Construction of Zr-Metal-Organic Frameworks-Based Composite Materials toward Anhydrous Proton Conduction and Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction.

Metal-organic frameworks constructed from Zr usually possess excellent chemical and physical stability. Therefore, they have become attractive platforms in various fields. In this work, two families of hybrid materials based on ZrSQU have been designed and synthesized, named Im@ZrSQU and Cu@ZrSQU, respectively. Im@ZrSQU was prepared through the impregnation method and employed for proton conduction. Im@ZrSQU exhibited terrific proton conduction performance in an anhydrous environment, with the highest proton conduction value of 3.6 × 10-2 S cm-1 at 110 °C. In addition, Cu@ZrSQU was synthesized via the photoinduction method for the photoreduction of CO2, which successfully promoted the conversion of CO2 into CO and achieved the CO generation rate of up to 12.4 µmol g-1 h-1. The photocatalytic performance of Cu@ZrSQU is derived from the synergistic effect of Cu NPs and ZrSQU. Based on an in-depth study and discussion toward ZrSQU, we provide a versatile platform with applications in the field of proton conduction and photocatalysis, which will guide researchers in their further studies.

Danggui Buxue decoction ameliorates mitochondrial biogenesis and cognitive deficits through upregulating histone H4 lysine 12 acetylation in APP/PS1 mice.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Danggui Buxue decoction (DBD) is a classic herbal decoction consisting of Astragali Radix (AR) and Angelica Sinensis Radix (ASR) with a 5:1 wt ratio, which can supplement 'blood' and 'qi' (vital energy) for the treatment of clinical diseases. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory, dementia is induced by Blood deficiency and Qi weakness, which causes a decline in cognition. However, the underlying mechanisms of DBD improving cognition deficits in neurodegenerative disease are no clear. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aims at revealing the underlying mechanisms of DBD plays a protective role in the cognitive deficits and pathology process of Alzheimer's disease (AD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The APP/PS1 (Mo/HuAPP695swe/PS1-dE9) double transgenic mice were adopted as an experimental model of AD. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of 3 compounds in DBT was analyzed by HPLC. Morris water maze test, Golgi staining and electrophysiology assays were used to evaluate the effects of DBD on cognitive function and synaptic plasticity in APP/PS1 mice. Western blot, immunofluorescence and Thioflavin S staining were used for the pathological evaluation of AD. Monitoring the level of ATP, mitochondrial membrane potential, SOD and MDA to evaluate the mitochondrial function, and with the usage of qPCR and CHIP for the changes of histone post-translational modification. RESULTS: In the current study, we found that DBD could effectively attenuate memory impairments and enhance long-term potentiation (LTP) with concurrent increased expression of memory-associated proteins. DBD markedly decreased Aß accumulation in APP/PS1 mice by decreasing the phosphorylation of APP at the Thr668 level but not APP, PS1 or BACE1. Further studies demonstrated that DBD restored mitochondrial biogenesis deficits and mitochondrial dysfunction. Finally, the restored mitochondrial biogenesis and cognitive deficits are under HADC2-mediated histone H4 lysine 12 (H4K12) acetylation at the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor type 2B (GluN2B) promoters. CONCLUSIONS: These findings reveal that DBD could ameliorate mitochondrial biogenesis and cognitive deficits by improving H4K12 acetylation. DBD might be a promising complementary drug candidate for AD treatment.

A porous Ti-based metal-organic framework for CO2 photoreduction and imidazole-dependent anhydrous proton conduction.

The anhydrous proton conductivity of Im@IEF-11 resulting from the integration of imidazole and porous IEF-11 has been investigated, and the highest proton conductive value can reach up to 7.64 × 10-2 S cm-1. Furthermore, IEF-11 is also developed to reduce CO2 due to its reasonable structure and suitable energy band, and its CO formation rate is 31.86 µmol g-1 h-1.

Ag Nanoparticle-Modified Polyoxometalate-Based Metal-Organic Framework for Enhanced CO2 Photoreduction.

The photoreduction deposition method is employed to fabricate a family of silver nanoparticle (Ag NP)-modified polyoxometalate-based metal-organic framework (NENU-5) photocatalysts, named Ag/NENU-5. The title photocatalysts, Ag/NENU-5, can be used for the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 and are observed to efficiently reduce CO2 into CO, in which the highest reduction rate is 22.28 µmol g-1 h-1, 3 times greater than that of NENU-5. Photocatalytic reduction performances of CO2 have been extremely improved after the incorporation of Ag NPs as the cocatalyst. The enhancement of the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 has been attributed to the synergistic effects of Ag NPs and NENU-5, inhibiting the charge recombination during the photocatalytic process and increasing the reaction active sites. Furthermore, the influence of Ag NPs on the photocatalytic activity has also been investigated. The experimental results clearly reveal that the size of Ag NPs could exert a main effect on the photocatalytic activity, and the reasonable size of Ag NPs is able to enhance the photocatalytic reduction activity toward CO2 significantly.

Identification of a Genomic Instability-Related Long Noncoding RNA Prognostic Model in Colorectal Cancer Based on Bioinformatic Analysis.

Background: In recent years, a growing body of research has revealed that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in regulating genomic instability. Materials and Methods: We obtained RNA expression profiles, somatic mutation profiles, clinical information, and pathological features of colorectal cancer (CRC) from The Cancer Genome Atlas project. We divided the cohort into two groups based on mutation frequency and identified genomic instability-related lncRNAs (GI-lncRNAs) using R software. We further analyzed the function of identified GI-lncRNAs and established a prognostic model through Cox regression. Using the established prognostic model, we divided the cohort into the high- and low-risk groups and further verified the prognostic differences between the two groups as well as the predictive power of prognosis-related lncRNAs in the genomic instability of CRC. Results: We identified a total of 143 GI-lncRNAs that were differentially expressed between the higher mutation frequency group and the lower mutation frequency group. According to Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway and Gene Ontology analyses, a series of cancer-associated terms were enriched. We further constructed a prognostic model that included five GI-lncRNAs (lncRNA PTPRD-AS1, lncRNA AC009237.14, lncRNA LINC00543, lncRNA AP003555.1, and lncRNA AL109615.3). We confirmed that the expression of the five GI-lncRNAs was associated with prognosis and the mutation of critical genes in the CRC patient cohort. Conclusions: The present research further confirmed the vital function of GI-lncRNAs in the genomic instability of CRC. The five GI-lncRNAs identified in our study are potential biomarkers and need to be studied in more depth.

A multifunctional anionic metal-organic framework for high proton conductivity and photoreduction of CO2 induced by cation exchange.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) provide an ideal platform for loading various guests owing to their available space, and can be developed as a class of multifunctional materials. Herein, we cover the design and synthesis of two kinds of exchanged frameworks with multifunctional applications based on H3ImDC and In(NO3)3·2H2O through guest exchange inside the framework. The guest ammonium ion (NH4+) and [Ru(2,2'-bipyridine)3]2+ (Rubpy) are selected to exchange the dimethylammonium cation (Me2NH2+) encapsulated within In-MOF, giving birth to two kinds of new MOFs, named NH4+@In-MOF and Rubpy@In-MOF respectively. The proton conduction of NH4+@In-MOF and the CO2 photoreduction of Rubpy@In-MOF are investigated. Under different test conditions, the proton conductive behaviors of NH4+@In-MOF are evaluated and the best proton conductive value can reach up to 9.81 × 10-3 S cm-1. Compared to the original In-MOF, Rubpy@In-MOF exhibits a significantly enhanced CO2 photoreduction performance under a pure CO2 atmosphere. Furthermore, its photocatalytic activity is retained even under a 10% CO2 gas atmosphere, displaying a synergistic effect between Rubpy and In-MOF24 within Rubpy@In-MOF.

Integration of zirconium-based metal-organic framework with CdS for enhanced photocatalytic conversion of CO2 to CO.

It is a promising strategy to prepare composite photocatalysts based on MOFs and semiconductors for enhancing photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2). A family of binary composite photocatalysts (CdS@UiO-66-NH2) with different CdS contents have been designed and synthesized, which have been explored for photocatalytic reduction of CO2. CdS@UiO-66-NH2 can efficiently convert CO2 into CO under visible light irradiation via the solid-gas mode in the absence of sacrificial agents and photosensitizers. The generation rate of CO can reach up to 280.5 µmol g-1 h-1, which is 2.13-fold and 2.9-fold improvements over the pristine CdS and UiO-66-NH2, respectively, and the selectivity for CO is very high. Furthermore, this kind of photocatalysts can still maintain great photocatalytic activity in CO2/N2 mixed atmosphere with different CO2 concentrations. The outstanding performances of CdS@UiO-66-NH2 may be attributed to the existence of the direct Z-scheme heterojunction, which possesses the enhanced separation and migration of photo-generated charge carriers between UiO-66-NH2 and CdS, available specific surface areas and improved visible light absorption ability as well as abundant reaction active sites. This case reveals that MOF-based composite photocatalysts exhibit promising potential applications in the field of CO2 conversion.

Self-assembly of TiO2/ZIF-8 nanocomposites for varied photocatalytic CO2 reduction with H2O vapor induced by different synthetic methods.

Photoreduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) provides an effective perspective for solving the energy crisis and environmental problems. Herein, two types of composite photocatalysts (TiO2/ZIF-8) based on ZIF-8 and TiO2 have been designed and synthesized with the help of the grinding method and the solid-synthesis method. Both composite photocatalysts are employed for the photocatalytic reduction of CO2. In composite photocatalysts prepared by the grinding method, ZIF-8 particles are distributed on the surface of TiO2, and provide extra available spaces for storing CO2, which is beneficial for improving their photoreduction performances. As a result, an enhanced CO formation rate of 21.74 µmol g-1 h-1 with a high selectivity of 99% is obtained for this family of composite photocatalysts via the solid-gas mode without photosensitizers and sacrificial agents. For comparison, the other family of composite photocatalysts synthesized via the solid-synthesis method possesses structures similar to ZIF-8, where TiO2 is encapsulated inside the framework of ZIF-8. This structural feature obstructs the contact between the active sites of TiO2 and CO2, and leads to lower activities. The best CO formation rate of this family is only 10.67 µmol g-1 h-1 with 90% selectivity. Both the structural features of the two families of photocatalysts are described to explain their differences in photoreduction performances. The experimental finding reveals that different synthetic approaches indeed result in diversified structures and varied photocatalytic performances. This work affords a new scalable and efficient approach for the rational design of efficient photocatalysts in the area of artificial photosynthesis.

Sophoricoside attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury by activating the AMPK/Nrf2 signaling axis.

Sophoricoside (SOP), an isoflavone glycoside isolated from seed of Sophora japonica L., has been reported to have various pharmacological activities, including anti-cancer, anti-allergy and anti-inflammation. However, the effect of SOP on lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-acute lung injury (ALI) is completely unclear. Here, we found that SOP pretreatment significantly ameliorated LPS-induced pathological damage, tissue permeability, neutrophil infiltration and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6) in a murine model of ALI. Besides, SOP reduced the production of pro-inflammatory mediators such as iNOS, NO and inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6 in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells and bone marrow derived macrophages. Interestingly, treatment with SOP exhibited no effect on the activation of NF-κB and MAPKs in macrophages but prominently accelerated the expression and nuclear translocation of Nrf2. By using ML385, a specific Nrf2 inhibitor, we found that inhibition of Nrf2 abolished the inhibitory effect of SOP on LPS-induced iNOS expression, NO production as well as pro-inflammatory cytokine generation. SOP also activated AMPK, an upstream protein of Nrf2, under LPS stimuli. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the accelerated expression of Nrf2 induced by SOP was reversed by interference with the AMPK inhibitor Compound C. Taken together, our results suggested that SOP attenuated LPS-induced ALI in AMPK/Nrf2 dependent manner and indicated that SOP might be a potential therapeutic candidate for treating ALI/ARDS.

Inhibitory Effects of Botulinum Toxin Type A on Pyloric Cholinergic Muscle Contractility of Rat.

Botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) selectively cleaves synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP-25) and results in inhibition of the fusion of synaptic vesicles containing neurotransmitters with the presynaptic membrane to undergo exocytosis and release. The aim of this study was to investigate whether BTX-A inhibited the pyloric smooth muscle contractility induced by acetylcholine (ACh) after BTX-A-mediated cleavage of SNAP-25 antagonized by toosendanin (TSN). Three groups of rat pyloric muscle strips were studied in vitro. All strips were allowed to equilibrate for 52 min under a basal loading tension of 1 g in Krebs solution and spontaneous contractile waves were recorded as their own controls before adding each drug. According to experimental protocols, 100 µM ACh, 1 µM atropine, 29.6 µM TSN and 10 U/ml BTX-A was added, respectively. BTX-A directly inhibited pyloric spontaneous contraction and ACh-induced contractile response. Addition of 10 U/ml BTX-A still inhibited pyloric smooth muscle contractility following incubation of TSN, while subsequent administration of 100 µM ACh had no effect. BTX-A inhibits pyloric smooth muscle contractility in our study suggesting BTX-A inhibits not only ACh release from cholinergic nerves but also muscarinic cholinergic muscular transmission.