Eriodictyol attenuates spinal cord injury by activating Nrf2/HO-1 pathway and inhibiting NF-κB pathway

Purpose: To investigate the effect of eriodictyol on spinal cord injury (SCI) and its underlying mechanism of action.Methods: Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to sham, SCI, and eriodictyol-treated groups (SCI + Eri; 10, 20, and 50 mg/kg). Moderate spinal cord contusion injury was induced to model SCI. Locomotor recovery was assessed based on Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) score. Pain wasevaluated by paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) and latency (PWL), and spinal cord water content was measured. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) expression were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Immunoassay was used to determine malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) levels while Western blotting was employed to evaluate nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and phosphorylated NF-κB (p-NF-κB) levels.Results: Eriodictyol elevated BBB score, PWT, and PWL in SCI rats but reduced spinal cord water content (p < 0.05). Eriodictyol treatment down-regulated TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and MDA, whereas SOD, GSH, and GSH-PX levels were elevated (p < 0.05). Eriodictyol administration increased Nrf2 and HO-1 levels but reduced p-NF-κB/NF-κB.Conclusion: This study provides a potential therapy to promote long-term functional recovery following SCI. Keywords: Spinal cord injury, Eriodictyol, Nrf2/HO-1 pathway, NF-κB signaling pathway, Polymerase chain reaction, Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan scor

Improved oxidation resistance of high emissivity coatings on fibrous ceramic for reusable space systems

To develop high emissivity coatings on fibrous ceramic substrates with improved thermal resistance for reusable space systems, WSi2–MoSi2–Si–SiB6-borosilicate glass coatings were prepared on fibrous ZrO2 by slurry dipping and subsequent high temperature rapid sintering. A coating with 20 wt% WSi2 and 50 wt% MoSi2 presents optimal thermal stability with only 10.06 mg/cm2 mass loss and 4.0% emissivity decrease in the wavelength regime 1.27–1.73 μm after 50 h oxidation at 1773 K. The advantages of double phase metal-silicide coatings combining WSi2 and MoSi2 include improved thermal compatibility with the substrate and an enhanced glass-mediated self-healing ability

Bioenzyme activation preparation of Fe3O/carbon nanofibers as supercapacitor electrode materials

A new activation method for carbon-based pore expansion of composite materials was developed using the biocatalytic principle of amylase to hydrolyze cyclodextrin into small molecules of maltose and glucose. The composite carbon nanofiber mats were prepared by electrospinning with polyacrylonitrile (PAN), α-cyclodextrin, iron acetylacetonate as the iron oxide precursor, and hemp straw-based liquefied carbon as the electrospinning precursors. The α-cyclodextrin was hydrolyzed by medium-temperature α-amylase to generate pores, and a composite electrode material of carbon nanofibers with controlled iron oxide/porous structure was prepared through pre-oxidation and carbonization. Based on the morphology and structure of the prepared electrode materials and the electrochemical performance of three electrodes and two electrodes, it can be concluded that it is feasible to prepare electrochemical materials with the pore structure of carbon nanofibers by the enzyme pore enlarging method. Meanwhile, the FePCNF1 reaches 314 F g−1; at the current density 10 A g−1, over 75.6% of initial capacitance is retained as the current density improves from 1 to 10 A g−1 and also exhibits an excellent cycling performance with 62% capacitance retention after 15,000 times charge/discharge cycles