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• A fluorescent probe, leonurine-P, was facilely prepared from coupling FITC and the small-molecule phytodrug leonurine. • Leonurine-P can be used to visualize spatiotemporal dynamics processes such as drug uptake and distribution in C. elegans and living cells. • Leonurine-P can be further explored in standard fluorescence imaging or flow cytometric platforms to allow quantitative analyses. Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) has been recognized for being a useful model organism in small-molecule drug screens and drug efficacy investigation. However, there remain bottlenecks in evaluating such processes as drug uptake and distribution due to a lack of appropriate chemical tools. This study aims to prepare fluorescence-labeled leonurine as an example to monitor drug uptake and distribution of small molecule in C. elegans and living cells. FITC-conjugated leonurine (leonurine-P) was synthesized and characterized by LC/MS, NMR, UV absorption and fluorescence intensity. Leonurine-P was used to stain C. elegans and various mammalian cell lines. Different concentrations of leonurine were tested in conjunction with a competing parent molecule to determine whether leonurine-P and leonurine shared the same biological targets. Drug distribution was analyzed by imaging. Fluorometry in microplates and flow cytometry were performed for quantitative measurements of drug uptake. The UV absorption peak of leonurine-P was 490∼495 nm and emission peak was 520 nm. Leonurine-P specifically bound to endogenous protein targets in C. elegans and mammalian cells, which was competitively blocked by leonurine. The highest enrichment levels of leonurine-P were observed around 72 h following exposure in C. elegans. Leonurine-P can be used in a variety of cells to observe drug distribution dynamics. Flow cytometry of stained cells can be facilely carried out to quantitatively detect probe signals. The strategy of fluorescein-labeled drugs reported herein allows quantification of drug enrichment and visualization of drug distribution, thus illustrates a convenient approach to study phytodrugs in pharmacological contexts. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial sludge is characterized by high moisture content, complex composition, and significant organic toxicity. This research aimed to improve the performance of Chlorococcum humicola in removing hydroquinone-domesticated sludge toxicity through the addition of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). The maximum cell density and dry weight of C. humicola were attained when the IAA concentration was 5.0 × 10−6 mol/L, at 6.79 × 107 cells/mL and 2.60 g/L, respectively. The toxicity of the sludge degradation rate reached its peak level of 59.70% on the 20th day. The toxicity reduction was consistent with the decrease of RNA degradation-related proteins such as A5FN12, which can be hydrolyzed and absorbed by C. humicola via active transport. In the presence of IAA, C. humicola increased its energy production processes, such as glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation, to facilitate active transport. Moreover, the efficiency of signal transduction was improved, leading to enhanced cellular metabolism. The suppression of biosynthesis of glutathione and arginine at the molecular level may contribute to this observed trend. Overall, this study provides new insights into the mechanism by which IAA promotes the degradation of sludge toxicity by C. humicola , offering a novel method and theoretical basis for the safe and resource-based utilization of industrial sludge. [Display omitted] • IAA can promote the growth of C. humicola. • Sludge toxicity correlates with RNA degradation proteins. • C. humicola enhanced ATP production processes with the addition of IAA. • Signaling pathway enhanced and the biosynthesis of glutathione and arginine declined. Minimal research exists on biological detoxifying treatment of industrial residual sludge. This research reveals the mechanism on the removal of sludge toxicity by algae with exogenous IAA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• ZXT extend lifespan and stress resistance in C. elegans. • ZXT alleviates fat accumulation induced by high sugar by regulating fat synthesis and catabolism. • ZXT attenuated oxidative stress by preventing mitochondrial dysfunction via skn-1 and increasing the expression of sod-3 and daf-16. Obesity has become a global public health problem. Zexie decoction (ZXT) is a classic formula from Synopsis of the Golden Chamber. However, the long-term effect of ZXT in lipid accumulation remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the effect of ZXT on aging, lipid metabolism and oxidative stress. Different concentration of ZXT was administered to Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) cultured in NGM or the high glucose nematode growth media (GNGM). The lifespan, heat stress resistance, lipid accumulation and related mRNA expression of the worms were examined. Oil Red staining and triglyceride were used to evaluated the lipid accumulation. Nhr-49, fat-5/fat-7, fat-5/fat-6 or skn-1 knockout mutants were used to clarify the effect on lipid metabolism of ZXT. GFP-binding mutants were used to observe the changes in protein expression. ZXT improved the survival rate of C. elegans in lifespan test and heat stress test. ZXT also reduced lipid accumulation in C. elegans and significantly changed the expression of fatty acid synthesis related genes and lipid metabolism related genes. In addition, ZXT-treated C. elegans showed a higher expression of anti-oxidative protein, and reduced the expression of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction marker. However, when skn-1 was knockdown, ZXT no longer had the effect of maintaining the mitochondria membrane potential and lipid lowering but still effectively decreased the O 2 ·− induced by high glucose. ZXT reduced fat accumulation by regulating lipid metabolism via multiple targets and enhanced stress resistance by its antioxidant effect in C. elegans. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer patients commonly experience high levels of psychological stress, which poses significant risks to their well-being. Radiotherapy is a primary treatment modality for cancer; however, it often leads to intestinal injuries in these patients. Nevertheless, the impact of mental stress on radiotherapy-intertwined complications remains unclear. To induce intestinal injury, we employed total abdominal irradiation in our experimental model. We conducted high-throughput sequencing to analyze the expression profile of miRNAs in the hippocampus. We observed that mice with depression exhibited more severe intestinal injuries following total abdominal irradiation. Remarkably, oral administration of Marasmius androsaceus not only alleviated the depressive phenotype but also mitigated radiation-induced intestinal toxicity. Notably, this radioprotective effect was not observed in mice without depression. Depression disrupted the hippocampal miRNA expression profile in mice subjected to local irradiation of the abdomen, leading to the accumulation of miR-139–5p and miR-184–3p in the hippocampus, serum, and small intestine tissues. However, treatment with Marasmius androsaceus reprogrammed the miRNA expression signature in mice with depression. Furthermore, intravenous injection of antagomirs targeting miR-139–5p and miR-184–3p ameliorated depression, up-regulated Spn expression, reduced radiation enteritis, and improved the integrity of the small intestine in irradiated mice. Our findings demonstrate the efficacy of Marasmius androsaceus , a small mushroom, in alleviating depression-aggravated intestinal toxicity following radiotherapy by reprogramming hippocampal miRNA expression. [Display omitted] • Depression aggravates intestinal radiation injury in mouse models. • Marasmius androsaceus mitigates intestinal toxicity in depression-afflicted mice. • Marasmius androsaceus reprograms the hippocampal miRNA expression. • Marasmius androsaceus mitigates radiation injury in a miRNA-dependent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently study shows that melatonin can protect embryos from the culture environment oxidative stress. However, the protective effect of melatonin on the mouse development of preimplantation embryos under sodium fluoride (NaF) induced oxidative stress is still unclear. Here, we showed that exposure to NaF significantly increased the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, decreased the blastocyst formation rates, and increased the fragmentation, apoptosis and retardation of blastocysts in the development of mouse preimplantation embryos. However, the protective of melatonin remarkable increased the of blastocyst formation rates, maintained mitochondrial function and total antioxidant capacity by clearing ROS. Importantly the data showed that melatonin improved the activity of enzymatic antioxidants, including glutathione(GSH), superoxide dismutase(SOD), and malonaldehyde (MDA), and increased the expression levels of antioxidative genes. Taken together, our results indicate that melatonin prevent NaF-induced oxidative damage to mouse preimplantation embryo through down regulation of ROS level, stabilization of mitochondrial function and modulation of the activity of antioxidases and antioxidant genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

β-Glucosidase (β-Glu) is a ubiquitous enzyme which has multiple roles in medical diagnosis, food production, agriculture, etc. Existing β-Glu assays have limitations such as complex operation, long running time, and high background noise. Here we report a red-emissive probe TBPG for measuring the activity of β-Glu. The probe was synthesized through conjugating a β-Glu targeting glucoside to an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) fluorophore. In the presence of β-Glu, TBPG was hydrolyzed and exhibited a fluorescence turn-on process. The detection conditions including time, temperature, pH value, buffer, and probe concentration were optimized systematically. Afterwards, fluorescence titration was conducted showing an excellent linearity (R2 = 0.998), a wide linear dynamic range (0–5.0 U/mL), and a limit of detection as low as 0.6 U/L. The detection specificity and ion interference were evaluated by adding various biological species and ions to probe without or with β-Glu. Next, we demonstrate the applicability of probe TBPG in determining the β-Glu activity in living cells using confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. Finally, this newly established assay was applied to real soil samples. Comparable results were obtained as the commercial assay, manifesting its great potential in soil enzyme analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are easily influenced by increasing atmospheric CO 2 concentration and heavy metals including cadmium (Cd), which can regulate antioxidant enzyme in host plants. Although the effect of AMF under individual conditions such as elevated CO 2 (ECO 2) and Cd on antioxidant enzyme in host plants has been reported widely, the effect of AMF under ECO 2 + Cd receives little attention. In this study, a pot experiment was conducted to study the effect of AMF community in roots on superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD) activities in leaves of 135-d Robinia pseudoacacia L. seedlings under ECO 2 + Cd. The activities of SOD and CAT increased and POD activity and the richness and diversity of AMF community decreased under ECO 2 + Cd relative to Cd alone. The richness and diversity of AMF were negatively related to Cd content in roots and leaves. The richness and OTUs of AMF community positively and AMF gene abundance negatively affected POD activity under the combined treatments. Superoxide dismutase and POD activities were negatively and positively related to Archaeospora and Scutellospora , respectively, under ECO 2 + Cd. Cadmium in roots and leaves was negatively and significantly related to Glomus , Scutellospora , and Claroideoglomus abundance under ECO 2 + Cd. Overall, AMF diversity and Archaeospora and Scutellospora in roots significantly influenced SOD, POD, and CAT activities. The response of AM symbiosis to ECO 2 might regulate antioxidant capacity in host plants upon Cd exposure. Glomus , Scutellospora , and Claroideoglomus might be applied to phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soils. [Display omitted] • Decrease in AMF richness stimulated POD activity under elevated CO 2 + Cd. • AMF community in roots significantly affected SOD, CAT, and POD activities. • POD activity was positively related (p < 0.05) to Archaeospora and Scutellospora. • SOD activity was negatively related (p < 0.05) to Archaeospora and Scutellospora. • Glomus , Scutellospora , and Claroideoglomus might be applied to phytoremediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Biogas recirculation may create multifunctional granule AD system of sewage sludge. • Biogas recirculation accelerates CH 4 recovery rate from sludge by 31–44%. • Simultaneous sludge stabilization and aggregation can be realized in this system. • This system can improve net energy profit by 78–85% for sewage sludge treatment. This study investigated the possibility of biogas recirculation-driven anaerobic granular sludge system for sewage sludge treatment, aiming to develop an energy sufficient and multifunctional anaerobic digestion (AD) system for sewage sludge with biogas upgrading, sludge stabilization and self-aggregation. Results show that biogas recirculation could enhance the CH 4 production rate by 31–44% and shorten the lag-phase duration to 0.08–0.2 day with simultaneous increment of CH 4 content (> 83% in this study). The reason is mainly associated with the stronger interspecies electron transfer under the biogas recirculation condition. In addition, 37–40% better dewaterability of the digested sludge was achieved, implying the occurrence of self-aggregation of microbial cells induced by biogas recirculation. Energy balance analysis reflects that this sewage sludge treatment system could enhance the net energy recovery by 78–85%. Moreover, almost no obvious influence was noticed on the seed granules' composition and properties. These findings suggest that the biogas recirculation-driven anaerobic granular sludge system could be a promising alternative for sewage sludge treatment, which can improve biogas quality and sludge dewaterability simultaneously towards sludge self-aggregation with no addition of other chemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most previous studies have focused on the effects of salt on anaerobic digestion (AD) for hydrogen or methane production. However, the effects of salt on two-stage AD and the related approaches to mitigate the adverse effects of high salinity on hydrogen and/or methane production were seldom addressed. In this study, addition of Air-nanobubble water (Air-NBW) was adopted to mitigate the inhibition of high salinity on co-production of hydrogen and methane from two-stage AD of food waste (FW). In the Air-NBW added reactors with 0–30 g NaCl/L, hydrogen yield was increased by 21–65% with the subsequent methane yield elevated by 14–43% when compared to the corresponding deionized water (DW) group. This study for the first time confirmed that when two-stage AD of FW was exposed to the same salinity level, addition of Air-NBW could enhance enzymatic activities at the individual stage. Results of electron transport system (ETS) activity further demonstrate that addition of Air-NBW may promote the electron transfer associated with the synthesis of hydrogen and methane. Therefore, an efficient approach for hydrogen and methane recovery from the two-stage AD of FW under high salinity was proposed through improving microbial electron transfer and corresponding enzymatic activities at each stage via Air-NBW addition. [Display omitted] • Air-nanobubble water (NBW) reduced salt inhibition on H 2 and CH 4 production. • Air-NBW addition shortened lag phase of the first stage AD at 0–30 g NaCl/L. • Enzyme activities were enhanced by Air-NBW even at high salinity of 20–30 g NaCl/L. • Air-NBW may promote the electron transfer linking the synthesis of H 2 and CH 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activated sludge method is widely used for the treatment of phenol-containing wastewater, which gives rise to the problem of toxic residual sludge accumulation. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), a typical phytohormone, facilitates the microalgal resistance to toxic inhibition while promoting biomass accumulation. In this study, Chlorococcum humicola (C. humicola) was cultured in toxic sludge extract and different concentrations of IAA were used to regulate its physiological properties and enrichment of high value-added products. Ultimately, proteomics analysis was used to reveal the response mechanism of C. humicola to exogenous IAA. The results showed that the IAA concentration of 5 × 10−6 mol/L (M) was most beneficial for C. humicola to cope with the toxic stress in the sludge extract medium, to promote the activity of rubisco enzyme, to enhance the efficiency of photosynthesis, and, finally, to accumulate protein as a percentage of specific dry weight 1.57 times more than that of the control group. Exogenous IAA altered the relative abundance of various amino acids in C. humicola cells, and proteomic analyses showed that exogenous IAA stimulated the algal cells to produce more indole-3-glycerol phosphate (IGP), indole, and serine by up-regulating the enzymes. These precursors are converted to tryptophan under the regulation of tryptophan synthase (A0A383V983), and tryptophan can be metabolized to endogenous IAA to promote the growth of C. humicola. These findings have important implications for the treatment of toxic residual sludge while enriching for high-value amino acids. [Display omitted] • Appropriate IAA addition allowed C. humicola to thrive in the sludge extract medium. • Appropriate concentrations of IAA promote protein accumulation in algal cell. • Exogenous IAA can change the proportion of various amino acids in algal cell. • Up-regulation of A0A383V983 promoted tryptophan enrichment. • Exogenous IAA stimulated endogenous IAA synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbe inhibition produces intermediate metabolites and toxic substances that accumulate significantly in residual sludge toxicity after continuous treatment of coal gasification wastewater with activated sludge. To address this issue, Chlorococcum humicola was cultured with sludge extract. Proteomics analysis was used to investigate the mechanism of stress response in microalgae to sludge toxicity. Upon completion of growth, microalgae treated with sludge extract produced 0.725 ± 0.036 g/L of biomass. The total organic carbon concentration and toxicity removal rates on microalgae were 75.1 ± 3.8% and 47.4 ± 2.1%, respectively. The proteomics analysis revealed that under stress conditions, microalgae altered cellular components such as the nucleus and plasma membranes, affecting the photosynthetic and respiratory processes. The logarithmic phase was characterized by a down-regulation of oxidative phosphorylation and an increase in energy synthesis regulated by the isopropyl phosphate isomerase. The results demonstrate a proteomic basis for the reduction and utilization of waste sludge, as well as provide a molecular mechanism reference for optimizing the model of cultivating microalgae using sludge. [Display omitted] • Sludge extract from hydroquinone treatment was utilized to cultivate microalgae. • The optimal cultivation ratio would increase biomass production and TOC disposal. • Oxidative phosphorylation was controlled downwards in the logarithmic phase. • Energy synthesis and biosynthesis have been adjusted under toxic stress. Synopsis Sludge extract was used to reduce sludge toxicity and increase biomass accumulation in Chlorococcum humicola. Stress altered the nucleus and plasma membranes of microalgae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]