Lifespan-extending and stress resistance properties of brazilin from Caesalpinia sappan in Caenorhabditis elegans.

This study contributes to the continual discovery of lifespan-extending compounds from plants, using the Caenorhabditis elegans model system. An ethyl acetate soluble fraction of methanol extract from the heartwood of Caesalpinia sappan showed a significant lifespan-extending activity. Subsequent activity-guided chromatography of the ethyl acetate-soluble fraction led to the isolation of brazilin. Brazilin showed potent 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging and superoxide anion quenching activities and also revealed a lifespan-extending activity in C. elegans under normal culture conditions. Brazilin also exhibited the protective effects against thermal, oxidative and osmotic stress conditions to improve the survival rate of the nematode. Furthermore, brazilin elevated superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and decreased intracellular reactive oxygen species accumulation in C. elegans. Further studies showed that brazilin-mediated increased stress tolerance of worms could be due to increased expressions of stress resistance proteins such as heat shock protein (HSP-16.2) and superoxide dismutase (SOD-3). Besides, there were no significant, brazilin-induced changes in aging-related factors, including progeny production, food intake, and growth, indicating brazilin influences longevity activity independent of affecting these factors. Brazilin increased the body movement of aged worms, indicating brazilin affects the healthspan and lifespan of nematode. These results suggest that brazilin contributes to the lifespan of C. elegans under both normal and stress conditions by increasing the expressions of stress resistance proteins.

Study on Fabrication and UV Photoelectric Property of TiO2 Nanotube Array Electrodes.

Highly ordered TiO2 nanotube array electrodes were successfully fabricated by a two-step anodization method on Ti sheet substrates in an electrolyte composed of ammonium fluoride, deionized water, and glycol. The tube wall was smooth, and the average internal and external diameters, wall thickness, and tube length achieved were 80 nm, 90 nm, 10 nm, and 9 µm, respectively. X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy results revealed that the TiO2 nanotube arrays presented an amorphous structure. When calcined at 300 °C, the arrays crystallized into the anatase phase, and the crystallization degree of the oxide layer increased as the temperature rose. Calcinating at 400 °C did not obviously disrupt the porous structure of the highly ordered arrays. However, higher temperature enlarged the diameter of the nanotube array and roughened the tube wall. When the temperature reached 600 °C, the nanotube mouth broke because of the excessive stress, causing the oxide layer's thinness and nanotube mouth clogging. The photoelectric test showed that the electrode presented obvious photoresponse under 300-400 nm UV excitation (maximized at 360 nm). The degree of crystallization and the micro-structure of the oxide layer can significantly affect the photoelectric properties of the electrode. After calcination at 400 °C, the TiO2 nanotube arrays, with highly ordered tubular structure directly connected to the Ti substrate, can ensure the rapid transportation of photo-induced electrons to the Ti substrate, while the high crystallinity of the arrays can help reduce the defect density of the nanotube and extend the lifetime of the photo-induced carriers. The electrode showed the best photoelectric property, and the photocurrent intensity was maximized (29.6 µA). However, the calcination process with over-temperature resulted in substantial loss of the TiO2 oxide layer, mouth clogging, and a severe decline in the photoelectric properties.

Preparation of Highly Crystallized Yttrium Oxysulfide Suspension via a Novel Colloidal Processing.

High-crystallized Y2O2S suspension was synthesized by a novel two-step method of high temperature solid-state reaction and subsequent colloidal processing. The synthesis method proposed in this study retains all advantages of the high temperature solid-state reaction method. The obtained data agrees with that of the PDF card, which indicates the product is pure Y2O2S crystals. The results show that the prepared Y2O2S particles are highly crystallized without any significant defects. The fine smooth particles were almost regular, exhibiting an approximately subspherical shape. Quantitative image analysis of particles suggests a mean particle size of 120±34 nm. That is to say, the yttrium oxysulfide colloid prepared by this method have a very narrow size distribution. The obtained ethanol suspension shows Tyndall effect when irradiated with laser of wavelength 532 nm. In addition, the particles exhibit excellent dispersibility in ethanol solution. This is rarely observed for the covalent compounds, which generally present poor dispersibility in solution. As is known to all, the state of the dispersion depends on the acid leaching process. The acid leaching process facilitates the adsorption of ethanol molecules on the surface of the particles. The electrostatic repulsive force among colloidal particles will improve their rheological properties and dispersibility in solution. In this study, the particles can be dispersed well in ethanol after acid leaching. The method'proposed in this study can be extended for the preparation of mono-dispersed oxysulfide nanophosphors and may provide an efficient way for the preparation of stable covalent compound dispersions.

[White light upconversion luminescence and its mechanism of Yb3+/Ho3+/Tm3+ co-doped tellurite glass].

Yb3+ /Ho3+, Yb3+ /Tm3+ and Yb3+ /Ho3+ /Tm3+ co-doped tellurite glasses were prepared by melt-quenching method. Under the excitation of 980 nm laser, Yb3+ /Ho3+/Tm3+ co-doped glass sample shows strong blue, green and red emissions, corresponding to the transitions 1G4 --> 3H6 of Tm3+, 5F4 (5S2) --> 5 I8 of Ho3+, as well as 5F5 -->5 I8 of Ho3+ and 1G4 --> 3F4 of Tm3+ ions, respectively. It was found that the integrated emission intensity ratio of the red to green in Yb3+/Ho3+ /Tm3+ co-doped sample (3.95) is greater than that in Yb3+/Ho3+ co-doped sample (1.69) due to the cross-relaxation between Ho3+ and Tm3+ ions : 3H4 (Tm3+) + 5 I6 (Ho3+) -->3F4 (Tm3+) + 5F5 (Ho3+), and 3F4 (Tm3+ ) + 5 I8 (Ho3+) --> 3H6 (Tm3+) +5 I7 (Ho3+). When the pump power density is 8.2 W x cm(-2), the calculated color coordinates of Yb3+ /Ho3+ /Tm3+ co-doped sample are x = 0.345, y = 0.338, which is very close to the equal energy white light (x = 0.333, y = 0.333).