COMPASS functions as a module of the INO80 chromatin remodeling complex to mediate histone H3K4 methylation in Arabidopsis.

In the INO80 chromatin remodeling complex, all of the accessory subunits are assembled on the following three domains of INO80: N-terminal domain (NTD), HSA domain, and ATPase domain. Although the ATPase and HSA domains and their interacting accessory subunits are known to be responsible for chromatin remodeling, it is largely unknown how the accessory subunits that interact with the INO80 NTD regulate chromatin status. Here, we identify both conserved and nonconserved accessory subunits that interact with the three domains in the INO80 complex in Arabidopsis thaliana. While the accessory subunits that interact with all the three INO80 domains can mediate transcriptional repression, the INO80 NTD and the accessory subunits interact with it can contribute to transcriptional activation even when the ATPase domain is absent, suggesting that INO80 has an ATPase-independent role. A subclass of the COMPASS histone H3K4 methyltransferase complexes interact with the INO80 NTD in the INO80 complex and function together with the other accessory subunits that interact with the INO80 NTD, thereby facilitating H3K4 trimethylation and transcriptional activation. This study suggests that the opposite effects of the INO80 complex on transcription are required for the balance between vegetative growth and flowering under diverse environmental conditions.

Glucose Oxidase Driven Hydrogen Sulfide-Releasing Nanocascade for Diabetic Infection Treatment.

Diabetic ulcers have received much attention in recent years due to their high incidence and mortality, motivating the scientific community to develop various strategies for such chronic disease treatments. However, the therapeutic outcome of these approaches is highly compromised by invasive bacteria and a severe inflammatory microenvironment. To overcome these dilemmas, microenvironment-responsive self-delivery glucose oxidase@manganese sulfide (GOx@MnS) nanoparticles (NPs) are developed by one-step biomineralization. When they encounter the high glucose level in the ulcer site, GOx particles catalyze glucose to decrease the local pH and trigger the steady release of both manganese ions (Mn2+) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Mn2+ reacts with hydrogen peroxide to generate hydroxyl radicals for the elimination of bacterial infection; meanwhile, H2S is able to suppress the inflammatory response and accelerate diabetic wound healing through macrophage polarization. The excellent biocompatibility, strong bactericidal activity, and considerable immunomodulatory effect promise GOx@MnS NPs have great therapeutic potential for diabetic wound treatment.

Toward the high-efficient utilization of poultry blood: Insights into functionality, bioactivity and functional components.

A large amount of poultry blood is annually generated, and currently underutilized or largely disposed of as waste, resulting in environmental pollution and waste of protein resources. As one of the main by-products during the poultry slaughter process, the produced poultry blood can serve as a promising food ingredient due to its excellent functional properties and abundant source of essential amino acids, bioactive peptides and functional components. This work provides a comprehensive summary of recent research progress in the composition, functional and bioactive properties, as well as the functional components of poultry blood. Furthermore, the main preparation methods of poultry blood-derived peptides and their bioactivities were reviewed. In addition, their potential applications in the food industry were discussed. Overall, poultry blood is characterized by excellent functionalities, including solubility, gelation, foaming, and emulsifying properties. The major preparation methods for poultry blood-derived peptides include enzymatic hydrolysis, ultrasound-assisted enzymatic methods, macroporous adsorbent resins, and subcritical water hydrolysis. Poultry blood-derived peptides exhibit diverse bioactivities. Their metallic off-flavors and bitterness can be improved by exopeptidase treatment, Maillard reaction, and plastein reaction. In addition, poultry blood is also abundant in functional components such as hemoglobin, superoxide dismutase, immunoglobulin, and thrombin.

Tungsten-based polyoxometalate nanoclusters with remarkable reactive oxygen species-scavenging activity efficiently quenched luminol-based electrochemiluminescence for sensitive detection of Her-2.

This study aimed to develop a quenching-type electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor for human epidermal growth factor receptor (Her-2) detection. Firstly, Pd/NiFeOx nanoflowers decorated by in situ formation of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) and 2D Ti3C2 MXene nanosheets were synthesized (AuPd/NiFeOx/Ti3C2) as carriers to load luminol and primary antibodies. Impressively, AuPd/NiFeOx/Ti3C2 with excellent peroxidase-like activity could accelerate the decomposition of the coreactant H2O2 generating more reactive oxygen species (ROSs) under the working potential from 0 to 0.8 V, resulting in highly efficient ECL emission at 435-nm wavelengths. The introduction of tungsten-based polyoxometalate nanoclusters (W-POM NCs) which exhibit remarkable ROSs-scavenging activity as secondary antibody labels could improve the sensitivity of immunosensors. The ZnO nanoflowers were employed to encapsulate minute-sized W-POM NCs, and polydopamine was self-polymerized on the surface of Zn(W-POM)O to anchor secondary antibodies. The mechanism of the quenching strategy was explored and it was found that W-POM NCs could consume ROSs by the redox reaction of W5+ resulting in W6+. The proposed ECL immunosensor displayed a wide linear response range of 0.1 pg·mL-1 to 50 ng·mL-1, and a low detection limit of 0.036 pg mL-1 (S/N = 3). The recoveries ranged from 93.9 to 99.4%, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was lower than 10%. This finding is promising for the design of detecting new protein biomarkers.

The PEAT protein complexes are required for histone deacetylation and heterochromatin silencing.

In eukaryotes, heterochromatin regions are typically subjected to transcriptional silencing. DNA methylation has an important role in such silencing and has been studied extensively. However, little is known about how methylated heterochromatin regions are subjected to silencing. We conducted a genetic screen and identified an epcr (enhancer of polycomb-related) mutant that releases heterochromatin silencing in Arabidopsis thaliana We demonstrated that EPCR1 functions redundantly with its paralog EPCR2 and interacts with PWWP domain-containing proteins (PWWPs), AT-rich interaction domain-containing proteins (ARIDs), and telomere repeat binding proteins (TRBs), thus forming multiple functionally redundant protein complexes named PEAT (PWWPs-EPCRs-ARIDs-TRBs). The PEAT complexes mediate histone deacetylation and heterochromatin condensation and thereby facilitate heterochromatin silencing. In heterochromatin regions, the production of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and DNA methylation is repressed by the PEAT complexes. The study reveals how histone deacetylation, heterochromatin condensation, siRNA production, and DNA methylation interplay with each other and thereby maintain heterochromatin silencing.

Preparation, pungency and bioactivity of gingerols from ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe): a review.

Ginger has been widely used for different purposes, such as condiment, functional food, drugs, and cosmetics. Gingerols, the main pungent component in ginger, possess a variety of bioactivities. To fully understand the significance of gingerols in the food and pharmaceutical industry, this paper first recaps the composition and physiochemical properties of gingerols, and the major extraction and synthesis methods. Furthermore, the pungency and bioactivity of gingerols are reviewed. In addition, the food application of gingerols and future perspectives are discussed. Gingerols, characterized by a 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl moiety, are divided into gingerols, shogaols, paradols, zingerone, gingerdiones and gingerdiols. At present, gingerols are extracted by conventional, innovative, and integrated extraction methods, and synthesized by chemical, biological and in vitro cell synthesis methods. Gingerols can activate transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) and induce signal transduction, thereby exhibiting its pungent properties and bioactivity. By targeted mediation of various cell signaling pathways, gingerols display potential anticancer, antibacterial, blood glucose regulatory, hepato- and renal-protective, gastrointestinal regulatory, nerve regulatory, and cardiovascular protective effects. This review contributes to the application of gingerols as functional ingredients in the food and pharmaceutical industry.

Alterations of monoamine neurotransmitters, HPA-axis hormones, and inflammation cytokines in reserpine-induced hyperalgesia and depression comorbidity rat model.

BACKGROUND: Pain and depression often occur simultaneously, but the mechanism of this condition is still unclear. METHODS: The aim of this study was to examine the alterations of monoamine neurotransmitters, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis hormones, and inflammation cytokines in hyperalgesia and depression comorbidities. The reserpine-induced "Sprague Dawley" (SD) rat models were used, and the concentrations of monoamine neurotransmitters serotonin (5-HT), norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), and their metabolic products 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), Homovanillic acid (HVA), 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in raphe nucleus region were tested by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Serum levels of Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH), Cortisol (CORT), and inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interferon (IFN)-γ, IL-4, IL-10 were assessed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Repeated reserpine injection induced hyperalgesia and depressive behaviors with decreased sucrose preference and horizontal movement distance, and increased immobility time in forced swimming test. The concentrations of 5-HT and NE in raphe nucleus, and ACTH and CORT in serum were elevated in the model group. And the model group showed increases in serum IL-1ß and IL-6, and decrease in serum IL-10. CONCLUSION: More research in these areas is needed to understand the pathogenesis of the disease, so as to find more and better therapeutic targets.

Fucoxanthin Prevents Long-Term Administration l-DOPA-Induced Neurotoxicity through the ERK/JNK-c-Jun System in 6-OHDA-Lesioned Mice and PC12 Cells.

As the most abundant marine carotenoid extracted from seaweeds, fucoxanthin is considered to have neuroprotective activity via its excellent antioxidant properties. Oxidative stress is regarded as an important starting factor for neuronal cell loss and necrosis, is one of the causes of Parkinson's disease (PD), and is considered to be the cause of adverse reactions caused by the current PD commonly used treatment drug levodopa (l-DA). Supplementation with antioxidants early in PD can effectively prevent neurodegeneration and inhibit apoptosis in dopaminergic neurons. At present, the effect of fucoxanthin in improving the adverse effects triggered by long-term l-DA administration in PD patients is unclear. In the present study, we found that fucoxanthin can reduce cytotoxicity and suppress the high concentration of l-DA (200 µM)-mediated cell apoptosis in the 6-OHDA-induced PC12 cells through improving the reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential, suppressing ROS over-expression, and inhibiting active of ERK/JNK-c-Jun system and expression of caspase-3 protein. These results were demonstrated by PD mice with long-term administration of l-DA showing enhanced motor ability after intervention with fucoxanthin. Our data indicate that fucoxanthin may prove useful in the treatment of PD patients with long-term l-DA administration.

Functional characterization of E2F3b in human HepG2 liver cancer cell line.

E2F3 is a transcription factor that has been shown to be overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It is well-known that the E2F3 gene encodes two proteins E2F3a and E2F3b. Therefore, the functions of the two distinct isoforms need to be clarified separately. To characterize the function of E2F3b in HCC, the effects of ectopic expression of E2F3b on cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis and gene expression were investigated. E2F3b promoted G1/S phase transition and markedly increased cell proliferation, but had minor effect on apoptosis. Microarray analyses identified 366 differentially expressed genes (171 upregulated and 195 downregulated) in E2F3b- overexpressing cells. Differential expression of 16 genes relevant to cell cycle and cell proliferation were further verified by real-time PCR. Six genes, including CDC2, CCNE1, ARF, MAP4K2, MUSK, and PAX2 were confirmed to be upregulated by more than twofold; one gene, CCNA2 was validated to be downregulated by more than twofold. We also confirmed that E2F3b increased the protein levels of both cyclin E and Arf but did not affect cyclin D1 protein. These results suggest that E2F3b functions as an important promoter for cell proliferation and plays important roles in transcriptional regulation in HepG2 liver cancer cells.

Molecular characteristics and oncogenic role of CHD family genes: a pan-cancer analysis based on bioinformatic and biological analysis.

Chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein (CHD) gene family, an ATP (adenosine triphosphate) -dependent chromatin remodeler family, is involved in multiple developmental process and tumor development. However, there have been none pan-cancer analyses of this family. The expression levels, survival profiles, mutation profiles and immune infiltration of the CHD family genes from TCGA and TARGET database were analyzed using online tools or R packages. Interestingly, all types of CHD gene expressions were associated with the prognosis of Neuroblastoma, Acute lymphoblastic leukemia-Phase 3 and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (All P < 0.05). Knock down of CHD7 and CHD9 in K562 (human erythromyeloblastoid leukemia) and HEC-1-B (human endometrial adenocarcinoma) cells significantly inhibit cell proliferation and migration (P < 0.05). Proliferation, colony formation and migration assays were performed in CHD7 and CHD9 knockdown K562 and HBC-1-B cell lines. Mechanisms were also analyzed by PPI and GO ontology for our experiments. Histone modification, especially the methylation of H3K4, might be involved in CHD7 and CHD9 related oncogenesis. Through bioinformatic analysis, we showed CHD genes significantly affected the prognosis of different tumor types, including childhood tumor. Our findings provide new insights into the function and mechanism of CHD gene family, especially in CHD7 and CHD9.

Preparation, pungency and bioactivity transduction of piperine from black pepper (Piper nigrum L.): A comprehensive review.

Piperine, derived from black pepper (Piper nigrum L.), is responsible for the pungent sensation. The diverse bioactivities of piperine underscores its promising potential as a functional food ingredient. This review presents a comprehensive overview of the research progress in extraction, synthesis, pungency transduction mechanism and bioactivities of piperine. Piperine can be extracted through various methods, such as traditional, modern, and innovative extraction techniques. Its synthesis mainly included both chemical and biosynthetic approaches. It exhibits a diverse range of bioactivities, including anticancer, anticonvulsant, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, anti-obesity, neuroprotective, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, and cardiovascular protective activities. Piperine can bind to TRPV1 receptor to elicit pungent sensation. Overall, the present review can provide a theoretical reference for advancing the potential application of piperine in the field of food science.

An optimized DCO with modified binary-weighted DCTLs based hybrid tuning banks for an E-band DPLL.

An optimized millimeter-wave digital controlled oscillator (DCO) in a 40-nm CMOS process is presented in this work. The coarse-tuning modules and medium-tuning modules of the DCO utilize modified binary-weighted digitally controlled transmission lines (DCTLs) to achieve a better compromise among smaller chip size, higher resonant frequency, better tuning resolution and lower phase noise. The tuning precision and die size of the medium tuning bank are improved without changing the binary coding rules by replacing the lowest-weight bit of the DCTLs with switched capacitors. In comparison with traditional DCTLs, the control bits of the coarse and medium tuning modules have been changed from 30 to 8, resulting in a 34.4% reduction in overall length (from 122[Formula: see text]m to 80[Formula: see text]m). In addition, the DCO's fine-tuning modules are achieved using a binary-weighted switched capacitors array connected to the secondary winding of a low-coupling transformer, which enhances the DCO's fine-tuning bank for better frequency resolution with less circuit complexity. The measured tuning range of the optimized DCO is 76-81GHz with a smaller die size of 0.12mm[Formula: see text]. This results in an outstanding figure of merit ([Formula: see text]) of - 190.52dBc/Hz.

Zein-Derived Peptides from Corn Promote the Proliferation of C2C12 Myoblasts via Crosstalk of mTORC1 and mTORC2 Signaling Pathways.

Dietary protein supplementation has emerged as a promising strategy in combating sarcopenia. Furthermore, searching for alternatives of animal proteins has been a hot topic. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of zein peptides on C2C12 myoblasts and explore their potential molecular mechanisms. The proliferative, cell cycle, and anti-apoptotic activities of zein peptides were evaluated. Peptidomics analysis and transcriptome sequencing were employed to explore the structure-activity relationship and underlying molecular mechanisms. The results indicated that zein peptides (0.05-0.2 mg/mL) exerted a significant proliferation-promoting impact on C2C12 cells, via increasing cell viability by 33.37 to 42.39%. Furthermore, zein peptides significantly increased S phase proportion and decreased the apoptosis rate from 34.08% (model group) to 28.96% in C2C12 cells. In addition, zein peptides exhibited a pronounced anti-apoptotic effect on C2C12 cells. Zein peptides are abundant in branch-chain amino acids, especially leucine. Transcriptomics analysis revealed that zein peptides can promote proliferation, accelerate cell cycle, and improve protein synthesis of muscle cells through mTORC1 and mTORC2 signaling pathways.

Etiologies of Persistent Aminotransferase Elevations in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients Treated with Nucleos(t)ide Analogs.

Background/Aims: Recent studies revealed that patients with persistent aminotransferase elevations after antiviral treatment had higher risk of hepatic events; yet its underlying causes remain unclear. Our study aimed to investigate the etiologies of persistent aminotransferase elevations in patients treated with nucleos(t)ide analogs (NAs). Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients who had been receiving NA treatment for over a year and had an aminotransferase level greater than 40 IU/mL (more than twice, with a 3-month interval) and subsequently underwent a liver biopsy. Results: The study group included 46 patients (34 males) with a mean age of 44.8 ± 20.3 years (range: 24-71 years).The average dura- tion of NA therapy was 3.7 years (1.1-10.6 years). The etiologies of persistant transaminase elevation were categorized into 4 groups: patients with low hepatitis B virus (HBV) viral load (LVL, n = 11); concurrent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD, n = 12); concurrent other liver diseases (OLD, n = 12); and unknown liver dysfunction (ULD, n = 11). The proportion of G ≥ 2 inflammation was significantly higher in the LVL group (90.9%) compared to NAFLD (33.3%), OLD (50%), and ULD (27.2%) groups (P = .012). The hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg)-positive group exhibited a younger age (34.5 ± 10.2 vs. 48.1 ± 9.4 years, P < .001), a lower proportion of fibrosis F ≥ 2 (36.3% vs. 77.1%, P = .012), and a higher prevalence of detectable HBV DNA (54.5% vs.14.2%, P = .00632) compared to the HBeAg-negative group. Conclusion: The etiology of persistent aminotransferase elevations in CHB patients undergoing NAs treatment warrants investigation. Besides the commonly observed NAFLD and low HBV viral load, concurrent presence of other liver diseases requires elucidation.The proportion of G≥2 inflammation was higher in the LVL group.

A Validated Estimate of Visceral Adipose Tissue Volume in Relation to Cancer Risk.

BACKGROUND: Despite the recognized role of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) in carcinogenesis, its independent association with cancer risk beyond traditional obesity measures remains unknown due to limited availability of imaging data. METHODS: We developed an estimation equation for VAT volume (L) using Elastic Net Regression based on demographic and anthropometric data in a subcohort of participants in the UK Biobank (UKB; N = 23,148) with abdominal MRI scans. This equation was externally validated in 2,713 participants from the 2017-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) according to sex, age, and race groups. We then applied the equation to the overall UKB cohort of 461,665 participants to evaluate the prospective association between estimated VAT (eVAT) and cancer risk using Cox proportional hazards models. We also calculated the population attributable risk (PAR) of cancer associated with eVAT and BMI. RESULTS: eVAT showed a high correlation with measured VAT in internal and external validations (r = 0.81-0.86). During a median 12-year follow-up in the UKB, we documented 37,397 incident cancer cases; eVAT was significantly associated with elevated risk of obesity-related and individual cancers, independent of BMI and waist circumference. PAR for total cancer associated with high (quartiles 2-4 vs 1) eVAT (9.0-11.6%) was higher than high BMI (Q2-4 vs 1; 5.0-8.2%). CONCLUSIONS: eVAT showed robust performance in both UKB and NHANES and was associated with cancer risk independent of BMI and waist circumference. This study provides a potential clinical tool for VAT estimation and underscores that VAT can be an important target for cancer prevention.

The role of smoking in explaining racial/ethnic disparities in bladder cancer incidence in the United States.

INTRODUCTION: Smoking is the most important modifiable risk factor for bladder cancer (BC), with the odds of developing BC among current and former smokers 3 times higher than never-smokers. We hypothesized that the observed disparities in BC incidence may be partially attributable to differences in smoking prevalence. We examined the attributable risk of BC related to smoking according to race/ethnicity and sex. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We used data from SEER and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to estimate BC cases that would have been prevented if current and former smokers had never smoked to calculate the Population Attributable Fractions, stratified by sex and race/ethnicity. SDs of BC incidences across racial/ethnic groups before and after smoking elimination were calculated to estimate disparities. RESULTS: A total of 25,747 cases of BC were analyzed from 21 registries in 2018. By removing smoking, 10,176 cases (40%) would have been eliminated. Smoking was associated with a higher proportion of BC cases among males (42%) than females (36%). Across racial/ethnic groups, smoking contributed to the highest proportion of BC cases among American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) (43%) and Whites (36%) for females, and highest among AI/ANs (47%) and Blacks (44%) for males. Removing smoking, the SD of BC incidence across racial/ethnic groups was reduced for females (39%) and males (44%). CONCLUSION: Approximately 40% of cases of BC in the United States are attributable to smoking, with the highest proportion in AI/ANs for both males and females, and the lowest in Hispanics for females and Asians and Pacific Islanders for males. Smoking contributes to almost half of racial/ethnic disparities in BC incidence in the United States. Accordingly, health policy to encourage smoking cessation among racial-ethnic minorities may substantially reduce inequalities in BC incidence.

[Electroacupuncture regulates glucose metabolism disorder through PI3K/Akt/GSK3ß signaling pathway in rats with depression].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) at "Zusanli" (ST36) on improving glucose metabolism disorder in chronic restraint induced depressed rats. METHODS: A total of 30 male SD rats were randomly divided into control, model and EA groups, with 10 rats in each group. The depression model was established by chronic restraint 2.5 h each day for 4 weeks. For rats in the EA group, EA stimulation (1 mA, 2 Hz, 30 min) was applied to bilateral ST36 during the modeling period, once a day for 4 weeks. The body weight of the rats was recorded before and after modeling. The behavior of rats was observed by sugar-water preference and forced swimming after modeling. The contents of glucose and glycosylated albumin in serum were determined by biochemical method. The histopathological morphology and liver glycogen content were observed by HE and PAS staining. The expression levels of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), phosphorylated (p)-PI3K (p-PI3K), protein kinase B (Akt), p-Akt, glycogen synthase kinase-3ß (GSK3ß) and p-GSK3ß proteins in liver were determined by Western blot. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the weight increment and sugar-water preference index decreased (P<0.01), the immobile swimming time was prolonged (P<0.01), the glucose and glycosylated albumin contents in serum increased (P<0.05), the expression of p-Akt protein and the ratio of p-Akt/Akt in liver tissues decreased (P<0.001), the expression of p-GSK3ß protein and the ratio of p-GSK3ß/GSK3ß in liver tissues increased (P<0.01,P<0.001) in the model group. Compared with the model group, the weight increment and sugar-water preference index increased (P<0.05), the immobile swimming time was shortened (P<0.05), the glucose and glycosylated albumin contents in serum decreased (P<0.05), the expressions of p-PI3K and p-Akt proteins and the ratio of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt in liver tissues increased (P<0.05), the expression of p-GSK3ß protein and the ratio of p-GSK3ß/GSK3ß in liver tissues decreased (P<0.01) in the EA group. HE staining showed that the structure of the hepatic lobule was intact, no obvious inflammatory cell infiltration or fibrosis was observed in the lobule and interstitium, and no abnormalities were observed in the small bile duct, portal vein and artery in the portal area. PAS staining showed that the intensity of staining from the center of the hepatic lobule to the periphery of the hepatic lobule was gradually enhanced in the blank group, that is, the glycogen-rich granules in the hepatic cells were gradually increased; most of the hepatocytes were light colored and glycogen was lost significantly in the model group; while the intensity of hepatocyte staining increased, the staining intensity of the perilobular zone was weaker than that in the blank group, and the glycogen particles partially recovered in the EA group. CONCLUSION: EA intervention can regulate glucose metabolism disorder in chronic restraint induced depressed rats through PI3K/Akt/GSK3ß signaling pathway.

Preparation of the self-accelerating photocatalytic self-cleaning carboxymethyl cellulose sodium-based hydrogel for removing cationic dyes.

Hydrogels loaded with photocatalysts have shown great potential in effectively degrading dye wastewater. In this work, carboxymethyl cellulose sodium-based hydrogels loaded with nitrogen-doped graphene oxide-zinc oxide-zinc peroxide (NGO-ZnO-ZnO2) were synthesized using hydrothermal reaction and in-situ synthesis method. NGO acts as an electron mediator, suppressing the recombination of photoinduced electrons and holes. ZnO2 decomposes to generate hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), promoting a self-enhanced photocatalytic reaction. Carboxymethyl cellulose sodium (CMC) acts as a dispersant, improving the uniformity and stability of NGO-ZnO-ZnO2 within the hydrogel. The results demonstrate that NGO-ZnO-ZnO2 exhibits high photocatalytic degradation efficiency towards methyl orange (MO) (10 mg/L) and rhodamine B (RhB) (50 mg/L), with degradation rates of 99.99 % (200 min) and 99.26 % (160 min), respectively. The carboxymethyl cellulose sodium-based hydrogel achieves a photocatalytic degradation rate of 95.85 % (220 min) for RhB (10 mg/L). After 5 cycles of repeated photocatalytic tests, the degradation efficiency of the hydrogel towards RhB reaches 80.81 %. This work provides a low-cost and convenient method for constructing novel hydrogel carriers with high photocatalytic stability and efficiency.