMF deposition. This review comprehensively explores the origin, formation, and mechanisms of exosome action, along with current research and their applications in adipogenesis. Emphasis is placed on exosome-mediated regulation of miRNAs, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), proteins, lipids, and other biomolecules during adipogenesis. Leveraging exosomal contents for genetic breeding and treating obesity-related disorders is discussed. Insights gathered contribute to advancing understanding and potential therapeutic applications of exosome-regulated adipogenesis mechanisms.

A Pioglitazone Nanoformulation Designed for Cancer-Associated Fibroblast Reprogramming and Cancer Treatment.

The recent focus of cancer therapeutics research revolves around modulating the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) to enhance efficacy. The tumor stroma, primarily composed of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), poses significant obstacles to therapeutic penetration, influencing resistance and tumor progression. Reprogramming CAFs into an inactivated state has emerged as a promising strategy, necessitating innovative approaches. This study pioneers the design of a nanoformulation using pioglitazone, a Food and Drug Administration-approved anti-diabetic drug, to reprogram CAFs in the breast cancer TME. Glutathione (GSH)-responsive dendritic mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles loaded with pioglitazone (DMON-P) are designed for the delivery of cargo to the GSH-rich cytosol of CAFs. DMON-P facilitates pioglitazone-mediated CAF reprogramming, enhancing the penetration of doxorubicin (Dox), a therapeutic drug. Treatment with DMON-P results in the downregulation of CAF biomarkers and inhibits tumor growth through the effective delivery of Dox. This innovative approach holds promise as an alternative strategy for enhancing therapeutic outcomes in CAF-abundant tumors, particularly in breast cancer.

Design, selective synthesis and biological activities evaluation of novel thiazol-2-ylbenzamide and thiazole-2-ylbenzimidoyl chloride derivatives.

To promote the development and exploitation of novel antifungal agents, a series of thiazol-2-ylbenzamide derivatives (3A-3V) and thiazole-2-ylbenzimidoyl chloride derivatives (4A-4V) were designed and selective synthesis. The bioassay results showed that most of the target compounds exhibited excellent in vitro antifungal activities against five plant pathogenic fungi (Valsa mali, Sclerotinia scleotiorum, Botrytis cinerea, Rhizoctonia solani and Trichoderma viride). The antifungal effects of compounds 3B (EC50 = 0.72 mg/L) and 4B (EC50 = 0.65 mg/L) against S. scleotiorum were comparable to succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHIs) thifluzamide (EC50 = 1.08 mg/L) and boscalid (EC50 = 0.78 mg/L). Especially, compounds 3B (EC50 = 0.87 mg/L) and 4B (EC50 = 1.08 mg/L) showed higher activity against R. solani than boscalid (EC50 = 2.25 mg/L). In vivo experiments in rice leaves revealed that compounds 3B (86.8 %) and 4B (85.3 %) exhibited excellent protective activities against R. solani comparable to thifluzamide (88.5 %). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results exhibited that compounds 3B and 4B dramatically disrupted the typical structure and morphology of R. solani mycelium. Molecular docking demonstrated that compounds 3B and 4B had significant interactions with succinate dehydrogenase (SDH). Meanwhile, SDH inhibition assay results further proved their potential as SDHIs. In addition, acute oral toxicity tests on A. mellifera L. showed only low toxicity for compounds 3B and 4B to A. mellifera L. populations. These results suggested that these two series of compounds had merit for further investigation as potential low-risk agricultural SDHI fungicides.

Gestational α-ketoglutarate supplementation ameliorates arsenic-induced hepatic lipid deposition via epigenetic reprogramming of ß-oxidation process in female offspring.

Inorganic trivalent arsenic (iAsⅢ) at environmentally relevant levels has been found to cause developmental toxicity. Maternal exposure to iAsⅢ leads to enduring hepatic lipid deposition in later adult life. However, the exact mechanism in iAsⅢ induced hepatic developmental hazards is still unclear. In this study, we initially found that gestational exposure to iAsⅢ at an environmentally relevant concentration disturbs lipid metabolism and reduces levels of alpha-ketoglutaric acid (α-KG), an important mitochondrial metabolite during the citric acid cycle, in fetal livers. Further, gestational supplementation of α-KG alleviated hepatic lipid deposition caused by early-life exposure to iAsⅢ. This beneficial effect was particularly pronounced in female offspring. α-KG partially restored the ß-oxidation process in hepatic tissues by hydroxymethylation modifications of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a (Cpt1a) gene during fetal development. Insufficient ß-oxidation capacities probably play a crucial role in hepatic lipid deposition in adulthood following in utero arsenite exposure, which can be efficiently counterbalanced by replenishing α-KG. These results suggest that gestational administration of α-KG can ameliorate hepatic lipid deposition caused by iAsⅢ in female adult offspring partially through epigenetic reprogramming of the ß-oxidation pathway. Furthermore, α-KG shows potential as an interventive target to mitigate the harmful effects of arsenic-induced hepatic developmental toxicity.

FOXO1 regulates bovine skeletal muscle cells differentiation by targeting MYH3.

The growth and development of bovine skeletal muscle and beef yield is closely intertwined. Our previous research found that forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) plays an important role in the regulation of beef muscle formation, but its specific mechanism is still unknown. In this study, we aimed to clarify the regulatory mechanism of FOXO1 in proliferation and differentiation of bovine skeletal muscle cells (BSMCs). The results showed that interfering with FOXO1 can promote proliferation and the cell G1/S phase of BSMCs by up-regulating the expression of PCNA, CDK1, CDK2, CCNA2, CCNB1, CCND1 and CCNE2. Besides, interfering with FOXO1 inhibited the apoptosis of BSMCs by up-regulating the expression of anti-apoptosis gene BCL2, while simultaneously down-regulating the expression of the pro-apoptosis genes BAD and BAX. Inversely, interfering with FOXO1 can promote the differentiation of BSMCs by up-regulating the expression of myogenic differentiation marker genes MYOD, MYOG, MYF5, MYF6 and MYHC. Furthermore, RNA-seq combined with western bolt, immunofluorescence and chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis showed that FOXO1 could regulate BSMCs differentiation process by influencing PI3K-Akt, Relaxin and TGF-beta signaling pathways, and target MYH3 for transcriptional inhibition. In conclusion, this study provides a basis for studying the role and molecular mechanism of FOXO1 in BSMCs.

The self-regulating on cohesion properties of calcium phosphate/ calcium sulfate bone cement improved by citric acid/sodium alginate.

Calcium phosphate cement (CPC) has attracted extensive interest from surgeons and materials scientists. However, the collapsibility of calcium phosphate cement limits its clinical application. In this work, a gel network of SA-CA formed by the reaction of citric acid (CA) and sodium alginate (SA) was introduced into the α-TCP/α-CSH composite. Furthermore, a high proportion of α-CSH provided more calcium sources for the system to combine with SA forming a gel network to improve the cohesion property of the composite, which also played a regulating role in the conversion of materials to HA. The morphology, physicochemical properties, and cell compatibility of the composites were studied with SA-CA as curing solution. The results show that SA-CA plays an important role in the compressive strength and collapse resistance of bone cement, and its properties can be regulated by changing the content of CA. When CA is 10 wt%, the mechanical strength is the highest, reaching 12.49 ± 2.03 MPa, which is 265.80% higher than water as the solidifying liquid. In addition, the cell experiments showed that the samples were not toxic to MC3T3 cells. The results of ALP showed that when SA-CA were used as curing solution, the activity of ALP was higher than that of blank sample, indicating that the composite bone cement could be conducive to the differentiation of osteoblasts. In this work, the α-CSH/α-TCP based composite regulated by gel network of SA-CA can provide a promising strategy to improve the cohesion of bone cement.

Effects of Gestational Arsenic Exposures on Placental and Fetal Development in Mice: The Role of Cyr61 m6A.

BACKGROUND: Several epidemiological investigations demonstrated that maternal arsenic (As) exposure elevated risk of fetal growth restriction (FGR), but the mechanism remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the effects of gestational As exposure on placental and fetal development and its underlying mechanism. METHODS: Dams were exposed to 0.15, 1.5, and 15mg/L NaAsO2 throughout pregnancy via drinking water. Sizes of fetuses and placentas, placental histopathology, and glycogen content were measured. Placental RNA sequencing was conducted. Human trophoblasts were exposed to NaAsO2 (2µM) to establish an in vitro model of As exposure. The mRNA stability and protein level of genes identified through RNA sequencing were measured. N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) modification was detected by methylated RNA immunoprecipitation-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reason (qPCR). The binding ability of insulin-like growth factor 2 binding protein 2 to the gene of interest was detected by RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation-qPCR. Intracellular S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and methyltransferase activity were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and colorimetry, respectively. In vitro As+3 methyltransferase (As3MT) knockdown or SAM supplementation and in vivo folic acid (FA) supplementation were used to evaluate the protective effect. A case-control study verified the findings. RESULTS: Sizes of fetuses (exposed to 1.5 and 15mg/L NaAsO2) and placentas (exposed to 15mg/L NaAsO2) were lower in As-exposed mice. More glycogen+ trophoblasts accumulated and the expression of markers of interstitial invasion was lower in the 15mg/L NaAsO2-exposed mouse group in comparison with control. Placental RNA sequencing identified cysteine-rich angiogenic inducer 61 (Cyr61) as a candidate gene of interest. Mechanistically, mice and cells exposed to As had lower protein expression of CYR61, and this was attributed to a lower incidence of Cyr61 m6A. Furthermore, cells exposed to As had lower methyltransferase activity, suggesting that this could be the mechanism by which Cyr61 m6A was affected. Depletion of intracellular SAM, a cofactor for m6A methyltransferase catalytic domain, partially contributed to As-induced methyltransferase activity reduction. Either As3MT knockdown or SAM supplementation attenuated As-induced Cyr61 m6A down-regulation. In mice, FA supplementation rescued As-induced defective trophoblastic invasion and FGR. In humans, a negative correlation between maternal urinary As and plasma CYR61 was observed in infants who were small for gestational age. DISCUSSION: Using in vitro and in vivo models, we found that intracellular SAM depletion-mediated Cyr61 m6A down-regulation partially contributed to As-induced defective trophoblastic invasion and FGR. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP12207.

Putrescine (1,4-Diaminobutane) enhances antifungal activity in postharvest mango fruit against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides through direct fungicidal and induced resistance mechanisms.

Anthracnose decay caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides greatly shortens the shelf life and commercial quality of mango fruit. Putrescine (1,4-Diaminobutane) is involved in modulating plant defense to various environmental stresses. In this research, in vivo and in vitro tests were used to explore the antifungal activity and the underlying mechanism of putrescine against C. gloeosporioides in mango fruit after harvested. In vivo tests suggested that putrescine markedly delayed the occurrence of disease and limited the spots expansion on inoculated mango fruit. Further analysis exhibited that putrescine treatment enhanced disease resistance, along with enhanced activities of chitinase (CHI), ß-1,3-glucanase (GLU), phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), cinnamate-4-hydroxylase (C4H), 4-coumarate coenzyme A ligase (4CL), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and the accumulation of lignin, flavonoid, phenolics, and anthocyanin in infected mango fruit. In addition, in vitro tests showed that putrescine exerted strongly antifungal activity against C. gloeosporioides. Putrescine induced the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and severe lipid peroxidation damage in C. gloeosporioides mycelia, resulting in the leakage of soluble protein, soluble sugar, nucleic acids, K+ and Ca2+ of C. gloeosporioides mycelia. The mycelium treated with putrescine showed severe deformity and shrinkage, and even cracking. Taken together, putrescine could effectively reduce the incidence rate and severity of anthracnose disease possibly through direct fungicidal effect and indirect induced resistance mechanism, thus showing great potential to be applied to disease control.

Chitosan coating enriched with biosynthetic CuO NPs: Effects on postharvest decay and quality of mango fruit.

A chitosan-based nanocomposite film (CSC) was developed by mixing chitosan (CS, 2 %, v/v) and copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs, 500 µg∙mL-1) synthesized using Alpinia officinarum extract for the safe storage of mango fruit. The effects of CuO NPs on the morphological, mechanical, thermal, physical and antifungal properties of the CS films and postharvest quality of mango fruit were determined. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis confirmed that CuO NPs were uniformly dispersed into the CS matrix. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) profiles showed that intermolecular H-bondings occurred between CS and CuO NPs, accompanied by decreased crystallinity and increased amorphous structure. In comparison to the pure CS film, addition of CuO NPs obviously improved the morphological, mechanical, thermal, physical and antifungal properties of CSC film. CSC coating treatment obviously delayed the fruit decay and yellowing, as well as reduced losses of weight and firmness of mango (Mangifera indica L.) fruit during the storage, when compared with the control and CS coating treatment. Meanwhile, it significantly decreased the respiration rate and ethylene generation and maintained high level of ascorbic acid (AsA), titratable acid (TA) and soluble sugar content (SSC) of the fruit during the storage. Notably, Cu presented in the CSC film was restrained to the peel, indicating that the CSC coated mango fruit had good edible safety. Principal component analysis (PCA) confirmed that CSC coating played a positive role in mango preservation. Therefore, CSC coating can be considered a potential application for successfully controlling of postharvest disease and prolonging the shelf life for mango fruit.

FOXO1 regulates the formation of bovine fat by targeting CD36 and STEAP4.

Intramuscular fat content is closely related to the quality of beef, where the forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) is involved in adipocyte differentiation and lipid metabolism, but the specific mechanism of its involvement is still unclear. In this study, interfering with FOXO1 promoted the G1/S transformation of bovine adipocytes by enhancing the expression of proliferation marker genes PCNA, CDK1, CDK2, CCNA2, CCNB1, and CCNE2, thereby positively regulating the proliferation of bovine adipocytes. Additionally, interfering with FOXO1 negatively regulated the expression of adipogenic differentiation marker genes PPARG and CEBPA, as well as lipid anabolism marker genes ACC, FASN, SCD1, SREBP1, FABP4, ACSL1, LPL, and DGAT1, thus reducing triglyceride (TG) content and inhibiting the generation of lipid droplets in bovine adipocytes. A combination of transcriptomic and metabolomics analyses revealed that FOXO1 could regulate the lipogenesis of cattle by influencing the AMPK and PI3K/AKT pathways. Importantly, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and site-directed mutagenesis revealed that FOXO1 could regulate bovine lipogenesis by binding to the promoter regions of the CD36 and STEAP4 genes and affecting their transcriptional activities. These results provide a foundation for studying the role and molecular mechanism of FOXO1 in the bovine adipogenesis.

Construction of Dual-Channel Water Transport in Mesoporous Silica Low Humidity Sensors to Achieve High Sensitivity.

In this paper, strong hydrophilic poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) are selectively grafted on different positions (mesoporous channels and outer surface) of mesoporous silica via thiol-ene click chemical reaction. The purposes of selective grafting are on the one hand, to explore the differences of adsorption and transportation of water molecules in mesoporous channels and on the outer surface, and on the other hand, to combine the two approaches (intra-pore grafting and external surface grafting) to reasonably design SiO2 @PILs low humidity sensing film with synergetic function to achieve high sensitivity. The results of low relativehumidity （RH） sensing test show that the sensing performance of humidity sensor based on mesoporous silica grafted with PILs in the channels is better than that of humidity sensor based on mesoporous silica grafted with PILs on the outer surface. Compared with water molecules transport single channel, the construction of dual-channel water transport significantly improves the sensitivity of the low humidity sensor, and the response of the sensor is up to 4112% in the range of 7-33% RH. Moreover, the existence of micropores and the formation of dual-channel water transport affect the adsorption/desorption behaviors of the sensor under different humidity ranges, especially below 11% RH.

Detection of Babesia Spp., Theileria Spp., and Anaplasma Ovis in Ornithodoros Lahorensis from Southern Xinjiang, China.

Introduction: Ticks are blood-sucking arthropods that have negative economic impacts and can spread a variety of diseases through their bites. There are few reports on soft ticks (Acari: Argasidae) and tick-borne pathogens in southern Xinjiang, China. This investigation supplements the available information for this region and is concerned with an argasid tick, apicomplexan parasites of the Babesia and Theileria genera and a bacterium of the Anaplasma genus. Material and Methods: In this study, 330 soft ticks were collected from nine sampling sites in southern Xinjiang between 2020 and 2021. The ticks were identified according to their morphological characteristics and confirmed as Ornithodoros lahorensis using mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequences. Babesia and Theileria were identified at the species level based on two fragments of the 18S rRNA gene, and one set of primers targeting the 16S rRNA gene was used to identify the Anaplasma genus. Results: Among the 330 samples, one Babesia species (Babesia sp.), two Theileria species (T. ovis and T. annulata), and one Anaplasma (A. ovis) species were detected. Conclusion: This study provides fundamental evidence for the occurrence of Babesia, Theileria and Anaplasma spp. in soft ticks. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the detection of Babesia sp. and T. annulata in O. lahorensis. Therefore, the potential threat of soft ticks to livestock and humans should not be ignored.

Gestational folic acid supplement prevents vitamin D deficiency-induced depression-like behavior by reversing cortical DNA hypomethylation in adult offspring.

Depression is a common mental disorder with an increasing incidence. Several studies have demonstrated that cortical DNA hypomethylation is associated with depression-like behaviors. This study aims to investigate whether maternal vitamin D deficiency (VDD) induces depression-like behaviors and to explore the effects of folic acid supplement on VDD-induced cortical DNA hypomethylation in adult offspring. Female mice were fed with a VDD diet, beginning at 5 weeks of age and throughout pregnancy. Depression-like behaviors were evaluated, and cortical 5-methylcytosine (5mC) content was detected in adult offspring. Results showed that depression-like behaviors were observed in adult offspring of the VDD group. Cortical Ache and Oxtr mRNAs were upregulated in female offspring of the VDD group. Cortical Cpt1a and Htr1b mRNAs were increased in male offspring of the VDD group. Moreover, cortical 5mC content was reduced in offspring of VDD-fed dams. The additional experiment showed that serum folate and cortical S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) contents were decreased in the offspring of the VDD group. Folic acid supplement attenuated VDD-induced SAM depletion and reversed cortical DNA methylation. Moreover, folic acid supplement attenuated VDD-induced upregulation of depression-related genes. In addition, folic acid supplement alleviated maternal VDD-induced depression-like behaviors in adult offspring. These results suggest that maternal VDD induces depression-like behavior in adult offspring by reducing cortical DNA methylation. The gestational folic acid supplement prevents VDD-induced depression-like behavior by reversing cortical DNA hypomethylation in adult offspring.

The study of self-regulating α-TCP based composite by micro/nano scaled silk fibroin and α-CSH on physicochemical and biological properties of bone cement.

A novel self-hardening α-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP) bone cement complexed with different content of α-calcium sulfate hemihydrate (α-CSH) and micrometer hydroxyapatite mineralized silk fibroin (HA-SF) using micro/SF as curing liquid has been investigated in this work, which was capable of tunable setting time, degradation, mechanical property and ability to anti-washout. After addition 0 ∼ 25% α-CSH to the α-TCP cement with SFFs as curing liquid, it shortened the setting time of the modified composite to 10 ∼ 30 min. Furthermore, the addition of SFFs improved the compressive strength of the composite from 5.41 MPa to 9.44 MPa. The composites with both Na2HPO4 and SFFs as curing liquid showed good anti-collapse performance. The weight loss ratio of bone cement was -0.18 ∼ 12.08% in 4 weeks when the content of α-CSH in α-TCP/α-CSH was between 0 ∼ 25 wt%. During the degradation of α-CSH, the amorphous α-TCP were deposited as hydroxyapatite to formed a plate-like products on the surface of composite. Compared to the composite with Na2HPO4 solution as the curing liquid, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of the composites using SFFs as curing liquid were maintained at high levels on the 14th day especially when the Ca/P ratio was 1.7. This study provides a theoretical basis for the regeneration of bone defects guided by bone cement materials.

Alpinia officinarum mediated copper oxide nanoparticles: synthesis and its antifungal activity against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides.

Green synthesis offers an environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative for the synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs). In this study, the synthesis of CuO NPs was optimized by using copper sulfate (CuSO4) and the aqueous extract of Alpinia officinarum and its antifungal activity were investigated. The synthesized CuO NPs were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared radiation spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that the optimized conditions for the synthesis of CuO NPs were 1:2 ratio of extract and CuSO4 solution, pH 7, and 30 °C. The characteristic UV-vis peak of A. officinarum synthesized CuO NPs was at 264 nm. The synthesized CuO NPs had high crystallinity and purity and were spherical in morphology with the mean size of 46.40 nm. The synthesized CuO NPs reduced the fungal growth of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides in a dose-dependent manner. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of the CuO NPs were 125 µg·mL-1 and 500 µg·mL-1, respectively. The antifungal activity of CuO NPs may be attributed to its ability to deform the structure of fungal hyphae, induce excessive reactive oxygen species accumulation and lipid peroxidation in fungi, disrupt the mycelium cell membrane, and result cellular leakage.