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Abstract Bi3TiNbO9, a layered ferroelectric photocatalyst, exhibits great potential for overall water splitting through efficient intralayer separation of photogenerated carriers motivated by a depolarization field along the in-plane a-axis. However, the poor interlayer transport of carriers along the out-of-plane c-axis, caused by the significant potential barrier between layers, leads to a high probability of carrier recombination and consequently results in low photocatalytic activity. Here, we have developed an efficient photocatalyst consisting of Bi3TiNbO9 nanosheets with a gradient tungsten (W) doping along the c-axis. This results in the generation of an additional electric field along the c-axis and simultaneously enhances the magnitude of depolarization field within the layers along the a-axis due to strengthened structural distortion. The combination of the built-in field along the c-axis and polarization along the a-axis can effectively facilitate the anisotropic migration of photogenerated electrons and holes to the basal {001} surface and lateral {110} surface of the nanosheets, respectively, enabling desirable spatial separation of carriers. Hence, the W-doped Bi3TiNbO9 ferroelectric photocatalyst with Rh/Cr2O3 cocatalyst achieves an efficient and durable overall water splitting feature, thereby providing an effective pathway for designing excellent layered ferroelectric photocatalysts.

At present, there are few reports on the properties of Al2O3·TiO2 coating and its application in solid parts. NiAl self-adhesive bottom layer and Al2O3·TiO2 ceramic surface layer were prepared on GH4169 test piece by using plasma spraying equipment. Then, the microstructure, microhardness, bonding strength and bending properties were tested. Based on the test results, the spray verification was carried out with a certain type of aeroengine solid parts. Results showed that the comprehensive performance of the Al2O3·TiO2 ceramic coating was good, When Al2O3·TiO2 ceramic coating was used in labyrinth sealing parts, it could effectively protect the labyrinth, preventing labyrinth from wear, and could improve the service performance of the parts and prolong its service life.

Qishen Gubiao granules, a traditional Chinese medicine preparation composed of nine herbs, have been widely used to prevent and treat coronavirus disease 2019 with good clinical efficacy. In the present study, an integrated strategy based on chemical profiling followed by network pharmacology and molecular docking was employed, to explore the active components and potential molecular mechanisms of Qishen Gubiao granules in the therapy of coronavirus disease 2019. Using the ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry technique, a total of 186 ingredients corresponding to eight structure types in Qishen Gubiao preparation were identified or structurally annotated with the elucidation of the fragmentation pathways in the typical compounds. The network pharmacology analysis screened 28 key compounds including quercetin, apigenin, scutellarein, luteolin and naringenin acting on 31 key targets, which possibly modulated signal pathways associated with immune and inflammatory responses in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019. The molecular docking results observed that the top 5 core compounds had a high affinity for angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 and 3‐chymotrypsin‐like protease. This study proposed a reliable and feasible approach for elucidating the multi‐components, multi‐targets, and multi‐pathways intervention mechanism of Qishen Gubiao granules against coronavirus disease 2019, providing a scientific basis for its further quality evaluation and clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical constituents of Schizonepetae Spica were qualitatively analyzed by UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS. An Agilent poroshell 120 SB-C_(18) column(3.0 mm×100 mm, 2.7 μm) was used for gradient elution with 0.1% formic acid water(A)-acetonitrile(B) solution as mobile phase at the flow rate of 0.4 mL·min~(-1) and column temperature of 45 ℃. The data were collected by scanning in positive and negative ion modes, and the compounds were identified by comparison of reference materials and PeakView software. Ninety-seven compounds were identified from Schizonepetae Spica, including 28 flavonoids, 23 phenolic acids, 23 fatty acids, 15 terpenoids, and 8 other compounds. The UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS method established in this study can identify the chemical components of Schizonepetae Spica rapidly, accurately, and comprehensively, and provide a basis for the basic study of pharmacodynamic substances of Schizonepetae Spica.

Background: Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medik ("Huangkui" in Chinese, HK) has been widely used for the treatment of kidney diseases. Nephrotoxicity is the side effect of cisplatin (CDDP), which greatly limits its clinical application. Therefore, CDDP could be used to establish the chronic kidney disease (CKD) model. However, the protective effects of HK on CDDP-induced CKD have not been investigated. Purpose: To explore the protective effect and underlying mechanisms of HK on multiple low-dose CDDP-induced CKD in rats by the integrated analysis of serum, kidney, and urine metabolomics and network pharmacology. Methods: The CKD model was induced by multiple low-dose CDDP. Body weight, organ index, serum biochemical, and kidney histology were examined to evaluate the effect of HK. Serum, kidney, and urine were collected and profiled by HILIC/RPLC-Q-TOF/MS-based metabolomics. Potential biomarkers (PBs) were screened according to the criteria of VIP >1, p < 0.01, and FC > 2, and then identified or assigned. The pathway analysis and PBs enrichment were conducted by MetaboAnalyst and ChemRICH. Furthermore, network pharmacology was adopted to dig out the active components and targets. Finally, the results from metabolomics and network pharmacology were integrated to confirm each other. Results: HK could recover the CDDP-induced abnormal pharmacological and metabolic profile changes. A total of 187 PBs were screened and identified from the serum, kidney, and urine metabolomics. Pathway analysis showed that multiple metabolic pathways, mainly related to amino acid and lipid metabolisms, were involved in the nephroprotective effect of HK, and especially, HK could significantly alleviate the disorder of tryptophan metabolism pathway in serum, kidney, and urine. Meanwhile, network pharmacology analysis revealed that 5 components in HK and 4 key genes could be responsible for the nephroprotection of HK, which also indicated that the metabolism of tryptophan played an important role in HK against CKD. Conclusion: HK has a nephroprotection on CDDP-induced CKD, mainly by restoring the dysregulation of tryptophan metabolism. Integrated analysis of serum, kidney, and urine metabolomics and network pharmacology was a powerful method for exploring pharmacological mechanisms and screening active components and targets of traditional Chinese medicine., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The reviewer WY declared a shared parent affiliation with the authors to the handling editor at the time of review., (Copyright © 2022 Liao, Li, Teng, Jian-Chen, Yu, Ju and Zou.)