Inhibitory effects of Schisandrin C on collagen behavior in pulmonary fibrosis.

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a serious progressive fibrotic disease that is characterized by excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM), thus resulting in stiff lung tissues. Lysyl oxidase (LOX) is an enzyme involved in fibrosis by catalyzing collagen cross-linking. Studies found that the ingredients in schisandra ameliorated bleomycin (BLM)-induced PF, but it is unknown whether the anti-PF of schisandra is related to LOX. In this study, we established models of PF including a mouse model stimulated by BLM and a HFL1 cell model induced by transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1 to evaluate the inhibition effects of Schisandrin C (Sch C) on PF. We observed that Sch C treatment decreased pulmonary indexes compared to control group. Treatment of Sch C showed a significant reduction in the accumulation of ECM as evidenced by decreased expressions of α-SMA, FN, MMP2, MMP9, TIMP1 and collagen proteins such as Col 1A1, and Col 3A1. In addition, the expression of LOX in the lung tissue of mice after Sch C treatment was effectively decreased compared with the MOD group. The inhibition effects in vitro were consistent with those in vivo. Mechanistic studies revealed that Sch C significantly inhibited TGF-ß1/Smad2/3 and TNF-α/JNK signaling pathways. In conclusion, our data demonstrated that Sch C significantly ameliorated PF in vivo and vitro, which may play an important role by reducing ECM deposition and inhibiting the production of LOX.

Dual stimuli-responsive polysulfone membranes with interconnected networks by a vapor-liquid induced phase separation strategy.

Dual pH- and thermo-responsive polysulfone (PSf) membranes with three-dimensionally interconnected networks are fabricated by introducing poly(acrylic acid-co-N-isopropylacrylamide) (P(AA-NIPAm)) into the membrane surfaces and pore walls during membrane formation via a vapor-liquid induced phase separation (V-LIPS) process. After introducing the copolymers of P(AA-NIPAm), the fabricated membranes exhibit impressive open network pores on the surfaces, meanwhile their cross-sectional structure turns from classical asymmetric finger-like structure into bi-continuous nanopores throughout the whole thickness of membrane, due to high solution viscosity and low mass transfer rate of VIPS process. Furthermore, pure water permeation tests show that the pure water permeation (Lp) and the molecular weight cutoff (MWCO) of the fabricated PSf/P(AA-NIPAm) membranes increases sharply as the solution pH decreases from 12.5 to 1.5 and the feed temperature increases from 25 to 50 °C, attributing to the increasing pore size. With the decreasing mass ratio of AA to NIPAm, the pH-responsive coefficient decreases, while the temperature- responsive coefficient increases. In particular, for the fabricated membrane with the mass ratio of AA to NIPAm of 3 to 2, Lp changes from ∼16.0 to ∼821.4 L m-2 h-1 bar-1 and MWCO increases from ∼223.1 to ∼1493.2 kDa, as the filtration experiments are operated with feed pH and temperature of 12.5/25 °C and 1.5/50 °C respectively. The results proposed in this study provide a novel mode for design and development dual responsive porous membranes in situ, which will enable good separation of various materials and expand the scope of membrane applications.

Microstructures and performances of pegylated polysulfone membranes from an in situ synthesized solution via vapor induced phase separation approach.

In situ pegylated (PEGylated) microporous membranes have been extensively reported using poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based polymers as blending additives. Alternatively, free standing PEGylated polysulfone (PSf) membranes with excellent hydrophilicity and antifouling ability were directly fabricated from polysulfone/poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PSf/PEGMA) solutions after in situ cross-linking polymerization without any treatment via vapor induced phase separation (VIPS) process for the first time. The microstructures and performances of the resulting membranes shifted regularly by adjusting exposure time of the liquid film in humid air. With increasing exposure time, plenty of worm-like networks formed and distributed on membrane surfaces, meanwhile cross-sectional morphology changed from asymmetric finger-like microporous structure to symmetric cellular-like structure, resulting in better mechanical stability. As the exposure time raised from 0 to 5 min, the surface coverage of carboxyl groups increased from ∼1.1 to 4.0 mol%, leading to the decrease in water contact angle from ∼63 to 27° and the increase in water flux from ∼110 to 512 L m-2 h-1. In addition, at prolonged exposure time, increasing hydrophilic PEG chains migrated to membrane surfaced and repelled the adsorption and deposition of protein, resulting in better antifouling ability. The findings of this study offer a facile and high efficient strategy for flexible design and fabrication of the in situ PEGylated membranes with desirable structures and performances in large scale.

Polysulfone hemodiafiltration membranes with enhanced anti-fouling and hemocompatibility modified by poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) via in situ cross-linked polymerization.

Poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and its copolymers have been widely employed for the modification of hemodiafiltration membranes due to their excellent hydrophilicity, antifouling and hemocompatibility. However, challenges still remain to simplify the modification procedure and to improve the utilization efficiency. In this paper, antifouling and hemocompatibility polysulfone (PSf) hemodiafiltration membranes were fabricated via in situ cross-linked polymerization of vinyl pyrrolidone (VP) and vinyltriethoxysilane (VTEOS) in PSf solutions and non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) technique. The prepared membranes were characterized by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which suggested that VP and VTEOS have been cross-linked copolymerized in PSf membranes. The modified PSf membranes with high polymer content showed improved hydrophilicity, ultrafiltration and protein antifouling ability. In addition, the modified PSf membranes showed lower protein adsorption, inhibited platelet adhesion and deformation, prolonged the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), and decreased the content of fibrinogen (FIB) transferring to fibrin, indicating enhanced hemocompatibility. In a word, the present work provides a simple and effective one-step modification method to construct PSf membranes with improved hydrophilicity, antifouling and hemocompatibility.

Negatively charged polysulfone membranes with hydrophilicity and antifouling properties based on in situ cross-linked polymerization.

Polysulfone (PSf) membrane has been widely used in water separation and purification, although, membrane fouling is still a serious problem limiting its potential. We aim to improve the antifouling of PSf membranes via a very simple and efficient method. In this work, antifouling PSf membranes were fabricated via in situ cross-linked polymerization coupled with non-solvent induced phase separation. In brief, acrylic acid (AA) and vinyltriethoxysilane (VTEOS) were copolymerized in PSf solution, then directly casted into membranes without purification. With the increase of monomers concentration, the morphology of the as-cast membranes changed from a finger-like morphology to a fully sponge-like structure due to the increased viscosity and decreased precipitation rate of the polymer solutions. Meanwhile, the hydrophilicity and electronegativity of modified membranes were highly improved leading to inhibited protein adsorption and improved antifouling property. Furthermore, in order to further find out the different roles player by AA and VTESO, the modified membrane without VTEOS was prepared and characterized. The results indicated that AA is more effective in the membrane hydrophilicity improvement, VTEOS is more crucial to improve membrane stability. This work provides valuable guidance for fabricating PSf membranes with hydrophilicity and antifouling property via in situ cross-linked polymerization.

High-density lipoprotein inhibits ox-LDL-induced adipokine secretion by upregulating SR-BI expression and suppressing ER Stress pathway.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) in adipocytes can modulate adipokines secretion. The aim of this study was to explore the protective effect of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) on oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-induced ERS-C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) pathway-mediated adipokine secretion. Our results showed that serum adipokines, including visfatin, resistin and TNF-α, correlated inversely with serum HDL cholesterol level in patients with abdominal obesity. In vitro, like ERS inhibitor 4-phenylbutyric acid (PBA), HDL inhibited ox-LDL- or tunicamycin (TM, an ERS inducer)-induced increase in visfatin and resistin secretion. Moreover, HDL inhibited ox-LDL-induced free cholesterol (FC) accumulation in whole cell lysate and in the endoplasmic reticulum. Additionally, like PBA, HDL inhibited ox-LDL- or TM-induced activation of ERS response as assessed by the decreased phosphorylation of protein kinase-like ER kinase and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α and reduced nuclear translocation of activating transcription factor 6 as well as the downregulation of Bip and CHOP. Furthermore, HDL increased scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) expression and SR-BI siRNA treatment abolished the inhibitory effects of HDL on ox-LDL-induced FC accumulation and CHOP upregulation. These data indicate that HDL may suppress ox-LDL-induced FC accumulation in adipocytes through upregulation of SR-BI, subsequently preventing ox-LDL-induced ER stress-CHOP pathway-mediated adipocyte inflammation.

Hollow Carbon Microspheres/MnO2 Nanosheets Composites: Hydrothermal Synthesis and Electrochemical Behaviors.

This article reported the electrochemical behaviors of a novel hollow carbon microspheres/manganese dioxide nanosheets (micro-HC/nano-MnO2) composite prepared by an in situ self-limiting deposition method under hydrothermal condition. The results of scanning electron microscopy reveal that MnO2 nanosheets homogeneously grow onto the surface of micro-HC to form a loose-packed microstructure. The quantity of MnO2 required in the electrode layer has thereby been reduced significantly, and higher specific capacitances have been achieved. The micro-HC/nano-MnO2 electrode presents a high capacitance of 239.0 F g-1 at a current density of 5 mA cm-2, which is a strong promise for high-rate electrochemical capacitive energy storage applications.

Bionic design for surface optimization combining hydrophilic and negative charged biological macromolecules.

While polyethersulfone (PES) membrane represents a promising option for blood purification, the blood compatibility must be dramatically enhanced to meet today's ever-increasing demands for many emerging application. In this study, we report a bionic design for optimization and development of a modified PES membrane combining hydrophilic and negative charged biological macromolecules on its surface. The hydrophilic and ionic charged biological macromolecules sulfonated poly(styrene)-b-poly(methyl methacrylate)-b-poly-(styrene) (PSSMSS) and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)-b-poly(methyl methacrylate)-b-poly-(vinyl pyrrolidone) were synthesized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization and used together to modify PES membranes by blending method. A hydrophilic membrane surface with negative charged surface coating was obtained, imitating the hydrophilic and negatively charged structure feature of heparin. The modified PES membranes showed suppressed platelet adhesion, and a prolonged blood clotting time, and thereby improved blood compatibility. In addition, the blood clotting time of the modified membranes increased with the blended PSSMSS amounts increment, indicating that both the hydrophilic and negative charged groups play important roles in improving the blood compatibility of PES membranes.

A simple method to prepare modified polyethersulfone membrane with improved hydrophilic surface by one-pot: The effect of hydrophobic segment length and molecular weight of copolymers.

A simple method to prepare modified polyethersulfone (PES) membrane by one-pot is provided, and the method includes three steps: polymerization of vinyl pyrrolidone (VP), copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and blending with PES. The effect of the PMMA segment length and molecular weight of the copolymer (PVP-b-PMMA-b-PVP, as an additive) on the structures and properties of the modified membranes was investigated. Activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) tests indicated that with the increase of the poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) segment length in the chains of the copolymers and with the increase of the molecular weight of the copolymers, the APTTs of the modified membranes increased to some extent, since less of the additives were lost during liquid-liquid phase separation process. Therefore, the copolymer was designed and prepared with appropriate ratio of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) to MMA and with appropriate molecular weight for better membrane performance. When the copolymer was blended in the membrane, the water permeance, protein anti-fouling property and sieving coefficients for PEG-12000 increased obviously. The simple, credible and feasible method had the potential to be used for the modification of membranes with improved blood compatibility, ultrafiltration and antifouling properties of biomaterials and for practical production.

Toward a highly hemocompatible membrane for blood purification via a physical blend of miscible comb-like amphiphilic copolymers.

Comb-like amphiphilic copolymers (CLACs) consisting of functional chains of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) and polyethersulfone-based hydrophobic chains were firstly synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization. The CLAC can be used as an additive to blend with polyethersulfone (PES) at any ratio due to the excellent miscibility, and then a surface segregation layer with permanent hydrophilicity could be obtained. The surfaces of the CLAC modified PES membranes were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis, Fourier transform infrared and water contact angle measurements. The surfaces are self-assembled with numerous functional branch-like -PVP chains, which can improve the hemocompatibility. The root-like -PES chains (the hydrophobic part) are embedded in the membranes firmly, which greatly reduces the elution during the membrane preparation procedure and repeated usage, and makes the membranes have a permanent stability. The PES-based hydrophobic chains have the same structure as the membrane bulk material, which makes the miscibility of the additive and the membrane material good to ensure the intrinsic properties of the membrane. The modified membranes showed suppressed platelet adhesion and prolonged blood coagulation time (activated partial thromboplastin time, APTT); thus, the blood compatibility of the membranes was highly improved. The strategy may be extended to synthesize other PES-based functional copolymers and to prepare a modified PES dialysis membrane for blood purification.