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The electrochemical reduction of CO2 (CO2RR) mainly occurs at the three‐phase interface, and the properties of an interface can directly affect the CO2RR pathway. Cu‐based materials can produce considerable amounts of alcohols and hydrocarbons, but it is hard to precisely regulate the reaction interface and obtain specific target products. Herein, the properties of the Cu surface through a facile strategy of ionic liquid modification are successfully adjusted. According to theoretical calculations and in situ Raman and FTIR spectra characterizations, it is revealed that the introduction of ionic liquids (e.g., [Bmim][PF6]) can control the energy barriers and distribution density of key intermediates on Cu interface, thus totally change the reaction pathway of CO2 electroreduction. Consequently, the dominant products from the Cu catalyst will be dramatically switched between C2H4 with a 71.1% Faraday efficiency (FE) and CH4 with a 67.2% FE. It is rarely seen in previous reports that the CO2RR products can be fundamentally changed through simple interface modifications. This work offers a straightforward approach to tune the interfacial properties and understand the mechanisms in various electrocatalytic reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ni 2 P that was highly active in the hydrodesulfurization of dibenzothiophene was obtained by reduction of a phosphate precursor with a P/Ni molar ratio as low as 1.2 over cerium oxide-modified Al 2 O 3 (Ce–Al 2 O 3 ) and macromesoporous Al 2 O 3 (M-Al 2 O 3 ). 27 Al MAS NMR revealed that this is likely due to the low reactivity of pentahedrally coordinated Al 3+ (Al(P)) with phosphorus oxide. Because the major Al species in Ce–Al 2 O 3 and M-Al 2 O 3 is Al(P), less phosphorus is consumed by the Al 2 O 3 support upon calcination and thus more phosphorus is available for the formation of Ni 2 P during the reduction stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We previously reported a symmetric monocarbonyl analog of curcumin ( MACs), C66, which demonstrated potential anti-inflammatory activity and low toxicity. In continuation of our ongoing research, we designed and synthesized 34 asymmetric MACs based on C66 as a lead molecule. A majority of the C66 analogs effectively inhibited LPS induction of TNF- α and IL-6 expression. Additionally, a preliminary SAR was conducted. Furthermore, active compounds 4a11 and 4a16 were found to effectively reduce the W/D ratio in the lungs and the protein concentration in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid ( BALF). Meanwhile, a histopathological examination indicated that these two analogs significantly attenuate tissue injury in the lungs with LPS-induced ALI rats. 4a11 and 4a16 also inhibited mRNA expression of several inflammatory cytokines, including TNF- α, IL-6, IL-1 β, COX-2, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1, in the Beas-2B cells after LPS challenge. Altogether, the data exhibit a series of new C66 analogs as promising anti-inflammatory agents for the treatment of LPS-induced ALI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The effects of silicon (Si) application on plant growth, pigments, photosynthetic parameters, chlorophyll a (Chl a) fluorescence parameters and nitrogen metabolism were studied in Cucumis sativus L. under cadmium (Cd) toxicity. Compared with the control, 100μM CdCl2 treatment caused dramatic accumulation of Cd in cucumber leaves, greatly induced chlorosis, and the transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis indicated that Cd treatment cucumber chloroplast showed obvious swollen, thylakoids and chloroplast membrane were seriously damaged, and could not be observed clearly. Application of Si reversed the chlorosis, protected the chloroplast from disorganization, and significantly increased the pigments contents, which might be mainly responsible for the higher photosynthetic rate and accumulation of biomass under Cd stress. Further investigation of chlorophyll a fluorescence indicated that Cd treatment decreasing photosynthesis was not due to stomatal restriction, while was closely related integrity damage or function lost of the photosynthetic machinery which can be concluded from the higher intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) and lower F v/F m and ΦPSII. Application of Si alleviated the inhibited level of photosynthesis and F v/F m and ΦPSII by Cd, which might imply that Si plays important roles in protecting photosynthetic machinery from damaging. The Cd treatment also greatly inhibited the enzymes of nitrogen metabolism including nitrogen reductase (NR), glutamine synthetase (GS), glutamate synthase (GOGAT) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), and Si supply decreased the inhibiting effects of Cd. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The increasing emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) caused by the unrestrained consumption of fossil fuels in recent hundreds of years, has caused global environmental and social problems. Meanwhile, CO2 is a cheap, abundant and renewable C1‐feedstock, which can be converted into alcohols, ethers, acids and other value‐added chemicals. Compared with the thermal reactions, electrochemical reduction of CO2 is more attractive because of its advantages by using the seasonal, geographical and intermittent energy (tide, wind and solar) under mild conditions. In recent years, taking ionic liquids (ILs) as electrolytes in the CO2 electrochemical reduction reaction has been paid much more attention due to the advantages of lowering the overpotential of CO2 electroreduction and improving the Faradaic efficiency. In this paper, we summarized the recent progresses of electrochemical reduction of CO2 in ILs electrolytes, and analyzed the reaction mechanism of CO2 reaction in the electrode‐electrolyte interface region by experimental and simulation methods. Finally, the research which needs to be highlighted in this area was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electroreduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) to chemicals is a promising route to convert and utilize CO2 under atmospheric conditions. However, the relative poor reaction efficiency seriously hinders the practical applications of this route. In this work, flowerlike In2S3 assembled by nanoflakes was synthesized via ionothermal method and exhibited a high Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 86 % with excellent formate formation rate of 478 μmol h−1 cm−2 in ionic liquid (IL) electrolyte. Flowerlike structure can provide large electrochemically active surface area and enhance mass transfer rate. Additionally, density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the origin of the improved performance can be attributed to the large adsorption energy of CO2* and OCHO* intermediate on the (440) facet which is the main exposed crystal facet of flowerlike In2S3.[f1] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High CO FE and good stability in large-scale CO 2 ER device with 495 cm2 electrode area was realized by IL-based electrolytes [Display omitted] • An upscaling device of CO 2 ER with the biggest electrode area was established. • IL-based electrolytes were firstly used in upscaling device to boost CO 2 conversion. • The superior CO 2 ER performance of 83.9% CO FE with only 2% H 2 FE was achieved. • CO selectivity keeps good stability in IL systems on a continuous 10 hr running. Electric-driven CO 2 reduction to high value-added chemicals is a potential way to solve the carbon emissions. However, the current studies on CO 2 electroreduction (CO 2 ER) are mainly focused on design and preparation of novel electrocatalysts and electrolytes. The large-scale of CO 2 ER is puzzled in the serious hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in aqueous electrolytes and inferior reaction stability in an enlarged CO 2 electrolyzer. Ionic liquids (ILs) as electrolytes have opened great opportunities for CO 2 ER due to their unique advantages. Herein, a large-scale CO 2 ER device containing an upscaling modified H-type flow cell using IL-based electrolytes (UHFC-IL) with the largest electrode active area of 495 cm2 was established for CO 2 ER studies. The influences of key operating parameters, such as compositions of IL-based electrolytes, electrolytes velocity, CO 2 gas flow rate and cell voltage on CO 2 ER performance were systematically investigated. A high CO 2 ER performance under the optimum operating conditions achieves 83.9% Faraday Efficiency (FE) for CO with a reaction current of 6.32 A, suppressing HER to only 2% FE. After 10 hr continuous operation, the CO selectivity in IL-based electrolytes is 51.3% higher than that in 0.1 M KHCO 3 aqueous electrolytes, which maintains excellent stability with a high CO generation rate of 1.7 L hr-1. In addition, the mechanism of CO 2 ER to CO boosted by IL-based electrolytes in UHFC-IL was proposed. This study provides experimental parameters and guidance for future research on the amplification process of CO 2 ER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia (NH3) emissions have caused a wide range of environmental problems and serious harm to human health. However, efficiently separating NH3 and simultaneously recovering high purity NH3 easily remains a great challenge. A new strategy to design transition metal ionic liquids (MILs) by combining specific metal centers and ligands with ILs was proposed for efficient and reversible absorption of NH3. Not only exceptional NH3 absorption capacity and high NH3/CO2 selectivity, but also excellent recyclability were achieved by cobalt ILs [Cnmim]2[Co(NCS)4]. The maximal capacity of NH3 is up to 6.09 mol NH3 mol IL−1 at 30 °C and 0.10 MPa, which is much higher than all reported ILs to date, and is over 30 times higher than the conventional ILs [Cnmim][SCN]. The superior NH3 capacity and desorption performance originate from the moderate Lewis acid–base and cooperative hydrogen bond interactions between the metal center-ligands and NH3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mutated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a major driver of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The EGFR T790M secondary mutation has become a leading cause of clinically-acquired resistance to gefitinib and erlotinib. Herein, we present a structure-based design approach to increase the potency and selectivity of the previously reported reversible EGFR inhibitor 7 , at the kinase and cellular levels. Three-step structure-activity relationship exploration led to promising compounds 19e and 19h with unique chemical structure and binding mode from the other third-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors. In a human NSCLC xenograft model, 19e and 19h exhibited dose-dependent tumor growth suppression without toxicity. These selective inhibitors are promising drug candidates for EGFR T790M -driven NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a major cause of acute respiratory failure in critically-ill patients. Resveratrol and curcumin are proven to have potent anti-inflammatory efficacy, but their clinical application is limited by their metabolic instability. Here, a series of resveratrol and the Mono-carbonyl analogs of curcumin (MCAs) hybrids were designed and synthesized by efficient aldol construction strategy, and then screened for anti-inflammatory activities in vitro and in vivo . The results showed that the majority of analogs effectively inhibited the LPS-induced production of IL-6 and TNF-α. Five analogs, a9, a18, a19, a20 and a24 exhibited excellent anti-inflammatory activity in a dose-dependent manner along with low toxicity in vitro . Structure activity relationship study revealed that the electron-withdrawing groups at meta-position and methoxyl group ( OCH 3 ) at the para position of the phenyl ring were important for anti-inflammatory activities. The most promising compound a18 decreased LPS induced TNF-α, IL-6, IL-12, and IL-33 mRNA expression. Additionally, a18 significantly protected against LPS-induced acute lung injury in the in vivo mouse model. The research of resveratrol and MCAs hybrids could bring insight into the treatment of inflammatory diseases and compound a18 may serve as a lead compound for the development of anti-ALI agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sepsis is characterized by a systemic inflammatory response syndrome. Derivatives of indole have been reported to exhibit diverse biological activities. This study reports on the design and synthesis of a new series of indole-2-carboxamide derivatives, which are screened for their anti-inflammatory activities in RAW 264.7 macrophages. A majority of these derivatives effectively inhibited lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Preliminary structure-activity relationship analysis was also conducted. The results indicate that the most promising compounds in the prepared series were 14f and 14g. They were found to effectively reduce LPS-induced pulmonary inflammation and overexpression of a series of inflammatory mediators. Furthermore, in vivo administration of 14f and 14g resulted in remarkable lung histopathological improvements in mice without toxicity in organs. Taken together, these data indicate that the newly discovered indole-2-carboxamide derivatives could be particularly useful for further treatment in inflammatory diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curcumin is a nontoxic phenolic compound that modulates the activity of several cellular targets that have been linked with cancers and other chronic diseases. However, the efficacy of curcumin in the clinic has been limited by its poor bioavailability and rapid metabolism in vivo . We have previously reported the design and discovery of series of 5-carbon linker-containing mono-carbonyl analogues of curcumin (MACs) as anti-cancer agents. In continuation of our ongoing research, we designed and synthesized 37 novel long-chain alkoxylated MACs for anti-cancer evaluation here. The MTS assay was used to determine the cytotoxicity of compounds in gastrointestinal cancer cells. Compounds 5 , 28 , and 29 showed strongest inhibition against gastric cancer cell proliferation and were subjected to further analysis. The effects of 5 , 28 , and 29 on cell apoptosis were measured by flow cytometry. Expression levels of Bcl-2, cleaved poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP), and pro-caspase-3 were detected by western blotting. Compounds 5 , 28 , and 29 induced apoptosis in human gastric carcinoma cells, increased PARP cleavage, and decreased expression of Bcl-2 and pro-caspase-3 protein. We then showed that compound 28 , which possessed the strongest activity among the test compounds in vitro , exhibited significant tumor inhibition in SGC7901-driven xenograft mouse model. Taken together, the novel compound 28 could be further explored as an effective anticancer agent for the treatment of human gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a major cause of acute respiratory failure in critically-ill patients. It has been reported that both resveratrol and chalcone derivatives could ameliorate lung injury induced by inflammation. A series of paralleled Aza resveratrol–chalcone compounds ( 5a – 5m , 6a – 6i ) were designed, synthesized and screened for anti-inflammatory activity. A majority showed potent inhibition on the IL-6 and TNF-α expression-stimulated by LPS in macrophages, of which compound 6b is the most potent analog by inhibition of LPS-induced IL-6 release in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, 6b exhibited protection against LPS-induced acute lung injury in vivo. These results offer further insight into the use of Aza resveratrol–chalcone compounds for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, and the use of compound 6b as a lead compound for the development of anti-ALI agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity has been recognized as a major risk factor for the development of chronic cardiomyopathy, which is associated with increased cardiac inflammation, fibrosis, and apoptosis. We previously developed an anti-inflammatory compound C66, which prevented inflammatory diabetic complications via targeting JNK. In the present study, we have tested the hypothesis that C66 could prevent obesity-induced cardiomyopathy by suppressing JNK-mediated inflammation. High-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity mouse model and palmitic acid (PA)-challenged H9c2 cells were used to develop inflammatory cardiomyopathy and evaluate the protective effects of C66. Our data demonstrate a protective effect of C66 against obesity-induced cardiac inflammation, cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, and dysfunction, overall providing cardio-protection. C66 administration attenuates HFD-induced myocardial inflammation by inhibiting NF-κB and JNK activation in mouse hearts. In vitro , C66 prevents PA-induced myocardial injury and apoptosis in H9c2 cells, accompanied with inhibition against PA-induced JNK/NF-κB activation and inflammation. The protective effect of C66 is attributed to its potential to inhibit JNK activation, which led to reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine production and reduced apoptosis in cardiomyocytes both in vitro and in vivo. In summary, C66 provides significant protection against obesity-induced cardiac dysfunction, mainly by inhibiting JNK activation and JNK-mediated inflammation. Our data indicate that inhibition of JNK is able to provide significant protection against obesity-induced cardiac dysfunction. [Display omitted] • Compound C66 attenuated cardiomyopathy in HFD-fed mice. • C66 reduced PA-induced inflammation and apoptosis via inhibiting JNK activation. • Inhibition of inflammation prevents obesity-associated cardiomyopathy. • JNK is a promising therapeutic target for obesity-induced myocardial injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity has been recognized as a major risk factor for the development of chronic kidney disease, which is accompanied by increased renal inflammation, fibrosis, and apoptosis. C66 is a curcumin derivative that exerts anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting the JNK pathway and prevents diabetic nephropathy. The present study investigates the possible protective effect of C66 on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity-related glomerulopathy. Mice were fed with HFD for 8 weeks while some were treated with C66 every 2 days for 11 weeks. The HFD-fed mice developed renal dysfunction, as well as elevated triglyceride and cholesterol. Kidneys of the HFD-fed mice showed marked glomerular injuries, apoptosis, and inflammation with markedly increased cytokine production. Interestingly, treating HFD-fed mice with C66 remarkably reversed these pathological changes via inhibiting inflammation and NF-κB/JNK activation. In cultured mesangial cells, Palmitic Acid was able to activate the pro-fibrotic mechanisms, apoptosis, inflammatory response, and NF-κB and JNK signaling pathways, all of which could be attenuated by C66 treatment. In all, we demonstrated that curcumin analogue C66 attenuates obesity-induced renal injury by inhibiting chronic inflammation and apoptosis via targeting NF-κB and JNK. Our data suggest that C66 can be potentially used to prevent obesity-associated renal diseases warranting future investigations. [Display omitted] • Compound C66 improved histological abnormalities in HFD-fed mouse kidney. • C66 reduced PA-induced inflammation and apoptosis in mesangial cells. • C66 attenuated inflammatory kidney injuries via inhibiting JNK/NF-κB activation. • Inhibition of inflammation may be an effective strategy for the treatment of ORG. • JNK/NF-κB pathway is a promising therapeutic target for ORG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a chronic inflammatory renal disease induced by hyperglycemia. Recent studies have implicated cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) in inflammatory responses and renal fibrosis. In this study, we explored a potential role of CDK9 in DN by using cultured mouse mesangial cell line SV40 MES-13 and streptozotocin-induced type 1 mouse model of diabetes. We inhibited CDK9 in mice and in cultured cells by a highly selective CDK9 inhibitor, LDC000067 (LDC), and evaluated inflammatory and fibrogenic outcome by mRNA and protein analyses. Our studies show that treatment of diabetic mice with LDC significantly inhibits the levels of inflammatory cytokines and fibrogenic genes in kidney specimens. These reductions were associated with improved renal function. We also found that LDC treatment suppressed MAPK-AP1 activation. We then confirmed the involvement of CDK9 in cultured SV40 MES-13 cells and showed that deficiency in CDK9 prevents glucose-induced inflammatory and fibrogenic proteins. This protection was also afforded by suppression of MAPK-AP1. Taken together, our results how that hyperglycemia activates CDK9-MAPK-AP1 axis in kidneys to induce inflammation and fibrosis, leading to renal dysfunction. Our findings also suggest that CDK9 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for DN. [Display omitted] • Hyperglycemia causes phosphorylation of CDK9, leading to activation of MAPK-AP1 pathway. • CDK9 inhibitor suppresses diabetes-induced inflammation and improves renal function in vivo. • CDK9 may potentially be the therapeutic target for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hierarchically nanostructured carbon hybrids with highly exposed active sites and specific surface area have been widely researched in high-performed electrochemical capacitors. Inspired from the synergistic effect of uniformly distributed active components and stable carbon substrate, combining with green solvent extraction process, we explored a facile strategy to prepare vanadium nitride quantum dots/nitrogen-doped hierarchical carbon nanocomposites (VNQD/NDHCs) from vanadium aqueous solution, which can provide large pseudocapacitance and excellent electrochemical stability. Vanadate is selective recovered from aqueous solution in form of vanadium-organic compounds (VAORCs) as precursor. Primary amines favor not only the selective metal-polymer coordination, but also the formation of cross-linked carbon matrix. Then, during chemical molecules vapor deposition (CMVD), the vanadate is in-situ nitrided along with the formation of hierarchical carbon. The prepared VNQD/NDHCs-800 exhibits exceptional capacitance (318.3 F g−1 at 1 A g−1) and retains 89.7% of the initial capacities after 12000 cycles. SEM and TEM images confirm that a large amount of quantum dots are well embedded in a graphitic carbon matrix, which provides abundant electroactive sites and fast ion diffusion for capacitive storage. This work indicates that it is feasible to directly recovery valuable metals from aqueous solutions to prepare high-performance electrode materials. Image 1 • Vanadium-based carbon hybrids contain abundant vanadium nitride active sites • Vanadium in aqueous solution is almost completely recycled. • Scalable fabrication of the products based on green solvent extraction process. • The products exhibits exceptional capacitance and excellent cycling stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]