[Analysis of constituents in different parts of Forsythia suspensa by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS and evaluation of their anti-inflammatory activity].

This study aims to characterize and identify the chemical constituents in 11 parts of Forsythia suspensa by using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight-mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) combined with a self-established chemical constituent database, including leaves, flowers, fruits, green F. suspensa, old F. suspensa, and seeds. The quality attributes and differences of different parts of F. suspensa were evaluated by principal component analysis, partial least square discriminant analysis, and other stoichiometric methods. A total of 79 compounds were identified, including 13 phenylethanol glycosides, 10 lignans, 12 flavonoids, 10 organic acids, 14 terpenoids, and 20 other types of compounds. Among them, 34 compounds were the main variables of difference between the different parts of F. suspensa, and the content of each component was relatively higher in the leaves and green F. suspensa. The LPS-induced inflammation model of RAW264.7 cells was applied to study the anti-inflammatory activity of the extracts of the different parts of F. suspensa and the main constituents. The results show that the extracts of green F. suspensa, flower, twig, and stem exhibited anti-inflammatory activity, and the constituents such as forsythoside A, phyllyrin, phillygenin, and(+)-pinoresinol-ß-D-glucopyranoside could significantly inhibit anti-inflammatory activity released by NO. The chemical constituent in different parts of F. suspensa is analyzed comprehensively, and the anti-inflammatory activity is evaluated in this study, which provides a reference for the development and comprehensive utilization of F. suspensa resources.

Integrated control strategy for dual sludge ages in the high-concentration powder carrier bio-fluidized bed (HPB) technology: Enhancing municipal wastewater treatment efficiency.

The high-concentration powder carrier bio-fluidized bed (HPB) technology is an emerging approach that enables on-site upgrading of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). HPB technology promotes the formation of biofilm sludge with micron-scale composite powder carriers as the core and suspended sludge mainly composed of flocs surrounding the biofilm sludge. This study proposed a novel integrated strategy for assessing and controlling the sludge ages in suspended/bio-film activated sludge supported by micron-scale composite powder carrier. Utilizing the cyclone unit and the corresponding theoretical model, the proposed strategy effectively addresses the sludge ages contradiction between denitrifying bacteria and polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs), thereby enhancing the efficiency of municipal wastewater treatment. The sludge age of the suspended (25 d) and bio-film (99 d) sludge, calculated using the model, contribute to the simultaneous removal of nitrogen and phosphorus. Meanwhile, the model further estimates distinct contributions of suspended and bio-film sludge to chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total nitrogen (TN), which are 55% and 42% for COD, 20% and 57% for TN of suspended sludge and bio-film sludge, respectively. This suggests that the contribution of suspended sludge and bio-film sludge to COD and TN removal efficiency can be determined and controlled by the operational conditions of the cyclone unit. Additionally, the simulation values for COD, ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N), TN and total phosphorus (TP) closely align with the actual values of WWTPs over 70 days (p < 0.001) with the correlation coefficients (R2) of 0.9809, 0.9932, 0.9825, and 0.837, respectively. These results support the theoretical foundation of HPB technology for simultaneous nitrogen and phosphorus removal in sewage treatment plants. Therefore, this model serves as a valuable tool to guide the operation, design, and carrier addition in HPB technology implementation.

Icariin alleviates osteoarthritis by inhibiting NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis.

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the common chronic degenerative joint bone disease that is mainly featured by joint stiffness and cartilage degradation. Icariin (ICA), an extract from Epimedium, has been preliminarily proven to show anti-osteoporotic and anti-inflammatory effects in OA. However, the underlying mechanisms of ICA on chondrocytes need to be elucidated. METHODS: LPS-treated chondrocytes and monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-treated Wistar rats were used as models of OA in vitro and in vivo, respectively. LDH and MTT assays were performed to detect cytotoxicity and cell viability. The expression levels of NLRP3, IL-1ß, IL-18, MMP-1, MMP-13, and collagen II were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blotting. The release levels of IL-1ß and IL-18 were detected by ELISA assay. Caspase-1 activity was assessed by flow cytometry. Immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry were used to examine the level of NLRP3 in chondrocytes and rat cartilage, respectively. The progression of OA was monitored with hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining and safranin O/fast green staining. RESULTS: ICA could suppress LPS-induced inflammation and reduction of collagen formation in chondrocytes. Furthermore, ICA could inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated caspase-1 signaling pathway to alleviate pyroptosis induced by LPS. Overexpression of NLRP3 reversed the above changes caused by ICA. It was further confirmed in the rat OA model that ICA alleviated OA by inhibiting NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis. CONCLUSION: ICA inhibited OA via repressing NLRP3/caspase-1 signaling-mediated pyroptosis in models of OA in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that ICA might be a promising compound in the treatment of OA.