Resveratrol Inhibits Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression through Regulating Exosome Secretion.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Resveratrol is a promising drug for tumor therapy, but its anti-tumor mechanism remains unclarified. The present study aimed to explore the effect of resveratrol on the secretion of exosomes and the role of resveratrol-induced exosomes in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS: The number and contents of exosomes induced by resveratrol were determined by nanoparticle tracking analysis and high-throughput sequencing in Huh7 cells, respectively. Expression of Rab27a was assessed by western blotting and immunofluorescence. Cell proliferation, migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition were examined with the stimuli of resveratrol and exosomes, the activity of autophagy and wnt/ß-catenin signaling induced by resveratrol-induced exosomes and knockdown of lncRNA SNHG29 were monitored by western blotting and immunofluorescence. RESULTS: It was found that resveratrol might inhibit the exosome secretion by down-regulating the expression of Rab27a, thereby suppressing the proliferation, migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of Huh7 cells. Moreover, resveratrol-induced exosomes could also inhibit the malignant phenotype of Huh7 cells via inhibiting the nuclear translocation of ß-catenin and the activation of autophagy, which lncRNA SNHG29 might mediate. CONCLUSION: Resveratrol inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma progression by regulating exosome secretion and contents.

Effects of microplastics on photosynthesized C allocation in a rice-soil system and its utilization by soil microbial groups.

The effect of microplastics (MPs) on the allocation of rice photosynthetic carbon (C) in paddy systems and its utilization by soil microorganisms remain unclear. In this study, 13C-CO2 pulse labeling was used to quantify the input and allocation of photosynthetic C in a rice-soil system under MPs amendment. Rice was pulse-labeled at tillering growth stage under 0.01% and 1% w/w polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) MP amendments. Plants and soils were sampled 24 h after pulse labeling. Photosynthesized C in roots in MP treatments was 30-54% lower than that in no-MP treatments. The 13C in soil organic C (SOC) in PVC-MP-amended bulk soil was 4.3-4.7 times higher than that in no-MP treatments. PVC and high-dose PE increased the photosynthetic C in microbial biomass C in the rhizosphere soil. MPs altered the allocation of photosynthetic C to microbial phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) groups. High-dose PVC increased the 13C gram-positive PLFAs. Low-dose PE and high-dose PVC enhanced 13C in fungal PLFAs in bulk soil (including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and Zygomycota) by 175% and 197%, respectively. The results highlight that MPs alter plant C input and microbial utilization of rhizodeposits, thereby affecting the C cycle in paddy ecosystems.

Graphene-Based Electrochemical Sensor for Detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Markers.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a group of highly lethal malignant tumors that seriously threaten human health. The main way to improve the survival quality and reduce the mortality of HCC is early diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, it will be of great significance to explore new quantitative detection methods for HCC markers. With the rapid development of electrochemical biosensors and nanomaterials, electrochemical sensors based on graphene can detect tumor markers, with the advantages of simple operation, high detection sensitivity, and specificity. Combined with the published literature in recent years, the article briefly reviews the application of graphene-based electrochemical biosensors in the detection of HCC markers, including alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), Golgi protein-73 (GP73), exosomes, and microRNA-122 (miR-122).

Corrigendum: Graphene-Based Electrochemical Sensor for Detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Markers.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.883627.].

[Effects of Plastic Mulch Film on Soil Nutrients and Ecological Enzyme Stoichiometry in Farmland].

Ecological enzyme stoichiometry can be used to evaluate the limit of soil microbial energy and nutrient resources. To illustrate the effects of plastic mulch film on soil ecological enzyme stoichiometry in farmland, this study collected soil with different amounts of mulching film residual and used the fluorescence analysis to determine the activities of key enzymes for the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycle processes including ß-1,4-glycosidase (BG), ß-1,4-N-acetyl amino glycosidase (NAG), and phosphatase (ACP) activity. This study investigated the effects of plastic mulch film on soil nutrient cycling and supply in farmland. The results showed that in the soil with chemical fertilizer, plastic film mulching decreased soil Olsen-P and NO3--N contents to 48%-62% and 16%-24% of those in the soil without plastic film mulching, respectively. In the soil with the combined application of organic-chemical fertilizers, plastic film mulching increased Olsen-P and NO3--N contents by 144%-203% and 1.9-5.1 times, respectively. In the organic-chemical fertilization soils, plastic film mulching decreased SOC:TN in soils by 6.6%-25.8%, whereas it increased SOC:TP and TN:TP significantly. MBC, MBN, and MBP contents in the soil with plastic film mulching were significantly lower than that in non-plastic film mulching farmland, and there were no significant differences in MBC:MBN and MBC:MBP between soil with and without plastic film mulching. The MBN:MBP was reduced by 36.6% and 23.8% in S1 and S2, and 5.4 and 1.3 times in S3 and S4 by plastic film mulching, respectively. The change pattern of NAG:ACP in soil was similar to that of the corresponding elements ratio in microbial biomass. In the soil from plastic film mulching, the ratio of BG:NAG was 1.3-15 times higher in organic-chemical fertilization soils than that with only chemical fertilizer. In conclusion, plastic film mulching reduced the availability of soil nutrients, and organic-chemical fertilization alleviated the limitation of soil nutrients to a certain extent. This study deepened the understanding of the response of soil microorganisms to nutrient cycling after plastic film mulching. It provides a theoretical basis for optimizing the farmland management in the use of plastic film.

Cobalt Chloride Induced Apoptosis by Inhibiting GPC3 Expression via the HIF-1α/c-Myc Axis in HepG2 Cells.

PURPOSE: To investigate the role of glypican-3 (GPC3) in cobalt chloride (CoCl2)-induced cell apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS: HepG2 cells were treated with CoCl2 in the absence or presence of GPC3 plasmid transfection. Cell viability and apoptosis were assessed by MTT assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The expression of GPC3, hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), c-myc, sp1, poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) and caspase-3 was determined by real-time PCR, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence after the cells were treated with different concentrations of CoCl2 or siRNA targeting HIF-1α. RESULTS: CoCl2 significantly inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells and induced apoptosis. Additionally, the expression of GPC3 mRNA and protein was decreased, and overexpression of GPC3 attenuated the tumour inhibiting effects. Further studies showed that CoCl2 increased the expression of HIF-1α while reducing the expression of sp1 and c-myc; knockdown of HIF-1α elevated the expression of GPC3, sp1, and c-myc. CONCLUSION: CoCl2 inhibited the growth of HepG2 cells through downregulation of GPC3 expression via the HIF-1α/c-myc axis.

A novel Bi12TiO20/g-C3N4 hybrid catalyst with a bionic granum configuration for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants.

A facile synthesis method was used to produce a novel, multi-layer hybrid carbon nitride with a granum microstromatolite structure (g-C3N4MS). This was combined with Bi12TiO20 (BTO) to produce a catalyst that was useful for decomposing hazardous pollutants. The microstructural investigation of the catalyst showed that the stacked-layer stromatolites of the g-C3N4MS were covered with BTO nanoplates to form the granum-like structures. The coupling between the BTO {310} and the g-C3N4MS {002} facets produced a heterostructure with a large contact area that efficiently separated the photo-generated electrons and holes by a reduction in the CB potential of g-C3N4MS. The photocatalytic performance of this novel catalyst was found to exhibit an optimum efficiency of 97% for the degradation of RhB within 50 min and it had a degradation rate constant that was 11.8 times better than bare BTO and 4.2 times better than g-C3N4MS. Moreover, the synthesized photocatalysts demonstrated good reusability and stability. Based on electron spin resonance results for the novel catalyst, O2- radicals were identified as the main active species in the photocatalytic reaction. A new Z-scheme heterogeneous structure was proposed that reasonably explained the photocatalytic reaction mechanism of the novel catalyst.

[Transformation and Distribution of Soil Organic Carbon and the Microbial Characteristics in Response to Different Exogenous Carbon Input Levels in Paddy Soil].

The turnover of soil organic carbon (SOC) and the activity of soil microbes can be influenced by exogenous carbon. However, microbial response characteristics of the transformation and distribution of available organic carbon under different levels remain unclear in paddy soils. 13C-labeled glucose was used as a typical available exogenous carbon to simulate indoor culture experiments added at different levels of soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) (0×MBC, 0.5×MBC, 1×MBC, 3×MBC, and 5×MBC) to reveal the process of C-transformation and distribution. The characteristics of microbial response in the process of exogenous carbon turnover was also monitored. The 96-well microplate fluorescence analysis was adopted to determine the activities of cellobiose hydrolase (CBH) and ß-glucosidase (ß-Glu). The results showed that, in 2 d of incubation, the ratio of labeled glucose carbon to dissolved organic carbon (13C-DOC/DOC) or to SOC (13C-SOC/SOC) was positively correlated with the amount of glucose added. The incorporation of glucose C (13C) into MBC reached the highest value (18.96 mg·kg-1) at 3×MBC treatment but decreased thereafter. The 13C allocation rate was mainly positively correlated with MBC, Olsen-P, and DOC. At 60 d, 13C-DOC, 13C-MBC, and 13C-SOC decreased significantly to less than 0.02 mg·kg-1, 2 mg·kg-1, and 10 mg·kg-1 in soil, and it was positively correlated with the amount of glucose added. Compared with CK, CBH enzyme activity increased significantly after the addition of glucose, and for the 3×MBC treatment it was increased by 22.6 times, which was significantly higher than those of other treatments (P<0.05). However, ß-Glu enzyme activity increased only in the 3×MBC and 5×MBC treatments, wherein it decreased with increasing amounts of added glucose. NH4+-N, pH, ß-Glu, and CBH were the primary factors affecting the distribution rate of 13C. In conclusion, the conversion of exogenous carbon to SOC increased with increased amounts of added organic carbon. This changed the activity of soil enzymes; however, microbial utilization of exogenous carbon may have a saturation threshold. Within the saturation threshold, the conversion rate of organic matter was directly proportional to the amount of added organic matter. When the saturation threshold was exceeded, the conversion rate of organic matter decreased. Therefore, the appropriate addition of exogenous carbon is beneficial, as it can increase SOC in rice fields and improve the quality of the crop growth environment.

[Characterization of Soil Organic Carbon Mineralization Under Different Gradient Carbon Loading in Paddy Soil].

Available carbon is the most active part of the soil carbon pool. It is also the main carbon source of soil microbes and plays an important role in the processes of soil organic carbon mineralization and accumulation. However, the mechanisms are still not clear how soil organic carbon mineralization and its priming effect (PE) are affected by different input levels of readily available carbon, based on the growth requirements of microbes in paddy soil. In this study, an incubation experiment was conducted by adding different levels (0.5, 1, 3, and 5 times of MBC) of exogenous source organic carbon (13C-glucose) to the soil. The mineralization dynamics of labile organic carbon and its priming effect was investigated. The mineralization rate of glucose-C increased significantly with the increasing carbon loading level. The distribution of glucose-C into rapid and slow C pools was also exponentially correlated with the carbon loading (R2=0.99, P<0.05 and R2=0.99, P<0.05, respectively). Negative PE was observed at high carbon loading (3×MBC and 5×MBC); while positive PE was induced by low carbon loading (0.5×MBC and 1×MBC). The cumulative PE was 160.0 mg·kg-1 and 325.1 mg·kg-1, respectively, at the end of the incubation. Redundancy analysis showed that the main factors affecting the cumulative PE were MBC, MBN, and DOC at the initial glucose mineralization stage, while ß-glucosidase, chitinase, and ammonium nitrogen were the main factors at later stages. Therefore, the readily available carbon loading has an important effect on the organic carbon mineralization and PE in paddy soil. Higher carbon loading was good for the accumulation of organic carbon sequestration in paddy soil. This study is of great scientific significance for revealing the activity of organic carbon in paddy fields and for its contribution to the development of sustainable agriculture.

Both glypican-3/Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway and autophagy contributed to the inhibitory effect of curcumin on hepatocellular carcinoma.

AIM: The aim of this study is to investigate the role of glypican-3(GPC3)/wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway and autophagy in the regulation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) growth mediated by curcumin. METHODS: HepG2 cells were treated with various concentrations of curcumin and/or GPC3-targeting siRNA in the presence or absence of 3-MA. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were determined by MTT and TUNEL assay, respectively. Expression of GPC3, ß-catenin, c-myc, LC3, and Beclin1 was determined by western blotting. In addition, curcumin was tested in tumor xenografts mice model, Caliper IVIS Lumina II was used to monitor the tumor growth, and GPC3/wnt/ß-catenin signaling proteins were determined by western blotting. RESULTS: Curcumin treatment led to proliferation inhibition and apoptosis induction in HepG2 cells in a concentration-dependent manner, and suppressed HCC tumor growth in vivo. Further analysis showed that curcumin treatment inactivated Wnt/ß-catenin signaling and decreased GPC3 expression, silencing of GPC3 expression promoted the effects of curcumin on Wnt/ß-catenin signaling. In addition, inhibiting autophagy by 3-MA relieved curcumin-dependent down-regulation of GPC3. CONCLUSION: Curcumin suppressed HCC tumor growth through down-regulating GPC3/wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway, which was partially mediated by activation of autophagy.

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer of CaF2: Eu2+, Tb3+ applied to dye-sensitized solar cells.

CaF2: Eu2+, Tb3+ introduced into dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were studied to examine the influence of luminescent materials on photoanodes using a simple method. The emission spectra of CaF2: Eu2+, Tb3+ included the blue light of Eu2+ (4f → 5d) at 430 nm and green emission of Tb3+ (5D4 → 7F5) at 542 nm under the monitoring wavelengths at 398 nm, which matched well the absorption range of the N719 dye in DSSCs. Energy transfer (ET) was verified between Eu2+ and Tb3+ ions and the efficiency of ET found to increase with Tb3+ concentration. Both the fluorescence resonance and luminescence-mediated ETs between phosphor and N719 dye were observed as the main contribution in improving photocurrent and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of these DSSCs. The PCE of DSSCs doped with phosphors was greatly increased by 5.16, to 43.3%, which was comparable to cells made of pure TiO2 photoanodes. Moreover, CaF2: Eu2+, Tb3+ enlarged the surface area of TiO2 photonaodes, which helped the adsorption performance of the TiO2 film.

Life style and sub-health status of vocational college students in Changchun City / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#This study aims to investigate the sub-health status of vocational college students in Changchun City.@*Methods@#In this study, 1 282 students from 7 vocational colleges were investigated from June 2018 to December 2018 in Changchun. The questionnaire survey collected information on demographic and lifestyle, as well as sub-health status. Demographic and lifestyle characteristics were analyzed by univariate analysis and were explored associations with sub-health status through binary logistic stepwise regression analysis.@*Results@#A total of 195 cases (15.21%) of physical and psychological sub-health were detected. And fifty-seven male students (13.65%) reported physical and psychological sub-health, which was significantly lower than that of female(16.18%)(χ2=8.00, P=0.01). Those who spent more time online, being irregular eating pattern, smokers and drinkers were more likely to report sub-health(P<0.05). Those who exercised frequently and paid more attention to health were less likely to report sub-health(P<0.05). Multivariate analyses showed that the risk of physical and psychological sub-health status increased among irregular diet, smokers and drinkers(OR=1.41, 1.68, 2.03, P<0.05). Frequent exercise and high attention paid to health was associated with lower risk of physical and psychological sub-health(OR=0.24, 0.55, P<0.05).@*Conclusion@#Sub-health status among vocational college students in Changchun is related to irregular diet, smoking, drinking, infrequent exercise and low attention to health. These results suggest health awareness, health education, as well as healthy lifestyle should be strengthened to improve sub-health status of vocational college students.