Ganoderic acid A ameliorates depressive-like behaviors in CSDS mice: Insights from proteomic profiling and molecular mechanisms.

OBJECTIVE: Ganoderic Acid A (GAA), a primary bioactive component in Ganoderma, has demonstrated ameliorative effects on depressive-like behaviors in a Chronic Social Defeat Stress (CSDS) mouse model. This study aims to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms through proteomic analysis. METHODS: C57BL/6 J mice were allocated into control (CON), chronic social defeat stress (CSDS), GAA, and imipramine (IMI) groups. Post-depression induction via CSDS, the GAA and IMI groups received respective treatments of GAA (2.5 mg/kg) and imipramine (10 mg/kg) for five days. Behavioral assessments utilized standardized tests. Proteins from the prefrontal cortex were analyzed using LC-MS, with further examination via bioinformatics and PRM for differential expression. Western blot analysis confirmed protein expression levels. RESULTS: Chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) induced depressive-like behaviors in mice, which were significantly alleviated by GAA treatment, comparably to imipramine (IMI). Proteomic analysis identified distinct proteins in control (305), GAA-treated (949), and IMI-treated (289) groups. Enrichment in mitochondrial and synaptic proteins was evident from GO and PPI analyses. PRM analysis revealed significant expression changes in proteins crucial for mitochondrial and synaptic functions (namely, Naa30, Bnip1, Tubgcp4, Atxn3, Carmil1, Nup37, Apoh, Mrpl42, Tprkb, Acbd5, Dcx, Erbb4, Ppp1r2, Fam3c, Rnf112, and Cep41). Western blot validation in the prefrontal cortex showed increased levels of Mrpl42, Dcx, Fam3c, Ppp1r2, Rnf112, and Naa30 following GAA treatment. CONCLUSION: GAA exhibits potential antidepressant properties, with its action potentially tied to the modulation of synaptic functions and mitochondrial activities.

Regulating the Electron Distribution of Metal-Oxygen for Enhanced Oxygen Stability in Li-rich Layered Cathodes.

Li-rich Mn-based layered oxides (LLO) hold great promise as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their unique oxygen redox (OR) chemistry, which enables additional capacity. However, the LLOs face challenges related to the instability of their OR process due to the weak transition metal (TM)-oxygen bond, leading to oxygen loss and irreversible phase transition that results in severe capacity and voltage decay. Herein, a synergistic electronic regulation strategy of surface and interior structures to enhance oxygen stability is proposed. In the interior of the materials, the local electrons around TM and O atoms may be delocalized by surrounding Mo atoms, facilitating the formation of stronger TM─O bonds at high voltages. Besides, on the surface, the highly reactive O atoms with lone pairs of electrons are passivated by additional TM atoms, which provides a more stable TM─O framework. Hence, this strategy stabilizes the oxygen and hinders TM migration, which enhances the reversibility in structural evolution, leading to increased capacity and voltage retention. This work presents an efficient approach to enhance the performance of LLOs through surface-to-interior electronic structure modulation, while also contributing to a deeper understanding of their redox reaction.

Stabilizing the Deep Sodiation Process in Layered Sodium Manganese Cathodes by Anchoring Boron Ions.

Advanced high-energy-density sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are inseparable from cathode materials with high specific capacities. Layered manganese-rich oxides (Nax MnO2 , 0.6 ≤ x ≤1) are promising cathode materials owing to their ease of intercalation and extraction of a considerable amount of sodium ions. However, lattice interactions, especially electrostatic repulsive forces and anisotropic stresses, are usually caused by deep desodiatin/sodiation process, resulting in intragranular cracks and capacity degradation in SIBs. Here, boron ions are introduced into the layered structure to build up B─O─Mn bonds. The regulated electronic structure in Na0.637 B0.038 MnO2 (B-NMO) materials inhibits the deformation of MnO6 octahedra, which finally achieves a gentle structural transition during the deep sodiation process. B-NMO electrode exhibits a high capacity (141 mAh g-1 ) at 1 C with a capacity retention of 81% after 100 cycles. Therefore, anchoring boron to manganese-rich materials inhibits the detrimental structural evolution of deep sodiation and can be used to obtain excellent cathode materials for SIBs.

High-Performance Layered Ni-Rich Cathode Materials Enabled by Stress-Resistant Nanosheets.

Layered O3-type transition metal oxides are promising cathode candidates for high-energy-density Li-ion batteries. However, the structural instability at the highly delithiated state and low kinetics at the fully lithiated state are arduous challenges to overcome. Here, a facile approach is developed to make secondary particles of Ni-rich materials with nanosheet primary grains. Because the alignment of the primary grains reduces internal stress buildup within the particle during charge-discharge and provides straightforward paths for Li transport, the as-synthesized Ni-rich materials do not undergo cracking upon cycling with higher overall Li+ ion diffusion rates. Specifically, a LiNi0.75Co0.14Mn0.11O2 cathode with nanosheet grains delivers a high reversible capacity of 206 mAh g-1 and shows ultrahigh cycling stability, e.g., 98% capacity retention over 500 cycles in a full cell with a graphite anode.