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The unique structure of two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) with rich active sites makes it a promising catalyst, whereas it also brings structural instability. Surfactant-assisted synthesis of MoS2 can be regarded as a simple way to regulate the microstructure. In this work, the surfactant additives were adopted to optimize the microstructure of MoS2/sepiolite nanocomposite, and the effects of surfactants type and concentration were investigated. For the sample prepared with 1 mol/L sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), it exhibits the highest intensity for the peak of MoS2 at 14.2°, highly dispersed MoS2 nanosheet on the sepiolite, the lowest absorption intensity of Rhodamine B (RhB) at 553 nm of the wavelength, and the highest photocatalytic activity which is 2.5 times and 4.2 times higher than those prepared with 1 mol/L hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and 1 mol/L polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) after a 150-minute irradiation, respectively. The above results suggest SDBS is the optimal surfactant to optimize the microstructure of MoS2/sepiolite nanocomposite. This work could provide new insights into the fabrication of high-quality MoS2-based nanocomposite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curcuma longaLinn. (CLL) is widely used as a traditional herbal medicine for the prevention of diabetic vascular complications, but the potential active compounds and its bioaffinity property to cells remain obscure. In this study, cell membrane chromatography (CMC) was used to screen the active components binding to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Demethoxycurcumin and curcumin in CLL were identified as two cells-binding compounds. MTT and acridine orange-ethidium bromide (AO-EB) results demonstrated demethoxycurcumin and curcumin had protection activity on advanced glycation end products (AGEs)-induced HUVECs damage, including increasing cell viability and reducing apoptosis. CMC was also used to determine the bioaffinity property of these compounds to cells. The dissociation equilibrium constants (Kd) of demethoxycurcumin and curcumin were 3.173 ± 0.46 and 3.088 ± 0.51 nM. Maximum binding capacities (Bmax) were 22.61 ± 3.74 and 24.39 ± 2.11 fmol · mg−1protein. The IC50of demethoxycurcumin and curcumin were (2.50 ± 0.16) and (1.59 ± 0.28) × 10−7 M, respectively. Our results indicated that demethoxycurcumin and curcumin were the potential active compounds in CLL for the prevention of diabetic vascular complications, and CMC provided a rapid and efficient method for screening potential active components in traditional Chinese medicines against diabetic vascular complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, sepiolite mineral nanofibers are facilely prepared by a microwave-hydrogen peroxide method, and the bulk densities of the samples are adopted to evaluate the defibering effect. The samples are systematically characterized through X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, specific surface area measurement and zeta potential determination, and the adsorptive performance for heavy metal ions in aqueous solution is studied using cadmium ions as the representative. It is found that the specific surface area and cumulative pore volume increase respectively up to 109.21 m 2 g -1 and 0.234 cm 3 g -1 under the microwave power of 400 W, while the zeta potential reaches a maximum when the pH is 5.0. The adsorption efficiency of sepiolite mineral nanofibers for cadmium ions can reach 68.6% as the optimal value. The as-fabricated sepiolite nanofibers can be regarded as a low-cost and environmentally friendly material which is a promising candidate for heavy metal ion removal from industrial wastewater., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Chemoprevention is one feasible approach to decreasing morbidity and mortality of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The present study aimed to explore the mechanisms of chemoprevention of NSCLC by Prunella vulgaris L. (PV) using a PV extract of 60% ethanol (P-60). In an A/J mouse model benzo[a]pyrene induction of lung tumors was significantly reduced difference by P-60 group. In addition, P-60 was found to have the ability to regulate cell cycle and induce apoptosis in SPC-A-1 cells. Therefore, we propose that P-60 has potential as a lung cancer chemopreventive agent.