Rab11b promotes M1-like macrophage polarization by restraining autophagic degradation of NLRP3 in alcohol-associated liver disease.

Macrophage polarization is vital to mounting a host defense or repairing tissue in various liver diseases. Excessive activation of the NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is related to the orchestration of inflammation and alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) pathology. Rab GTPases play critical roles in regulating vesicular transport. In this study we investigated the role of Rab11b in ALD, aiming to identify effective therapeutic targets. Here, we first demonstrated a decreased expression of Rab11b in macrophages from ALD mice. Knockdown of Rab11b by macrophage-specific adeno-associated virus can alleviate alcohol induced liver inflammation, injury and steatosis. We found that LPS and alcohol stimulation promoted Rab11b transferring from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) cells. Rab11b specifically activated the NLRP3 inflammasome in BMDMs and RAW264.7 cells to induce M1 macrophage polarization. Rab11b overexpression in BMDMs inhibited autophagic flux, leading to the suppression of LC3B-mediated NLRP3 degradation. We conclude that impaired Rab11b could alleviate alcohol-induced liver injury via autophagy-mediated NLRP3 degradation.

Ingenious fabrication of bamboo leaf-like ferric vanadate intertwined multi-walled carbon nanotubes nanocomposite as a sensitive sensor for determination of uric acid in fetal bovine serum.

A novel nanocomposite material, ferric vanadate intertwined multi-walled carbon nanotubes (FeV/MWCNTs), has been designed which was drop-coated onto a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The constructed sensor was used for the sensitive determination of uric acid (UA) in fetal bovine serum (FBS) and human serum (HS). A series of characterization and electrochemical tests showed that the ultrasound-assisted assembly of FeV with MWCNTs not only overcame the disadvantages of low conductivity and easy (unwanted) aggregation, but also avoided the decrease in effective surface area due to the severe aggregation of each individual raw material. The fabricated FeV/MWCNTs nanocomposites exhibited higher conductivity, larger effective surface area, and better electrocatalytic activity. In addition, under optimized conditions, the developed electrochemical sensor FeV/MWCNTs/GCE has a lower limit of detection (LOD, 0.05 µM; Ep = 0.268 V vs. Ag/AgCl) and wider linear range (0.20-100 µM), which can satisfy the criteria of trace UA detection. The results of UA determination in FBS (recovery = 95.5-103%; RSD ≤ 3.1%) and HS (recovery = 95.5-103%; RSD ≤ 4.3%) further validated the feasibility of FeV/MWCNTs-based electrochemical sensors for the determination of UA in biological fluids.

Efficient and Selective Removal of Organic Cationic Dyes by Peel of Brassica juncea Coss. var. gemmifera Lee et Lin-Based Biochar.

The design and preparation of cheaper, greener and more efficient adsorbents is essential for the removal of pollutants by adsorption. In this study, biochar was prepared from peel of Brassica juncea var. gemmifera Lee et Lin (PoBJ) using a facile, low-temperature and vacuum pyrolysis, and the adsorption mechanism toward organic dyes in aqueous solution was elucidated. The adsorbent was characterized by XPS, FT-IR and SEM, and zeta potential techniques. The adsorption ability of PoBJ biochar for cationic dyes (methylene blue, brilliant green, calcein-safranine, azure I, rhodamine B), anionic dyes (alizarin yellow R), and neutral dyes (neutral red) revealed that the biochar exhibited adsorption selectivity toward cationic dyes. The effects of different factors on the adsorption performance of PoBJ biochar, as well as the adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics, were further investigated by using methylene blue as the model adsorbate. These factors included temperature, pH, contact time and dye concentration. The experimental results showed that BJ280 and BJ160 (prepared at 280 °C and 160 °C, respectively) possessed relatively higher adsorption capacity of 192.8 and 167.40 mg g-1 for methylene blue (MB), respectively, demonstrating the possibility of utilization of PoBJ biochar as a superior bio-adsorbent. The experimental data of BJ160 toward MB were correlated with various kinetic and isothermal models. The results indicated that the adsorption process was consistent with the Langmuir isotherm model and nonlinear pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption of MB onto BJ160 was exothermic. Thus, the low-temperature prepared PoBJ biochar was an environmentally friendly, economic and efficient cationic dye adsorbent.

Removal of Chromium Species by Adsorption: Fundamental Principles, Newly Developed Adsorbents and Future Perspectives.

Emerging chromium (Cr) species have attracted increasing concern. A majority of Cr species, especially hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)), could lead to lethal effects on human beings, animals, and aquatic lives even at low concentrations. One of the conventional water-treatment methodologies, adsorption, could remove these toxic Cr species efficiently. Additionally, adsorption possesses many advantages, such as being cost-saving, easy to implement, highly efficient and facile to design. Previous research has shown that the application of different adsorbents, such as carbon nanotubes (carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene oxide (GO) and its derivatives), activated carbons (ACs), biochars (BCs), metal-based composites, polymers and others, is being used for Cr species removal from contaminated water and wastewater. The research progress and application of adsorption for Cr removal in recent years are reviewed, the mechanisms of adsorption are also discussed and the development trend of Cr treatment by adsorption is proposed.

A Novel Low-Cost Bio-Sorbent Prepared from Crisp Persimmon Peel by Low-Temperature Pyrolysis for Adsorption of Organic Dyes.

In order to properly reuse food waste and remove various contaminants from wastewater, the development of green, sustainable and clean technologies has demonstrated potential in the efficient inhibition of secondary pollution to the environment. In this study, an economical and green method was used to prepare biochar from crisp persimmon peel (CPP) using flash-vacuum pyrolysis at different temperatures (200-700 °C; referred to as CPP200-CPP700). CPP200 has high polarity, low aromaticity and high oxygen-containing functional groups that exhibit superior MB adsorption capabilities. CPP200 that was prepared at a relatively low temperature of 200 °C exhibited a high adsorption capacity of 59.72 mg/g toward methylene blue (MB), which was relatively higher than that for alizarin yellow R (4.05 mg/g) and neutral red (39.08 mg/g), indicating that CPP200 possesses a higher adsorption selectivity for cationic dyes. Kinetics investigation revealed that the kinetic data of CPP200 for the adsorption of MB was better fitted by a linear pseudo-second-order model. Isothermal studies indicated that the linear Langmuir model was more suitable for describing the adsorption process. The adsorption thermodynamics illustrated that the adsorption of MB onto CPP200 was spontaneous and endothermic. EDS and IR analyses of CPP200 for both pre- and post-adsorption of MB showed that electrostatic interactions between oxygen-containing groups on biochar and target MB dominated the adsorption procedure, in addition to hydrogen bonding interactions. Reusability tests confirmed the excellent regeneration characteristics of CPP200, indicating that CPP200 may be used as a green, sustainable, highly efficient and recyclable adsorbent for the selective removal of cationic organic dyes.

Conjugation of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate and protein isolate from large yellow croaker (Pseudosciaena crocea) roe: improvement of antioxidant activity and structural characteristics.

BACKGROUND: Large yellow croaker (Pseudosciaena crocea) roe is the main by-product in the processing of large yellow croaker. Previous studies have found that its protein isolates are composed of vitellogenin, as well as vitellogenin B and C, having good functional properties. (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a natural antioxidant component that can be combined with protein to improve antioxidant activity and structural characteristics of protein. RESULTS: EGCG was bound with the P. crocea roe protein isolate (pcRPI) by the free radical method to prepare the conjugate. The formation of pcRPI-EGCG conjugates was confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and gel permeation chromatography, which showed that the calculated weight-average molar masses of native-pcRPI and pcRPI-EGCG conjugates were 86.9 and 215.3 kDa, respectively. The results of fluorescence, ultraviolet, circular and infrared spectra indicated that the conjugation of EGCG with native-pcRPI changed the secondary and tertiary structure of native-pcRPI. The pcRPI-EGCG conjugates exhibited higher thermal stability than native-pcRPI. The radical scavenging and reducing power of native-pcRPI were increased by 2.0-2.5- and 1.4-fold, respectively, after the EGCG-grafting reaction. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the binding of pcRPI and EGCG effectively improved the antioxidant properties and structural characteristics of the pcRPI. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Hybrid carbon nanotubes modified glassy carbon electrode for selective, sensitive and simultaneous detection of dopamine and uric acid.

Based on a hybrid carbon nanotube composite, a novel electrochemical sensor with high sensitivity and selectivity was designed for the simultaneous determination of dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA). The hybrid carbon nanotube composite was prepared by ultrasonic assembly of carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT-COOH) and hydroxylated single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT-OH). And the hybrid (MWCNT-COOH/SWCNT-OH) composite was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The electrochemical performances of MWCNT-COOH/SWCNT-OH composite modified glassy carbon electrode (MWCNT-COOH/SWCNT-OH/GCE) were analyzed by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Under the optimum experimental conditions, the as-prepared sensor showed high sensitivity and selectivity for DA and UA. The calibration curves obtained were linear for the currents versus DA and UA concentrations in the range 2-150 µM, and limits of detection (LODs) were calculated to be 0.37 µM and 0.61 µM (signal-to-noise ratio of 3, S/N = 3), respectively. The recoveries of DA and UA in bovine serum samples at MWCNT-COOH/SWCNT-OH/GCE were in the range 96.18-105.02%, and relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 3.34-7.27%. The proposed electrochemical sensor showed good anti-interference ability, excellent reproducibility and stability, as well as high selectivity, which might provide a promising platform for determination of DA and UA.

A sensitive non-enzymatic electrochemical sensor based on acicular manganese dioxide modified graphene nanosheets composite for hydrogen peroxide detection.

In this work, a novel manganese dioxide-graphene nanosheets (MnO2-GNSs) composite was synthesized by a facile one-step hydrothermal method, in which manganese dioxide (MnO2) was fabricated by hydrothermal reduction of KMnO4 with GNSs. The structure and morphology of MnO2-GNSs composite were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A sensitive non-enzymatic electrochemical sensor based on MnO2-GNSs composite for the detection of low concentration hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was fabricated. The electrochemical properties of MnO2-GNSs composite modified glassy carbon electrode (MnO2-GNSs/GCE) were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and amperometry. The observations confirmed that the fabricated sensor exhibited high electrocatalytic activity for oxidation of H2O2 owing to the catalytic ability of MnO2 particles and the conductivity of GNSs. Under the optimum conditions, the calibration curve was linear for the amperometric response versus H2O2 concentration over the range 0.5-350 µM with a low detection limit of 0.19 µM (S/N = 3) and high sensitivity of 422.10 µA mM-1 cm-2. The determination and quantitative analysis of H2O2 in antiseptic solution on MnO2-GNSs/GCE exhibited percent recovery of 96.50%-101.22% with relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.48%-4.47%. The developed MnO2-GNSs/GCE might be a promising platform for the practical detection of H2O2 due to its prominent properties including excellent reproducibility, good anti-interference and repeatability.

A novel electrochemical sensor based on self-assembled platinum nanochains - Multi-walled carbon nanotubes-graphene nanoparticles composite for simultaneous determination of dopamine and ascorbic acid.

In this study, platinum nanochains (PtNCs), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and graphene nanoparticles (GNPs) were assembled together to form a novel nanocomposite by a facile ultrasonic-assisted blending process. The PtNCs-MWCNTs-GNPs nanocomposite was characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The nanocomposite was used for the modification of glass carbon electrode (GCE) and simultaneous determination of dopamine (DA) and ascorbic acid (AA) by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and cycle voltammetry (CV). Under the optimum conditions, the calibration curves obtained are linear for the currents versus DA and AA concentrations over the range 2.00-50.0 µM and 100-1200 µM, respectively. And the detection limits for DA and AA are 0.500 µM and 10.0 µM, respectively. The detection and quantitative analysis of DA and AA in human serum and vitamin C tablets on PtNCs-MWCNTs-GNPs/GCE gave the recoveries of 104-110% and 101-108% with relative standard deviations (RSD) of 4.36-7.48% and 0.620-2.90%, respectively. The proposed PtNCs-MWCNTs-GNPs composite could provide a new platform for the routine analysis of DA and AA in terms of its good anti-interference ability, excellent reproducibility and repeatability, and feasibility of use.

Three-dimensional porous graphene oxide-maize amylopectin composites with controllable pore-sizes and good adsorption-desorption properties: Facile fabrication and reutilization, and the adsorption mechanism.

Three-dimensional (3D) porous graphene oxide-maize amylopectin (GO-MA) composites with controllable pore-sizes composites in the range of 6-40 nm were prepared by facile hydrothermal-assisted assembly approaches. The morphologies, pore sizes, specific surface area (SSA) and compositions of GO-MAx:y composites with and different GO-to-MA mass ratios (x:y) were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). To reveal the adsorption-desorption mechanism, effects of contact time, temperature, initial adsorbate concentration, pH value of the solution on the adsorption process were studied in detail. The adsorption capacities of 3D GO-MA20:1 composite for organic contaminants including tert-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ), p-aminophenol (PAP), p-nitrophenol (PNP), o-nitrophenol (MNP), hydroquinone (HQ), alizarin red S (ARS) and neutral red (NR) were 22.17, 116.4, 44.78, 36.96, 16.10, 39.92 and 24.23 mg g-1, respectively. The adsorption capacities of GO-MA30:1 composite for inorganic substances including Pb2+, Mn2+, Cr2O72-, Cd2+, Cu2+, Nd3+, La3+, Y3+, Yb3+ and Er3+ were 84.76, 7.92, 13.6, 17.64, 30.56, 25.52, 12.48, 16.96, 23.32 and 30.32 mg g-1, respectively. In addition, GO-MAx:y composites also exhibited high mechanical properties and good reusability. Consequently, GO-MAx:y composites could be used as reusable adsorbents for removal/enrichment inorganic/organic substances in aqueous solutions.

Novel high-gluten flour physically cross-linked graphene oxide composites: Hydrothermal fabrication and adsorption properties for rare earth ions.

Graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were immobilized and cross-linked by high-gluten flour (HGF), and a series of biomass-GO composites with various HGF-to-GO mass ratios were fabricated through a one-step hydrothermal method. The HGF-GO composites were used as novel adsorbents to adsorb rare earth ions (REE3+: La3+, Yb3+, Y3+, Er3+ and Nd3+) from aqueous solutions, and their adsorption properties were also investigated detailly. To evaluate the physicochemical properties of HGF-GO composites and further understand the mechanisms of adsorption of REE3+ onto HGF-GO composites, the HGF-GO composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA), Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Several important condition parameters including contact time, initial REE3+concentrations, solution pH values and temperature that might affect the adsorption process were studied in detail. The maximum adsorption capacities of HGF-GO1:1 composite toward La3+, Yb3+, Y3+, Er3+ and Nd3+ were 30.32, 36.64, 32.84, 42.36 and 48.68 mg g-1, respectively. The experimental data indicated that the adsorption of REE3+ onto HGF-GO1:1 was well fitted by the pseudo-second order kinetic model and the Langmuir isotherm model, and the adsorption process was a spontaneous and endothermic reaction. The HGF-GO1:1 composite could be well regenerated and reused after five adsorption-desorption cycles, and its removal efficiency for Yb3+ remained as a constant of 100%.

Biphasic effects of ethanol consumption on N,N-dimethylformamide-induced liver injury in mice.

N,N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) is a well-documented occupational hazardous material, which can induce occupational liver injury. The current study was designed to investigate whether ethanol consumption can affect DMF-induced hepatotoxicity and the potential underlying mechanisms involved. We found that a single dose of ethanol (1.25, 2.5, or 5 g/kg bw by gavage) significantly repressed the increase in serum alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) activities and alleviated the liver histopathological changes in mice challenged with 3 g/kg DMF. In contrast, long-term moderate drinking (2.5 g/kg bw) significantly aggravated the repeated DMF (0.7 g/kg bw) exposure-induced increase in the serum ALT and AST activities. Mechanistically, acute ethanol consumption suppressed DMF-induced activation of the NLR family pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, while long-term moderate ethanol consumption promoted hepatocyte apoptosis in the mouse liver. Notably, cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1) protein level and activity in mouse livers were not significantly affected by ethanol per se in the two models. These results confirm that regular drinking can increase the risk of DMF-induced hepatotoxicity, and suggest that DMF-handling workers should avoid consuming ethanol to reduce the risk of DMF-indued liver injury.

Binary hydrogels constructed from lotus rhizome starch and different types of carrageenan for dysphagia management: Nonlinear rheological behaviors and structural characteristics.

This study focused on binary hydrogels constructed from lotus rhizome starch (LRS) and three types of carrageenan (κ-C, ι-C, and λ-C). The enthalpy of LRS gelatinization was reduced by 32.1%-88.4% with the incorporation of carrageenan. Compared with ι-C and λ-C, the conformations of κ-C more facilitated the development of the binary hydrogel network structure. The ability of the LRS/carrageenan binary hydrogel to immobilize water was mainly related to the effect of different types of carrageenan on starch molecular ordering. LRS-based hydrogels were recognized as level 4 in the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI) framework. Nevertheless, the incorporation of carrageenan significantly reduced the ability of the LRS hydrogel to resist stress under large deformations, which might be favorable to oral processing and swallowing. This research provides preliminary evidence for relevant industries to use carrageenan to adjust LRS hydrogel properties and improve the quality of starch-based foods for dysphagia management.

A 32-Month Follow-Up Study of the Effect of APOE ε4 on the Whole Brain Connection in Young Healthy Individuals.

APOE ε4 is risk for cognitive decline even in normal aging, but its effect on the whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) among time in young adults remain elusive. This study aimed to validate the time-by-APOE ε4 interaction on brain FC of this specific population. Longitudinal changes in neuropsychological assessments and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging in 26 ε4 carriers and 26 matched non-ε4 carriers were measured for about 3 years. Whole-brain FC was calculated, and a full factorial design was used to compare the difference among groups. Two-sample t test was used for post-hoc analysis. Pearson's correlation analysis was conducted to investigate the relationships between FC and cognitive tests. Of 26 specially appointed ROIs, left superior temporal gyrus (TG) was most sensitive to the effect of time-by-gene interaction. Specifically, the alteration of FC was distributed between the left TG and right TG with GRF correction (voxel-P < 0.001, cluster-P < 0.05), and decreased in ε4 carriers while increased in non-ε4. The main effect of gene showed ε4 carriers has lower FC between left TG and right middle frontal gyrus as compared with non-ε4 both at baseline and follow-up study; ε4 carriers has lower FC between left TG and right supramarginal as compared with non-ε4 at baseline, but no difference in follow-up study. The time-by-APOE ε4 interaction on brain FC was demonstrated at a young age, and left TG was the earliest affected brain regions. The young adult ε4 carriers experience decreased FC among time in the absence overt clinical symptoms.

Fat quantification: Imaging methods and clinical applications in cancer.

Recently, the study of the relationship between lipid metabolism and cancer has evolved. The characteristics of intratumoral and peritumoral fat are distinct and changeable during cancer development. Subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue are also associated with cancer prognosis. In non-invasive imaging, fat quantification parameters such as controlled attenuation parameter, fat volume fraction, and proton density fat fraction from different imaging methods complement conventional images by providing concrete fat information. Therefore, measuring the changes of fat content for further understanding of cancer characteristics has been applied in both research and clinical settings. In this review, the authors summarize imaging advances in fat quantification and highlight their clinical applications in cancer precaution, auxiliary diagnosis and classification, therapy response monitoring, and prognosis.

Direct growth of nano-worm-like Cu2S on copper mesh as a hierarchical 3D catalyst for Fenton-like degradation of an imidazolium room-temperature ionic liquid in water.

The increasing consumption of room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) inevitably releases RTILs into the water environment, posing serious threats to aquatic ecology due to the toxicities of RTILs. Thus, urgent needs are necessitated for developing useful processes for removing RTILs from water, and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (C4mimCl), the most common RTIL, would be the most representative RTIL for studying the removal of RTILs from water. As advanced oxidation processes with hydrogen peroxide (HP) are validated as useful approaches for eliminating emerging contaminants, developing advantageous heterogeneous catalysts for activating HP is the key to the successful degradation of C4mim. Herein, a hierarchical structure is fabricated by growing Cu2S on copper mesh (CSCM) utilizing CM as a Cu source. Compared to its precursor, CuO@CM, this CSCM exhibited tremendously higher catalytic activity for catalyzing HP to degrade C4mim efficiently because CSCM exhibits much more superior electrochemical properties and reactive sites, allowing CSCM to degrade C4mim rapidly. CSCM also exhibits a smaller Ea of C4mim elimination than all values in the literature. CSCM also shows a high capacity and stability for activating HP to degrade C4mim in the presence of NaCl and seawater. Besides, the mechanistic investigation of C4mim elimination by CSCM-activated HP has also been clarified and ascribed to OH and 1O2. The elimination route could also be examined and disclosed in detail through the quantum computational chemistry, confirming that CSCM is a useful catalyst for catalyzing HP to degrade RTILs.

Hybrid Au-star@Prussian blue for high-performance towards bimodal imaging and photothermal treatment.

In recent years, branched or star-shaped Au nanostructures composed of core and protruding arms have attracted much attention due to their unique optical properties and morphology. As the clinically adapted nanoagent, prussian blue (PB) has recently gained widespread attention in cancer theranostics with potential applications in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. In this article, we propose a hybrid star gold nanostructure（Au-star@PB）as a novel theranostic agent for T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/ photoacoustic imaging（PAI） and photothermal therapy (PTT) of tumors. Importantly, the Au-star@PB nanoparticles function as effective MRI/PA contrast agents in vivo by increasing T1-weighted MR/PAI signal intensity and as effective PTT agents in vivo by decreasing the tumor volume in MCF-7 tumor bearing BALB / c mouse model as well as in vitro by lessening tumor cells growth rate. Interestingly, we found the main photothermal effect of Au-star@PB is derived from Au-star, but not PB. In summary, the hybrid structure of Au-star@PB NPs with good biological safety, significant photostability, dual imaging capability, and high therapeutic efficiency, might offer a novel avenue for the future diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Gelation and microstructural properties of ternary composite gel of scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) protein hydrolysates/κ-carrageenan/xanthan gum.

The objective of this study was to investigate the properties of ternary composite gel of scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) protein hydrolysates (SMGHs)/κ-carrageenan (KC)/xanthan gum (XG). The rheological properties, moisture-distribution, molecular structure, and microstructure of SMGNs/KC/XG gels were analyzed. The results showed that the G' value, melting temperature, and water holding capacity of SMGHs/KC/XG were higher than those of SMGHs, SMGHs/KC, and SMGHs/XG. FTIR spectrum showed the generation of hydrogen bonds between SMGHs and KC/XG, and the carboxylic acid group of XG interacts with SMGHs. Moreover, the cryo-SEM results showed that SMGHs/KC/XG exhibited a tighter, smoother, and more aggregated microstructure than those of SMGHs, SMGHs/KC, and SMGHs/XG. These results indicate that the gel and microstructural properties of SMGHs are significantly improved by addition of KC and XG, and SMGHs/KC/XG has potential to be used as functional hydrogels for food, pharmaceutical, and biomedical applications. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) male gonads are rich in protein and usually regarded as byproducts during adductor processing. Because of its gelation properties, scallop male gonads have potential to be used as functional hydrogels for food. The SMGHs/KC/XG ternary composite gel showed excellent gel properties, which would be potentially applied in delivery system in food and biological fields. Further study is undergoing to apply SMGHs/KC/XG to embed bioactive compounds, such as curcumin and ß-carotene.

Novel lanthanum vanadate-based nanocomposite for simultaneously electrochemical detection of dopamine and uric acid in fetal bovine serum.

The abnormal levels of two biological molecules, dopamine (DA) and Uric acid (UA), in human body are symptoms of diseases such as Parkinson's disease and arrhythmia. A novel lanthanum vanadate and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (LaV-MWCNTs) composite modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was developed and utilized as an efficient electrochemical sensor for the simultaneous detection of DA and UA. LaV-MWCNTs composite was successfully fabricated by a facile ultrasonic self-assembly method and identified by means of a series of successive measurements including XPS, XRD, FT-IR and FE-SEM. The LaV-MWCNTs modified GCE shows the concentration linear ranges of DA and UA are 2-100 µΜ using DPV. The limits of detection (LODs; signal-to-noise ratio of 3, S/N = 3) of the LaV-MWCNTs modified GCE sensor for DA and UA were calculated to be 0.046 µM and 0.025 µM, respectively. The feasibility of using the LaV-MWCNTs modified GCE sensor to detect DA and UA in a typical biological fluid, fetal bovine serum, was also evaluated by the standard addition method.

Complex characterization and formation mechanism of scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) protein hydrolysates/κ-carrageenan/konjac gum composite gels.

The combination of κ-Carrageenan (KC) and konjac gum (KGM) were introduced to examine the impact on gelation and microstructural behaviors of scallop male gonads hydrolysates (SMGHs) and the involvement of intermolecular forces. In terms of G' response of SMGHs/KGM/KC, it obviously enhanced by 3.6- and 108.5-fold than controls of KGM/KC and SMGHs/KC at 0.1 Hz, accompanying increasing melting temperatures from 27.9 (KGM/KC) and 30.0 (SMGHs/KC) to 33.7°C (SMGHs/KGM/KC), respectively. Additionally, SMGHs/KGM/KC with decreasing relaxation time T23 and blue shift of hydroxyl group than controls suggested higher water retention capacity and ordered conformation. Moreover, SMGHs/KGM/KC formed compact networks with thick walls as reflected by cryo-SEM and showed rougher surface with more aggregation as reflected by AFM. Furthermore, electrostatic in couple with hydrophobic interactions were dominant interactions, while hydrogen bonds were involved in subordinately in SMGHs/KGM/KC. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) male gonads are always discarded during processing despite high-protein content and edibility. In the current research, scallop male gonad hydrolysates (SMGHs) exhibited gelation behavior, which have a potential role in developing marine source protein as a functional food base such as kamaboko gels, can, sausage and spread and even delivery vehicles for bioactive compounds.