Aniline-modified ZIF derived Co/N codoped carbon: Co@NC-PhA-3 can achieve base-free oxidative esterification of HMF under ambient conditions due to its higher specific surface area, the protective ...carbon shell of smaller Co NPs and higher N content. Furthermore, a synergistic catalytic effect between CoNx sites and Co NPs has also been disclosed.
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An efficient, sustainable and scalable strategy for the synthesis of porous cobalt/nitrogen co-doped carbons (Co@NCs) via pyrolysis of aniline-modified ZIFs, has been demonstrated. Aniline can coordinate and absorb on the surface of ZIF (ZIF-CoZn3-PhA), accelerate the precipitation of ZIFs, thus resulting in smaller ZIF particle size. Meanwhile, the aniline on the surface of ZIF-CoZn3-PhA promotes the formation of the protective carbon shell and smaller Co nanoparticles, and increases nitrogen content of the catalyst. Because of these properties of Co@NC-PhA-3, the oxidative esterification of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural can be carried out under ambient conditions. According to our experimental and computational results, a synergistic catalytic effect between CoNx sites and Co nanoparticles has been established, in which both Co nanoparticles and CoNx can activate O2 while Co nanoparticles bind and oxidize HMF. Moreover, the formation and release of active oxygen species in CoNx sites are reinforced by the electronic interaction between Co nanoparticles and CoNx.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The ascomycete fungus Beauveria bassiana is a pathogen of hundreds of insect species and is commercially produced as an environmentally friendly mycoinsecticide. We sequenced the genome of B. ...bassiana and a phylogenomic analysis confirmed that ascomycete entomopathogenicity is polyphyletic, but also revealed convergent evolution to insect pathogenicity. We also found many species-specific virulence genes and gene family expansions and contractions that correlate with host ranges and pathogenic strategies. These include B. bassiana having many more bacterial-like toxins (suggesting an unsuspected potential for oral toxicity) and effector-type proteins. The genome also revealed that B. bassiana resembles the closely related Cordyceps militaris in being heterothallic, although its sexual stage is rarely observed. A high throughput RNA-seq transcriptomic analysis revealed that B. bassiana could sense and adapt to different environmental niches by activating well-defined gene sets. The information from this study will facilitate further development of B. bassiana as a cost-effective mycoinsecticide.
Hyperlipidemia, characterized by elevated serum lipid concentrations resulting from lipid metabolism dysfunction, represents a prevalent global health concern. Ginsenoside Rb1, compound K (CK), and ...20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD), bioactive constituents derived from Panax ginseng, have shown promise in mitigating lipid metabolism disorders. However, the comparative efficacy and underlying mechanisms of these compounds in hyperlipidemia prevention remain inadequately explored. This study investigates the impact of ginsenoside Rb1, CK, and PPD supplementation on hyperlipidemia in rats induced by a high-fat diet. Our findings demonstrate that ginsenoside Rb1 significantly decreased body weight and body weight gain, ameliorated hepatic steatosis, and improved dyslipidemia in HFD-fed rats, outperforming CK and PPD. Moreover, ginsenoside Rb1, CK, and PPD distinctly modified gut microbiota composition and function. Ginsenoside Rb1 increased the relative abundance of
and
, while PPD elevated
levels. Both CK and PPD increased
and
, whereas
and
were reduced following treatment with all three compounds. Notably, only ginsenoside Rb1 enhanced lipid metabolism by modulating the PPARγ/ACC/FAS signaling pathway and promoting fatty acid β-oxidation. Additionally, all three ginsenosides markedly improved bile acid enterohepatic circulation via the FXR/CYP7A1 pathway, reducing hepatic and serum total bile acids and modulating bile acid pool composition by decreasing primary/unconjugated bile acids (CA, CDCA, and β-MCA) and increasing conjugated bile acids (TCDCA, GCDCA, GDCA, and TUDCA), correlated with gut microbiota changes. In conclusion, our results suggest that ginsenoside Rb1, CK, and PPD supplementation offer promising prebiotic interventions for managing HFD-induced hyperlipidemia in rats, with ginsenoside Rb1 demonstrating superior efficacy.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
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•Chronic DEP exposure caused thyroid hormone disorders in the serum of rats.•DEP led to abnormal expression of thyroid hormone-related genes in the rat liver.•DEP exposure did not ...affect serum sex hormone levels or sperm quality in rats.•DEP can interact with thyroid hormone-related enzymes/proteins in silico.•DEP may be a potential thyroid hormone-disrupting chemical.
Organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) remain one of the most commonly used pesticides, and their detection rates and residues in agricultural products, foods and environmental samples have been underestimated. Humans and environmental organisms are at high risk of exposure to OPs. Most OPs can be degraded and metabolized into dialkyl phosphates (DAPs) in organisms and the environment, and can be present in urine as biomarkers for exposure to OPs, of which diethyl phosphate (DEP) is a high-exposure metabolite. Epidemiological and cohort studies have found that DAPs are associated with endocrine hormone disorders, especially sex hormone disorders and thyroid hormone disorders, but there has been no direct causal evidence to support these findings. Our study explored the effects of chronic exposure to DEP on endocrine hormones and related metabolic indicators in adult male rats at actual doses that can be reached in the human body. The results showed that chronic exposure to DEP could cause thyroid-related hormone disorders in the serum of rats, causing symptoms of hyperthyroidism in rats, and could also lead to abnormal expression of thyroid hormone-related genes in the rat liver. However, DEP exposure did not seem to affect serum sex hormone levels, spermatogenesis or sperm quality in rats. The molecular interactions between DEP and thyroid hormone-related enzymes/proteins were investigated by molecular docking and molecular dynamics methods in silico. It was found that DEP could strongly interact with thyroid hormone biosynthesis, blood transport, receptor binding and metabolism-related enzymes/proteins, interfering with the production and signal regulation of thyroid hormones. In vivo and in silico experiments showed that DEP might be a potential thyroid hormone-disrupting chemical, and therefore, we need to be more cautious and rigorous regarding organophosphorus chemical exposure.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Atractylodis Rhizoma (AR), mainly includes Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC. (A. lancea) and Atractylodes chinensis (DC.) Koidz. (A. chinensis) is widely used in East Asia as a diuretic and stomachic ...drug, for the treatment of rheumatic diseases, digestive disorders, night blindness, and influenza as it contains a variety of sesquiterpenoids and other components of medicinal importance.
A systematic summary on the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, and quality control of AR was presented to explore the future therapeutic potential and scientific potential of this plant.
A review of the literature was performed by consulting scientific databases including Google Scholar, Web of Science, Baidu Scholar, Springer, PubMed, ScienceDirect, CNKI, etc. Plant taxonomy was confirmed to the database “The Plant List”.
Over 200 chemical compounds have been isolated from AR, notably sesquiterpenoids and alkynes. Various pharmacological activities have been demonstrated, especially improving gastrointestinal function and thus allowed to assert most of the traditional uses of AR.
The researches on AR are extensive, but gaps still remain. The molecular mechanism, structure-activity relationship, potential synergistic and antagonistic effects of these components need to be further elucidated. It is suggested that further studies should be carried out in the aspects of comprehensive evaluation of the quality of medicinal materials, understanding of the “effective forms” and “additive effects” of the pharmacodynamic substances based on the same pharmacophore of TCM, and its long-term toxicity in vivo and clinical efficacy.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The neonicotinoid pesticide, imidacloprid (IMI), is frequently detected in the environment and in foods. It is absorbed and metabolized by the intestine; however, its effects on intestinal barrier ...integrity are not well studied. We investigated whether IMI disrupts the permeability of the intestinal epithelial barrier via in vivo tests on male Wistar rats, in vitro assays using the human intestinal epithelial cell line, Caco-2, and in silico analyses. A repeated oral dose 90-day toxicity study was performed (0.06 mg/kg body weight/day). IMI exposure significantly increased intestinal permeability, which led to significantly elevated serum levels of endotoxin and inflammatory biomarkers (tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1 beta) without any variation in body weight. Decreased transepithelial electrical resistance with increased permeability was also observed in 100 nM and 100 μM IMI-treated Caco-2 cell monolayers. Amounts of tight junction proteins in IMI-treated colon tissues and between IMI-treated Caco-2 cells were significantly lower than those of controls. Increased levels of myosin light chain phosphorylation, myosin light chain kinase (MLCK), and p65 subunit of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB p65) phosphorylation were found in IMI-exposed cells compared with control cells. Furthermore, the barrier loss caused by IMI was rescued by the MLCK inhibitor, ML-7, and cycloheximide. Pregnane X receptor (PXR, NR1I2) was inhibited by low-dose IMI treatment. In silico analysis indicated potent binding sites between PXR and IMI. Together, these data illustrate that IMI induces intestinal epithelial barrier disruption and produces an inflammatory response, involving the down-regulation of tight junctions and disturbance of the PXR-NF-κB p65-MLCK signaling pathway. The intestinal barrier disruption caused by IMI deserves attention in assessing the safety of this neonicotinoid pesticide.
Mechanism related to imidacloprid induced intestinal barrier disruption. Display omitted
•The intestinal epithelium is susceptible to oral administration of IMI.•IMI disrupts intestinal epithelial barrier by decreasing expression of tight junction proteins.•PXR inhibition by IMI triggers NF-κB-MLCK signaling to disrupt tight junctions.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Species in the ascomycete fungal genus Cordyceps have been proposed to be the teleomorphs of Metarhizium species. The latter have been widely used as insect biocontrol agents. Cordyceps species are ...highly prized for use in traditional Chinese medicines, but the genes responsible for biosynthesis of bioactive components, insect pathogenicity and the control of sexuality and fruiting have not been determined.
Here, we report the genome sequence of the type species Cordyceps militaris. Phylogenomic analysis suggests that different species in the Cordyceps/Metarhizium genera have evolved into insect pathogens independently of each other, and that their similar large secretomes and gene family expansions are due to convergent evolution. However, relative to other fungi, including Metarhizium spp., many protein families are reduced in C. militaris, which suggests a more restricted ecology. Consistent with its long track record of safe usage as a medicine, the Cordyceps genome does not contain genes for known human mycotoxins. We establish that C. militaris is sexually heterothallic but, very unusually, fruiting can occur without an opposite mating-type partner. Transcriptional profiling indicates that fruiting involves induction of the Zn2Cys6-type transcription factors and MAPK pathway; unlike other fungi, however, the PKA pathway is not activated.
The data offer a better understanding of Cordyceps biology and will facilitate the exploitation of medicinal compounds produced by the fungus.
Suzuki coupling reaction is a widely practiced protocol in organic synthesis for the formation of C–C bonds. The conventional process for this reaction usually involves high temperatures and noble ...metals. Hence, the development of a green, cost-effective photocatalytic system is an attractive and challenging strategy for the reaction. Here, we report a modified palladium-free Co-doped BiOCl/Ce-doped Bi2O2CO3 (CBCB) composite, which shows high photocatalytic activity under white LED irradiation. At room temperature, an excellent yield (91%) of the desired cross-coupling product biphenyl was obtained in environmentally friendly solvents. Density functional calculations, together with the experimental results, show that the presence of Co and Ce ions results in the appearance of some impurity levels near the Fermi level of pure BiOCl and Bi2O2CO3, which decreases their forbidden bandwidth, thus ensuring higher light absorption and superior electronic conductivity. Moreover, the intimate interfacial contact between Co-doped BiOCl and Ce-doped Bi2O2CO3 planes has a significant impact on the separation and transfer of photoinduced charge carriers, which ultimately leads to a remarkable increase in visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity.
An extended asynchronous switching model is investigated for a class of switched stochastic nonlinear retarded systems in the presence of both detection delay and false alarm, where the extended ...asynchronous switching is described by two independent and exponentially distributed stochastic processes, and further simplified as Markovian. Based on the Razumikhin-type theorem incorporated with average dwell-time approach, the sufficient criteria for global asymptotic stability in probability and stochastic input-to-state stability are given, whose importance and effectiveness are finally verified by numerical examples.
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