Wogonoside exerts potential anti-tumor activity against bladder cancer in vivo and in vitro via regulation of GSK3β/ERK/AKT signaling pathway

Purpose: To explore the antitumor activity of wogonoside on bladder cancer, and its underlying mechanism of action. Methods: Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was applied to evaluate the anti-proliferative activity of wogonoside (2 - 128 μM) against bladder cancer 5637 cell line at different times, and the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was measured. The antitumor activity of wogonoside (30 mg/kg, i.p.) against bladder cancer 5637 cell line was confirmed via in vivo experiments on nude mice bearing human bladder cancer 5637 cells. Additionally, western blotting assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to investigate expression levels of caspase-3, caspase-9, B cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2 associated X protein (Bax), phosphorylated (p)-glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β, p-extracellular signal-regulated kinases (p-ERK), and p-(protein kinase B) AKT. Results: The in vitro results reveal that wogonoside has remarkable anti-proliferative activity against bladder cancer 5637 cells with IC50 of 20.59 μM, in a concentration-and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, wogonoside treatment also suppressed tumor volume of nude mice bearing bladder cancer 5637 cell (p < 0.01). The potential mechanisms seems to be mainly associated with apoptosis mediated by mitochondria via up-regulation of caspase-3, caspase-9, and Bax levels, and downregulation of Bcl-2, p-GSK-3β, p-ERK, and p-AKT. Conclusion: The results reveal that wogonoside possesses anti-tumor potentials against bladder cancer. Further translational studies are warranted to test the clinical application of this medicinal agent in bladder cancer

Baicalein and U0126 suppress bladder cancer proliferation via MAPK signaling pathway

Purpose: To investigate baicalein and 1,4-diamino-2,3-dicyano-1,4-bis[2-aminophenylthio] butadiene (U0126)effects on human bladder cell line T24 proliferation and related mechanisms.Methods: Twenty micromoles of baicalein or 10 μM U0126 were incubated with T24 cells. Cell viability was tested by CCK8 assay. Cell cycle was evaluated by flow cytometry while cell apoptosis was detected by Annexin V/PI and TUNEL assay. MAPK signaling pathway was evaluated by real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot.Results: Baicalein and U0126 suppressed bladder cancer cell T24 proliferation by blocking cell cycle in G0~G1 phase. TUNEL and Annexin V/PI detection showed both baicalein and U0126 induced T24 cell apoptosis. Baicalein and U0126 significantly down-regulated MAPK signaling pathway related molecule activity in both mRNA and protein levels (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Baicalein and U0126 restrain bladder cancer cell proliferation and promote cell apoptosis by affecting MAPK signaling pathway. Thus, they have  potentials for use in the treatment of bladder cancer.Keywords: Bladder cancer, Baicalein, 1,4-diamino-2,3-dicyano-1,4-bis[2-aminophenylthio] butadiene, MAPK signal pathway, Apoptosi

Wogonoside exerts potential anti-tumor activity against bladder cancer in vivo and in vitro via regulation of GSK3β/ERK/AKT signaling pathway

Purpose: To explore the antitumor activity of wogonoside on bladder cancer, and its underlying mechanism of action. Methods: Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was applied to determine the anti-proliferative activity of wogonoside (2 - 128 μM) on bladder cancer 5637 cell line at various times, and the halfmaximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was measured. The antitumor activity of wogonoside (30 mg/kg, ip) against bladder cancer 5637 cell line was evaluated in nude mice bearing human bladder cancer 5637 cells. Additionally, western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were carried out to investigate the levels of the caspase-3, caspase-9, B cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2 associated X-protein (Bax), phosphorylated (p)-glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β, p-extracellular signal-regulated kinases (p-ERK), and p-(protein kinase B) AKT. Results: The in vitro results revealed that wogonoside exerted anti-proliferative activity against bladder cancer 5637 cells with an IC50 of 20.59 μM (p < 0.01), in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, wogonoside treatment also significantly suppressed tumor volume in mice (p < 0.01). The potential mechanisms were mainly associated with apoptosis mediated by mitochondria via upregulation of caspase-3, caspase-9, and Bax levels and down-regulation of Bcl-2, p-GSK-3β, p-ERK, and p-AKT. Conclusion: The results reveal that wogonoside has remarkable anti-tumor potentials against bladder cancer. Further translational studies are warranted to test the clinical application of this medicinal agent in bladder cancer

Ionic Liquid-Assisted Synthesis of Ag3PO4 Spheres for Boosting Photodegradation Activity under Visible Light

In this work, a simple chemical precipitation method was employed to prepare spherical-like Ag3PO4 material (IL-Ag3PO4) with exposed {111} facet in the presence of reactive ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazole dihydrogen phosphate ([Omim]H2PO4). The crystal structure, microstructure, optical properties, and visible-light photocatalytic performance of as-prepared materials were studied in detail. The addition of ionic liquids played a crucial role in forming spherical-like morphology of IL-Ag3PO4 sample. Compared with traditional Ag3PO4 material, the intensity ratio of {222}/{200} facets in XRD pattern of IL-Ag3PO4 was significantly enhanced, indicating the main {111} facets exposed on the surface of IL-Ag3PO4 sample. The presence of exposed {111} facet was advantageous for facilitating the charge carrier transfer and separation. The light-harvesting capacity of IL-Ag3PO4 was larger than that of Ag3PO4. The photocatalytic activity of samples was evaluated by degrading rhodamine B (RhB) and p-chlorophenol (4-CP) under visible light. The photodegradation efficiencies of IL-Ag3PO4 were 1.94 and 2.45 times higher than that of Ag3PO4 for RhB and 4-CP removal, respectively, attributing to a synergy from the exposed {111} facet and enhanced photoabsorption. Based on active species capturing experiments, holes (h+), and superoxide radical (•O2−) were the main active species for visible-light-driven RhB photodegradation. This study will provide a promising prospect for designing and synthesizing ionic liquid-assisted photocatalysts with a high efficiency

Facile microwave-assisted ionic liquid synthesis of sphere-like BiOBr hollow and porous nanostructures with enhanced photocatalytic performance

In this work, two kinds of self-assembled hierarchical BiOBr microcrystals were rapidly synthesized through a simple microwave-assisted route in the presence of reactable ionic liquid 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([C16mim]Br). These porous and hollow BiOBr microspheres were obtained via a facile solvothermal method with or without polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), respectively. During the synthetic process, ionic liquid [C16mim]Br played as solvent, reactant and template at the same time. Moreover, the BiOBr hollow and porous microspheres exhibited outstanding photocatalytic activities for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. A possible photocatalytic mechanism was also discussed in detail. It can be assumed that the higher photocatalytic activities of BiOBr porous microspheres materials could be ascribed to the novel structure, larger specific surface area, narrower band gap structure and smaller particle size. Keywords: BiOBr, Photocatalytic, Ionic liquid, Microwav

Graphitic carbon nitride/BiOCl composites for sensitive photoelectrochemical detection of ciprofloxacin

Ciprofloxacin, as a second generation of fluoroquinolone antibiotics, has been proved to cause environmental harm and exhibits toxic effects on the wastewater and surface water even at low concentrations due to their continuous input and persistence. Despite tremendous efforts, developing ciprofloxacin detection method with accuracy and sensitivity at low-cost remains a great challenge. Herein, graphitic carbon nitride/BiOCl composite (g-CN/BiOCl) has been designed for a facile and sensitive photoelectrochemical (PEC) monitoring platform of ciprofloxacin at first time. BiOCl can be modified with the g-CN nanosheets which are obtained via solvothermal process at low-temperature conditions. The use of g-CN is shown to strongly enhance the PEC response of BiOCl due to the formation of heterojunctions. The photocurrent generated at the g-CN/BiOCl-modified ITO (with 13 wt% g-CN content) is much higher and more stable than that of a BiOCl-modified ITO. Based on these findings, the g-CN/BiOCl-modified ITO was used to design a PEC assay for the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. Furthermore, the limit of detection of the ciprofloxacin PEC sensor has been significantly lowered to 0.2 ng mL−1. In addition, the PEC sensor can detect ciprofloxacin in the wide range of 0.5–1840 ng mL−1.</p

Oxygen defect modulating the charge behavior in titanium dioxide for boosting photocatalytic nitrogen fixation performance

Extremely high-temperature and high-pressure requirement of Haber-Bosch process motivates the search for a sustainable ammonia synthesis approach under mild conditions. Photocatalytic technology is a potential solution to convert N2 to ammonia. However, the poor light absorption and low charge carrier separation efficiency in conventional semiconductors are bottlenecks for the application of this technology. Herein, a facile synthesis of anatase TiO2 nanosheets with an abundance of surface oxygen vacancies (TiO2-OV) via the calcination treatment was reported. Photocatalytic experiments of the prepared anatase TiO2 samples showed that TiO2-OV nanosheets exhibited remarkably increased ammonia yield for solar-driven N2 fixation in pure water, without adding any sacrificial agents. EPR, XPS, XRD, UV-Vis DRS, TEM, Raman, and PL techniques were employed to systematically explore the possible enhanced mechanism. Studies revealed that the introduced surface oxygen vacancies significantly extended the light absorption capability in the visible region, decreased the adsorption and activation barriers of inert N2, and improved the separation and transfer efficiency of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Thus, a high rate of ammonia evolution in TiO2-OV was realized. This work offers a promising and sustainable approach for the efficient artificial photosynthesis of ammonia

Novel visible-light-driven AgX/graphite-like C3N4 (X = Br, I) hybrid materials with synergistic photocatalytic activity

Novel visible-light-driven AgX/g-C3N4 (X = Br, I) hybrid materials were synthesized by the facile water bath method. The AgX/g-C3N4 hybrid materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence (PL), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), Raman and the special surface area. The XRD, EDS, TEM, FTIR, Raman and XPS analyses indicated that AgX nanoparticles were evenly distributed on the surface of g-C3N4 and the heterostructures were formed. The photocatalytic activity of the AgX/g-C3N4 hybrid materials was evaluated using methyl orange as a target organic pollutant. The as-prepared AgX/g-C3N4 hybrid materials displayed much higher photocatalytic activity than the pure g-C3N4 and AgX nanoparticles. After the introduction of AgX nanoparticles, the photocurrent of the AgBr/g-C3N4 and AgI/g-C3N4 hybrid materials was found to increase by 21 and 8 times than that of the pure g-C3N4, respectively. The increased photocatalytic activity of the AgX/g-C3N4 hybrid materials was attributed to the synergic effect between g-C3N4 and AgX, which included the optical property, the better dispersion and the small size. A photocatalytic mechanism and the kinetics of AgX/g-C3N4 hybrid materials were also proposed