H3PO4-Induced Nano-Li3PO4 Pre-reduction Layer to Address Instability between the Nb-Doped Li7La3Zr2O12 Electrolyte and Metallic Li Anode.

Solid-state batteries based on a metallic Li anode and nonflammable solid electrolytes (SEs) are anticipated to achieve high energy and power densities with absolute safety. In particular, cubic garnet-type Nb-doped Li7La3Zr2O12 (Nb-LLZO) SEs possess superior ionic conductivity, are feasible to prepare under ambient conditions, have strong thermal stability, and are of low cost. However, the interfacial compatibility with Li metal and Li dendrite hazards still hinder the applications of Nb-LLZO. Herein, a quick and efficient solution was applied to address this issue, generating a nano-Li3PO4 pre-reduction layer from the reaction of H3PO4 with the ion-exchanged passivation layer (Li2CO3/LiOH) on the surface of Nb-LLZO. A lithiophilic, electrically insulating interlayer is in situ created when the Li3PO4 modified layer interacts with molten Li, successfully preventing the reduction of Nb5+. The interlayer, which mostly consists of Li3P and Li3PO4, also has a high shear modulus and relatively high Li+ conductivity, which effectively inhibit the growth of Li dendrites. The Li|Li3PO4|Nb-LLZO|Li3PO4|Li symmetric cells stably cycled for over 5000 h at 0.05 mA cm-2 and over 1000 h at a high rate of 0.15 mA cm-2 without any short circuits. The LiFePO4 and S/C hybrid solid-state batteries using the modified Nb-LLZO electrolyte also demonstrated good electrochemical performances, confirming the practical application of this interfacial engineering in various solid-state battery systems. This work offers an efficient solution to the instability issue between the Nb-LLZO SE and metallic Li anode.

Bioaccessibility and Absorption of Flavonoid C-glycosides from Abrus mollis Using Simulated Digestion, Caco-2 Cell, and In Situ Single-pass Perfusion Models.

Abrus mollis is commonly used as a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of liver diseases due to its hepatoprotection and anti-inflammation, but the absorption properties of its main bioactive ingredients remain unclear. Our previous studies verified that the flavonoid C-glycosides, including vicenin-2 (1: ), isoschaftoside (2: ), and schaftoside (3: ), were the major active components in A. mollis for hepatic protection against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, hepatitis, and hepatic fibrosis. This study investigated the bioaccessibility and transport mechanisms of total flavonoid C-glycoside, as well as vicenin-2 (1: ), isoschaftoside (2: ), and schaftoside (3: ), in A. mollis by simulated digestion and use of the Caco-2 cell model. Moreover, this study attempted to verify their absorption properties by in situ gastrointestinal perfusion in rats. Total flavonoid C-glycoside and 1, 2: , and 3: exhibited similar bioaccessibility of 84.58%, 85.13%, 83.05%, and 81.65% respectively after simulated digestion. The transport of total flavonoid C-glycoside in the Caco-2 cell model increased with the concentration, and the transport showed saturation characteristics with the time and concentration of total flavonoid C-glycoside to a certain degree. The Papp values of total flavonoid C-glycoside and the 3 flavonoid C-glycosides were significantly improved by verapamil, probenecid, and EDTA-Na2. Their absorption properties in the gastrointestinal tract were consistent with that found in Caco-2 cells, and superior absorption rates were observed in the duodenum and jejunum. The absorption pattern of total flavonoid C-glycoside may involve multiple transport pathways, including active transport, passive diffusion, and the paracellular pathway. TFC was actively pumped out by P-glycoprotein and multidrug resistance-associated protein. These results revealed that the bioaccessibility and intestinal absorption characteristic of total flavonoid C-glycoside were consistent with the 3 major flavonoids.

Fe3O4@OA@Poloxamer nanoparticles lower triglyceride in hepatocytes through liposuction effect and nano-enzyme effect.

Lipid deposition induced various diseases including nonalcoholic fatty liver and hyperlipemia. The excessive accumulation of triglyceride (TG) and the deposition of fat were the two most critical causes. Here, we developed Fe3O4@OA@Poloxamer nanoparticles (NPs) with amphiphilic structures, which exhibited an excellent role in eliminating excess TG. Hydrophobic TG was adsorbed efficiently by Fe3O4@OA@Poloxamer NPs through the "liposuction effect" and the formation of NPs@TG complex was then conducted. The NPs@TG complex was further enclosed by the endosome based on the endocytosis and subsequently was taken into the lysosome, degrading with the help of lipases. Meanwhile, the "nano-enzyme effect" of Fe3O4 NPs recovered the lipid-regulated proteins including PPARα, further triggering biodegradation pathways of TG, although the lipid-regulated proteins were obviously inhibited in the high-fat hepatocytes models. These two mechanisms of Fe3O4@OA@Poloxamer NPs together achieved the down-regulation of TG in vivo and in vitro. Therefore, our findings provided a novel thought in treating these diseases associated with lipid deposition, that is, nanoparticles modified by specific structure exhibit a superior TG removal.

Preventive Effects of Total Flavonoid C-Glycosides from Abrus mollis on Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease through Activating the PPARα Signaling Pathway.

Abrus pulchellus subsp. mollis (Hance) Verdc. (Leguminosae) is a well-known edible plant usually added to soups and beverages. In this study, vicenin-2 (1: ), isoschaftoside (2: ), schaftoside (3: ), and their enrichment fraction, total flavonoid C-glycosides, derived from the extracts of A. mollis, were firstly found to prevent nonalcoholic fatty liver disease both in vitro and in vivo. In the in vitro study, total flavonoid C-glycosides decreased the lipid accumulation in oleic acid-treated HepG2 cells. The mechanisms of total flavonoid C-glycosides are involved in the regulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α and its downstream, and the reduction of proinflammatory cytokines. In high-fat diet-induced fatty liver rats, total flavonoid C-glycosides decreased the levels of glutamic-oxalacetic transaminease and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, and decreased the lipid accumulation both in the liver and blood without affecting food intake. In addition, total flavonoid C-glycosides also increased the activities of the antioxidant enzyme system in vivo. In conclusion, total flavonoid C-glycosides are active components of A. mollis on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and can be used in functional food and supplements for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease prevention and treatment.

Low-cost dynamic real-time foveated imager.

Foveated imaging systems have the ability to capture local high-resolution or high-magnification images with wide field of view (FOV); thus, they have great potential for applications in the field of monitoring and remote sensing of unmanned aerial vehicles. Hence, foveated optical systems are in strong demand. However, the existing foveated imaging systems either are equipped with expensive modulators or require fixing the local high resolution imaging field, which is not suitable for mass production or object tracking in industrial applications. We propose a low-cost dynamic real-time foveated imaging system for extensive use in the listed applications. Specifically, we place a microlens behind the first intermediary image plane to modulate the local focal length, constructing a local high magnification imaging channel. One two-axis translation stage drives the microlens to scan in the plane perpendicular to the optical axis, resulting in dynamic local high magnifying imaging. Furthermore, the peripheral imaging channel and the foveated imaging channel focus on the same detector, and the post image fusion is unnecessary; the system consists of only a common aspherical lens and thus is very inexpensive. The experimental system has a focal length of 25 mm, a full FOV of 30°, and an entrance pupil diameter of 5 mm, while the local high magnifying imaging channel has a focal length of 35 mm and FOV of 15°. Experiment results show that the low-cost dynamic real-time foveated imaging system performs very well.