Exploration of ß-glucosidase-producing microorganisms community structure and key communities driving cellulose degradation during composting of pure corn straw by multi-interaction analysis.

Poor management of crop residues leads to environmental pollution and composting is a sustainable practice for addressing the challenge. However, knowledge about composting with pure crop straw is still limited, which is a novel and feasible composting strategy. In this study, pure corn straw was in-situ composted for better management. Community structure of ß-glucosidase-producing microorganisms during composting was deciphered using high-throughput sequencing. Results showed that the compost was mature with organic matter content of 37.83% and pH value of 7.36 and pure corn straw could be composted successfully. Cooling phase was major period for cellulose degradation with the highest ß-glucosidase activity (476.25 µmol·p-Nitr/kg·dw·min) and microbial diversity (Shannon index, 3.63; Chao1 index, 500.81). Significant compositional succession was observed in the functional communities during composting with Streptomyces (14.32%), Trichoderma (13.85%) and Agromyces (11.68%) as dominant genera. ß-Glucosidase-producing bacteria and fungi worked synergistically as a network to degrade cellulose with Streptomyces (0.3045**) as the key community revealed by multi-interaction analysis. Organic matter (-0.415***) and temperature (-0.327***) were key environmental parameters regulating cellulose degradation via influencing ß-glucosidase-producing communities, and ß-glucosidase played a key role in mediating this process. The above results indicated that responses of ß-glucosidase-producing microorganisms to cellulose degradation were reflected at both network and individual levels and multi-interaction analysis could better explain the relationship between variables concerning composting cellulose degradation. The work is of significance for understanding cellulose degradation microbial communities and process during composting of pure corn straw.

Menthol-Modified Quercetin Liposomes with Brain-Targeting Function for the Treatment of Senescent Alzheimer's Disease.

Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in the aging brain are correlated with the development of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). The blood-brain barrier (BBB) poses a significant challenge to the effective delivery of therapeutics for AD. Prior research has demonstrated that menthol (Men) can augment the permeability of the BBB. Consequently, in the current study, we modified Men on the surface of liposomes to construct menthol-modified quercetin liposomes (Men-Qu-Lips), designed to cross the BBB and enhance quercetin (Qu) concentration in the brain for improved therapeutic efficacy. The experimental findings indicate that Men-Qu-Lips exhibited good encapsulation efficiency and stability, successfully crossed the BBB, improved oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in the brains of aged mice, protected neurons, and enhanced their learning and memory abilities.

Facile adjustment on cellulose nanocrystals composite films with glycerol and benzyl acrylate copolymer for enhanced UV shielding property.

In the present work, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) composite films with suitable applicable capabilities were prepared by facilely incorporating glycerol (Gly) and poly(benzyl acrylate) (PBA). Chemical and morphological variations during the fabrication of the films were systematically characterized. The properties of modified CNCs composite films including UV blocking ability, mechanical strength and thermal properties were characterized to assess their applicable potentials. As a result, the composite films have good UV shielding property in UVC (220-280 nm) region and UVB (280-320 nm) region. The shielding performance of the modified film in the ultraviolet absorption region reached 92.77% to 95.49% respectively, without damaging the original chiral nematic structure of the films. Along with the modification, BACNC film improved the mechanical properties, presenting the tensile strength 16 times higher compared to pure CNCs film. The nanocomposite films proposed in this work showed promising potentials in broad fields, such as food preservation, medical protection, and surface coating applications.

Bioinspired manufacturing of oriented polysaccharides scaffolds for strong, optical haze and anti-UV/bacterial membranes.

Here, biomimetic dual esterification strategy was proposed on natural polysaccharides cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and galactomannan (GM) in combination with tartaric acid (TA) and benzoic anhydride (BA) respectively. Evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) formed the oriented quasinematic structure of the nanocomposites membranes. The CNCs crystallites were modified by TA and intercalated by amorphous polysaccharides, building a complex supramolecular network. Thus, it presents excellent light scattering property with the optical haze of ~90%, which was rarely reported previously. TA and BA simultaneously contributed to satisfying UV adsorption capability for the membranes, showing almost whole-spectra UVA/UVB blocking. Super high mechanical strength (>150 MPa) and toughness (~8 kJ/m3) were revealed by the membranes with high addition amount of BA, together with the efficient antibacterial capability on both Gram-positive and negative bacteria. The diverse optical, mechanical and biological functions displayed by the polysaccharides membranes, propose new horizons on application for packaging, optoelectronic and biomonitoring sensors.

All-natural and biocompatible cellulose nanocrystals films with tunable supramolecular structure.

Herein, nanocomposites films were prepared via the facile casting method by incorporating cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) with arabinogalactan (AG), galactomannan (GM) or konjac glucomannan (KGM) respectively. The introduced polysaccharides maintained the transparency of CNCs films and promoted the UV blocking properties. In addition, mechanical strength of the nanocomposite films was greatly improved after the combination of polysaccharides. The interactions of hydroxyl-abundant macromolecules, smoother and tighter morphological structures, as well as the disturbed crystal structure were proved to be responsible for the improved properties. Hydrophilic lattice planes of cellulose crystallites were determined to interact with polysaccharides resulting in lower crystallite sizes and crystallinity. The cell culture assay revealed that the films had no cytotoxicity and presented a satisfactory cytocompatibility, because of the polysaccharides from plant cell walls introduced into the films. Therefore, the biocompatible nanocomposites films can be tuned by the addition of polysaccharides, which show great potentials for materials modification in optical, packaging and biomedical fields.

Actuating, shape reconstruction, and reinforcement of galactomannan-based hydrogels by coordination bonds induced metal ions capture.

Application of abundant hemicelluloses polysaccharides on functional materials are of much interest. In this work, galactomannan (GM) hydrogels were prepared by dual hydrogen bonding interactions with polymerized poly-acrylic acid (AA) and poly-N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM). The hydrogels showed a series of novel and distinctive properties through in situ metal ions immersion. Highly improved ductility with a tensile strain of 230% and tensile stress of 390 kPa were exhibited by PAN-GM-Cu and PAN-GM-Fe respectively. More interestingly, the spontaneous metal ions capture into the network successfully actuated the sensitive curving and shape reconstruction behaviors of the hydrogels to varying degrees, which were tuned by the concentration of the metal ions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infrared spectroscopy (IR) proved the formation of new coordination bonds between Cu2+/Fe3+ and carboxylates/hydroxyls groups that reinforced and swelled the networks into different curving states. After the curving, PAN-GM-Cu exhibited more satisfied mechanical properties due to the distinctive morphological distribution of Cu2+ on the pores layers of the hydrogels. The intelligent hydrogels proposed in this work would provide new strategies for effective metal ions adsorption, which can be potentially applied on devices actuating, metal ions pollution water treatments, self-reinforcement and shape reconstruction.

Improving the enzymatic hydrolysis of larch by coupling water pre-extraction with alkaline hydrogen peroxide post-treatment and adding enzyme cocktail.

Soluble arabinogalactan (AG) in larch leads to reagent waste during its biorefining using oxidative pretreatment strategies. A two-stage pretreatment of water pre-extraction followed by alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) pretreatment was investigated to more efficiently convert larch cellulose into glucose, while also obtaining a value-added AG product stream. The results showed that water pre-extraction increases the lignin selectivity of both NaOH and H2O2 reagents, translating to improved lignin removal and enzymatic hydrolysis yields. This was found to be related to cellulose accessibility alongside the effective consumption of the reagents. Moreover, the addition of mannanase also significantly enhanced enzymatic digestibility of pretreated solid from 81.0% to 97.7% (4% H2O2 charge and 180 °C) when 40 U/g mannanase was supplemented with 20 FPU/g cellulase. In all, it was demonstrated that coupling mannanase with cellulase could improve larch's enzymatic digestibility and overall viability for biorefining processes.

Highly Stable Graphene-Based Nanocomposite (GO-PEI-Ag) with Broad-Spectrum, Long-Term Antimicrobial Activity and Antibiofilm Effects.

Various silver nanoparticle (AgNP)-decorated graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposites (GO-Ag) have received increasing attention owing to their antimicrobial activity and biocompatibility; however, their aggregation in physiological solutions and the generally complex synthesis methods warrant improvement. This study aimed to synthesize a polyethyleneimine (PEI)-modified and AgNP-decorated GO nanocomposite (GO-PEI-Ag) through a facile approach through microwave irradiation without any extra reductants and surfactants; its antimicrobial activity was investigated on Gram-negative/-positive bacteria (including drug-resistant bacteria) and fungi. Compared with GO-Ag, GO-PEI-Ag acquired excellent stability in physiological solutions and electropositivity, showing substantially higher antimicrobial efficacy. Moreover, GO-PEI-Ag exhibited particularly excellent long-term effects, presenting no obvious decline in antimicrobial activity after 1 week storage in physiological saline and repeated use for three times and the lasting inhibition of bacterial growth in nutrient-rich culture medium. In contrast, GO-Ag exhibited a >60% decline in antimicrobial activity after storage. Importantly, GO-PEI-Ag effectively eliminated adhered bacteria, thereby preventing biofilm formation. The primary antimicrobial mechanisms of GO-PEI-Ag were evidenced as physical damage to the pathogen structure, causing cytoplasmic leakage. Hence, stable GO-PEI-Ag with robust, long-term antimicrobial activity holds promise in combating public-health threats posed by drug-resistant bacteria and biofilms.

Elution profile of di-peptides on a sulfonated ethylstyrene-divinylbenzene copolymer resin column by high-performance liquid chromatography.

This study investigates the characteristics of a partially sulfonated ethylstyrene-divinylbenzene copolymer for the separation of di-peptides by high-performance liquid chromatography. Di-peptides (VE, VA, VH, VK, and VR) with different isoelectric points (pI, 4.0 to 9.7) and log P values (-1.63 to -0.72) were used to optimize the separation conditions of the columns packed with sulfonated copolymer resin. The retention factor (k) of the di-peptides on the column with a 0.81 wt% sulfo group content decreased with increasing concentrations of phosphate salts (2.5 - 20 mmol L(-1)) in the mobile phase. The complete separation of the five di-peptides was obtained with a gradient of 10% methanol containing 5 mmol L(-1) NaH2PO4 (pH 4.8) to 50% methanol containing 5 mmol L(-1) Na2HPO4 (pH 8.9) for 60 min at 0.5 mL min(-1) at 50°C. Under the optimal conditions, a good relationship between the k and pI values of the di-peptides, with the exception of VE (pI 4.0), was observed, suggesting that the retention of the di-peptides on the column packed with sulfonated copolymer resin was dependent on the pI value, when it was greater than 5. The log P value also influenced the separation characteristics of the column; peptides possessing the same pI value (6.4 for GH, VH, IH, and FH) showed a higher retention on the column with increasing log P values. In conclusion, the prototype sulfonated ethylstyrene-divinylbenzene copolymer column was applicable for the separation of basic di-peptides, and the separation depended on the pI and hydrophobicity of the di-peptides.