Highly efficient adsorption of antibiotic ciprofloxacin hydrochloride from aqueous solution by diatomite-basic zinc chloride composites.

The antibiotic ciprofloxacin (CIP) is used to treat a variety of bacterial infections, yet it poses significant health risks to aquatic environments. While adsorption is a promising technique for CIP removal, current adsorption capacities remain limited. In this study, we introduce a diatomite and basic zinc chloride composite (ZnHC-Dt) prepared using a straightforward deposition method, with the ability to achieve highly efficient ciprofloxacin removal. ZnHC-Dt is characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method (BET). We also assess the zeta potential. The optimized ZnHC-Dt adsorbent, achieved at a mass ratio of 0.45 with ZnHC/(ZnHC+Dt), is adopted with a CIP adsorption capacity of 831.96 mg/g at 25 °C, broad pH adaptability (within 3.0-10.0), rapid adsorption rate (reaching equilibrium in 4 h), and stable performance under Na+ ionic strength. The CIP adsorption process follows pseudo-second-order kinetics and aligns well with the Langmuir adsorption model. The high adsorption capacity of ZnHC-Dt can be attributed to electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, surface complexation, and available adsorption sites. During the desorption process, the CIP removal rate retains 65.33% effectiveness after five cycles. The results suggest that ZnHC-Dt holds significant potential for CIP removal in aqueous solutions.

Quaternized chitosan-coated liposomes enhance immune responses by co-delivery of antigens and resveratrol.

Co-localization of antigens and immunomodulators in the same antigen-presenting cells (APCs) can powerfully activate APCs and enhance immune responses. In this study, the immunomodulator resveratrol (Res) was encapsulated into quaternized chitosan (QCS) - coated liposomes for developing a new nanoparticle delivery system (QCS-Res-LP), and ovalbumin (OVA) was selected as a model antigen and adsorbed on the surface of QCS-Res-LP. The results showed that the particle size of QCS-Res-LP was 96.3 ± 3.52 nm; the PDI value was 0.280 ± 0.010; the Zeta potential was 9.59 ± 0.36 mV. QCS-Res-LP could encapsulate 76.22 ± 1.02 % resveratrol and adsorb 88.2 ± 16.3 % antigen. QCS-Res-LP effectively promoted the co-uptake of antigen and Res by dendritic cells (DCs) with 50-fold greater than resveratrol liposomes (Res-LP). QCS-Res-LP promoted expression levels of CD80, CD86, IL-2, and IL-12 in DCs. QCS-Res-LP did not cause hemolysis. The levels of ovalbumin-specific IgG antibodies and cytokines were significantly increased in mice vaccinated with ovalbumin-absorbed QCS-Res-LP, which induced a mixed Th1/Th2 immune response. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that QCS-coated liposomes enable the co-delivery of antigens and immunomodulators to induce strong and durable immune responses.

Structural modification of octadecanoic acid-3,4-tetrahydrofuran diester and the acaricidal activity and mechanism of its derivatives against Sarcoptes scabiei var. Cuniculi.

Octadecanoic acid-3,4-tetrahydrofuran diester is a compound with acaricidal activity isolated and extracted from neem oil. In this study, a series of derivatives were obtained by structural modification of octadecanoic acid-3,4-tetrahydrofuran diester. The acaricidal activity of these derivatives indicated that introduction of benzyloxy substitution at the 2-position of the furan ring and the formation of a benzoate at the 3,4-position of the furan ring (benzoic acid-2-benzyloxy-3,4-tetrahydrofuran diester) could enhance the acaricidal activity. At concentration of 20, 10, and 5 mg/ml, the median lethal time (LT50) values of benzoic acid-2-benzyloxy-3,4-tetrahydrofuran diester were 16.138, 47.274, and 108.122 min, respectively. The LC50 value of benzoic acid-2-benzyloxy-3,4-tetrahydrofuran diester at 60 min was 5.342 mg/ml. Transmission electron microscopy showed that after treatment with benzoic acid-2-benzyloxy-3,4-tetrahydrofuran diester, the body structure of mites was destroyed; dermal organelles were dissolved; nuclear chromatin was ablated. Further, transcriptome sequencing analysis was used to get insight into the acaricidal mechanism of benzoic acid-2-benzyloxy-3,4-tetrahydrofuran diester. The results showed that its acaricidal mechanism is related to interfering "energy metabolism" in S. scabiei, including processes such as citric acid cycle, oxidative phosphorylation pathway and fatty acid metabolism. Additionally, through the activity detection of the mitochondrial complexes of S. scabiei, it was further verified that the acaricidal mechanism of benzoic acid-2-benzyloxy-3,4-tetrahydrofuran diester was related to the energy metabolism system of S. scabiei.

Current Knowledge on Infectious Bronchitis Virus Non-structural Proteins: The Bearer for Achieving Immune Evasion Function.

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is the first coronavirus discovered in the world, which is also the prototype of gamma-coronaviruses. Nowadays, IBV is widespread all over the world and has become one of the causative agent causing severe economic losses in poultry industry. Generally, it is believed that the viral replication and immune evasion functions of IBV were modulated by non-structural and accessory proteins, which were also considered as the causes for its pathogenicity. In this study, we summarized the current knowledge about the immune evasion functions of IBV non-structural and accessory proteins. Some non-structural proteins such as nsp2, nsp3, and nsp15 have been shown to antagonize the host innate immune response. Also, nsp7 and nsp16 can block the antigen presentation to inhibit the adapted immune response. In addition, nsp13, nsp14, and nsp16 are participating in the formation of viral mRNA cap to limit the recognition by innate immune system. In conclusion, it is of vital importance to understand the immune evasion functions of IBV non-structural and accessory proteins, which could help us to further explore the pathogenesis of IBV and provide new horizons for the prevention and treatment of IBV in the future.

Myricetin exerts its antiviral activity against infectious bronchitis virus by inhibiting the deubiquitinating activity of papain-like protease.

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a causative agent that causes severe economic losses in the poultry industry worldwide. Papain-like protease (PLpro) is a nonstructural protein encoded by IBV. It has deubiquitinating enzyme activity, which can remove the ubiqutin modification from the protein in nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) and interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7) signaling pathway, so as to negatively regulate the host's innate immune response to promote viral replication. In this study, PLpro was selected as the target to screen antiviral agents against IBV. Through protein prokaryotic expression technology, we successfully expressed the active IBV PLpro. Among the 16 natural products, myricetin showed the strongest inhibitory effect on IBV PLpro. Next, we tested the antiviral activity of myricetin against IBV and verified whether it can exert antiviral activity by inhibiting the deubiquitinating activity of PLpro. The results showed that myricetin can significantly inhibit IBV replication in primary chicken embryo kidney (CEK) cells and it can significantly upregulate the transcription levels in the NF-κB and IRF7 signaling pathways. Moreover, we verified that myricetin can increase the ubiquitin modification level on tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 3 and 6 (TRAF3 and TRAF6) reduced by IBV PLpro. In conclusion, these results indicated that myricetin exerts antiviral activity against IBV by inhibiting the deubiquitinating activity of PLpro, which can provide new perspective for the prevention and treatment of IBV.

Protective effect of isoflavones and triterpenoid saponins from pueraria lobata on liver diseases: A review.

In recent years, with the improvement of people's living standard and the change of diet structure, liver disease and its related complications have become a significant public health problem globally. Pueraria lobata (Pueraria montana var. lobata (Willd.) Sanjappa & Pradeep) belongs to the genus Pueraria, which is widely planted and used as medicine and food in Asia with a long history. A variety of natural active products, including puerarin, daidzein, formononetin, genistein, and soyasaponin, have been isolated and identified from pueraria lobata. A large number of studies have shown that various natural active products of pueraria lobata can play a protective role in different types of liver diseases by regulating oxidative stress, inflammatory response, lipid metabolism, etc. In this review, we focused on the protective effects of isoflavones and triterpenoid saponins from pueraria lobata on the liver through different targeted therapeutic mechanisms. What's more, we summarized their therapeutic potential for different types of liver diseases to provide evidence for their clinical application.

Resveratrol regulates intestinal barrier function in cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed mice.

BACKGROUND: Resveratrol, a kind of polyphenolic phytoalexin, can be obtained from numerous natural foods. Although resveratrol is demonstrated to have various bioactivities, little is known about the regulation of intestinal barrier function under immunosuppression. The present study is aimed at investigating the regulatory effect of resveratrol on intestinal barrier function in immunosuppression in mice induced by cyclophosphamide. RESULTS: The effects of resveratrol on intestinal biological barrier were evaluated by 16S rRNA and metagenome sequencing analysis. The results showed that resveratrol could improve diversity of the intestinal microbiota and intestinal flora structure by increasing the abundance of probiotics, and resveratrol regulated the function of gut microbiota to resist immunosuppression. Resveratrol could significantly upregulate the secretion of secretory immunoglobulin A and promote the transcriptional levels of test cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor α, interferon γ, interleukin 4 and interleukin 6 in jejunum and ileum mucosa, suggesting improved intestinal immune barrier by resveratrol. The mRNA and protein levels of tight junction proteins involved in intestinal physical barrier function, including zonula occludens 1 (ZO-1), claudin 1 and occludin, were increased after resveratrol treatment. The protein levels of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), phosphorylation nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB-p65) and inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase α were decreased by resveratrol treatment when compared with the untreated group, indicating inhibition of the TLR4/NF-ĸB signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: These results provide new insights into regulation of the intestinal barrier function by resveratrol under immunosuppression and potential applications of resveratrol in recovering intestinal function. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Chlorogenic acid is a positive regulator of MDA5, TLR7 and NF-κB signaling pathways mediated antiviral responses against Gammacoronavirus infection.

Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is a phenolic compound that has been well studied for its antiviral, anti-inflammatory and immune stimulating properties. This research was aimed to focus on the antiviral properties of CGA on infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) in vivo and in vitro for the very first time. The outcome of in vitro experiments validated that, out of five previously reported antiviral components, CGA significantly reduced the relative mRNA expression of IBV-N in CEK cells. At high concentration (400 mg/kg), CGA supplementation reduced IBV-N mRNA expression levels and ameliorated the injury in trachea and lungs. The mRNA expression levels of IL-6, IL-1ß, IL-12, and NF-κB were considerably turned down, but IL-22 and IL-10 were enhanced in trachea. However, CGA-H treatment had considerably increased the expression levels of MDA5, MAVS, TLR7, MyD88, IRF7, IFN-ß and IFN-α both in trachea and lungs. Moreover, CGA-H notably induced the CD3+, CD3+ CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ proliferation and significantly increased the IgA, IgG, and IgM levels in the serum. In conclusion, these results showed that at high concentration CGA is a strong anti-IBV compound that can effectively regulate the innate immunity through MDA5, TLR7 and NF-κB signaling pathways and have the potential to induce the cell mediated and humoral immune response in IBV infected chickens.

Current Findings on Gut Microbiota Mediated Immune Modulation against Viral Diseases in Chicken.

Chicken gastrointestinal tract is an important site of immune cell development that not only regulates gut microbiota but also maintains extra-intestinal immunity. Recent studies have emphasized the important roles of gut microbiota in shaping immunity against viral diseases in chicken. Microbial diversity and its integrity are the key elements for deriving immunity against invading viral pathogens. Commensal bacteria provide protection against pathogens through direct competition and by the production of antibodies and activation of different cytokines to modulate innate and adaptive immune responses. There are few economically important viral diseases of chicken that perturb the intestinal microbiota diversity. Disruption of microbial homeostasis (dysbiosis) associates with a variety of pathological states, which facilitate the establishment of acute viral infections in chickens. In this review, we summarize the calibrated interactions among the microbiota mediated immune modulation through the production of different interferons (IFNs) ILs, and virus-specific IgA and IgG, and their impact on the severity of viral infections in chickens. Here, it also shows that acute viral infection diminishes commensal bacteria such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Firmicutes, and Blautia spp. populations and enhances the colonization of pathobionts, including E. coli, Shigella, and Clostridial spp., in infected chickens.

Acute and subchronic toxicity and the evaluation of safety pharmacology of Chinese herbal compound preparation "Shikuqin".

"Shikuqin" (SKQ) powder consists of three Chinese herbs: Punica granatum L, Sophora flavescens Ait, and Fraxinus rhynchophylla Hance. SKQ has been used for the treatment of diarrhea. In order to provide a comprehensive understanding of toxicity, the acute and sub-chronic toxicity and safety pharmacology of SKQ were evaluated in the present study. The result of the acute toxicity revealed that the LD50 of the valve was 28,379mg/kg.b.w, which was more than 5,000 mg/kg b.w. The 30-day sub-chronic toxicity test results revealed that compared with the control group, the clinical signs, hematology parameters and body weight of rats in each group had no significant differences. The viscera coefficient and histopathological examination results revealed that the SKQ powder could cause kidney and liver damage. In the safety pharmacology test, SKQ did not exhibit any toxicity to the central nervous system, cardiovascular system and respiratory system. In conclusion, SKQ powder could be considered safe for veterinary use.