Search

Implementing combination medication through crystal engineering technology receives increasing attention from researchers due to improvements in the clinical treatment effects as well as the physicochemical properties of the drug. Berberine (BER) is commonly used to treat gastroenteritis and bacterial diarrhea, with the problems of poor solubility and low oral bioavailability. Recently, it is found that gallic acid (GA) also has anti‐inflammatory and anti‐bacterial activities. Therefore, if the above‐mentioned two ingredients can be combined, it is possible to enhance the therapeutic effects and physicochemical properties of BER. Inspired by this, 8‐hydroxy‐7,8‐dihydroberberine (8H‐HBER) in this study is employed to react with gallic acid to yield BER gallate dihydrate (2BER‐2GA‐2 W). Furthermore, dissolution experiments demonstrate that the maximum apparent solubility (MAS) of 2BER‐2GA‐2 W in dilute hydrochloric acid solution medium (pH 1.2) has increased by 7 times compared to the commercial form of BER, because of avoiding the common‐ion effect. Moreover, 2BER‐2GA‐2 W has also obviously enhanced stability relative to the commercial form of BER. In addition, 2BER‐2GA‐2 W has a better inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) relative to the commercial form of BER. Hence, 2BER‐2GA‐2 W will be a promising solid‐state form of BER for its further development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is known to be involved in cartilage degeneration following joint injury or due to osteoarthritis. In the present study, we explored the effects of miR-150 on IL-1-stimulated human chondrogenic cells ATDC5. Methods: ATDC5 cells were transfected with the mimic, inhibitor or negative controls specific for miR-150, and subsequently treated by IL-1. CCK8 assay, PI and FITC-conjugated Annexin V double-staining, Western blot, qRT-PCR and ELISA assay were performed to determine the changes of cell viability, apoptosis, and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Targeting relationship between miR-150 and KLF2 was detected by dual luciferase activity assay. Results: IL-1 reduced cell viability, induced apoptosis, and enhanced the expression and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α) in ATDC5 cells. IL-1 also increased the expression of miR-150. Suppression of miR-150 alleviated IL-1-induced cell damage in ATDC5 cells, while overexpression of miR-150 resulted in an opposite impact. KLF2 was negatively regulated by miR-150, and it was proved as a target gene of miR-150. KLF2 overexpression exhibited protective actions in IL-1-injured ATDC5 cells, even if miR-150 was suppressed in cell. Moreover, IL-1-induced activation of NF-kB and Notch pathways was alleviated by KLF2 overexpression. Conclusions: Suppression of miR-150 led to up-regulation of KLF2, which in turn protected ATDC5 cells against IL-1-induced injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a stimulus with multiple moving elements, an observer may perceive that the whole stimulus moves in unison if (a) one can associate an element in one frame with one in the next (correspondence) and (b) a sufficient proportion of correspondences signal a similar motion direction (coherence). We tested the necessity of these two conditions by asking the participants to rate the perceived intensity of linear, concentric, and radial motions for three types of stimuli: (a) random walk motion, in which the direction of each dot was randomly determined for each frame, (b) random image sequence, which was a set of uncorrelated random dot images presented in sequence, and (c) global motion, in which 35% of dots moved coherently. The participants perceived global motion not only in the global motion conditions but also in the random image sequences, though not in random walk motion. The type of perceived motion in the random image sequences depends on the spatial context of the stimuli. Thus, although there is neither a fixed correspondence across different frames nor a coherent motion direction, observers can still perceive global motion in the random image sequence. This result cannot be explained by motion energy or local aperture border effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Balancing the exceptional mechanical strength and repair efficiency of self-healing materials presents a significant challenge to unlocking their full potential in practical applications. Inspired by natural spider silk and cartilage, multiple dynamic hydrogen bonds were introduced into the pre-prepared polyurethane (PU). Then modifided graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets with dynamic hydrogen bonds were added into the prepared PU to form composites (AU-PU/GDU) to establish a dense hydrogen bond network structure, providing strong interfacial interactions. The AU-PU/GDU film exhibits excellent tensile strength (39.6 MPa), high elongation at break (1155.6 %), and outstanding repair efficiency (90.3 %). Using AU-PU/GDU as the flexible base, a superhydrophobic conductive composite coating (F-AU-PU/GDU) with a contact angle greater than 150° was prepared by incorporating superhydrophobic nanomaterials. This work lays the foundation for the development of multifunctional materials through the creation of self-healing superhydrophobic conductive composite coatings, which have a wide range of potential applications. Functionalized graphene oxide forms a coating on a flexible, self-repairing polyurethane film, resulting in the composite film with super-strong strength, toughness, high extensibility, conductivity, and superhydrophobicity. After damage, the composite film undergoes repair with minimal impact on its electrical conductivity and superhydrophobic properties. [Display omitted] • Self-healing polyurethane composites with a hierarchical hydrogen bonding structure was successfully prepared. • The surface of polyurethane coated with modified nanoparticles showing superhydrophobicity and electrical conductivity. • The composite film has excellent tensile strength, high stretchability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles were successfully deposited in situ on the pore wall of 3D enhanced graphene aerogel. • The aerogel has strong compression properties. • The aerogel has good microwave absorption performance with the minimum reflection loss -58.13 dB. Graphene aerogels with three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical porous structures have attracted considerable attention as absorptive materials. Here, an enhanced 3D graphene oxide/carbon nanotube/epoxy resin aerogel (GCEA) was used as a template to successfully deposit Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles on the pore walls through in-situ chemical precipitation, resulting in a 3D composite aerogel absorber (rGCEA@Fe 3 O 4) with both dielectric and magnetic loss properties. The rGCEA@Fe 3 O 4 possesses excellent structural stability, conductive network, and evenly distributed magnetic particles. The rGCEA@Fe 3 O 4 showed excellent electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption performance, with the minimum reflection loss (RL) reaching -58.13 dB at a frequency of 12.08 GHz and a thickness of 2.5 mm. The effective bandwidth was maximized at 6.64 GHz when the thickness was 2.2 mm. The aerogel prepared in this study can be directly used as encapsulation and absorptive materials for precision instruments. This work provides a new approach for the development of 3D hierarchical absorptive composite materials. Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles are deposited onto the pore wall of graphene aerogel through in-situ chemical precipitation method. Multiple heterogeneous interfaces are formed among graphene, CNTs and Fe 3 O 4 , leading to the occurrence of both dipole polarization and interface polarization phenomena. The prepared composite aerogel exhibits excellent dielectric and magnetic loss properties, demonstrating outstanding absorption performance. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Notoginsenoside R1 (NG-R1) exhibits a pharmacological activity against excessive inflammation. Here, we aimed to ascertain the anti-inflammatory role of NG-R1 in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) as well as the possible mechanism which is still under to be elucidated. In this study, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was applied to evoke extreme inflammation in ATDC5 cells. To investigate the anti-inflammatory property of NG-R1, ATDC5 cells were exposed to NG-R1 prior to LPS stimulation. microRNA-301a (miR-301a)-overexpressed ATDC5 cells were established which confirmed by qRT-PCR. Then, inflammatory lesions were indicated by cell viability, apoptosis and inflammatory factors, including interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathway was determined by Western blotting assay. We found NG-R1 dramatically dampened the decrease of cell viability, facilitation of apoptosis and abundance of inflammatory factors induced by LPS. Additionally, NG-R1 pre-incubation impeded LPS-induced accumulation of miR-301a. However, the protective capacity of NG-R1 was impaired by miR-301a overexpression. Of note, LPS-caused phosphorylation of p65 and inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B alpha (IκBα) was repressed by NG-R1, while further enhanced in miR-301-transfected ATDC5 cells. NG-R1 relived LPS-elicited inflammatory damages via blocking NF-κB in a miR-301a-silenced manner. • Notoginsenoside R1 protects ATDC5 cells from inflammation-caused lesions; • Lipopolysaccharide-induced miR-301a is eliminated by notoginsenoside R1; • miR-301a-mediated blockade of NF-κB pathway is triggered by notoginsenoside R1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Astragalus membranaceus has been clinically used in cerebral ischemia treatment in China and its main component, Astragaloside IV (Ast IV) shows anti-hypoxia activity, but the underlying mechanism has not been clearly clarified. This study was aimed to investigate the effects of Ast IV on hypoxia-induced injury in PC-12 cells as well as the underlying mechanism. Methods Relative miR-124 expression was detected by qRT-PCR. Hic-5 expression was analyzed by qRT-PCR and Western blot. To alter miR-124 and Hic-5 expressions, cells were respectively transfected with miR-124 mimic and pEX-Hic-5. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were measured by BrdU assay and Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocynate (FITC)/propidium iodide (PI) double staining method, respectively. Besides, apoptotic proteins and cell proliferation-associated factors were analyzed by Western blot. Results Ast IV alleviated hypoxia-induced injury in PC-12 cells by decreasing apoptosis ( P  <  0.01). Ast IV inhibited up-regulation of miR-124 induced by hypoxia ( P  <  0.01). miR-124 mimic impaired the anti-apoptotic effect of Ast IV on PC-12 cells ( P  <  0.01). Hic-5 expression was significantly down-regulated in miR-124 overexpressed cells ( P  <  0.001) and Hic-5 overexpression activated Sp1/Survivin signaling pathway ( P  <  0.001). Conclusion Ast IV could ameliorate hypoxia-induced injury in PC-12 cells by decreasing miR-124 expression and then up-regulating Hic-5 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]