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Background: The development of pulmonary fibrosis involves a cascade of events, in which inflammation mediated by immune cells plays a pivotal role. Chemotherapeutic drugs have been shown to have dual effects on fibrosis, with bleomycin exacerbating pulmonary fibrosis and bortezomib alleviating tissue fibrotic processes. Understanding the intricate interplay between chemotherapeutic drugs, immune responses, and pulmonary fibrosis is likely to serve as the foundation for crafting tailored therapeutic strategies. Methods: A model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis was established, followed by treatment with bortezomib. Tissue samples were collected for analysis of immune cell subsets and functional assessment by flow cytometry and in vitro cell experiments. Additionally, multi-omics analysis was conducted to further elucidate the expression of chemokines and chemokine receptors, as well as the characteristics of cell populations. Results: Here, we observed that the expression of CXCL16 and CXCR6 was elevated in the lung tissue of a pulmonary fibrosis model. In the context of pulmonary fibrosis or TGF-β1 stimulation in vitro, macrophages exhibited an M2-polarized phenotype and secreted more CXCL16 than those of the control group. Moreover, flow cytometry revealed increased expression levels of CD69 and CXCR6 in pulmonary CD4 T cells during fibrosis progression. The administration of bortezomib alleviated bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis, accompanied by reduced ratio of M2-polarized macrophages and decreased accumulation of CD4 T cells expressing CXCR6. Conclusions: Our findings provide insights into the key immune players involved in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis and offer preclinical evidence supporting the repurposing strategy and combination approaches to reduce lung fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal-doped carbon materials are regarded as a promising replacement of commercial Pt/C catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in polymer-electrolyte-membrane fuel cells and metal–air batteries. The current fabrication methods are generally very complex and involve the introduction of foreign species onto the surface or into the voids of carbon nanostructures; this leads to loose attachment and severe aggregation over long term usage, weakening the synergetic effects between the host and guest species. Herein, we report a facile and scalable method to fabricate Fe, N, and S co-doped carbon nanotubes (Fe-NSCNT). Specifically, iron species were precipitated in situ and further converted to Fe3O4 nanoparticles enchased in the wall structures of N/S-doped CNTs (NSCNTs), resulting in a greatly reinforced synergistic effect. The Fe-NSCNT catalysts thus obtained showed excellent ORR performance, with a four-electron selectivity, high methanol tolerance, enhanced stability (no significant loss after 6 h, cf. 19% loss for 20% Pt/C), and high diffusion-limited current density (6.01 mA cm−2, higher than 5.79 mA cm−2 of the commercial Pt/C), comparable to that of the state-of-the-art Pt/C catalyst in alkaline media. Furthermore, when used as Zn–air battery cathode materials, the Fe-NSCNT catalyst enabled the same voltage (1.17 V at 20 mA cm−2) and specific capacity comparable (∼720 mA h gZn−1 at 10 mA cm−2) to that of the commercial Pt/C (∼735 mA h gZn−1 at 10 mA cm−2), indicating its great potential in replacing Pt/C for the practical applications in noble metal-free Zn–air batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high rate of charge recombination in quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSCs) limits their power conversion efficiency. Here we address a facile way to reduce back electron transfer of QDSCs by introducing a thin MgO bridge layer between the TiO2 film and quantum dots. The ternary CdSSe QDs were used as our model system, and the MgO-coated TiO2-based ternary QDSCs showed a fill factor 41 % larger and efficiency 29 % higher than non-coated ones. The enhanced performance is owing to the reduced recombination induced by the MgO bridge layer, which has been confirmed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and intensity-modulated photovoltage spectroscopy (IMVS) analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hierarchical SnO2 nanoflowers, assembled from single-crystalline SnO2 nanosheets with high-index (11 $ \bar 3 $) and (10 $ \bar 2 $) facets exposed, are prepared via a hydrothermal method using sodium fluoride as the morphology controlling agent. Formation of the 3D hierarchical architecture comprising of SnO2 nanosheets takes place via Ostwald ripening mechanism, with the growth orientation regulated by the adsorbate fluorine species. The use of Sn(II) precursor results in simultaneous Sn2+ self-doping of SnO2 nanoflowers with tunable oxygen vacancy bandgap states. The latter further results in the shifting of semiconductor Fermi levels and extended absorption in the visible spectral range. With increased density of states of Sn2+-doped SnO2 selective facets, this gives rise to enhanced interfacial charge transfer, that is, high sensing response, and selectivity towards oxidizing NO2 gas. The better gas sensing performance over (10 $ \bar 2 $) compared to (11 $ \bar 3 $) faceted SnO2 nanostructures is elucidated by surface energetic calculations and Bader analyses. This work highlights the possibility of simultaneous engineering of surface energetics and electronic properties of SnO2 based materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]