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In this work, two new metal(II) complexes with ligand based on pyridine thiazolone group, [Zn(L)2(TsO)2]2DMF (1), {[Cd(L)(NO3)2H2O)]DMF}n (2) (where L = 4-(pyridin-4-yl)-2-(2-(pyridin-2- ylmethylene)hydrazinyl)thiazole), were prepared and characterized by physicochemical and spectroscopic methods. In addition, the structure of the complexes (1 and 2) was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray analysis. Complex 1 has a discrete monomeric structure where L acts as a bidentate agent coordinating the zinc(II) atom through pyridine nitrogen and thiazole nitrogen, while complex 2 consists of polymeric {[Cd(L)(NO3)2H2O)]DMF}n chains in which cadmium(II) atoms are linked by the bridging ligand. The in vitro antimicrobial and antitumor activities of the ligand and complexes (1 and 2) were evaluated against seven pathogenic bacterial strains and four human cancer cell lines, and the results showed that some compounds had absolute specificity for certain bacterial strains or cancer cell lines, which thus implied a good application prospect in pharmaceutical use.

For improving the utilization efficiency of pesticides, we developed a novel pesticide delivery particle (YINCP@EC) with a core–shell structure based on yeast biochar, imidacloprid (IMI), ammonium bicarbonate (NH4HCO3), calcium alginate (CA), and ethyl cellulose (EC). Therein, yeast biochar, IMI and NH4HCO3 were absorbed in the network-structured of CA to obtain YINCP through hydrogen bonds. The resulting composite was granulated using an ion gelation technique and then coated with EC to form YINCP@EC. In this platform, yeast biochar serving as a photothermal agent can efficiently convert sunlight energy into thermal energy, thereby triggering NH4HCO3 decomposition into CO2 and NH3 that can break through the EC coating and facilitate IMI release. In addition, the influence of yeast biochar content, pH, and coexisting ions was systematically studied to evaluate the release behavior of IMI from YINCP@EC. Moreover, the hydrophobic EC shell endowed YINCP@EC with high stability in aqueous solution for at least 60 days. Consequently, this novel composite with simple preparation, low cost and remarkable photothermal-responsive properties has a huge application potential in agriculture.

Oxidative stress is a major pathogenic mechanism in Parkinson’s disease (PD). As an important cellular antioxidant, glutathione (GSH) balances the production and incorporation of free radicals to protect neurons from oxidative damage. GSH level is decreased in the brains of PD patients. Hence, clarifying the molecular mechanism of GSH deficiency may help deepen our knowledge of PD pathogenesis. Here we report that the astrocytic dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) regulates GSH synthesis via PKM2-mediated Nrf2 transactivation. In addition we find that pyridoxine can dimerize PKM2 to promote GSH biosynthesis. Further experiments show that pyridoxine supplementation increases the resistance of nigral dopaminergic neurons to 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced neurotoxicity in wild-type mice as well as in astrocytic Drd2 conditional knockout mice. We conclude that dimerizing PKM2 may be a potential target for PD treatment., Dopamine agonists increase brain glutathione levels. Here the authors identify noncanonical signalling by Nrf2 as a potential mechanism for the neuroprotective effects of dopamine D2 receptor activation.

Microextraction techniques have been developed rapidly in recent years due to their numerous advantages including simplicity, miniaturization, cost-effectiveness, easy automation, low consumption of sample and eco-friendliness. Poly (ionic liquid)s (PILs) belong to a subclass of polyelectrolytes which are characterized by a series of unique physicochemical features including high thermal, chemical and mechanical stability, excellent plasticity and spatial controllability. PILs have attracted considerable attention in sample pretreatment. This review mainly concentrates on the recent development and applications of PIL-based sorbents in microextraction techniques. The properties of PIL-based sorbents, their general preparation approaches, application in enrichment, the current problems and future prospects are overviewed. The formats of microextraction techniques discussed in this review include solid phase microextraction, monolithic fibers solid phase microextraction, in-tube SPME, magnetic solid phase extraction, stir bar sorptive extraction, stir cake sorptive extraction and tip-based microextraction.

DNA nanowalkers moving progressively along a prescribed DNA track are useful tools in biosensing, molecular theranostics and biosynthesis. However, stochastic DNA nanowalkers that can perform in living cells have been largely unexplored. We report the development of a novel stochastic bipedal DNA walker that, for the first time, realizes direct intracellular base excision repair (BER) fluorescence activation imaging. In our design, the bipedal walker DNA was generated by BER-related human apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1)-mediated cleavage of DNA sequences at an abasic site in the intracellular environment, and it autonomously travelled on spherical nucleic acid (SNA) surfaces via catalyzed hairpin assembly (CHA). Our nanomachine outperforms the conventional single leg-based DNA walker with an improved sensitivity, kinetics and walking steps. Moreover, in contrast to the single leg-based DNA walker, the bipedal DNA walker is capable of monitoring the fluorescence signal of reduced APE1 activity, thus indicating amplified intracellular imaging. This bipedal DNA-propelled DNA walker presents a simple and modular amplification mechanism for intracellular biomarkers of interest, providing an invaluable platform for low-abundance biomarker discovery leading to the accurate identification and effective treatment of cancers., The developed DNA bipedal walker represents improved sensitivity, kinetics and walking steps for intracellular fluorescence imaging of base-excision repairing.

To develop a new DNA assembly method based on FnCas12a and T5 exonuclease. We developed a method named as FnCas12a and T5 exonuclease (CT5) cloning system. FnCas12a performs site-directed cleavage to the target DNA fragments, and T5 exonuclease generates 20–30 nt single-stranded region at each end of the DNA fragments for homologous recombination-mediated DNA assembly. CT5 was applied to multi-fragment assembly and DNA cloning of large vectors (> 10 kb). The efficiencies were approximately 91.4% and 97%, respectively. In addition, CT5 cloning is also utilized for the "walking" of DNA elements, which enables subtle modification of the relative distances of DNA elements in plasmids. The CT5 method was a precise and exquisite DNA operating system and provided an ideal platform for the study of gene functions, genetic engineering and synthetic biology.

Chemical composition (moisture, protein, starch, ash, fiber, fat), vitamins (vitamin C, vitamin B1, vitamin B2), total polyphenol content, antioxidant capacity, minerals, and amino acid of 14 potato cultivars in China were evaluated. The results indicated that all parameters varied significantly among different potato cultivars. The total starch, crude protein and fat content ranged between 57.42–67.83%, 10.88–14.10% and 0.10–0.73% dry weight (DW), respectively. Moreover, the consumption of potato increased remarkably the dietary intake of vitamins, K, Mn and Cu. In addition, the chemical score of amino acid varied considerably between different cultivars, which ranged from 54 (Neida 3 and Neida 41) to 71 (Neida 34). Grey relational analysis (GRA) indicated that Neida 26 exhibited the most comprehensive nutritional values among potato cultivars, followed by Neida 42. Different potato flours had a significant effect on the quality parameters of potato steamed bread (PSB), Neida 26 and Neida 34 were more suitable for making PSB.

This innovative study makes use of a thermal hydrolysis process (THP) and the conditioner sodium persulfate (SPS) to improve the dewaterability of sewage sludge. The best-operating conditions were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM): 100 mg/g of dry solids (DS) of SPS, 101 min of reaction time of THP, and a temperature of 200 °C. Distribution of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), zeta potential, bound water, and solid characters were analyzed to reveal the mechanisms involved in the dewatering process. These results indicate that the sewage sludge after treatment (SPS combined with THP) had a superior dewaterability. The specific resistance to filtration (SRF) under the best conditions was 0.51 × 1011 m/kg, decreasing by 91.65% compared to the raw sludge (RS) (6.11 × 1011 m/kg). This mechanism could be explained as follows: (1) Aromaticity and hydrophobicity of sludge cake after SPS + THP treatment was increased; (2) sludge flocs were re-flocculated by charge neutralization, giving rise to a loose and porous structure; (3) the structure of extracellular polymeric substances and cells was destroyed, and the bound water was released. Overall, the conditioning by combination of SPS and THP is an effective mean to improve sewage sludge dewaterability.

N-Methoxycarbonyl chitosan was prepared by selectively modifying the amino group at the 2-position of chitosan with methyl chloroformate, which was further functionalized with p-methylbenzylamine to produce chitosan (p-methylbenzylurea). Then, the hydroxyl groups at the 3- and 6-positions of the glucose skeleton were modified with various phenyl isocyanates, affording a series of chitosan 3,6-bis(arylcarbamate)-2-(p-methylbenzylurea)s, which were characterized and proposed as chiral selectors for enantiomer separation. Nineteen racemates, most of which are drugs or intermediates for drugs, were selected as the model analytes to evaluate the enantioseparation performance. The structure-performance relationship of the chiral selectors was investigated in detail. It was found that the methyl-substituted chiral selectors possessed more preferable enantioseparation performance compared with the chloro-substituted ones, and the chiral selectors containing a methyl substituent at the 4-position of the benzene ring showed the best chiral recognition and separation ability with 17 racemates being recognized and 13 racemates being baseline separated. The prepared chiral separation materials derived from these chiral selectors exhibited favorable solvent tolerance towards ethyl acetate, acetone, chloroform and a low proportion of tetrahydrofuran in normal phase. To sum up, this work provided a useful reference for the design and preparation of high-performance chiral separation materials for efficient enantiomer separation.

Effects of HCl, H 2 SO 4 , HNO 3 , citric acid, and acetic acid on the yield, structure, and emulsifying properties of potato pectins were investigated. Results showed that the highest yield (14.34%) was obtained using citric acid, followed by HNO 3 (9.83%), HCl (9.72%), H 2 SO 4 (8.38%), and acetic acid (4.08%). The degrees of methylation (37.45%) and acetylation (15.38%), protein content (6.97%), and molecular weight (3.207 × 10 5 g/mol) were the highest for pectin extracted using acetic acid, and (galactose + arabinose)/rhamnose was 33.34, indicating that it had a highly branched rhamnogalacturonan I domain. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed a specific absorbance peak at 1064 cm −1 , which corresponds to the acetyl groups in potato pectins. SEM showed that all potato pectins are morphologically different. The emulsifying activity (EA, 44.97%–47.71%) and emulsion stability (ES, 36.54%–46.00%) of the pectins were influenced by acid types, and were higher than those of commercial citrus and apple pectin.

Peroxydisulfate (PDS) is a low-cost sulfate radical-based oxidant, and carbonaceous material is perceived as efficient and environmentally friendly catalyst for PDS activation. Herein, biochar derived from food waste digestate (FWDB) was prepared, which exhibited excellent potential for removing contaminant due to its unique characteristics. The performance of FWDB for PDS activation was evaluated via the removal of a typical azo dye of reactive brilliant red X-3B, and the mechanism was explored. Under the conditions of FWDB dosage of 0.5 g/L, PDS concentration of 1.5 mM, no adjusting of pH value, and 25 °C, 92.21% of X-3B (initial concentration of 1 g/L) in the solution was removed within 30 min. SO4 −, OH, O2 −, and 1O2 were identified as the reactive oxygen species (ROS) in this FWDB/PDS system, and the graphitized carbon, doped-N, oxygen-containing groups, and defective sites on the surface of FWDB were answerable for the generation of ROS. The obtained results confirmed the application potential of FWDB in the treatment of organic wastewater, providing an alternative strategy of “treating waste with waste”.

Dyeing sludge (DS) incineration is a promising strategy to achieve waste reduction and waste-to-energy conversion efficiency; however, the poor-combustion performance and high-emission level of the gaseous sulfur of DS limit its applications. This study attempts to introduce wood sawdust (WS) to improve combustion performance and inhibit the sulfur emission during DS incineration. The combustion characteristics and release behavior of sulfur gas products of DS-WS mixtures were investigated using thermogravimetry and mass spectrometry (TG-MS), as well as the influence of WS on sulfur fate of DS and the in-situ retention mechanism to sulfur were revealed by ash analysis. Results indicated that WS addition restrained the devolatilization of light volatiles and facilitated the degradation of heavy volatiles and fixed carbon. WS addition improved the combustibility, burnout performance and combustion stability of DS. Organic sulfur species occupied most sulfur-containing compounds in DS, the thermal degradation of organic matter was responsible for emitting SO2, CH3SH, H2S, COS. SO2 contributed > 40% of sulfurous gas emissions. WS addition (30%) significantly reduced the normalized sulfur content from DS, and the in-situ retention ratio to sulfur reached 16.72%. The in-situ retention mechanism to sulfur was explained as potassium iron sulfate and calcium hydrogen sulfate jointly retained the release of sulfur. Moreover, Ca-based sulfate was more stable, indicating that the newly formed mineral contributed to preventing the re-emission of sulfur from incineration residue.

Endothelial dysfunction caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been implicated in numerous cardiovascular diseases. Astragalus polysaccharide (APS), an important bioactive component extracted from the Chinese herb Astragalus membranaceus, has been widely used for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of APS on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)‑induced human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) injury. Following treatment with 400 µM H2O2 for 24 h, cell viability was decreased and apoptosis was increased. However, pretreatment with APS for 1 h significantly attenuated H2O2‑induced injury in HUVECs. In addition, APS decreased intracellular ROS levels, increased the protein expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and copper‑zinc superoxide dismutase, elevated intracellular cyclic guanosine monophosphate (an activity marker for nitric oxide) levels and restored the mitochondrial membrane potential, compared with cells treated with H2O2 only. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggested that APS may protect HUVECs from injury induced by H2O2 via increasing the cell antioxidant capacity and nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, which may contribute to the improvement of the imbalance between ROS and NO levels.

Background Pyroglutamic acid (PGA) is challenging to quantify in plasma and is a rare cause of metabolic acidosis that is associated with inherited disorders or acquired after exposure to drugs. Method We developed a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method with a short analysis time. We established a reference interval and then measured PGA in acutely ill patients to investigate associations with clinical, pharmaceutical and laboratory parameters. Results The assay limit of the blank was 0.14 μmol/L and was linear to 5000 μmol/L with good precision. In-source formation of PGA from glutamate and glutamine was avoided by chromatographic separation. The PGA in controls had a reference interval of 22.6 to 47.8 μmol/L. The median PGA concentration in acutely ill patients was similar ( P = 0.21), but 18 individuals were above the reference interval with concentrations up to 250 μmol/L. We detected an association between PGA concentration and antibiotic and acetaminophen administration as well as renal impairment and severity of illness. Elevations of PGA in this unselected cohort were small compared to those reported in patients with pyroglutamic acidosis. Conclusion The method is suitable for routine clinical use. We confirmed several expected associations with PGA in an acutely ill population.

A novel self-assembled protein-scaffolded CRISPR–Cas9 nanosystem for facile and efficient gene editing in a DNAzyme-controlled manner has been developed.

A new multiple monolithic fiber solid-phase microextraction using a polydopamine-based monolith as the extraction medium is proposed. The monolith was synthesized by facile in situ copolymerization of N-methacryldopamine and dual cross-linkers (divinylbenzene/ethylenedimethacrylate) in the presence of N,N-dimethylformamide. The effect of the contents of N-methacryldopamine and porogen in the polymerization mixture on the extraction performance was investigated thoroughly. A series of characterization studies was performed to validate the structure and properties of the monolith. The prepared multiple monolithic fibers were used for the extraction of triazine herbicides in environmental water samples. After the optimization of the extraction parameters, a convenient, sensitive, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly method for the determination of trace triazine herbicides in water samples was developed by coupling multiple monolithic fibers solid-phase microextraction with high-performance liquid chromatography and diode array detection. The results indicated that the limits of detection and quantification for the target compounds were 0.031-0.14 and 0.10-0.45 μg/L, respectively. Good precision and reproducibility were obtained with the relative standard deviations below 10%. The developed method was applied to the analysis of the triazine herbicides in different water samples (lake, river, and farmland waters). The recoveries of the method were in the range between 79.6 and 117%.

In this work, a new polymeric ionic liquid (PIL)-based sorbent was prepared by in-situ polymerization of 3-(1-ethyl imidazolium-3-yl) propyl-methacrylamido bromide and ethylene dimethacrylate and was used as medium for stir cake sorptive extraction (SCSE) of trace antimony in environmental water samples. The sorbent EPBED was characterized with infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy and mercury intrusion porosimetry. A method for determination of trace antimony in water samples was developed based on the combination of SCSE/EPBED and hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS). Under the optimal extraction conditions, the linear dynamic range of developed method was found to be 0.20-100.0μg/L with good coefficients of correlation (R2=0.9904) and LOD value as low as 0.084μg/L. The method showed good reproducibility of results in terms of intra- and inter-day precisions with corresponding relative standard deviations (RSDs) of less than 9%. Recoveries obtained for the determination of antimony in spiked samples ranged from 80.4% to 107% with RSDs below 10% in all cases.

Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) is an important bioactive component extracted from Chinese herb Astragalus membranaceus. It has been widely used in treatment of cardiovascular diseases. We have previously reported that APS could inhibit isoproterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy. The present study was designed to evaluate the protective effect of APS on vascular endothelia in cardiac hypertrophy rats induced by isoproterenol (ISO). ISO (10mg×kg(-1)) was intraperitoneally injected once daily for 2weeks to induce cardiac hypertrophy. APS (400 and 800mg×kg(-1)) was intragastrically injected once daily along with ISO. The results showed that combination with APS significantly ameliorates the endothelial dysfunction while attenuates cardiac hypertrophy induced by ISO. We found that administration with APS could attenuate the increase in number of circulating endothelial cell (CEC). APS also decreases the superoxide anion generation and the protein expression of p65 and the levels of TNF-α and IL-6; while increases the cGMP levels, an activity marker for nitric oxide (NO) in aortas. In addition, APS improves the relaxation dysfunction in isolated aortic rings and increases the protein expression of IκBα and Cu/Zn-SOD in aortas. In conclusion, our results suggested that APS had a protective effect against endothelial dysfunction in hypertrophic rats induced by ISO. The underlining mechanisms may be contributed to the anti-inflammatory effects and the improvement of the imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and NO.

In this study, a new stir cake sorptive extraction using a boron-rich monolith as the adsorbent was prepared by the in situ copolymerization of vinylboronic anhydride pyridine complex and divinylbenzene. The effect of preparation parameters, including the ratio of vinylboronic anhydride pyridine complex and divinylbenzene, monomer mixture, and porogen solvent, on extraction performance was investigated thoroughly. The physicochemical properties of the adsorbent were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and mercury intrusion porosimetry. Several conditions affecting the extraction efficiency were investigated in detail. Under the optimized conditions, a convenient and sensitive method for the determination of trace fluoroquinolones residues in water and milk samples was established by coupling stir cake sorptive extraction with high-performance liquid chromatography and diode array detection. The limits of detection for the target compounds were 0.10-0.26 and 0.11-0.22 μg/L for water and milk samples, respectively. In addition, the developed method showed good linearity, repeatability, and precision. Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied for the detection of trace fluoroquinolones residues in environmental water and milk samples. Satisfactory recoveries were obtained for the determination of fluoroquinolones in spiking samples that ranged from 68.8 to 120%, with relative standard deviations below 10% in all cases.

Objective Oxidative stress and inflammation are regarded as two important triggers of endothelial dysfunction and play pivotal role in progression of vascular damage associated with cardiac hypertrophy. Our previous studies demonstrated that astragaloside IV (AsIV) could protect against cardiac hypertrophy in rats induced by isoproterenol (Iso), but its effects on the aorta are not known. In present study, we aimed to assess the effects of AsIV on Isoinduced vascular dysfunction. Methods Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were treated with Iso (10 mg/kg/d) alone or in combination with AsIV (50 mg/kg/d). Results Compared with Isotreated alone, AsIV significantly reduced the ratios of heart weight/body weight and left ventricular weight/body weight. AsIV ameliorated the increased vasoconstriction response to phenylephrine induced by Iso and suppressed superoxide anion generation in rat aorta, increased endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) dimer/monomer ratio and its critical cofactor tetrahydrobiopterin (BH 4 ) content in aorta as well as the NO production in the serum, reduced the plasmatic peroxynitrite (ONOO–). Moreover, in contrast with Isotreatment alone, AsIV decreased the ratio of nuclear-to-cytosolic protein expression of the NF-κB p65 subunit while enhanced its inhibited protein expression of IκB-α, down-regulated mRNA expression of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α of the aorta. Conclusions The present study suggested that AsIV protects against Isoinduced vascular dysfunction probably via attenuating eNOS uncoupling-mediated oxidative stress and inhibiting ROS-NF-κB pathways.

The (thiazol-2-yl)hydrazone derivatives from 2-, 3-pyridine named (E)-4-(pyridin-2-yl)-2-(2-(pyridin-2-ylmethylene)hydrazinyl)thiazole (L1), (E)-4-(pyridin-3-yl)-2-(2-(pyridin-3- ylmethylene)hydrazinyl)thiazole (L2), and their three transition metal complexes named [Cd(L1)(NO3)2] (1), [Ni(L1)2(NO3)2] (2) and [Zn(L2)2(PF6)2] (DMF) 12H2O (3) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis (EA), infrared spectra (IR) and single-crystal diffraction. Both complex 1 and 2 featured a mononuclear molecular structure, while complex 3 possessed an intricate 3D metal-organic framework. The antibacterial and antitumor activity of the ligands and complexes were tested. The results showed some compounds had absolute specificity for certain bacteria or cancer cell line, which implied a good application prospect in pharmaceutical use.

Emerging evidence has demonstrated that the integrity and the function of blood-brain barrier (BBB) are gradually impaired in the processes of aging and nervous system disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. Parkinson's disease, PD). The leakage of BBB contributes to the infiltration of peripheral immune cells and harmful mediators into brain parenchyma, even the drugs that can not cross BBB under physiological conditions. Therefore, PD has been regarded as not only a neurodegenerative disease, but also a systemic disorder. In the present study, we demonstrate for the first time that Dexrazoxane (Dex), a drug clinically used to reduce doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in chemotherapy, can enter into midbrain and striatum through broken BBB in 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)- and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced rodent models of PD. Unexpectedly, Dex (1.5, 5, 15 mg/kg, i.p.) administration for 3-week significantly ameliorates apomorphine-induced contralateral rotation behavior in 6-OHDA-treated rats and Dex (10 mg/kg, i.p.) treatment for 5-week improves MPTP-induced mouse motor dysfunctions. We find that Dex administration protects dopaminergic neurons against neurotoxin-induced degeneration in SNc, accompanied by the attenuated glial cell activation. Further study indicates that suppression of oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress, as well as the inhibition of systemic inflammation in both peripheral tissues and brain, contribute to the neuroprotective effects of Dex in PD models. Our study implies that Dex may serve as an effective neuroprotectant to treat neurodegeneration and has potential clinical value in term of PD therapeutics.

The ultrasound-microwave assisted HCl extraction of pectin from potato pulp was optimized using the response surface methodology. Effects of extraction temperature, pH, and time on the yield were evaluated, and structural characteristics of pectin extracted under optimal conditions were determined. The yield was 22.86 ± 1.29% under optimal conditions of temperature 93 °C, pH 2.0, and time 50 min. The obtained pectin was rich in branched rhamnogalacturonan I (61.54 mol%). Furthermore, the pectin was a low-methoxyl (degree of methylation, 32.58%) but highly acetylated (degree of acetylation, 17.84%) pectin and the molecular weight was 1.537 × 105 g/mol. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance indicated that pectin had a linear region of α-1, 4-linked galacturonic acids which could be methyl and acetyl-esterified, and rhamnose linked with galacturonic acid to form rhamnogalacturonan which was branched with side chains. Scanning electron microscopy showed most of pectin had a lamellae structure.

One proposed definition of dietary fiber is “all of the poorly digestible ingredients in food, which cannot be digested by human digestive enzymes.” Sweet potato pulp is the residue left behind after the starch has been partially removed from sweet potato. The dry weight of sweet potato pulp consists of 43.5% residual starch, 2.0% protein, 0.4% lipids, 4.4% ash, and 49.7% dietary fiber, making sweet potato pulp very rich in dietary fiber. This chapter provides a summary of dietary fiber, describes efficient methods for manufacturing dietary fiber contained in sweet potato pulp, the physicochemical properties of dietary fiber, and a functional evaluation was also performed by animal experiments. In addition, the extraction methods, composition, and physicochemical and functional properties of pectin from sweet potato pulp before and after ultrasonic modification were also evaluated.

A novel DNAzymatic amplifier nanomachine that is reconstructed in response to an mRNA input has been developed to enable the functions of concurrent sensitive mRNA imaging and activatable gene therapy in living cells.

The development of a simple and sensitive analytical approach that combines multiple monolithic fiber solid-phase microextraction with liquid desorption followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection is proposed for the determination of trace levels of seven steroid sex hormones (estriol, 17β-estradiol, testosterone, ethinylestradiol, estrone, progesterone and mestranol) in water and urine matrices. To extract the target analytes effectively, multiple monolithic fiber solid-phase microextraction based on a polymeric ionic liquid was used to concentrate hormones. Several key extraction parameters including desorption solvent, extraction and desorption time, pH value and ionic strength in sample matrix were investigated in detail. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the limits of detection were found to be in the range of 0.027-0.12 μg/L. The linear range was 0.10-200 μg/L for 17β-estradiol, 0.25-200 μg/L estriol, ethinylestradiol and estrone, and 0.50-200 μg/L for the other hormones. Satisfactory linearities were achieved for analytes with the correlation coefficients above 0.99. Acceptable method reproducibility was achieved by evaluating the repeatability and intermediate precision with relative standard deviations of both less than 8%. The enrichment factors ranged from 54- to 74-fold. Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of steroid sex hormones in environmental water samples and human urines with spiking recoveries ranged from 75.6 to 116%.

In this research, the applicability of a new sorbent based on boronate affinity material is demonstrated. For this purpose, six strong polar nitrophenols were selected as models which are difficult to be extracted in neutral form (only based on hydrophobic interactions). The extracted nitrophenols were separated and determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The sorbent was synthesized by in situ copolymerization of 3-acrylamidophenylboronic acid and divinylbenzene using dimethyl sulfoxide and azobisisobutyronitrile as porogen solvent and initiator, respectively. The effect of the preparation parameters in the polymerization mixture on extraction performance was investigated in detail. The size and morphology of the sorbent have been characterized via different techniques such as infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy and mercury intrusion porosimetry. The important parameters influencing the extraction efficiency were studied and optimized thoroughly. Under the optimum extraction conditions, the limits of detection (S/N = 3) and limits of quantification (S/N = 10) for the target nitrophenols were 0.097-0.28 and 0.32-0.92 μg/L, respectively. The precision of the proposed method was evaluated in terms of intra- and inter-assay variability calculated as RSD, and it was found that the RSDs were all below 9%. Finally, the developed method was successfully applied for environmental water samples such as wastewater, tap, lake and river water. The recoveries varied within the range of 71.2-115% with RSD below 11% in all cases. The results well demonstrate that the new boronate affinity sorbent can extract nitrophenols effectively through multi-interactions including boron-nitrogen coordination, hydrogen-bond and hydrophobic interactions between sorbent and analytes.

Astilbin, a dihydroflavonol derivative found in many food and medicine plants, exhibited multiple pharmacological functions. In the present study, the ethanol extraction of astilbin from the rhizome of smilax glabra Roxb was optimized by response surface methodology (RSM) using Box-Behnken design. Results indicated that the obtained experimental data was well fitted to a second-order polynomial equation by using multiple regression analysis, and the optimal extraction conditions were identified as an extraction time of 40 min, ethanol concentration of 60%, temperature of 73.63 °C, and liquid-solid ratio of 29.89 mL/g for the highest predicted yield of astilbin (15.05 mg/g), which was confirmed through validation experiments. In addition, the anti-inflammatory efficiency of astilbin was evaluated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells. Results showed that astilbin, at non-cytotoxicity concentrations, significantly suppressed the production of nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), as well as the mRNA expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and TNF-α in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells, but did not affect interleukin-6 (IL-6) release or its mRNA expression. These effects may be related to its up-regulation of the phosphorylation of p65, extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK).

New monolithic fibers based on dual functional monomers were prepared and applied to the solid-phase microextraction and determination of sudan dyes (I, II, III and IV) in tomato sauce and egg yolk samples by coupling with high-performance liquid chromatography. Octadecyl methacrylate and vinylimidazole were used as functional monomers to copolymerize with divinylbenzene to form the monolithic fibers. The effect of the preparation conditions of the monolithic fibers on the extraction efficiencies was investigated in detail. Elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, mercury intrusion porosimetry and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the monolithic materials. In the optimized process, several extractive parameters including desorption solvent, extraction and desorption time, pH values and ionic strength in the sample matrix, were optimized thoroughly. Under the optimized extraction conditions, the limits of detection (S/N = 3) for the sudan dyes were 0.07–1.46 μg kg−1 in tomato sauce and 0.14–2.07 μg kg−1 in egg yolk, respectively. Method repeatability was achieved in terms of intra- and inter-day precisions, indicated by RSDs, which were both

Due to the endocrine disrupting properties, organic UV filters have been a great risk for humans and other organisms. Therefore, development of accurate and effective analytical methods is needed for the determination of UV filters in environmental waters. In this work, a fast, sensitive and environmentally friendly method combining magnetism-enhanced monolith-based in-tube solid phase microextraction with high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (DAD) (ME-MB-IT/SPME-HPLC-DAD) for the online analysis of five organic UV filters in environmental water samples was developed. To extract UV filters effectively, an ionic liquid-based monolithic capillary column doped with magnetic nanoparticles was prepared by in-situ polymerization and used as extraction medium of online ME-MB-IT/SPME-HPLC-DAD system. Several extraction conditions including the intensity of magnetic field, sampling and desorption flow rate, volume of sample and desorption solvent, pH value and ionic strength of sample matrix were optimized thoroughly. Under the optimized conditions, the extraction efficiencies for five organic UV filters were in the range of 44.0-100%. The limits of detection (S/N=3) and limits of quantification (S/N=10) were 0.04-0.26μg/L and 0.12-0.87μg/L, respectively. The precisions indicated by relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 10% for both intra- and inter-day variabilities. Finally, the developed method was successfully applied to the determination of UV filters in three environmental water samples and satisfactory results were obtained.

Lipid deposition in artery walls is implied in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and imbalance between uptake and efflux of cholesterol favors the deposition. We investigated the effect of vitamin E with the same dose and duration on the different stages of atherosclerosis in Apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE KO) mice and explored the potential mechanisms. The results showed that the ApoE KO mouse spontaneously develops atherosclerosis in an age-dependent manner from 14 to 46 weeks on the regular chow. Vitamin E (100 mg/kg) supplementation to ApoE KO mice at 6, 14, and 22 weeks for 8 weeks significantly reduced the atherosclerotic lesion area by 41, 29 and 19 % respectively compared to the age-matched control mice; however had no significant effect on the lesion when given at 30 and 38 weeks. In addition, vitamin E supplemented at the ages from 6 to 30 weeks decreased the contents of serum oxLDL and TBARS without affecting the TC and TAG contents in serum and liver. Furthermore, vitamin E supplemented at 6, 14 and 22 weeks down-regulated vasculature mRNA expressions of scavenger receptor CD36 and up-regulated mRNA expressions of PPARγ, LXRα and ABCA1 which are involved in reverse cholesterol transportation; however had no significant effects on these genes when given at 30 and 38 weeks. In conclusion, vitamin E with same dose and duration inhibits the early but not advanced atherosclerotic lesion in ApoE KO mice by anti-oxidation and regulation of mRNA expression of genes involved in cholesterol uptake and efflux, which favors the improvement of atherosclerosis.

Natural and regenerated chitins were derivatized with 3,5-dimethyphenyl isocyanate. The corresponding chiral stationary phases were prepared by coating the resulting chitin derivatives on 3-aminopropyl silica gel. The swelling capacity of the chitin derivatives, enantioseparation capability, as well as eluents tolerance of the chiral stationary phases were evaluated. The results demonstrated no remarkable difference in enantioseparation capability between natural and regenerated chitins based chiral stationary phases. The similar enantioseparation characteristics of two chiral stationary phases could be understood by comparing the IR spectra of related chitin derivatives. The one of the two chiral stationary phases prepared by coating the chitin derivative with a lower molecular weight generally provided better enantioseparations. All chiral stationary phases can work in 100% chloroform, 100% ethyl acetate, 100% acetone, and the mobile phases containing a certain amount of tetrahydrofuran. The chiral stationary phase prepared from the chitin derivative with the highest swelling capacity exhibited better enantioseparations than others. This chiral stationary phase was damaged by flushing with 100% tetrahydrofuran, however, the enantioseparation capability was recovered again after the column was allowed to stand for 1 month. Furthermore, the recovered chiral stationary phase provided better enantioseparations for some chiral analytes than before.

The goal of present study was to investigate the structural dependence of chitosan derivatives on enantioseparation and mobile phase tolerance of the corresponding chiral packing materials for liquid chromatography. Hence, a series of chitosan bis(arylcarbamate)-(n-pentyl amide)s and the related chiral stationary phases (CSPs) were prepared from chitosans with different molecular weights. Because of the H-bond formed via CH3-π interaction, the CSP bearing methyl substituent exhibited high tolerance than the ones bearing dichloro substituents. The CSP derived from the chitosan bis(3,5-dichlorophenylcarbamate)-(n-pentyl amide) with a higher molecular weight possessed high tolerance to mobile phases, whereas the enantioseparation capability of this CSP was not as good as that of the one prepared from the chitosan derivative with a lower molecular weight. Therefore, enantioseparation capability and mobile phase tolerance have to be counterbalanced in designing chiral selectors for the CSPs derived from chitosan bis(arylcarbamate)-(amide)s.

A novel ligation-based loop-mediated isothermal amplification (ligation-LAMP) method has been developed for miRNA detection, which enables highly selective and sensitive quantitative detection of miR-21 in a dynamic range from 1 fM to 1 nM with the ability to discriminate single-base mismatches.

Ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1), a protopanaxadiol saponin extracted from Chinese medicine Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer, has been demonstrated to inhibit the cardiac hypertrophy. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the inhibition remain poorly understood. Activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) mediated by tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) gets involved in the cardiac hypertrophy. This study is designed to investigate the effects and the potential mechanism of Rg1 on the abdominal aorta coarctation (AAC)-induced cardiac hypertrophy with focus on TNF-α/NF-κB signaling pathway. The results showed that oral administration of Rg1 dose-dependently improved the pathological changes, decreased the ratios of left ventricular weight/body weight (LVW/BW) and heart weight/BW (HW/BW), corrected the dysfunction of the cardiac hemodynamics by decreasing the left ventricular systolic pressure and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and increasing the maximal rate of left ventricular systolic and diastolic pressure (±dp/dtmax) compared with the AAC alone. Rg1 also downregulated the atrial natriuretic peptide mRNA expression and decreased the mRNA and protein expression of TNF-α in the heart tissue of rats compared with the AAC alone. In addition, Rg1 and BAY, the specific inhibitor of NF-κB, decreased the protein content and downregulated the mRNA expression of atrial natriuretic peptide in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes treated with TNF-α. Furthermore, Rg1 increased the protein expression of p65, the subunit of NF-κB, in cytoplasm and decreased the expression p65 in nucleus of the heart tissue of rats undergoing the AAC and of neonatal rat ventricular myocytes treated with TNF-α. The results suggested that Rg1 attenuates the AAC-induced cardiac hypertrophy through inhibition of TNF-α/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Endothelial cell injury caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disorders. Astragaloside IV (AsIV) possesses potent antioxidant properties against oxidative stress through undefined mechanism(s). We sought to investigate whether AsIV protects human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) from hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) induced oxidative stress focusing on eNOS uncoupling and the NADPH oxidase – ROS – NF-κB pathway. Compared with HUVECs incubated with H2O2 alone, pretreatment with AsIV significantly increased the viability of HUVECs, which was accompanied with apparent increase in nitric oxide (NO) production and decrease in intracellular superoxide anion production. Furthermore, pretreatment with AsIV increased endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) dimer/monomer ratio and its critical cofactor tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) content, decreased Nox4 protein expression (the most abundant Nox isoform in HUVECs), inhibited translocation of NF-κB p65 subunit into nuclear fraction while enhanced the protein expression of IκB-α (the inhibitor of NF-κB p65), reduced the levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in HUVECs medium, and decreased iNOS protein expression. These results suggest that AsIV may protect HUVECs from H2O2-induced oxidative stress via inhibiting NADPH oxidase – ROS – NF-κB pathway and eNOS uncoupling.

A simple, sensitive and environmentally friendly method using polymeric ionic liquid-based stir cake sorptive extraction followed by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC/DAD) has been developed for efficient quantification of six selected estrogens in environmental waters. To extract trace estrogens effectively, a poly (1-ally-3-vinylimidazolium chloride-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) monolithic cake was prepared and used as the sorbent of stir cake sorptive extraction (SCSE). The effects of preparation conditions of sorbent and extraction parameters of SCSE for estrogens were investigated and optimized. Under optimal conditions, the developed method showed satisfactory analytical performance for targeted analytes. Low limits of detection (S/N=3) and quantification limits (S/N=10) were achieved within the range of 0.024-0.057 µg/L and 0.08-0.19 µg/L, respectively. Good linearity of method was obtained for analytes with the correlation coefficients (R(2)) above 0.99. At the same time, satisfactory method repeatability and reproducibility was achieved in terms of intra- and inter-day precisions, respectively. Finally, the established SCSE-HPLC/DAD method was successfully applied for the determination of estrogens in different environmental water samples. Recoveries obtained for the determination of estrogens in spiked samples ranged from 71.2% to 108%, with RSDs below 10% in all cases.

The rhizome ofSmilax glabrahas been used for a long time as both food and folk medicine in many countries. The present study focused on the active constituents from the rhizome ofS. glabra, which possess potential anti-inflammatory activities. As a result, nine known compounds were isolated from the rhizome ofS. glabrawith the bioassay-guiding, and were identified as syringaresinol (1), lasiodiplodin (2), de-O-methyllasiodiplodin (3), syringic acid (4), 1,4-bis(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-2,3-bis(hydroxymethyl)-1,4-butanediol (5), lyoniresinol (6),trans-resveratrol (7),trans-caffeic acid methyl ester (8), and dihydrokaempferol (9). Among these compounds,2and3were isolated for the first time fromS. glabra. In addition, the potential anti-inflammatory activities of the isolated compounds were evaluatedin vitroin lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced RAW264.7 cells. Results indicated that4and7showed significant inhibitory effects on NO production of RAW264.7 cells, and1,2,3, and5showed moderate suppression effects on induced NO production.1,7, and5exhibited high inhibitory effects on TNF-αproduction, with the IC50values less than 2.3, 4.4, and 16.6 μM, respectively. These findings strongly suggest that compounds1,2,3,4,5,7, and9were the potential anti-inflammatory active compositions ofS. glabra.

Differences in taste preference and the levels of extractive components and glycogenwere compared between cooked meats of small abalone Haliotis diversicolor fed either gracilar (G-small abalone) or an artificial diet (A-small abalone). Using sensory tests, taste preference ofcooked meats was significantly higher for A-small abalone than for G-small abalone. Results of clustering analysis and principal component analysis of chemical data also revealed that the two cooked meats differed from each other in terms of their measured constituent compositions irrespective of sampling periods. Compared with G-small abalone, A-small abalone meats were lower in taurine and arginine, but higher in glycine (Gly), glutamic acid (Glu), alanine, serine, proline,adenosine monophosphate (AMP), and glycogen. It is concluded that the discrepancy in the levelsof taste-active components of abalone, such as Gly, Glu, and AMP, is likely to be responsible for thedifferences in taste preference between G- and A-small abalone cooked meats.

In this work, a simple, efficient and environmentally friendly method-multiple monolithic fiber solid-phase microextraction (MMF-SPME) combining with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was first established for the determination of six trace nitrophenols in water samples. In order to prepare MMF-SPME, 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium bis [(trifluoro methyl) sulfonyl] imide was co-polymerized with ethylene dimethacrylate to get single thin fiber (0.5 mm in diameter). Subsequently, four thin fibers were bound together to obtain the MMF-SPME. The effect of preparation conditions of MMF-SPME on the extraction performance was investigated in detail. In order to obtain the optimal extraction conditions of MMF-SPME for nitrophenols, several extractive parameters, including desorption solvent, extraction and desorption time, pH values and ionic strength in sample matrix were optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the linear ranges of 4-nitrophenol, 2,4-dinitrophenol, 5-methyl-2-nitrophenol, 5-methoxyl-2-nitrophenol were 0.5-200 µg/L and 1.0-200 µg/L for 2-nitrophenol and 4-tertbutyl-2-nitrophenol. The limits of detection (S/N=3) for the target analytes were 0.075-0.27 µg/L. At the same time, excellent method reproducibility was achieved in terms of intra- and inter-day precisions, indicated by the RSDs of both

The rhizomes of Smilax glabra have been used as both food and folk medicine in many countries for a long time. However, little research has been reported on polysaccharides of S. glabra. In the present study, two polysaccharide fractions, SGP-1 and SGP-2, were isolated from the rhizomes of S. glabra with the number average molecular weights of 1.72 × 10(2)kDa and 1.31 × 10(2)kDa, and the weight average molecular weights of 1.31 × 10(5)kDa and 1.18 × 10(5)kDa, respectively, and their mainly monosaccharide compositions were both galactose and rhamnose (2.5:1). Both SGP-1 and SGP-2 significantly suppressed the release of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) from LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells, as well as the mRNA expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), TNF-α and IL-6. Additionally, SGP-1 and SGP-2 repressed the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK). These findings strongly suggested polysaccharides were also the anti-inflammatory active ingredient for S. glabra, and the potential of SGP-1 and SGP-2 as the anti-inflammatory agents.

Atherosclerosis (AS) is an inflammatory disease involved in vascular inflammatory injury. The inflammasome is an important part of inflammatory diseases and participates in the vascular inflammatory injury. Resveratrol (RSV) possesses anti-inflammatory activities, but its effects on inflammasomes during vascular injury remain unclear. This study focused on the effects and mechanisms of RSV on inflammasomes during vascular injury.Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with a purified diet or cholesterol-enriched diet combined with vitamin D2 (VD; 1.8 million units/kg/days, Po) and saline or RSV (50 mg/kg/days, Po) daily for 5 weeks. The concentrations and enzyme activities of related indicators were measured by a spectrophotometer or ELISA kit. Their gene and protein expression levels were analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot, respectively.Upon administration with RSV, rats with combined hyper cholesterol and VD demonstrated the following changes: the vascular histopathological changes were relieved, and the level of the von Willebrand factor decreased. The level of serum IL-1β, a marker of inflammasome activation, significantly decreased. The mRNA and protein expression levels of the three components of inflammasomes, namely, NOD-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase-recruitment domain, and caspase-1, were downregulated. The effects of RSV were closely related to hypolipidemia (decrease in the levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol combined with the expression of the lectin-like ox-LDL receptor and increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol), antioxidation (decrease in MDA levels and increase in SOD and GPx activities), and anti-inflammation (downregulation of the expression of IL-1β, intracellular adhesion molecule-1, and monocyte chemotactic protein-1). The mechanisms for the downregulation of NF-κB p65 and p38 MAPK expression, as well as the upregulation of SIRT1 expression, were analyzed.This study proved that RSV inhibited inflammasome activation to protect vascular injury in vivo. RSV exhibited therapeutic potential in the treatment of vascular injury.

SUMMARY: The seasonal changes in levels of chemical constituents in the muscle and viscera of small abalone Haliotis diversicolor fed gracilar and an artificial diet were investigated. Muscle yields were higher in winter and spring. In October specimens, total adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP)-related compounds (ARC), total free amino acids (FAA), and glycogen in both muscle and viscera decreased markedly. The artificial diet fed to small abalone had much higher glycogen in the muscle than those fed on gracilar, and showed a great seasonal change. Total amounts of ARC in the muscles were higher through March to July, while those in the viscera were maximal in January. Taurine, arginine, glycine, glutamic acid, and alanine were the major FAA in both tissues, accounting for 81–94% of the total FAA. Total amounts of FAA in the muscles were higher in the samples collected from winter and early spring than in other seasons. Glycine, glutamic acid, and adenosine monophosphate might be the most important taste components related to the palatability of small abalone. Their total amounts in the muscles of the two specimens were considerably high in December to March. This finding suggested that small abalone produced in winter and early spring might be more palatable.