Search

Transition metal chalcogenide quantum dots (TMC QDs) represent promising light-harvesting antennas because of their fascinating physicochemical properties including quantum confinement effect and suitable energy band structures. However, TMC QDs generally suffer from poor photoactivities and photostability due to deficiency of active sites and ultrafast recombination rate of photoinduced charge carriers. Here, we demonstrate how to rationally arouse the charge transfer kinetic of TMC QDs by close monolayered graphene (GR) encapsulation via a ligand-dominated layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly utilizing oppositely charged TMC QDs and GR nanosheets as the building blocks. The assembly units were spontaneously and intimately integrated in an alternate integration mode, thereby resulting in the multilayered three-dimensional (3D) TMC QDs/GR ensembles. It was unveiled that multifarious photoactivities of TMC QDs/GR nanocomposites toward versatile photoredox organic catalysis including photocatalytic aromatic alcohols oxidation to aldehydes and nitroaromatics reduction to amino derivatives under visible light irradiation are conspicuously boosted because of spatially multilayered monolayered GR encapsulation which are superior to those of TMC QDs counterparts. The substantially enhanced photoactivities of TMC QDs/GR nanocomposites arise from reasons including improved light absorption and enhanced charge separation efficacy because of GR encapsulation together with unique stacking mode between TMC QDs and GR endowed by LbL assembly. Our work would provide a promising and efficacious route to smartly accelerate the charge transfer kinetic of TMC QDs for solar energy conversion.

Directional and high-efficiency charge transport to the target active sites of photocatalyst is central to boost the solar energy conversion but is retarded by the sluggish charge transfer kinetics and deficiency of active sites. Here, we report the elaborate design of cascade unidirectional charge transfer channel over spatially multilayered CdS@CdTe@MoS2 dual core-shell ternary heterostructures by partial transformation of CdS to CdTe interim layer followed by seamless encapsulation with an ultrathin MoS2 layer. The suitable energy-level alignment and unique coaxial multilayered assembly mode among the building blocks accelerate the interfacial charge separation and transport, endowing the CdS@CdTe@MoS2 heterostructures with conspicuously enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic hydrogen generation performances along with good photostability. The integrated roles of ultrathin CdTe intermediate layer in passivating the defect sites of CdS NWs framework, mediating the unidirectional charge transfer cascade and prolonging the charge lifetime, were ascertained. Besides, the crucial role of the outermost MoS2 layer as the metal-free cocatalyst in enriching the surface active sites for hydrogen evolution was also determined. Our work would provide new alternatives for finely tuning the charge flow toward promising solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency.

Finely tuning the charge transfer constitutes a central challenge in photocatalysis, yet exquisite control of the directional charge transfer to the target reactive sites is hindered by the rapid charge recombination. Herein, dual separated charge transport channels were fabricated in a one-dimensional transition-metal chalcogenide (TMC)-based system via an elaborate layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly approach, for which oppositely charged metal-ion-coordinated branched polyethylenimine (BPEI) and MoS2 quantum dots (QDs) were alternately integrated to fabricate the multilayered TMC@(BPEI/MoS2 QDs)n heterostructures with controllable interfaces. Photocatalytic hydrogen generation performances of such ternary heterostructures under visible light irradiation were evaluated, which unravels that the BPEI layer not only behaves as "molecule glue" to enable the electrostatic LbL assembly with MoS2 QDs in an alternate stacking fashion on the TMC frameworks but also acts as a unidirectional hole-transfer channel. More significantly, transition-metal ions (Fe2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, and Zn2+) coordinated on the outmost BPEI layer are able to function as interfacial electron transfer mediators for accelerating the interfacial cascade electron transport efficiency. These simultaneously constructed dual high-speed electron and hole-transfer channels are beneficial for boosting the charge separation and enhancing the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performances.

Modulating photo-induced charge separation/transfer constitutes a central challenge in heterogeneous photocatalysis. Despite advancements in this area, finely tuning directional electron migration without involving conventional co-catalysts [e.g., metal nanocrystals and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs)] for boosted photoredox catalysis has not yet been explored. Herein, we report the exquisite design of a novel and general macromolecule-modulated photoredox selective organic transformation system, wherein an ultrathin macromolecular poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) layer was integrated at the interface of wide-band-gap (WBG) and narrow-band-gap (NBG) semiconductors to construct heterostructured photocatalysts. The ultra-thin PDDA interim layer expedites interfacial unidirectional electron transfer from the NBG to WBG semiconductor, resulting in a cascade electron transfer channel. The favorable energy level alignment among the building blocks, intimate interfacial integration and multilayered nanoarchitecture endow the WBG@PDDA@NBG heterostructures with substantially enhanced and versatile photoredox performance toward the selective oxidation of aromatic alcohols to aldehydes and the anaerobic reduction of nitroaromatics to amino compounds under visible light irradiation. This can be ascribed to the crucial role of the ultrathin intermediate PDDA layer as a highly efficient metal and TMD-free charge transfer mediator, relaying the electrons from the NBG to WBG semiconductor and slowing charge recombination. Our work could open up new frontiers to exploit diverse metal and TMD-free photocatalytic systems and provide a first insight into the fine tuning of charge transport utilizing non-conductive ionic polymers for solar energy conversion.

Recent years have witnessed a tremendous upsurge in constructing multifunctional heterostructured photocatalysts by capitalizing on the semiconductor building blocks of varying dimensionalities in terms of their synergistic superior charge separation/transfer efficiency. Nevertheless, tunable modulation of charge transfer via structure engineering still constitutes a challenge. Herein, zero-dimensional single-layered graphitic-carbon nitride (C3N4) quantum dots (g-C3N4 QDs) and two-dimensional (2D) nanoporous CdS nanosheets (NSs) were utilized as assembly units for strategically constructing well-defined g-C3N4 QDs/CdS NS heterostructures via a facile and green electrostatic self-assembly approach, by which g-C3N4 QDs were uniformly and intimately tethered on the CdS NSs framework. Intriguingly, such g-C3N4 QDs/CdS NS heterostructures demonstrate an unconventional charge transfer pathway owing to the unique energy level structure of g-C3N4 QDs and CdS NSs dictated by structure engineering. It was significant to unveil that the g-C3N4 QDs/CdS NS heterostructure exhibits versatile and remarkably boosted photoredox performances toward anaerobic reduction of aromatic nitro compounds and mineralization of organic pollutants along with prominent photo-corrosion resistance under visible light irradiation in comparison with single and various bulk counterparts. The underlying reasons accounting for the considerably improved photoredox performances of g-C3N4 QDs/CdS NS heterostructures were uncovered including boosted charge separation/transfer afforded by peculiar structural merits of C3N4 QDs and 2D CdS NSs, intimate interfacial contact and a unique spatial interfacial integration mode. Furthermore, predominant active species in the photoredox reactions were systematically explored and unambiguously determined, based on which, a photocatalytic mechanism was presented. It is hoped that our work could spur further interest in rationally designing diverse heterostructured photocatalysts and simultaneously provide new insights into the spatial charge transfer in multifarious photoredox catalysis for substantial solar energy conversion.

Recent years have witnessed an explosive investigation on the construction of graphene (GR)–semiconductor composite photocatalysts, but the specific correlation of the interface integration mode between GR and a semiconductor with the interfacial charge transfer characteristics is yet to be clearly clarified. To this end, a facile, green and surface linker-triggered self-assembly has been designed to construct GR-encapsulated antimony sulfide nanorod (Sb2S3 NRs–GR) ensembles, wherein tartaric acid-capped intrinsically negatively charged Sb2S3 NRs and surface-modified positively charged GR nanosheets were utilized as the building blocks. It was unveiled that the exquisitely designed interface configuration afforded by the intimate encapsulation of Sb2S3 NRs with GR via an electrostatic/hydrogen interaction is beneficial for fully harnessing the structural merits of GR in boosting light absorption, increasing the specific surface area and accelerating the interfacial electron transfer kinetics. Thus, the lifetimes of the photogenerated charge carriers were synergistically prolonged over Sb2S3, resulting in the considerably enhanced visible-light-responsive photoredox performances of the Sb2S3–GR nanocomposites toward the photoreduction of heavy metal ions and mineralization of organic pollutants compared with the blank Sb2S3 and nanocomposite counterpart without a finely tuned interface. More importantly, the crucial role of interface configuration between GR and the Sb2S3 NRs in dictating the interfacial charge transfer efficiency was substantiated. In addition, the predominant active species in the photoredox catalysis were determined and the corresponding photocatalytic mechanism was elucidated. Our work sheds light on mediating the interfacial charge transfer via rational interface configuration modulation toward substantial solar energy conversion.

Interfacial charge separation and transfer enduringly constitutes a core issue, which dictates the efficiency of a photocatalytic reaction. However, the exquisite modulation of directional charge transfer to ideal reaction sites remains challenging in terms of the fast recombination rates of photoinduced charge carriers and the difficulty in constructing spatially separated high-speed charge transfer channels. Herein, we demonstrate the general construction of metal/metal chalcogenide heterostructures by a facile, green, universal, scalable and simple yet efficient electrostatic self-assembly strategy, wherein tailor-made positively charged 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP)-capped metal nanocrystals (NCs, Au, Pd) were spontaneously and intimately tethered on negatively charged one-dimensional (1D) transition metal chalcogenides (TMC: CdS, CdIn2S4, ZnIn2S4, and Zn0.5Cd0.5S) initiated by a surface linker (DMAP) to fabricate well-defined heterostructured photocatalysts. Moreover, the interface configurations between the metal NCs and TMC matrices were finely designed by ligand engineering to afford controllable charge transfer pathways. Intriguingly, this tunable charge flow endows the metal NC/TMC heterostructures with markedly enhanced and versatile photoredox performance toward the anaerobic-selective photoreduction of aromatic nitro compounds, photocatalytic hydrogen generation, and photocatalytic selective oxidation of aromatic alcohols under visible light irradiation, in which metal NCs play imperative roles in efficiently capturing Schottky-junction-driven electrons from the TMC substrates without the interference of the hierarchically branched ligand capped on the metal NCs. Our studysheds light on the rational modulation of interfacial charge flow in photoredox catalysis for substantial solar energy conversion.

Recent years have witnessed a rise in the construction of transition metal chalcogenide (TMS)-based heterostructured photocatalysts in terms of their excellent light absorption and suitable energy level alignment. Nevertheless, controllable modulation of photoinduced charge separation/transfer toward target active sites for photoredox catalysis still constitutes an enduringly challenging issue. Herein, tailor-made negatively charged mercaptoacetic acid (MAA)-capped CdX@MAA (X = Se, Te, S) quantum dot (QD) and positively charged ultra-thin branched poly-ethyleneimine (BPEI) layer building blocks were alternately assembled on the hierarchically ordered TiO2 nanotube array (NP-TNTA) framework for general electrostatic layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of spatially multilayered NP-TNTAs/(BPEI/CdX QDs)n (X = Se, Te, S) photoanodes. The ultra-thin BPEI polymer layer integrated in-between the interface of CdX QDs functions as a cascade hole transfer channel for efficiently extracting the holes photoexcited over neighboring CdX QD layers, and simultaneously, alternately deposited CdX QD layers serve as an efficacious photosensitizer for constructing directional electron flow channels. The unique integration mode and intimate interfacial interaction endowed by LbL assembly render the well-defined NP-TNTAs/(BPEI/CdX QDs)n multilayered heterostructures a high-efficiency photoanode toward photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting under both simulated solar and visible light irradiation, greatly outperforming the single and binary counterparts on account of in situ generation of two spatially separated charge transfer channels, ultimately synergistically boosting the separation efficiency and prolonging the lifetime of charge carriers. Our work would open up new frontiers for strategically mediating the interfacial charge transfer and advancing rational construction of heterostructured photocatalysts for solar energy conversion.

Modulation of photoinduced charge separation/migration and construction of controllable charge transfer pathway over photoelectrodes have been attracting enduring interest in semiconductor-based photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells but suffer from sluggish charge transport kinetics. Here, we report a general approach to fabricate NP-TNTAs/(TMCs QDs/PSS)n (X = Te, Se, S) photoanodes via a facile and green electrostatic layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly strategy, for which transition-metal chalcogenides quantum dots (TMCs QDs) [CdX (X = Se, Te, S)] and poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) were periodically deposited on the nanoporous TiO2 nanotube arrays (NP-TNTAs) via substantial electrostatic force, resulting in the continuous charge transfer pathway. NP-TNTAs/(TMCs QDs/PSS)n photoanodes demonstrate significantly enhanced solar-driven photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation activities, relative to NP-TNTAs and TMCs QDs under visible and simulated sunlight irradiation, predominantly because of the suitable energy level configuration between NP-TNTAs and TMCs QDs, unique integration mode, and high-speed interfacial charge separation rate endowed by LbL assembly. The ultrathin PSS intermediate layer functions as "molecule glue" for pinpoint and uniform self-assembly of TMCs QDs on the framework of NP-TNTAs and photosensitization effect of TMCs QDs triggers the unidirectional charge transfer cascade, synergistically boosting the charge separation/transfer efficiency. Our work offers an efficacious approach to craft multilayered photoelectrodes and spur further interest in finely tuning the spatial charge flow in PEC cell for solar-to-hydrogen conversion.

The capability of noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) as efficient charge transfer mediators to stimulate Schottky-junction-triggered charge flow in multifarious photocatalysis has garnered enormous attention in the past decade. Nevertheless, fine-tuning and controllable fabrication of a directional charge transport channel in metal/semiconductor heterostructures via suitable interface engineering is poorly investigated. Here, we report the progressive fabrication of a tailor-made directional charge transfer channel in Pt nanoparticles (NPs)-inlaid WO

A series of tests were carried out to investigate the effects of process parameters on mechanical properties and microstructures of 2124 aluminum alloy in creep aging process. The results show that creep strain and creep rate increase with the increase of aging time, temperature and applied stress. The hardness of specimen varies with aging time and stress in a low-to-peak-to-low manner. No significant effect of temperature on hardness of material is seen in the range of 185–195 °C. The optimum mechanical properties are obtained at the conditions of (200 MPa, 185 °C, 8 h) as the result of the coexistence of strengthening S′ and S′ phases in the matrix by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM observation shows that applied stress promotes the formation and growth of precipitates and no obvious stress orientation effect is observed in the matrix.

Creep Age Forming (CAF) is an effective forming technique combined forming and heat treatment, based on creep and age hardening characteristics of some aluminum alloys. It has been widely used to manufacture large integral panels with airfoil sections and complex curvatures of high strength aluminum alloy. The aim of this paper is to study the influence of element types on springback prediction of creep age forming of aluminum alloy integral panel. Firstly, the finite element models are built by 3D-solid elements and Shell elements separately. And then a set of creep aging constitutive equations of 7055 aluminum alloy are implemented into the commercial FE solver MSC.MARC through user defined subroutine. Finally, springback values predicted by 3D-solid elements model and Shell elements model respectively are compared under different height to width ratios. Some important conclusions were drawn. For the reinforcing panel with the height to width ratio is more than 5:1, shell elements should be used to get more accurate springback prediction result. If the height to width ratio is less than 5:1, solids elements should be used. Above conclusions provide theoretical basis for the study of CAF of the aluminum alloy integral panel by finite element simulation method.

Samples consisting of new aluminum lithium alloy (Al–Li alloy) plate developed by the Aluminum Company of America and Ti–6Al–4V alloy (Ti alloy) plate were investigated. Plate of 400 mm × 140 mm × 2 mm with single edge notch was anodized in phosphoric solution and Ti alloy plate of 200 mm × 20 (40) mm × 2 mm was anodized in alkali solution. Patterns of two alloys were studied at original/anodized condition. And then, aluminum alloy and Ti alloy plates were assembled into a sample with FM 94 film adhesive. Fatigue crack behaviors of the sample were investigated under condition of nominal stress σ = 36 MPa and 54 MPa, stress ratio of 0.1. Testing results show that anodization treatment modifies alloys surface topography. Ti alloy bonding to Al–Li alloy plate effectively retards crack growth than that of Al–Li alloy plate. Fatigue life of sample bonded with Ti alloy strap improves about 62.5% than that of non-strap plate.

A new type of aluminum lithium alloy Al-Li-S-4 was investigated in this paper. Process of phosphoric acid anodization and method of making bonding joint sample was introduced. Micrographs of plate surface were study by scanning electron microscopy. The pattern of aluminum alloy was modified after anodization. Plates were bonded with FM94 film adhesive and cured at 121°Cin the special clamping fixture. Morphology of bonding sample cross-section interface was investigated after bonding and curing process.

In order to study the similarities and dissimilarities between creep and stress relaxation behavior of age formed aluminum alloys, both creep ageing and stress relaxation ageing experiments have been conducted with plate shaped 7055 aluminum alloy specimens on the 100 KN tensile testing machine performed at 120 °C for 20 h, under different stress levels from 190.0 to 357.8 MPa. The experimental results show that similar variation trends for creep and stress relaxation behavior were observed. Both creep and stress relaxation curves can be divided into two stages. During the first stage, higher creep rate and stress relaxation rate occur, which increase with stress levels but decrease with ageing time. While during the second stage, both the creep rate and the stress relaxation rate reach its lowest value and keep constant. A set of unified creep ageing constitutive equations has been developed and calibrated from creep experimental data, which can be used to predict the creep strain under age forming conditions perfectly. But the experimental results from stress relaxation ageing tests cannot be predicted with the established creep ageing constitutive equations, which shows that there is not a one-to-one correspondence between creep and stress relaxation, creep deformation is the most important but not the only reason for stress relaxation under age forming condition.

The effects of process parameters on evolution of microstructures of 7055 aluminum alloy in creep age forming were studied and the microstrucures were analyzed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Some important results are obtained: with the increasing of ageing time, the size of platelet shaped (known as Guinier-Preston (G-P) zones) precipitates and spherical shaped η' precipitates increased, the number of platelet shaped precipitates increased too, while the number of η' precipitates decreased; the precipitates with almost the same size distributed continuously and uniformly along the grain boundary with quite narrow precipitate free zones (PFZs) at 5 hours of ageing time, when the ageing time increases to 8 hours, the distribution of the precipitates along the grain boundary becomes discontinuous and the PFZs gets wider, while with the further increasing of the ageing time, the precipitates distributed continuously again along the grain boundary and the PFZs become more wider. From comparison of stress-aged alloy to stress-free-aged alloy, it was found that after 20 hours ageing, the precipitates in the stress-aged alloy are slightly coarser and the PFZs are wider, the density of retained η' is lower with the development of η phase.

To gain insight into the histopathological responses and molecular targets in the inhibition of growth of human gastric cancer treated with celecoxib (a cyclooxygenase [COX]-2 inhibitor) combined with octreotide.Seventy five patients with gastric cancer undergoing curative gastrectomy or extended resection were randomly divided into 3 groups. The apoptosis of tumor cells was measured by terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated dUTP nick endlabeling (TUNEL) assay. Gastric cancer microvessel density (MVD) and the expression of COX-2 were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. The expression of somatostatin receptor (SSTR)-2 was detected with the biomolecular interaction analysis system. The transcription of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-activated gene (NAG)-1 was measured by RT-PCR.Compared with the control and celecoxib groups, more necrosis in the combination group was observed. The apoptotic rate in the combination group (7.06%+/-0.67%) was significantly higher than that in the control group (6.23%+/-1.29%, P0.05). The MVD decreased considerably in the combination group. The upregulation of NAG-1 was displayed both in the celecoxib and combination groups. The positive rate of SSTR-2 in gastric cancers treated with celecoxib (48%) was significantly higher than that of control group (12%) after surgery (P0.05).Celecoxib combined with octreotide significantly promoted necrosis in gastric adenocarcinoma through the induction of apoptosis and the reduction of MVD. NAG-1 and SSTR-2 might be the molecular targets for celecoxib or octreotide.

Three-dimensional FEM simulations of fluid-thermal analysis of the fluid fields including the front-box and the 3C-style nozzle of aluminum roll-casting was performed by using FLOTRAN module of ANSYS. The advanced result analysis based on post-processing of ANSYS was conducted by MATLAB. According to the allowable inhomogeneity and its application of velocity and temperature at outlet, the most possible broken regions of aluminum sheets at outlet could be predicted in the case of speed increasing of the drawing-sheet and thickness reducing of the aluminium sheet during roll casting.

High-performance polycrystalline-germanium (poly-Ge) thin-film transistors (TFTs) fabricated with lightly doped Ge thin films by excimer laser crystallization (ELC) and counter doping (CD) have been demonstrated. High-quality n-type Ge thin films with a grain size as large as 1 µm were fabricated by ELC in the super lateral-growth regime and CD at a dose of 1 × 1013 cm−2 or higher. Consequently, a superior field-effect mobility of 271 cm2 V−1 s−1 and a high on/off current ratio of 2.7 × 103 have been obtained for p-channel Ge TFTs with the channel width and length of both 0.5 µm fabricated by ELC at 300 mJ/cm2 and CD at a dose of 1 × 1013 cm−2. The effects of ELC conditions and CD dose on the electrical characteristics of p-channel Ge TFTs were also investigated.

We demonstrate that the steady state reaction of lysine 5,6-aminomutase with substrate analogue 4-thia-l-lysine generates a radical intermediate, which accumulates in the enzyme to an electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) detectable level. EPR line width narrowing of approximately 1 mT due to [4'-(2)H] labeling of the pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP), an isotropic hyperfine coupling of 40 MHz for the proton at C4' of PLP derived from (2)H electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) measurement, and spin density delocalization onto the (31)P of PLP realized from observations of the (31)P ENDOR signal provide unequivocal identification of the radical as a substrate-PLP-based species. X- and Q-band EPR spectra fittings demonstrate that this radical is spin coupled with the low spin Co(2+) in cob (II) alamin and the distance between the two species is about 10 A. These results provide direct evidence for the active site motion upon substrate binding, bringing the adenosylcobalamin to the proximity of substrate-PLP for subsequent H-atom abstraction and for the notion that lysine 5,6-aminomutase functions by a radical mechanism. Observation of (2)H-ENDOR signal also provides a reliable hyperfine coupling constant for future comparison with quantum-mechanical-based calculations to gain further insight into the molecular structure of this steady state radical intermediate.

High-quality polycrystalline-germanium (poly-Ge) thin films have been successfully fabricated by excimer laser crystallization (ELC). Grains as large as 1 µm were achieved by ELC at 300 mJ/cm2. Meanwhile, the defect-generated hole concentrations in Ge thin films were significantly reduced. Furthermore, the majority carriers could then be converted to n-type by counter doping (CD) with a suitable dose. Then, high-performance p-channel Ge thin-film transistors (TFTs) with a high on/off current ratio of up to 1.7 × 103 and a high field-effect mobility of up to 208 cm2 V−1 s−1 were demonstrated for a channel width and length both of 0.5 µm. It was revealed that ELC combined with CD is effective for attaining high-performance p-channel poly-Ge TFTs.

Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) have received great interest because of their excellent electrical, mechanical, and optical properties as well as their potential applications, ranging from nano/micro-electromechanical system to optoelectronics, and biological/chemical sensors [1–2]. One of the common methods to synthesize Si nanowire arrays directly from bulk silicon wafers is through electroless etching. However the difficulties faced in this method are achieving good control over the distribution and size of the nanowires.

AIM: Hepatic stellate cell (HSC) plays a pivotal role in liver fibrosis and is considered as the therapeutic target for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis. Tyrosine protein kinase plays an important role in the proliferation, activation of HSC. The purpose of the study is to investigate the effects of the tyrosine protein kinase inhibitor genistein on the proliferation and activation of cultured rat HSC. METHODS: Rat HSC were isolated from Wistar rats by in situ perfusion of collagenase and pronase and single-step density Nycodenz gradient. Culture-activated HSC were serum-starved and incubated with 10-9 to 10-5 mol/L concentration of genistein for 24, 48 or 72 h. In PDGF-induced HSC proliferation, HSC were stimulated with 10 μg·L-1 PDGF-BB for 15 min, and then treated with genistein for the same time. Cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay and based on flow cytometric analysis of cell cycle. The α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression in HSC was studied with confocal laser microscopy and flow cytometry. c-fos, c-jun and cyclin D1 expression in HSC was also detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Genistein inhibited basal and PDGF-induced proliferation of HSC at the concentration of 10-8 to 10-5 mol/L, and treatment with 10-7 mol/L concentration of genistein for 48 h inhibited the HSC proliferation significantly (the inhibition rate was 70.3%, P < 0.05). Immunofluorescence detected by confocal laser microscopy and flow cytometry showed that treatment with 10-7 mol/L genistein for 48 h suppressed the expression of α-SMA significantly in HSC (the specific fluorescence intensity were 60.2 ± 21.5 vs 35.3 ± 11.6 and 12.8 ± 10.4 vs 9.54 ± 6.39, respectively, both P < 0.05). The intensity of c-fos, c-jun and cyclin D1 expression of HSCs treated with 10-7 mol/L genistein for 48 h was also significantly decreased compared with the controls. CONCLUSION: Genistein influences proliferation of HSC, suppresses the expression of α-SMA in HSC and t inhibits the intensity of c-fos, c-jun and cyclin D1 expression of HSCs. Genistein has therapeutic potential against liver fibrosis.