Keratinocyte-derived defensins activate neutrophil-specific receptors Mrgpra2a/b to prevent skin dysbiosis and bacterial infection.

Healthy skin maintains a diverse microbiome and a potent immune system to fight off infections. Here, we discovered that the epithelial-cell-derived antimicrobial peptides defensins activated orphan G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) Mrgpra2a/b on neutrophils. This signaling axis was required for effective neutrophil-mediated skin immunity and microbiome homeostasis. We generated mutant mouse lines lacking the entire Defensin (Def) gene cluster in keratinocytes or Mrgpra2a/b. Def and Mrgpra2 mutant animals both exhibited skin dysbiosis, with reduced microbial diversity and expansion of Staphylococcus species. Defensins and Mrgpra2 were critical for combating S. aureus infections and the formation of neutrophil abscesses, a hallmark of antibacterial immunity. Activation of Mrgpra2 by defensin triggered neutrophil release of IL-1ß and CXCL2 which are vital for proper amplification and propagation of the antibacterial immune response. This study demonstrated the importance of epithelial-neutrophil signaling via the defensin-Mrgpra2 axis in maintaining healthy skin ecology and promoting antibacterial host defense.

Dynamic single-cell sequencing unveils the tumor microenvironment evolution of gastric cancer abdominal wall metastases during radiotherapy.

Although the combination of immunotherapy and radiotherapy (RT) for the treatment of malignant tumors has shown rapid development, the insight of how RT remodels the tumor microenvironment to prime antitumor immunity involves a complex interplay of cell types and signaling pathways, much of which remains to be elucidated. Four tumor samples were collected from the same abdominal wall metastasis site of the patient with gastric cancer at baseline and during fractionated RT for single-cell RNA and T-cell receptor sequencing. The Seurat analysis pipeline and immune receptor analysis were used to characterize the gastric cancer metastasis ecosystem and investigated its dynamic changes of cell proportion, cell functional profiles and cell-to-cell communication during RT. Immunohistochemical and immunofluorescent staining and bulk RNA sequencing were applied to validate the key results. We found tumor cells upregulated immune checkpoint genes in response to RT. The infiltration and clonal expansion of T lymphocytes declined within tumors undergoing irradiation. Moreover, RT led to the accumulation of proinflammatory macrophages and natural killer T cells with enhanced cytotoxic gene expression signature. In addition, subclusters of dendritic cells and endothelial cells showed decrease in the expression of antigen present features in post-RT samples. More ECM component secreted by myofibroblasts during RT. These findings indicate that RT induced the dynamics of the immune response that should be taken into consideration when designing and clinically implementing innovative multimodal cancer treatment regimens of different RT and immunotherapy approaches.

The Core-Shell Microneedle with Probiotic Extracellular Vesicles for Infected Wound Healing and Microbial Homeostasis Restoration.

Wound healing is a dynamic process involving the timely transition of organized phases. However, infected wounds often experience prolonged inflammation due to microbial overload. Thus, addressing the viable treatment needs across different healing stages is a critical challenge in wound management. Herein, a novel core-shell microneedle (CSMN) patch is designed for the sequential delivery of tannic acid-magnesium (TA-Mg) complexes and extracellular vesicles from Lactobacillus druckerii (LDEVs). Upon application to infected sites, CSMN@TA-Mg/LDEV releases TA-Mg first to counteract pathogenic overload and reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS), aiding the transition to proliferative phase. Subsequently, the sustained release of LDEVs enhances the activities of keratinocytes and fibroblasts, promotes vascularization, and modulates the collagen deposition. Notably, dynamic track of microbial composition demonstrates that CSMN@TA-Mg/LDEV can both inhibit the aggressive pathogen and increase the microbial diversity at wound sites. Functional analysis further highlights the potential of CSMN@TA-Mg/LDEV in facilitating wound healing and skin barrier restoration. Moreover, it is confirmed that CSMN@TA-Mg/LDEV can accelerate wound closure and improve post-recovery skin quality in the murine infected wound. Conclusively, this innovative CSMN patch offers a rapid and high-quality alternative treatment for infected wounds and emphasizes the significance of microbial homeostasis.

Brown planthopper infestation on rice reduces plant susceptibility to Meloidogyne graminicola by reducing root sugar allocation.

Plants are simultaneously attacked by different pests that rely on sugars uptake from plants. An understanding of the role of plant sugar allocation in these multipartite interactions is limited. Here, we characterized the expression patterns of sucrose transporter genes and evaluated the impact of targeted transporter gene mutants and brown planthopper (BPH) phloem-feeding and oviposition on root sugar allocation and BPH-reduced rice susceptibility to Meloidogyne graminicola. We found that the sugar transporter genes OsSUT1 and OsSUT2 are induced at BPH oviposition sites. OsSUT2 mutants showed a higher resistance to gravid BPH than to nymph BPH, and this was correlated with callose deposition, as reflected in a different effect on M. graminicola infection. BPH phloem-feeding caused inhibition of callose deposition that was counteracted by BPH oviposition. Meanwhile, this pivotal role of sugar allocation in BPH-reduced rice susceptibility to M. graminicola was validated on rice cultivar RHT harbouring BPH resistance genes Bph3 and Bph17. In conclusion, we demonstrated that rice susceptibility to M. graminicola is regulated by BPH phloem-feeding and oviposition on rice through differences in plant sugar allocation.

Self-assembled peptide nanotubes (SPNTs)/SnO2nanocomposites for high-performance NO2sensing at room temperature.

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a major pollutant that poses significant risks to sustainable human life. As a result, a growing focus has been placed on the development of highly selective and sensitive gas sensors for NO2. Traditional cutting-edge non-organic NO2gas detectors often necessitate stringent production conditions and potentially harmful materials, which are not environmentally friendly, and these shortcomings have limited their widespread practical use. To overcome these challenges, we synthesized self-assembled peptide nanotubes (SPNTs) through a molecular self-assembly process. The SPNTs were then combined with SnO2in varying proportions to construct NO2gas sensors. The design of this sensor ensured efficient electron transfer and leverage the extensive surface area of the SPNTs for enhanced gas adsorption and the effective dispersion of SnO2nanoparticles. Notably, the performance of the sensor, including its sensitivity, response time, and recovery rate, along with a lower detection threshold, could be finely tuned by varying the SPNTs content. This approach illustrated the potential of bioinspired methodologies, using peptide self-assemblies, to develop integrated sensors for pollutant detection, providing a significant development in environmentally conscious sensor technology.

Lonicerin promotes wound healing in diabetic rats by enhancing blood vessel regeneration through Sirt1-mediated autophagy.

Among the numerous complications of diabetes mellitus, diabetic wounds seriously affect patients' quality of life and result in considerable psychological distress. Promoting blood vessel regeneration in wounds is a crucial step in wound healing. Lonicerin (LCR), a bioactive compound found in plants of the Lonicera japonica species and other honeysuckle plants, exhibits anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, and it recently has been found to alleviate ulcerative colitis by enhancing autophagy. In this study we investigated the efficacy of LCR in treatment of diabetic wounds and the underlying mechanisms. By comparing the single-cell transcriptomic data from healing and non-healing states in diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) of 5 patients, we found that autophagy and SIRT signaling activation played a crucial role in mitigating inflammation and oxidative stress, and promoting cell survival in wound healing processes. In TBHP-treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), we showed that LCR alleviated cell apoptosis, and enhanced the cell viability, migration and angiogenesis. Furthermore, we demonstrated that LCR treatment dose-dependently promoted autophagy in TBHP-treated HUVECs by upregulating Sirt1 expression, and exerted its anti-apoptotic effect through the Sirt1-autophagy axis. Knockdown of Sirt1 significantly decreased the level of autophagy, and mitigated the anti-apoptotic effect of LCR. In a STZ-induced diabetic rat model, administration of LCR significantly promoted wound healing, which was significantly attenuated by Sirt1 knockdown. This study highlights the potential of LCR as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of diabetic wounds and provides insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying its effects.

A Positioning Alarm System for Explosive Impact Debris Protective Suit Based on an Accelerometer Array.

Protection suits are vital for firefighters' safety. Traditional protection suits physically protect firemen from burns, but cannot locate the position of bodily injuries caused by impact debris. Herein, we present a wearable impact debris positioning system for firefighter protection suits based on an accelerometer array. Wearable piezoelectric accelerometers are distributed regularly on the suit to detect the vibration on different body parts, which is conducive to determining the position of injured body parts. In addition, the injured parts can be displayed on a dummy body model on the upper computer with a higher localization accuracy of 4 cm. The positioning alarm system has a rapid response time of 0.11 ms, attributed to the smart signal processing method. This work provides a reliable and smart method for locating and assessing the position of bodily injuries caused by impact debris, which is significant because it enables fire commanders to rescue injured firefighters in time.

Novel Gene-Modified Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy Reverses Impaired Wound Healing in Ischemic Limbs.

OBJECTIVE: Here, we report a new method to increase the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) for ischemic wound healing. We tested biological effects of MSCs modified with E-selectin, a cell adhesion molecule capable of inducing postnatal neovascularization, on a translational murine model. BACKGROUND: Tissue loss significantly worsens the risk of extremity amputation for patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia. MSC-based therapeutics hold major promise for wound healing and therapeutic angiogenesis, but unmodified MSCs demonstrate only modest benefits. METHODS: Bone marrow cells harvested from FVB/ROSA26Sor mTmG donor mice were transduced with E-selectin-green fluorescent protein (GFP)/AAV-DJ or GFP/AAV-DJ (control). Ischemic wounds were created via a 4 mm punch biopsy in the ipsilateral limb after femoral artery ligation in recipient FVB mice and subsequently injected with phosphate-buffered saline or 1×10 6 donor MSC GFP or MSC E-selectin-GFP . Wound closure was monitored daily for 7 postoperative days, and tissues were harvested for molecular and histologic analysis and immunofluorescence. Whole-body DiI perfusion and confocal microscopy were utilized to evaluate wound angiogenesis. RESULTS: Unmodified MSCs do not express E-selectin, and MSC E-selectin-GFP gain stronger MSC phenotype yet maintain trilineage differentiation and colony-forming capability. MSC E-selectin-GFP therapy accelerates wound healing compared with MSC GFP and phosphate-buffered saline treatment. Engrafted MSC E-selectin-GFP manifest stronger survival and viability in wounds at postoperative day 7. Ischemic wounds treated with MSC E-selectin-GFP exhibit more abundant collagen deposition and enhanced angiogenic response. CONCLUSIONS: We establish a novel method to potentiate regenerative and proangiogenic capability of MSCs by modification with E-selectin/adeno-associated virus. This innovative therapy carries the potential as a platform worthy of future clinical studies.

Cyclophilin acts as a ribosome biogenesis factor by chaperoning the ribosomal protein (PlRPS15) in filamentous fungi.

The rapid transport of ribosomal proteins (RPs) into the nucleus and their efficient assembly into pre-ribosomal particles are prerequisites for ribosome biogenesis. Proteins that act as dedicated chaperones for RPs to maintain their stability and facilitate their assembly have not been identified in filamentous fungi. PlCYP5 is a nuclear cyclophilin in the nematophagous fungus Purpureocillium lilacinum, whose expression is up-regulated during abiotic stress and nematode egg-parasitism. Here, we found that PlCYP5 co-translationally interacted with the unassembled small ribosomal subunit protein, PlRPS15 (uS19). PlRPS15 contained an eukaryote-specific N-terminal extension that mediated the interaction with PlCYP5. PlCYP5 increased the solubility of PlRPS15 independent of its catalytic peptide-prolyl isomerase function and supported the integration of PlRPS15 into pre-ribosomes. Consistently, the phenotypes of the PlCYP5 loss-of-function mutant were similar to those of the PlRPS15 knockdown mutant (e.g. growth and ribosome biogenesis defects). PlCYP5 homologs in Arabidopsis thaliana, Homo sapiens, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Botrytis cinerea and Metarhizium anisopliae were identified. Notably, PlCYP5-PlRPS15 homologs from three filamentous fungi interacted with each other but not those from other species. In summary, our data disclosed a unique dedicated chaperone system for RPs by cyclophilin in filamentous fungi.

Application of Silicon Nanowire Field Effect Transistor (SiNW-FET) Biosensor with High Sensitivity.

As a new type of one-dimensional semiconductor nanometer material, silicon nanowires (SiNWs) possess good application prospects in the field of biomedical sensing. SiNWs have excellent electronic properties for improving the detection sensitivity of biosensors. The combination of SiNWs and field effect transistors (FETs) formed one special biosensor with high sensitivity and target selectivity in real-time and label-free. Recently, SiNW-FETs have received more attention in fields of biomedical detection. Here, we give a critical review of the progress of SiNW-FETs, in particular, about the reversible surface modification methods. Moreover, we summarized the applications of SiNW-FETs in DNA, protein, and microbial detection. We also discuss the related working principle and technical approaches. Our review provides an extensive discussion for studying the challenges in the future development of SiNW-FETs.

Morphological characterization reveals new insights into giant cell development of Meloidogyne graminicola on rice.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Three types of nematode-feeding sites (NFSs) caused by M. graminicola on rice were suggested, and the NFS polarized expansion stops before the full NFS maturation that occurs at adult female stage. Root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne spp., secrete effectors and recruit host genes to establish their feeding sites giant cells, ensuring their nutrient acquisition. There is still a limited understanding of the mechanism underlying giant cell development. Here, the three-dimensional structures of M. graminicola-caused nematode-feeding sites (NFSs) on rice as well as changes in morphological features and cytoplasm density of the giant cells (GCs) during nematode parasitism were reconstructed and characterized by confocal microscopy and the Fiji software. Characterization of morphological features showed that three types of M. graminicola-caused NFSs, type I-III, were detected during parasitism at the second juvenile (J2), the third juvenile (J3), the fourth juvenile (J4) and adult female stages. Type I is the majority at all stages and type II develops into type I at J3 stage marked by its longitudinal growth. Meanwhile, NFSs underwent polarized expansion, where the lateral and longitudinal expansion ceased at later parasitic J2 stage and the non-feeding J4 stage, respectively. The investigation of giant cell cytoplasm density indicates that it reaches a peak at the midpoint of early parasitic J2 and adult female stages. Our data suggest the formation of three types of NFSs caused by M. graminicola on rice and the NFS polarized expansion stopping before full NFS maturation, which provides unprecedented spatio-temporal characterization of development of giant cells caused by a root-knot nematode.

UV-enhanced NO2gas sensors based on In2O3/ZnO composite material modified by polypeptides.

This present study reported a high-performance gas sensor, based on In2O3/ZnO composite material modified by polypeptides, with a high sensibility to NO2, where the In2O3/ZnO composite was prepared by a one-step hydrothermal method. A series of results through material characterization technologies showed the addition of polypeptides can effectively change the morphology and size of In2O3/ZnO crystals, and effectively improve the sensing performance of the gas sensors. Due to the single shape and small size, In2O3/ZnO composite modified by polypeptides increased the active sites on the surface. At the same time, the gas sensing properties of four different ratios of polypeptide-modified In2O3/ZnO gas sensors were tested. It was found that the In2O3/ZnO-10 material showed the highest response, excellent selectivity, and good stability at room temperature under UV light. In addition, the response of the In2O3/ZnO-10 gas sensor showed a strong linear relationship with the NO2gas concentration. When the NO2gas concentration was 20 ppm, the response time was as quick as 19 s, and the recovery time was 57 s. Finally, based on the obtained experimental characterization results and energy band structure analysis, a possible gas sensing mechanism is proposed.

A highly parallel DTT/MB-DNA/Au electrochemical biosensor for trace Hg monitoring by using configuration occupation approach and SECM.

Environmental pollution and medicine safety have aroused increasing public concerns due to human health. Amongst various contaminants, mercury is of special attention owing to their environmental persistence and biogeochemical recycling and ecological risks. Herein, a simple and highly parallel electrochemical biosensor for Hg determination was designed and investigated. The proposed biosensor was prepared and compared between (1) DTT/MB-DNA/Au with configuration occupation approach and (2) MCH/MB-DNA/Au with passivation approach. According to the combined results of scanning electrochemical microscope (SECM) and Randles-Sevcik equation, the DTT modified electrode exhibited high uniformity on DNA distribution and superb stability on electron transfer in Hg2+ detection. Evidentially, the response value of proposed DTT/MB-DNA/Au was increased from 57.518% to 97.607%, while RSD% between duplicate runs had dropped from 22.658% to 0.223% (n = 3). Moreover, the increased proportion of effective working area was 467.380% compared with general sensors. Besides, DTT concentration, DNA concentration as well as assembly time were optimized, utilizing electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and Square Wave Anode Stripping Voltammetry (SWASV). This optimized biosensor exhibited an excellent selectivity toward Hg2+ over Cu2+, As2+, Cd2+, Pb2+, Cr3+, Ni2+ and Zn2+ etc., and the stability of DTT/MB-DNA/Au were at least two times better even after 3 days under room temperature. Also, a linear relation was observed between the peak current and Hg2+concentrations in a range from 0.25 nM to 2.00 µM with a detection limit of 53.00 pM under optimal conditions. Finally, DTT/MB-DNA/Au was applied for plants and medical products analysis. In all, this optimized DTT/MB-DNA/Au with advantages of high repeatability and sensitivity would provide a new insight into the design and application of biosensor for reliable sensing in safeguarding plant protection and medicinal safety.

An Improved Split-Ring Resonator-Based Sensor for Microfluidic Applications.

This study proposes an ultrahigh-sensitivity split-ring resonator-based microwave sensor for retrieving the complex permittivity of liquid samples. An interdigital capacitor structure was used to expand the sensing area and the sensitivity. A defected ground structure and A parallel dual split-ring resonator were introduced to improve the quality factor. A polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic channel substrate was placed above the interdigital capacitor structure. The channel route coincided with the interdigital gap to fully utilize the strong electric field. Ethanol-water solutions with varying ethanol fractions were injected into the channel as the testing liquid. It was demonstrated that the variation in resonant frequency can be used to retrieve the dielectric properties of liquid samples. The proposed sensor used a small liquid volume of ~0.68 µL and provided values in good agreement with the reference data.

Neutrophil extracellular traps impair regeneration.

Fibrosis is a major health burden across diseases and organs. To remedy this, we study wound-induced hair follicle neogenesis (WIHN) as a model of non-fibrotic healing that recapitulates embryogenesis for de novo hair follicle morphogenesis after wounding. We previously demonstrated that TLR3 promotes WIHN through binding wound-associated dsRNA, the source of which is still unclear. Here, we find that multiple distinct contexts of high WIHN all show a strong neutrophil signature. Given the correlation between neutrophil infiltration and endogenous dsRNA release, we hypothesized that neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) likely release nuclear spliceosomal U1 dsRNA and modulate WIHN. However, rather than enhance regeneration, we find mature neutrophils inhibit WIHN such that mice with mature neutrophil depletion exhibit higher WIHN. Similarly, Pad4 null mice, which are defective in NET production, show augmented WIHN. Finally, using single-cell RNA sequencing, we identify a dramatic increase in mature and activated neutrophils in the wound beds of low regenerating Tlr3-/- mice. Taken together, these results demonstrate that although mature neutrophils are stimulated by a common pro-regenerative cue, their presence and NETs hinder regeneration.

Vitamin C regulates Schwann cell myelination by promoting DNA demethylation of pro-myelinating genes.

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is critical for Schwann cells to myelinate peripheral nerve axons during development and remyelination after injury. However, its exact mechanism remains elusive. Vitamin C is a dietary nutrient that was recently discovered to promote active DNA demethylation. Schwann cell myelination is characterized by global DNA demethylation in vivo and may therefore be regulated by vitamin C. We found that vitamin C induces a massive transcriptomic shift (n = 3,848 genes) in primary cultured Schwann cells while simultaneously producing a global increase in genomic 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), a DNA demethylation intermediate which regulates transcription. Vitamin C up-regulates 10 pro-myelinating genes which exhibit elevated 5hmC content in both the promoter and gene body regions of these loci following treatment. Using a mouse model of human vitamin C metabolism, we found that maternal dietary vitamin C deficiency causes peripheral nerve hypomyelination throughout early development in resulting offspring. Additionally, dietary vitamin C intake regulates the expression of myelin-related proteins such as periaxin (PRX) and myelin basic protein (MBP) during development and remyelination after injury in mice. Taken together, these results suggest that vitamin C cooperatively promotes myelination through 1) increased DNA demethylation and transcription of pro-myelinating genes, and 2) its known role in stabilizing collagen helices to form the basal lamina that is necessary for myelination.

Methodological investigation into the noise influence on nanolasers' large signal modulation.

Nanolasers are considered ideal candidates for communications and data processing at the chip-level thanks to their extremely reduced footprint, low thermal load and potentially outstanding modulation bandwidth, which in some cases has been numerically estimated to exceed hundreds of GHz. The few experimental implementations reported to date, however, have so-far fallen very short of such predictions, whether because of technical difficulties or of overoptimistic numerical results. We propose a methodology to study the physical characteristics which determine the system's robustness and apply it to a general model, using numerical simulations of large-signal modulation. Changing the DC pump values and modulation frequencies, we further investigate the influence of intrinsic noise, considering, in addition, the role of cavity losses. Our results confirm that significant modulation bandwidths can be achieved, at the expense of large pump values, while the often targeted low bias operation is strongly noise- and bandwidth-limited. This fundamental investigation suggests that technological efforts should be oriented towards enabling large pump rates in nanolasers, whose performance promises to surpass microdevices in the same range of photon flux and input energy.

Flexible Neural Probes with Electrochemical Modified Microelectrodes for Artifact-Free Optogenetic Applications.

With the rapid increase in the use of optogenetics to investigate nervous systems, there is high demand for neural interfaces that can simultaneously perform optical stimulation and electrophysiological recording. However, high-magnitude stimulation artifacts have prevented experiments from being conducted at a desirably high temporal resolution. Here, a flexible polyimide-based neural probe with polyethylene glycol (PEG) packaged optical fiber and Pt-Black/PEDOT-GO (graphene oxide doped poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene)) modified microelectrodes was developed to reduce the stimulation artifacts that are induced by photoelectrochemical (PEC) and photovoltaic (PV) effects. The advantages of this design include quick and accurate implantation and high-resolution recording capacities. Firstly, electrochemical performance of the modified microelectrodes is significantly improved due to the large specific surface area of the GO layer. Secondly, good mechanical and electrochemical stability of the modified microelectrodes is obtained by using Pt-Black as bonding layer. Lastly, bench noise recordings revealed that PEC noise amplitude of the modified neural probes could be reduced to less than 50 µV and no PV noise was detected when compared to silicon-based neural probes. The results indicate that this device is a promising optogenetic tool for studying local neural circuits.

Surface Functionalization of Montmorillonite with Chitosan and the Role of Surface Properties on Its Adsorptive Performance: A Comparative Study on Mycotoxins Adsorption.

Understanding surface and interfacial information, which has a close relationship to the structures and properties of materials, helps guide the design of materials for specific applications. This study focuses on the surface functionalization of montmorillonite (Mt) with chitosan (CTS) and exploring the role of surface properties on its adsorptive performance. Two prototypical products, namely, 180-Htc@Mt and 250-Htc@Mt, were fabricated via the hydrothermal method at 180 and 250 °C, respectively. Field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed that hydrothermal carbon (Htc) derived from CTS anchored on the surface of Mt uniformly with a spherical morphology. The introduction of Htc endowed the surface of Mt with abundant hydroxy, amine, and amide groups; organic carbon; developed porosity; and hydrophobic interfacial property. Hydrothermal temperature has huge impacts on the surface system, and smaller particles (average size of 27 vs 53 nm) with deeper carbonization, higher content of carbonaceous and nitrogenous functional groups, more developed porosity (66.149 vs 39.434 m2/g of specific surface area, 0.115 vs 0.090 cm3/g of pore volume), and slightly decreased hydrophobicity can be readily achieved at a higher temperature. The incoming surface protonated amine and amide functional groups show an ion-dipolar interaction to polar aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), and the increased organic carbon content as well as interfacial hydrophobicity generate a hydrophobic interaction to weak polar zearalenone (ZER). Consequently, the surface functionalization affords Mt enhanced adsorption capacity for AFB1, approximately two times compared with Mt, and superior adsorption ability for ZER (10 mg/g). The present work provides sufficient evidence of "surface directs application" of Mt, which encourages researchers to focus on studies of the surface science of clay minerals.

The Contribution of PEG Molecular Weights in PEGylated Emulsions to the Various Phases in the Accelerated Blood Clearance (ABC) Phenomenon in Rats.

PEGylated preparations will be cleared rapidly from blood circulation when they are administrated twice in the same animal at a time interval, referred to as the "accelerated blood clearance" (ABC) phenomenon. Commonly, the study of the ABC phenomenon was investigated in two aspects: induction phase and effectuation phase. Herein, we report the influence of physicochemical properties (PEG molecular weights) in the induction phase and effectuation phase on the ABC phenomenon. In the experiment, on one hand, PEGylated emulsions with different molecular weights of PEG (refer to PEn, n = 400, 600, 800, 1000, 2000, and 5000) were injected for the first dose (induction phase) and induced PE2000 to produce ABC phenomenon. On the other hand, after PE2000 injected, PEn was injected for the second dose (effectuation phase). The results indicated that PE2000 and PE5000 induced an intense ABC phenomenon by their long-circulating characteristic. Interestingly, PE400, PE600, PE800, and PE1000 produced a consistent ABC phenomenon but different circulation time. Apparently, the induction of the ABC phenomenon is not only determined by the circulation time but also by the PEG molecular weights. When PEn is in the effectuation phase, the extent of the ABC phenomenon was not positively related to the molecular weights of PEG, increasing first and then weaken with the increase of molecular weights of PEG. These suggest that the number of -(CH2CH2O)n- repeat units of PE2000 was more conducive to interact with anti-PEG IgM. The results reported here clearly indicate that both the PEG molecular weights of prior dose and the subsequent dose of emulsion strongly influence the extent of the ABC phenomenon. Taken together, our observations in this study complete the effect of PEG molecular weights at a different phase of the ABC phenomenon. Furthermore, our findings have a significant impact on the choice of molecular weights for PEGylated formulations for use in cross-administration.