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The coupled utilization of solar and thermal energy is considered an efficient way to improve the efficiency of CO2 reduction. Herein, palygorskite (Pal) clay is as a silicon source, while Co2+ is introduced to prepare two-dimensional Co2SiO4 nanosheets, and the excess of Co2+ leads to the growth of Co3O4 on the surface of Co2SiO4 to obtain an S-scheme Co2SiO4/Co3O4−x heterojunction, which facilitates the charge transfer and maintains higher redox potentials. Benefiting from black color and a narrow band gap, the cobalt oxide on the surface can increase the light absorption and produce a local photothermal effect. Under proper thermal activation conditions, the photoelectrons captured by the abundant oxygen vacancies can obtain a secondary leap to the semiconductor conduction band (CB), suppressing the recombination of electron-hole pairs, thus favoring the electron transfer on Co2SiO4/Co3O4−x. The composites not only have abundant oxygen vacancies, but also have a large specific surface area for the adsorption and activation of CO2. The yields of CH3OH on Co2SiO4/Co3O4−5% reach as high as 48.9 μmol·g−1·h−1 under simulated sunlight irradiation. In situ DRIFTS is used to explore the photocatalytic reduction CO2 mechanism. It is found that the thermal effect facilitates the generation of the key intermediate COOH* species. This work provides a new strategy for photothermal catalytic CO2 reduction by taking advantage of natural clay and solar energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we used Caenorhabditis elegans assay system to investigate in vivo toxicity from clentuberol and ractopamine and the possible underlying mechanism. Both acute and prolonged exposures to clentuberol or ractopamine decreased brood size and locomotion behavior, and induced intestinal autofluorescence and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Although acute exposure to the examined concentrations of clentuberol or ractopamine did not induce lethality, prolonged exposure to 10 µg/L of clentuberol and ractopamine reduced lifespan. At relatively high concentrations, ractopamine exhibited more severe toxicity than clentuberol on nematodes. Overexpression of sod-2 gene encoding a Mn-SOD to prevent induction of oxidative stress effectively inhibited toxicity from clentuberol or ractopamine. Besides oxidative stress, we found that clentuberol might reduce lifespan through influencing insulin/IGF signaling pathway; however, ractopamine might reduce lifespan through affecting both insulin/IGF signaling pathway and TOR signaling pathway. Ractopamine more severely decreased expression levels of daf-16, sgk-1, skn-1, and aak-2 genes than clentuberol, and increased expression levels of daf-2 and age-1 genes at the examined concentration. Therefore, the C. elegans assay system may be useful for assessing the possible toxicity from weight loss agents, and clentuberol and ractopamine may induce toxicity through different molecular mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have showed that wheat gluten hydrolysate (WGH) has the anti-oxidative property. In the present study, we examined the possible safety property of WGH and the beneficial effects of WGH to extend lifespan and induce stress resistance using nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as the in vivo assay system. We found that WGH at concentrations of 0.1–1 mg/mL did not cause lethality, influence development, alter locomotion behavior and brood size, and induce significant intestinal autofluorescence and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in young adults. Treatment with 0.1–1 mg/mL of WGH significantly extended lifespans of nematodes under the normal conditions. Moreover, WGH treatment significantly inhibited the induction of intestinal autofluorescence and suppressed the decrease in locomotion behavior during the aging process of nematodes. Furthermore, pre-treatment with 1 mg/mL of WGH significantly suppressed the adverse effects caused by heat-stress or oxidative stress on nematodes as indicated by the alterations of both lifespan and intestinal ROS production. Therefore, WGH treatment is relatively safe and has beneficial effects on nematodes under both the normal conditions and the stress conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urolithins (hydroxylated 6H-benzo[c]chromen-6-ones) are the main bioavailable metabolites of ellagic acid (EA), which was shown to be a cognitive enhancer in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. As part of this research, a series of alkoxylated 6H-benzo[c]chromen-6-one derivatives were designed and synthesized. Furthermore, their biological activities were evaluated as potential PDE2 inhibitors, and the alkoxylated 6H-benzo[c]chromen-6-one derivative 1f was found to have the optimal inhibitory potential (IC50: 3.67 ± 0.47 μM). It also exhibited comparable activity in comparison to that of BAY 60-7550 in vitro cell level studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have showed that wheat gluten hydrolysate (WGH) has the anti-oxidative property. In the present study, we examined the possible safety property of WGH and the beneficial effects of WGH to extend lifespan and induce stress resistance using nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as the in vivo assay system. We found that WGH at concentrations of 0.1–1 mg/mL did not cause lethality, influence development, alter locomotion behavior and brood size, and induce significant intestinal autofluorescence and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in young adults. Treatment with 0.1–1 mg/mL of WGH significantly extended lifespans of nematodes under the normal conditions. Moreover, WGH treatment significantly inhibited the induction of intestinal autofluorescence and suppressed the decrease in locomotion behavior during the aging process of nematodes. Furthermore, pre-treatment with 1 mg/mL of WGH significantly suppressed the adverse effects caused by heat-stress or oxidative stress on nematodes as indicated by the alterations of both lifespan and intestinal ROS production. Therefore, WGH treatment is relatively safe and has beneficial effects on nematodes under both the normal conditions and the stress conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Polysaccharide isolated from Bletilla striata, a well-known traditional Chinese medicine (Bletilla striata polysaccharide [BSP]) has been found to play important roles in endothelial cells proliferation, inducible nitric oxide stimulation, wound healing acceleration and other processes. Recent studies found that B. striata has anti-oxidative properties, however, potential anti-aging effects of BSP in whole organisms has not been characterized., Objective: To investigate whether BSP has anti-aging effects on Caenorhabditis elegans., Materials and Methods: After treatment with BSP, the lifespan, locomotion ability, and stress resistance of C. elegans was determined. To provide insight into the underlying mechanism for the anti-aging effect of BSP, we measured its effect on bacterial growth, brood size of C. elegans, and the insulin/insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling pathway., Results: After BSP treatment, the lifespan of C. elegans was extended, and its locomotion ability and stress resistance were increased. BSP was found to have no effect on bacterial growth or on reproduction of C. elegans, However, mRNA levels of age-1 and hcf-1 were reduced after BSP treatment. Additionally, we observed that BSP did not extend the lifespan of daf-16 mutant animals., Conclusion: BSP produces an anti-aging effect on C. elegans through the insulin/IGF signaling pathway and holds promise for future development as a functional food.