Combined effects of micron-sized polyvinyl chloride particles and copper on seed germination of perilla.

Microplastics (MPs) and copper (Cu) pollution coexist widely in cultivation environment. In this paper, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) were used to simulate the MPs exposure environment, and the combined effects of MPs + Cu on the germination of perilla seeds were analyzed. The results showed that low concentrations of Cu promoted seed germination, while medium to high concentrations exhibited inhibition and deteriorated the morphology of germinated seeds. The germination potential, germination index and vitality index of 8 mg • L-1 Cu treatment group with were 23.08%, 76.32% and 65.65%, respectively, of the control group. The addition of low concentration PVC increased the above indicators by 1.27, 1.15, and 1.35 times, respectively, while high concentration addition led to a decrease of 65.38%, 82.5%, and 66.44%, respectively. The addition of low concentration PVC reduced the amount of PVC attached to radicle. There was no significant change in germination rate. PVC treatment alone had no significant effect on germination. MPs + Cu inhibited seed germination, which was mainly reflected in the deterioration of seed morphology. Cu significantly enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and MDA content. The addition of low concentration PVC enhanced SOD activity, reduced MDA and H2O2 content. The SOD activity of the Cu2+8 + PVC10 group was 4.05 and 1.35 times higher than that of the control group and Cu treatment group at their peak, respectively. At this time, the CAT activity of the Cu2+8 + PVC5000 group increased by 2.66 and 1.42 times, and the H2O2 content was 2.02 times higher than the control. Most of the above indicators reached their peak at 24 h. The activity of α-amylase was inhibited by different treatments, but ß-amylase activity, starch and soluble sugar content did not change regularly. The research results can provide new ideas for evaluating the impact of MPs + Cu combined pollution on perilla and its potential ecological risk.

Physiological analysis and transcriptome profiling reveals the impact of microplastic on melon (Cucumis melo L.) seed germination and seedling growth.

The wide application of agricultural plastics leads to microplastic (MP) accumulation in the soil and inevitably result in MP pollution. Melon is an economically important horticultural crop that is widely cultivated with plastic film mulching. However, the impact of MP pollution on plant growth remains largely unclear. Here we reported the morphological, physiological, biochemical responses and transcriptome re-programing of melon responses to MP on seed germination and seedling growth. Polyvinyl chloride particles were added to potting mix to simulate MP exposure environment (MEE). The results showed that low and medium concentrations (1-4 g kg-1) of MEE had a significant adverse effect on seed germination and seedling growth. In both cases, the germination potential was decreased, young root forks increased, and tips decreased; and the dry weight of seedlings, the total length, surface area, forks and tips of root were also decreased. However, the root activity was increased. The concentration of MEE to give the best parameters was at 2 g kg-1. Catalase enzymatic activity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in roots were decreased continuously with increased MEE concentrations. The peak values of peroxidase activity, O2.- content and generation rate, ROS enrichment and malondialdehyde content all reached the highest at 2 g kg-1. MEE also increased the proline content and decreased the contents of ascorbic acid, soluble sugar and soluble protein in these seedlings. Medium and high concentrations of MEE (4-8 g kg-1) also increased the chlorophyll b content. Low concentrations MEE (1-2 g kg-1) inhibited actual photochemical efficiency of photosystem II and photochemical quenching, two key chlorophyll fluorescence parameters. Transcriptome analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes caused by the MEE were mainly belonged to defense response, signal transduction, hormone metabolism, plant-pathogen interaction, and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. The results of this study will help to understand the ecotoxicological effects of MEE on melons and provide data for ecological risk assessment of Cucurbitaceae vegetable cultivation.

Audience effects in a group-living bird: How contact call rate is affected by vegetation and group size and composition.

Contact calling is a ubiquitous behavior of group-living animals. Yet in birds, beyond a general connection with group cohesion, its precise function is not well-understood, nor is it clear what stimulates changes in contact call rate. In an aviary experiment, we asked whether Swinhoe's White-eyes, Zosterops simplex, would regulate their own production of contact calls to maintain a specific rate at the group level. Specifically, we hypothesized that the sudden cessation of the group-level call rate could indicate an immediate predation threat, and we predicted that birds in smaller groups would call more to maintain a high call rate. We also investigated the effects of environmental characteristics, such as vegetation density, and social stimuli, such as the presence of certain individuals, on the rate of three different contact call types. To calculate mean individual-level rates, we measured the group-level rate and divided it by the number of birds in the aviary. We found that the individual-level rate of the most common call types increased with a greater group size, the opposite pattern to what would be expected if birds were maintaining a specific group-level rate. Vegetation density did not affect any call rate. However, individual-level rates of all call types decreased when birds were in subgroups with individuals of differing dominance status, and the rate of some call types increased when birds were with affiliated individuals. Our results do not support the hypothesis that contact calls are related to habitat structure or immediate predation risk. Rather, they appear to have a social function, used for communication within or between groups depending on the call type. Increases in call rates could recruit affiliated individuals, whereas subordinates could withhold calls so that dominants are unable to locate them, leading to fluctuations in contact calling in different social contexts.

Engineering Ag nanoparticles and amorphous MoOx on three dimensional N-doped carbon networks for enhanced lithium storage performance.

Molybdenum-based oxides have been widely investigated as promising material for lithium ion batteries owing to their unique physical and chemical properties as well as the large specific capacities. However, the fast capacity fading and poor cyclability originated from the large volume expansion and the sluggish electrode kinetics still inhibit their practical application. Herein, Ag nanoparticles combined with amorphous MoOx-in-plane nanoconfined on three dimensional N-doped porous carbon networks (3DNC) are designed and synthesized through salt-template strategy accompanied by annealing treatment and hydrothermal method (3DNC-MoOx-Ag). The synergistic effect of Ag nanoparticles and amorphous MoOx can inhibit the "dead volume" and aggregation of the electrode, accommodate the volume change, accelerate the diffusion kinetics during the lithium ion intercalation and de-intercalation processes. As a result, the designed 3DNC-MoOx-Ag delivers prominent cycling stability (834 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles at 200 mA g-1) and excellent rate performance (419 mAh g-1 after 70 cycles at 5000 mA g-1). Even at 5000 mA g-1, a specific capacity as high as 369 mAh g-1 can be achieved after 500 cycles.

Diplatin, a novel water-soluble platinum complex, inhibits lung cancer growth via augmentation of Fas-mediated apoptosis.

Platinum drugs, such as cisplatin (DDP) and carboplatin (CBP), are the main drugs for the treatment of lung cancer, but their practical clinical application is limited by severe toxicity and acquired drug resistance. Our previous study has indicated that diplatin, [2-(4-(diethyl-amino)butyl)malonate-O,O']-[(1R,2R)-cyclohexane-1,2-diamine N,N'] platinum (II) phosphate, a novel water-soluble platinum complex, could overcome DDP-resistant cells and was less toxic than comparable platinum drugs. In the present study, the effects and mechanisms of diplatin were further evaluated for its development as a novel anti-lung cancer platinum drug. Here, we found diplatin down-regulated the viability of H460 and LTEP-A-2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Nude mice administrated with diplatin (30-120 mg/kg) via tail vein injection dose-dependently inhibited the growth of H460 and LTEP-A-2 xenograft tumors, whose action mainly correlated with the induction of tumor apoptosis. Particularly, the exposure of lung cancer cells or xenograft tumors to diplatin resulted in elevated Fas level, and knockdown of Fas ameliorated diplatin-induced cells apoptosis. Overall, we suggest that diplatin has potent anti-tumor activity, which probably acts through Fas-mediated signaling pathway.

Inhibition of Rac1 activity alleviates PM2.5-induced pulmonary inflammation via the AKT signaling pathway.

PM2.5 is the main particulate air pollutant that is capable of inducing airway injury. Previous studies have indicated that Rac1 is involved in cigarette smoke-induced lung inflammation and lipopolysaccharide-mediated pulmonary injury. However, the contribution of Rac1 activity to PM2.5-induced lung inflammation remains largely unclear. Here, we investigated the regulation of Rac1 in PM2.5-induced inflammation in mouse airways and human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE). The lungs of mice exposed to PM2.5 showed increased IL-1ß expression and an accumulation of inflammatory cells, thereby indicating high Rac1 activity. The exposure of 16HBE cells to PM2.5 resulted in elevated Rac1 levels, as well as an increased release of IL-1ß. Particularly, the selective inhibition of Rac1 ameliorated the IL-1ß release and inflammation in model lungs. Histological assessment showed that treatment with a Rac1 inhibitor, NSC23766, reduced the infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages into the airway lumen. Moreover, the selective inhibition or knockdown of Rac1 decreased IL-1ß release in 16HBE cells induced by PM2.5, which correlated with PM2.5-induced Rac1-regulated AKT signaling. Our data suggest an important role for Rac1 in the pathological alterations associated with PM2.5-mediated lung inflammation. Rac1 may be a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of the inflammatory diseases induced by PM2.5 inhalation.

[Investigation on binding interaction of berberine chloride with bovine serum albumin immobilized onto chromatographic supports by frontal chromatography].

Berberine chloride (BC) is a major active constituent of coptis and can be used as an antipyrotic and antibacterial medicine. Frontal analysis was used to investigate the changes in the binding constant (K), retention factor (k), binding ratio (PPB) and mole of binding sites (m(L)) for the binding of BC on an immobilized bovine serum albumin (BSA) column at several temperatures and to obtain the thermodynamic parameters in the binding process. At 30 degrees C, the binding constant was 4.79 x 10(4) L/mol. K, k and m(L) all decreased as the temperature was increased. Among these three parameters, the change magnitude in m(L) was the most significant. It could be concluded that the decrease in the retention of BC was caused by the decrease of both K and m(L), and the change in the configuration of BSA was considered to be the main reason for the decrease of binding site. The thermodynamic analysis indicated that the main driving force for the interaction between BC and BSA is electrostatic force.