Abstract
The stability of organic solar cells is a key issue to promote practical applications. Herein, we demonstrate that the device performance of organic solar cells is enhanced by an Ir/IrO
x
...electron-transporting layer, benefiting from its suitable work function and heterogeneous distribution of surface energy in nanoscale. Notably, the champion Ir/IrO
x
-based devices exhibit superior stabilities under shelf storing (
T
80
= 56696 h), thermal aging (
T
70
= 13920 h), and maximum power point tracking (
T
80
= 1058 h), compared to the ZnO-based devices. It can be attributed to the stable morphology of photoactive layer resulting from the optimized molecular distribution of the donor and acceptor and the absence of photocatalysis in the Ir/IrO
x
-based devices, which helps to maintain the improved charge extraction and inhibited charge recombination in the aged devices. This work provides a reliable and efficient electron-transporting material toward stable organic solar cells.
The dramatic increase in the use of biomass waste has caused a serious environmental pollution phenomenon. Biowaste valorization to produce advanced material-hydrochar is regarded as a promising ...carbon neutrality technology for biomass waste recycling and utilization. Hydrochar obtained by hydrothermal carbonization has attracted much attention due to its regular morphology, good physical and chemical stability, and abundant oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface. This reviews the preparation of hydrochar and the basic methods of modified hydrochar and expounds on the related reaction mechanism of adsorption. The adsorption and recovery of heavy metals, Cr (VI) and Cd (II), in wastewater by hydrochar were focused on. The experimental conditions of hydrochar, such as synthesis temperature, synthesis time, modified condition, adsorption capacity, adsorption isotherm, and adsorption kinetics, were compared. The adsorption conditions of hydrochar for Cr (VI) and Cd (II) in wastewater, including the adsorption pH value, the adsorption time, the adsorption temperature, and so on, have been summarized. The review develops a better understanding of Cr (VI) and Cd (II) adsorption by hydrochar in wastewater, making an innovative perspective for the improvement and large-scale application of hydrochar as an advanced carbon material as well as biowaste utilization.
Timely in situ imaging and effective treatment are efficient strategies in improving the therapeutic effect and survival rate of tumor patients. In recent years, there has been rapid progress in the ...development of DNA nanomaterials for tumor in situ imaging and treatment, due to their unsurpassed structural stability, excellent material editability, excellent biocompatibility and individual endocytic pathway. Tetrahedral framework nucleic acids (tFNAs), are a typical example of DNA nanostructures demonstrating superior stability, biocompatibility, cell-entry performance, and flexible drug-loading ability. tFNAs have been shown to be effective in achieving timely tumor in situ imaging and precise treatment. Therefore, the progress in the fabrication, characterization, modification and cellular internalization pathway of tFNAs-based functional systems and their potential in tumor in situ imaging and treatment applications were systematically reviewed in this article. In addition, challenges and future prospects of tFNAs in tumor in situ imaging and treatment as well as potential clinical applications were discussed.
•The progress of tFNA-based functional systems were reviewed.•The applications of tFNA were systematically reviewed.•Challenges and future prospects of tFNAs were discussed•Potential clinical applications of tFNAs were discussed.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Acute kidney injury (AKI) induced by cisplatin (cis-AKI) involves indicators such as inflammation and oxidative stress (OS) in proximal tubules, although its underlying mechanisms remain largely ...unknown so far. Exploration of the molecular mechanisms underlying cisplatin-induced AKI is of great significance for AKI prevention and also for preventing its progression into chronic kidney disease (CKD) or end-stage renal disease (ESRD). OS and ferroptosis are mutually causal; they finally lead to the regulatory cell injury and death induced by the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). GPX4 is critical not only in OS, but studies established as the key regulator of ferroptosis. In this context, the present study focused on determining the biological function of miR-214-3p in the cisplatin-induced ferroptosis of tubular epithelial cell (TEC) and the underlying molecular mechanism. The relationship between TEC ferroptosis and cisplatin-induced AKI was investigated in vitro and in vivo. Ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1), an inhibitor of ferroptosis, was observed to confer a protective effect against the renal tubular injury and renal failure induced by cisplatin. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate the genes that have important functions in the development of cis-AKI. In the present study, GPX4 was predicted as a target of miR-214–3p. Moreover, inhibiting miR-214-3p enhanced the expressions of GPX4 and SLC7A11 while decreasing the ACSL4 expression. Furthermore, miR-214-3p down-regulation protected against TEC death and renal tubule damage both in vitro and in vivo. According to these findings, inhibiting miR-214-3p would alleviate TEC ferroptosis in cis-AKI via GPX4.
The limited understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying MYCN-amplified (MNA) neuroblastoma (NB) has hindered the identification of effective therapeutic targets for MNA NB, contributing to ...its higher mortality rate compared to MYCN non-amplified (non-MNA) NB. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis integrating metabolomics and transcriptomics was conducted to systematically investigate the MNA NB. Metabolomics analysis utilized plasma samples from 28 MNA NB patients and 68 non-MNA NB patients, while transcriptomics analysis employed tissue samples from 15 MNA NB patients and 37 non-MNA NB patients. Notably, joint metabolomics and transcriptomics analysis was performed. A total of 46 metabolites exhibited alterations, with 21 displaying elevated levels and 25 demonstrating reduced levels in MNA NB. In addition, 884 mRNAs in MNA NB showed significant changes, among which 766 mRNAs were higher and 118 mRNAs were lower. Joint-pathway analysis revealed three aberrant pathways involving glycerolipid metabolism, purine metabolism, and lysine degradation. This study highlights the substantial differences in metabolomics and transcriptomics between MNA NB and non-MNA NB, identifying three abnormal metabolic pathways that may serve as potential targets for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying MNA NB.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Melatonin (Mt) functions as a growth regulator and multifunctional signaling molecule in plants, thereby playing a crucial role in promoting growth and orchestrating protective responses to various ...abiotic stresses. However, the mechanism whereby exogenous Mt protects Lonicera japonica Thunb. (L. japonica) against salt stress has not been fully elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate how exogenous Mt alleviates sodium chloride (NaCl) stress in L. japonica seedlings. Salt-sensitive L. japonica seedlings were treated with an aqueous solution containing 150 mM of NaCl and aqueous solutions containing various concentrations of Mt. The results revealed that treatment of NaCl-stressed L. japonica seedlings with a 60 µM aqueous solution of Mt significantly enhanced vegetative plant growth by scavenging reactive oxygen species and thus reducing oxidative stress. The latter was evidenced by decreases in electrical conductivity and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations. Moreover, Mt treatment led to increases in the NaCl-stressed L. japonica seedlings’ total chlorophyll content, soluble sugar content, and flavonoid content, demonstrating that Mt treatment improved the seedlings’ tolerance of NaCl stress. This was also indicated by the NaCl-stressed L. japonica seedlings exhibiting marked increases in the activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase) and in photosynthetic functions. Furthermore, Mt treatment of NaCl-stressed L. japonica seedlings increased their expression of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase 1 (PAL1), phenylalanine ammonia-lyase 2 (PAL2), calcium-dependent protein kinase (CPK), cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD), flavanol synthase (FLS), and chalcone synthase (CHS). In conclusion, our results demonstrate that treatment of L. japonica seedlings with a 60 µM aqueous solution of Mt significantly ameliorated the detrimental effects of NaCl stress in the seedlings. Therefore, such treatment has substantial potential for use in safeguarding medicinal plant crops against severe salinity.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a major cause of acute kidney injury (AKI). As a transcription factor, the Transcript induced in spermiogenesis 40 (Tisp40) has been found to be involved in ...renal IRI. However, the role of Tisp40 in tubular epithelial cell (TEC) pyroptosis of renal IRI remains unknown. In this study, we investigated effects of Tisp40 on Gasdermin D (GSDMD)-mediated TEC pyroptosis in renal IRI and underlying molecular mechanisms in I/R-induced kidney by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay,immunohistochemistry (IHC), reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blot analysis
in vivo
and oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R)-stimulated TCMK-1 cells by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay, CCK-8 assay,enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), flow cytometric analysis, immunofluorescence staining,RT-qPCRand western blot analysis
in vitro
. We found that the levels of Tisp40 and GSDMD-N expression increased gradually, and peaked at 30 min ischemia/24 h reperfusion
in vivo
and 24 h OGD/R/6 h reoxygenation
in vitro
, simultaneously, the levels of TEC pyroptosis and renal injury were correspondingly increased. The data of Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that the expression of Tisp40 and GSDMD-N was positively correlated. Furthermore, Tisp40 overexpression aggravated TEC pyroptosis rate and increased the expressions of related proteins, including GSDMD-N, NLRP3, caspase-1, IL-1β, and IL-18 in the OGD/R-stimulated TCMK-1 cell line, whereas the opposite occurred in cells treated with small interfeing RNA (siRNA) targeting Tisp40. Tisp40-deficient mice showed attenuated renal IRI and pyroptosis compared with wild-type mice. In addition, Tisp40 knockout remarkably decreased the levels of GSDMD-N, IL-1β, IL-18, NLRP3, and caspase-1 expression, and alleviated renal pyroptosis induced by I/R. Importantly, Tisp40 overexpression significantly increased TECs pyroptosis via p-p65 activation, however, the effects of Tisp40 overexpression were partially blocked by parthenolide (PTL). Collectively, our findings provide insight into the mechanism of how Tisp40 regulated GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis in renal IRI.
Lead affects photosynthesis and growth and has serious toxic effects on plants. Here, the differential expressed proteins (DEPs) in D. huoshanense were investigated under different applications of ...lead acetate solutions. Using label-free quantitative proteomics methods, more than 12,000 peptides and 2,449 proteins were identified. GO and KEGG functional annotations show that these differential proteins mainly participate in carbohydrate metabolism, energy metabolism, amino acid metabolism, translation, protein folding, sorting, and degradation, as well as oxidation and reduction processes. A total of 636 DEPs were identified, and lead could induce the expression of most proteins. KEGG enrichment analysis suggested that proteins involved in processes such as homologous recombination, vitamin B6 metabolism, flavonoid biosynthesis, cellular component organisation or biogenesis, and biological regulation were significantly enriched. Nearly 40 proteins are involved in DNA replication and repair, RNA synthesis, transport, and splicing. The effect of lead stress on D. huoshanense may be achieved through photosynthesis, oxidative phosphorylation, and the production of excess antioxidant substances. The expression of 9 photosynthesis-related proteins and 12 oxidative phosphorylation-related proteins was up-regulated after lead stress. Furthermore, a total of 3 SOD, 12 POD, 3 CAT, and 7 ascorbate-related metabolic enzymes were identified. Under lead stress, almost all key enzymes involved in the synthesis of antioxidant substances are up-regulated, which may facilitate the scavenging of oxygen-free radical scavenging. The expression levels of some key enzymes involved in sugar and glycoside synthesis, the phenylpropanoid synthesis pathway, and the terpene synthesis pathway also increased. More than 30 proteins involved in heavy metal transport were also identified. Expression profiling revealed a significant rise in the expression of the ABC-type multidrug resistance transporter, copper chaperone, and P-type ATPase with exposure to lead stress. Our findings lay the basis for research on the response and resistance of D. huoshanense to heavy metal stress.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Cordycepin has good antitumor activity, but its clinical application is limited due to the easy deamination of N6 in structure. In this study, a large lipolysis group was introduced at the cordycepin ...N6 to improve the problem, cordycepin derivatives (
-
) were synthesized, and biological evaluation of compounds was studied. In this study, the vitro antitumor activity of the compounds against MCF7 cells, HepG2 cells and SGC-7901 cells was evaluated by MTT assay. In the results, compound
showed the most obvious inhibitory effect on MCF7 cells with an IC
value of 27.57 ± 0.52 μM, which was much lower than cordycepin. Compound
showed high selectivity between MCF7 and normal MCF-10A cells. Further biological evaluation showed that compound
promoted apoptosis and blocked the cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase. Then, Western Blot was used to detect related apoptotic proteins. It was found that Compound
could down-regulate the expression of Bcl-2 protein and up-regulate the expression of p53, Bax, Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 proteins. The mitochondrial membrane potential decreased continuously and the positive expression rate decreased. It was speculated that compound
induced the apoptosis of MCF7 cells through the mitochondrial pathway.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
The
TIFY
family consists of plant-specific genes that regulates multiple plant functions, including developmental and defense responses. Here, we performed a comprehensive genomic analysis of
TIFY
...genes in
Dendrobium huoshanense
. Our analysis encompassed their phylogenetic relationships, gene structures, chromosomal distributions, promoter regions, and patterns of collinearity. A total of 16
DhTIFY
genes were identified, and classified into distinct clusters named JAZ, PPD, ZIM, and TIFY based on their phylogenetic relationship. These
DhTIFY
s exhibited an uneven distribution across 7 chromosomes. The expansion of the
DhTIFY
gene family appears to have been significantly influenced by whole-genome and segmental duplication events. The ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous substitutions (Ka/Ks) implies that the purifying selection has been predominant, maintaining a constrained functional diversification after duplication events. Gene structure analysis indicated that
DhTIFY
s exhibited significant structural variation, particularly in terms of gene organization and intron numbers. Moreover, numerous
cis
-acting elements related to hormone signaling, developmental processes, and stress responses were identified within the promoter regions. Subsequently, qRT-PCR experiments demonstrated that the expression of
DhTIFYs
is modulated in response to MeJA (Methyl jasmonate), cold, and drought treatment. Collectively, these results enhance our understanding of the functional dynamics of
TIFY
genes in
D. huoshanense
and may pinpoint potential candidates for detailed examination of the biological roles of
TIFY
genes.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ