MgO-loaded nitrogen and phosphorus self-doped biochar: High-efficient adsorption of aquatic Cu2+, Cd2+, and Pb2+ and its remediation efficiency on heavy metal contaminated soil.

In this study, the MgO-loaded fish scale biochar (MgO-FB) was synthesized by impregnation of MgCl2 using fish scales as precursor, and the modified biochar was applied for the adsorption of aquatic Cu2+, Cd2+, and Pb2+, and the immobilization of heavy metals in soils. The maximum adsorption capacities of MgO-FB for Cu2+, Cd2+, and Pb2+ were 505.8, 327.2, and 661.2 mg/g, respectively. In addition, MgO-FB can keep the excellent adsorption capacity under various environmental disturbances including pH, humic acid, and high ionic strength. Multiple characterizations and comparative experiments have demonstrated that the hydroxyapatite components and the MgO micro-nanoparticles on MgO-FB enhanced the adsorption capacity for Cu2+, Cd2+, and Pb2+ through ion-exchange and precipitation process. The metal-π electron coordination and complexation with oxygen-, nitrogen-, and phosphorus-containing groups were also responsible for the removal of heavy metal ions. Besides, MgO-FB also performed excellently for the immobilization of Cu, Cd, and Pb in soils, and the contents of available Cu, Cd, and Pb were reduced by 84.2%, 74.2%, and 53.7% respectively with the addition of MgO-FB. In general, these results show that waste fish scales co-pyrolysis with MgCl2 impregnation can be considered as a promising and efficient material for the remediation of heavy metal contaminated waters and soils.

Development of a novel phosphorus recovery system using incinerated sewage sludge ash (ISSA) and phosphorus-selective adsorbent.

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient but faces foreseeable resource depletion. The incinerated sewage sludge ash (ISSA) is a promising source for recovering phosphorus. In this study, we proposed a new system for recovering phosphorus from ISSA. This innovative system uses phosphorus-selective adsorbent to purify phosphorus from the ISSA acid leachate. Laboratory scale batch and column tests were performed to demonstrate the feasibility of the system. Note that >70% of phosphorus in ISSA can be recovered as a high-purity recovery product. The product showed a structure similar to hydroxyapatite (Ca5(PO4)3OH). The total amount of Ca, P, and O in the product was above 90 wt%. The content of trace elements (As, Cd, Cr, and Pb) in the product was below the fertilizer limits, suggesting that the health and environmental risks of using fertilizer in agriculture are negligible. The expected costs of the system were estimated. The reusability of the adsorbent can reduce the operational costs to a satisfactory level. This study provides a practical alternative for recovering phosphorus from ISSA.

Use of Saikosaponin D and JNK inhibitor SP600125, alone or in combination, inhibits malignant properties of human osteosarcoma U2 cells.

Saikosaponin D (Ssd) is a major active ingredient derived from the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Bupleurum falcatum, and SP600125 is a specific inhibitor of JNK that competes with adenosine triphosphate. In this study, we co-analyzed cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion in U-2OS osteosarcoma cells treated with Ssd and SP600125 alone or in combination. Cell death and signaling were analyzed using western blotting and flow cytometry. We observed dramatic inhibition of cellular proliferation, invasion, and migration in cells treated with Ssd alone or in combination with SP600125. Ssd, alone or in combination with SP600125, enhanced Cytochrome C release, increased the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and activated caspase-3, -8 and -9, indicating that cellular apoptosis was induced via both the mitochondrial and death receptor pathways. The effect of SP600125 alone on U2 cells was not significant. Additional evaluation of Mcl-1, Akt, p-Akt, ERK, and p-ERK supported an anti-tumor effect of Ssd, which was enhanced in combination with SP600125. This study provides a theoretical basis for the treatment of osteosarcoma with Ssd alone or in combination with SP600125.

Effects of baicalein on proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion of Ewing's sarcoma cells.

Ewing's sarcoma (ES) is a rare tumor that is more frequent in pediatric and adolescent age groups. In the past few decades, long-term survival in affected patients has improved due to the success of multimodal therapy. However, long-term survival is inevitably restricted by the late side-effects of chemotherapy. Besides, early metastasis also contributes to the poor prognosis of ES. Recently, traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) have increasingly attracted interest due to the promising clinical results and fewer side-effects for the treatment of cancers. Among the various TCMs, the root of Scutellaria baicalensis exerts anti-inflammatory properties as a well-known herb in traditional Chinese medicine. Baicalein (5,6,7-trihydroxyflavone) derived from the root of Scutellaria baicalensis is a bioactive compound, which possesses a powerful pro-apoptotic activity in various cancers such as hepatocellular carcinoma and myeloma. However, the effects of baicalein on ES cells remain still unknown. We anticipated that baicalein also has apoptotic activity in ES. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of baicalein on viability, apoptosis, migration and invasion of ES cells, and further to elaborate the molecular mechanism of baicalein-induced ES cell apoptosis. We found that baicalein markedly inhibited ES cells viability in a time- and dose-dependent manner, especially SK-ES-1 cells and could promote the apoptosis of ES cells. Additionally, baicalein was capable of upregulating the expression of the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and cytochrome c, reducing the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, elevating the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2, and triggering the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, which led to caspase-3 and caspase-9 activation and PARP cleavage. Meanwhile, the activation of caspase-8 and the death receptor pathway was also observed. Besides, baicalein could reduce ES migration and invasion in vitro, which showed its potential to inhibit ES metastasis, besides contributing to the decrease in the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-2 and MMP-9. In conclusion, baicalein has a potent tumor-suppressor activity by inducing cell apoptosis through the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and the death receptor pathway in ES cells, thus it may serve as a novel and effective candidate agent for ES treatment.

Celastrol induces apoptosis of human osteosarcoma cells via the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.

Celastrol is an active compound extracted from the root bark of Triptergium wilfordii Hook F., also known as ̔Thunder of God Vine̓. It is a well-known Chinese medicinal herb that was found to inhibit tumor cell growth and promote apoptosis in several tumor cell lines. However, research into its effects on osteosarcoma cell apoptosis is still extremely limited. The present study was undertaken to determine the effect of celastrol on viability and apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells and furthermore, to illuminate the molecular mechanism of celastrol-induced osteosarcoma cell apoptosis. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) colorimetric assay was used to evaluate the viability of the cells following treatment with celastrol. The effect of celastrol on the apoptotic rate of the cells was evaluated by flow cytometry using Annexin V-PE/7-AAD staining assay. Fluorescence microscopy was used to detect the morphological changes in the human osteosarcoma U-2OS cell lines. The expression of Bcl-2 family proteins, caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9, cytochrome c and PARP was measured by western blotting. We found that celastrol significantly inhibited the growth of osteosarcoma cells in a dose-dependent manner, particularly U-2OS cells. Furthermore, we observed that celastrol upregulated the expression of the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and cytochrome c and altered the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2, and triggered the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, resulting in caspase-3 and -9 activation and PARP cleavage. To conclude, the results indicate that celastrol inhibits the proliferation of human osteosarcoma cancer cells by inducing apoptosis via the mitochondrial-dependent pathway.

Chuanhu anti-gout mixture versus colchicine for acute gouty arthritis: a randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, non-inferiority trial.

BACKGROUND: The Chuanhu anti-gout mixture has been used for many years in the treatment of gout in Chinese Traditional Medicine, and current methods for treatments for acute gouty arthritis have been either less effective or have had serious side effects. METHODS: In this 12-week, double-blind, double-dummy, non-inferiority study, outpatient individuals with newly diagnosed acute gouty arthritis were randomly assigned to receive Chuanhu anti-gout mixture or colchicine. Both the study investigators and the participants were masked to the treatment assignments. The primary outcome was the recurrence rate of acute gouty arthritis, and the secondary outcomes were changes in white blood cells (WHC) and C-reactive protein (CRP). This trial is registered at ISRCTN.org as trial ISRCTN65219941. RESULTS: A total of 176 patients were randomly assigned to receive either the Chuanhu anti-gout mixture or Colchicine. The overall recurrence rates in the Chuanhu anti-gout mixture group (CH group) and the Colchicine group (Col group) were 12.50% vs 14.77% (difference -2.22%, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): -10.78%~6.23%), meeting the predefined non-inferiority criterion of 15%, as did the data for WHC and CRP. The incidence of adverse events (mainly diarrhea) was less in the Col group than in the CH group (2.27% vs 28.41%, 95% CI 0.01~0.26). In addition, changes in blood uric acid, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and creatinine in the CH group were significantly larger compared to those in the Col group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The Chuanhu anti-gout mixture was non-inferior to colchicine for the treatment of acute gouty arthritis. The study suggested that the Chuanhu anti-gout mixture can be considered an alternative choice for the treatment of acute gouty arthritis because of its lower incidence of adverse events and its protection of kidney and renal function.