Bergenin protects against osteoarthritis by inhibiting STAT3, NF-κB and Jun pathways and suppressing osteoclastogenesis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative disease characterized by articular cartilage destruction and subchondral bone reconstruction in the early stages. Bergenin (Ber) is a cytoprotective polyphenol found in many medicinal plants. It has been proven to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and other biological activities, which may reveal its potential role in the treatment of OA. This study aimed to determine the potential efficacy of Ber in treating OA and explore the possible underlying mechanism through network pharmacology and validation experiments. The potential co-targets and processes of Ber and OA were predicted by using network pharmacology, including a Venn diagram for intersection targets, a protein‒protein interaction (PPI) network to obtain key potential targets, and GO and KEGG pathway enrichment to reveal the probable mechanism of action of Ber on OA. Subsequently, validation experiments were carried out to investigate the effects and mechanisms of Ber in treating OA in vitro and vivo. Ber suppressed IL-1ß-induced chondrocyte apoptosis and extracellular matrix catabolism by inhibiting the STAT3, NF-κB and Jun signalling pathway in vitro. Furthermore, Ber suppressed the expression of osteoclast marker genes and RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis. Ber alleviated the progression of OA in DMM-induced OA mice model. These results demonstrated the protective efficacy and potential mechanisms of Ber against OA, which suggested that Ber could be adopted as a potential therapeutic agent for treating OA.

Optimizing Molecular Crystallinity and Suppressing Electron-Phonon Coupling in Completely Non-Fused Ring Electron Acceptors for Organic Solar Cells.

High open-circuit voltage (Voc) organic solar cells (OSCs) have received increasing attention because of their promising application in tandem devices and indoor photovoltaics. However, the lack of a precise correlation between molecular structure and stacking behaviors of wide band gap electron acceptors has greatly limited its development. Here, we adopted an asymmetric halogenation strategy (AHS) and synthesized two completely non-fused ring electron acceptors (NFREAs), HF-BTA33 and HCl-BTA33. The results show that AHS significantly enhances the molecular dipoles and suppresses electron-phonon coupling, resulting in enhanced intramolecular/intermolecular interactions and decreased nonradiative decay. As a result, PTQ10 : HF-BTA33 realizes a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 11.42 % with a Voc of 1.232 V, higher than that of symmetric analogue F-BTA33 (PCE=10.02 %, Voc=1.197 V). Notably, PTQ10 : HCl-BTA33 achieves the highest PCE of 12.54 % with a Voc of 1.201 V due to the long-range ordered π-π packing and enhanced surface electrostatic interactions thereby facilitating exciton dissociation and charge transport. This work not only proves that asymmetric halogenation of completely NFREAs is a simple and effective strategy for achieving both high PCE and Voc, but also provides deeper insights for the precise molecular design of low cost completely NFREAs.

Defect Passivation Refinement in Perovskite Photovoltaics: Achieving Efficiency over 45% under Low-Light and Low-Temperature Dual Extreme Conditions.

Perovskite photovoltaics have emerged as the most promising candidates for next-generation light-to-electricity technology. However, their practical application still suffers from energy loss induced by intrinsic defects within the perovskite lattice. Here, a refined defect passivation in perovskite films is designed, which shows a multi-interaction mechanism between the perovskite and passivator. Interestingly, a shift of molecular bonding is observed upon cooling down the film, leading to a stronger passivation of iodine/formamidine vacancies. Such mechanism on device under low-light and low-temperature conditions is further leveraged and a record efficiency over 45% with durable ambient stability (T90 > 4000 h) is obtained. The pioneer application of perovskite solar cells in above dual extreme conditions in this work reveals the key principles of designing functional groups for the passivators, and also demonstrates the capability of perovskites for diverse terrestrial energy conversion applications in demanding environments such as polar regions and outer space.

Subordinate-to-supervisor relational identification: A meta-analytic review.

Although subordinate-to-supervisor relational identification (RI) has gained significant scholarly attention in organizational research, an understanding of its nomological network is incomplete. There have also been recurring discussions about its distinctions with another more extensively researched relational construct-leader-member exchange (LMX). In this meta-analysis, we expand Sluss and Ashforth's (2007) typology, going beyond the influence of the supervisor, to systematically study the antecedents and consequences of RI and its comparison with LMX. Meta-analytic results based on 157 independent samples demonstrate that positive leader behaviors that span role-based and person-based identities (e.g., transformational leadership, supervisor humility) are important antecedents of subordinate-to-supervisor RI, with effects contingent on subordinates' national culture (i.e., collectivism and power distance). Although less hypothesized, relational and organizational contexts as well as subordinate characteristics are also important antecedents of subordinate-to-supervisor RI. The results further show that RI relates to important subordinate behaviors and attitudes. Finally, we test how RI and LMX have differing effects across these important subordinate attitudes and behaviors. We conclude with suggestions to enhance our understanding of RI. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Metformin protects ovarian granulosa cells in chemotherapy-induced premature ovarian failure mice through AMPK/PPAR-γ/SIRT1 pathway.

Premature ovarian failure (POF) caused by chemotherapy is a growing concern for female reproductive health. The use of metformin (MET), which has anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects, in the treatment of POF damaged by chemotherapy drugs remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the impact of MET on POF caused by cyclophosphamide (CTX) combined with busulfan (BUS) and M1 macrophages using POF model mice and primary granule cells (GCs). Our findings demonstrate that intragastric administration of MET ameliorates ovarian damage and alleviates hormonal disruption in chemotherapy-induced POF mice. This effect is achieved through the reduction of inflammatory and oxidative stress-related harm. Additionally, MET significantly relieves abnormal inflammatory response, ROS accumulation, and senescence in primary GCs co-cultured with M1 macrophages. We also observed that this protective role of MET is closely associated with the AMPK/PPAR-γ/SIRT1 pathway in cell models. In conclusion, our results suggest that MET can protect against chemotherapy-induced ovarian injury by inducing the expression of the AMPK pathway while reducing oxidative damage and inflammation.

Dual-emissive Eu(III)-functionalized metal-organic frameworks for visual, rapid, and intelligent sensing of albendazole and albendazole sulfoxide in animal-origin food.

Albendazole (ABZ), a benzimidazole-based anthelmintic, is widely used to treat helminth infections. The extensive and improper use of ABZ may cause drug residues in animal-origin food and anthelmintics resistance, which potentially threaten human health. Meanwhile, albendazole sulfoxide (ABZSO), a metabolite of ABZ, also exhibits toxic effects. Therefore, the detection of ABZ and ABZSO in animal-derived food is significantly necessary. Herein, a dual-emission europium fluorescent sensor (EuUHC-30) was rationally designed and constructed. EuUHC-30 exhibits high selectivity and sensitivity towards ABZ and ABZSO with a detection limit of 0.10 and 0.13 µM, respectively. Furthermore, EuUHC-30 was successfully applied for quantification of ABZ and ABZSO in milk and pig kidney, which were verified by HPLC analysis. Moreover, a smartphone-assisted EuUHC-30 fluorescent paper sensor was fabricated for the practical determination of ABZ and ABZSO in real food. Overall, this work provides a visual, rapid, and intelligent method for the detection of ABZ and ABZSO in animal-origin food.

A recyclable Eu3+-functionalized dual-emissive metal-organic framework for portable, rapid detection and efficient removal of malachite green.

A europium-functionalized, dual-emissive, metal-organic framework-based fluorescence sensor (EuUCNDA) was constructed via post-synthetic modification of an UiO-66-type precursor through coordination interactions. EuUCNDA exhibited extremely high selectivity and sensitivity for malachite green (MG) with a low detection limit of 13.01 nM, a wide linear concentration range (0.05-50 µM), excellent anti-interference properties, a rapid response (<1 min), and the possibility of recycling. The good sensing performance of EuUCNDA enables the practical detection of MG in fish pond water and grass carp with good recoveries. Moreover, EuUCNDA can be reused for sensing MG and over 90% of fluorescence intensity can be restored after 7 cycles. Furthermore, EuUCNDA-embedded paper-based sensors combined with smartphone imaging afford portable and visual monitoring of MG in real samples. Notably, besides good sensing performance, EuUCNDA could efficiently remove MG from water. Hence, this work provides a recyclable and sensitive fluorescence sensor for portable, visual, rapid detection and efficient removal of MG.

Improving the Photovoltaic Performance of Dithienobenzodithiophene-Based Polymers via Addition of an Additional Eluent in the Soxhlet Extraction Process.

Dithieno[2,3-d;2',3'-d']benzo[1,2-b;4,5-b']dithiophene (DTBDT) is a kind of pentacyclic aromatic electron-donating unit with unique optoelectronic properties, but it has received less attention in the design of photovoltaic polymers. In this work, we copolymerized DTBDT with the electron-deficient unit of dithieno[3',2':3,4;2″,3″:5,6]benzo[1,2-c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (DTBT) and obtained two polymers, PE55 and PE56, with a synergistic heteroatom substitution strategy. When blended with the classic nonfullerene acceptor Y6, PE55 and PE56 achieve power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 13.78% and 14.49%, respectively, which indicates that the introduction of sulfur atoms on the conjugated side chain of the D unit is a promising method to enhance the performance of DTBDT-based polymers. Besides, we utilize dichloromethane and chloroform to separate the low molecular weight (Mw) fractions in the solvent extraction process to obtain PE55-CF and PE56-CB, and the PCEs are further improved to 15.00% and 16.11%, respectively. The stronger π-π stacking, optimized blend film morphology, and higher charge mobilities contribute to the enhanced PCEs for polymers with higher Mw obtained via the multistep solvent extraction strategy. Our results not only provide a simple and effective way to improve the photovoltaic performance of conjugated polymers but also imply that some reported polymers purified from the traditional one-step solvent extraction method might be seriously underestimated.

A highly water-stable dual-emission fluorescent probe based on Eu3+-loaded MOF for the simultaneous detection and quantification of Fe3+ and Al3+ in swine wastewater.

A novel dual-emissive Eu3+-loaded metal-organic framework (MOF) is designed and successfully fabricated by introducing 2-hydroxyterephthalic acid (H2BDC-OH) and Eu3+ ions into an UiO-66-type MOF material. The obtained MOF, here referred to as EuUCH, exhibits dual emission at 450 and 614 nm, and both emissions are quite stable in aqueous media in the pH range of 4-11. EuUCH is characterized by a high selectivity and sensitivity toward Fe3+ and Al3+, which yield different responsive modes. The two emissions of EuUCH are quenched by Fe3+; by contrast, only the emission at 450 nm is quenched by Al3+ showing a ratiometric fluorescence signal. More importantly, as there is no clear interference between the signals of Fe3+ and Al3+, EuUCH is successfully utilized for the simultaneous detection of Fe3+ and Al3+ in their mixtures. In addition, the simultaneous quantification of Fe3+ and Al3+ is achieved in more complicated swine wastewater with good recoveries. This work provides a water-stable dual-emissive probe and the possibility to achieve the simultaneous quantification of Fe3+ and Al3+ in complicated environment wastewater.

Controlling Phase Transition toward Future Low-Cost and Eco-friendly Printing of Perovskite Solar Cells.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have grown increasingly popular over the past few years and are considered to be game-changers in the energy conversion market. It has became vital to transfer the deep understanding of the perovskite film formation process during lab-scale fabrication to large-scale production. Complex phase transition during film formation has been revealed by in situ strategies. However, there is still debate which phase transition is the right route for a future scalable approach. Herein, we briefly summarize perovskite crystallization during scalable printing processes. The critical information about the intermediates involved in phase transition from precursors to perovskite crystals are discussed because it deeply impacts the morphology of printed films. Finally, important strategies to control phase transition and challenges toward future low-temperature and eco-friendly printing of perovskite solar cells are proposed. The information provided by this Perspective will assist the screening and development of the perovskite phase transition for future cost-efficient printed perovskite panels.

A luminescent Eu3+-functionalized MOF for sensitive and rapid detection of tetracycline antibiotics in swine wastewater and pig kidney.

Tetracyclines (TCs), a type of antibiotics, are widely used in human therapy and animal husbandry. Public concerns about tetracyclines residues have been raised due to their negative impact on the environment and food, causing bacterias drug resistance and human health concerns. In this work, a luminescent europium MOF (EuUCBA) is constructed via post-synthetic attachment of Eu3+ into a UiO-66 type MOF. The luminescent of EuUCBA exhibits high stability in aqueous media in the pH range of 4-11. Among 36 common veterinary drugs, the synthesized probe is highly selective and sensitive to six tetracyclines with low detection limits of 0.118 µM, 0.228 µM, 0.102 µM, 0.138 µM, 0.206 µM, and 0.078 µM for oxytetracycline (OTC), chlortetracycline (CTC), methylenetetracycline (MTC), minocycline (MOC), tetracycline (TC), and doxycycline (DOXY), respectively. Furthermore, the probe shows good anti-interference ability and fast response. Finally, EuUCBA was successfully to detect DOXY in swine wastewater and pig kidney with good recoveries. This work provides an excellent fluorescent sensor for highly selective and rapid detection of TCs residues in wastewater and complex biological samples.

PTB7-Th-Based Organic Photovoltaic Cells with a High VOC of over 1.0 V via Fluorination and Side Chain Engineering of Benzotriazole-Containing Nonfullerene Acceptors.

PTB7-Th is considered one of the most classic donor polymers for organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells. However, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of PTB7-Th-based OPV is lagging behind that of other promising polymers mainly because of the relatively low open-circuit voltage (VOC). To increase the VOC and PCE of PTB7-Th-based OPV, the development of nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) and studies of structure-property-performance relationship are vital. Here, three A2-A1-D-A1-A2-type acceptors, namely BTA45, F-BTA45, and F-BTA5, were developed by fluorination on the benzotriazole (BTA) unit and regulating alkoxy or alkyl phenyl side chains. Compared with BTA45, light absorption and π-π packing can be simultaneously improved for the two fluorinated BTA acceptors, resulting in an increased JSC and FF. Moreover, the F-BTA5-based blend film exhibits better phase separation morphology and electron transport than those of BTA45 and F-BTA45, which contribute to a device efficiency of 10.36% with a VOC of 1.03 V. In addition, the ΔE2 values of the three blends are less than 0.15 eV, together with their moderate ΔE3, efficiently decreasing their energy loss. These results highlight the importance of fluorination and side chain engineering for NFAs to boost the VOC and PCE for low-band gap photovoltaic polymers.

Conjugated Polymer Mesocrystals with Structural and Optoelectronic Coherence and Anisotropy in Three Dimensions.

Semiconducting mesocrystalline bulk polymer specimens that exhibit near-intrinsic properties using channel-die pressing are demonstrated. A predominant edge-on orientation is obtained for poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) throughout 2 mm-thick/wide samples. This persistent mesocrystalline arrangement at macroscopic scales allows reliable evaluation of the electronic charge-transport anisotropy along all three crystallographic axes, with high mobilities found along the π-stacking. Indeed, charge-carrier mobilities of up to 2.3 cm2 V-1 s-1 are measured along the π-stack, which are some of the highest mobilities reported for polymers at low charge-carrier densities (drop-cast films display mobilities of maximum ≈10-3 cm2 V-1 s-1 ). The structural coherence also leads to an unusually well-defined photoluminescence line-shape characteristic of an H-aggregate (measured from the surface perpendicular to the materials flow), rather than the typical HJ-aggregate feature usually found for P3HT. The approach is widely applicable: to electrical conductors and materials used in n-type devices, such as poly{[N,N'-bis(2-octyldodecyl)-naphthalene-1,4,5,8-bis(dicarboximide)-2,6-diyl]-alt-5,5'-(2,2'-bithiophene)} (N2200) where the mesocrystalline structure leads to high electron transport along the polymer backbones (≈1.3 cm2 V-1 s-1 ). This versatility and the broad applicability of channel-die pressing signifies its promise as a straightforward, readily scalable method to fabricate bulk semiconducting polymer structures at macroscopic scales with properties typically accessible only by the tedious growth of single crystals.

Short Excited-State Lifetimes Mediate Charge-Recombination Losses in Organic Solar Cell Blends with Low Charge-Transfer Driving Force.

A blend of a low-optical-gap diketopyrrolopyrrole polymer and a fullerene derivative, with near-zero driving force for electron transfer, is investigated. Using femtosecond transient absorption and electroabsorption spectroscopy, the charge transfer (CT) and recombination dynamics as well as the early-time transport are quantified. Electron transfer is ultrafast, consistent with a Marcus-Levich-Jortner description. However, significant charge recombination and unusually short excited (S1 ) and CT state lifetimes (≈14 ps) are observed. At low S1 -CT offset, a short S1 lifetime mediates charge recombination because: i) back-transfer from the CT to the S1 state followed by S1 recombination occurs and ii) additional S1 -CT hybridization decreases the CT lifetime. Both effects are confirmed by density functional theory calculations. In addition, relatively slow (tens of picoseconds) dissociation of charges from the CT state is observed, due to low local charge mobility. Simulations using a four-state kinetic model entailing the effects of energetic disorder reveal that the free charge yield can be increased from the observed 12% to 60% by increasing the S1 and CT lifetimes to 150 ps. Alternatively, decreasing the interfacial CT state disorder while increasing bulk disorder of free charges enhances the yield to 65% in spite of the short lifetimes.

Recyclable europium functionalized metal-organic fluorescent probe for detection of tryptophan in biological fluids and food products.

An europium functionalized metal-organic fluorescent probe, Eu3+@UiO-66-FDC was constructed by post-synthetic modification through coordination interactions. Eu3+@UiO-66-FDC displayed high selectivity and sensitivity toward Tryptophan (Trp) among all the 20 natural amino acids and other general compounds in food and biological samples, with a wide linear concentration range (0-1000 µM), low detection limit (0.29 µM), and a rapid response (<1 min). Besides, this probe was utilized to detect Trp in rabbit blood serum and milk samples with good recoveries, which were verified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Notably, this fluorescent probe proved to be a recyclable material. Hence, this work provides a reliable and recyclable fluorescent probe applicable toward the detection of Trp in biological fluids and/or food products.

Highly sensitive and rapid detection of thiabendazole residues in oranges based on a luminescent Tb3+-functionalized MOF.

Thiabendazole (TBZ), has been extensively employed as a pesticide and/or a fungicide in agriculture, while its residues would threaten to public health and safety. Simple, rapid and sensitive probes for detection of TBZ in real food samples is significantly desirable. In present work, a highly selective and sensitive luminescent sensor for monitoring TBZ in oranges has been constructed based on a Tb3+-functionalized Zr-MOF (Tb3+@1). Tb3+@1 exhibited many attractive sensing properties toward TBZ, including broad linear range (0-80 µM), high selectivity, low LOD (0.271 µM) and rapid response time (less than1 min). Moreover, the probe was employed to determine TBZ in real orange samples, in which good recoveries from 98.41 to 104.48% were obtained. It only takes 35 min for the whole process of detection TBZ in real orange samples combined with QuEChERS method. Therefore, this work provided a reliable and rapid method for monitoring the TBZ in real orange samples.

Highly selective detection of Cu2+ in aqueous media based on Tb3+-functionalized metal-organic framework.

In this work, a metal-organic framework UiO-66-(COOH)2 has been synthesized and is further functionalized with Tb3+ through coordination interactions. The functionalized MOF, denoted as Tb3+@UiO-66-(COOH)2, is fully characterized and further developed as an excellent fluorescent probe to monitor Cu2+ ions in aqueous media by fluorescence quenching effect. Tb3+@UiO-66-(COOH)2 exhibits high selectivity and sensitivity, broad linear concentration range (0-200 µM), low detection limits (0.23 µM), fast response speed (within 1 min), as well as in situ naked eye observation under UV light for sensing Cu2+ ion. Furthermore, this probe was successfully employed to detect Cu2+ ion in real water with good recovery. Hence, this work developed a very excellent fluorescent sensor with high potential practical applications for detection of Cu2+ ion in environmental water samples.

Sub-picosecond charge-transfer at near-zero driving force in polymer:non-fullerene acceptor blends and bilayers.

Organic photovoltaics based on non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) show record efficiency of 16 to 17% and increased photovoltage owing to the low driving force for interfacial charge-transfer. However, the low driving force potentially slows down charge generation, leading to a tradeoff between voltage and current. Here, we disentangle the intrinsic charge-transfer rates from morphology-dependent exciton diffusion for a series of polymer:NFA systems. Moreover, we establish the influence of the interfacial energetics on the electron and hole transfer rates separately. We demonstrate that charge-transfer timescales remain at a few hundred femtoseconds even at near-zero driving force, which is consistent with the rates predicted by Marcus theory in the normal region, at moderate electronic coupling and at low re-organization energy. Thus, in the design of highly efficient devices, the energy offset at the donor:acceptor interface can be minimized without jeopardizing the charge-transfer rate and without concerns about a current-voltage tradeoff.

Electric field-induced dipole switching at the donor/acceptor interface in organic solar cells.

Order of dipole moment layers at donor and acceptor interfaces in bilayer organic solar cells is manipulated reversibly by applying bias voltages. The energy level shifts at the interfaces induce reversible changes in the open circuit voltage and the diode properties. This finding could lead to a better understanding of the structure-property relationship at the materials interfaces in organic optoelectronic devices.

[In situ intestinal absorption kinetics of berberine and jatrorrhizine from extractive Rhizoma Coptidis in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the in situ absorption kinetics of berberine (BER) and jatrorrhizine( JAT) at different intestine segments in rats. METHOD: The intestinal perfusion experiment was performed on rats in vivo to observe the effects of absorption sites and drug concentration on the intestinal absorption characteristics of BER and JAT. RESULT: The apparent absorption rate constants (Ka) of BER and JAT at duodenum, jejunum, ileum and colon were 0.1540, 0.1160, 0.9793, 0.6795 h(-1) and 0.0743, 0.0564, 0.0456, 0.0234 h(-1), respectively. The absorption of BER and JAT decreased according to the turn of duodenum, jejunum, ileum and colon. Compared to the lower segment, BER and JAT were better absorbed at the upper and middle segments of intestine in rats. The Ka of BER and JAT had no significant difference when the concentration of the extractive Rhizoma Coptidis was at 22-88 mg x L(-1). However, the absorption quantity of BER and JAT were proportional to the concentration respectively and the saturated phenomena were not observed. CONCLUSION: Both the BER and the JAT is can be absorbed in whole intestine and the results indicated that the absorption of BER and JAT compiled with the first order kinetics through passive diffusion mechanism.