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Maresin1 is a potent lipid mediator exhibiting potential anti-inflammatory activity in a variety of inflammatory diseases, however, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Excessive activation of NLRP3 inflammasome has been established in multiple inflammatory diseases. Here, we show that Maresin1 dose-dependently inhibited the NLRP3 inflammasome activation and subsequent caspase-1 activation and IL-1β secretion. This inhibitory effect could be reversed by KH7 and H89, the inhibitors of the cAMP-PKA signaling pathway. Activation of PKA kinase induced by Maresin1 led to the K63-linked ubiquitination of NLRP3 in macrophages. Maresin1 attenuated serum IL-1β secretion through inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome in vivo using Nlrp3-deficient mouse models of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced sepsis. Maresin1 also repressed MSU-induced peritonitis. This study suggests that Maresin1 is an inhibitor of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and can be used clinically in the treatment of NLRP3 inflammasome-driven inflammatory diseases.

Rechargeable batteries have attracted increasing attention as power technologies for emerging electric vehicles and grid energy storage, which are expected to mitigate the environmental pollution caused by the use of fossil fuels. Although graphite/lithium transition-metal-oxides (LiCoO 2 , LiNiO 2 , and LiMn 2 O 4 , etc.) and lithium-ion batteries have been the dominant power sources for portable electronics and are used in hybrid electric vehicles, the limited ore resources of these materials make durative rising price. Most crucially, the limitations of potential energy density of these metal-oxide cathode materials are a main restriction in terms of large-scale applications of batteries, particularly in electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles. [ 1,2 ] Therefore, it has become urgent to search for alternative energy-storage systems that could complement the existing lithium-ion batteries and that simultaneously have high energy density and long cycle life, in addition to safety and low cost. Alternatively, sodium-sulfur (Na-S) batteries offer low cost, high capacity and high safety, showing great promissing for grid-scale applications. [ 2 ] Both Na and S are abundant and nontoxic elementals on the earth, providing larger availability and lower material cost over the conventional lithium-ion batteries.

An experimental investigation was conducted into elucidating the mechanism of foam devolatilization. For the investigation, we have constructed two separate apparatuses of Plexiglas—one simulating the partially filled flow channel in a single-screw devolatilizer, and the other simulating the partially filled, closed-chamber (often referred to as the “C-chamber),” in a twin-screw devolatilizer. The test fluids employed were aqueous solutions of polyacrylamide having various concentrations. During the preparation of the test fluids, we controlled the amount of air entrapped in the liquid phase by varying the level of vacuum applied. The entrapped air stayed as fine gas bubbles dispersed in the polymer solution, and mixtures of the polymer solution and air bubbles were subjected to devolatilization experiments. In the use of a single-screw devolatilizer, we have observed that: 1. The streamlines show circulatory flow patterns forming a singular point at a position slightly below the free surface, where small gas bubbles are trapped initially and become stationary, and 2. The small gas bubbles trapped at the stationary position coalesce later to form large gas bubbles, which then move slowly toward the free surface and are removed under vacuum from the system. In the use of twin-screw devolatilizers, we have found that the degree of fill, the rotational direction of the screws, and the degree of intermeshing, (i. e., partially or fully intermeshing) greatly influence the amount of free surface available for the removal of volatiles, as well as the flow patterns in the liquid pool, and thus the devolatilization efficiency.