Search

Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response caused by infection, with high morbidity and mortality. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs) have reported biological activities. This study explored the signaling pathways through which ω-3 PUFAs protect against sepsis-induced multiorgan failure. Septic Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat model was established by the cecum ligation perforation (CLP) method. Rats were divided into control, sham, model, parenteral ω-3 PUFAs (0.5 g/kg) treatment, ω-3 PUFAs (0.5 g/kg) + AMPK inhibitor Compound C (30 mg/kg) treatment, and ω-3 PUFAs (0.5 g/kg) + mTOR activator MHY1485 (10 mg/kg) treatment groups. The serum inflammatory cytokines were measured using ELISA. Organ damage-related markers cTnI, CK, CK-MB, Cr, BUN, ALT, and AST were measured using an automated chemical analyzer. The AMPK/mTOR pathway in liver, kidney, and myocardial tissues was detected using western blot and qRT-PCR methods. CLP treatment enhanced the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and multi-organ related markers, along with increased p-AMPK/AMPK ratio (from 0.47 to 0.87) and decreased p-mTOR/mTOR ratio (from 0.33 to 0.12) in rats. The inflammation response and multi-organ injury induced by CLP treatment could be partially counteracted by 0.5 g/kg parenteral ω-3 PUFA treatment. The activated AMPK/mTOR pathway in CLP-induced rats was further promoted. Finally, Compound C and MHY1485 could reverse the effects of parenteral ω-3 PUFA treatment on sepsis rats. ω-3 PUFAs ameliorated sepsis development by activating the AMPK/mTOR pathway, serving as a potent therapeutic agent for sepsis. Further in vivo studies may validate potential clinical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cost-effective and green preparation of electrocatalysts that are highly effective for both the cathode (reduction of oxygen) and anode (methanal oxidation) reactions is crucial for boosting the development of Direct Methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). This article describes a novel designed nitrogen and phosphorous co-doped honeycomb-like electrocatalyst (CAMN6P-3), which is derived from a hydrogel network formed with silk protein, polyaniline, and polyacrylamide. Notably, the CAMN6P-3 material has a surprisingly high nitrogen content (6.82%) and a high specific surface area (2494.55 m2 g−1). A high onset potential (1.11 V) was observed for the CAMN6P-3 catalyst, as well as a high limiting current density (5.4 mA.cm−2) during ORR. Furthermore, Pt/CAMN6P-3 demonstrates considerable catalytic activity as well as electrochemical stability for MOR as a catalyst carrier for Pt nanoparticles (Pt NPs). After long-term stability tests, the current density in the MOR was equivalent to a factor of twenty times that of the catalyst made from Pt/C. This superior performance can be attributed to the special nanostructure, where the honeycomb nanostructure not only provides an efficient channel for electron transfer and exposes more active sites, but also facilitates a high degree of dispersion of the Pt nanoparticles. From the perspective of sustainable development, combined with low-cost materials and the green preparation process, this work has a certain reference value for the development of highly efficient catalysts in the field of clean fuel cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum dot (QD) co-catalysts can efficiently facilitate photocatalytic processes due to their extremely small size and unique optical properties. However, metal quantum dots have high surface energy and tend to agglomerate to form larger particles during the synthesis process and lose their advantages. Herein, a simple and novel functional group anchoring strategy was designed for the in situ synthesis of small-sized and uniformly dispersed Cu2O QDs on commercial P25 surfaces. The average diameter of the obtained Cu2O QDs is only 1.8 nm. The hydrogen production rate of the photocatalysts deposited with Cu2O QDs is increased by 72 times compared with that of pristine commercial P25. The experimental results demonstrate that the OH-group on the surface of commercial P25 is able to act as an anchor point to induce the in situ generation of Cu2O QDs. After deposition of Cu2O QDs, the light absorption range of commercial P25 is extended to the visible region. In addition, the photogenerated carrier separation efficiency and photoreduction capacity are significantly enhanced after deposition of Cu2O QDs on the surface of commercial P25. This work provides a new strategy for the synthesis of small-sized and uniformly dispersed nanomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constructing manganese oxide nanoparticles with different crystal structures and morphologies is crucial for the development of improved supercapacitors. Here, zero‐dimensional (0D) α‐MnO2 and δ‐MnO2 nanoparticles were first synthesized by an ultra‐simple solvent‐free synthetic strategy. The α‐MnO2 nanoparticles exhibited better performance for supercapacitors than δ‐MnO2 nanoparticles due to a higher specific surface area and accelerated electrical charge transfer. Two‐dimensional (2D) α‐MnO2 nanosheets and three‐dimensional (3D) flower‐like α‐MnO2 microspheres were also fabricated by the inclusion of surfactants to investigate the effects of morphology on electrochemical storage capacity with the assistance of different surfactants. Notably, 3D α‐MnO2 microspheres exhibited enhanced electrochemical properties than 0D α‐MnO2 nanoparticles and 2D α‐MnO2 nanosheets for supercapacitors, and generated a favorable specific capacitance of 212.8 F g−1 at 1 A g−1, primarily originating from high porosity, which allows the full infiltration of electrolytes and the rapid shuttling of ions. This work thus describes a simple strategy for the synthesis of 2D nanosheets and 3D self‐assembled nanostructures of MnO2 for application in supercapacitor development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural design and modification are valuable approaches to tailor the electronic states of inorganic perovskites, which play a significant role in achieving state-of-the-art materials. Herein, an easy-to-manipulate, two-step, solid-state synthetic method is reported for the synthesis for nitrogen-doped SrSnO3 as a durable catalyst for the photocatalytic degradation of organic contaminants. In the synthetic procedure, urea acts as the nitriding source and nitrogen element is embedded into the crystal structure of SrSnO3, which changes its morphology; thus, helping SrSnO3 to convert from nanorods into nanoparticles via a simple solid-state synthetic technique. With the introduction of interstitial nitrogen atoms, the zero-dimensional SrSnO3 perovskite nanoparticles exhibited a kinetic reaction constant (0.040 min−1) of almost 10 times that of the one-dimensional SrSnO3 nanorods (0.004 min−1). When lowering the dimension, the advent of N in the lattice not only preserves the exposure of the higher active {001} planes, but also prolongs the activity of photo-induced carriers (number and lifetime), resulting in expected photocatalytic activity for the SrSnO3 nanocrystals. The catalytic mechanism was investigated via diffuse reflectance optical measurement and valence band XPS, which gave insight into how the interstitial N affects the structure and photocatalytic stability of the SrSnO3 perovskite. This study on low-dimensional SrSnO3 nanomaterials affords a way to investigate the charge carrier behavior and photochemical properties of perovskite materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]